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W. M. Keck Statistical Literacy Project:

Augsburg Student Reviews (Fall, 2004) of

Joel Best's "More Damned Lies & Statistics"

01:    "There are many ways that the statistics in front of you may not be telling the whole truth.   I think that [reading] this [book] makes me a more informed person and one less easily duped.  I feel like I am less confused, now, by conflicting claims.  It wasn't a book I would have read outside of class, but I'm glad I did read it."

02:    "I wasn't very aware of the fact that most of my life I have been unwillingly manipulated by the government representatives, journalist, anchormans etc and their misuse of numbers and statistics. I am extremely happy to be able to identify those issues now. If not that book I would still fall for those issues. As a thinking person I am glad that I have a few weapons against manipulation."  "I became more open minded and better educated just because of this book."

03:    "The book forces you to look at numbers asking the question, are there other influences affecting the numbers presented?  These ideas are very important for people to understand so that they can make informed and actuate decision based on their personal convictions.  These ideas are applicable to every single person in the world.  There isn't anyone in the world that doesn't interact with numbers everyday and if you are unable to interpret accurately then how can the correct decisions be made."

04:    "This book, although thought of being "boring" when I started it, turned out to be a pretty enjoyable way to read and learn about statistics and numbers."   "When I first started this class I had a completely different idea of what numbers meant.  I pretty much went with whatever I was told, and assumed it was right, because people wouldn't just lie or try to confuse us!  But now I know that things need to be looked at carefully before you can really agree with or trust what is being told to you."

05:    "When I first opened the book I thought what could I get out of this book? What do I need to know about statistics? But after reading the first chapter I found that I knew nothing about evaluating statistics."  "Also I found the last line spoke with profound thought '... numbers aren't going to go away; all we can do is try to approach them with skepticism, to assess whether fear is really necessary' (p90)."

06:    "In his book More Damned Lies and Statistics I thought that Joel Best did a really good job explaining truths to his readers.  He covered many topics -- that I may have never thought twice about -- concerning numbers and statistics. "

07:    "Before I read More Damned Lies and Statistics I was aware of a fraction of things concerning numbers and statistics that I know now.  I knew that people used statistics to make their arguments stronger, and that sometimes they were one-sided, but not to the degree that I know now.  I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, mostly the fact that I felt I was being told the truth and lies and misconceptions were being cleared up for me." "I feel like I have learned a lot from this book.  I did not know much about numbers or statistics to begin with but from what I understood this gave me a whole new perspective and understanding of them."

08:    "As a person who is not familiar at all with statistics, nor good at any math, (I can't even balance my checkbook!), this book was a very interesting read."  "Graphs have also been confusing to me and Joel Best writes that they are confusing because people create them to be astounding, something that the reader will not forget."  "Like, I said in the beginning, I have always been confused and intimidated by statistics.  I am not good at math and thought that statistics were all about math."  After reading this book, I understand "that behind every statistic there was a hidden driving force, one that could not be seen." "The most I have learned from this book is to constantly be questioning what I am reading and where the information is coming from."

09:    "Before reading this book I was somewhat aware of these claims but I never saw them in the way that Joel Best describes them.  I never looked in depth at a statistic, I just looked at it and assumed it was right because I thought that someone took the time to figure these stats out and they are right."  "The thing that I most enjoyed about this book is the fact that I have over looked many statistics and just went along with what the providers of the statistics said.  I never thought critically about them." " This book has taught me to look closer at these statistics to see what the explanation is for the number if there are any explanations."  "the biggest thing that I learned from this book is to be more critical of statistics when I see them, not just agree with what someone else is trying to say or prove." 

