The Signal and the NoiseThe Signal and the Noise
Score Modern
What it's about
Nate Silver, who built a system for predicting baseball performance and forecast the 2008 and 2012 elections almost perfectly, explores why most predictions fail, and how some succeed, in fields from weather and earthquakes to poker, finance and politics.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. The New York Times Book Review called it one of the more momentous books of the decade.
You'll love it if you liked
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
MoneyballGood to know
It includes some statistics but is written for general readers.
By the numbers
- Readers34 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller58 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #65 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #98 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #1000 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1847 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Practical
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The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
David and Goliath
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street
Abundance
When Breath Becomes AirExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedQuick answers
Is The Signal and the Noise worth reading?
Yes. It spent 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #1,847 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Signal and the Noise about?
Nate Silver, who built a system for predicting baseball performance and forecast the 2008 and 2012 elections almost perfectly, explores why most predictions fail, and how some succeed, in fields from weather and earthquakes to poker, finance and politics.
How long does it take to read The Signal and the Noise?
About 14 hours (546 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Signal and the Noise?
If you liked it, try Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner or Moneyball by Michael Lewis.