Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • An excellent weapon in the battle against delusion
  • Extremely excellent book!
  • Excellent Book!
  • Extremely Interesting, Well Written, and Informative
  • This should be titled "Don't believe everything you hear"
Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking
Thomas E. Kida
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1591024080

Book Description

Do you believe that you can consistently beat the stock market if you put in the effort? —that some people have extrasensory perception? —that crime and drug abuse in America are on the rise? Many people hold one or more of these beliefs although research shows that they are not true. And it's no wonder since advertising and some among the media promote these and many more questionable notions. Although our creative problem-solving capacity is what has made humans the successful species we are, our brains are prone to certain kinds of errors that only careful critical thinking can correct. This enlightening book discusses how to recognize faulty thinking and develop the necessary skills to become a more effective problem solver. Author Thomas Kida identifies "the six-pack of problems" that leads many of us unconsciously to accept false ideas:

· We prefer stories to statistics.

· We seek to confirm, not to question, our ideas.

· We rarely appreciate the role of chance and coincidence in shaping events.

· We sometimes misperceive the world around us.

· We tend to oversimplify our thinking.

· Our memories are often inaccurate.

Kida vividly illustrates these tendencies with numerous examples that demonstrate how easily we can be fooled into believing something that isn't true. In a complex society where success—in all facets of life—often requires the ability to evaluate the validity of many conflicting claims, the critical-thinking skills examined in this informative and engaging book will prove invaluable.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars An excellent weapon in the battle against delusion.......2007-08-30

I liked how well-written this book is. It's point is simple: Our brains aren't made for critical thinking. We can easily end up fooling ourselves if we're not careful. Kida lists the six basic mistakes that we continually make in formulating our beliefs. Bad beliefs costs money (fake psychics), time (superstitious behaviour) and even lives (quack therapies).

This is absolutely essential reading for those who would like the world to be a better place. Give it to your children. Learn it so you can challenge bad reasoning the next time you see it.

5 out of 5 stars Extremely excellent book!.......2007-08-09

This is definitely a must have/read book, it will outstandingly change your perspective on what and how you think about everything. This is the ultimate critical thinkers book on how to view what we do in our lives and what others do in their lives, and how to think about those certain mistakes we never thought we actually did in our thinking. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!.......2007-08-09

This book changed the way I make decisions. After reading it, I not only learned about everyday decision errors that people fall victim to, but I realized that I was doing them too. I think this is the perfect book for anyone who makes decisions (i.e. everyone), and especially for those who think that their decisions are infallible. Overall, it's a great book!

5 out of 5 stars Extremely Interesting, Well Written, and Informative.......2007-08-06

I found this book to be really interesting and stimulating from start to finish. It's loaded with fascinating examples that drive home the point that we all naturally make mistakes in thinking - without even realizing it. And since many of these mistakes come from our evolutionary development, just applying "common sense" does not solve the problem. In fact, Kida recounts a number of instances in which common sense leads to disastrous consequences. I never realized how often I fell into these thinking snares.

Also, as a result of reading this book, I really notice how often the mainstream media leads us to rely on faulty, pseudo-scientific thinking by their over reliance on anecdotal, personalized stories that play to viewers' emotions. These stories increase ratings, but they also create all kinds of misperceptions of risks. The media and advertisers don't want us to think critically; they'd rather simplify complex issues into sound bites and create polar extremes of black versus white to sensationalize events for excitement, ratings and market share rather than informing viewers and consumers so they can make sound and reasonable decisions.

Kida's book has really made an impact on my view of the world. I think everyone should read it - our whole society would be better off if more people read this book. It will truly change the way you view the world and think about things!

2 out of 5 stars This should be titled "Don't believe everything you hear".......2007-07-29

After reading this book, I can only say I learned one thing - Our minds reconstruct our memories, they aren't 100% accurate. Besides that, this book just tells you to question what people tell you, or question what the media reports and compare it to statistics. If you already have good common sense, you don't need to waste your time or money on this book.
Finding God When You Don't Believe in God: Searching for a Power Greater Than Yourself
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not what I expected
  • Not Preachy at All
Finding God When You Don't Believe in God: Searching for a Power Greater Than Yourself
Jack Erdmann , and Larry Kearney
Manufacturer: Hazelden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568389833

Book Description

Here is an opportunity to listen in on fascinating conversations with people who found God when they didn't really want to and weren't even looking. Through a series of deeply personal interviews with individuals from different walks of life, the authors conduct a captivating discourse on discovering a "higher power." The interview subjects are not proselytizers, nor are they interested in comparing spiritual states. Their stories are neither tidy nor definitive. What they offer, however, is a remarkable, refreshing, and ultimately satisfying mosaic on the meaning and manifestation of God.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Not what I expected.......2005-10-01

This book is not written by Anne Lamont. It has a FORWARD (2 pages) by Anne Lamont. I found the focus of the book to be on recovery, which is a kind of spirituality, but not something that works for everybody. Didn't work for me.

