Description: Using real-world examples, from brewing beer to finding a lost submarine, What Are the Odds? illuminates the core concepts of statistical thinking, asking not just what the data say but whether they're any good. Mark Prell shows how to avoid spurious reasoning and how to identify data that have been cherry-picked, falsified, or are plain wrong.
Brief description: Mark Prell has authored or coauthored academic articles, book chapters, and government studies in economics, statistical methodology, and data quality. Prior to retirement, he was a senior economist at the US Department of Agriculture. He has served as Co-Chair of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology, which advises US statistical agencies, and taught economics and statistics at Johns Hopkins University.
Review Quotes: A timely and refreshing take on a pillar of our democracy--statistics. Mark Prell makes the topic easily understandable through his use of everyday examples. It is the perfect response to those who wonder why it is important to understand statistical methods and findings in our lives. A wonderful primer for anyone who would like to make better decisions and sort through the avalanche of poorly designed studies and misinformation that makes up much of today's online content.--Nancy Potok, Former Chief Statistician of the United States