Explain this
Maths Doesn't Suck
How the publisher describes it:
“Internationally known actress and bonafide math genius Danica McKellar - called a 'math superstar' by The New York Times - rips the lid off the myth that math 'sucks', helping to show that math can be easy, relevant, and even glamorous - while providing the tools needed to ace the next big math test! With Danica as a personal tutor and coach.”
Review by Anne Carlill
In brief:
One student is quoted, in the book, as saying that her favourite section is 'Prime Numbers and Monkeys' and Danika has certainly put some great ideas for understanding the concept of prime in here.
“This book should be on the shelf of any teenage girl who has ever found maths hard”
This book is the perfect aid for any teacher whose female pupils/students need inspiration to help them learn and, more importantly, enjoy learning maths. It is aimed at young women in the first three years of secondary school but I can think of several 16-19 year olds and adult students at our FE college that it would appeal to, as it deals with topics that need to be understood in many vocations, such as fractions, decimals and ratio.
It is suitable for any female student who says she dislikes or cannot understand maths but enjoys reading, for example women’s magazines, as the student needs to be fairly literate to learn from it due to the written explanations. Danica McKellar has a light and fun style of writing which, I think, most young women will find entertaining. The maths is regularly interspersed with paragraphs explaining hers and others difficulties with maths, and how they overcame them, which give some light relief from the number work and, among these interludes the highlights are the quizzes. I think these are really useful, for example, the quiz called ‘Do you have trouble focusing — or are you a ‘Focus Superstar’?’ contains many good ideas for keeping your mind on the maths when your brain is beginning to flag.
Danica is a well-known celebrity in the US and many British people will recognise her as a child actor in ‘The Wonder Years’ so her book will appeal to those for whom celebrity culture is important. On her website www.mathdoesntsuck.com she certainly looks the part.
I was asked to review the American version but I first came across this book in its UK English form at the National Science Centre and found it to be a really good read. If you do not like Americanisms, Penguin has produced the UK version especially for you and your students. Danica certainly has the credentials to write this book having gone on to complete a degree, majoring in mathematics, after deciding that her looks and television success were not enough to sustain her ambitions for herself and give her a career for the rest of her life. She is certainly a good role model for young women.
One student is quoted, in the book, as saying that her favourite section is ‘Prime Numbers and Monkeys’ and Danika has certainly put some great ideas for understanding the concept of prime in here. I like the chapter which introduces algebra called ‘Who’s the Cute New Foreign Exchange Student?’. She employs the usual explanations but they are described step-by-step and in very clear language. There are also plenty of activities and short word problems to try.
I think this book should be on the shelf of any teenage girl who has ever found maths hard, so that she can dip in when she gets stuck with her homework or when she needs a motivational boost if enthusiasm for preparing for exams begins to wane. Its design makes it ideal to use as a reference book or to read from cover-to-cover and it has answers as well as a comprehensive index at the end. At a recommended price of £12.99 it represents good value for money and if Danica’s follow-on books ‘Kiss my Math’ and ‘Hot X: Algebra Exposed’ are as good I cannot wait to read them. My only other thought is to feel sorry for the boys. Unless they are keen on jewellery and lipsticks there isn’t much here for them. We will have to get someone like Brian Cox to write a version for the boys!
Anne Carlill • FE Teacher and teacher trainer
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Plume Books; Reprint edition (1 July 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0452289491
ISBN-13: 978-0452289499
Product Dimensions: 22.7 x 15.3 x 1.8 cm