4 out of 5 stars Not Preachy at All.......2003-09-28

I spent the day in my backyard reading, meditating, and enjoying the breeze. I found this book just the ticket to inspire my own thoughts and dialogues with God. I was not a disbeliever...I'd just lost my relationship somewhere along life's journey. My shoulders were exhausted from carrying the load myself, but I wasn't sure how to re-connect with God so he can help carry the load. Somehow today...I managed to do just that.

This book doesn't preach.

It is what it is. A book of interviews w/ various people who have managed to connect w/ God after all kinds of odds.

It's poetic in nature and I found myself cheering with several featured writers as I identified with their challenges and triumphs.

If you're not sure where to turn, if the church seems like a waste of time, or you just want to listen to someone else's life for awhile...give this book a glance. I read it cover to cover in one day...and it helped me change my outlook on many things in my own life.
UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Read it to enjoy Belzer, get your info elsewhere
  • Belzer's UFOs
  • Funny stuff!
  • An unexpected level of research and depth of thought
  • Belzer at his best!
UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe
Richard Belzer
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345429184
Release Date: 2000-05-02

Amazon.com

Best known as Detective John Munch on the hit TV series Homicide, Richard Belzer is also an accomplished standup comedian with a knack for political commentary in the tradition of Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory. In UFOs, JFK, and Elvis, he applies his analytic powers to two of the most controversial topics of the late 20th century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the alleged U.S. government cover-up of the existence of alien life. (The reference in the title is the book's only substantial Elvis sighting.)

Belzer sensibly avoids pretending to have the answers, opting instead to focus on the questions themselves. Why does the Zapruder film fail to synchronize with other footage of the Kennedy shooting? What's the real background on Lee Harvey Oswald--and who really posed for that famous backyard photo? Did NASA regularly suppress UFO sightings by Apollo and Gemini astronauts? And how about that giant face on the surface of Mars? While Belzer's sarcastic, antiauthoritarian tone may not convince you that aliens walk among us, it's rather difficult by book's end to fully dismiss his belief that "history is just a collection of accepted lies" told to keep the masses in line. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

"I'm not asking you to believe every conspiracy theory you'll find in this book. . . . I didn't write this book to give you all the answers. The Warren Commission did that, and the answers were all wrong. I wrote this book to inspire you to do what the powers that be wish you wouldn't:  to question authority . . . and to keep an eye out for Elvis."
--RICHARD BELZER

In UFOs, JFK, and Elvis, the distinguished statesman of stand-up comedy tackles some of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups this side of Roswell. Just what is it that they don't want you to know about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Area 51, and what the American astronauts really found on the moon? The unexplained crash at Roswell and the mysterious "face" on Mars? The link between the Nazis and the U.S. space program? Evidence of extraterrestrial experimentation?

Finally, one lone "nut" exposes the conspiracy to keep conspiracies a dirty little secret, standing up to the shadowy forces that would have us believe that Oswald acted alone, those lights in the sky are weather balloons, and fluoridated water is good for you (yeah, right). "Some of the smartest people I know . . . find it easier--and certainly more comforting--to believe that America is the only country on earth with no conspiracies at all." Just remember: do not ask on whom The Belz has told--he's told on them.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Read it to enjoy Belzer, get your info elsewhere.......2007-09-29

I don't give a care about whether or not Elvis abducted JFK, this was just a fun book to read. Belzer is actually more enjoyable as an author than he is as a stand-up, which is odd considering that you're picturing his delivery the whole time you're reading it.

It's a quick read. Environmentalist might be upset that there's a lot of blank space (for your own notes I'm sure). Also, he has tangent boxes throughout even though each chapter is only about 3 pages long. Those who feel that tangent boxes are designed to make it feel like you're taking a break might instead feel like they're trying to read two books at the same time.

