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David’s Year In Books

David’s 2025 Year in Books

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David N. Schwartz

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July 2012

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David N. Schwartz’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 1,112 ratings · 134 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age 4.24 avg rating — 1,090 ratings — published 2017 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Enrico Fermi. Ostatni czlowiek, ktory wiedzial wszystko. Zycie i czasy ojca ery atomowej really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ballistic Missile Defense by Ashton B. Carter (Editor), David N. Schwartz (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hedley Bull on Arms Control by Hedley Bull, Robert J. O'Neill (Editor), David N. Schwartz (Goodreads Author) (Editor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1987 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nato's Nuclear Dilemmas liked it 3.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 1983 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by David N. Schwartz…

David is Currently Reading

David N. is currently reading

The Bourne Sacrifice (Jason Bourne #17)

by Brian Freeman (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 19, 2023 03:44PM

David N. is currently reading

Remembrance of Things Past: Volume I - Swann's Way & Within a Budding Grove

by Marcel Proust

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read in February 2025

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David N. said: " Have finished Swann's Way. What an amazing experience. In part one, "Combray," we are introduced to the narrator as a young boy, hyper-anxious and hyper-observant, who cannot stand the thought that he might be forced to go to bed with his mother kiss Have finished Swann's Way. What an amazing experience. In part one, "Combray," we are introduced to the narrator as a young boy, hyper-anxious and hyper-observant, who cannot stand the thought that he might be forced to go to bed with his mother kissing him goodnight. It's a great lead in to the famous "madeleine" moment, where as an adult the taste and aroma of a madeleine dipped in tea uncorks all at once a flood of memories about childhood visits to his aunt's home in the countryside village of Combray. What follows is the greatest love letter ever written to the French countryside, in the process of which we are introduced to two "worlds" between which our narrator will have to choose as he grows up into an artist and writer: one is the Meseglise Way, which leads past the estate of one Charles Swann; the other the Guermantes Way, leading to the estate of one of the most aristocratic families in all of France. The second part, "Swann in Love," tells the story of perhaps the most obsessive and neurotic love affair of all literature, between Swann, a wealthy art connoisseur who travels in the highest of social circles, and a plain and somewhat stupid courtesan named Odette de Crecy. It is deeply perceptive of the nature of obsessive love, but also very funny, and savagely satirical as it describes the salons in which Swann circulates. The third, a very short section called "Place Names: Names," tells the story of the young narrator, a few years after the Combray chapter, back in Paris in which he meets and develops of full blown crush on the daughter of Swann and Odette, a girl named Gilberte. Throughout the book, the language is musical, almost rapturous at times, and forces the reader to be hyper-aware of the world which Proust is describing. It is a stunning achievement, and one can only be puzzled by its failure to earn the praise it was due at the time of publication in 1913. That would have to wait for the second volume, "Within A Budding Grove," which was published in 1919 and won France's highest literary prize, the Prix Goncourt. Love, loss, memory, social mores - these are the themes of this first volume, and I found it all quite magnificent. ...more "

Feb 18, 2025 11:16AM · see review

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David’s Recent Updates

David N. is now friends with Gianluca Pettinati
May 08, 2026 12:37PM · like
David N. liked Colin Court's review of The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age: "An amazing companion biography to Oppenheimer - American Prometheus. It really rounds out a surface level of understanding of the physics community in the years surrounding the world wars."
Apr 01, 2026 07:44AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N. Schwartz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N. Schwartz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David N. liked G Scott's review of The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age: "well done. he explains everything very well."
Apr 01, 2026 07:44AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N. Schwartz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N. Schwartz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David N. liked Mag's review of The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age: "An excellent biography of Enrico Fermi 4.5"
Mar 26, 2026 03:42PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N. Schwartz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Last Man Who Knew Everything by David N. Schwartz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David N. made a comment on David Czuba’s review of The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age " Thank you for your generous comments! "
Mar 26, 2026 03:42PM · see review
Sep 09, 2025 08:46AM · like · view books
David N. rated a book liked it A Darkness More Than Night (Harry Bosch, #7; Harry Bosch Universe, #10) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I liked the book - well plotted, fast paced. However, I was able to guess the solution pretty early on - for me that makes it three star rather than four.
Sep 09, 2025 08:43AM · like · see review
David N. rated a book it was amazing Presumed Guilty (Kindle County #13; Presumed Innocent #3) by Scott Turow (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I did not realize how much I missed Rusty Sabich until I picked up this book. Plowed through it in a day - just a magnificent coda to one of the genre's (legal thrillers) greatest characters. Scott Turow is head and shoulders better at this than anyo ...more
Jul 18, 2025 02:59PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David N. rated a book really liked it I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Outstanding memoir of one of New York City's most important restaurateurs. A lively portrait of when Downtown became Downtown. ...more
Jul 18, 2025 02:59PM · like · see review
David N. rated a book really liked it I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Outstanding memoir of one of New York City's most important restaurateurs. A lively portrait of when Downtown became Downtown. ...more
Jul 18, 2025 02:58PM · like · see review

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Quotes by David N. Schwartz (?)

“First identified by academic psychologist Leon Festinger, cognitive dissonance occurs when we are confronted with empirical data at odds with the way we “know” the world to work. To resolve this discrepancy, we choose to ignore data or try to fit the data into our preconceived belief structure. Sometimes, there is a crisis and the belief structure eventually crumbles.”
― David N. Schwartz, The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age

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“I remember,” Fermi replied, “my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, with four parameters I can fit an elephant, and with five I can make him wiggle his trunk.”
― David N. Schwartz, The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age

1 likes