Published by Zest Books on February 24th 2015
Genres: Customs, Traditions, Anthropology, General, Juvenile Nonfiction, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Social Issues, Social Science
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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We live in an era of misinformation, much of it spread by authority figures, including politicians, religious leaders, broadcasters, and, of course, apps and websites. With so much bogus information coming 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 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 young readers seeking a firmer footing in a world that’s full of holes.
Debunk It! by John Grant is a book designed to help teens develop critical thinking skills so they can find the truth in the sea of misinformation. We all know people who blindly share misinformation on social media, and they don’t do it maliciously they just don’t have their critical thinking caps on. Debunk It! is a book that encourages teens to question the headlines that the so-called experts spout as fact.
In this timely book, John Grant gives you a checklist to “Build your own Bullshitometer” so you can decipher fact from fiction. Though this book is aimed at teens, I think a lot of us can use this advice in our daily lives.
One recent event I thought about when I was reading this was John Green’s recent admission that a popular quote attributed to him (from Paper Towns) wasn’t in fact his writing. Even Green assumed the quote was from his book since it was so widely sourced on the Internet, but a search in a digital copy proved it wasn’t. I’m sure this happens all the time with book quotes, and I know I’ll add another level of checking before I post a quote.
Some of the topics that John Grant talks about in terms of misinformation are antivaxers, conspiracy theories, climate change, and the end of the world. This is an interesting reference book for teens on a wide range of subjects, and the tone is conversational and easy to process. With so much misinformation out there, this guide helps teens to question sources and recognize bias.
About the Author:
John Grant is the 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.
Debunk It! is on sale this week. Follow along with the Zest Books Rockin’ Blog Tour to learn about more books that encourage freethinking. Rock on!
I’m buying this for Duncan, I think he’d love it:-D
Perfect! It is quite informational and I think Sam would dig it too 🙂
Oh man, I think we need an adult version of that book as well.
I think Debunk It is appropriate for all ages. I know I got a lot out of it!
[…] me related to the book on the blog In Bed with Books, and a rather jolly little review on the blog The Reading Date. More blog reviews and interviews are scheduled on the virtual tour the publisher has set up. Aside […]