Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book for those that abhor media hype!
Review: In today's age of media we get to see lots of stories that tell us to be afraid of this person or that movie, this contraption, that baby toy, this "epidemic", that virus, Etc.Are you tired of it? Well I am. This book lays it all out for you. Facts, figures, numbers, theories. It debunks many of the last 10 years' biggest "stories" that have been over-hyped. I can only imagine how this book would have turned out had it been written after 9/11 and out new "Terror scare". My one and only complaint: Its anti-gun stance. The author seeks to blame most crimes committed with guns on the fact that we're so "lenient" with our gun laws(Britain, with laws preventing the ownership of guns has a very healthy gun violence problem). Other than that, it's a terriffic book. I recommend this book for any healthy skeptic.
Rating: 
Summary: Chicken Little USA
Review: It's amazing that many Americans even have the guts to get up in the morning. In a nation where, statistically speaking, people have the most risk-free and least danger-prone standard of living in the world, Americans are ridiculously prone to being scared of things that have no reason to be scary. Classic examples are rising fears of crime and drug use, which are actually falling, and the curiously American obsession with illnesses and domestic threats that don't even exist. Barry Glassner studies this phenomenon with a great no-holds-barred investigative style and plenty of stinging social criticism. As you can expect, Glassner's top culprits are corporations and the media. Guess what - there's money to be made from public panics and that's when the corporations move in. Pharmaceutical companies won't bother to tell you that the "epidemic" of depression in America has little or no scientific evidence to back it up, when they can make handsome profits selling the associated drugs. Meanwhile, in the media's obsession with advertising dollars, they are duped to play along with that trend uncritically. Also, ratings points are gained by bombarding the public with scare tactics about how everything is such a threat to their well-being. But we find that these tactics almost always involve isolated incidents that are portrayed as trends with dire consequences to all of society, plus "expert" testimony that is really personal anecdotes from propagandists and self-appointed moral watchdogs. Above Glassner's treatment of those phenomena, he has an even better big-picture theory. Media and public fascination with insignificant and nonexistent threats allow us to evade painful examination of real root causes and social problems. For example, the media jumped all over Gulf War Syndrome, which has never been proven scientifically, to criticize the military establishment, after being too scared to criticize the actual war. We are obsessed with minor teenage drug use and crime so we don't have to face the deeper social conditions that lead to those outcomes, especially poverty and inequality. In this book Glassner does a terrific job explaining why Americans will always obsess over the symptoms while pretending that the underlying diseases don't exist.
Rating:
Summary: incredible
Review: i am not done reading this book yet(i'm through the first 100 pages), but i couldn't wait to share my thoughts about it. this book is beautiful-- i sit there reading it, boiling with anger at our sensationalist news media and conservative columnists who are constantly lying to us. I am never going to take the mainstream media seriously ever again. I particularly enjoyed the several pages in this book where Glassner bashes the Conservative anti-P.C. movement. That is one thing that i did not expect from this book but still welcome nonetheless: lots of references to conservatives and their part in fear-mongering. This is not to say that he lets liberals off the hook, however. Also, as a result of reading this book, I shall never pick up a copy of Time magazine as long as I live. It is by no means an intellectual, muckracking journal. It does not deserve the prestigious position that it holds in our society. It is just as sensationalist as the rest of the corporate news media. This book is sure to disillusion many Americans.. it should be required reading in all sociology classrooms. This book should also contribute greatly to the independent media movement. Hopefully, after reading this book, people will want to continue to be given doses of reality, thereby abandoning their dependence on corporate america.
Rating:
Summary: Soothed my fears about my evening walk
Review: I think this book is an excellent read for anyone who is afraid of what they see on the news every night. I purchased this book to review for a class, and I can honestly say that I feel safer in my home as a result of reading this. Glassner does an excellent job of putting some "risks" in perspective, and completely debunking others. I often walk in the evenings near my home, but have been nervous to leave too close to dusk. This book has made me realize how unliklely it is that I might be at danger in my middle-class suburb. At the same time, it has made me more aware of how much riskier it is to make budget cuts in early childhood education and food programs for the elderly. Food for thought!
