Skeptical Inquirer — Book Review
Book Review
Our Deliberate Slide into Ignorance
by Keith Taylor
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Book Review
Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free by Charles Pierce
Things We Know That Are Not So
by Peter Lamal
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Book Review
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior by Scott O. Lilienfeld, et al.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Solving a Mysterious Event from Long Ago
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Book Review
The Devil of Great Island : Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England by Emerson W. Baker.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Bigfoot Beliefs in Cultural Context
by Ben Radford
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Book Review
Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend by Joshua Blu Buhs.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
‘Noetic Science’ in The Lost Symbol
by Joe Nickell
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Book Review
Review of The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
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The Invisible Disorder
by Mark Durm
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Book Review
Review of The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives. By Leonard Mlodinow.
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The Varied Concepts of ‘Epidemic’ and Our Varied Reactions
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Book Review
Review of Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu by Philip Alcabes.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
An Apologia with a Transparent Strategy
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Book Review
Review of The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right. by Jon A. Shields.
When Science Gets Distorted for Nonscientific Reasons
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Book Review
Hyping Health Risks: Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology. by Geoffrey C. Kabat
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Cardiff’s Giant Hoax
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of A Colossal Hoax: The Giant from Cardiff that Fooled America by Scott Tribble
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Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea
by Robert Ashton
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of the book by Christine Garwood
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Putting Your Money Where Your MInd Is
by Joseph Keierleber
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of The Mind of the Market by Michael Shermer
Bearing False Witness for Profit
by Greg Martinez
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
To say that people love a good story is cliché, but the problem with that statement is that 'love' is too mild a term.
A Christian Physicist’s Dispatch from the Evolution Wars
by Glenn Branch
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
Review of Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution by Karl W. Giberson
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The Information You’ve Been Provided Ain’t Necessarily So
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
Review of Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data by Joel Best.
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Questioning Conventional Wisdom on Science-Related Issues
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
Review of Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller
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Charles Fort’s Life and Legacy of Strangeness
by Rob Boston
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Book Review
Review of Charles Fort: The Man Who Invented the Supernatural by Jim Steinmeyer
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Secular Sunshine as the Best Disinfectant
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Book Review
Review of The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life by Austin Dacey
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Statistically Significant Results vs. Oomph
by Peter Lamal
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Book Review
The Cult of Statistical Significance: How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice, and Lives by Stephen T. Ziliak
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Exposing Popular ‘Let’s Pretend’ Fantasies
by William Harwood
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Book Review
Review of Top Secret: The Truth Behind Today's Pop Mysticisms by Robert M. Price
From Weeping Icons to Crop Circles: Investigating with Gusto
by Terry Smiljanich
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Book Review
A review of the book by CSI fellow Joe Nickell
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Redoing the Math on Nuclear Energy
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Book Review
Nuclear Energy Now: Why the Time has Come for the World's Most Misunderstood Energy Source by Herbst and Hopley
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
We’re Wrong More Than We Think
by Harriet Hall
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Book Review
Review of On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not by Robert Burton, MD
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The Beginner’s Guide to ‘Holistic’ Wellness
by Dimitry Rotstein
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Book Review
Review of Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine by the Mayo Clinic.
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Broadening Our Scientific Horizons
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Book Review
Review of Mind, Life, and the Universe: Conversations With Great Scientists of Our Time.
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Gardnerian Whimsy and Insight, New and Old
by Sid Deutsch
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Book Review
Review of The Jinn from Hyperspace, and other Scribblings—Both Serious and Whimsical, by Martin Gardner
Photoghosts: Images of the Spirit Realm?
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Book Review
Review of Ghosts Caught on Film: Photographs of the Paranormal By Melvyn Willin.
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Physics for the People
by Daniel Grassam
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Book Review
The Social Atom: Why the Rich Get Richer, Cheaters Get Caught, and Your Neighbor Usually Looks Like You.
