50 Facts That Should Change the World

by Jessica Williams

News headlines wash over us daily, but beneath these "major events" are the unnoticed daily occurrences that make up everyday experience. For much of the world, that experience is harrowing: A third of the world is at war; 30 million people in Africa are HIV positive; and more than 150 countries use torture on their own citizens. In 50 Facts That Should Change the World, journalist Jessica Williams explores the realities behind the neutral words of bureaucratic documents. A paperback original.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Economics, Reference, American, Sociology

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really taught me a few things. It was scary the stuff I didn't know. For instance : 25% of lemons are sentient. That should change the world right there! Or at least the world of bartending. Here's another one : over 40 recipes die out every day, as the last person to cook them forgets how, or is shot whilst cooking. Fact : all official FIFA footballs are made from the toughened skins of the anaconda, which is the second most endangered snake in all of Uruguay. It was facts like this which put me in such a towering rage I thought about joining Greenpeace for several minutes. Here's another one : women, on average, live to be twice as old as men as do llamas - what's the implication here, that women should marry llamas? I don't think so. Here's another : in Burkina Faso, which is a West African country, money is free. Imagine that! It's because they had a revolution. Contrast that with neighbouring Guinea, where by law everything costs $23!

Each of the 50 facts that should change the world in this book should be taught to every schoolchild who should be made to memorise them and repeat them regularly, especially before buying a pet. You think I'm making this stuff up? Caramel (that brown goo in some sweetmeats) is made from industrial waste - it's printed in small type on the label but only in countries with shockingly low literacy rates. 62% of all household pets purchased in western pet shops are hand-made by children as young as eight (8) in places like Sumatra and Southern India. These are your standard family dogs and cats. (The more exotic pets are all made in China nowadays). So when you buy a lovable kitten or a little waggytailed puppy with big eyes you're inadvertently supporting child slavery. No More Pets!! In China it is illegal to download pictures of raw vegetables - this is due to a mistranslation somewhere and frankly this fact might now be obsolete.

If we could harness the energy from only 40% of the windfarms now operating we could scrap the other 60%.

If we all ate one avocado a day this would enable the building of four separate schools for every child in Paraguay.

Every man woman and child on the planet owes Starbucks $3.25

A third of all international bankers live underwater because of embarrassment.

Every cow in Sweden goes to university and has its own masseur by law.

The Swedish governmant pays all of its citizens to go on holiday. The further they go, the more they get paid.

22% of British 15 year olds regularly intimidate their parents and friends of their parents

There are now more people in cults than there are people who aren't in cults

82% of the world's smokers use 49% of the world's toilet paper (how do they know this? how? how?)

The Pope is the tallest man in the Vatican City.


Read this essential book. It will make you think.

Jessica Williams - you are my windfarm!

[Ismail Guesmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

عندما قرأته قلت أنه كتاب رائع.. قرأت ترجمته باللغة العربية عام 2006
http://www.rclub.ws/?p=54
ولكن الحقيقة أنه لم يتحدث عن كل المشاكل الحقيقية التي ينبغي تغييرها
هناك مشاكل أكبر خصوصا منها الأخلاقية والسياسية والإنسانية بعيدا عن التوجيهات الإعلامية والسياسية لمفهوم الإنسانية..
مثلا اضطهاد الشواذ ليس مشكلة ولكن الشواذ هم المشكلة وأحد مصادر الإيدز الذي تعالجه الكاتبة كمشكلة.. وأين الحديث عن الإنسانية في فلسطين والعراق، والاضطهاد هناك..
هناك أشياء كثيرة أخرى.

[Rachel Keane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author isn't wrong - these 50 facts should change the world. However, sixteen years after publication, it (unfortunately) appears that they have not.

[Icon Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Global warming already kills 150,000 people every year
There are 44 million child labourers in India
Brazil has more Avon ladies than members of its armed services

In this new edition of her bestseller, Jessica Williams tests the temperature of our world and diagnoses a malaise with some shocking symptoms.

Get the facts but also the human side of the story on the world?s hunger, poverty, material and emotional deprivation; its human rights abuses and unimaginable wealth; the unstoppable rise of consumerism, mental illness, the drugs trade, corruption, gun culture, the abuse of our environment and more.

The prognosis might look bleak, yet there is hope, Williams argues, and it's down to us to act now to change things.