2 out of 5 stars Belzer's UFOs.......2007-03-13

It's hard to believe that this book is meant to be taken seriously even though the author might be a conspiracy buff. The conspiracies range from the ridicilous to the completely absurd. Some conpiracies are even contradictory, USA faked all Moon missions or Neil Armstrong encountered a moon full of aliens and their structures. The book offers a lot of opinions and wild stories presented as fact without any proof. Belzer's fellow "conspiracy researcher" Jim Marrses theories presented in the book are the most absurd. The Moon is a spaceship built by aliens because it couldn't have formed any other way and its gravity is too weak to hold it together. Sounds really good, if you don't know what a Physics book looks like. Belzer also mentions many times that ancient texts are full of referances to aliens. The only proof being that, when you forget about the ancient culture's gods, rulers, complex mythology and take the texts and images completely out of context and forget about what real historians say, the images and text might talk about aliens. Belzer also says that aliens don't land on the White House lawn for all to see because they don't want to and sane credible people see aliens all the time but don't want to tell anyone. This kind of circular logic also proofs that pink flying elephants are real.

4 out of 5 stars Funny stuff!.......2007-01-10

A great read, very funny. I doubt it would make good reference material for academics. I Loved reading it, it makes me think that I would really love to sit down and have beer or coffee with the Belz.

4 out of 5 stars An unexpected level of research and depth of thought.......2006-11-19

When I first saw this title I thought that Richard Belzer had written a funny book filled with witty musings about little green men and movies in which Kevin Costner has a bad haircut." Belzer has made a turn toward the dramatic with his portrayal of detective John Munch in "Homicide" and "Law & Order SVU", a role he has had since 1993. However, this is still the same guy that was in the 1988 classic "The Wrong Guys". I was in no way prepared for what I was about to read.

Within the first few pages I was reading details about claims of heinous atrocities and government conspiracies. This was not the lighthearted work that I expected. From the very beginning, Belzer makes his goal clear. He urges the reader to "seek out suppressed evidence ... interpret independently everything you hear, read, and even what you see ... question authority."

Even if you are not a conspiracy theory enthusiast, it is hard not to get caught up in the unexpected depth of Belzer's research and his insights on the JFK assassination and alien visitors. I wasn't exactly "transformed from a cheerful trusting soul with unflagging faith in the powers that be into a suspicious, angry skeptic and cynic that can't sit through a 30-second news teaser," as Belzer promised, but reading the book has made me think and look at the situations in question in a new light.

For those who are not big on conspiracy, the information is presented in a way that would make even Lee Harvey Oswald chuckle. The book is both informative and entertaining, with sections with names such as "The Fluke of Earl" and "Just a Simple Nightclub Owner with a Dream". This book had me laughing one moment and somewhat scared the next. If you are not familiar with Belzer's comedy routine or acting, you might not appreciate this book as much as if you were. It makes it easier to tell when Belzer is joking around and when he is serious.

5 out of 5 stars Belzer at his best!.......2005-12-16

This book is a fast paced read, and told to us in a way that you can almost imagine the Belz is actually there reading it to you. He reveals a great many things about the assassination of JFK that I had and had not heard over the years. Most notable are the similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy.

He delves into everything possible from the Warren commission, to there being as many as 60 men posing as Oswald in the months leading up to the assassination. Plus listing other conspiracy's as to who might have had a hand in Kennedy's death. The way he lays the info out there will make you wonder....is he right?

Go read it and decide for yourself....as for me I'm a believer! (But does that make me another lone nut? Read it and you really may just join the rest of us nuts.)
Don't Believe It for a Minute!: Forty Toxic Ideas That Are Driving You Crazy
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Love it!
  • One Little Gem of a Book
  • Finally the antidote for crazy thinking!
Don't Believe It for a Minute!: Forty Toxic Ideas That Are Driving You Crazy
Arnold A. Lazarus
Manufacturer: Impact Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0915166801

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Love it!.......2003-06-19

I own everything written by either Arnold Lazarus, Phd or Allen Fay, MD. Their best ...are the books they did together. This book is a gem. No shrink, patient or psychology student should be without it!

5 out of 5 stars One Little Gem of a Book.......2001-03-24

The authors have distilled from thousands of therapy sessions some truly effective healthy philosophies. It's a quick read which delegitimizes some common irrationalities and gets to the heart of the self-help matter. A good extension of REBT and CBT ideas...addresses disturbance-causing beliefs head-on. You won't regret buying it. A welcome change from all the crappy psych books out there!

