GLL Book Club: Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Factfulness by Hans Rosling ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s no joke to say I’ve gone to write this blog post so many times before finally getting my thoughts down on paper, so I do this book the justice it deserves. I first read this book late 2018/early 2019, and unlike any other non fiction book I own, I have reread this multiple times since. If you are looking for an entertaining read, to learn about our world and/or like facts and stats and nicely presented graphics, this is the book for you. Bold statement incoming: For me, this is the book that if asked, I would pick as my ‘book everyone should read’ choice.

In brief, Factfulness is about equipping ourselves with the mental tools to understand what is going on in our world, cut through the noise and understand what is improving and where needs our attention. The book describes ten human instincts, which while useful in our evolution, are not serving us now in our current understanding of society. The book explains how the majority of people have an outdated worldview, and this can hinder our progression towards major goals. For the book, and potentially this blog, with an audience of high income country citizens, we may never experience the variety of lifestyles and wealth inequalities across the world. Therefore, it is important we open our minds beyond our own part of the world to better understand the progress and issues on our planet, many that despite what the news will have you believe, are getting better.

Aside from being extremely educational and a very entertaining book to read, full of Rosling’s own anecdotes and personal experiences, what relevance does this book have to our lives and sustainability? Well its all about understanding the data. If, like me, the thought of reading a book the equivalent of an Excel spreadsheet sounds like something you’d rather not spend your money on, don’t panic! There is no spreadsheet in sight 😮‍💨But if we don’t know the up-to-date data on an issue, how can we know if our current solutions aren’t working? Essentially, we don’t – we spend time having circular conversations about how scary a problem is without realising that it is already improving, such as the time old discussion around population growth. Conversely, it makes it clear to us which problems we really should focus on (hello climate change) and where we should focus our efforts. In terms of sustainability, it is important where we know where the biggest improvements to be made will come from and whether the data is on track to our goal. Individually, it helps us understand if our own beliefs are on track to contribute to the solutions we need and helps us think critically about the news we consume.

I’ve read this book at least three times now. The first time was of course the most eye-opening and impactful, but I return to it because changing your mindset is not a linear process. In between reads it is easy to get swept up in media stories and fear and feel really anxious about the future. But by frequently stopping to check your own knowledge, what the facts show is actually happening, and the progress that has been made, you can reset some of your thoughts about the world and work more intentionally towards global goals – and this book is that stop check. If every politician, corporation, decision maker and even better citizen could read this book and equip themselves with the tools to understand our world accurately and compassionately, we’d have a stronger chance of creating successful solutions to our shared issues. And if even that doesn’t do it for you, this book also includes a fun quiz to test your knowledge against the rest of the world and colourful bubble charts, which are pretty difficult to resist. A definite recommendation from me!

If you’ve read this book, let me know your thoughts, or if you haven’t, find a friend to borrow it from or start making your Christmas list now. Happy reading!

While you wait to read the book, check out some of the related online materials such as Dollar Street, a photographic look at how families around the world live based on income, or one of Hans Rosling’s many Ted Talks.

Where to purchase: https://www.waterstones.com/book/factfulness/hans-rosling/ola-rosling/9781473637498