Statistics without Tears: An Introduction for Non-Mathematicians

I love this book. I have read it cover to cover three times over and get more out of it each time through. I came to it thinking statistics was about tables of averages that make your eyes bleed. I left it feeling astonished and delighted at some of the elegance, subtlety and ingenuity of the subject and its practitioners. And also thinking how marvelous it must be to have a school teacher, of supposedly dry subjects such as this, like the author - knowledgable, sympathetic, passionate about bringing you into the world of statistics.It is very accessible - I first read it with no mathematical or statistical background, just a keen interest to learn more about this mysterious, fascinating art/science of uncovering the underlying patterns in human behaviour or nature that are hidden by randomness and individual variation.The book focuses on big-picture statistical concepts, with very few equations, and some of the justification for why we do these things at all. I found some of the later parts a bit difficult to understand on my first read through, having no statistical background whatsoever at that time, but it is written extremely well - there are frequent questions throughout the text (with the answer and a little discussion immediately after) that check your understanding of concepts, so it is almost like having a friendly tutor there with you. These are not questions asking you to manipulate equations so you won't need a pencil and paper. They are conceptual questions along the lines of, 'Why might these data be biased? Which of these graphs goes with the samples just discussed? How safe do you think the prediction we just made is - and why?'This is not a book for you to hurriedly check how you do a chi-squared test the night before your coursework is due. This is a book to get you over your fear / hatred / suspicion of statistics, and leave you with some understanding, appreciation and, of course, still a *little* suspicion! After all, the techniques are all mathematically sound; but, the intentions of people who produce statistics to get your money or your vote, may not always be!

This is what I emailed to the author: "Your book has been a savior – I am reading it cover to cover and have the final two chapters to go. I followed your advice on how to read the book, and took my time to consider all the questions posed – if only I had been so diligent during my first degree in the 1980s!"I've now completed reading the book. Its a superb introduction to statistics. The author manages to communicate the key ideas of statistics really effectively. Early in the book the author advises readers to pause and think about the ideas being presented, with a simple statistics problem (and answer) being used to reinforce learning every few pages. I followed that advice and it worked really well. I read this book because I'm increasingly encountering academic journal papers which use statistical methods in my day-to-day work. I felt the need to build my knowledge and understanding of the basic ideas of statistics, and to become more familiar with the language of statistics: different data types (quantity, continuous, category, binomial, etc.); samples and population; means; dispersion, standard deviation and standard error; and analysis of variance. etc. Having dived into the subject of statistics with an SPSS text book, I found I needed a text which communicated the core ideas of statistics more clearly and effectively, and Rowntree's book does just that, and its easily readable in a week. Highly recommended!

Definitely a good book for understanding statistics beyond just formulas. This book is for those who are more interested in the applications and reasoning behind the need for statistics rather than the mathematical detail

I cannot express how much I love this book, as it was able to fill some knowledge gaps I had regarding statistics as a result of reading it. The book is also portable enough to be carried around, allowing for easy reading on the go. This book is packed with many practical and easily applicable lessons that will help you to become more rational. Although I found the last three chapters somewhat dense, with two or three times more reading, it should become clearer. There is no doubt that this is a book I would read again and again and still enjoy - so I recommend it to everyone.No matter what discipline you belong to, you will find it appealing. Buy and read it.

This book was a lifesaver for someone new to stats and doing a Master's. I highly recommend starting your stats journey with this book.

The title does not match the content of the book. I assumed statistics without tears means easy to understand but not. However, the book has a comprehensive analysis of statistics.

When I received this book, it fit the description of what I want. Small, not too technical, easy to carry and to read on the train and also written in accessible language.This book has exceeded my expectations. I read the first 3 chapters on an outbound leg of a flight and statistical concepts have NEVER made sense so much. During my short break I was actually noticing how much I understood of certain things being discussed in the news about GDP, population and many other topics. I didnt have to crunch the numbers but I understood and questioned certain aspects of the reporting. I am currently also reviewing a lot of literature around sustainability, climate change and ESG and this has helped a lot. Currently working in Mt job reviewing trends on flexible and hybrid working and might need to design some surveys at some point. I think i will contribute to the team effort with a lot more confidence. This is a book I wish I had discovered much earlier in my career but I am glad I have it now. It will make a handy reference.