Rating: 

The Head First Statistics book uses a "conversational style" and "multiple learning styles" in an attempt to present the material in a more effective manner--compared to traditional texts. The attempt is largely successful, in my judgment.

Particularly helpful is the early introduction of charts and graphs. Not only does this approach help demonstrate the concepts, but it also provides the student with information needed to correctly create visual presentations of the data.

One issue, that I can recall to this day regarding statistics, is that it can be a challenge for those new to the subject to know what analytical technique to use in a given situation. For the mathematically adept, this may not be an issue. For all the rest of us, who need (or want) to apply statistical methods to real-life situations, selecting the right choice can be difficult.

One excellent example of the Head First teaching method that helps the student understand the choices is Chapter 3, Measuring Variability and Spread. Starting with simple tasks, the chapter moves into a discussion of standard deviation and variation in a natural progression.

That progression, from the simple to the complex, characterizes the entire book. Later chapters cover probabilities and probability distributions, sampling, and on to correlation and regression analysis.

The author (and publisher) have a clearly defined market for this book (see page xviii). I expect this book to be successful within that market. In fact, I wish I had had this book when I started studying statistics. It is important, however, to note that for math, engineering and science students, this book is a supplement (a useful one) to the more traditional texts on statistics.