Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition

by Steve Olson

Follows six American high school students on the quest for glory in the Olympics of math competitions--The International Mathematical Olympiad.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mathematics, Education, Science

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2004

About the author

Steve Olson is author of the book Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens, which Amazon has named one of the 20 best nonfiction books published in 2016 and which has been shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. He is also the author of Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins, which was nominated for the National Book Award, and other books, and he has written for the Atlantic Monthly, Science, the Smithsonian, and many other magazines. Since 1979, he has been a consultant writer for the National Academy of Sciences, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and other national scientific organizations. A native of Washington State, he now lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I had finished this book, I was trying to pinpoint the source of its excellence. I think it is threefold:

(a) Full disclosure - I have a master's in math, so was predisposed to find it interesting
(b) Actually (a) may be more or less irrelevant. What I realize is that books wherein someone who can write well takes the topic of their own, or someone else's obsession, and communicates the essence of that obsession are, to me, fascinating. Other examples that come to mind are "Word Freak", Stefan Fatsis's book about high-fliers in the world of scrabble (the key point being, it is absolutely not a book about Scrabble, rather it's a book about people's obsession with Scrabble) and Mark Obmascik's "The Big Year", which follows the exploits of three obsessed birders over the course of a year.
(c) Steve Olsen is an excellent science writer, and his treatment of the different competitors in this book is compassionate and fascinating.

It has to be mentioned that if you forget the exact spelling of Steve Olsen's name and try to look him up on google, you may find yourself wading through an awful lot of entries on Mary-Kate and Ashley. A sad commentary on what is considered important these days.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was enjoying learning about the International Mathematical Olympiad, getting a glimpse into the kids who compete at these things, but then I put it down for a bit to read some fiction. Now I find I'm not that enthusiastic about picking it up again. It's well written and the author makes what could be considered a dry subject quite interesting--the focus isn't so much on the math itself, but on the study of mathematics in the US vs. other countries, and what makes a "genius." Even though the upshot is everyone contains the makings of genius, I think my problem with finishing the book is I was a math major in college, and I feel like a big ol' dummy next to these kids. I can't even say I've *forgotten* more things than these kids know! Which depressed me....

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was all over the place. When reading the title, one would think this book would be about the 6 kids that competed in the math competition or an overview of the competition itself. Instead, the book jumps around from giving background on contestants, to scientific studies on intellect, to some of the activities that occurred at the competition, to advocacy for better math curricula in schools. Oh, and there are math problems explained in detail that only hardcore math people would read through rather than scanning down a few paragraphs. All of these things could have possibly worked in this book if it were organized better. Instead, it all seems like a jumbled mess with no clear outline of the information.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love it since I thought that the topic and how the author set it up was really interesting. Plus I had read his book Eruption and thought it was a great read. There were so many themes that the author tried to cover, including education, diversity, inequality, immigration, how students learn, competition, standardized testing, etc. that it was too much of a hodgepodge. The book felt disjointed.

[Rahul · Rating 5 out of 5]

weaves together three distinct threads - the human stories of the teams, the larger themes around maths competitions, education and the origins of talent, and, most impressively, the actual Olympiad problems and their solutions.

I found it quite readable and the presented problems themselves are rewarding to think about if you are into that sort of thing.

overall a great popular science book.

[Girish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspirational book for kids and parents which is cited very well with researches along. You would realize what it takes to compete in IMO not only applies to math but whatever the hardest journey you endeavour.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing and awe-inspiring. I wanna do some math now.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Count Down : Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition is a book following a bunch of students competing for the US team in the International Mathematics Olympiad. You probably weren't aware there was such a thing. I was -- mainly because when I was growing up, and going to math camps, I knew some of the kids who competed, or aspired to compete, in them.

I was never part of that crowd -- for whatever reason, I'm not a "math contest" sort of guy. As I went on in mathematics, I discovered that there were some very good mathematicians who weren't, either, which made me feel better. Some of the math contest people seemed to look down their nose at the rest of us.

Anyway, since I was never part of that world, but knew a little bit about it, I thought it would be interesting to learn more. Turns out, well, I guess if it had been more interesting, the author would have had a lot less filler. There are mildly interesting, but extensive, digressions into things like the nature of intelligence.

Oh, well. Not too bad, and it did allow me to check for people I've met who are mentioned in the book. For the record: Alex Kasman, Julian Stanley and Jordan Ellenberg.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read about the brightest teens in the world! This was fun to read about the different kids and their amazing problem solving abilities. The cut throat competitiveness and how difficult it is to even be selected to train for the Math Olympiad is eye opening. The best of the best math students from the US go head to head with Koreans, Europeans, the Russians, the Chinese - what an Olympics!

WHY haven't I heard more about this amazing annual world wide competition?

Very interesting research has been done about these kids, why are they so driven, is it nature or nurture? Why has only one female ever been on the US team (when the book was written)? Where do these kids end up as adults?

Even if you aren't skilled in mathematics, you can skim over the problems, but if you LOVE math you can read the appendix for even more.

