The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks

by Benjamin Cohen Narrated by Michael David Axtell

Overview

How can you maximize success-and limit failure?*Wall Street Journal*reporter Ben Cohen*brilliantly investigates the mystery and science of streaks.

""A feast for anyone interested in the secrets of excellence.""*-Andre Agassi

For decades, statisticians, social scientists, psychologists, and economists (among them Nobel Prize winners) have spent massive amounts of precious time thinking about whether streaks actually exist. After all, a substantial number of decisions that we make in our everyday lives are quietly rooted in this one question: If something happened before, will it happen again? Is there such a thing as being in the zone? Can someone have a “hot hand”? Or is it simply a case of seeing patterns in randomness? Or, if streaks are possible, where can they be found?

In*The Hot Hand,*Wall Street Journal*reporter Ben Cohen offers an unfailingly entertaining and provocative investigation into these questions. He begins with how a $35,000 fine and a wild night in New York revived a debate about the existence of streaks that was several generations in the making. We learn how the ability to recognize and then bet against streaks turned a business school dropout named David Booth into a billionaire, and how the subconscious nature of streak-related bias can make the difference between life and death for asylum seekers. We see how previously unrecognized streaks hidden amidst archival data helped solve one of the most haunting mysteries of the twentieth century, the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg. Cohen also exposes how streak-related incentives can be manipulated, from the five-syllable word that helped break arcade profit records to an arc of black paint that allowed Stephen Curry to transform from future junior high coach into the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history. Crucially, Cohen also explores why false recognition of nonexistent streaks can have cataclysmic results, particularly if you are a sugar beet farmer or the sort of gambler who likes to switch to black on the ninth spin of the roulette wheel.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Michael David Axtell brings energetic briskness to this exploration of how streaks are built across a range of industries from gambling to basketball. He is confident and interesting as he leads us through various case studies on how people come to recognize and maximize popular phenomena ahead of the curve. Axtell’s style is well suited to this heavily researched title, written by a journalist. He juggles the facts, figures, and details of professionals who range from tech whizzes to world-renowned athletes. Sweeping listeners along, he delivers this rapid-fire look at modern life and the singular figures who have maximized trends into millions and fame. Overall, he presents people and ideas with an engaging intensity that turns history into interesting stories. M.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170355433
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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