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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. The key points in this book are important and incontrovertible (and the chapter about Matthias Rath is a particular standout), but the writing style makes it clear that the author is kind of a smug asshole.
informative
medium-paced
Quite UK centric, a bit outdated, not very interesting from a STEM standpoint.
An incredibly useful and eye-opening book. Some of the topics in it are hard to face (e.g. the tragic influence of "AIDS dissidents" in South Africa), but that kind of thing makes it all the more important to promote a better understanding of science among the general population. I have no science background and found Goldacre's explanations of trial design, statistical analysis, etc. very helpful and clear, as well as extremely interesting. It was so well-written that I read the second half of it (actually a bit more than half) in one afternoon/evening, which goes way beyond my usual attention span these days. Conclusion: do yourself a favour and read this as soon as possible.
If you're going to read one book about science, read this one.
If you're not going to read one book about science, DEFINITELY read this one.
If you're not going to read one book about science, DEFINITELY read this one.
funny
informative
Great book! Very much important in our misinformed world. Final rating: 4/5.
Really relevant to acquiring critical thinking skills. What I enjoyed the most was the fact that Goldacre actually reasoned why the different hoaxes were so, and thoroughly explained (and backed up with scientific evidence) the process step by step.
4.5*
Even though it's an older book, it's still relevant and funny whilst being informative; some of the things mentioned have changed but the overall message still stands.
Even though it's an older book, it's still relevant and funny whilst being informative; some of the things mentioned have changed but the overall message still stands.