I am grateful to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company, and Julius Taranto for giving me an advanced reader’s copy Mr. Taranto’s debut novel, “How I Won a Nobel Prize.” The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end, however I felt the language and theoretical concepts bogged it down. I realize this is a story about theoretical physics, which is 100% beyond my comprehension, however, I think the story would have been better served if there was less scientific mumbo jumbo. The characters are all very strange in their own ways, but that is what makes the book so intriguing; that and the strangeness of the “Institute” in which most of the story takes place.

Mr. Taranto’s fictional debut has a lot of merit, but I look forward to reading something else from him that doesn’t get bogged down in its own language. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'll be honest here, I did not finish this book. It took me a while to piece together why. I was initially really excited about the concept of this book - a university that houses disgraced scholars?! That sounds hilarious. However, I was kind of disappointed in the writing style - it was too wordy and the vocab seemed unnecessarily academic (is that ironic?). It was also paced somewhat slower than what I was expecting and didn't grab my attention. I still think it will be liked by the right audience but unfortunately that was not me.

It was an interesting read. I am not sure how I could apply this to my life, but I am glad I ventured into this space and encountered the writing displayed here

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

This book is hard hitting takes on academia. I wanted to like it so much more than I did but quite honestly I found myself lost most of the time. Some of the concepts were just too much for me without back knowledge.

Published by Little, Brown and Company on September 12, 2023

How I Won a Nobel Prize is centered around the concept of “woke” education. A wealthy conservative named B.W. Rubin endowed a private university called the Rubin Institute. The Institute purchased an island off the coast of Connecticut, built a tower, and staffed it with deplorable professors: racists, gropers, zealots. The Institute is portrayed to the public as a sort of punitive exile for professors who can’t follow the rules, but the faculty — consisting almost entirely of white males — loves the place. They can sleep with students, harass them, and use all the offensive language they can imagine, never suffering consequences.

Since the island has a nice beach, the Institute became a “Sandals for scandal” with no HR director, no code of conduct. The Institute charges no tuition, so it gets bright students who suffer the harassment in exchange for an education as well as the Young Republicans who relish their entitlement. If students are concerned about attending school on the island (known on the mainland as Rape Island), they were invited to carry Mace.

B.W. Rubin is sleazy in a way that is unique to the truly rich. He is convinced that any action he takes to gain more wealth and power is justified, even if he must dominate worthier people to enrich himself.

Helen was a graduate assistant at Cornell, working with Nobel Laureate Perry Smoot to create a model that would help them create superconductive substances at ordinary temperatures. The novel explains superconductivity and Helen’s quest in a way that even I can (superficially) understand, and I’m no physicist. Math and coding are Helen’s strength, while Perry is the one who make intuitive leaps. Some of the novel’s best writing — and it’s all exceptional — comes from Helen’s descriptions about what it’s like to be “in the zone,” when she is coding with almost supernatural confidence, “pirouetting between raindrops, seeing the whole vast board,” certain that she is about to solve a difficult problem.

Perry is gay. He became unwelcome at Cornell after a male graduate student reported that Perry made a pass at him. Conversely, Perry’s sexual harassment makes him welcome at the Rubin Institute. Helen feels compelled to follow Perry because the only other expert conducting similar research is in China and she doesn’t speak Mandarin.

Helen’s lover is a liberal IT guy who objects to living in the obnoxious environment of Rape Island before he relents and follows Helen. Their relationship is strained by the move, although Helen has so little time for Hew that the relationship has never been great. In any event, Helen is thinking of having an affair with a literary writer who has been exiled to the Institute. The writer was much admired before he became so literary that ordinary readers could not grasp the point of his work.

Helen’s relationship with Hew becomes a quirky subplot when Helen uses equations and spreadsheets to decide whether she should stay with him. She is surprised when the answer is always the same. She doesn’t realize that, for all the math, the equations rely on subjective data and therefore return subjective answers. I suppose you can listen to your heart or you can listen to the results of math problems that are driven by your heart.

How I Won a Nobel Prize isn’t a romance novel, but romance is part of life, whether we welcome it or not. Perry makes an interesting argument that, because he is socially dysfunctional outside the academic environment, his only hope of romantic happiness is to have a relationship with a student/lover. He views teaching as forming an erotic connection with students. It’s a bit self-serving, but I can understand his feeling that it’s unfair to ban him from the only relationships that might give him a chance to love. I disagree that it’s unfair, but I appreciated the contribution his perspective makes to an understanding of the dynamics of professor/student relationships.