Great book. I loved it, and my 12yo is reading it now.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

America is not a nation of math-lovers. Olson's subjects are, for the most part, the kind of kids his readers never were. However, he resists turning the Olympians into curiosities or players in a high-stakes drama. Instead, he uses the Olympiad as a springboard for discussing compelling issues of nature, nurture, and competitive drive. Some of these discussions crowd out the kids themselves; Olson doesn't describe their lives as fully as he might. Nor does he consider all the questions raised by their success. A longer book might have offered a more complete view of the International Mathematical Olympiad, its role in the lives of its participants, and its place in American society. Still, Count Down is by all accounts an engaging read.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light study of the six problems, and the six members of the US team, at the 2001 International Mathematics Olympiad. Intertwined with Olson’s dissections of the math problems and an example solution for each by a team member are ruminations on what makes up what we think of as math “genius:” talent, creativity, competitiveness, dedication, and so on. Olson asks questions such as whether geniuses are born or made and why women do not excel at math as much as men, exploring various arguments fully without weighing heavily toward any one side. It’s a light read on an interesting subject. I must admit that from the title I was hoping for more of a suspenseful, drama-packed account of a grueling competition: brains as athletics, that sort of thing. So, not so much of the tough competition, and more on what the study of higher mathematics is all about.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. A bit of math, but not too much. Just enough to keep me entertained.

The format got tiresome after awhile: each chapter begins with a scene from the Olympiad or some personal story about a participant; then a more general topic in education or mathematics is discussed, and the chapter concludes with a wrapping-up of the initial scene.

The intros to general ed and math topics are cursory, but cover a wide range of topics. This book might serve as a good starting place to pursue some of the more current crises facing educators in math, most notably the Math Wars and the generally horrible state of American Mathematics Education / ramifications of NCLB (author does not take this one head-on) / test-taking crazes.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having competed in math competitions when I was younger, I thought this might be interesting, so I picked it up from the remainders pile at the Harvard Book Store. Olson does a commendable job of explaning difficult math problems in a way that the non-math-geek can understand, and the fact that the Olympiad is essentially six word problems allows him to dissect one problem (and the competitors' thinking regarding it) per chapter. A quick and engaging read, though I do wish Olson had spent a little more time focusing on the personalities of the kids themselves. There are some remarkably odd and fascinating people who get involved in these competitions, and I think the book would have benefitted from more insight into their "characters", as it were.

[Murilo Andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very nice surprise stumble upon this book. Olson makes the subject interesting even for non-lovers. In a very pleasant narrative, he describes the inners of the most important math competition, IMO, which took place that year in the US.

Six students, six problems and six beautiful solutions for them. For each problem, Olson describes an attribute essential for a so-called Olympian (e.g. Creativity,Talent, Competitiveness, etc), and explains the solutions of one of the contestants, with his background. The competitors have usually fascinating histories of talent and hardwork.

[pianogal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit it - I was a math geek in school. Being so, I picked up this book and was delighted to read in the very first chapter about one of the main characters who had competed in a Mathcounts event that I was also at (she kicked my butt, by the way) and that it mentioned several other people I know. I even bought this book for my mom - who was my Mathcounts coach, but I don't think she's read it yet.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the 2001 42nd IMO. Though the 'focus' is that IMO and it's six US team members, a large majority of the book is spent on discussing contributions to the mathematical success of these kids... what made them who they are? Explores topics like 'nature vs. nurture', why so few women are seen exploring math, the afffect/non-affect of parenting, math education in the US vs other countries, etc. Fairly interesting and a pretty quick read since some of the book is written in narrative form.

[Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

about kids competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad. interesting story and discussion of why usa kids/schools do so bad at math (lack of effort, basically) and why women/girls do "so bad" at math. but really, not a very compelling writer. sorry olson. he won all kinds of best science writing awards for "Mapping Human History"

[Joie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life when I was 7 years old and gave me an appreciation for the depth of mathematics that has stayed with me ever since. I'll always remember this book as my favorite from my brother's little library of math books.

My earliest ideas of mathematical elegance and beauty came from this book and they have stayed with me ever since.

[Damon Gulczynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good quick read for anybody who is either into math, or participated in academic competitions as a kid. The underlying theme about the nature of intelligence is compelling. You certainly do not need to know any math to read it, but a mathematical background probably enhances the experience.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. Clear, no-nonsense style. Read during my effort to figure out what makes math beautiful, but like all aesthetic pursuits that don't necessarily employ words, what makes it beautiful can only be talked around. Though the book itself was a bit superficial.

[Hong Deng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that not only talks about the thrilling lives of six kids who joined the American Olympaid team, it also gives a lot of information about the interesting problems of problem solving. The book also has a lot of insightful details on psychonology.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't worry if you can't do the math; you can still do the sociology!Knocks down such stereotypes as the Math Nerd and, by the way, that "math is a young man's game." Even though the Math Olympiad kids are high schoolers...

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting meandering discussion about genius: what that means, where it comes from, how it is nurtured. It was about the math competition but was even more about the kids who were competing.

[Necron · Rating 5 out of 5]

how to be better at mathematic

[Meanniek ....zZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

เป็นเรื่องราวเกี่ยวกับหกชีวิตของเด็กตัวแทนประเทศ ในการแข่งขันคณิตศาสตร์โลก ซึ่งน่าอ่านสำหรับคนที่สนใจ><

[Joseph Sales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed combination of math problem solving and portraits of competitors. Breaks stereotypes of math nerds indeed.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man I did not understand the math in this book.

[Yejee]

this is good book i read it 4 school. it is about discrimination......it is not really about mathmatics:)

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interested if you're into math and math teaching.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Would be a great book to change the mind of anyone with a negative appreciation for mathematics. Has some nice challenging problems, too.