*This review may contain spoilers*"The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets" is a non-fiction book exploring the numerous mathematical references peppered throughout the famous animated sitcom The Simpsons. Written by the bestselling author of "Fermat's Enigma," "The Code Book" and "The Big Bang," the book recounts memorable episodes and brings to life intriguing mathematical concepts, such as the paradox of infinity. Including images from the show and based on interviews with the writers this exploration of a well-known and well-loved sitcom will give anyone who reads it a new insight into the world of The Simpsons. The book also includes a shorter segment regarding the mathematical references in sister show Futurama.I am probably not the target audience for this book. I have a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to basic maths and this book goes far beyond the basics. So I was concerned this book would alienate me with complicated sums and equations, but I was pleasantly surprised. Singh keeps the explanations as concise and simple as possible when dealing with advanced mathematics and these explanations are countered by re-tellings of various episodes, anecdotes about how certain references came to be included and interesting insight into the credentials and lives of the writers of the most successful show in television history. I'd be lying if I said I understood all, or even the majority, of the mathematics included in this book. I'd be lying if I said there were parts I skipped over, skim-read or read twice, still didn't understand and so moved on. But that didn't ruin my reading experience; as a huge fan of The Simpsons I found this an insightful, fascinating read, as promised.Overall: ***A lower rating based purely on the fact that I didn't understand the majority of the maths. This is a must-read for maths fans, science fans, The Simpsons fans and fans of sister show Futurama. Many of whom will probably understand this book better than I did! The first rule about Math Club is always talk about Math Club. The Simpsons and sister program Futurama are written by a strange bunch of comedy writers, those with advanced degrees in mathematics, physics and computer science. The jokes they write are funny on the surface, but they embed these shows with many, (many!) math jokes. I recognized enough of these jokes to want to read the book, and I really enjoyed this book and seeing the depth these jokes ran. I did not enjoy realizing the shallowness of my nerd creds. I used to know a lot of this stuff and could hold my own. No one holds the throne forever.
What do You think about Homers Letzter Satz (2013)?
made me want to do an epic re-watch. for now, will enjoy the math.
—chinnu
Genius, one of the best books ever written about the simpsons.
—Jaiden
