Risk: Stories and numbers about danger

This will be a book about the psychology of risk in action – how people feel about risk, the attitudes and beliefs that make such a difference to the way they behave.

Meet Norm, an average sort of a guy. In fact, Norm is the average guy in this clever, quirky, entertaining take on the hazards of life. Watch as utterly normal Norm (who, like all average specimens, feels unique) turns to statistics to guide him; meet his cautious sister Prudence and his devil-may-care friend Kelvin; then compare them to the real risks and probabilities.

If you ever eat, ride a horse, drink alcohol, grow old, have a baby, fly, drive, fall ill, worry about any of the former – then you are consciously or unconsciously playing the odds, weighing harms and benefits. But chance isn’t just about numbers – it’s about how we feel, who we trust, and what our friends get up to. Norm’s Guide to Risk brings stories and numbers together to show how the risks we take affect our lives and why we make the choices we do.

UK Publisher: Profile Books Ltd; 2013