Rating: 
Summary: Even Better Than The Last One!
Review: I bought (and reviewed) the first Disinformation Guide, You Are Being Lied To, and gave it a rave review. I didn't really think that book could be beaten, but I was wrong. Everything You Know Is Wrong is so compelling that I sat down and read it non-stop for a whole (3 day) weekend. That's many, many hours of reading.Return names are Howard Bloom, Howard Zinn, Richard Metzger and several others. There's more variety this time though, with contributions from Naomi Klein, Arianna Huffington, Noreena ("Silent Takeover") Hertz, John Taylor Gatto and several other notable authors. Standouts for me were Russ Kick's "more than two shooters" expose on Coulmbine, Peter Breggin MD's outing of the real effects of antidepressants, David Lochbaum's unveiling of US nuclear accident secrets and John ("NY Teacher of the Year")Taylor Gatto's riveting spin on the purpose of the education system (it's not about educating!). It's worth mentioning too that the book is a beautiful thing in itself, coffee table worthy, huge, and a tremendous value when you see how much is in it. Buy it - you won't regret it!
Rating: 
Summary: Really interesting..
Review: I don't have time to read this entire thing, it's a huge book.. I hope to eventually get through the whole thing someday but here is what I like about it: 1. This book is really a collection of investigative stories ranging from all sorts of topics that tend to contradict public opinion or knowledge. 2. The articles are well written and provide their sources to back up their argument. They really get you thinking. 3. The fact that it's a collection of stories makes this book a great investment. It's great when you've got some spare time to sit down and read one of the articles, it's not like your committing to reading a novel. 4. It gets you talking. The articles in here make great conversation for you and your friends. People who won't like this book tend to be closed minded. If hearing about an article that claims the US Government had pre-emptive knowledge of the 9/11 attacks puts you into a fit of disbelief then don't buy this book. Otherwise if your an open minded individual interested in hearing news conflicting to the general public take a look. The onyl thing that stops this book from getting a 5 star rating is the fact that it is blatantly biased. I would prefer a book that shows both sides of the story. This book is like going to court and only listening to the defense testimony.. however one could argue that the media has already provided you with one side of the story. All in all this book is well worth the price. I strongly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I love this book. I haven't finished yet because I'm skipping around alot. You can read whichever sections interest you most in whichever order you choose. The section on what they do to animals (chickens and cows) was extremely informative and discouraging. It is so important that people are aware of the things that "are shoved down our throat by the media" as they put it. The only problem that I had was the book wasn't totally objective as it played itself out to be. Some of it was based on stong opinions portrayed to be facts. All in all, a strong mind will LOVE this book and it will open your eyes to the world we live in.
Rating: 
Summary: Pseudo-scientific, self-contradictory
Review: I read the mental health articles (dealing with Schizophrenia and ADHD), and it was immediately apparent that the authors/editors of this book aren't even consistent, let alone accurate in their research. For example, one article denies that Schizophrenia even exists! It asserts that neuroscience is a[n untruth] and that psychotics are merely acting out their subconcious desires. (After two decades of brain research, when will we finally hear the last of Freud's misguided disciples?) I know several psychotics who are committed Christians who struggle wholeheartedly against their disease - they aren't "bad people" who simply use the label "mental illness" as a crutch. But if this retro-Freudian attack on the mentally ill wasn't bad enough, the very next article talks about how children are frequently over-diagnosed with ADHD - a fairly uncontroversial statement that most of us already know - and accepts as valid the existence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder! If you don't accept Schizophrenia and "chemical imbalances" in general as a valid cateogry of disease, how can you warn parents that giving children Ritalin results in OCD, a more moderate neurochemical disease than Schizophrenia, which can often be treated by theory alone? (BTW, since OCD is related to Stuttering and Stuttering generally becomes worse with Ritalin, I'm inclined to believe that Ritalin does actually exacerbate OCD symptoms, but not because I read it in this book.) Another article claims that today's children are less violent and better adjusted than children 30 years ago - a supposed "countermedia" claim that actually mirrors the claims that are really made by media pundits. I think we all know intuitively that this is wrong; we all know kids that are messed up beyond recognition (and, of course, this same book blames children's supposedly "non-existent" troubles on being overmedicated for ADHD!), and in every town in America we're seeing kids do the most bizarre things that were unheard of even 15 years ago. So...the most severe mental illness, Schizophrenia, is a lie concocted by defense attorneys and neurologists to undermine psychotherapy...but a less-severe mental illness, OCD, is real...and kids don't have any problems - but the problems that they don't have are caused by taking Ritalin. Does any of this make sense? I don't think so.
Rating:
Summary: You'll love it or hate it. Great for cocktail parties!
