Factfulness
April 2020
Overall verdict: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
To buy this book, click here.
Why this book?
Since its publication in 2018 this book has, quite rightly, been unavoidable. In my opinion the reason this book has had such a huge impact is because, quite simply, it makes you think. And think properly. It makes you think about the role of the media in reporting global issues; it makes you think about importance of female education and it makes you think about the positives in the world that can so easily be forgotten.
For students:
Around the world, what percentage of girls finish primary school? What has happened to global life expectancy over the past 20 years? What has happened to the number living in poverty? If you’re like the average member of the public, the chances are that your answers to these three questions will be wrong- you’ll be pessimistic and have an over-dramatic world view. But why is that? Why do we tend to be pessimistic about the world? Because in fact, human society has made substantial progress towards a better quality of life for all and this book explains why and how. In reading this book, you’ll begin a journey to becoming a better geographer- as well as be able to impress friends and family with your world knowledge!
For teachers:
Much has been said about using this book as a tool for teaching; encouraging students to question the world in a different way and, as much as anything, to reflect upon ways in which the world is better than it first might appear. For me, using Factfulness serves as an excellent way to start Year 8- forcing students to think critically about their worldview and reflect upon what they learnt in Year 7 before doing an in-depth study of development. Many geography teachers have kindly shared resources to aid the teaching of Factfulness and I recommend looking at the work of Alan Parkinson and Paul Turner in particular. My own resources are shared on the ‘Classroom Resources’ page of this blog with thinking and rationale shared here.
To buy this book, click here.