5 out of 5 stars Finally the antidote for crazy thinking!.......1998-11-19

This book is terrific! It helped me realize that I was poisoning my happiness with my own thinking. More importantly, it gave me the remedies I needed for achieving a more balanced outlook and better mental health.
What You Don't Have to Believe to Be a Christian
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • what you don't need to believe to be a nice spiritual person
  • Wonderful book
What You Don't Have to Believe to Be a Christian
George M. Ricker
Manufacturer: Eakin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1571687629

Book Description

Many Christians live with doubts about certain traditional Christian beliefs, and their doubts often result in guilt. Others are led to reject the faith out of disagreement with beliefs that seem to be absurd and anti-intellectual. Despite the notoriety of the fundamentalist world-view, some stories need not to be taken as literal or historical; and learning to separate fact from symbol, metaphor, or myth may actually strengthen the Christian witness. 

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars what you don't need to believe to be a nice spiritual person.......2007-07-06

This book all but goes through the apostles creed, explaining how not a line of it is really necessary. While it is true that he does touch on subjects that aren't necessary, he eviscerates all actual theology in the process. As near as I can tell from his writings, his feeling is that as long as you have warm and fuzzy feelings towards a god-like idea then the term Christian can be stretched to include you. There has to be some line at which you say "if you are not a follower of Christ, then you are not a Christian". It is important to note here that this means the actual Christ, that you try to get to know, not the Christ that you think you might like to know, or the Christ that you would have been in his place, or the Christ that your enlightened person feels would be preferable.

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful book.......2004-03-15

This book is reassuring to me because I no longer believe many of the things that churches and other Christians say I MUST believe, yet I still consider myself to be a follower of Jesus. I have many friends who no longer believe all or many of the things about Jesus, God, creeds, and theology that we were taught as children. Many of these friends have quit going to church. I want to buy this book as a gift for each of them. And I want to thank Dr. George Richer for writing it. He is a brave man to write it in these days of literalism.
UFOs, JFK, and ELVIS, Cospiracies You Don't Have to be Crazy to Believe
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • "Hallelujah, It's Raining Spacemen!"
UFOs, JFK, and ELVIS, Cospiracies You Don't Have to be Crazy to Believe
Richard Belzer
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JV9O1G

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars "Hallelujah, It's Raining Spacemen!" .......2007-08-16

An interesting analysis of the warped world we live in. If you, like many others, wonder how "the President of the United States can die of a frontal wound inflicted by a sniper shooting from behind" then look no further. Belzer, probably known better for his stand up and roles on shows such as Homicide, is one of that dying breed - an actor who doesn't sound like a total baseless ninny even when examining odd topics.
Not that he doesn't enjoy his soapbox, mind you. With 118 pages on the JFK assassination and 92 on the alien phenomenon, he has quite some room to rant with his slightly acidic tone on the sheer stupidity and gall of those in a power to distort the media and keep witnesses under their thumb. I'm not normally into this sort of thing, but the sheer amount of evidence was amazing. Marvel at the various incarnations of the Zapruder film, JFK's dissapearing (and conflicting) autopsy records, how 77 actual witnesses to Kennedy's assassination died under mysterious circumstances after testimony, Lee Harvey Oswalds aplenty (long story), that pesky magic bullet, and yes, J Edgar Hoover (featured mostly under the section "I'm Strictly a She-Male G-Man"). Stand in awe of statements given by Reagan, Truman, George Bush, and other presidents and luminaries regarding actual extraterrestrial policy.
A call to question with an open mind and interpret openly, the book is a great warning for anyone. And for those that don't, Belzer has his own warning - "Elvis just might be showing up soon at a location near you."
What Do Mormons Really Believe?: What the Ads Don't Tell You
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Some people need to grow up.
  • Trying to discredit the authors does not discredit valid points!
  • John Ankerberg - Unbiased? Yeah Right?
  • very poorly reserached; there are better books than this one
  • What do Mormons Really Believe? Ask an actual MORMON!
What Do Mormons Really Believe?: What the Ads Don't Tell You
John Ankerberg , and John Weldon
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736908269

Book Description

Mormons say they are Christians. True? In this frank look at Mormon teachings that are clearly incompatible with orthodox Christianity, Weldon and Ankerberg go beyond the “similarities” to reveal the chasm between the two views.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Some people need to grow up........2006-03-14

I do not agree or believe in Mormonism myself, but this book is total and utter immaturity. It is like Jack Chick's badly-drawn anti-Catholic propaganda, only prettier looking.

