Eyes Wide Open

From "one of the world's leading young thinkers" (The Observer)—the internationally noted speaker, economics expert, and bestselling author of IOU: The Debt Threat and Silent Takeover—comes this practical, cutting-edge guide to help you make smarter and better choices in the age of data deluge, based on her highly popular TED talk

In the modern world we're swamped with information from every direction. Who should we trust? Who should we believe? How can we make sure we make the right choices? This is the book that will help you through that data deluge and show you how to make better and smarter decisions.

Internationally renowned thinker, forecaster, and bestselling author Noreena Hertz reveals the extent to which life's big decisions are made on the basis of flawed information, weak assumptions, corrupted data, insufficient scrutiny of others, and a lack of self-knowledge. Taking us on a journey that reveals the extent to which we cede our intellectual power at our peril, Hertz shows how errors in decision-making lead young people to under-save for retirement, doctors to miss tumors, CEOs to make catastrophic investments, governments to adopt the wrong economic policies, and parents to irreversibly traumatize their children.

To avert such disasters, Hertz persuasively argues, we need to become empowered decision-makers, capable of making high-stakes choices and holding accountable those who advise us. By weaving together cutting-edge research with real-world examples from Hollywood to Harry Potter, NASA to World War Two spies, Hertz constructs a path to more astute and empowered decision-making in ten clear steps. With a razor-sharp intellect and an instinct for popular storytelling, she offers counterintuitive, actionable guidance for making better choices—whether you are a business-person, a professional, a patient, or a parent.