Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

By: Richard P. Feynman

Narrated by: Raymond Todd

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the most famous science books of our time, the phenomenal national bestseller that “buzzes with energy, anecdote and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist” (Science Digest).

Richard Feynman, one of the world’s greatest theoretical physicists, thrived on adventure. His outrageous exploits once shocked a Princeton dean’s wife to exclaim: “Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!”

In this phenomenal national bestseller, the Nobel Prize–winning physicist recounts in his inimitable voice his experiences trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek, painting a naked female toreador, accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums, and much else of an eyebrow-raising and hilarious nature. Woven together with his views on science, Feynman’s life story is a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, eternal skepticism, and raging chutzpah.

©1985 by Richard P. Feynman (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A chain reaction is not a bad analogy for Feynman's life. From a critical mass of gray matter it goes off in all directions, producing both heat and light." (Time)

I'm so glad people like this wrote it down!

What did you love best about Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!?

Raw, honest and hilarious. I love how he explains why he makes the choices he makes. The strength of the character is appealing and refreshing. We need more people to stick to their guns no matter the consequence when they have decided to do a thing, make a bet or go against the grain...it's just more interesting to see a thing through. I'm a mid 30's female and feel like we would have made fine friends. Do they make them like this anymore? I'll take 2 please!

You know a book is good when you wish you could have met the person IRL. He would probably never describe himself this way but I can see the impish twinkle in his eyes...

What did you like best about this story?

I'm glad when someone with a different way of thinking is able to navigate this crazy world and manages to stretch themselves past being comfortable in the pursuit of discovery, fun and expression without being so badly bruised by the experience. Here, here for intolerance to bureaucracy and pomp. How funny it would be today to try and get away with signing less than 13 times! I agree that if you trust someone enough to sign a thing that they should trust you to deliver the expense report, sans receipts..ROFL

What about Raymond Todd’s performance did you like?

Smooth voice, easy to listen to. Good characterization, voice acting and accents.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but I had to listen in pieces. I could have listened to the entirety if I had time.

Very enjoyable

Very enjoyable audiobook. Basically a collection of short stories by physicist Richard Feynman. A love of science would be helpful for the listener, but this is not a prerequisite. Clever and humorous.

Humorous, witty, and very enjoyable

Richard Feynman is famous for being a quirky genius but this book gives you almost a first hand experience.

got to be the smartest man on earth, dr. Feynman

gives me hope for future physicists. narrator was awesome too. best first purchase buying more now

A delightfully odd and wide-ranging autobiography

This is a delightfully odd and wide-ranging autobiography of Dr. Richard Feynman, the Nobel prize winning physicist and world class trouble-maker.

Feynman's personality comes across as something between Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H and Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm: he has a great sense of humor, humanity, and love of pranks but lacks many of the normal social graces and filters.

What is so surprising, and what makes Feynman so compelling and relatable, is that so much of his reputation as a genius seems to turn on his personality or even luck. At Los Alamos he was young, unknown, brash, and surrounded by giants of theoretical physics. Against the odds, Feynman distinguished himself in part because he didn't have the social graces to defer to the superstars in the field. Indeed, Niels Bohr and Einstein sought him out specifically because they needed someone to challenge and improve their ideas, not gawp and and fawn over them.

The stories from Los Alamos range from delightful to chilling. He discusses pranks he and his wife played on the Army censors, as well as his career as an amateur safecracker. At Los Alamos he broke into the three safes containing ALL of America's nuclear secrets. [Aside: not everyone saw this or other questionable incidents as innocent pranks] He also mentions how several near-disasters were avoided by sheer dumb luck.

During his sabbatical in Brazil he learned to play the frigideira (a percussion instrument derived from a frying pan) and drums well enough for his samba school to win a competition, while at the same time he was causing mayhem among Brazil's academia.

His stories also include such unexpected experiences as fights in bars, hanging out with show girls in Vegas, and how to pick up women.

The recurring themes are his unquenchable (and contagious!) curiosity about everything and his willingness to try and learn new things. Throughout it all he maintains a playful sense of humor and innocent personality, even in situations that seem anything but.

Physics comes up infrequently and is discussed only conversationally. For example, Feynman claims to be the only person who truly saw the first nuclear bomb explode. He explained that while everyone else was wearing super-dark glasses or laying on the floor of a bunker, he jumped into an army truck and watched through the windshield, knowing that bright light can't actually damage your eyes and that the windshield would protect his eyes from harmful UV light.

The book was dictated, not written, and therefor retains a conversational and unstructured style that may not appeal to everyone. Feynman's speaking patterns can also become repetitive at times, e.g. he frequently has other people exclaiming in exaggerated surprise or wonder "you're a genius!" or "how can that be!?" Also, some of the stories may also seem a bit mundane. To me, however, they make Feynman seem more human, and the label 'genius' a little less mysterious and intimidating.

Overall, I found this a very enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the life and quirky personality of one of the great physicists of the 20th century.

The Aspiring Physicist's Must-Read!!!

I'll always love "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman." I first read it when I was about 16. After 12 years, the book is just as inspiring. With the benefits of experience and a plethora of new knowledge gained, I listen to his words with a new, deeper perspective.

In my first read, I fell in love with Feynman's stories of curiosity, always seeking to understand, never stop asking why, or perhaps most appropriately, how. How do things work?

This time, Feynman reminded me that it's okay to play. To be curious. Curiosity and imagination are perhaps the most valuable resources of humankind. They allow us to create a world that is better than the ones our grandparents knew. And imagination will allow our children to create an even better world than that!

This Feynman classic will entertain and inspire you as it does me! Cheers!

I want this guy to narrate my life 😂

I loved the book. Everything about it. You get fully immersed into his life, and actually feel like you're a part of it. I could t stop listening.

Raymond Todd

Really really good book and Richard Is a great scientist. but the way Raymond narrated was very very annoying. He kept going to a high pitch.

Great story, well read

This book is fantastic. It took me a few chapters to warm up to the reader, but after that I thought he did a really good job. Just the voice I would expect from Richard Feynman.

Loved it

I'm terrible at writing reviews. Get it, you won't regret it. The narration is great, and the man tells a wicked story of his life. It's inspiring.