Summer Reading Book Review: “Once Upon a Prime” by Sarah Hart
Summer carries with it the hope of rest and relaxation. An enjoyable read can make a good day great.
This summer, we’re reading about computational joy. Whether exploring the beauty of numbers or contemplating codes and ciphers, these books illuminate just how fun computation can be.
June’s book, Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature by Sarah Hart, is a joyous deep dive into the interplay of words and numbers — emphasis on the “play”!
Overview
Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature shows the beauty of how writers and mathematicians approach the world. Writing and math aren’t dissimilar, even if they’re often siloed to their own disciplinary spheres. Writer-mathematician Sarah Hart sees the fields as complementary, each exploring the world through different lenses.
This book is divided into three parts. The first part, “Mathematical Structure, Creative, and Constraint,” looks at the way the structure of writing mimics mathematical forms. The second part, “Algebraic Allusions: The Narrative Uses of Mathematics,” roughly explores math and language, with an emphasis on symbolism and language. The last part, “Mathematics Becomes the Story,” sees math explicitly integrated into literature through conceptual ideas and mathy protagonists.
Once Upon a Prime offers plenty of end notes and excursions beyond the mathematical tour that Hart presents in the main text. For readers eager for more math-influenced reads, a list of recommended titles can be found at the end. At 287 pages, Once Upon a Prime is not a huge book, but it’s long enough to give its ideas some weight. The audiobook references an accompanying PDF for its embedded diagrams.
A Closer Look
The book begins with a familiar quote: “Call me Ishmael.”
In her introduction, Hart explains how Herman Melville’s fascination with the cycloid in Moby-Dick led to her penning Once Upon a Prime. While acknowledging that math and writing have a reputation of being seen as oppositional, Hart shows how further back in history, knowledge of both fields was vital to being seen as well-rounded. This led to math allusions being found in popular texts, with the expectation of readers being able to enjoy them.
This idea leads into the first part, which is a fascinating look at how pattern matching and other such computational tasks find their way into the foundations of writing. In the first chapter, Hart explores poetic forms and how rhymes and rhythms have their own mathematical structures. All forms, be they sonnet or haiku, have creativity bolstered by constraint.
Speaking of constraint, Hart goes deeper into the idea as she writes of OULIPO, a group of writers aiming to write “potential literature.” This experimental group goes to the extremes of form, from omitting letters in texts to writing a knight’s tour–based exploration of a group of people living in the same building. As suggested by the mention of a knight’s tour, each of Hart’s literary discursions is connected to mathematical ideas, a theme throughout the book. For more complex math, diagrams and formulas are included.
Part two reads similarly, with Hart first introducing a broad idea in literature and then overlaying it with mathematics. The first sentence of chapter five, for example, wonders, “Why do wishes come in threes?”. While a discussion of number symbolism could rest on the surface level, Hart shares interesting ideas of why some numbers hold more narrative (or even mythological) power. Likewise, some words are surprisingly mathy, such as “punch,” which is likely a Hindi loanword of panch, or “five,” referring to a five-ingredient drink.
Part three looks specifically at books about math and mathematicians, with chapter eight diving into “mathematical ideas so compelling” that writers can’t help but use them in their books. One such idea is the fourth dimension, immortalized in Edwin Abbott’s Flatland. Throughout this final part, Hart maintains a balance between the mathematical minutiae and information about the authors, which is helpful for readers coming in with more knowledge of either math or literature.
Ultimately, the book ends biographically, with the final chapter exploring mathematicians as portrayed in literature, both fictional and historical. The last paragraphs consider the intersectionality of identity in these portrayals. Hart references writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s notion of the dangerous “single story,” wherein stereotypes in literature are taken at face value. Hart ends by saying, “In literature, as in life, there are as many different ways to be a mathematician as there are different ways to be a person” (p. 256).
Takeaways
It’s easy to see how the word “wondrous” made its way into this book’s title. There is a sense of wonder and awe as Hart describes the connections between numbers and letters, math and literature. Her enthusiasm is infectious.
Mathematics is frightening for many students — and teachers. For those who take easily to writing but see numbers as scary, Once Upon a Prime is eye opening. While some of the mathematical concepts may feel too complex, Hart takes care to keep things light with layman-friendly explanations. Other ideas, such as number symbolism and poetic patterns, fit nicely into the oft-suggested ideas of number talks and asking students “What do you wonder?” when they see a group of items.
Hart states outright that she hopes readers will finish her book eager to read further. The sheer expansiveness of titles mentioned, from Choose Your Own Adventure books to Life of Pi to single poems, offers a wealth of choice for these hungry readers. Likewise, Hart mentions titles from around the world, making this literary buffet global in scope.
Once Upon a Prime is ponderous but light, heavy with meaning but buoyant with joy. It’s well worth the read, regardless of where you find yourself on the math-literature spectrum. By the end, you might well discover there’s less of a spectrum than you first thought.
If you’ve read this book, what did you think of it? Share your thoughts below.
About the blogger:
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!)
