What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
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What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
1–10 of 215 posts
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#2I'm not going to self-nominate myself as 'bright', but I liked these 3 books when I was 14ish: What do you care what other people think? by Richard Feynman. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Flatland, by Edwin Abbott.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#3I'm not going to self-nominate myself as 'bright', but I liked these 3 books when I was 14ish: What do you care what other people think? by Richard Feynman. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Flatland , by Edwin Abbott.
I've added those - thanks. Rather a shame that this item has sunk without trace - I'd've been interested to see more comments from people making recommendations.
Unclear as to whether people don't care, or didn't see it. Never mind, thanks for your contribution.
EDIT: Bizarre - briefly hit 20 on the front page, now get more votes, and the item has disappeared. I suspect it's been flagged, or triggered a voting ring. Very odd.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#4Definitely add this modern classic: Measurement by Paul Lockhart.
On a related note, I've been compiling a list myself for an even younger audience (basically all ages before 14)[1]. I bet there are a lot of influential materials for younger ages, but people don't realize how influential it was once they're grow up.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#5Definitely add this modern classic: Measurement by Paul Lockhart. On a related note, I've been compiling a list myself for an even younger audience (basically all ages before 14)[1]. I bet there are a lot of influential materials for younger ages, but people don't realize how influential it was once they're grow up. [1]: http://mcsforkids.herokuapp.com/
I'll be adding that shortly - thank you.
Edit: now added.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#6Definitely add this modern classic: Measurement by Paul Lockhart. On a related note, I've been compiling a list myself for an even younger audience (basically all ages before 14)[1]. I bet there are a lot of influential materials for younger ages, but people don't realize how influential it was once they're grow up. [1]: http://mcsforkids.herokuapp.com/
Second this. Hell, I'll third it and fourth it as well - it is one of the most simply captivating books I've ever read. Reading it feels exactly like having a conversation with Lockhart about how he views mathematics (I assume at least, I've never met him).
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#7Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game is a physiological science fiction story about a future world where an economic simulation determines who will run the planet, and the book features the live of one individual that won the competition every year for decades via integrating math, music, eastern and western philosophies to create a harmonic economic view. The book is two parts: first "the book", and then the collected writings of the main character throughout his entire life. Book got a Nobel too.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#8Here is a math-focused submission from way back [0] where I made some suggestions that I stand by.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#9Warrior of the Light: A Manual by Paulo Coelho
Actually I am recommending this book to every human being regardless of your age.
Re: What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?
#10Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World
Also perhaps Bill Bryon's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" for an entertaining broad view of a variety of scientific areas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Short_History_of_Nearly_Every...