Review: If you are looking for some sort of cohesive theme througout the book, it is to question everything. This is a habit many of us have passively chosen to break once we left college and were forced to deal with the daily practicalities brought by information overload. This book may be just the ticket to get the habit back--if it is indeed a habit you want, that is. This, if nothing else, is why I recommend the book. As for those looking for a consistent theme throughout, you may be disappointed--as you should be! This is a compilation of investigative articles covering unrelated topics. The only relation they may have is the editor who brought them together, of course. Readers may be tempted to slap labels such as, "Left-wing," or "Liberalism," and even "Paranoid Fanaticism" on the bood (i.e., editor), but these are just the vices we use to discredit the material instead of doing our own homework on it. This is something I am doing now on a few of the articles. Any book that can inspire an action like that deserves a second look. And that, I believe, was the editor's intent.
Rating:
Summary: Let Go of Concensus Reality
Review: If you down with a one-by-one foot square book, virtually unedited of all the cuss words, you cannot go wrong Richard Metzger's latest orchestration. Like the last book, "You Are Being Lied Too," there is something here for everyone. First of all, the cast of contributing disinfobots (a term which refers to Disinfo contributors and readers alike) cuts across the board: acclaimed American historian Howard Zinn; founder of Adbusters Kalle Lasn (visit his website at http://adbusters.org); author best-seller "No Logo," Naomi Klein; award-winning journalist, Greg Palast; author and environmentalist, James Ridgeway; and many many others. In this book, you will learn about everything-from Olympic Industry Mythology to the underlying conspiracy evidence of the 9-11 attacks. You will discover - as you never have before - such subjects as: pornography, prostitution, labor history, mushroom clouds, Pan Am flight 103, Waco, nuclear power, interesting true crime stories, globalization's dirty money, TV addiction, domestic violence, religion and feminism, the European Union, corporate watchdogs, Delta Force and Army Ranger Commando ops, drug companies, Osama Bin Laden, "Kadaffi," and the emergence of China as global economic big boy, among other things. Perhaps the best thing about this book is not its depth and range - neither of which are lacking - but its ability to unearth new facts and perspectives, and present them in straight-forward, no-nonsense language. If you are trying to break through the mainstream "multimedia megaplexed info-flood" and discover an alternative (and equally believable) version of what is real, this latest disinfo guidebook will serve as a terrific companion. By simply reading the book, you too will become a disinfobot. For further information, articles, and access to the occult Disinfo Chat House... where you can fly your freak flag as high as the sky.
Rating:
Summary: Should be Required Reading in Schools
Review: My only real qualm about The Disinformation Company's offering, Everything You Know is Wrong is that I'm now obligated to go out and buy a coffee table to put the thing on. Not to pretentiously display it as a kind of anti-establishment status symbol, but rather in hopes that the sequel to the ever popular You Are Being Lied To would instantly catalyze anyone who came near it into direct sociopolitical activism. It would sure save me a lot of effort to try and wake people up, not to mention myself as well. One only has to page through this trenchant tome to be reminded of the dedication that editor Russ Kick and publisher Gary Baddeley have in terms of exposing the lies doled out to us by our government, corporations, schools and media conglomerates. They have brought together, in one downright sharp looking field guide for the marginalized, such alternative luminaries as Lucy Komisar, Howard Zinn, John Taylor Gatto, Arianna Huffington and Naomi Klein for our insurrectionary perusal. Such a unique anthology is indeed heartening, especially at a time when the most compelling mainstream news item of the day is that of Ozzy Osbourne and George W. Bush mirroring back to one another their patented mediocrity, while Dan Quayle secretly salivates in the background of some White House dinner party, dreaming up his next PR stunt.
Speaking of Dan Potato Quayle, Some Lessons of the Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto is recommended reading for anyone who wants to get a bead on the failure of the educational system in the USA over the last century. Gatto describes a planned obsolescence scheme sponsored by such asuric magnates as JP Morgan, the Rockefellers, et. al. who imported, wholesale, the Prussian style of education/indoctrination into America. Gatto digs into US Army rather than old school records/files to gauge the devastating effects of illiteracy, making a very convincing argument indeed that enforced education as a means to create a downtrodden, nonresistant labor force ultimately serves the privileged few and no one else.
In Annie Laurie Gaylor's piece, Why Women Need Freedom from Religion, the author proves conclusively that the oppression of women, has been justified throughout history as being something divinely ordained. Citing examples primarily from the three delusional albeit Abhramanic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Gaylor reminds us of just how extreme these prohibitions have been and continue to be. One only need be reminded of the fact that a recent book Women in Islam contains tips of wife-beating for example. Fortunately the author describes the dedication of such courageous people as Mary Wollstonecraft, Sarah and Angelina Grimke and others who dared to speak out against the oppression of women during the late 1700s and early 1800's, a time when such public travesties were quite unthinkable. Such notable defiances such as these should no doubt inspire current equality activists to confront such 'infallible' bastions as the Mormon Church, Orthodox Judaism and the evangelical cretin otherwise known as Reverend Jerry Falwell.
