Maryam's Magic: The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani by Megan Reid

This colourful picture book tells the story of mathematician extraordinaire, Maryam Mirzakhani. 

Maryam loved to tell stories. She would tell her younger sister bedtime stories every night. Maryam and her friend Roya loved to roam through a favourite part of their city and imagine themselves in their stories.

At home Maryam loved to draw and write the stories she created in her mind. Reading and art were her favourite subjects and she hoped to be a famous writer some day. Maryam was fortunate to be able to attend school, now that her country of Iran was at peace.

One subject Maryam disliked was math. She did not like numbers. But when Maryam was twelve-years-old, she began studying geometry in math. Suddenly Maryam found herself liking math because "Every number held a story. It made those numbers into shapes -- and those shapes into pictures."

Maryam and Roya entered a competition for young mathematicians called the International Mathematical Olympiad. This was the first time girls had made the Iranian team and they did not disappoint. They both won medals. The two friends continued to practice for the competition the following year which was held in Toronto, Canada. At that competition, Maryam won the grand prize with a perfect score.

After college, Maryam attended graduate school at Harvard where she spent time with her professors discussing mathematical formulas and theories. As she did when she was younger, Maryam would spread sheets of paper on the floor of  her home to work on mathematical problems. Her daughter, Anahita would tell friends that her mother was a painter! Maryam continued to work on problems that dealt with infinity and she also wrote papers and presented her new ideas.

One of those new ideas was called " 'the magic wand theorem' because it worked like magic to solve many problems that scientists had been puzzling over for more than a hundred years." In 2014, Maryam won the Fields Medal for this theorem, marking her as the first woman and first Iranian to win the coveted prize.

Sadly, at this time Maryam was also diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She died in 2017. Her lifelong friend, Professor Roya Beheshti, herself a mathematician, spoke about how Maryam was a girl eager to learn, with a kind heart. She was both a mathematician and a storyteller.

Discussion

Once again readers are introduced to a little known woman scientist who has made significant contributions to her field of endeavour. Few young girls are drawn to the discipline of mathematics, often developing a strong dislike for it, early on. This was the case with Maryam.

She was born in Tehran, Iran in 1977. Maryam loved to read and wasn't initially attracted to mathematics. In fact, she wanted to become a writer. Maryam was inspired by the many biographies she watched on television of famous women. 

The Iran-Iraq was ending as Maryam completed elementary school. She was able to secure a place at the Tehran Farzanegan School which was run by the National Organization for the Development of Exceptional Talent. There she made a friend in Roya Behesti and the two girls scoured bookstores, buying the cheap books to take home and read. 

Initially, Maryam did poorly in mathematics but in her second year at the school she had a different teacher who encouraged her. When she and Roya began attending the high school, they were able to solve some of the questions from that year's national mathematics competition. The two girls went to their school principal and asked for classes in solving math problems like those offered at the boys school. Even though Iran's National Mathematics Olympiad had never had female entrants, their principal was undeterred. 

Maryam entered that Olympiad and she won the gold medal for mathematics at the Iranian National Olympiad in 1994. Maryam went on to win gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong in 1994 and again at the International Mathematical Olympiad held the following year in Toronto. 

Maryam completed her B.Sc. in Mathematics from Sharif University of Technology in 1999. She then moved to the United States where she earned her Ph.D at Harvard, under the tutelage of Chris McMullen who had also won a Fields Medal. As she attended McMullen's classes, she asked many questions in English, she took her notes in Farsi. Her 2004 dissertation has been described as a masterpiece and "truly spectacular" and parts were published as separate papers in the top three mathematical journals.

She became an assistant professor at Princeton and a research fellow at the Clay Mathematics Institute. Maryam then joined the faculty at Stanford. It was Maryam's intellectual curiosity and her determination to consider problems that couldn't be solved that set her apart. Maryam married Jan Vondrak, a Czech applied mathematician and they had a daughter named Anahita.

Maryam's Magic captures the enthusiasm Maryam Mirzakhani had for mathematics, and especially for tackling difficult problems. While the text provides all the necessary details of Maryam's life and even explains in a very simple way some of her work, it is the illustrations by artist, Aaliya Jaleel that capture her joy at doing math and her unique method of working on problems. Maryam's imagination which she developed at a young age from her reading, was put to good use as a mathematician studying abstract surfaces. This too is captured in Jaleel's exquisite artwork.

Maryam initially didn't like math, but with an encouraging teacher, her attitude changed. With support, she grew more confident and did not feel intimidated by mathematics. Perhaps this is the key to success in math for girls. It also helped that Maryam had another friend who shared her interest. Maryam's fearless approach to mathematics, her courage to lead the way  and her humility in the face of her outstanding accomplishments are important lessons for girls everywhere. 

Reid's presentation of Maryam Mirzakhani's life and accomplishments offers encouragement for those girls interested in science and mathematics to persist and to be courageous. There is a place for them in the STEM world and they have much to offer!

In addition to the Author's Note, Reid has included an Important Dates section and a few suggestions for readers to learn more about Maryam Mirzakhani.

Book Details:

Maryam's Magic: The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani by Megan Reid
New York: Balzer & Bray       2021