A brilliant account of how models are so often abused and of how they should be used

A wise, lucid and compelling guide to how mathematical modelling shapes our world. Dr Thompson teaches us how to go from being unthinking consumers of models to sophisticated users, combining a rich variety of vivid examples and case studies with deep conceptual expertise

Demystifies the process of making the mathematical models that are increasingly used to make decisions about our lives . . . A thought-provoking and helpful guide for data scientists and decision makers alike

Carefully researched and beautifully written . . . For an open-minded reader keen to expose, understand and potentially reconstruct their own worldview, Escape from Model Land is, at the same time, an uncomfortable and uplifting read. It shines a gentle light on many of our own norms and beliefs

An eye-opening account . . . Thompson offers a host of lessons . . . The result is a thoughtful, convincing look at how data works

Brilliant . . . a highly engaging work of popular science

[A] healthy realism about data, algorithms and their limitations . . . Thompson asks data scientists to be conscious of the choices and values in a model’s design . . . [offering] the basis for a constructive agenda

Data, computing power, AI, and the models that use them will continue to proliferate. The wisdom, life experience, and humility to make the best use of those powerful tools will remain scarce. This delightfully wide-ranging book offers heaps of the latter to help us generate genuine insights from the former

Offers a contemplative, densely encapsulated summary of her reflection and research . . . it’s up to us to learn from models without being drawn in by their seductive elegance, and to ensure that the lessons from Model Land find substantive expression where it actually matters: in our messy, material, magnificent world