[Read in August of 2009 but was delayed in writing the review.]
Prisoner's Dilemma: John Von Neumann, Game Theory, and the Puzzle of the Bomb by William Poundstone.
A book ostensibly about Game Theory, I felt that it was more of a montage of:
- Game Theory
- A biography of John Von Neumann
- A history of the RAND Corporation and cold war
The Game Theory content was fascinating and informative covering various kinds of games, strategies, and complications stemming from repeated games. Good stuff.
I found the Von Neumann biography captivating as it provided a deeper insight into his personal nature than I had read before. Clearly he was an incredibly intelligent man but he also clearly had a number of personal challenges. While this material makes Von Neumann appear more "human", it's not particularly pleasant to read about. Also, I thought the account of his death from cancer was too detailed and grim.
Personally, I have no interest in the history of the RAND corporation or the cold war so I found these parts of the book difficult to get through. But others may find this material more interesting.
All in all, not a bad book if you're interested in these topics but I wouldn't recommend this for "feel good" reading.
