Painless Mental Math: Quick, Easy, and Useful Ways to Become a Human Calculator (Even if You Suck at Math) (Learning how to Learn Book 8)

I should have heeded the other critical reviews. They were too kind. The examples that would be of any benefit are already common knowledge to most grade school graduates. The section on Vedic Mathematics is so poorly demonstrated and explained as to make it useless. If you are not already familiar with those concepts you will probably wonder why the author is making simple problems so involved and difficult. If you are already familiar with them, you may be left shaking your head for similar reasons plus at the gaps in the explanations. Save your time and money.

By the author: “The lack of obvious practical applications is at the heart of disinterest in studying and excelling at math for many who are struggling at the subject.”

The author has put together a well-organized and easy to understand set of examples that show a math student other ways of looking at a math concept and problem. Often a student finds that his/her mind processed math input differently. Getting over the hurdle of one confusing step can open up a much easier path from problem solving. This book also opens a conversation for other ways to look at a problem, other ways to start, and other ways to picture something that may seem very abstract. I expect to show this book to my grandparents.