PEOPLE, LIVE AND LET LIVE. So WHAT if Mormons believe what they do? They can believe God is the Easter Bunny for all I care! As long as they aren't hurting anyone, what does it matter? If you all claim to be TRUE followers of Christ, then go and do what he commanded: be kind, loving, charitable and so forth. NOT sit around and write hate literature and make yourselves richer by demeaning people whose only crime is having different views from you.

5 out of 5 stars Trying to discredit the authors does not discredit valid points!.......2006-02-04

A number of people who are reviewing this book are attempting to discredit the authors. This is an attempt to get folks to avoid reading this book. I note that these people are not addressing some of the serious questions about the Mormon faith that are raised in this book. Any Christian, believing in the Jesus Christ of the Bible, who understands their own relationship with Christ, and can back their understanding of who Christ is Biblically, would have to consider some serious differences in who and what the LDS consider Christ. I do have friends who are LDS and they have backed many of the assertions of the authors that show distinct differences in a Christian ( Biblical) view of Christ and the LDS view. I know that the words may be painful for any LDS member to read, but consider the actual Mormon works cited and put the pieces together for yourself. When held against God's word (the Bible), many of them show falsehoods and inconsistancies.

God bless and guide us.

1 out of 5 stars John Ankerberg - Unbiased? Yeah Right? .......2005-03-02

http://www.fairlds.org/apol/antis/ankerberg.html

Although they themselves insist that their academic background qualifies them to critique the faith of the Latter-day Saints, it is very difficult to figure out what degrees Dr. Ankerberg and Dr. Dr. Weldon have and what sort of education they have received.

As an example, take the back cover of Behind the Mask of Mormonism, which describes John Ankerberg as holding "master's degrees in divinity and church history and the philosophy of Christian thought, and a doctorate degree from Luther Rice Seminary." Does this mean that he has two master's degrees, or three?

On page 14, we are told that "John Ankerberg has two graduate degrees in Christian History and the History of Christian Thought." Do these two degrees include his doctorate? If so, what happened to the other master's degree, or to the other two master's degrees? If his doctorate is not included, why not? (A 1991 Ankerberg and Weldon publication speaks of an indeterminate number of "masters degrees" possessed by Mr. Ankerberg, but mentions no doctorate.)69 And is "the philosophy of Christian thought" the same subject as "the History of Christian Thought"? Do any of John Ankerberg's diplomas represent correspondence degrees? A letter sent to me on 10 April 1996 by Luther Rice Bible College and Seminary claims that it is "the world's leader in non-traditional, practical, conservative theological education."

A brochure sent on the same day by Luther Rice Seminary and Bible College-note, incidentally, the variation in the school's name-explains that "All LRS degree programs are offered through Home Study or Distance Education."70 But do graduate degrees earned via correspondence represent the same quality of training as those attained through close work with graduate faculty advisors and research in graduate libraries? (Every reputable graduate program that I am aware of requires a minimum of one year, and usually two years, in residence, and practical reality almost always demands more than the stipulated minimum.)

Furthermore, a search of the Comprehensive Dissertation Index in the Brigham Young University library located no entry for John Ankerberg, and a scan of the hundreds of degree-granting institutions listed as submitting reports of dissertations to the Index (including such evangelical Protestant institutions as Dallas Theological Seminary and Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary) detected no reference to Luther Rice Seminary. Did he not write a dissertation? (Academic doctoral programs typically require dissertations.) Or is Luther Rice not covered by the Comprehensive Dissertation Index? Or both? Finally, a huge standard reference work on graduate and professional degree programs that I consulted, although containing information on more than 1500 degree-granting institutions (including many seminaries, representing all brands of Christianity), apparently fails to mention Luther Rice.71

Careful readers are bound to find this all a tad puzzling, and would no doubt appreciate further information so that they can be properly assured of Ankerberg's academic qualifications to speak for his type of Protestantism against the Latter-day Saints. There is, of course, nothing necessarily wrong with such institutions as Luther Rice and the people who attend them. To the extent that the programs they offer enhance the ability of Protestant clergy and laypersons to serve other people, and to serve the Lord, they are certainly to be welcomed. They fill a niche, and they serve a purpose. But it is not obvious that the kind of "practical" training they supply qualifies their students as academic authorities on theology-let alone on the faith of the Latter-day Saints. In the case of John Weldon, I fear that the situation is more complicated still.

