The Diary of a Young Girl

One of my absolute favourite books from my childhood is The Diary of a Young Girl, it is the book of Anne Frank's diary. I remember there was a small picture book in our library at primary school, it was about the Second World War and inside, it mentioned Anne Frank. There were a few pictures of her with her mother and father and her sister Margot, as well as a tiny paragraph explaining her story. I became fascinated with these pictures, I love anything old, especially pictures, these reminded me of some we have at home of my Grandmother and her sisters, I used to look at that picture book nearly everyday, I wanted to know Anne's story. I think I was about eight years old when I first came across the picture book and from then on I pestered my parents to get me her diary. They kept saying I was too young, that I'd read it when I was a little bit older, but I was very persistent with my pleading until finally I got it for Christmas that year. The cover of my copy was bright pink, with a plaid design, just like Anne Frank's real diary. There were extra pictures inside, as well as extra facts about her family and friends.

I think I read the whole book in two days. Once I started reading it, I was hooked! It was so incredibly personal that I felt like I really knew Anne Frank. Because I was so young, I had no idea what her story would be like, my parents had told me about the Holocaust from a young age but I hadn't really understood it completely until I read her diary. I really didn't understand why her story just, ended. I remember running to my Dad, telling him that the story was really bad because it just ended with no warning. My Dad then had to explain to me what happened to Anne, her family and friends and millions of other completely innocent people. I was absolutely devastated when I found out what happened to Anne, Margot, their parents, Peter, his parents and all of their friends.

This stands out as being one of my favourite books of all time because I became so attached to it so quickly. I felt like I was friends with Anne, I wanted to attend her birthday party, to meet her friends and family, even to hide with her just so she wouldn't feel so alone. This book affected me hugely, as it did to the other millions of people who have read it. I know I will treasure this book forever.

What is Mathematics? By Richard Courant

What is Mathematics?

By Richard Courant

This book was recommended to me by my maths teacher. It sets out to teach the reader the basics of mathematics much more advanced than what is taught in secondary school, but without assuming anything of the reader other than a bit of mathematical curiosity. It begins with a discussion of the fundamental concept of number, before moving on to set theory, geometry, topology and an interesting exposition of the calculus, where the Fundamental Theorem of the Calculus is shown to be intuitive and obvious before being proven.

It is relatively unique in that it presents an interesting, stimulating overview of the areas of modern mathematics in a rigorous way, yet avoids unnecessarily technical language. The author, Courant, keeps in mind at all times that he is not writing a textbook, but a “taster” of what advanced mathematics is. Exercises are dispersed throughout the book, and intended to be for the reader’s enjoyment rather than simply for “practise”. It is not essential that the reader complete them, and may in fact be well advised to attempt them only upon a second reading of the book as some are rather difficult.

Importantly, although the book is aimed mainly at non-mathematicians, it does not compromise on the abstract beauty of pure mathematics by emphasising application.

The author’s extensive coverage of Euclidean geometry, an area often forgotten in undergraduate courses, as well the enthusiasm that emanates from his effervescent use of language will make this a refreshing read for someone who already has a strong background in mathematics.