Read: July Books

So, you might be wondering, “Milnor, spirituality and science?” “What, did you hit your head?” Let’s find topics Mr. Milnor knows nothing about. Yes, you would be correct, but only MOSTLY correct. You might not know I’ve been on my own spiritual quest and have since become one with all living creatures. What did the Dalai Lama say to the hotdog vendor? “Make me ONE with everything.”

Matteo Pistono’s book, “In the Shadow of the Buddha,” takes some effort. Why should it not? Once you read what the author endured to tell this tale, well, making us work a bit is the price of admission. The book blends a history of Tibetan Buddhism with the author’s real-life adventures traveling and studying in the region. Just getting in took serious effort, especially when the Chinese government tries to keep foreigners from gaining access. I loved the author’s tales, but didn’t quite engage as much with the history. The history takes a leap of faith, which by now you should know is running on fumes in the Milnor house.

As for Anil Ananthaswamy’s “The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth’s Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe,” well, there is cool science happening in the world’s most remote or obscure places. The secret of the universe is: don’t ask FIFA to change the rules, or your team will get shellacked. But apparently, other mysteries remain, many of which need to be studied in places like Antarctica, the Atacama, and the bottom of Lake Baikal. The science is beyond me. Dark matter, dark energy, string theory, particle physics. Fake news! The Earth is shaped like a taco! Funny side note, I am mathematically illiterate. However, I loved chemistry and physics. In fact, I may or may not have allowed fellow students to cheat off me in college physics for a small return of the favor in the form of a twelve-pack. (I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations.)

I enjoyed both these books.