Factfulness - Things Are Better Than You Think

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

 Author: Hans Rosling

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: April 3, 2018

Length: 341 pages









About the Author
Hans Rosling was a medical doctor, professor of international health and renowned public educator. Mr. Rosling died in 2017, having devoted the last years of his life to writing Factfulness. 

"We are on the cusp of immense possibilities".
Hans Rosling believes that we are, historically speaking, at the best possible time in human history. 

Mr. Rosling bases his claims on publicly available data compiled by organizations like the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank.

Many people think the world is divided into two types of countries: developed and developing. This approach of dividing the world into two categories is now outdated and fundamentally wrong. It blindly labels countries as rich and poor and this leads to people making some poor assumptions about the problems the rest of the world may be facing.

There are about seven billion people living in the world today. The author divided the world into the following four levels of income;

• Level 1: Average income per person is about $1 per day. Roughly 1 billion people in the world live like this today.
• Level 2: Average income per person is about $4 per day. About 3 billion people in the world fall into this category.
• Level 3: Average income per person is about $16 per day. About 2 billion people in the world are in this situation.
• Level 4: Average income per day is about $64 per day. About 1 billion people in the world fall in this category.

A vast majority of the world's population is spread out across Levels 2 and 3. This is a much more accurate way to look at the world than the popular "we" vs. "them" narrative.

My Thoughts

I learned about this book on Bill Gates' blog and decided to put in a request for this selection at my public library. I waited several months for the opportunity to read this book but found it well worth the wait.

I believe this book is extremely interesting and informative. Mr. Rosling provides many charts and graphs that illustrate the data he has collected about the living conditions of people around the world. In terms of health, nutrition, income, vaccination, sanitation, and many other parameters, the world is in much better shape than ever before.

I agree with the author that the selective reporting of "bad news" in the media has led us into an extremely negative mindset. Unfortunately, the media does not highlight the positive aspects adequately and we end up suffering from an irrational fear that the world is becoming increasingly dangerous. Our journalists need to develop a less dramatic and more fact-based method of reporting world events.

This book is not attempting to provide us with an unrealistically glowing vision of the world. Instead, it uses facts and hard data to show us that although there are serious problems in the world, we are still much better off than many of us imagine.

Bill Gates described this book as "one of the most important books I have ever read...an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world". This book was a real eye-opener for me. Highly recommended!

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Author: J.D. Vance

Publisher: Harper

Publication Date: June 28, 2016

Length: 272 Pages









About the Author
J.D. Vance grew up in the Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and served in Iraq. A graduate of the Ohio State University and Yale Law School, he has contributed to the National Review and is a principal at a leading Silicon Valley Investment firm.

White, Working and Poor in America
J.D.'s grandparents moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in hopes of escaping the devastating poverty around them. His family struggled to adjust to their new middle-class status. His mother was never able to escape the legacy of abuse, addiction, poverty and trauma that was so characteristic of her childhood years in Appalachia. Mr. Vance lived a very chaotic childhood and was passed around to numerous family members while his mother struggled with drug addiction and moved different men in and out of her home.

J.D. decided to join the Marines when he graduated from high school. When he left the Marines, he used his military education benefits to attend Ohio State University. He eventually graduated from Yale Law School and learned that social mobility involves much more than acquiring money.

“social mobility isn’t just about money and economics, it’s about a lifestyle change. The wealthy and the powerful aren’t just wealthy and powerful; they follow a different set of norms and mores. When you go from working-class to professional-class, almost everything about your old life becomes unfashionable at best or unhealthy at worst.” 

My Thoughts
I chose this book because it was on the Bill Gates book list for 2017. 


I was extremely touched by the childhood experiences that are described in this book. Mr. Vance is truly a survivor and overcomer. He credits his grandparents, sister and other family members for being there for him when his mother was unable or unwilling to take care of him.

“For kids like me, the part of the brain that deals with stress and conflict is always activated...We are constantly ready to fight or flee, because there is a constant exposure to the bear, whether that bear is an alcoholic dad or an unhinged mom....I see conflict and I run away or prepare for battle.”