Above all else, the plethora of vital polemics found in Everything You Know is Wrong can also serve to remind us that we are not isolated from one another as the powers that be would like us to believe. The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies should naturally compel us to share these insights and inspiration with our friends and connect more substantially with the body politic. Jaye Beldo: Netnous@Aol.Com
Rating:
Summary: Everything You Know Is Subject to Debate
Review: Richard Metzger claims, in his preface to this book, that concensus reality laid over and died in 1996. If that's true, why is this book necessary? Rather than support his claim, the book as a whole supports the exact opposite, reminding us that everything we think we know is subject to debate by someone. This book is of uneven quality. Some of the articles offer information that really does challenge readers' expectations. Howard Zinn's history of the Ludlow Massacre is an excellent example, and should be shown to all Libertarians who think that Industry serves the common good. Editor Russ Kick offers ample documentary evidence that the Columbine school shooting was more complex than we realize, while Mike Males comes from another direction, suggesting that kids are a lot healthier and more law-abiding than we realize. Other articles aren't so hot. Tristan Taormino's praise of polyamory uses vulgar terminology sure to keep anyone on the fence from changing their minds. Are we really likely to agree to multiple partners if our best argument is full of language to make sailors blush? Greg Palast and Oliver Shykles' condemnation of the International Monetary Fund, though probably correct, refuses to cite sources and has a flip tone that won't sway any key undecided minds. Thomas Szasz, in claiming that mental illness is a fiction, simply states his opinion that psychoses don't exist, and then behaves as though his assertion is as good as proof. This is not a scholarly book. It is written with a distinct popular tone, though no clear political position. Some articles are liberal, some conservative; some pro-industry, some anti-neoclassical economics; some pro-religion, some openly athiest. David T. Hardy claims that law enforcement was too proactive and caused the disaster at Waco, but Philip W. Cook claims law enforcement doesn't do enough to protect men from domestic abuse. In the end, this book, despite the declarative title, isn't trying to prove a point or change your mind. It's trying to remind you that your belief doesn't equal ultimate truth. It simply calls the opinions many of us share into question in a sheer attempt to keep us from marching lock-step into the slaughterhouse. This is an excellent book if you're seeking to expand your thinking or if you want to hold your own in an argument. If you can't handle a challenge to what you believe, don't bother with this book. If you don't mind changing your opinions to suit the facts, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Kinda reaches a bit for proof
Review: The book, as much as I would like to say otherwise, does reach conclusions that are not supported well by pertinent facts. For example, the claim the govt knew about Sept 11th before it happened. Why? Because for years people said "something was going to happen somewhere". Hence the gov't knew on Sept 11th there would be planes crashign into building. But by using 10 year old speeches to prove the gov't knew something was going to happen is a stretch.
Similar conclusions in the book exist, and it detracts from the possible truth that is in the chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Food for thought, but some of it is junk food
Review: The format of this book is interesting -- a collection of essays by people who might have nothing else in common besides being in this book. In that, you read about a diverse group of topics by people who hold diverse opinions. Unfortunately, they also have a diversity of credibility. I found some lapses in essays on topics I know a bit about, so it made me wonder what lapses there were in essays on topics I knew little about. The result was I found it hard to fully believe anything in the book.
For example, an essay by Arianna Huffington on how evil drug companies are and how they're in cahoots with FDA to get their drugs approved was laughable. She cited no references to back up her assertions. FDA analyzes the data submitted and only then sees if the conclusion they come up with on their own matches the conclusion of the company. They cannot be pushed around by anyone. And while it's true that some drugs that have been marketed have later been recalled for safety issues, it's awfully hard to identify rare adverse effects in the limited numbers of patients that go through clinical trials.
Much later in the book, the editor has a short essay on a compound that he claims cures cancer. His evidence is based on test-tube assays and some anecdotal data in animals. Oh, and it's a natural herbal product used in Chinese medicine for centuries. His gripe? That FDA (the same one so easily pushed around, according to Ms Huffington) won't let sellers of this herb put the anti-cancer claim on the label. Well, FDA likes to see well-controlled, prospective trials that demonstrate a drug (or substance) is safe and effective. They don't accept the "a billion Chinese people can't be wrong" argument, unfortunately. They also need to inspect your manufacturing plant and to see your methods of producing the herb so that they can ensure the product is consistent. If a company doesn't want to go through that cost and effort for an herb they can't patent, well, that's their decision, but FDA can't let them make a claim they haven't proven.
And a final example is the essay on veganism. The author is clearly very passionate about living a life free of animal products or exploitation of animals in any other way. However, his argument might have been more compelling if the literature he cited were from sources other than animal rights writings. Furthermore, he makes a couple of errors: he claims that humans cannot manufacture vitamin D (we do, in sunlight, of course), and he neglects to mention the problem of vitamin B12, stating that we can get all we need from plant material. There is no vitamin B12 in plants at all, so vegans need to get it from somewhere. Most supplements come from an animal source, so unless vegans eat lots of yeast extract, they're kind of stuck.
Nonetheless, the book does provide a lot of viewpoints and information you would certainly not read in the newspaper or hear on the nightly news. So read it, but remain connected to your inner skeptic.
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