LAUSR

other, but then realized in Chapter 3 how Lewis had skilfully introduced the elements of arguments and the basics of mathematics separately to then bring them together through an example of calculating the unemployment rate. Lewis purposefully provides the reader with the basic knowledge of mathematics first and then covers specific social issues that are defined through mathematical calculations; this enables the reader to fully understand the measurement of social concepts and how the different ways in which mathematics are used can change the meaning of the social concept (e.g., unemployment rates, poverty rates, divorce rates). Such knowledge enables social workers to be equipped with the appropriate questions to ask to construct, defend, and/or explore effective social and political arguments. Lewis wrote the book using an informal and conversational tone with elements of humor weaved throughout, which engages the reader on a more personal level making the material less intimidating. The book is appropriately geared toward social work students and practitioners, but I can also see the book having relevance to students studying social policy, sociology, and political science. I would suggest this text as a required reading in social work policy courses and as supplemental reading in social work research courses, specifically Chapters 7 and 8. Practitioners engaged in social and political advocacy should read this text to equip them with knowledge necessary to understand social and political debates and effectively engage within them. An advantage of Lewis’s text is his ability to directly apply the mathematical material to real-life social issues (e.g., budgets and finance, child abuse), which enables the reader to see the relevance of the material as it personally affects them and the clients in which they may be working. My only criticism of Lewis’s text is the focus on social and political examples specific to the US, which might limit its applicability to social workers in different countries. Lewis states he will see the text as a success if readers “come away from the book with more of an appreciation of the mathematical aspects of social issues” (p. xii). In my opinion, Lewis’s book effectively equips social workers to use mathematics to enter social and political debates, understand the mathematics behind them, and to realize the connection between social justice and quantitative matters. To this end, I found Lewis’s book to be a success and a must read in the current political climate.