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking and Calming
Review: An exhaustively researched book, Barry Glassner works to reveal the facts behind the fiction the media has created in regards to such topics as plane crashes, mutant diseases, African Americans, and violent teens. Glassner is featured in the Michael Moore documentary, "Bowling for Columbine" and what he had to say in the film prompted me to buy the book. Although some chapters were definitely more interesting than others, overall the book is a wonderful educational tool in learning not to take everything we're spoon fed by politicians and the media at face value. That sometimes logic before emotion can help elimainate the very thing we've been taught to fear.
Rating:
Summary: Eye-opener
Review: 42,000 people die in car crashes every year in the US. That's roughly 800 a week, a death toll equivalent of that of a (hypothetical) jumbo jet crash every 3 days. Yet a plane crash would certainly make it to the headline news all over the world, while car crashes hardly ever feature outside of local news, if at all. Because of the news outlets' definition of what constitutes "news" and what doesn't, the average American watching TV news or reading the newspaper is mostly exposed to "freak incidents" and is hardly ever made aware of more mundane risks whose prevalence makes them much more of a threat. This book's aim is to provide a (partial) remedy to the heavily distorted image that the average American has of the dangers lurking around him (her). I found this book to be very informative and a pleasure to read. A must-get companion for those who like being well-informed about what's going on around them.
Rating: 
Summary: Um...
Review: True, I do have to admit that Mr. Glassner provides more than enough sources form which he has researched for this book but that wasn't enough to win me over. I do agree that all the subjects that he brought up were valid, but he had no knew way of saying that "This is something that shouldn't be feared." And his tone came off as extremely biased to me. And I found that I could not sit and read his book for too long without getting bored. Since this was for a sociology class I had to endure reading his reiterations why everything in this world that is feared shouldn't be. This entire book could have been summed up in a two page listing of all the different subjects that are feared for the wrong reasons.
Rating: 
Summary: What should you REALLY be afraid of?
Review: Glassner explains why many common fears (airplane accidents, homicidal children, etc) are misguided. I found this to be pretty interesting. I also found it to be a sad commentary on the gullibility of Americans and the media's interest in exploiting it. There's something to fear.
Rating:
Summary: This could be life altering
Review: This book was refreshing. Barry Glassner, a sociologist, debunks many of the myths of our time. I was horrified by how duped we have all been about subjects such as illness and crime, especially by the media and politicians. One wonderful thing about this book is that it can alleviate your anxiety level about the world and make you see that life is safer than you thought. However, Glassner also points out there are areas Americans do not even consider which should really trouble us. Overall, I found this balanced and fair, not to mention interesting. This is one of those books you will find recommending to friends and then discussing. A fine work.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing, but don't open the champagne just yet
Review: Ahah, another book that's likely to raise heckles and cause much gnashing and wailing of teeth! Ok, on with the review, dear reader. Glasser has, with a fair amount of success, debunked many misconceptions that are regularly force-fed to us via various media channels. Whilst his own conclusions don't always follow "fairness in journalism", it's important to remember the nature and context of the content, to begin with. In particular, I found the chapters relating to child kidnapping, and teen suicide, both enlightening (in terms of factual evidence offered - I had no problem actually tracking down the references and checking myself), and frightening (in terms of what the media WOULD have us believe instead of facts). Glassner also covered the breast implant scare very thoroughly. Again, I was able to source some (but not all) of the reference material myself, and confirm the reality of the situation, in it's own context. Because I'm at a distinct advantage having worked on both sides of the drug and clinical trial industry, I found myself being particularly judgemental on the material covering this topic, but Glassner did a very good job in showing how even government agencies (the FDA) can have their hands forced by anecdotal and media-invented "proof", where clinical evidence was largely ignored. In other chapters, the pervading message that "It's the guns, stupid", whilst well-intended, often misses the mark - as we know, there's a large (if not the majority) number of would-be criminals who would use a knife or other weapon if guns weren't available. The tool doth not the crime maketh. The bottom line is, we ARE living in an age when the media can and will use it's force to breed and support stories and misleading statistics, which sadly often take anecdotal stories and portray such as "truth", when the truth is often quite, quite different. I gave the book four stars - it's really somewhere between 3 and 4, but there's no "half star" counts. So, four it had to be. Absorb it, use your own common sense and resources, and above all...don't believe everything you see on TV.
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