--- more at the URL above ---

2 out of 5 stars very poorly reserached; there are better books than this one.......2003-12-24

My review will be brief since a multitude of other reviewers dictated my thoughts about this book. I do give Weldon and Ankerberg the credit of doing a good job of research in this book. They analyze Mormon documents and appear to have a sophisticated knowledge of the Momron Church. However, my praise really stops there. The books makes several errors in its abstraction of evidence from out-of-context situations. Often the authors regard minute points in the Mormon faith far beyond their significance. They harp on points that really don't matter in the larger scheme. The result is that one must sort though a mess of writing before coming to a final conclusion. This makes the book very exacting to read. I suggest one reads something else before tackling the arcana these two authors invent.

1 out of 5 stars What do Mormons Really Believe? Ask an actual MORMON!.......2003-09-18

All I have to say is if you have a question, go to the source. I don't care how many degrees, doctorates or whatever these authors have, they are not LDS and are just trying to discredit the religion. I would suggest to any person who is searching for answers about the LDS religion to go to a member of that religion and ask. Someone who is not LDS is going to twist things to their own way to make people believe the way they do.

(I put one star because there isn't an option to put zero stars.)
Don't You Believe It!
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Not owning this book should be a crime.
Don't You Believe It!
Eric Metaxas
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ParodiesParodies | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312143192

Amazon.com

Certain ideas have been done to death, and parody as a form is particularly susceptible to this pitfall. But when a book takes an oft-attempted task and does it well, there is extra cause for celebration. Eric Metaxas and Marc Dennis's Don't You Believe It! accomplishes just such a feat.

Don't You Believe It! parodies the venerable Robert Ripley's "Believe It or Not!" newspaper cartoons that have been running (and parodied) since 1918. Metaxas and Dennis deserve kudos for following the oft-broken, but essential rule of parody: the send-up must mimic the original in every way--except content. And Don't You Believe It! looks and sounds just like Ripley's; the attention to detail, down to the oddly stilted, old-time quality of Metaxas's text, makes the book's looniness downright sublime.

If you're not familiar with the original Ripley's cartoons, Don't You Believe It! is likely to leave you cold or at least a bit puzzled. But if you've ever read about the man who wore candles for a hat or the miner who got a steel bar lodged in his skull, this parody will have you laughing hard. Consider this phenomenon: "The Loco Schoolmaster, a hill in Paxtua, Mexico, gives travelers who ascend to its peak the temporary illusion of being much more educated than they actually are."

If you aren't entertained by geographic features, try wildlife: "Tanu, a pet goat in the village of Murai, Uganda, is the legal guardian to each of the village's 78 inhabitants--she rose to this position through a series of maneuvers so stunningly Machiavellian in their nature that the entire region was turned upside down--and all who opposed her lost their lives!" Don't You Believe It! will tickle you--believe it!

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Not owning this book should be a crime........2000-03-14

Without a shred of doubt, one of the funniest books to ever exist. If you have an even slightly avant garde sense of humour, you will be needing a hernia operation shortly after completely this jovial tome.
AFTER THE GOLD RUSH: Birds; Cripple Creek Ferry; Don't Let It Bring You Down; I Believe in You; Oh Lonesome Me; Only Love Can Break Your Heart; Southern Man; Tell Me Why; Till the Morning Comes; and When You Dance I Can Really Love
Average customer rating: Not rated
    AFTER THE GOLD RUSH: Birds; Cripple Creek Ferry; Don't Let It Bring You Down; I Believe in You; Oh Lonesome Me; Only Love Can Break Your Heart; Southern Man; Tell Me Why; Till the Morning Comes; and When You Dance I Can Really Love
    Neil Young
    Manufacturer: Warner Brothers Music Limited
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback
    ASIN: B000GW67RC
    Banking is serious business: (don't you believe it)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Banking is serious business: (don't you believe it)
      Ernest O LaCroix
      Manufacturer: Exposition Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Unknown Binding

      Banks & BankingBanks & Banking | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      BusinessBusiness | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      Satire, GeneralSatire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0682494496

      Books:

      1. Enough About You, Let's Talk About Me: How to Recognize and Manage the Narcissists in Your Life
      2. Everyday Pasta
      3. Extreme Fat Smash Diet
      4. For One More Day
      5. For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men
      6. Gulliver's Travels (Signet Classics)
      7. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
      8. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
      9. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
      10. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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