Debunk It! How to Stay Sane in a World of Misinformation
by John Grant
Published by Zest Books; distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
228 pages
Ages 14+
We live in an era of misinformation, much of it spread by authority figures like broadcasters, politicians, and religious leaders. (The various pundits on blogs and websites don’t help either.) With so much bogus information from so many sources, how can anyone be expected to discover the truth?
In Debunk It!, author John Grant uses modern, ripped-from-the-headlines examples to clearly explain how to identify bad evidence and dismantle poor arguments. He provides a roundup of the rhetorical tricks people use when attempting to pull the wool over our eyes, and even offers advice about how to take these unscrupulous pundits down. So if you’re tired of hearing blowhards spouting off about climate change, history, evolution, medicine, and more, this is the book for you. Debunk It! is the ultimate guide for readers seeking a firmer footing in this very slippery world.
My Thoughts
Debunk It was informative and interesting, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I thought the anecdotes would be more humorous and satirical. I can see Debunk It being used in high school and college classrooms for the discourse it would generate and the many "hot topics" that are used as examples throughout the book.
What I Took Away from Debunk It
- Question everything
- Motivation can alter/skew information
- Consider the source
- Look for additional supporting information
- There is validity in your own opinions
GIVEAWAY
Thanks to Zest Books I am giving away a copy of Debunk It
- To enter for a chance to win: Leave a comment about why you want to read Debunk It and a method to contact you (twitter handle, blog link, etc)
- Must be 16 years or older to enter
- Ends 3/31/15 11:59 est
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John Grant is author of about seventy books, including Discarded Science: Ideas that Seemed Good at the Time..., Corrupted Science: Fraud Ideology and Politics in Science, and Denying Science: Conspiracy Theories, Media Distortions, and the War Against Reality. He was inspired to write Debunk It!, because of a teenager named Franklin, who came to one of his public talks on how people misunderstand science. Franklin commented that, “What we kids need is a sort of guide to bullshit,” and the idea for Debunk It! took root from that encounter. For a number of years he ran the world-famous fantasy art book publisher Paper Tiger. Also a fantasy / science fiction writer, he has won the Hugo Award (twice), the World Fantasy Award, and other international literary awards. Grant lives in northern New Jersey.
Find Debunk It! How to Stay Sane in a World of Misinformation:
- Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
w/debunk-it-john-grant/ 1120884648
- IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/
book/9781936976683
- The Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.com/
Debunk-it-John-Grant/ 9781936976683
- Zest Books site has “buy now” options: http://zestbooks.net/debunk-
it/
- Library Thing: http://www.librarything.com/
work/15696645/book/115912694
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