The Maniac

Recommended by Eric Maskin, Adams University Professor and Professor of Economics and Mathematics; recipient of the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

Maskin said “The Maniac” was one of the best books he read in 2023. This “engrossing” fictionalized biography of the mathematician, physicist, and economist John von Neumann reimagines both the life of “the smartest human being of the 20th century” as well as his interactions with other pioneers of the modern age of science and technology.

“Von Neumann was a polymath who, among other things, pioneered computers and game theory. On top of that, he had a charismatic personality, which comes across clearly in the book,” Maskin said.

Benjamín Labatut’s earlier novel “When We Cease to Understand the World” (2021), a genre-bending examination of genius and hubris in the 20th century, was a finalist for both the Booker Prize and National Book Award.