Addicted to coffee and amphetamines, hyperactive, with a mind of crystal clarity, brilliant and humorous, he was eager to generously share his pioneering ideas with anyone willing to offer him some space and had the appetite to intrigue his mind. A mental journey into the mathematical universe of this wandering dervish of numbers, besides being an activity of complete enjoyment, was, for everyone, a first-line update on new theorems and proofs.

The man who believed that "ownership is a big hassle" had no permanent residence or car. He did not need to "cut" checks or pay income taxes. The eccentric Paul Erdős was a nomad in the land of mathematics. He traveled from place to place, knocking on the doors of his colleagues and declaring "my mind is open," announcing to the current "landlord" a new mathematical problem (to be solved) or his groundbreaking proof in an unsolved conjecture.

His significant work in number theory proved vital for the development of computer science. "In the years before the internet, there was Erdős," said those friends who generously cared for the preservation of this unforgettable, lovable mathematical personality who discovered - like hidden treasures - universal ideas and identified brilliant proofs with poetry.
Bruce Schechter lifts the veil of the most surreal closed club and reveals the strange life of the most prolific mathematician in the world. Page by page, we become so attached to this monomaniac gentleman that, at the end of the book, we feel unlucky for not having met him.

Paul Erdős, one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century, and undoubtedly the most eccentric, was internationally recognized as a child prodigy at the age of 17. The meaning of his life was the formulation of proofs and conjectures. Thanks to his work, he earned the title of the leading expert in number theory and the most productive mathematician of all time. The book "My Mind is Open," intellectual and full of mathematical puzzles that fascinated Erdős - and continue to captivate mathematicians to this day - tells the story of this peculiar genius.