Awards

• Short-listed for BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2009
• Shortlisted for BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2009.

Overview

Ben Goldacre’s wise and witty bestseller, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, lifts the lid on quack doctors, flaky statistics, scaremongering journalists and evil pharmaceutical corporations. Since 2003 Dr Ben Goldacre has been exposing dodgy medical data in his popular Guardian column. In this eye-opening book he takes on the MMR hoax and misleading cosmetics ads, acupuncture and homeopathy, vitamins and mankind’s vexed relationship with all manner of ‘toxins’. Along the way, the self-confessed ‘Johnny Ball cum Witchfinder General’ performs a successful detox on a Barbie doll, sees his dead cat become a certified nutritionist and probes the supposed medical qualifications of ‘Dr’ Gillian McKeith. Full spleen and satire, Ben Goldacre takes us on a hilarious, invigorating and ultimately alarming journey through the bad science we are fed daily by hacks and quacks.

Full Product Details

9780007284870

Table of Contents

Reviews

'From an expert with a mail-order PhD to debunking the myths of homeopathy, Ben Goldacre talking the reader through some notable cases and shows how to you don't need a science degree to spot bad science yourself.' Independent (Book of the Year) 'His book aims to teach us better, in the hope that one day we write less nonsense.' Daily Telegraph (Book of the Year) 'For sheer savagery, the illusion-destroying, joyous attack on the self-regarding, know-nothing orthodoxies of the modern middle classes, Bad Science can not be beaten. You'll laugh your head off, then throw all those expensive health foods in the bin.' Trevor Philips, Observer (Book of the Year) 'Unmissable!laying about himself in a froth of entirely justified indignation, Goldacre slams the mountebanks and bullshitters who misuse science. Few escape: drug companies, self-styled nutritionists, deluded researchers and journalists all get thoroughly duffed up. It is enormously enjoyable.' The TImes (Book of the Year) 'Thousands of books are enjoyable; many are enlightening; only a very few will ever rate as necessary to social health. This is one of them.' Independent 'It is an important book and if you were to pick up just one non-fiction book this year you'd do well to make it this one' Benjamin Beasley-Murray, Daily Mail 'Goldacre's prose always reads well' TES 'Duck the health quacks with a brilliant new book that debunks medical nonsense.' Metro 'The book's light-hearted tone is a help to the reader nervous of science and statistics!This is a fundamentally good book.' Druin Burch, TLS 'The most important book you'll read this year, and quite possibly the funniest.' Charlie Brooker 'One of the essential reads of the year so far.' New Scientist 'There aren't many out and out good eggs in British journalism but Ben Goldacre is one of them!Fight back. You could start by reading this book.' Telegraph '[A] hugely entertaining book!This isn't just an essential primer for anyone who has ever felt uneasy about news coverish of faddish scientific breakthroughs , health scares and studies have shown stories -- it should be on the National Curriculum.' Time Out 'A fine lesson in how to skewer the enemies of reason and the peddlers of cant and half-truths.' Economist ' Bad Science introduces the basic scientific principles to help everyone to become an effective bullshit detector.' Sir Iain Chalmers, Founder of the Cochrane Library 'This book reawakened my love of science.' BBC Focus (Peer Review) 'Read this book.' Sunday Business Post 'It is an important book and if you were to pick up just one non-fiction book this year, you'd do well to make it this one.' Daily Mail

Author Information

Ben Goldacre is a doctor and science writer who wrote the 'Bad Science' column in the Guardian from 2003 to 2011. His work focuses on unpicking the evidence behind misleading claims from journalists, the pharmaceutical industry, alternative therapists, and government reports. He has made a number of documentaries for BBC Radio 4, and his first book Bad Science reached Number One in the nonfiction charts, has sold 400,000 copies, and has been translated into 17 languages. His second bestselling book, Bad Pharma, was published in 2013.

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