Summer Reading List

Now that it is officially summer break, This is Statistics is here to make sure you don’t fall victim to summer learning loss with these statistics reads. Here’s our round-up of books to take poolside:  

Dear Data 

By: Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec

Follow the lives of Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, two information designers who highlight their daily lives through a set of postcards that contain just as much data as they do emotion. This compilation of mail art and data visualizations just might inspire you to map your own life!

Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day

By: Johnson and Gluck

Learn to be a sophisticated consumer of data! Everydata explores “little data” that will help you make smarter decisions in all areas of your life. It is also filled with countless examples of misinterpreted data, for example: pregnant women avoid caffeine because they interpret correlation as causation.

An Accidental Statistician: The Life and Memories of George E. P. Box 

By: George E.P. Box

Take a look into the life of world-renowned statistician George E. P. Box. In this autobiography, you’ll learn about the unlikely events that led him to a statistics career and the statistical methods he taught himself.

Numbers Rule Your World: The Hidden Influence of Probabilities and Statistics on Everything You Do

By: Kaiser Fung

In Numbers Rule Your World, you’ll gain insight into the facts and figures that play a large role in your everyday life. With this book you can explore the power of statistical analysis, no training required!

The Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes’ Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy

By: Sharon Bertsch McGayne

The Theory That Would Not Die takes a look into the controversial theorem that has a long and convoluted history. From its development in 1740, to understanding why statisticians considered it taboo for 150 years – learn how Bayes’ rule can be found everywhere.

The Tiger That Isn’t: Seeing Through a World of Numbers 

By: Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot

Learn the trick to seeing straight through confusing numbers in The Tiger that Isn’t. By the end of this book, you’ll be empowered and fascinated by the bewildering world of numbers.

The Ghost Map 

By Steven Johnson

This riveting read presents a multidisciplinary reflection in solving the 1854 cholera outbreak in London. You’ll be presented with history, contagion theory, nature of scientific inquiry and more. Learn just how much this epidemic changed science, cities and the modern world.

Truth or Truthiness: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction by Learning to Think Like a Data Scientist

By Howard Wainer

Ever wonder how you can take all the information you read and figure out fact from fiction? Well, this summer read shows how statistics can help you decipher what’s true, especially in the era of fake news. Be entertained and educated, and learn more about how knowledge of data can challenge authority.

Errors, Blunders, and Lies: How to Tell the Difference (ASA-CRC Series on Statistical Reasoning in Science and Society) 

By David S. Salsburg

Science is not always exact. This fact-filled read looks at measurements followed by errors and statistical methods through a historical lens. Learn how oftentimes, “errors and blunders” can lead to useful information and uncover false data.

Reviewed by the This is Statistics Team 08/2023

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