Innumeracy
Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences
Author: John Allen Paulos
Amazon info
I read too many math books at the same time, so they blur together. In fact, this book and "The Secret Life of Numbers" started out with almost the same story - the fact that smart people can be proud of their inability to do math (the "I can't even balance my checkbook" story) - whereas these same smart people would look down at those who can't make the distinction between "continuous" and "continual". The lesson I took from this is the importance of how to quickly estimate things and then doing a reality check on things that are presented in the media/general conversation.
Good read for intelligent people who want to be able to analyze information a little more critically. Note: the book is surprisingly humorous (although I should note that the author did write a book on Mathematics and Humor)