Ratings63
Average rating3.9
Loved the book. Unique idea, beautiful artwork. I learned a lot about the historical connections between people and ideas in mathematics of late 19th and early 20th century.
My main quibble is that the only place in which people of color appear in this book is in the depiction of prostitutes (in 3 frames on page 210). I get that most of this takes place in Europe 80+ years ago, involving real persons, so I am not proposing adding “token” people of color to the story. I also get that modern Athens is a diverse city, which, I am willing to believe, has sex workers of African descent. Despite factual correctness, this choice of supporting characters does nothing to advance the story, while countering the attempts to make students with non-European roots feel part of the scientific community. Imagine a young African girl trying to learn about the foundations of computer science and only seeing people like her as those working with their bodies and not their minds. This unnecessary perpetuation of stereotypes could have been easily avoided; I hope it will be in future editions.