Barry Glassner

Not terribly useful if you have ever read anything else in a similar vein. The author switches topics rapidly, citing statistics and using anecdotes which are probably just as dubious as the ones he questions. He has a thesis of sorts; that these unreal fears are frequently proxies for the real problems people don't want to face. They tend to be simpler, and easier to think about; and consequently what people want to read about. This is probably why I ignore the news, because I get disgusted show more by these simple-minded, tear-jerking stories. show less

Glassner rips down the curtains on our ideas on food and eating and leaves the reader powerless and confused on what to believe. This is not meant as a slam to the writer because that's his point: we don't know a whole lot about food.

Hearsay, poorly designed studies and conflict of interest taint what we do "know". Read the book to figure out what you don't actually know.

Started reading this as an ebook of the original edition from the Open Library, saw the new edition on my public library's shelves and grabbed it to read the updates. This is a terrifyingly clear look at the way news media (and the politicians who manipulate it) focuses our cultural fear onto the wrong things, thus preventing us from appropriately addressing the things that really are dangerous (namely driving, guns, poverty, guns, prejudice, and guns).

I first heard about this book in "Bowling for Columbine". No matter what you think about Michael Moore and his politics, however, you should read this book. Glassner looks at how trends and reality are misrepresented by media and politicians and how we are fearing the big, glamorous things that are, in reality, very unlikely to hurt us.