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Loading... Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel--Why Everything…by John Stossel
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. The famous 20/20 anchor takes on a large number of commonly held beliefs and discusses whether or not they are true. I learned quite a bit about a broad range of subjects, and Stossel's straightforward writing style is immensely readable. However, I have a feeling that if I was a die-hard believer in any of the myths covered here I would have left unconvinced and unimpressed. The trouble with this book is that there are too many topics discussed with not enough depth. Most of the myths are covered in a page or two, with a couple of general statements, maybe some statistics or interviews, and an example to illustrate his point. Unfortunately, the plural of anecdote is not data, and I suspect many people dismiss Stossel's words out of hand because of it. That's not to say people should avoid this book on the grounds that it doesn't dig very deep; some of the myths are covered quite thoroughly and even with the ones that weren't I still came away with a lot to think about and some stuff I'd like to look into further. I just think Stossel's message would be more effective if he wrote a book with a narrower focus and a lot more detail. (  ) melydia | Oct 28, 2009 |  This was pretty good. I, of course, read everything with my handy grain of salt, but the book confirmed some things I already thought. It also opened my eyes to a few things. And made my eyes roll at a few others. The equality and education sections made me particularly angry (don't get me started on education ... really). It's an entertaining read. ( ) miyurose | Dec 13, 2008 | I actually read quite a few non-fiction books throughout the year, often times many at once. I however, rarely finish one all the way through, which is usually what I wait until to post a review here. Here is one that didn’t take too much effort for me to move through. Short, concise sections on different myths and rebuttals to them. Everything from politics, science, personal health and economics. While John doesn’t go into great detail about any one myth, he presents enough information to make his case and allow the reader to investigate further to verify for themselves. As a conservative, he touched on many of the points I’ve been making for years. However, there were a few points that I disagreed with him on. Overall a well written and though provoking book. (  ) harpua | Sep 11, 2008 | I like Stossel. He doesn't take any guff and he doesn't give a damn. He takes on many conventional wisdoms here and he does a fine job. These are outgrowths of his 20/20 segments and often contain revealing snippetts of interviews. The endnotes refer back to specific pages and contain references to primary and secondary sources, often to the 20/20 website itself, which contains a "living" bibliography. Neat idea, though, in all fairness to any readers of this review, I hate the idea. I do wish this was a bit more rigorous, i.e. scholarly, but what can I expect. I do wish Stossel would write an entire book on the made-up health care "crisis." Recomennded for kicks. tuckerresearch | Feb 7, 2008 | This is an eyeopening book on some of the ridiculous things presented to us as truth in the modern media. It is certainly worth the time to read. ( ) MarthaLillie | Aug 17, 2007 |  no reviews | add a review
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(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:17 -0400)
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