Not Just Different, But Totally Unique
“Math City is perhaps one of the most creative reads I have ever seen. this book makes use of the intellect of the reader and forces you to stop and think about what you have read.
At first, I have to say, I was a little intimidated by this. I wasn’t sure what to think. As the book progressed, I found myself smiling and really enjoying myself. There is no one simple way to say what this book is about. Obviously it makes use of numbers and math to tell the story it presents, but it is so much more than that. The author manages to tell his story by making connections through equations.
Where a lot of books are character driven, this book makes use of the intellect of the reader and forces you to stop and think about what you have read. I had a really good time with this and was continually surprised by how intelligent and crafty the author is. The idea of having a book that requires participation from the reader was not new to me, but this book was completely unique. I haven’t ever read anything quite like it.
If you love math, or even if you don’t but you love to tease your brain with an interesting read, this is definitely a book for you. I would recommend this to anyone. Don’t let the simplicity of the cover fool you, this book has a lot more depth than it first appears.” By Ionia Froment
“This is a fable that uses anthropomorphic characters – numbers – to tell the tale of a struggle, rise to power, loosing that power, and anything in between. The tale is constructed of smaller allegories that fit into a larger one.
So, what is the “Math City” really about? Since it’s an allegory, it’s best for every reader to find her/his own meaning. A few things seem to be “apparent” at a first glance – Thin vs. Fat numbers, Minus vs. Plus, the Monster number vs. the legion of Ones. Yet I am not so certain that my first impression is the correct answer. Then again, I am pretty bad at allegories – after the initial “I know what that is!”, a multitude of other possible answers present themselves.
The author gives us a few hints that should prevent us from stuffing this story into a well-defined, reasonable borders of our own experience – “… Math City, of course, not your land; certainly, your land is not like Math City… Anyway, I hope your city is not like my City.” By Oleg Medvedko
“For an adult, “Math City” is a fascinating fantasy interpretation of modern society’s often confused and mixed propensities for War. Being an international expression, allowances must be fully given to the non-fluid nature of Armani’s narrative, and in spite of lacking precise clarity of language, his story and sub-text are clearly understood. “Number-anity” is presented in full array; no romantic lines of good and bad, no dogmatic right or wrong, just numbers being numbers with opposing desires, opinions, hates and fears, numbers going to war in a muddled, confused, real way when just the right Lying Line is there to lead.
“Math City” has potential as a supplementary Grade 6 to 9 homeschooling text, allowing the child to experience in an accessible way the art and expression of political allegory applied to real world situations. Within Math City’s problems, basic political conflicts are presented plainly and fairly, violent aspects are depicted in concrete yet not disturbing detail, political proselytizing limited to only “fundamental freedom” vs “propaganda freedom”, touching briefly on Mandela and Lincoln. Math City’s conclusion is not classic closure, as reality never concludes, but does leave a definite sense of a viciously repeating pattern, begging the question at the end, “How do we break this sad cycle of societies?”- an excellent starting point for guided parental discussions and compare/contrast to civilizations past and present.” <
