There is little to be said about Goldacres book that hasn't been said a thousand times before. Excellent reading for the sceptical thinker, and essential reading for people like me who get foggy headed when too many scientific words are used. Goldacre hits almost all the targets he aims for, and does it in an exceptionally listenable way. An excellent book.

Ben Goldacre detests the way in which the media dumb down health and science issues and in so doing cause such negative effects as panic, unwise spending and even death. He covers topics like brain gym, detox treatments, homeopathy, Patrick Holford, placebos and more; all of which one is glad to see exposed to clear scientific light, stripped bare of fuzzy, false and emotive claims. Even the fairly scientific among us can fall prey to the pressures of the media when constantly battered by reports and common assumptions. This book encourages readers to think scientifically, especially before spending their money or becoming hopeful of health or cosmetic transformations (Money is the common motivator for most of the claims made). Although I didn't find the book quite as funny as I had been led to believe I would and occasionally grew tired of the journalistic tone, I am delighted and grateful to have been so entertainingly enlightened. Furthermore I feel better equipped to confront future reports with an objective mind.

You'll be quoting Ben for weeks after listening to this. It's witty and informative and certainly one of those audio books where you make extra time to just hear a little bit more.

Ben Goldacre is knowledgeable and articulate. OK, he does have hobby-horses, but he's honest about these. I completely agree with the general argument that the public need, desperately need, to understand science and scientists far better, so we can spot when the wool is being pulled over our eyes. Some of his examples are absolutely great, too. Definitely something for a science teacher to think about if they're prepared to go off-piste with the curriculum...

This book really scared me. It opens your eyes to the potential misleading that is inherently baked into the science we believe. Ben goldacre divides opinion - some see him as a anti new age cynic who bangs on about proof and pooh poohs a whole sector of natural health care. I actually found him balanced in his views he is equally sceptical about pharmaceutical industry as he is about alternative health care. Whilst this book is primarily aimed at alternative health care his other book bad pharma really does shine a light on the mistakes through to criminal corruption inherent in the system. His view is proper evidence and transparency with proper regulation is the only way to move forward. I agree and i think Ben would suggest you read the book and make up your own mind.

What can I say : excellent, fascinating, eye-opening, well narrated.



Ben Goldacre is a bit of a hero as far as I'm concerned, and this book would teach school children more about how to think scientifically and rationally than a tonne of physics and chemistry textbooks.

This is one of the best books I've read on audible!

the topic is important, well researched, written up perfectly. You will never look at science in the media or the market place the same ever again.

The book is also funny. I mean laugh out loud funny! It is written with such dripping sarcasm, and that sarcasm is delivered by the narrator PERFECTLY.

The author explains how science works and evenhandedly and brilliantly exposes many who profit from scamming people through bad science, from alternative medicine quacks to big pharma advertisement excesses and from bad science reporting in the media to fake scientists. I wonder how much money and lives would be saved if everybody on this planet read Bad Science.

I loved this book. So many myths are debunked by the author that it is astounding! The science parts of the book, i.e. the scientific process and principles of population statistics, I found easy to understand. The narrator's tone is, I have to admit, a peculiar one and may take some getting used to. This aside, this is a must have book if you want to listen to a forensic and ferocious disembowelment of pseudo-science and its shady practitioners. I particularly loved the section on homoeopathy with the author ripping through the nonsense with gusto. Excellent. Buy this!

Ben Goldacre exposes many of the slights of hand used in the health & nutrition industry covering the obviously ridiculous, such as homeopathy, to the more believable, such as fish oil supplements. The content of the book was very interesting but I did find the narration started to grate after a while.