The Drunkard's Walk

How Randomness Rules Our Lives

By: Leonard Mlodinow

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

In this irreverent and illuminating audiobook, acclaimed writer and scientist Leonard Mlodinow shows us how randomness, chance, and probability reveal a tremendous amount about our daily lives, and how we misunderstand the significance of everything from a casual conversation to a major financial setback. As a result, successes and failures in life are often attributed to clear and obvious causes, when in actuality they are more profoundly influenced by chance.

The rise and fall of your favorite movie star or the most reviled CEO - in fact, all our destinies - reflects chance as much as planning and innate abilities. Even Roger Maris, who beat Babe Ruth's single season home-run record, was in all likelihood not great but just lucky.

How could it have happened that a wine was given five out of five stars by one journal and called the worst wine of the decade by another? Wine ratings, school grades, political polls, and many other things in daily life are less reliable than we believe. By showing us the true nature of chance and revealing the psychological illusions that cause us to misjudge the world around us, Mlodinow gives fresh insight into what is really meaningful and how we can make decisions based on a deeper truth. From the classroom to the courtroom, from financial markets to supermarkets, from the doctor's office to the Oval Office, Mlodinow's insights will intrigue, awe, and inspire.

Offering listeners not only a tour of randomness, chance and probability but also a new way of looking at the world, this original, unexpected journey reminds us that much in our lives is about as predictable as the steps of a stumbling man afresh from a night at a bar.

©2008 Leonard Mlodinow (P)2008 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"A wonderful guide to how the mathematical laws of randomness affect our lives." (Stephen Hawking)
"If you're strong enough to have some of your favorite assumptions challenged, please listen to The Drunkard's Walk....a history, explanation, and exaltation of probability theory....The results are mind-bending." ( Fortune)

Illuminating explanation of randomness

Any additional comments?

Another excellent book that, while mostly about randomness, also touches upon how we perceive our world and how terrible we are at recognizing and appreciating the role of randomness in our lives. This book, coupled with Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, Tetler and Gardner's Superforecasting, and The Great Courses' Your Deceptive Mind, are like user's manuals for the human brain. As always, I am struck by how our predisposition for pattern recognition is both a help and a hindrance, but mainly a hindrance when it comes to probability and interpreting events. For anyone who wants to explore randomness, get a concise and understandable explanation of how to understand and evaluate probability, and to just get a better handle on how your mind does (or doesn't) work, this book is well worth the time.

Great book but this is just part 1

Enjoyed this greatly. The Monty Hall example is worth the whole price of the book. I had a lot o f fun discussing this with friends and family. One thing though they don't tell you is that this is only part one of a two part series. I can't find part two at all in Audible. It does not show on the title until you download it and then abruptly at the end of this part.

Interesting Stuff

I enjoyed this book; it was very informative and practical. I particularly enjoyed the concept and application of the regression to the mean theory, as I can relate it to many real life situations. It was also fascinating to learn that the money we spend on paying experts for financial advice may not make a difference, as the results are often achieved by chance. If you are curious about the title, the Drunkard's Walk refers to random events that nudge us in various directions; how often have you thought you wouldn't ha e a certain job, mate, or friend if certain events had not happened? I also found the discussion of CEOs and coaches being fired for poor results, when that particular year was the rest of chance or regression to the mean.

The only thing I would say is that if you are weak in statistics, the written book may be a better format. I listened to the audio version and while the explanations were good, there were a few times I wish I had the print version to refer to.

A wonderful book

Where does The Drunkard's Walk rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the best (but these are many!).

What did you like best about this story?

It puts into perspective what happens in life. And presents much that is stimulating along the way.

Which character – as performed by Sean Pratt – was your favorite?

On the whole Sean Pratt does a great job, but his pronunciation of some foreign names leaves something to be desired. Also, I have never heard Newton's 'Principia' pronounced as if it were an Italian word, with accent on -pi and a soft c in -ci; no Latin taught anywhere, despite differences, would support this, nor does common usage. This, however, is without importance; foreign names however is a more serious issue, one which never ceases to concern me (it is very annoying when one cannot identify someone who is mentioned). I urge the producers of audiobooks to provide a pdf with just a list of proper names.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The story of Sabina, the author's aunt who was gassed by the Nazis.

Any additional comments?

I don't have time to write extensively but would urge you to listen to this book.

Drunkard's Walk for a Sober Mind

What did you love best about The Drunkard's Walk?

Mlodinow's work is an accessible, well written (and well read) introduction to the concept of randomness, a sober reminder of the often forgotten or unrecognized determinants of outcomes and our deeply flawed understanding of them. Essential and rewarding reading for anyone interested in honing their critical thinking.

A surprising, fantastic listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Drunkard's Walk to be better than the print version?

About equal.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is non-fiction. There are no 'characters'. Blaise Pascal was pretty cool.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Sean Pratt?

He's not the best. He struggled with pronunciations.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it's a book to be savored.

Any additional comments?

The book is a really great listen! The mathematical stories are compelling and the examples and scenarios the author uses are easy to picture. An excellent book!

Super edutainment

Narration:
Excellent

Pros:
1) Delves into the history of statistics and statisticians
2) Nicely explains the fundamentals of and differences between probability and statistics (I wish I had read this book before my MBA statistics course, would have given me a great grounding and set me on a path of asking the right questions)

Cons:
Really nothing - maybe the book could have been longer, I would have enjoyed it even more!

Delightful!!!

Fun book, easy listen, very interesting topics addressed, and well edited to flow at a good pace. Logic is clear, lots of historical anecdotes, and good lessons for life. Excellent narration. Nothing negative to say about this gem.

Good but lengthy

I loved how he shows how randomness effects our life and how easy we miss interpret the events. The history of how our knowledge was a little long is some areas. Worth the read.

Great ideas

Required reading for anyone who is constantly looking to better understand their world