The story behind “Dr. Gerhard’s Mathematical Reasoning” is quite personal and will also explain the shortcomings of the book.
Years ago, a relative called me from Germany and told me: “You have to come, your mother is dying. Hurry up. I hope it’s not too late.” I come to the hospital. Mother was there in a section where dying people were put. The relative, who considered himself a healer, was with me and expressed that he had no hope. I told myself: “No, she cannot die yet. She needs to make peace with Sigurd.” Sigurd’s father, my stepfather, had died years before, because Sigurd— “the most important person in his life” (as stepfather said)—had broken his heart. I did not particularly care for either of them, but I knew that my mother did. That was all that mattered. So, mother and I started talking. When she fell asleep, I began to write the book. Over time, I got into an altered state of consciousness because of the jet lag, the lack of sleep, and the circumstances. One morning, Mother told me that she had discussed in her dream the value of life and death and that she had concluded that “dying is not worth it.” From that point on, she improved and made it out of the final ward. The medical personnel seemed almost disappointed, and I now slept for 24 hours.
What did I do with the book? At that time, I already had started worrying about our future. I sent references to the book to a lot of government officials. Only the Minister of Education of Taiwan sent a personal reply.
Dr. Gerhard’s Mathematical Reasoning: For Students, Teachers, SAT, GRE, Common Core
