Abstract
Reviewed by: Naveen Kashyap, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India
Statistics – the science of analysis and interpretation of numerical data – is the worst enemy of students. This bias perception has its grounding on the inefficient and complex teaching methods practised around the world. The science of psychology too suggests that numerical ability develops in late childhood. This happens as numerical concepts are abstract and require advanced brain developments. Most textbooks teaching statistics make use of abstract ideas in the form of equations and formulas. These ideas are not only difficult to understand but also create a fear of the subject in the mind of students. An adventure in statistics: The reality enigma by Professor Andy Field is an exemplary attempt to bridge the gap between statistics teaching and learning. The author uses a science fiction story to lay out the complex concepts in the most comprehensible form possible. Students who come to the book for statistics learning stay with it for the engaging story. By the end of the book, the reader gets completely satiated not only from the story but also from the abundant concepts learned during the unfolding of the story. The book is highly entertaining, tremendously exciting, meticulously thorough on subject matter coverage and amazingly simple to understand and follow. As I would put it, “this book is the simplest and most comprehensive version of the bible available for students of statistics”.
Andy Field’s present book is vastly different from his previous books on statistics like his series about discovering statistics using IBM SPSS, R and SAS. An adventure in statistics: The reality enigma is designed to teach every student the basics of statistics without the use of complicated texts and software. The present book requires no previous knowledge about statistics and follows the format of a graphic scientific fiction novel. The beauty of the author lies in their ability to introduce the most complicated concepts of statistics in the easiest possible manner without the use of boring theorems and equations. Andy Field has successfully uncomplicated the learning of classical and Bayesian approaches to data analysis though the present book. The present book not only introduces the reader to the primary concepts of statistics but also prepares him/her for the future challenges in learning statistical principles. The protagonist of the book Zach portrays the characteristics of a student in terms of thinking, processing new knowledge, posing questions and facing challenges in learning the concepts of statistics. The reader very easily identifies with the Zach character and in this process successfully completes the journey of learning statistics. Each chapter of the book builds beautifully the setting for the next chapter. The student while moving through the chapters covertly learns the most dreaded statistical facts and principles with the least of anxiety. Besides the usual chapters on data analysis, the present book adds chapters on modern approaches to null hypothesis testing and robust estimation methods. These additions equip students with the most recent and updated methods for data analysis used in sciences. The book revolves around a science fiction story that takes place at the City of Elpis in the year 2100. The city is going through a reality revolution brought about by the revolt against the reality prism that enables people to see their real selves with flaws. Alice (geneticist) and Zach (a musician), who were born after the revolution, are the main characters of the story and they are in love. Alice (who is also brilliant at statistics) after making a ground shattering discovery suddenly vanishes from the face of the earth. Zach (who does not understand science) is left with the couple’s favourite song playing on a loop and a file containing the details of Alice’s research, as the only clues to discovering the whereabouts of Alice. Zach soon realises that the reason for Alice’s disappearance lies in her research and he has to understand and learn statistics that will help him in deciphering the research file. Thus, begins the journey of Zach with his pocket watch ‘the Head’ through Elips in search of Alice. In his journey, Zach learns and uses the knowledge about statistics to overcome obstacles along the way. He meets Professor Milton Grey and Celia, does battle with zombie warriors, walk across the bridge of probability, and encounters the Jig:Saw corporation. Zach finally unlocks the mystery of Alice’s research, and in doing so discovers that Alice has all along been with Zach in his Journey, as Celia. The story ends with the defeat of the villain Vic Luten and restoration of Professor Milton Grey and Roediger as humans using Alice’s research on C gene therapy. Thus, through his journey in the search for Alice, Zach learns the most important concepts of statistics and their application to real problem solving.
An adventure in statistics: The reality enigma uses a compelling story with graphic illustrations to lay the foundations of basic statistics and promises to be the stepping-stone for advance statistics learning. In one word, the book is brilliant and deserves full credit for the efforts put forth by Professor Field. While reading the book I found a number of key points that were appealing and which I believe, will enrich the reader’s experience. The use of a student perspective and Socratic dialogues in the book encourage effective learning from the basic to the complex through a bottom up approach. This facilitates problem solving and critical thinking abilities and dissuades rote memorization, which is the usual technique for learning statistics. The beginning of each chapter introduces the concepts used in the chapter and overtly points the reader’s attention to important details. The chapter ends with a trailer of the next chapter that details what to expect in the next chapter. Within chapter items like check your brain, Zach’s fact recap and figures in the margin act as reminder mechanisms for concepts learned. Milton’s Meowsings and Jig:Saw’s Puzzles promote critical thinking and provide opportunity for students to solve problems by applying the knowledge about concepts acquired through the text. Key terms at the end of the chapters strengthen important and newly learned concepts. The present book is a must have for novice students of statistics as it introduces them to the ideas of statistical principles though an enthralling tale involving action, romance, and thrill. For the advanced students however, the book might appear a little dull, as at times we get too lost in the story. All in all, the present book is the definitive abridged bible of statistics and is a must have for all students of statistics.