The Man from the Future

The Visionary Life of John von Neumann

By: Ananyo Bhattacharya

Narrated by: Nicholas Camm

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

An electrifying biography of one of the most extraordinary scientists of the twentieth century and the world he made.

The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating spacecrafts. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable, yet largely overlooked, man: John von Neumann.

Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. A child prodigy, he mastered calculus by the age of eight, and in high school made lasting contributions to mathematics. In Germany, where he helped lay the foundations of quantum mechanics, and later at Princeton, von Neumann’s colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet—bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the design of the atom bomb; he helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory; he created the first ever programmable digital computer; he prophesized the potential of nanotechnology; and, from his deathbed, he expounded on the limits of brains and computers—and how they might be overcome.

Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through a stunningly diverse array of fields, sparking revolutions wherever he went. The Man from the Future is an insightful and thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

©2022 Ananyo Bhattacharya (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Bhattacharya's] crystal-clear prose…mak[es] for a tour de force of enjoyable science writing….[A] marvelously bracing biography of the ideas of John von Neumann, ideas that continue to grow and flourish with a life of their own."—Stephen Budiansky, Wall Street Journal

"Vivid…[The Man From the Future is] devoted to exploring the ideas and technological inquiries [von Neumann] inspired."—Jennifer Szalai, New York Times

"Lucid and rewarding….Bhattacharya composes a rich intellectual map of von Neumann’s pursuits, shading in their histories and evolutions, and tracing the routes and connections between them."—Samanth Subramanian, The New Republic

Amazing story of an amazing man!

While some parts get a little complex and can be difficult to understand, the overall story is amazing. Von Neumann contributed to so many different areas that led to massive leaps in human advancement and even helped us win a World War. I look forward to branching out further into some of the interesting concepts he helped advance starting with game theory!

Well Done

A wonderful, balanced overview of his life and his work. Von Neumann played a huge part in mathematics, science, and technology during a time of tremendous expansion in these fields. This is a book about the mathematics, science and technology as much as the man—much more than a biography.

Great book

I came here for the movie Oppenheimer. This is a fascinating, enjoyable book. I listen to several parts of it more than once I can’t recommend it enough.

must read

what a great book, riveting from start to finish. An amazing mind at work, and what s joy to discover it.

More History the Biography

Do not go into this book thinking that it is a straight biography. It is more a look at the significant milestones in science and tech that involved John von Neumann. The biography part of things is mostly an afterthought. Once you realize its true focus the book is very good. NOW to the narration, absolutely the strangest I have ever encountered. Nicholas Camm is British, VERY British, think if Monty Python narrated a book! Nothing in this book has any connection with England, this is not a bio of Issac Newton (for instance) so the choice is baffling and was almost impossible to get used to.

Educational Book

Extremely informative book of not only Von Neumann, but the entire scientific research community of this time.

Enjoyed it

could've divided the content in smaller chapters. Gets too technical many times. Narration was very good

Best I've heard in years

Strongly recommend this book. A thoroughly enjoyable telling of an extraordinary and fascinating man. As important to our modern world as Einstein.

Timely inspiration

We live today in the shadow of giants! So fortunate to benefit from this gift.

Exceeded expectations

It's definitely a difficult person to write about due to the wide range of von Neumann's contributions. But the author did it well, at least from my field of computer science perspective. I also like the right amount of personality depiction. I saw a real and interesting human, but in the meantime, not drowned in the human drama.