Numbers

Rating:
Summary: If only there were an American version
Review: That's the only drawback. We have trouble relating to some of these statistics because they're British or generally Eurocentric. On the other hand, all the adjectives on the cover are true. There are many eyebrow-raising facts, of both the pleasant and not-so-pleasant sort, like the humbling kind. Try the percent of people worldwide who have never made a telephone call, or the percent of people in India who have never heard of the USA.

This is a great book for anyone. As a math teacher, I leave the numbers blank and ask my students what they think. The only one for which they were generally dead on was the number of Americans who are injured by shopping carts per hour. Makes for some interesting discussion, and definitely some perspective. Could there possibly be an American version in the works? If so, the 5th star for the rating is on its way!