{"product_id":"the-impossible-man-roger-penrose-and-the-cost-of-genius-9781541603660","title":"The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of 2024 \u003cbr\u003e A \u003ci\u003eGlobe and Mail \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of 2024 \u003cbr\u003e A \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of 2024 \u003cbr\u003e A \u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of 2024 \u003cbr\u003e A \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of 2024 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e A \"beautifully composed and revealing\" (\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e) biography of the dazzling and painful life of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Roger Penrose--\"a stunning achievement\" (Kai Bird, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Prometheus\u003c\/i\u003e). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When he was six years old, Roger Penrose discovered a sundial in a clearing near his house. Through that machine made of light, shadow, and time, Roger glimpsed a \"world behind the world\" of transcendently beautiful geometry. It spurred him on a journey to become one of the world's most influential mathematicians, philosophers, and physicists. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Penrose would prove the limitations of general relativity, set a new agenda for theoretical physics, and astound colleagues and admirers with the elegance and beauty of his discoveries. However, as Patchen Barss documents in \u003ci\u003eThe Impossible Man\u003c\/i\u003e, success came at a price: He was attuned to the secrets of the universe, but struggled to connect with loved ones, especially the women who care for or worked with him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Both erudite and poetic, \u003ci\u003eThe Impossible Man \u003c\/i\u003edraws on years of research and interviews, as well as previously unopened archives to present a moving portrait of Penrose the Nobel Prize-winning scientist and Roger the human being. It reveals not just the extraordinary life of Roger Penrose, but asks who gets to be a genius, and who makes the sacrifices that allow one man to be one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatchen Barss\u003c\/b\u003e is a Toronto-based science journalist who has contributed to the BBC, \u003ci\u003eNautilus \u003c\/i\u003emagazine, \u003ci\u003eScientific American\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Discovery Channel (Canada), as well as to many science and natural history museums. His previous books include \u003ci\u003eThe Erotic Engine: How Pornography Has Powered Mass Communication, from Gutenberg to Google\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFlow Spin Grow: Looking for Patterns in Nature\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50874837729554,"sku":"9781541603660","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f6efcfc3-730b-4c0b-8146-24b9d0deb1f7.jpg?v=1738008244","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-impossible-man-roger-penrose-and-the-cost-of-genius-9781541603660","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}