Author: Hans Rosling

A lot of the non-fiction I read is out of personal interest and, aside from the niche people like myself who would enjoy it, I’m particular about those I recommend them to… if any.

However, sometimes, a book comes along that after reading it, you not only feel smarter, but compelled to tell the world they need to read it.

Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, is one such book.

This book is another.

If you haven’t seen any of Rosling’s TED talks where he takes data and shows the actual state of the world (not just perceived biases skewed by poor media coverage), you know this doctor is a treat.

His work is not only outstanding, but he’s also entertaining to listen to. This book captures the essence of his life work and his speaking style to present a factual state of the world today.

I dread reading non-fiction from traditional publishers because of their demand to the author to hit a word count. Unless the author is verbose in their argument and research, you end up getting a lot of filler material.

Not here.

Every chapter is the perfect length and you finish each one feeling smarter and more informed. If anything, I wish the book was longer because I could listen to and read him all day.

Unfortunately, Rosling passed away in February, 2017.

This book represents his last great effort to inform the world of what the world is really like, where we really need to focus our attention and how to think critically.

It succeeds in all accounts.