The man who knew infinity

The man who knew infinity is a biography of Ramanujan, the famous Indian mathematician. It is not a book on mathematics but a few works of Ramanujan is explained well so that anybody with a high school math background can follow. The book has three parts to it- an account on Ramanujan life in India before he left to Cambridge, his life in Cambridge and his final years where he battles with an illness that untimely took his life and difficult mathematics theories simultaneously. It is a truly divine experience to read how his extra ordinary mind worked. A good book for mathematically inclined young adults.

Murderous maths books

We first came across this series three years ago. There are a wide variety of math topics in this series. Phantom x is a good introduction on algebra, this book is humorous. How can a math book be funny, ask my students, so I take this book to my Algebra class and they giggle while some one reads it aloud. The fiendish angletron is a book on trigonometry and Do you feel lucky is a book on Probability. These books explain complex math concepts in a way that make learning enjoyable. There are few more good titles. Here is a link to the murderous maths books: http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/books.htm. They have books for every age group. Once hooked to it, your child will learn to love math!! All the books in that series are worth having a copy at home!

Dreams from my father: A story of race and inheritance: written by Barack Obama

As Obama wins heart and soul of American public and becomes a beacon of hope for their future, I took a journey to his childhood days with this book. That exactly what the book is all about: making of a man that Barack Obama is today: his adolescent and childhood days, how he grew up with his white mother and white grand parents and how he dreamt about a father who was in a far away land, how his mother filled him with stories of his father, how confused he was as a little child representing both the worlds-White and Black, how he finally carved out a niche in the world.

The book was written when he became the first black president of Harvard law school.As a young boy he grew up with his mother and grand parents, listening to the stories about his father. The little boy’s curiosity to know about his father is touching. Also amazing is the extent at which he details his childhood days and his vivid memories. After his father's death he takes a pilgrimage to Kenya to connect with his never seen before relatives. The book also walk you through his life as a community organizer and his early life in Chicago- initial life of a politician that he was destined to become. It also describes incidents like how a white lady complaint to the security in their building when Barack ran to get into the elevator with her. It was very hard for her to believe that he lived in that building which is occupied by the whites!!( Young Barack was living there with his grand parents). It takes you to more serious issues on race and inheritance. No wonder, each reader has some thing to connect with, irrespective of what race or ethnic back ground he or she is coming from.

A touching, insightful book on struggles of growing up, I am very positive that this book will inspire the children young and old alike. A commendable work and a good read for adolescents.