Unscientific America

Reception

Science press

The journal Science Communication gave the book a favourable review, noting that the arguments presented "may make the Ph.D. crowd even more cranky than usual." Indeed, the book did spark significant debate Seed magazine selected Unscientific America as one to "read now" although it was subsequently more critical of certain aspects of the book. The New Scientist was similarly supportive of the description of the problem while being critical of the solution arguing that "by looking only at science, Unscientific America misses the big picture." American Scientist called it "at best, a thin and unsatisfying broth." Science was also critical calling the book "slight in both length and substance" and the analysis it contains "shallow and unreflective". This review was itself criticized by Donald Marcus of Baylor College of Medicine, who called it "a dismissive rant that misrepresents the text." PZ Myers, who was criticised in the book, stated in his review that "It's not a badly written book, but it's something worse: it's utterly useless."

Other media

California Bookwatch gave it a positive review. Kenneth Krause gave it a mixed to negative review in The Humanist criticizing the lack of an explanation of "how we can interest and invest the popular media in the serious science their viewers and subscribers have so evidently rejected" while characterizing the book with Chicken Little analogies. In the popular press Gerry Rising of The Buffalo News wrote, "This important book makes clear that the turn back toward science after the strong opposition of the Bush administration, [...], falls far short of solving our nation's problems." National Defense magazine said the authors had "captured the current zietgeist" in an analysis of the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified young professionals in the defense industry. Kirshenbaum was interviewed about the book on Science Friday.

Publication information

References

References

1. State University of New York at Purchase. (7 January 2011). "Speakers for Science in Modern World lecture series announced". US Fed News Service, Including US State News.
2. Tenenbaum, D. J.. (2010). "Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future, by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum. New York: Basic Books, 2009. 209 pp". [[Science Communication (journal).
3. Lerner, Evan. (17 July 2009). "The new ambassadors of science".
4. (30 June 2009). "July releases on how to join the commercial space race, a brief history of futurism, the inner world of mathematicians, and more".
5. Colquhoun, D.. (2009). "Trust me, I'm a scientist". [[BMJ]].
6. Giles, Jim. (8 August 2009). "Review: Unscientific America by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum".
7. Miller, Jon D.. "A thin broth".
8. Coyne, J.. (2009). "Selling science". [[Science (journal).
9. Marcus, Donald M.. (7 August 2009). "Replies to 'Selling science': A path to selling science". [[Science (journal).
10. Myers, PZ. (8 July 2009). "Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future". [[ScienceBlogs]].
11. (1 September 2009). "Unscientific America".
12. Krause, Kenneth W.. (1 January 2010). "American science in crisis! Really?". [[American Humanist Association]].
13. Rising, Gerry. (6 December 2009). "Holiday season has nature and science books aplenty". [[The Buffalo News]].
14. Erwin, Sandra I.. (1 September 2009). "Attracting new blood tougher than building jets and ICBMs".
15. Flatow, Ira. (21 August 2009). "Can 'Unscientific America' Be Science Literate?". [[NPR]].