In this story, a child is visited by his first chance and unsure what to do with it, he lets it go. Later on, when a new chance arrives he reaches for it, but this time he misses and falls. Embarrassed and afraid, he begins ignoring each new chance that comes by, even though he still wants to take them. Then one day he realizes that he doesn't need to be brave all the time, just at the right time, to find out what amazing things can happen when he...

"In this book, Leonard Mlodinow shows us how randomness, chance, and probability reveal a tremendous amount about our daily lives, and how we misunderstand the significance of everything from a casual conversation to a major financial setback. As a result, successes and failures in life are often attributed to clear and obvious causes, when in actuality they are more profoundly influenced by chance." "The rise and fall of your favorite movie star...

The breathtaking tale of a woman on the run who gets the chance for a whole new life.... If her abusive husband hadn't tried to kill her and her beloved dog Lucie, Helen Ward might never have left her million-dollar home and run far away. Now Helen's changed her identity and moved across the country, hopeful that she can be safe, happy, maybe even loved. And when she meets college professor Sam Tolliver, she begins to believe fairytales do come true....

A mathematical guide to understanding why life can seem to be one big coincidenceand why the odds of just about everything are better than we would think

31-year-old Perry Crandall's IQ is only 76 but he's no fool. His Gram taught him everything he needs to know to survive, but after she dies he is left alone until a winning lottery ticket nets him $12 million and more family turns up than he knows what to do with.

"For fans of Charles Duhigg, Philip Tetlock and Nate Silver, a brilliant and buoyant investigation into the existence (or not) of streaks, from a rising star at the Wall Street Journal"--

This is a book about survivor bias, the cognitive error of focusing on the winners, the successes, and the living. But in many instances, we can learn more from those who have lost, failed or died. After reading this book. you will understand how survivor bias is often used to deceive us. You will learn how to stop paying for financial services that promise more than they deliver, for health care that doesn't make us healthier, for diets that don't...

Nine accounts of the roles of coincidence and fate in day-to-day life, including the case of two teenagers discovering they are twins after separate skiing accidents bring them to the same hospital.