The subject might have seemed more relevant during the cold war, but it's still very relevant. Maybe even more so now as we wage the red/blue un-civil ideological war.

I ended up here due to an odd train of books. I'm reading The Science of Trust which talks about game theory. It seemed interesting, so here we are.

I enjoyed the content. There was a certain lack of finesse to it in some ways, but the information was easy to follow.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable book. Thanks to a clever blend of biography, cold-war history, and math theory, this book could definitely appeal to far more people than the title itself alludes. If there is a weak point to this book, it is that it so rarely delves into mathematical theory that when it does it comes off as a bit jarring - like a linear algebra problem in a history book - and the brain isn't quite ready for it. But putting that aside, it was an enjoyable read, complete with laugh-out-loud moments that I really wasn't expecting.

This book is three intertwined story lines, all separate, but related. The first is a short biography of John von Neumann, the founder of game theory. The second is a layman's explanation of game theory, with many examples of various games, their properties, and how they might be applied to real life. The third is a history of the middle of the 20th Century in relation to the atomic bomb, specifically the arms race between the USA and USSR that gave us the huge stockpile of hydrogen bombs and mutually assured destruction.

Poundstone does a good job of keeping the book fresh by switching between the various narratives, although occasionally the pieces don't fit together quite well. Dr. Neumann's life sometimes interrupts the bomb history only to be followed by the game theory discussion, leaving the reader holding a lot in his head. But in the end, I feel I have a much better understanding of what game theory is all about and why it is important. This is probably the best compliment any layman's science book can receive.

a wonderful overview of John Von Newmann's life and a very good layman look at game theory.

A little slow towards the end/middle but if you ever wondered about either of these two topics and wanted a little cold war politics thrown in, this is the book for you

Non zero sum games, rationality, real humans and the cold war. A fantastic history of the cold war through the lens of developing game theory. From pre 1950 up to the war in Iraq in ~1990.

(3.5 Stars)

This is a fantastic read that primarily covers three topics: the life of 20th century mathematical genius, John von Neumann, the development of game theory (with the help of von Neumann), and the issue of nuclear proliferation (featuring both von Neumann and game theory). All three topics are presented in interesting and easy to understand language. Even the topics in game theory didn’t use too much math. Highly recommended.