How to Free Your Inner Mathematician: Notes on Mathematics and Life
(Oxford University Press, 2020) has received the Mathematical Association of America's 2023 Euler Book Prize, which recognizes an exceptionally well-written book with a positive impact on the public's view of mathematics.
You may order How to Free Your Inner Mathematician here. Use promo code ASPROMP8 on my publisher's website (see link above) for a 30% discount. Thank you for your interest!
How to Free Your Inner Mathematician: Notes on Mathematics and Life offers readers guidance in managing the fear, freedom, frustration, and joy that often accompany calls to think mathematically. With practical insight and years of award-winning mathematics teaching experience, D'Agostino offers more than 300 hand-drawn sketches alongside accessible descriptions of fractals, symmetry, fuzzy logic, knot theory, Penrose patterns, infinity, the Twin Prime Conjecture, Arrow's Impossibility Theorem, Fermat's Last Theorem, and other intriguing mathematical topics.
Readers are encouraged to embrace change, proceed at their own pace, mix up their routines, resist comparison, have faith, fail more often, look for beauty, exercise their imaginations, and define success for themselves.
Mathematics students and enthusiasts will learn advice for fostering courage on their journey regardless of age or mathematical background. How to Free Your Inner Mathematician delivers not only engaging mathematical content but provides reassurance that mathematical success has more to do with curiosity and drive than innate aptitude.
Praise for:
How to Free Your Inner Mathematician
"Think of this book as a series of eloquent postcards, sent from a wise and math-loving friend, each depicting a great mathematical idea and inviting you to join in her in the journey."
—Ben Orlin, author of Math with Bad Drawings
"In life, as in mathematics, a fresh approach is sometimes warranted. D'Agostino intertwines life's lessons with those gleaned from a stunning array of mathematical gems to forge a vision of mathematics that is both personal and universal."
—Rhonda Hughes, Professor Emerita of Mathematics, Bryn Mawr College
“I never knew I could find math so entertaining! I loved not just bending my mind around concepts I can actually use in my life but learning about some of the mathematicians and history behind them. D’Agostino’s clever illustrations are a big plus!”
—Nancy Lord, former Alaska writer laureate and author of Fishcamp and Beluga Days
"This book is a great entry point for the curious student wondering about the world around them, a wonderful reference guide for the parent, a reminder for the working engineer, or an enjoyable read for anyone seeking to update their understanding. It reminds us how elegantly math helps make sense of the world -- and that success is in the eye of the beholder!"
--Joseph J. Helble, Dartmouth College Provost and Professor of Engineering
“This delightful book contains precious nuggets of mathematics rendered accessible to most by connecting them to real life and engaging the reader in artfully paced steps. What is truly unique about this book, however, is the way D'Agostino infuses it with her humanity, making it as fun and instructive as it is wise.”
—Christophe Gole, Smith College Professor of Mathematics & Statistics
"Few things are as beautiful, fascinating and revealing about life and important to its pursuit as mathematics. Yet we have failed to teach math successfully in our schools and interest adults in exploring its wonders. We promote fear, not love. This elegantly written book makes mathematics alive and accessible, without compromise, with charm, clarity, grace, and wit. This book should fall into the hands not only of all students, but all adults. Readers will not only be grateful, but will smile along the way."
—Leon Botstein, Bard College President, American Symphony Orchestra Conductor, and author of Jefferson’s Children: Education and the Promise of American Culture
“Marvelous mathematical meditations. D’Agostino leads the reader to discover their mathematical selves through self-contained explorations. Appropriate for mathematical novices, enthusiasts, professionals, or anyone willing to reflect on the truth, beauty, and joy of mathematics.”
—Jennifer J. Quinn, Professor of Mathematics, UW Tacoma, President Elect of Mathematical Association of America 2021-2022, and author of Proofs That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof
A Celebration of the EDGE Program's Impact on the Mathematics Community and Beyond
Susan D'Agostino, Editor-in-Chief
Springer's Association for Women in Mathematics Series, 2019
The EDGE Program (Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education) began twenty years ago to provide support for women entering doctoral programs in the mathematical sciences. The refereed papers in A Celebration of the EDGE Program’s Impact on the Mathematics Community and Beyond include first-person narratives, pedagogical studies, and current mathematics research. All papers are written by current and former EDGE participants, mentors, instructors, directors, and others connected to EDGE. Together, these papers offer compelling testimony that EDGE has produced a diverse new generation of leaders in the mathematics community.
This volume of technical and non-technical works is intended for a far-reaching audience, including mathematicians, mathematics teachers, diversity officers, university administrators, government employees working on educational and science policy, and mathematics students at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
By highlighting the scope of the work done by EDGE community members, the volume offers strong evidence of the American Mathematical Society’s recognition that EDGE is a “Program that Makes a Difference.”
