'Is Math Real?’ asks simple questions to explore math’s deepest truths

Is Math Real?Eugenia ChengBasic Books, $30Every mathematician has a story that goes something like this. You’re at a party, and someone asks what you do for a living. “I’m a mathematician,” you say. “You must be a genius!” they reply. Or perhaps you end up being an impromptu therapist to someone who needs to vent about traumatic experiences they had in math class decades ago. Mathematics is treated with both reverence and fear: People often see math as an objective, apolitical tool that can buttress or refute arguments, but they also feel intimidated and anxious when they think they might have to use it.Mathematician Eugenia Cheng has spent much of her career working to alleviate those anxieties. As scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she teaches mathematics to artists, many of whom have never seen themselves as “math people.” She has also written several books, for both adults and children, that seek to cultivate mathematical curiosity and illustrate...