By Giorgia Lupi and Phillip Cox
256 pages, softcover, $35
Published by Princeton Architectural Press
papress.com

As someone who has spent years building creative communities, I know numbers are never just numbers—they’re stories, choices and sometimes even lifelines. Speak Data by Giorgia Lupi and Phillip Cox is a rare book that reveals how data, when approached with empathy and creativity, can actually bring people together.

What makes this book so insightful is its insistence that data is never neutral. Every chart, survey or infographic is shaped by human choices—what we count, what we ignore and how we interpret the results. At its heart are seventeen interviews with artists, scientists, designers and activists, each offering a unique perspective on how numbers shape our stories, our communities and our sense of self. The book’s range is impressive, covering topics from identity and health to technology, creativity and activism. The “data portraits” and reimagined census project especially resonated with me, illustrating how numbers can capture not just facts but the sense of belonging and identity that every community needs.

Speak Data also confronts the dangers: how algorithms perpetuate bias, how corporate metrics reduce people to consumers and how data collection can exclude the very voices it claims to represent. But what I love most is the book’s celebration of data as a creative, connective force. When we use numbers to listen, include and tell our collective story, we make our communities stronger and more resilient.

Don’t just read this book—use it. Let Speak Data challenge how you see numbers, and put that insight into practice in your own work. —Rachel Elnar ca