Eyes Wide Open: How to make smart decisions in a confusing world. An important book, one that should be read by everyone, and then kept handy as a reference.

A word about me: I consistently test out in the 99th percentile for logic and analytic reasoning ability and made a concerted effort to raise my children as thoughtful skeptics. I learned a great deal from this gem of a book and found it an enjoyable read. It's written in plain enough prose to make it easy for anyone to grasp the principles presented.

The author presents many documented examples as she explains the difficulties we face in making decisions, whether considering our health, our work, our money, our security, or a hundred other things, as well as the peril that can accompany faulty decisions. The section on digital information is amazing, giving lots of help in learning how to evaluate the enormous number of disparate voices and ideas.

Most people will find the maths section illuminating, especially if they've struggled with maths concepts or feel anxiety just thinking about math (don't worry, you don't need to learn everything about math, but you'll learn how to see, often at a glance, if someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes). Throughout, the author gives useful tips on what to watch for, what to be suspicious of, and how to confirm what seems to be true.

Each chapter has a list of "Quick Tips" that not only summarize what she has just explained, but provide a great reference as well as a checklist. She discusses basics from a human body standpoint: how eating, sleeping, and emotions alter our decision-making abilities, and how we can manage them to make better decisions. All in all, she pares down what seems overwhelming to almost everyone living today to much more manageable terms. I can safely promise that this book will give you greater expertise and confidence in facing the multitude of decisions of modern data-overload life. ( )