Memoir Mondays — Fyenman by Ottaviani & Myrick
Beautifully drawn and narrated, this illustrated biography — a compilation of events and other writings about the world famous scientist — is told from the first person, giving it a real memoir feel.
Here’s how it CATCHes readers:
Character — While technically a biography, writer Jim Ottaviani & artist Leland Myrick do physicist Richard P. Feyman’s life justice by giving him a voice that’s not too far in any direction. He’s quirky but not weird. He’s smart but not pompous. He’s friendly but not cheesy. In the end, he comes across simply as the type of guy you want to bring to a party.
Adventure — Any book about the life of a scientist sounds boring from the onset, but the authors give the story real layers by providing scenery to the action in the lab. Feynman’s travels to Brazil (twice), Japan, Europe as well as campuses like Cornell, M.I.T. and CalTech. Attention is also paid to the place where he got his best ideas — sometimes about women, sometimes about a quantum electrodynamics — the beach. Tuva, a small region of modern-day Russia near Mongolia, is about the only place he doesn’t get to but all of these settings have meaning in the greater action of his life.
“P.S. Please excuse my not mailing this—but I don’t know your new address.”
Tribulation — Feyman covers the premature death of the subject’s first wife, his battles with cancer and multiple career frustrations. As is often the case, these setbacks frequently coincide with other big moments in his life (such as his wife dying in the run-up to the first successful atom bomb test). While these tribulations are noted, they aren’t harped on. Instead, the authors settle them in the story with no small degree of class.
Culture — The primary culture on display here is science. The life of the scientist is something rarely examined in popular culture (aside from The Big Bang Theory) and there’s an upward battle from the beginning to humanize all the formulas and brains and lab coats. The authors do that by examining key moments in Feynman’s life, which didn’t always happen in a lab. The result, as you might expect, gives the academic and scientific culture more nuance and texture.
Honesty — Modesty is admirable but the gusto Feynman has to get away from his winning the Nobel Prize was eye-opening. Along with the way he shoos people away when he’s busy and the lack of regret about what his research holds for the world, his straightforwardness gives a sense for what the man was really like. In the end, we realize that’s a man who deserves to be known for much more than merely helping invent the atom bomb.
CATCH score: 8/10