Like many kids of the 80s, I was enamored with Rubik's Cube. I stayed up late trying to figure it out, couldn't, so bought a book that showed me how. I never got very fast, but could reliably solve it faster than most of my friends. Ian Scheffler got pretty fast. He writes about his adventures in cubing in Cracking the Cube: Going Slow to Go Fast and Other Unexpected Turns in the World of Competitive Rubik's Cube Solving.
Part travelogue, part journal, part history, Cracking the Cube is a nostalgia trip for many. Scheffler writes about the invention of the cube, its unlikely entrance into the international toy market, and its proliferation throughout popular culture. He even gets to meet Rubik himself! The cube made Erno Rubik Hungary's most famous and wealthy citizen.
As Scheffler seeks to improve his own times, he gives historical and first-hand accounts of competitive cubing around the world. I am very impressed that he got his average below 20 seconds. However, that puts him a long way from winning most competitions. The best cubers can solve it in five seconds. If you're not solving it in ten seconds, you're not even close to the top 1000 in the world rankings.
Scheffler does a nice job of portraying the personal side of competitive cubing. As he tells it, these aren't cut-throat competitions, but gatherings of passionate cubers who are always trying for a personal best. Lasting friendships develop, and competitors openly share strategies. People who are not into cubing at all might find some of his musings a bit tiresome, but I think even non-cubers can appreciate Scheffler's style and the passion he brings and describes in cube world.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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