Customer Reviews
Science Literacy - By: Robert Williams, 30 Aug 2010 
The weekly Bad Science columin the Gardian newpaper have become my essential read for the week. In this book Ben Goldacre goes further to expand on some his best articles. Taking apart the detox myth,and sticking ear candles where they really belong.
Gillian McKeith gets an entire chapter, & I suspect the next edition will have her twitter rant as well.
You can learn how the UK MRSA scare startedin a garden shed, how it's good that the Drug companies can't advertise direct to the public (as they canin the US), & how Fish oil is not much different from Snake oil.
Read it, & then give it to your teenager.
Okay considering the hype - By: tokyo24, 28 Aug 2010 
I initially saw the glowing reviews & couldn't wait to buy this book. Yes I did learn a lot about medicine, media & scientific papers, not to mention Gillian McKeith!
But I did find some of the writing dragging on & on a bit which does get boring at times. I already knew like most about the health scaresin the tabloids so when he did mention the broadsheets turning a blind eye he should have focused on that more.
What annoyed me though was the fact he mentions "humanities graduates" & the way they somehow believe anything & everything & can't look at things objectively, like only "academics" are unbiased & intelligent enough to possibly understand any science paper/research/story.
This is somehow supposed to explain why we end up with bad sciencein the first place. Well as a journalist he should know it's not the lack of understanding of science & credentials that gets these stories published, rather a duty to each medias' bias & political view. Instilling fear & bad news pays! Go ask a dumb humanities graduate!
A great read for anyone (perhaps even EVERYONE?) - By: JXL, 25 Aug 2010 This is without a doubt the best book i read last year! Medicine is becoming more & more an area of public interest, & rightly so! however there is alot of 'flim-flam' out there. Hopefully after reading this masterpiece of both comedy & education you too can be shrewd enough to know when you're being scammed, & laugh at those trying to con you out of your hard earned coin.
I'm a med student & must say this book taught me more about medicinein the "public arena" than any of my lecturers. A thoroughly worth while read whether you are an academic, student or pundit. This book is both completely accessible yet surprisinglyin depth.
Five out of Five.
Excellent book wrong title - By: David, 25 Aug 2010 This is an excellent book. Really opens your eyes to how people & the media use science to justify what they want to do.
Media especially to sell papers & create big head lines.
The title should really be how people miss use science to justify anything they want.
A Victory For Common Sense - By: FAC191, 23 Aug 2010 If you too despair at the reporting of science & medicine particularly on TV, but even on occasionsin broadsheet newspapers, then this is the book for you.
Goldacre systematically takes apart various quacks & nonsense peddlers (including the ludicrous Gillian McKeith - how did she ever get her own TV series?),in a straightforward, no nonsense fashion that even non-science folk like me can understand.
