Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Bounding through the forest of data, wielding math to right wrongs. Giansiracusa, associate professor of mathematics at Bentley University, describes his newest work as an educational book about math, but those who freeze at the mention of mathematics can take heart—this reads like a good yarn. Full of engaging stories about how ideas about calculation took shape, it reveals how algorithms intersect with our everyday lives. Channeling Robin Hood, the 14th-century English outlaw and folk hero who took from the careless rich and gave to the deserving poor, the author tells us how we can all begin using math to take back control from large tech companies by educating ourselves on the tricks of data collectors. Navigating a world increasingly shaped by the information they gather and algorithms they deploy, we find that math can be a helpful and empowering tool. In effect, “we honor Robin Hood’s spirit by taking math from the rich and giving it to the rest of us.” Numbers matter, and Giansiracusa urges us to play the numbers game strategically. He shows us how some common statistical techniques work under the hood, and he demonstrates how to create your own ranking systems, use the weighted sum concept to personalize your own inflation rate, and understand your credit scores and even the S & P 500. Giansiracusa draws on wide-ranging examples from politics and history, including Nate Silver’s election predictions, the French Revolution, and World War II. We learn techniques for evaluating risk using math to clarify decision-making and how Bayesian formulas relate to how brains decide what to believe. The endnotes point to more stories primarily drawn from the popular press, and an index makes this a handy reference. A math teacher turns out to be a lively and engaging storyteller we all need to hear. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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In this cogent and breezy account, Giansiracusa (How Algorithms Create and Prevent Fake News), a math professor at Bentley University, sets out to take “the power of math from the rich and give it to the poor.” He takes special aim at personal data usage, writing that it “turns us all into numerical grist,” and he encourages individuals to fight back by better understanding the math used by both the public and private sector. For instance, he dissects the rankings of American colleges by U.S. News and World Report, noting that the factor with the biggest weight in the ranking calculation (“how a school is regarded by top administrators at other institutions”) amounts to “a popularity contest,” and detailing how readers can create their own rankings based on such factors as the weather and the student-faculty ratio. Elsewhere, Giansiracusa explains that while the algorithm used by Facebook shows a user similar content after any interaction, even an angry comment, the angry face emoji doesn’t count as an interaction, making it “a convenient way to tell the poster how you feel without also telling the algorithm you want more.” Throughout, Giansiracusa optimistically illustrates how math can help an individual regain autonomy and makes a solid case that it “can help you consider your options more clearly and make your decisions more thoughtfully.” This successfully brings math to the people. (Aug.)