The Martian’s Daughter is Dr. Marina von
Neumann Whitman’s memoir of her tumultuous childhood, her adolescence
surrounded by great minds including Einstein, and her adulthood accomplishments
which broke barriers for women in academia, government and industry.
Marina is the daughter
of John and Marietta von Neumann, Hungarian immigrants who projected their high
expectations. It was her father, John von Neumann, often regarded as the
greatest mathematician, whose contributions include: game theory, quantum
mechanics, nuclear weapons including involvement in the Manhattan Project, as
well as computer architecture, whose influence resonated in Marina’s life.
“Were it not for his oft-repeated conviction
that everyone — man or woman — had a moral obligation to make full use of her
or his intellectual capacities, I might not have pushed myself to such a level
of academic achievement or set my sights on a lifelong professional commitment
at a time when society made it difficult for a woman to combine a career with
family obligations.”
During the Nixon
presidency, Dr. Whitman was the first woman to serve on the President’s Council
of Economic Advisors. She was the highest-ranking female
executive in the U.S. auto industry as GM's vice president and chief economist
in the 1980’s.
While serving in her
various roles, Dr. Whitman, created friendships which lasted a lifetime. She
shares her insights into the personalities and minds of many individuals who
affected public policy and industry, including President Richard M. Nixon and
GM's Chairman, Roger Smith. Dr. Whitman also discusses her own
perceived failures with painful candor. Currently, Marina v.N.
Whitman is a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan's Ford
School and also holds an appointment at the Ross School of Business
Administration.
The final sentence of
the final chapter, “Having It All”, Dr. Whitman states: “My
father’s shadow has lifted at last, if we meet again, it will be in sunlight.”
Recommended for adults.
