Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Counting is an interesting look into the subjectiveness of the numbers that influence every aspect of our lives, from politics to Fitbits and everything in-between.

I do enjoy statistics and number tracking: part of my day job includes statistical reporting and every year I track my reading statistics (which, in terms of numbers, books have an incredible amount of information you can choose to track, from page counts to the publishers you read most often). And, this doesn’t include the other sources of numbers that sneak their way into your life (such as: Are you meeting your nutritional requirements? Are you drinking enough water? Have you finished the projects you set out to do today/before work/after work?).

One of my favorite books so far this year was Nabokov’s Favorite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt; a fascinating look into the statistics of writing, from classics to present-day bestsellers. So, I was looking forward to learning more about how numbers influence us in Counting.

One thing about Counting is it covers a massive amount of information through real-life examples. I wasn’t interested in every example, but as a whole they indirectly encouraged me to think about the numbers I’m directly responsible for - especially when they are available to a wider audience than just myself. While I appreciated the many, varied examples in each chapter, I’m not sure one immediately after another was the best format: there is so much interesting information within these pages and sometimes it was lost by moving on too quickly.

In essence, numbers are subjective and depend on a variety of external and internal factors depending on who is compiling and/or using them. What needs to be counted, and how should it be counted? What cultural assumptions, social conventions, and personal judgements are already influencing the numbers? Once there is a number, how can cultural assumptions, social conventions, and personal judgements give different meanings? In some places, numbers can be a source of motivation and inspiration. In others, numbers can be misleading or flat out inaccurate.

*Note: my advanced copy did not contain an epilogue on COVID-19 statistics, but I would be interested in reading it.

Thank you again to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.

The book simply expounds on the author’s thesis that numbers, or statistics, are subjective. They are based on the definition you give to categorizing whatever it is you are counting. I did not finish this book because I didn’t find it interesting enough.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had never really thought much about counting before reading this book. I think because I learned to count at a young age (as most of us do!), I thought of it as a simple thing. There is so much behind it, and not just in a mathematical way! Anyone who likes science, math, or how the brain works will enjoy this book.