Book · 1985
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
by Richard P. Feynman
A Nobel physicist recounts the anecdotes behind the equations, cracking safes and playing bongos at Los Alamos on his way to explaining what energy actually is.
What does Reddit think of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!?
This one barely registers in the tracked corpus, a handful of recognized mentions across two subs, so treat everything here as a few data points, not a trend. What's there is unanimously positive, though. r/AskScience cites it as the answer to 'what is energy,' recommending it for anyone still unsatisfied by Feynman's own famous explanation of the concept (↑53). Another r/AskScience comment is more precise about form: 'more of a series of stories/anecdotes than a true autobiography,' aimed at 'anyone who appreciates science and/or very interesting characters' (↑7). r/booksuggestions keeps it simple, calling Feynman 'a brilliant physicist and hysterical storyteller' (↑16). Nobody in this small sample disagrees with any of that, and nobody has anything critical to add. Small sample, unanimous tone, no dissent visible anywhere in it.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Cited as the accessible answer to 'what is energy,' not just a memoir recommendation
- · Described as anecdotes strung together, not a conventional autobiography
- · Humor treated as the main selling point over the science itself
Common praise
- + One r/AskScience commenter (↑7) calls it 'an awesomely entertaining read for anyone who appreciates science and/or very interesting characters.'
- + Another (↑16) sums up Feynman himself as 'a brilliant physicist and hysterical storyteller.'
- + It gets pointed to directly when someone asks what energy actually is (↑53), cited as a resource, not just recommended in passing.
Common criticism
- − The tracked sample here is thin enough that 'criticism' isn't really the right word, there isn't enough data to surface disagreement.
- − One commenter is careful to note it's 'more of a series of stories/anecdotes than a true autobiography,' which could read as a warning if you want a conventional life story.
- − Nothing in the displayed excerpts addresses the science content's depth, only the storytelling around it.
Who it's for
Confused by what energy actually is in the physics sense? One r/AskScience thread points here before it points anywhere else. Want a conventional cradle-to-grave memoir? This isn't structured that way, one commenter is explicit that it's anecdotes strung together rather than a true autobiography. If 'hysterical storyteller' sounds more appealing to you than 'rigorous physicist,' that's the exact praise r/booksuggestions gives it. Don't expect the displayed data to settle anything beyond that, there just isn't much of it.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“"What is energy?" is one of the least satisfying questions to answer, because energy is very abstract. Richard Feynman has perhaps the most famous description (if you're not sure who he is, I strongly suggest [Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman](https…
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! is one of my favorites. Richard Feynman was a brilliant physicist and hysterical storyteller.
“Here are a couple of suggestions, in the vein of "science/biography" So, I'm obviously going to recommend "The Emperor of Scent", the biography of Luca Turin, since I just mentioned it. Turin's own book "The Secret of Scent" goes into a bit more detail on the development of his theory, but is both …
“For those that haven't read it, Feynman's book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", is an awesomely entertaining read for anyone who appreciates science and/or very interesting characters. It is more of a series of stories/anecdotes than a true autobiography; it gives some very accessible and great…
“Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Convinced? Pick up Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
What else does r/AskScience read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! — frequently asked
What does Reddit say about Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman?+
Everything visible is positive, though the tracked sample is small. r/AskScience calls it 'an awesomely entertaining read for anyone who appreciates science and/or very interesting characters' (↑7), and r/booksuggestions calls Feynman 'a brilliant physicist and hysterical storyteller' (↑16). No dissent shows up in the displayed excerpts.
Is Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman a real autobiography?+
Not in the conventional sense, per one r/AskScience commenter (↑7): 'It is more of a series of stories/anecdotes than a true autobiography.' Go in expecting anecdotes, not a chronological life story.
Why does Reddit recommend Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman for understanding energy?+
One r/AskScience thread (↑53) points to it right after invoking Feynman's own famous explanation of what energy is, treating the book as supplementary reading for anyone still unsatisfied. It's cited there as a resource, not just praised in general terms.
Is Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman worth reading if I'm not into physics?+
Yes, per the displayed r/AskScience read: it's aimed at 'anyone who appreciates science and/or very interesting characters' (↑7), not physicists specifically. The other praise in the sample focuses on Feynman's storytelling, not the science.