For decades, New York Times best-selling author John Allen Paulos has enlightened readers by showing how to make sense of the numbers and probabilities behind real-world events, political calculations, and everyday personal decisions. Who’s Counting? features dozens of his insightful essays—original writings on contemporary issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, online conspiracy theories, “fake news,” and climate change, as well as a selection of enduring columns from his popular ABC News column of the same name.
With an abiding respect for reason, a penchant for puzzles with societal implications, and a disarming sense of humor, Paulos does in this collection what he’s famous for: clarifies mathematical ideas for everyone and shows how they play a role in government, media, popular culture, and life. He argues that if we can’t critically interpret numbers and statistics, we lose one of our most basic and reliable guides to reality.
“Math illiteracy breeds warped understandings of the world that ultimately jeopardize the progress of civilization. Math professor John Allen Paulos wrote Who’s Counting? as an entertaining, relevant, and potent antidote to this societal blight.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History
“Who’s Counting? is an astonishing book, for it combines two things that aren't often found together: analytical rigor and fun. You don't have to be a math nerd to appreciate the fluid, easy explanations of everyday innumerate reasoning, but I guarantee that this book will make you feel smarter. Who’s Counting? is structured to enable the reader to dip in and out, biting each chocolate to see what one likes, but I encourage you to do what I did and just gorge yourself. It all tastes good.” – Lee McIntyre, author of How to Talk to a Science Denier
“What better than a mathematician sharing the intrigue of math with us all, and, at the same time, protecting us from the data manipulation and fake news that is threatening our democracy? Who’s Counting? is a must-read for all who want to wear mathematical armor against the war on truth.” – Jo Boaler, Nominelli-Olivier Professor of Education (Mathematics) at Stanford University, co-founder of youcubed.org, and author of Limitless Mind
"I love Paulos's writing. Within the ephemeral specifics of news, he finds the enduring logic of mathematics. Who’s Counting? is a glimpse of a more numerate world – and oh how I wish we lived there!" – Ben Orlin, author of Math with Bad Drawings
