my book review about

FACTFULNESS

Ten reasons we’re wrong about the world and why things are better than you think.

by Hans Rosling  (27 July 1948 – 7 February 2017) and Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund

CAUTION: Read on only if you have an open mind and are not afraid to change your point of view. Whew! Got rid of “those” people quickly, didn’t we?

If you decide to read this book, I want to advise you of something very important: the author presents a 13 item question and answer quiz very early in the book. When I see these things, I often skip them with the intention of going back and doing it later – DON”T. Take a piece of paper and write the numbers 1 to 13 down the left hand side and then enter the best answer from the multiple choices given beside it. This short little exercise is what gives this book so much impact and power.

FACTFULNESS is the best and most important book I have read this year and easily fits into the top 10 best non-fiction books I have ever read. We live in an interesting time. The wild west of information is upon us complete with fake news (a term that is of itself full of fakeness and conflict), special interest groups with narrow, self-serving opinions intent on preventing any opposing discourse, mainstream media that now prefers to fill our days and nights with their opinions rather than any sort of objective reporting (remember those days of fierce independence and reliance on objectivity), and, of course, an internet full of just plain bs, wild conspiracy theories, racists and assorted other kooks.

So, how does this book fit into that morass of disinformation? Mr. Rosling, according to Wikipedia, was a Swedish physician, academic, statistician, and public speaker. He was the Professor of International Health at Karolinska Institute^[4] and was the co-founder and chairman of the Gapminder Foundation, which developed the Trendalyzer software system. He held presentations around the world, including several TED Talks^[5] in which he promoted the use of data to explore development issues. In short, the author of this book has assembled and utilized REAL facts and proven statistics to create an unbiased but accurate view of the world as it actually is today. Removed from our personal beliefs and opinions, it allows us to make decisions, form ideas and actions based on truth.

How and why is this important? Each of us makes decisions every day that are related to how “the rest of the world” is doing. We express opinions, donate money, make travel plans, assign assets and resources, manage corporate and/or government processes, and simply express thoughts at social gatherings based on how we think the planet is doing in terms of health, wealth, education and so much more. What if our actions are fueled by wrong assumptions? A lot of mine were until I read this book. And, based on the extensive polling Mr. Rosling has conducted at some very high level meetings, so are the big decision makers of the world – both senior business and government people – making decisions without accurate information.

We watch TV news or read snippets online about world events and accept the overly dramatic views of these sources who will move on to the “next big thing” tomorrow. The author gives us a practical way to find facts based on reality, rather than selling advertising space, that challenges our viewpoint while pointing us toward making the right decision. This book should be read by anyone with an interest in world events who is willing to let go of old information we have been carrying around in our heads since childhood.  Simply put, this book won’t change the world, the world has already changed.

And finally, a quote from the cover of the book,

“One of the most important books I’ve ever read—an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.” – Bill Gates

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Flatiron Books (April 3 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250107814
• ISBN-13: 978-1250107817