10:    "I enjoyed reading about spinning and cherry picking and how people choose what statistics to reveal and how they put their own belief in to a statistic.  I also liked reading about bullying.  That is something that is easier to relate to and understand.  One thing I didn't enjoy reading about was confusing numbers.  The reading did just that, it confused me."  "Lastly, I had trouble reading about percentages.  I usually can handle percentages but for some reason the chapter just made me confused. I guess it is because I never really looked at percentages this way before."  "I also learned that a spurious relationship is something that is true but not really real"

11:    "I really enjoyed reading this book for the most part because it opened my eyes to some things that I would not have thought of before. At points throughout the book it was so interesting to me to read. I was looking at things that I would normally assume to be true but they can argue about. A lot of the information in the book is good and informative to people that may not have learned very much about statistics in the life before."  "I would recommend this book..."

12:    "The issues covered in this book were fairly new to me.  I was aware of many of the claims; however, I did not know the importance of the statistical presentation.  I was not aware of the many ways reporters can skew statistical information.  I felt that statistics were black and white and completely unbiased."  "Calculating percentages is beyond my curiosity of statistical literacy; unfortunately, I do understand the great importance and significance of numbers in statistical literacy."  "The overall message I received from this book is the fact that contrary to common perception, statistics are not always absolute or definite."

13:    "In a society which is governed by the people, it is of utmost importance that the people be educated, and education means knowing what to look for in a bad statistic.  A popular saying is "you can find a statistic to prove just about anything."  While that is certainly true, can the same be said if you insert the word "good" into that claim?  If people understood what to look in a good statistic, bad statistics would have no weight in society and would hopefully diminish over time."  "the only hope society has is more stringent screening in the press for statistics which get into the media, and required classes for high school students dealing with statistical literacy like the claims made in More Damn(ed) Lies and Statistics."  "Before reading More Damned Lies and Statistics I was not very aware of any of these issues.  In fact I am almost embarrassed that I myself have been taking statistics to be factual evidence for a long time.  I almost feel deceived, like the public school system did me a disservice in allowing this to happen.  Though of course, it is not just me, it is almost everyone, but I almost wonder if statistical literacy has been suppressed on purpose so the population can consume more."

14:    "Before reading this book I had no idea about these issues. I thought if I read a statistic or one was given to me, it was correct. I never really thought about looking at the details or that people arrange numbers to make them look good or convincing. I certainly never thought about political figures twisting numbers around to make themselves look good or even exaggerating certain numbers to make them seem bigger and worse than they really are. I just took numbers as they were given and figured that there was nothing hiding behind them. Most people are the same way and that is kind of scary. People can really mess with our heads. Now hopefully I can see through the lies of numbers so I will not be fooled."   "I definitely learned a lot from this book. Probably more than I wanted. It made me realize what to believe and how to find meanings and errors in numbers."

15:    "Overall, I enjoyed reading the book because it taught me to think about numbers, instead of instantly believing what is told.  Everything in the book was interesting.  The one thing that I enjoyed the least was the amount of time spent to explain a certain topic.  It sometimes felt a little overwhelming, and there was a lot of explaining when a little would do.  From reading this book I have learned to be more careful with the numbers I come across.  Instead of believing everything that I hear, I will be more skeptical.  I enjoyed reading this book because it taught me to analyze things a little bit further than I would regularly."

16:    "Reading this book really surprised me on how often people will hide facts on you by showing numbers and statistics to you."  "Some things that I learned while reading this book is that numbers and statistics don't tell the whole truth and there are often at times many hidden truths behind these numbers. "

17:    "a correlation may always later prove to be spurious.  This is truthful and applicable in getting people to look more deeply into the statistics presented because there may always be something hidden that has not been looked at that will cause the correlation to vanish.  Best shows this through a study which a correlation is shown between childhood abuse and adult alcoholism.  This is later shown to be spurious as a third variable (childhood poverty) is entered into the scheme of things.  This proves that one must always look out for other explanations."  "I found reading this book to be a very interesting experience.  I enjoyed reading about how statistics could be misleading, confusing, missing numbers, scary, magical, etc."  "One thing that I didn't like about this book was some of the vocabulary.  Words like "spurious relation" went over my head.  Especially, when I found out in class that my definition from the reading was not that close to what it actually meant.  It would have been nice to have had a vocabulary section at the end or the beginning of the chapter."  "From this book I learned about the various ways that people corrupt and create numbers to benefit them intentionally or unintentionally.  I also learned that numbers can confuse almost everyone even people who are professionals.  I learned that politician may not necessarily be lying when giving statistics in speeches but rather cherry-picking or searching out information that makes people look at them in a better light.  Overall, it was an interesting and educational book to read."