The author believes his years in the U.S. Marine Corp gave him the confidence and skills he needed to overcome his chaotic childhood and set realistic goals for the future. 

Mr. Vance met his future wife at Yale and she became an excellent mentor and friend during his years in law school. He is now a practicing attorney and appears to have a very bright future indeed. However, sometimes things are not as they seem to outsiders. 

“That is the real story of my lift, and that is why I wrote this book. I want people to know what it feels like to nearly give up on yourself and why you might do it. I want people to understand what happens in the lives of the poor and the psychological impact that spiritual and material poverty has on their children. I want people to understand the American Dream as my family and I encountered it. I want people to understand how upward mobility really feels. And I want people to understand something I learned only recently: that for those of us lucky enough to live the American Dream, the demons of the life we left behind continue to chase us.”

This book is informative and inspiring. I am sure that many have walked a similar path as described in this book. The author was able to eloquently express the emotions and vulnerability that he feels as a result of his childhood experiences.

Dr. Phil frequently says, "There's an old saying in Texas: You gotta rise above your raisin'." 
This book shows you how.

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI - I borrowed this book from my public library.

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Shock And Awe Economics

The presidential election is over. Now is the time for our country to get a grip and face reality. Our economy is in trouble, unemployment is at record high levels and the national debt is out of sight.



It seems like our society is on a wild spending spree that never ends. I found an ad in a magazine that was published in the 1940s...during World War II. The ad encouraged the American people to;


Use it up...That's the thing to do in wartime. Eat every bite of food, save every scrap of soap, make a patriotic habit of stretching all the supplies in the house so they go further, last longer.

Wear it out...This year old coats, old shoes, are a badge of honor. They show you're sensible enough to know that one way to help win the war, to keep prices down, is to wear your old things out!

Make it do...Before you spend a penny in wartime, ask yourself, "Do I really need this? Or do I have something now that will do?" As you patch and darn and turn, you're keeping prices down.

Or do without!...When you put your money in War Bonds, savings, taxes, insurance....you're putting your money to work fighting the war and building a sound, stable nation for the peace to come.

This ad is encouraging frugal spending habits to prevent war-time inflation. "It is buying too much when there's too little to buy that sends prices up. And when prices go up...and keep going up...your savings, your future, are in danger." Remember, it's the things you don't buy that keep prices down!

An individual citizen can't solve the national debt problem but individuals CAN deal with their own personal debt. This magazine ad from "The Greatest Generation" should remind us that SAVE is not a four-letter word.

 

See that prices go no higher
Be a saver...not a buyer.

 

This post was taken from a United States war message prepared by the War Advertising Council and approved by the Office of War Information ~ 1940s.

 

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Book Review: The Simple Dollar

I recently grabbed The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams by Trent Hamm on my Kindle while it was being offered as a freebie.  Debt free living is a popular topic these days and I was interested to learn how the author wiped out his debts and achieved the life of his dreams.  This book was inspired by the author's blog, The Simple Dollar.
Mr. Hamm explains how he and his wife found themselves deep in debt when his son was a baby.  He started reading books on personal finance, economics and philosophy.  He was determined to learn how a family could balance all the aspects of modern life on a limited income.  Over a period of three years,  the author got his finances under control, quit his job and devoted himself to writing full time. 
This book gives detailed information about how this family did what many American families dream of doing.  The author emphasizes the importance of communicating with your partner and setting realistic goals together.  He outlines a practical method of debt repayment that will be very effective if you are willing to sacrifice and stick with the plan you design.  He describes how he cut back on spending and also sold household items on eBay to supplement the family budget. 
The author explains that many people feel overwhelmed by their debt load.  He wants his readers to know that it is not hopeless. This book gives practical, common sense advice on how to manage your money and how to manage your life.  I found the book motivating and inspiring.  I like to read a book with a happy ending that explains exactly how you can have the same outcome.