An intro to how applied math and stats can be very useful for problem solving, with plenty of interesting real world examples pulled from history to contemporary events. The book is mostly accessible even for the less mathematically inclined, though it suffers from bloat and erratic pacing; Ellenberg is just SO JAZZED about the content that he lingers far too long on many of the technical ins and outs without successfully tying it back to the big picture. Many of the anecdotes were interesting but it could get dry at times. Still recommend for skimming or reading a chapter at a time over several months (like I did). Though I was annoyed at how much he seemed to like Scalia!

Like many book on using math in everyday life, this book focuses a lot on statistics. It provides some interesting and illuminating real life examples, especially when it comes to people who have beat certain lotteries and how they did it and why the states let them continue.

Well written, but maybe a bit glib at times. One of the better popular books on math, but don’t get the idea that it has ready practical application. It’s more about mindset than math.

A popular entry in the category, mathematics for the uninformed, this one addresses many of the usual intellectual problems, e.g. regression to the mean, the law of large numbers, what a p value means, expected value, etc. I think most readers with a technical education will be familiar with all the "answers", so what's so good about this book? The author writes well, he does not avoid the use of some mathematical symbols and graphs, and, both a strength and a weakness, he does not tell a straight story, but mixes related concepts and different historical figures together to perhaps make the chapters more approachable.

really good, accessible, funny review of everyday maths, but more importantly, the underlying philosophy of good reasoning

lots of fun, could make the case parts of it are directly pandering to me, shows love for math and why better than most. couple of chuckles at how some stuff aged but that’s life lol. good stuff too for if you know a bit more math, made for some fun Easter eggs, some good nostalgia. recommend

4.5
Good writing style, and quite clear. A bit mathy at times which was hard to track with, but overall it was fine for a lay person. He had some good thoughts on how to think. I think this could be a helpful book for people in general, in order to understand the issues of things like statistics, averages, elections, contradictions, etc.