Review

Rating: 5/10

Worth reading, just, for the writing, not the content.

In a similar style to the first book, the authors touch on a variety of topics, describe accepted wisdom within a specialized field, then knock it down with their outsiders’ interpretation. Why should we weigh the interpretation of the authors, ignorant of the specialty, over the interpretation of experts? Therein lies the the value of the book: The writing is really quite good. The authors set up the questions well, and steer your thinking about what are the important and unimportant aspects of the problem. The result is they carry you along in their wake, making you feel as though you are busting though dimwitted ideas with new insight.

To be sure, often they are just setting up and knocking down straw men, and some of their conclusions are not only simple-minded, but downright irresponsible (the book begins by essentially recommending that people drive drunk rather than walking home after a party), but pay attention to the style and not the substance, and you’ll get something valuable out of this book.