Karen Olsson

Biography as memoir. The author writes a biography os Simone Weil and her brother Andre and doing so reflects on her own interest in math and person philosophy. There is little actual grappling with math or theorems - although a few are stated no underlying clarification is added. Andre’s time at the institute for advanced study is made more interesting by my current reading about Oppenheimer.
The trekking back and forth between Europe and the US is intriguing as it happened in the 40s and 50s when that was more of a chore. To some extent I am inspired to learn more about Simone’s writing and insights.… (more)

Oh boy, so conflicted about how to rate this book! I wish Goodreads had 1/2 Star options, and I'd give this a strong 4-1/2 Stars. I'm being more judicious about doling out 5 Star rankings, holding out for truly amazing, extraordinary books that I believe will become Classics.

This is not a Classic, but a damn fine read! And I will seek out her earlier book and hope it is as interesting and well-told as this story of a fractured (fracturing?) family in Washington DC trying to escape the judgements and fallout of the Iran-Contra scandal. Olsson mixes together history and teen angst with early adult hindsight and delivers a solid gem of a book. I highly encourage anyone to read this fine book!… (more)

Woven from several strands: André Weil’s life as a professional exile following his arrest in Finland at the beginning of WWII, when his mathematics notebooks were mistaken for some kind of espionage code; his sister Simone’s attraction to suffering and her search for ‘meaning in affliction;’ and Olsson’s own youthful attraction to the abstract mysteries of algebra. Olsson has a good eye for the eccentric bits (a young cadet arrives in the interrogation room to paint the windowsill blue), but she never gets around to giving us those Conjectures.

Baxter Pinot Brune Brown Ale
Arcpoint Variance V IPA… (more)