DRUNKARD'S WALK How Randomness Rules Our Lives

We all like to think success is due to skill, that experts can reliably tell great wine from plonk, and that the World Series determines baseball's best team. Mlodinow's highly entertaining discussion of probability show us why these beliefs are illusions. The coauthor, with Stephen Hawking, of A BRIEFER HISTORY OF TIME not only reveals that randomness is a much greater force than most people recognize, but also explains why our brains are hard-wired to ignore this. Writing lucidly about mathematics is difficult, and narrating books with formulas (don't worry, there aren't many) is equally challenging. But Sean Pratt is comfortable with both the words and the numbers, even if his delivery sometimes sounds detached. D.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]