{"id":36778,"date":"2019-11-09T00:41:57","date_gmt":"2019-11-09T04:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36778"},"modified":"2019-11-09T00:41:57","modified_gmt":"2019-11-09T04:41:57","slug":"review-of-prime-suspects-by-andrew-granville-jennifer-granville-illustrated-by-robert-j-lewis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36778","title":{"rendered":"Review of Prime Suspects, by Andrew Granville & Jennifer Granville, illustrated by Robert J. Lewis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Prime Suspects<\/p>\n

The Anatomy of Integers and Permutations<\/em><\/p>\n

by Andrew Granville & Jennifer Granville
\nillustrated by Robert J. Lewis<\/p>\n

Princeton University Press, 2019. 230 pages.
\nStarred Review
\nReview written 9\/19\/19 from a library book<\/p>\n

Okay, now I\u2019ve seen everything! This is a graphic novel murder mystery about research mathematics!<\/p>\n

The characters have names that play off of the names of distinguished mathematicians. The lead detective uses ideas from his namesake.<\/p>\n

The most interesting part is that when the detective team goes to the autopsy of recent victim Arnie Int, lieutenant of the Integer Crime Family, they found everything inside his body has decomposed \u2013 except for prime numbers! The apprentice detective pulls a bloody number out of his body and says, \u201cIt\u2019s a prime, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

They find the body is similar to a previous victim, Daisy Permutation. I like the scene where the detectives discuss it while playing billiards:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a similarity, but in both victims, the internal organs were completely decomposed.
\nExcept that in Arnie Int there was a smattering of primes, and in Daisy permutation, a smattering of cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s only to be expected.
\nCycles are the fundamental constituent parts of a permutation, just like primes are the fundamental constituent parts of an integer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And it\u2019s all done in a dark style, with some clueless videographers to explain things to, and mathematical puns in the background.<\/p>\n

The math itself \u2013 where they compare the set of integers to the set of permutations \u2013 went over my head, and I\u2019ve got a Master\u2019s in Math. I read the back matter where it\u2019s explained, and it still went over my head \u2013 though I at least understood what basic concepts were at work. And I did<\/em>, after reading, understand at least that cycles are the building blocks of permutations as primes are the building blocks of integers.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m still tickled to death that someone made a graphic novel thriller about higher math.<\/p>\n

There are fun ads on the inside cover, such as: \u201cAre you looking to get away from it all? Why not come and stay at Hilbert\u2019s fabulous \u201cInfinite Hotel\u201d? There is ALWAYS room for as many guests as want to stay.\u201d And: \u201cRIEMANN\u2019S ROOTS: We\u2019ll plant your organic roots in straight rows. Guaranteed to have at least 41.69% of the roots in a straight line!\u201d And: \u201cFermat\u2019s Dreams: Truly remarkable ideas for the future which this inside cover is too small to contain!\u201d<\/p>\n

The back matter takes up 50 large pages, so it takes as long to read as the 180 pages of the graphic novel part. Yes, it includes the math, but also you\u2019ve got notes on the mathematicians referred to, notes about the references in the art, and an explanation of how the book came to be \u2013 beginning as a screenplay (which has been performed in live readings).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the beginning of that section:<\/p>\n

Integers and permutations are fundamental mathematical objects that inhabit quite distinct worlds though, under more sophisticated examination, one cannot help but be struck by the extraordinary similarities between their anatomies. This comic book stemmed from an experiment to present these similarities to a wider audience in the form of a dramatic narrative. In these after-pages, we will clarify some of the mathematical ideas alluded to in the comic book, giving the details of Gauss\u2019s lectures and Langer\u2019s presentation at the police precinct. We will also break down the content of some of the background artwork, explaining how some of it refers to breakthroughs in this area of mathematics, some of it to other vaguely relevant mathematics, while some content is simply our attempt at mathematical humor.<\/p>\n

Our goal in Prime Suspects<\/em> has been not only to popularize the fascinating and extraordinary similarities between the fine details of the structure of integers and of permutations, but also to draw attention to several key cultural issues in mathematics:<\/p>\n

— How research is done, particularly the roles of student and adviser;
\n— The role of women in mathematics today; and
\n— The influence and conflict of deep and rigid abstraction.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m not sure everyone will love this book, but I sure do! Sure to be all the rage in graduate wings of math departments across the nation!<\/p>\n

press.princeton.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Fiction\/prime_suspects.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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