While Bad Advice is a quick read, its goal is weighty ... Offit lays a compelling — and sometimes disturbing — foundation ... In breezy and deceptively conversational prose that often winks with humor, Bad Advice breaks down complex scientific subjects that have been distorted through several cultural lenses ... Despite its liberal use of such lighthearted anecdotes, Bad Advice does not let us forget its weighty contention: Science is under siege.
Science enthusiasts will love reading about Offit’s adventures as the voice of reason in a crowd of unqualified people spouting non-scientific advice ... Bad Advice is a fun and educational book that will leave readers optimistic—as Offit himself is—that fact will ultimately prevail over fiction in the world of science and medicine.
Bad Advice by Dr. Paul Offit offers smart, well-researched, and eye-opening answers, showing how 'expert' advice can become misleading and how ideas unsupported by evidence can become widespread beliefs ... Although most issues are health related, issues like global warming are also noted, and the real-world examples make for a compelling read ... the book also delivers a good deal of useful information ... Writing is clear and brisk throughout, lightened by a friendly tone and occasional wry humor. Examples are well researched and rely on reported facts rather than opinions or assertions ... Dr. Paul Offit’s Bad Advice is a well-presented, knowledgeable, and surprisingly engaging look at the pitfalls of the information age.
With disarming candor, the author shares his own mistakes from interviews ... His chapter on Andrew Wakefield, infamous for falsifying data that he argued linked autism to the MMR vaccine, is thorough, fascinating, and damning. His chapter on debating creationists, Holocaust deniers, homeopaths, and anti-vaxxers is invigorating.
