Everybody knows Einstein, but John von Neumann has been equally important—if not even more critical—in understanding, eighty years ago, in which direction humanity was moving. Computer architecture, IA, and game theory, in brief, the tools of the future, of his future, which is the time we are living in now. An unknown genius and a bon vivant. This book is a journey through his life and, at the same moment, a history of the major physics and quantum physics discoveries in the first four decades of the 20th century. It is very clearly written and has a lot of humor, but beware: also a lot of mathematics (most of which I had—to my shame—to skip).

Federico Rampini is an experienced observer of the geopolitical global scene. His insights about the Middle East are impartial (and therefore, not everybody will like them) and pointed—even sharp, at times. This is a great book for understanding balance and development in this important region of the world.

The usual von Doderer: disdainful, sharp, ironic, cynical, and sometimes sarcastic, but with an unmatched expressive power and a deep understanding of humanity, which doesn’t let him cut himself any slack either. Not everything is agreeable, but definitely everything worth thinking about (excluding, sometimes, the spirals and linguistic twists that are, all in all, a bit old-fashioned).