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GIVEAWAY! Wrong by David H. Freedman (Book Review 2010-112)

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Product Description

Our investments are devastated, obesity is epidemic, test scores are in decline, blue-chip companies circle the drain, and popular medications turn out to be ineffective and even dangerous. What happened? Didn’t we listen to the scientists, economists and other experts who promised us that if we followed their advice all would be well?

Actually, those experts are a big reason we’re in this mess. And, according to acclaimed business and science writer David H. Freedman, such expert counsel usually turns out to be wrong–often wildly so. Wrong reveals the dangerously distorted ways experts come up with their advice, and why the most heavily flawed conclusions end up getting the most attention-all the more so in the online era. But there’s hope: Wrong spells out the means by which every individual and organization can do a better job of unearthing the crucial bits of right within a vast avalanche of misleading pronouncements.

About the Author

David H. Freedman (www.freedman.com) is a contributing editor at Inc. Magazine. His articles on science, business and technology have appeared in The Atlantic, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Science, Wired, and many other publications. His previous book (coauthored) is A Perfect Mess, about the useful role of disorder in daily life, business and science. He is also the author of books about the U.S. Marines, computer crime, and artificial intelligence. Freedman casts a critical eye on headline health news at his blog, Making Sense of Medicine.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (June 10, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316023787
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316023788

SOURCE: PUBLISHER

LOVED IT

If you have ever wondered about what makes an expert, according to this book:  not much.  Just get yourself quoted in the media and suddenly, there you are, an expert.  Wrong points out how the media, politics and medicine all use statistics to skew the numbers to how they need them to be.  I really enjoyed this book and have now spent a lot of time on the author’s blog at www.msomed.org. 

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK?

Please use a NEW AND SEPARATE comment for each entry.

Contest is open to anyone with a US or Canadian mailing addtress (no PO Boxes)
Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 7.20.10
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen
This giveaway is sponsored by Hatchette Book Group and up to 3 copies will be available depending on entries.

+1 Leave a comment with an email address (you can do this daily for extra entries)
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+1 Post about this giveaway on your social networking site and leave me a link here.  You can do this daily and receive an entry for each link you leave.  One per day per site.
+3 Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link 

+1 Follow the author’s blog at http://www.msomed.org/
+1 Visit the Freedman’s Website and leave me an interesting fact  http://www.freedman.com/

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Comments

  7. The studies all have a paid sponser, they skewer the results towards what they want. I have even seen independant studies have this happen. That in turn influences how they are interpeted. I would love to see if he touches on this in the book.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

  10. Definitely interested in reading this.

    I invite you to stop by Colloquium and check out yesterday’s Book Review Blog Carnival, as well as the guest post by Claire Cook that is featured today!

    Thanks,

    JHS
    Colloquium

    jhsmail at comcast dot net

  24. Sounds like a great book. Would love to know what makes experts tick and why they talk so much… but the world is still so messed up! Please accept this as my entry. Thank you!

    Aliya D.
    aliyadaya(at)shaw(dot)ca

  28. Would love to read this… and figure what we can do to make things simple, succinct and moving forward. Thanks!

    Aliya D.
    aliyadaya(at)shaw(dot)ca

  29. It’s hard these days to disseminate what someone says on television or on the internet; who has credibity and what spurs them. Must take everything with a grain of salt. Please accept this as my entry. Thank you!

    Aliya D.
    aliyadaya(at)shaw(dot)ca

  36. I think social science books like this one are fascinating.
    Thanks for the chance to win.

    lynnx512 at gmail dot com

  39. Interesting fact from the Freedman’s Website:
    As much as 90% of physicians’ medical knowledge has been found to be substantially or completely wrong.
    lynnx512 at gmail dot com

  71. It would be “Wrong” not to read this book. Sorry, couldn’t resist….it’s been a looooooooooooong day!

    Thank you for hosting this “Wrong” giveaway.

    terrymac1a at hotmail dot com

  75. Friends on Good reads.

    Thank you for hosting this Wrong giveaway. I would like to be Right and win!

    terrymac1a at hotmail dot com

  76. And here are the first part of the winners’ email addresses:

    twoofakind12

    aliyadaya

    terrymac1a

    An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.