The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

 Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician, in 1859 proposed the Riemann hypothesis, which remains unsolved to this day. “In fact, the Clay Institute is offering $1 million to the person who solves it first.”

This story is about a young ambitious woman who tries to solve the Riemann hypothesis. Set during a time when only men studied science and only men were given positions as professors. Katherine, the protagonist, is being told repeatedly that she could achieve so much if only she were a man.

Katherine grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in the small town of New Umbria, Michigan. Even as a young girl she understood the power of what her mother was telling her, “that numbers underlay the mysteries of nature. That if you could unlock their secrets, you could catch a glimpse of the order within.”

Her father refused to talk about the war or his experience in it. Her mother avoided talk about China where she was from. 

When it stormed, her curiosity led her to learn about protons and electrons. From her mother she learned that she could get closer to nature by learning how it worked.

Her father sparked her interest in science, showing her little experiments. He involved her in his projects. At the same time, quizzing each other on Morse code and electrical principles. 

She receives scholarship from Purdue University against all odds. Her class on the first day is all male except her. And most of the time, she is the only woman in any math class.
She is told, “If you were a man, you’d have a brilliant future ahead of you.”

At the end, she is accepted to every graduate program she’d applied. It is then, when she first learns about the Riemann hypothesis.

The story mentions many historical mathematicians and scientists and their achievements. It is very brief, thus enriching the story and not overwhelming it. 

While in Bonn, Katherine meets another woman scholar, but in quite different field of folklore. She is collecting folktales for her new book, revealing an interesting aspect of fairy tales collected by Grimm Brothers and changes they brought in their retelling. 

It is a very interesting read, bringing a little-known mathematical theory, intertwined with a compelling story of an ambitious woman who sets her goals very high; in a time when it’s not on her side and she needs to work double hard. She doesn’t necessarily reaches the very top, but what she also learns might be even more valuable to her, the self-discovery, the meaning of life.

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Release date: June 18th, 2019