Dr Eugenia Cheng has a PhD in pure mathematics and is an educator, author and public speaker. Alongside her research in Category Theory, her aim is to rid the world of “math phobia.” Her book Is Maths Real deals with the philosophical foundations of maths.
Selecting 5 of her favourite topical books from fellow female authors, Eugenia Cheng explains: “I have been thinking a lot about what feminism means to me. In this interview, I said – I wish more authors would write about strong women, beyond the strength and importance of motherhood, but not just emulating traditional male behaviour… I feel that this is the kind of strong woman I am, as a woman forging a non-traditional path in mathematics. I have been on something of a mission to find books like this, and particularly ones written by women. I find such books frustratingly rare, so I wanted to recommend a few that I have found.”
The Tiger’s Wife – Téa Obreht
“This is a gorgeous, poetic, magical book with a strong female character on a mission / with a purpose that is not limited to falling in love or having children. Although there are love stories in the book, they are unusual ones (as shown by the title) and that is not the main narrative arc of the central protagonist. I long for books about women that extend beyond romance, motherhood, or emulating men.”
Set in the mid 20th-century to early 21st century, this book explores the inter-generational dynamics between a medical family, amidst their involvement in several wars throughout the period. Obreht won the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction for The Tiger’s Wife, becoming their youngest winner to date, at age 25. When Obreht was asked to summarise the story by a university journalist, she replied, “It’s a family saga that takes place in a fictionalised province of the Balkans. It’s about a female narrator and her relationship to her grandfather, who’s a doctor; It’s a saga about this family and their relationships to death throughout all these wars in the Balkans.”
Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng
“This book has one of the most spectacular first sentences I’ve ever encountered and continued to be spectacular throughout. I felt it was crafted almost like a mathematical proof, where you start from the end and work backward towards first principles, seeking to understand every detail of the intricate combination of factors leading to the result. I have been seeking more books by Asian people as I’ve read so few books that in any way reflect my own experiences of growing up as an Asian surrounded by white people. I love the fact that this book sets an Asian’s experience of racism next to a white woman’s experience of sexism, and has a strong woman who does not conform to social expectations – and that this isn’t just incidental, but fundamentally drives the plot.”
Set in the 1970s, Everything I Never Told You unravels the mystery behind a young girl’s death and delves deeper into the complexities of human relationships and the weight of unspoken truths. It explores themes of identity, belonging, and the pressure to live up to expectations. What emerges is a heartfelt portrait of a family struggling with its place in history.
The Last Flight – Julie Clark
“Motherhood is not a universal female experience: some women don’t want to be mothers and some women are unable to be mothers. But being disrespected, overlooked, and exploited is a universal woman’s experience. I found this to be a gripping book about women trying to break free from those experiences, in tightly intertwined tales.”
The Last Flight follows Claire Cook, a woman trapped in a high-profile but secretly abusive marriage. After her plan to escape her husband is unexpectedly derailed, Claire encounters Eva at the airport – a woman just as in need of a quick getaway. The novel celebrates the resilience of women and the power of solidarity in a patriarchal culture often unwilling to see women as anything but commodities.
The Misfortune Of Marion Palm – Emily Culliton
“I love the concept of the main character, Marion Palm. She’s a sort of anti-hero, exactly the sort of woman society expects us not to celebrate: she commits crimes, and then abandons her family when she’s been found out. She goes on the run, like the characters in The Last Flight but for different reasons. And yet I found myself rooting for her. Her crime is almost victimless (or rather, the victims are mostly stuck-up elitists that we are not encouraged to sympathise with), and her motives are not selfish. In the end, I found this to be a book about a woman unapologetically seeing her own worth, and looking for people who will appreciate her for it, albeit in bracingly unconventional ways.”
A darkly comedic tale, this novel explores the aftermath of Marion’s disappearance on her family. Marion’s journey is interwoven with their stories, presenting a multifaceted narrative about deception and survival. As Marion navigates her new life, she faces various challenges and moral dilemmas, making readers question their sympathies and consider the lengths to which someone might go to escape their past.
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir – Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
“This is my only non-fiction pick, but it reads like a gripping work of fiction – I had to keep pinching myself over the fact that it really happened. The author is writing about her experience as a professional violinist in a ‘fake’ orchestra. It is a wonderfully nuanced look at the grey area between ‘fake’ and ‘real’, which is devastatingly pertinent to our times. It challenges us to reconsider to what extent we can actually tell the difference. The reason I’m including it in the list is that the main protagonist, the author, is an empowering lead who is determined to make her own way.”
A memoir that recounts Hindman’s experiences as a violinist in a pseudo-professional orchestra, the book’s title refers to the fact that the music her group played was often mistaken for the soundtrack of the movie Titanic. Hindman joins this orchestra while still a student, hoping to fund her college education and future ambitions. However, she soon discovers that the orchestra’s concerts are a sham: the instruments are unplugged, and the music is actually a pre-recorded soundtrack. The conductor, a mysterious figure known only as The Composer, deceives audiences across the country into believing they are hearing live performances. Delving into the struggle for authenticity in a world obsessed with appearances, Hindman reflects on her own complicity in the deception, and explores the broader implications of her experiences, including societal expectations and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Titles From Eugenia Cheng: Reality, Gender And Category Theory
Is Maths Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths by Eugenia Cheng is an exploration of fundamental questions about the nature and philosophy of mathematics – and the logic that dictates our lives. The book aims to make complex mathematical ideas accessible to a general audience by using clear explanations, engaging examples, and thought-provoking questions. Cheng argues that mathematics is not just a collection of numbers and equations but a way of thinking and understanding the world. She explores how mathematical concepts can be applied to everyday life and the ways in which this influences various fields.
Unlike the rote-learning common to school-grade mathematics, advanced principles move further into the abstract, where exploring child-like questions such as “why does 1+1 = 2?” and “when does 1+1 = 2?” reveals deep insights into the seemingly superficial. Throughout the book, Cheng emphasises the human aspect of mathematics, highlighting how it is shaped by creativity, intuition, and cultural context. Is Maths Real? invites readers to reconsider their perceptions and preconceptions of mathematics, encouraging them to see it as a dynamic and integral part of human knowledge and experience.
X + Y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto for Rethinking Gender by Eugenia Cheng explores the complex relationship between gender and mathematical logic. In this book, Cheng uses her expertise to challenge traditional gender stereotypes and investigates how mathematical thinking can be applied to understand and address contemporary issues. The book examines common misconceptions about gender differences, particularly in the context of abilities and roles within mathematics and other fields. Cheng introduces the concept of “ingressive” and “congressive” behaviours to describe different ways of thinking and interacting, reiterating that these behaviours are not inherently tied to one’s gender. Instead, they are shaped by social and cultural influences.
Category Theory deals more with context, relationships, and nuanced versions of equality than with intrinsic characteristics. Category Theory also emphasises dimensionality: much as a cube can cast a square or diamond shadow depending on your perspective, gender politics is similarly subject to particular lines of enquiry. Cheng argues for a more inclusive approach to both mathematics and society, advocating for changes in the ways we think about gender roles, and how we can create environments that support more diverse ways of collaborating. X + Y is a thought-provoking read that combines mathematical logic with social commentary, encouraging readers to reconsider their assumptions and embrace a more nuanced understanding of human capabilities and relationships.
