This is definitely for the nonfiction fans! As a librarian, I think it would go better in the Dewey 500s compared to what is currently suggested by Baker & Taylor (909), so I was glad to be able to see an advanced copy. The focus is on numbers and math. I feel like the layout of the book would also appeal to the more left brained folks, since it's not a linear narrative. This is a cool book!

Numbers Don’t Lie looks at 71 different topics and how numbers explain the truth behind them. There are many different topics ranging from energy resources to African elephants to how many people would probably be needed to build the pyramids. The information is a based on a collection of essays the author wrote for a magazine. Numbers and information have been updated.

It is a fascinating book. I enjoyed how short the sections were and the level they were written at would be appropriate for my secondary students. My main concern was references – where did the author get all this information? There is a lengthy list of addition readings and in the acknowledgements they touch on contacting if copyright ownership is unattributed, letting the publisher know and they will correct in a reprint. The digital format layout could be confusing at times because of breaks in weird places or random “numbers don’t lie” in the text. It’s an ARC though, so what do I expect - I assume that will be corrected on the final copy to purchase.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP for this ARC. I think this will be a nice addition to the my library.

Great for fans of Bill Bryson & Mary Roach, Vaclav Smil meets you at the ground floor and helps readers understand how numbers are used to describe and shape understanding of the world. Of particular relevance to readers today is the chapter on pandemics.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book explored the world--its people, cultures, technologies, and challenges, by examining quantitative data. It does so through the presentation of brief vignettes. Overall, the book is compelling and had several interesting facts and revelations, but there were also some weaknesses in its presentation.

Smil has made a clear choice to emphasize breadth over depth here, which allows him to cover a lot of ground. However, the vignettes are uneven in their degree of development. Some are fully realized stand-alone tableaus, with a beginning, middle, and end. Others lack finesse and present info without sufficient explication or interpretation and feel unfinished. They're still satisfying as a series of amuse-bouches, but not as fully realized vignettes throughout.

Smil's often acerbic and harsh tone in criticizing other nations and cultures is at once incisive and off-putting, sometimes detracting from the data being presented. In other vignettes, a moralistic sanctimony bleeds through what is otherwise an objective presentation of data and evidence, resulting in an uneven voice and tone at times.

Finally, the theme of uneven presentation is also apparent in the way the book's theme manifests in the different vignettes. The thesis of the book is that quantitative data elucidates these various aspects of our world. Some vignettes demonstrate this elegantly and clearly. Others have almost no quantitative data in them and seem to only lightly touch on the book's primary theme.

In all, this book is fascinating and worth the read, but there are certainly some inconsistencies in execution and style.