What the Odds Are: A-To-Z Odds on Everything You Hoped or Feared Could Happen

It's rare to find a resource book that is fun, or a "fun fact" book that is useful (or, really, fun). That's why this is such a rare pleasure. The book is organized like a miniature encyclopedia, with alphabetized entries that seek to discuss the odds related to a certain topic, such as marriage or embezzlement. The book presents the type of information that ages quickly (such as a state-by-state analysis of voter turnout, IRS audit rates, or marriage rates for different demographics. Also, I wouldn't necessarily vouch for the validity of some of the information in the first place. Is it true, for example, that 1 in 117 passenger airplane flights are flown by a drunk pilot? That seems barely credible. Nevertheless, even if you assume that the facts are only mostly right, I think it qualifies as an excellent resource because it really does gather a wide range of the juiciest facts from a variety of sources, and then present them in an efficient, compact manner. Anyone who has written a news story, research paper, or article knows that finding a few truly interesting facts can be frustrating and time consuming, even with the internet (sometimes, especially with the internet). If you are lucky enough to find the topic in this book, you can get some instant gratification on that count. Even if you don't need to do any research, this book can be a fun read. It reminds me of Freakonomics in that it can give you new insight into a wide range of interesting topics, some of which are off the beaten path. I highly recommend this book.