For Francis Su, a society that does not love mathematics is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. If you lose sight of mathematics, you live unaware of some of the most beautiful ideas ever created by the human mind.

In this inspiring book, written for the general public but especially for those who may have once been disappointed by their encounter with mathematics, an award-winning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show that mathematics is intertwined with our fundamental desires—such as play, beauty, freedom, justice, and human love—and cultivates virtues essential to human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the related stories the author shares here, reveal that mathematics is inextricably linked to our existence. After all, life lessons also emerge from the personal stories of people who loved mathematics, such as the philosopher Simone Weil and Christopher Jackson, the American inmate who discovered it as a young man in prison. Excerpts from Christopher's letters to the author appear throughout the book, showing how such an intellectual quest can—and should—be open to everyone.

2021 Euler Book Prize of the American Mathematical Society