The politicians say, “We need higher standards.” The schools say, “We need more money and equipment.” They are all wrong. The only people who understand what is going on are the ones most often blamed and least often heard: the students. They say, “Math class is stupid and boring,” and they are right. –The Mathematician’s Lament

The Mathematician’s Lament is a powerful critique of K-12 math education, contrasting its current reputation as a subject to dread with one of mystery and wonder. Employing the analogy of a society where music and art are learned with the same soul-crushing tedium as math, Paul Lockhart passionately pleads for math to be taught as it is—beautiful and meaningful instead of mindless and trivial. Learn how mathematics should be taught: as an art, as a form of imagination, as the music of reason. 140 pages, softcover.