Author: Rosenthal, Jeffrey Title: Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabil Subject: Mathematics / Chance Rank (out of 10): 9 Year Read: 2006 Recommended By: CBC My Comments: An excellent book that really gives you some tools to improve your decision making for every-day decisions. It also helps you think clearly about things that may seem fearful to help alleviate that fear. And on top of that, lots of interesting tidbits and anecdotes to keep you entertained. Not bad for a non-fiction book about Mathematics. Official Reviews: You’re involved in a fierce pokergame. What’s your opponent’s next move? You’re travelling to a foreigncountry. Are you going to be caught in a terrorist attack? You’re about to pull the arm on a slot machine. Are you more likely to hit the jackpot or to catch the flu from the last gambler’s unwashed hands? Randomness, uncertainty and probability are everywhere, andwhile no one can predict uncertain events with certainty, we can at leastunderstand uncertainty itself. In this entertaining look at the world of probabilities, Jeffrey Rosenthal, an improbably talented math professor, musician and improvisational comedian, explains the mechanics of randomness andteaches us how to develop an informed perspective on probability. From lotteries to casinos, insurance rates to crime rates, gameshows to airline crashes, cancer to SARS, Struck by Lightning deconstructs the odds and oddities of chance in an understandable, relevant and irreverent exploration.