Pseudoscientists and Their Worlds
by Donald Simanek
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Book Review
Review of Worlds of Their Own by Robert Schadewald
Ann Coulter Takes on Darwin
by Martin Gardner
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Book Review
Review of Ann Coulter's Godless
Entertainment, Religion, and the Decline of Society
by Peter Lamal
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Book Review
Review of The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
The Strange Case of Frank Jennings Tipler
by Martin Gardner
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Book Review
Review of The Physics of Christianity by Frank Tipler
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Born to Believe
by David Ludden
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Book Review
Review of Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Evolutionary Origins of Belief. By Lewis Wolpert.
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Dangerous Ideas on the Loose
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Book Review
Review of What is Your Dangerous Idea? Today's Leading Thinkers on the Unthinkable. Edited by John Brockman.
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Unrivaled Acumen, Communitarian Passion
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Book Review
Review of The Richness of Life: The Essential Stephen Jay Gould. Edited by Steven Rose.
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Cosmos and Commentary
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandries by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
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Endless Forms, Endless Controversy
by Greg Martinez
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of Darwin's Origin of Species: A Biography. By Janet Browne.
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Governed By Emotion
by Peter Lamal
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. By Drew Westen.
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The Greatest Occultist in Western History?
by Richard Petraitis
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of The Last Alchemist: Count Cagliostro, Master of Magic in the Age of Reason. by Iain McCalman.
Kitzmiller v. Homo Boobiens
by Greg Martinez
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of 40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania
Over the Hill on UFO Abductions
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
The story of the alleged UFO abduction of Betty and Barney Hill in New Hampshire in 1961 is well known to the public.
A Model UFO Debunking
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Book Review
While such a book is not likely to make any best-seller list, it's a valuable contribution to our understanding of UFO mania
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A Model UFO Debunking
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Book Review
Review of Ware of the Words: A True but Strange Story of the Gulf Breeze UFO by Craig R. Myers.
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A Welcome Compilation of Classic Critiques
by Angelo Stagnaro
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Book Review
Review of Paranormal Claims: A Critical Analysis. Edited by Bryan Farha.
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Addressing the Crucial Issues of Stem-Cell Research
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 31.4, July / August 2007
Book Review
Review of The Stem Cell Controversy: Debating the Issues 2nd Edition by Michael Ruse and Christopher A. Pynes.
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An Effective, Positive Approach to Teaching Critical Thinking
by David W. Clapsaddle
Volume 31.4, July / August 2007
Book Review
The Power of Critical Thinking: Effective Reasoning about Ordinary and Extraordinary Claims. By Lewis Vaughn.
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A Call to Be Heeded
by Peter Lamal
Volume 31.4, July / August 2007
Book Review
Review of Dark Ages: The Case for a Science of Human Behavior. By Lee McIntyre.
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Islam’s Troubled Relationships with Science
by Harry Eagar
Volume 31.4, July / August 2007
Book Review
Review of An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam. By Taner Edis.
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Why Religion and Medicine Don’t Mix
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 31.4, July / August 2007
Book Review
Review of Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine. By Richard P. Sloan.
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Defending Evolution, but with a Cop-Out
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 31.3, May / June 2007
Book Review
Review of The Top Ten Myths about Evolution. By Cameron M. Smith and Charles Sullivan.
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A Pathologist Among the Spirits
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.3, May / June 2007
Book Review
Beyond Knowing: Mysteries and Messages of Death and Life from a Forensic Pathologist. by Janis Amatuzio, MD
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The Nonsense and Non-science of Sasquatch
by Benjamin Radford, MIchael R. Dennett, Matt Crowley, and David J. Daegling
Volume 31.3, May / June 2007
Book Review
Review of Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science by Jeff Meldrum.
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A Renewal of Sagan’s Voice on Science, Religion, and Survival
by Lauren Becker
Volume 31.2, March / April 2007
Book Review
Review of The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. by Carl Sagan.
