I absolutely loved this book. If you've seen Rosling's talks before, it's likely you know a lot of what's in here. But the real value of this book for me was solidifying the idea of the World Bank's "Level" system, borrowed from Rosling, into my brain.

Canada is Level 4. India is Level 2. My friends in India are Level 4. My off-grid cabin is Level 3 (but a comfortable Level 3, since it's in a Level 4 country). Getting away from the concept of "us" and "them", "normal" and "poor" is a valuable lesson for almost anyone I know. This vocabulary stimulates a whole new kind of conversation.

Beyond the Level system, readers will come away with a stronger understanding of the basic statistics that go into this data, some helpful tools for dealing with the world around them (and their own minds), and some genuine hopefulness rooted in fact. One day, I hope this book becomes a household name and a core part of peoples' local cannon.