Kit Yates shows how our private and social lives are suffused by mathematics. Ignorance may bring tragedy or farce. This is an exquisitely interesting book. It's a deeply serious one too and, for those like me who have little maths, it's delightfully readable * Ian McEwan * Kit Yates is a natural storyteller. Through fascinating stories and examples, he shows how maths is the beating heart of so much of modern life. An exciting new voice in the world of science communication * Marcus du Sautoy, author of The Creativity Code * An extremely thoughtful, articulate and accessible insight into mathematics in the real world * Alex Bellos * Used wisely, mathematics can save your life. Used unwisely, it can ruin it. A lucid and enthralling account of why maths matters in everyone's life. A real eye-opener * Prof Ian Stewart FRS, author of Do Dice Play God? * Kit Yates is a brilliant explainer and storyteller * Steven Strogatz * Engaging and lucid * London Mathematical Society Journal * This crisp, clear and compelling book is about the liminal spaces between expertise in mathematics and hardline decision-making, taking you on a powerful journey about truth and belief and what maths actually is, out in the wild * The Times Educational Supplement * If you think a deep love of maths would be within your grasp were you only presented with enough real life examples to reveal the wonder of its operations, this is the book for you * Strong Words Magazine * A fascinating glimpse of mathematical epidemiology. A dizzying, dazzling debut * Nature Magazine * An engaging, enjoyable look at how phenomena spread and go viral, examining everything from the ice-bucket challenge, pyramid schemes and the way that milk turns sour * Irish Examiner * At times witty, at times charming, at times sombre, but always personable * Aperiodical * An accessible and important introduction to understanding the use and abuse of statistics * Laura Tisdall * You'll almost forget you're learning as you fall into Kit's world, but when you close the book, you'll look at every fact and figure with new scrutiny * BBC Science Focus * An endlessly fascinating book * Half Man, Half Book * A splendid guide to the mathematical ideas all around us * Tim Harford, bestselling author of 'How to Make the World Add Up' * A thoughtful, important and accessible book on the vital role mathematics plays in our everyday lives * Jim Al-Khalili * This is an interesting, useful and important book on some serious topics involving mathematics... There are quotable morsels of wisdom in every chapter * The Mathematical Gazette *