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Counterproductive Mix of Science and Theology
by William D. Stansfield
Volume 31.2, March / April 2007
Book Review
Review of Astronomy and the Bible—Questions and Answers. Second ed. By Donald B. DeYoung
For the God Question, a Biological Perspective
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 31.2, March / April 2007
Book Review
That a book so forthrightly titled could reach the best seller lists may tell us something about a shifting cultural climate.
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Intellectual and Creative Magnificence
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 31.2, March / April 2007
Book Review
Review of What We Believe But Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers in the Age of Uncertainty by John Brockman, ed.
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Smart Scientists on Intelligent Thought (If Not Design)
by Matt Young
Volume 31.1, January / February 2007
Book Review
Review of Intelligent Thought: Science versus the Intelligent Design Movement. Edited by John Brockman.
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Critical Chiropractor, Inept Publisher
by Harriet Hall
Volume 30.6, November / December 2006
Book Review
The P.R.E.S.T.O.N. Protocol for Back Pain: The Seven Evidence-Based Practices for Living Pain-Free by Preston Long.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Privacy Threat, Revelations, and Relevancy
by Wendy M. Grossman
Volume 30.6, November / December 2006
Book Review
Review of two books on RFIDs by Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre
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A Rare Contribution to the Rant Literature in the Sciences
by Robert P. Crease
Volume 30.6, November / December 2006
Book Review
Review of Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law. By Peter Woit.
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Spirited Defense: William James and the Ghost Hunters
by Joe Nickell
Volume 30.6, November / December 2006
Book Review
Review of Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death. By Deborah Blum.
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Plunging into the Depths of a Mystery
by Michael Dennett
Volume 30.5, September / October 2006
Book Review
Review of Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures. By Ben Radford and Joe Nickell.
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Why What We Know Isn’t Necessarily So
by Peter Lamal
Volume 30.5, September / October 2006
Book Review
Review of Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking. By Thomas Kida.
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The Big Sleep or Just a Nap?
by Greg Martinez
Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Book Review
Review of Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. By Mary Roach.
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Body of Evidence
by Ben Radford
Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Book Review
Reviews of books by Gillian Bennett and Jacqueline Simpson.
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Evolution’s Radical Future?
by James N. Gardner
Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Book Review
Review of The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. By Ray Kurzweil.
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A Lively Guide to Resisting Bogus Reasoning
by Mark Durm
Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Book Review
Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Saving a Disenchanted World with Astrology?
by Geoffrey Dean
Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Book Review
Review of Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. By Richard Tarnas.
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The Ill Effects of the Self-help Movement
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 30.3, May / June 2006
Book Review
Reviews of books by Steve Salerno and Christina Hoff Sommers
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Hubble Wouldn’t Be Hubble without Her
by Greg Martinez
Volume 30.3, May / June 2006
Book Review
Review of Miss Leavitt's Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe.
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The Virtues of Skepticism
by David Ludden
Volume 30.3, May / June 2006
Book Review
Review of Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown. By Michael Shermer
Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Book Review
Review of the book by Susan A. Clancy
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Alien Abduction Analysis
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Book Review
Review of Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens. By Susan A. Clancy.
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A Constructive Look at Destructive Mental Health Trends
by Bruce Hartsell
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Book Review
Review of Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm. Edited by Wright and Cummings.
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A Portrait of Darwin for Kids
by Greg Martinez
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Book Review
Review of Darwin and Evolution for Kids: His Live and Ideas with 21 Activities. by Kristan Lawson.
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The Power of Not Thinking Is Not Very Great
by Wesley Cecil
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Book Review
Review of Blink. By Malcolm Gladwell.
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The Rampant Politicization of Science
by Peter Lamal
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Book Review
Review of The Republican Ware on Science. By Chris Mooney.
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Andrew Weil: Harvard Hatched a Gullible Guru
by Harriet Hall
Volume 30.1, January / February 2006
Book Review
Review of Natural Health, Natural Medicine. By Andrew Weil.
