Bonnie’s Story: A Blonde’s Guide to Mathematics

Ok, with a name like Bonnie’s Story: A Blonde’s Guide to Mathematics, one might expect either a slightly more offensive version of the Dummies Guide to … or a memoir about a leaning to love math written by a blonde. What you get, instead, is an entertaining science fiction-ish tale of teleportation and friendship, focused around the titular character, Bonnie. Bonnie runs into Rogan, a geeky scientist who, after taking a picture of a place and, using a lot of math, can teleport back to that spot from anywhere else. Bonnie joins Rogan and his band of adventurers and finds her place within them. The relationship that develops between Bonnie and Rogan is reminiscent of many partner TV shows with sexual tension, witty banter, and the feeling of inevitable pending relationship.

Bonnie, Rogan, and his crew end up not only teleporting around the world (and more), but they also have to contend with an opposing group trying to take over the world with mind-control technology. Bonnie’s Story is a light-hearted sci-fi story in the mode of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett—goofy and entertaining at the same time. Bonnie shows more depth than one might guess from the “blonde” tag she carries, along with an engaging personality. A well-done book with good characterization, dialog, and concepts. And no math required.