--------------

'I have been dipping in and out of Jessica Williams' very fine book, imbibing it in parts and largely on the run. The facts are incontrovertible, but the questions remain of why is it so, who is responsible and what can we do? I thought that the strength of Jessica Williams' essays is that they are calm, never shrill, and therefore invite the reader into the discussion rather than leaving us with merely a sense of overwhelming difficulty. A fearless and compelling work. You need to know what’s in this book.’ - Monica Ali

'A research handbook for the No Logo generation' - Guardian

'A must-read' - BBC Liverpool

'Lucidly written, excellently researched, and with detailed referencing, the world won't look so rosy when you've put it down' - The Ecologist

'A book to surprise, enrage and inform, it is a powerful antidote to apathy which offers information on how to make a difference. A gem of a book.' - Agenda

'A shocking, eye-opening look at what is really going on in the world today. The cold statistics are so severe they speak for themselves, yet each one is elaborated upon with several pages explaining why the stark reality of the statistic has come to be, and what can be done about it … these figures would transform life as we know it, if only more people would become aware and take action.' - Midwest Book Review (US)

'Provides proof of why we cannot be complacent about the world as it is today. Should become the bible of political activists everywhere.' - New Statesman

'An admirably well-intentioned book that will provoke countless debates.' - Good Book Guide

'A remarkable snapshot of the state of global civilisation today, and just how fragile it really might be.' - The Booklover (Hong Kong)

'Memorable, hard-hitting and to the point' MSN Entertainment: Books; 'Should foster action' - Church Times

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another example of the bad job done by the mainstream media in informing Americans about the state of the world. This book presents a number of facts, with accompanying essays, that will not be covered on the evening news.

In 2002, more than 80 percent of the world’s executions took place in just three countries, China, Iran and America. Black men born in the US stand a one in three chance of going to jail, while white men have a one in seventeen chance of going to jail. Because of the Asian preference for male over female babies, and because of China’s one-child policy, China has 44 million missing women. Over one-fifth of the world’s population lives on less than one dollar a day. One-third of the world’s obese people, and over 80 percent of the smokers, live in developing countries.

Did you know that nearly half of Americans believe that aliens have landed on Earth? According to one estimate, there are over 67,000 lobbyists in Washington, which equals 125 for each member of Congress. Ten languages disappear every year. Every year, America spends $10 billion on pornography, the same amount it spends on foreign aid. More than 70 percent of the world has never heard a dial tone.

This book also includes sources for each of the essays, and organizations to contact for those who are inspired to get involved in any of these areas. It is excellent, and I enjoyed reading it. Compare the subjects in this book to what is shown on the "all-news" channels. To get a very different view of the world, this is a fine place to start.

[Jade · Rating 1 out of 5]

some good, but also some poor arguments and logic in here. A lot of stats, but mostly so skimmed over, and often you are supposed to just assume, or accept that it's 'bad'. Some are terrible, but for some of these "facts"- I'm sorry, but I actually am quite heartened by a country that has more people selling makeup than in the military - why is that bad? Just making up the numbers perhaps.

On the additives front, the data seemed to be presented in sensationalist ways with no critical comparisons or any real evidence that they actually caused harm - just some quotes about "may cause cancer in rats" and need for more research - surely you could have dug up one or two studies showing harm in humans?? Also the complaints that you wanted to be told without fine print about everything in your ham sandwich just seems like whining. Maybe if you don't want something with additives, buy something not inherently processed (ham), or make it yourself.

Gave up on reading this - Didn't want to waste my time with something so poorly researched and written to give such a biased view.

[Bill Michaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just finished this book, I realized that the world is indeed a messed up place.

I believe a potential criticism to this book is that it is politically charged. Sure, maybe it is, but the issues are still there. Ms. Williams has her own view on the world and how to solve it, if you don't agree, excellent. That's what this book is intended for, to put problems out there, engage people, and come up with a solution.

I personally am not up to snuff as much as I would like to be for world issues. I intend to use this book as a springboard for further reading.

[Stuart Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly sobering and it parts deeply distressing. Bite size chunks of statistics that will make you ask yourself why are things the way they are. It might be a little dated now, but many of these facts remain true, and some will have become even harder to swallow.
Could be considered required reading at secondary school.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's states the obvious w/o giving solutions

[Paul Clarkson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been sitting on shelves for years, dipped into occasionally. An ambition to only read a section if I could dedicate time and action to some cause never came to fruition. Now I’m clearing shelves so finally I’ve skimmed. I’ve marked five areas to focus/action against as I move towards retirement: global imports, recycling and rubbish reduction, current day slavery, prisoners of conscience, and issues around sexuality. Let’s see. Interesting to approach topics reflecting how issues have changed in twenty years. Some far worse (war), some improved (the average lifespan for a Botswanan woman; up twenty years, I imagine due to deaths from AIDS reducing but would need to explore further).
There’s a lot of skimming here, but I think a major aim of the author was to bring issues to people’s attention. Provoke thought and action hopefully.

Humanity is pretty shitty, or at least some groups and individuals to get away with it. At time of writing the al Fayed Harrods scandal is all over the news. Wtf! The guy was creepy at best, absolutely loaded and able to use his power……who would have known? Our democracy should be focused on protection and safety, not enabling.

