Symmetry and the Monster: The Story of One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics, By Mark Ronan. Oxford University Press, 2006.

This is an excellent way for the non-mathematician to learn about what is going on in the attempt to classify symmetries by discovering all the finite “simple groups”. The last one found was the Monster Group and the classification was completed in 1982. This book is full of fascinating information about how this came about and the tantalizing connections between physics and the Monster that have been discovered since.

The Lightness of Being, by Frank Wilczek. Basic Books, 2008

This book is an exposition for the layman of the modern theory of particle physics – the Standard Model, Supersymmetry and other possible extensions. I recommend it for anyone interested in the subject.

These two books are examples of the modern trend in science expository writing, using metaphors, anecdotes, graphs and speculation to try to communicate an understanding of how the scientists involved think about the subject and what their motivations are. Ronan and Wilczek use much the same approach that I have been using in abstractmath.org and it has made me think about what works and what doesn’t.

I will be writing about my reactions to the writing in such books in future posts.

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