Consumer Critique: The Joy of X

I'm a math teacher, so naturally I was excited to review The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity. Before your eyes glaze over, let me tell you that this book is for a much wider audience than math nerds. The author expertly weaves in literature and philosophy, law, medicine, art, and more, showing how math is the underpinning of all we do. He also reduces the explanations to elementary concepts, without being condescending, bringing in, for example, references to Sesame Street, observations of the world around him, and things his daughter notices.

I liked the book. I loved the math concept, and I loved how well everything fit together. If you are math-phobic, it's worth reading just to find out why your kids should learn math. If you like math, then you'll enjoy this book.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of the book to facilitate this review.