Even though you might be a milquetoast husband and father or a suburban housewife everyone still engages in risky behavior every day. It might not be mountain climbing or BASE Jumping or Scuba diving, but it still has inherent risks.

With that, this book was well done. It covers the science of decision making and tries to find out how different factors contribute to our overall perceptions and assessments of risk. Different brain modules and structures all chip in to give you gut feelings, intuition and other such aids in your life. It discusses why teenagers are bad with risk assessment and other such things.

It made for quite an interesting read. ( )

The Art of Risk is a nonfiction book that takes a body of research and organizes the findings into a palatable read for the average person. The topic is addressed scientifically but not pretentiously, as the author takes us through a combination of her personal experience and interviews with current experts in the field of risk taking. The final chapter in the book is filled with advice on how to be a better risk taker. After all, good risks leads to success and bad risks can lead to demise - but in order to get anywhere we all have to take risks. It only makes sense to be smart about it.

If you like books similar to Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, David and Goliath, or Blink, I think you'll enjoy this one. ( )

The “science of risk” would be a more accurate title for this book. Author Kayt Sukel relates the research findings from a variety of fields about taking risks. She interviews experts in neuroscience, psychology, business, and other disciplines. She also talks to successful risk takers involved in a variety of professions. Sukel distills what she learns about effective risk taking into practical lessons written in a relaxed style. Her writing style may be a bit too casual for the serious minded, but the book’s content will satisfy anyone wanting to know how to become more adept at taking calculated risks. Sukel makes it easy for the reader to understand the many factors that play a role in decision making and determining what risks are worth taking. She explains how genes, gender, and age influence our proclivity for risk taking. She describes how preparation, emotions, stress, and social connections can help or hinder our ability to handle risk successfully. Throughout the book Sukel relates what is happening in the brain when we are contemplating risk. Overall, an enjoyable and enlightening read on the topic of becoming more successful in handling risk in our everyday lives. ( )