Although it represents a smaller part of the story, the novel asks an interesting question about the correct balance between academic freedom and disciplining faculty members for the opinions they express. Of somewhat greater significance to the story is Hew’s concern about the disparity of power that might allow people of wealth or fame to escape judgment for immoral or illegal conduct. Helen counters that people who have made valuable contributions to society should not be defined by their worst actions. Why can’t we admire the good things people did even if we detest their misconduct?

The novel also suggests the use of Artificial Intelligence to make the administrative decisions of government, replacing self-interest with a computer-generated understanding of the nation’s core moral beliefs. I’m not sure how that would work in the real world, but it’s an intriguing solution to the role that wealth and power play in the political system. Finally, Helen has a fascinating epiphany about the nature of commitment and how it is used as a respite from the burden of constantly making choices.

While How I Won a Nobel Prize is marketed as a comedy, probably because the premise of a university for deplorables is darkly amusing, but it is largely a novel of ideas. Idea-driven novels are always at risk of bogging down, but an entertaining plot keeps the story in motion. Plot lines simmer until Julius Taranto brings them to a boil in an explosive and unexpected climax. In fact, the entire story, from beginning to end, is unexpected and surprising. It’s also the best debut novel, and possibly the smartest novel, I’ve read this year.

RECOMMENDED

The WSJ review brought this book to my attention. It’s way outside of my usual reading list, but I thought it sounded interesting. It was!

There’s a little something for everyone.

if you’re a science-fiction fan, here’s an alternative World where a billionaire creates a university on an island off the coast of Connecticut. It’s where misfit leaders of industry, academia, etc. can go to recover from their transgressions and live out their lives, and still make a difference. The main character is on a search for an elusive physics Nobel prize; the science is quite interesting, although I won’t pretend that I understood much of it. There is one scene that was very reminiscent of a scene from the summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer“ where the character falls into a zone, and she starts to see the plumbing of the universe.

If you are into the struggles of academia (reminded me a little bit of “Lucky Hank”) and how universities work, and the interplay between teachers and students, there are quite a bit of interesting concepts discussed and displayed throughout

If you’re a political junkie and live for the nonsense that goes on amongst the various newscasts everyday, you’ll appreciate the battle against the billionaire class and capitalist society, the conflict between the main character and her husband, and how these dramas all play out at the end.

On the other hand, if you do not appreciate alternative ways of writing (there’s not a “” in the book to indicate dialogue), this book may drive you crazy. It took a little while to get used to it but after a while, it just worked.

Lots to think about in this one! Worth the read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

This book is perfect read in current social climate when so many voices with so many opinions are shouting all around you…when you want to do right by being on the right side.

The premise of the book is that all the #metoo offenders are offered a position in this university that is build by a billionaire. This university is away from everyone and every law on an island off of Connecticut. The billionaire wants to profit off of these genius minds (nasty though they are) and also make a political statement. Helen must go to this island to complete her phd because her mentor is offered a job there (you can guess why) and possibly win a Nobel prize. Her boyfriend who is #metoo sympathizer goes with her and gets increasingly frustrated with how good things are for these sex offenders.

Writing is sooo good and smooth..the topics so well handled and balanced. I was prepared for skewed pov but everything was set out in a way that is thought provoking. This is first person narration by Helen who is a physicist on verge of discovering something that could possibly win her a Nobel prize and so her voice is very to the point. I highly recommend this book for writing first and content next.

✨ Review ✨ How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto; Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

This book leans into the satire and intellectual absurdity of a university that gathers together mostly white male professors who've been cancelled for racism, sexism, sexual assault, etc. etc. They all work in a giant phallic building known as The Endowment on an island off the East Coast.

Helen, a physics grad student, follows her mentor to the island when he takes up work there after a sexual scandal, and her and her husband Hew grapple with the ethics of working at a place like this, crawling with terrible humans. She believes the trade off of solving for high-temperature superconductivity could potentially save the planet, thus offsetting the moral ambiguity of her choices.

I loved this book because so much of its commentary on academia resonated. I hated this book because of the same. I had a lot of mixed feelings about it, and it feels at times likes its trawling through the murk of academia and its problems. I also appreciated how the book experimented and played with ideas of cancel culture and its problems here.

The satire in the book was A++ especially with the ending. It's a book that definitely made me think, and I'll be thinking about this into the days ahead. Excellent audio narration and the narrator's voices for some of the more ridiculous characters were excellent!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)
Genre: humor/satire,
Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
Reminds me of: Vladimir kinda sorta?
Pub Date: 12 Sep 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ critical commentary on academia and cancel culture
⭕️ satire that runs on a more intellectual level
⭕️ science research & ethical conversations

Thanks to Hachette Audio, Little, Brown & Company and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book talks so much shit to everyone and I'm here for it.

