This is a very informative book, approaching a diverse range of topics, from dietary habits, natality, engineering, to climate change factors and GDP. All data are statistics, but what is interesting is their interpretation.

As the author says, "numbers need to be seen in wider contexts", not just taken out from charts.

One example:

"And why do we measure the progress of economies by gross domestic products? GDP is simply the total annual value of all goods and services transacted in a country. It rises not only when lives get better and economies progress but also when bad things happen to people or the environment. Higher alcohol sales, more driving under the influence, more accidents, more emergency rooms admissions, more injuries, more people in jail - GDP goes up. More illegal logging in the tropics, more deforestation and biodiversity loss, higher timber sales - again, GDP goes up. We know better, but we still worship high annual GDP growth rate, regardless of where it comes from."

There are a lot of parallels between different external factors affecting life expectancy, dietary habits (diary fat, contrary to other beliefs, lower the risk of coronary diseases and strokes), energy efficiency, and so on.

If you hold an interest in such topics and statistics, this is a very good book. It is spiced here and there with a bit of dry humor, which makes the reading very pleasant, despite the numerous numbers.

It isn't groundbreaking, but it puts into a different perspective what we take for granted, and teaches us how to interpret those statistics correctly.

An essential guide to understanding how numbers reveal the true state of our world and exploring a wide range of topics including energy, the environment, technology, transportation, and food production. Renowned polymath and statistician Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment--your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy?

From data about our societies and populations, through measures of the fuels and foods that energize them, to the impact of transportation and inventions of our modern world--and how all of this affects the planet itself--in Numbers Don't Lie, Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge conventional thinking. Packed with fascinating information and memorable examples, Numbers Don't Lie reveals how the US is leading a rising worldwide trend in chicken consumption, that vaccination yields the best return on investment, and why electric cars aren't as great as we think (yet). Urgent and essential, with a mix of science, history, and wit--all in bite-sized chapters on a broad range of topics--Numbers Don't Lie inspires readers to interrogate what they take to be true.

Undoubtedly one of the most riveting and interesting nonfiction books of the past few years, Vaclav Smil has become a must-read author for me. His books are always so fascinating, informative, accessible and above all else, and what sets them apart from the rest, highly entertaining. Spanning a multitude of diverse topics, he provides answers to questions I didn't even know I needed, or wanted, the answers to. With humorous anecdotes, objective statistics and a wide-ranging set of examples to illustrate his points, Smil once again has created a fantastic, fun and eminently readable work which helps us to see a different perspective on the numbers that tell us all about the intriguing and enigmatic world in which we live. Many thanks to Viking for an ARC.

Vaclav Smil provides a fascinating and entertaining analysis of a wide range of data to highlight the differences between many modern myths and reality. He joins the excellent group of authors including David Spiegelhalter and the late David Mackay, both of Cambridge University, who encourage the careful scrutiny of data before swallowing the many claims made for this or that solution to the climate crisis, or the search for sustainable energy supplies. The book is well written and, in consequence, easy to read. It is equally suitable for a general audience as it is for those readers - young and old - who will use the stimuli provided by the examples given to undertake more serious research. Since the subject matter is presented in bite size chunks this is a book that can be read both non-sequentially, if a particular subject matter takes your interest, and in widely separated sessions, perhaps between reading other books. Highly recommended.

This is the first book I read from Vaclav Smil, but it won't be the last. Numbers Don't Lie is highly informative and entertaining if you like learning about different things in a few pages. This book may feel like candy for the curious minds, and a chapter a day would make the readers more than happy. I'll be looking out for Smil's books from now on.

'Numbers don't lie' is a witty book that tells us about statistics and answers questions about things you may or may not have been wondering about, such as how safe is flying, how many people did it take to build the Great Pyramids, what makes people happy, and what's worse for the environment - your car or your phone??

Each topic is fairly short but crammed with information and statistics. It's displayed in a way that is easy to read and understand, while also being entertaining. There are illustrations throughout that helps you to visualise some of the topics being discussed.

This book is well written and informative and a great read for anyone who loves to know more about the world around them.

This is a really well written, engaging journey through maths, stats and numbers. Incredibly informative, interesting and I feel like I took a lot from it.
Vaclav Smil is a very accomplished and distinguished scientist and it was a pleasure to enjoy his book!

Vaclav Smil's writing style is so engaging and thoughtful, this entire book was incredibly informative and educational and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read their books.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.