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Examining the Psychology of Belief
by David Ludden
Volume 30.1, January / February 2006
Book Review
Review of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal. Second ed. by Terence Hines.
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A Glorious, Dangerous Obsession
by Greg Martinez
Volume 30.1, January / February 2006
Book Review
Review of Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie. By Barbara Goldsmith.
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It’s All about the Money
by Robert L. Park
Volume 30.1, January / February 2006
Book Review
Review of Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About. By Kevin Trudeau.
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Rocketry and Wizardry
by Howard Schneider
Volume 30.1, January / February 2006
Book Review
Review of Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons. By George Pendle.
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Bigfoot in Life and Legend
by Ben Radford
Volume 29.6, November / December 2005
Book Review
Review of Bigfoot Exposed: An Anthropologist Examines America's Enduring Legend. By David J. Daegling.
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Can Atheists Be Ethical and Virtuous?
by Peter Lamal
Volume 29.6, November / December 2005
Book Review
Review of Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe. By Erik J. Wielenberg.
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The Trick Was a Trick
by Greg Martinez
Volume 29.6, November / December 2005
Book Review
Review of The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick: How a Spectacular Hoax Became History. By Peter Lamont.
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Questioning the Obesity Myth
by Ben Radford
Volume 29.5, September / October 2005
Book Review
Review of The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight Is Hazardous to Your Health. By Paul Campos.
Sylvia Browne’s Latest: Ghost-Written?
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.5, September / October 2005
Book Review
Review of the book by Sylvia Brown
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These Files May Be ‘Real-Life’—But Is She Really ‘Psychic’?
by Gary Posner
Volume 29.5, September / October 2005
Book Review
Review of A Mind for Murder: The Real-Life Files of a Psychic Investigator. By Noreen Renier with Naomi Lucks.
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Copeland’s Delusions
by Avi Dov Klein
Volume 29.4, July / August 2005
Book Review
Review of Copeland's Cure: Homeopathy and the War between Conventional and Alternative Medicine. By Natalie Robins.
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The Social Context of Cults
by Karla McLaren
Volume 29.4, July / August 2005
Book Review
Review of Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults. By Janja Lalich.
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Thoughts on Thought Control
by Joseph P. Szimhart
Volume 29.4, July / August 2005
Book Review
Review of Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control. By Kathleen Taylor.
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Bad Science, Bad Fiction, and an Agenda
by Chris Mooney
Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
Book Review
Review of State of Fear. By Michael Crichton.
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Kindness Explained
by Peter Lamal
Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
Book Review
Review of Kindness in a Cruel World: The Evolution of Altruism. By Nigel Barber.
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Nonsense in Vogue
by Phil Molé
Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
Book Review
Review of The Dictionary of Fashionable Nonsense: A Guide for Edgy People. By Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangtoom.
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Defense of an Old Earth a Peculiar Blend of Christianity and Science
by Timothy H. Heaton
Volume 29.2, March / April 2005
Book Review
Review of A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy. By Hugh Ross.
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A Voice of Reason in the Midst of the European Witch Hunts
by James M. Wood
Volume 29.2, March / April 2005
Book Review
Review of Cautio Criminalis, or a Book on Witch Trials. By Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld.
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Bits of Bogus Science Preceding Piltdown
by John Whittaker
Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
Book Review
Piltdown Man: The Secret Life of Charles Dawson and the Worlds Greatest Archaeological Hoax. By Miles Russell.
A Giant Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
by Greg Martinez
Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
Book Review
Review of the book by physicist MIchio Kaku
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The Mary Celeste: A Very Plausible Explanation
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
Book Review
Review of Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and her Missing Crew. By Brian Hicks.
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Biblical Pseudoarchaeology by a Swedish Professor of Medicine
by Martin Rundkvist
Volume 28.6, November / December 2004
Book Review
The Exodus Case: A Scientific Examination of the Exodus Story—And a Deep Look into the Red Sea. Lennart Moller.