How I Won a Noble Prize by Julius Taranto sounded charming in the book blurb but I just didn't connect with it AND I think that is more about me than about the value of the book. I think the audience for this book likely has more of a connection to science and data than I do and is more enthralled by academia.
The story is well written so I am rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I found this book a little challenging to engage with, which may be due to my lack of Physics knowledge and my disconnection with the world of academia. At it’s core, it’s a story about fighting back against corruption and greed and our ability to lose sight of what really matters when chasing a goal. There were some solid themes and interesting characters, and I’m sure this book will appeal to other readers.

💕You might like this book if:
🔹 you are interested and invested in the world of academia
🔹 you like intelligent and driven main characters
🔹you like when characters are faced with moral dilemmas

I thought this book was a cutting and delightful satire of academia (and society at large) as it navigates the landscape of people (mostly men) doing bad things and, as a result, incurring (usually rightful) punishment of cancellation. The characters verged on caricature, but delightfully so. I have no idea if the discussions of science were at all accurate, but they were presented in a way that was interesting and fun, as were descriptions of the struggles of a literary life. It was a spot-on send up of some of our current cultural challenges, but also raised some important questions of "can you despise the person and still respect the work." I'm not sure I would have liked this quite as much if I hadn't spent decades in academia, but I think it's cleverness will appeal to a relatively large audience.

This was a fun read that makes you ask the question, can you separate the art/work from the artist? The book does get bogged down in several places with scientific terminology, but it loves away from it quickly. Overall I enjoyed this story.

When Helen discovers her advisor has fallen from grace, she follows him to his next role -a controversial university funded by a billionaire. The University, called RIF is located on an island on the East Coast and is now home to plenty of male academics that have been cancelled. Helen and her husband move to the island very set in their thoughts. As the novel moves forward, Helen begins to question her beliefs about right and wrong and cancel culture and just how guilty the men are. It's a very mind provoking novel but it's a difficult read. Stil, enjoyable and worth reading and discussing!
#littlebrownandcompany #howiwonanobleprize #juliustaranto

I love that more books are being written examining the sense of moral superiority increasingly characterizing the left (that I am, admittedly, a part of). There's a lot to be said about faux outrage, moral purity tests, hypervigilence and the kind delight folks take at seeing a public figure do something "problematic." R. F. Kuang wrote about it in the publishing industry in "Yellowface," and Julius Taranto here takes on academia.

"How I Won a Nobel Prize" is set on a small East Coast island that is home to a university refuge for academics that have been ousted from their institutions. At the RIF, professors and researchers with a history of harrassment, sexist and racist comments, can come and do their work in peace. A staunch liberal, Helen is horrified to discover her dissertation advisor is moving to RIF. To finish her PhD, she reluctantly moves to the island with her boyfriend Hew. Initially motivated to ensure other students know she's not "one of them," her worldview starts to shift. Maybe what these men did isn't so bad? Maybe creativity does florish when universities aren't concerned with Title IX and promoting safe environments! This path eventually leads her to a moral crisis that threatens her professional future and her relationship with Hew.

I had high hopes for this book but the execution made it an incredibly difficult read. There are long, rambly inner monologues. No quotation marks are used to indicate dialogue. The world-building is minimal: the idea of RIF was the most interesting part of the story, but descriptions of its inner workings and environment are virtually non-existent. The characters seem more like mouth pieces for various ideological positions than real people. Even though this is a work of fiction, it really didn't read like a novel. More of a philosophical story intended to initiate dialogue.

This book was provocative, scientifically dense, and at times, rage inducing. When I get furious with a character—as I was with the billionaire head of RIP—I always have the same thought: the author is doing something right here. I was very invested in the outcome of the story, which kept me reading. Sometimes the story and characters suffered, perhaps, at the expense of the big ideas being explored and the wit on display. But that may be me, wishing this book was something it is not. I know a lot of scientists and graduate students, and I'm not sure the main character rings completely true. But I appreciate what the author has done here, in executing a vision. It is a unique and interesting book with a lot to say.

Thought-provoking, witty, and unexpected—a really relevant, timely, but still fun and satisfying exploration of academia and approaches to current social issues.

You know, there were a lot of interesting ideas here, but it never really came together for me. The characters seemed a bit one-dimensional, and I never really felt like I understood why they were doing what they were doing. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, I do appreciate it!

You can really tell when a book is written by a man. I mean, really really tell. Thanks for the ARC.

I liked this book overall, but wow was there a lot of scientific information and some philosophical ideas here that might have been over my head. Also, I'd love to see some quotation marks used. It makes it so much more readable.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.