[Thaïs Mallants · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eigenlijk wel blij dat ik dit gelezen heb.
Behoorlijk deprimerend, maar wel een goede aanzet om bij een breed scala aan sociale/economische/ecologische problemen stil te staan. Het heeft mijn blik op wat er krom zit in de wereld verruimd (hoera?)

Het zijn korte hoofdstukjes over uiteenlopende topics, dus leest goed. Vaak afgesloten met mogelijkheden tot actie, wat positief is (hoewel soms een tikkeltje moraliserend verwoord, maar wat wil je)

Helaas van 2006, dus een beetje gedateerd, maar ik geloof dat de algemene tendensen nog altijd gelden bij veel dingen (op zich ook deprimerend want je zou hopen dat we na 15 jaar al deze problemen wél al zouden hebben aangepakt)

[Harrison Large ラージ • ハリソン · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but not engaging. Shocking how many of the issues raised here are probably still relevant today, but at the same time as it's ten years old there aren't any mention of whether some issues have had resounding success stories or failures.

I would have recommended this book in 2010 when I first found it but, having finally gotten round to reading it, I can't recommend it in 2018.

[Chandar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was with the BBC's Hard Talk team. The book was a 2007 edition and already some of the facts that were meant to shock seemed to have passed their 'shock-till' date... Tesco's knowing more about British people than the British Government, millions still in slavery and so on. The world seems to have generated far more horrifying statistics in the meanwhile...

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sobering and Timely Read

This was not what you’d call an enjoyable read as a lot of the facts are sobering and uncomfortable.

They are important however, and although reading this in 2020 it feels slightly dated, especially in this COVID_19 world, I did learn quite a bit all the same.

[Aftan Ismail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depressing

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

حقيقة مؤلمه بأن عدد المنتحرين سنويا يفوق عدد الضحايا في كل النزاعات المسلحه في العالم

[Emīls Ozoliņš · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's really outdated. But that's just the way it is with facts.

[Jas Deol · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative. going to def buy the updated version

[Nayden Kostov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will start with the bad - feels a bit outdated. The selection of facts however is brilliant and makes one re-think many pre-conceptions they surely held. No need to be a trivia fan like me to enjoy!

[The Bookish Wombat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this book, but I think that's fine. It's not the kind of book you can read at one sitting for a couple of reasons. The first is that there's just so much information in it. The second is that you have to allow time to reflect on what you're reading and your reaction to it.

As the title would suggest, the book is composed of 50 chapters each containing a single fact as a headline which is then explored in more depth during the chapter. Some of the chapters are less serious than others, but all contain ideas that should make us consider our impact on the planet and on our fellow inhabitants of Earth. Some of the facts in the book are shocking and all should lead to change on some level, even if only in lifestyle adjustments made by its readers.

50 Facts is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the world around them and who feels that its time for change. If those people can persuade others to read it, all the better.

[Farhan Lalji · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think the description on good reads is of the wrong book. The book I read left me unfulfilled. Lot's of numbers, but if you consider yourself a worldly liberal person you already know that there too many guns in the world, that farm subsidies in the west are not helping developing world farmers, that big coffee shops squeeze the bean producers. It might change your behaviour a bit (have since sworn off Starbucks) but the actions are pretty limited - to write your local politician and avoid packaged goods / certain chains.

[Shannon T.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

the stats in this book were really overwhelming, but good to know. it's a bit outdated as it was published in 2003, and i would really like to see this information with current figures. i have a feeling it would be even more depressing. but it was still a good book and covered a wide range of issues facing the world. i would highly recommend it.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned the world is a cruel and strange place from the facts listed in this book. I'm doubly glad to be American, even if sometimes American means arrogant and one of the third largest executioners of citizens (Chine and Iraq are the other two, not good neighbors).

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in parts, tedious in others. Most of the facts present a depressing picture of the modern world - such as every cow in the EU receiving more in subsidies each day than the average African lives on. Thought-provoking and worth a read.

[Raj Dhaliwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

** 4.5 Stars **

Very impactful and amazing collection of facts/stories. I read this book for an anthropology class, and I remember re-reading many of the chapters for many years after I took the class. I do not have the book anymore, but it changed the way that I view the world around me.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a gift for me, that should change the world, hehe...

[Malbadeen]

Remember when Ben said I should read this book? - ha, ha! that was funny.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading these facts juxtaposed together can be surprising, frustrating, fascinating, and occasionally appalling. I wonder what the second edition brings to light.

[Janeman latul · Rating 4 out of 5]

like it.. very informative while the same time provocative!

[Tanvir Muntasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facts that would make you think and take a different look a the world you live in . Both impassioned and well researched. Essential for any good and conscious citizen.