18:    "I learned that there are many problems with how numbers are presented and that there is usually a story behind the story.  It has actually been driving me crazy because now every time I watch the news or hear someone talk about a statistic I think, that's probably wrong, or, how did they get that number?  I'm more into looking at evidence than I used to be."  "I'm still not 100% sure I can apply every concept in the book to my daily life, but I am actually grateful I read it."

19:    "Before reading this book I was not very aware of many of the issues raised. I did know that people and companies tend to chose numbers that promote their own interests, but I never really thought about looking into who was publishing numbers and critically thinking about whether or not I should consider them an authoritative voice."  "My least favorite part of the book is the part that talks about percentages. I don't think he explains his point very clearly and I am still confused about the right direction to display percentages." "I learned that statistics are the most important weapon that politicians, journalists, and advocates could use because they represent tangible proof. Even though these statistics probably aren't telling the whole story, people usually take them at face value because they want something that is easy to believe." "This book opened my eyes to the sinister world of statistics."

20:    "The title of Joel Best's newest book, More Damned Lies and Statistics, is perfect."  "Before reading More Damned Lies and Statistics I had no idea that there was so much that really went into a story.  I just took the numbers for what they were and didn't think twice about questioning them.  If I saw a story from a politician then I thought that that was the only way it could be.  After reading this I realized that authors/politicians can "cherry-pick" things that make their arguments better.  If the did not cherry-pick then their point would not get across as well.  The thing that I liked the most in this book was that you have to think about every possible situation that can go into a story.  You can't always take a number for what it is.  The thing that I didn't like about the book was that same reason that I liked it.  You have to think about every story and analyze if it is really true.  You always have to look behind that story and that takes a lot more time then just reading the story for what it is."

21:    "that people are too easily convinced by numbers which may on the surface appear to be clear but in actuality have been arranged to have a desired impact.  The author claims that many people looking at numbers are oftentimes "duped" into believing something because of the number's creative arrangement or presentation."  "People use information and statistics as a tool in convincing or swaying the populace towards a certain belief or idea.  If that is true, one will always want to show information that is most favorable to your cause."

22.    "Critical thinking seems almost like a basic skill and people often consider themselves critical thinkers, but they do not question statistics and are mostly overwhelmed by numbers in a discussion without doing their own research.  I am glad I am more aware of these issues now and will start applying them in my daily life."  "I also learned the definition of the word spurious and how to use it when explaining something."  "I also learned Joel's main point at the end of chapter one that statistics are intended to help us summarize, to get an overview of part of the worlds complexity.  But some information will always be sacrificed in the process of choosing with will be counted for and how.  Something is always missing."

23:    "It is also important to remember that numbers are persuasive.  Because numbers are thought of as authoritative, they can be used to influence."  "In a world where we are constantly bombarded with numbers, it is crucial to question their relevance."  "It is important to read between the lines and learn all factors of a study before making a final observation.  There is always another story."   

24:    "Joel Best's book, More Damn Lies and Statistics, is to numbers and statistics as VH1's "Behind the Music" is to Billy Joel.  The media paints a glamorous picture of rock ‘n roll stars and actors. The public assumes these celebrities' lives are perfect and many members of the public are in awe of them.  In television shows like "Behind the Music," the producers illustrate what is really going on in Billy Joel's life, whether it is drugs, alcohol or a sex addiction.    Joel Best does the same thing in his book as VH1 does in "Behind the Music."  Just like Billy Joel, numbers and statistics are often viewed as perfect and infallible by the general public.  In MDLS, some of the dirty secrets behind the statistics are revealed.  These tricks and deceptions that are used behind the scenes to create numbers with "shock value" are much more alarming than Billy Joel's addictions, but receive only a fraction of the media attention."

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