Rating: 
Summary: Randi is a different sort of believer....
Review: Being interested in the world of paranormal phenomena, I decided to pick up this book to gain a skeptic's viewpoint on psi. However, it didn't take long for me to put it down in disgust. Seldom have I read a book with a more condescending and arrogant tone to it. Randi seems to think that everyone who believes in paranormal phenomena are at best, gullible fools, and at worst, outright [fakes]... He has already made up his mind on the matter, which isn't a true skeptical viewpoint... His snide tome is certainly not a good book for the true skeptics out there. It is merely a book for like-minded individuals...
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book porvides good detailed accounts of a whole bunch of frauds and delusional people who practice paranormal stuff. Randi exposed psychics, dousers, card readers, ESP, and a whole host of other tricks of the trade. Randi is relentless, and at times not very nice to these people but he is a necessary voice of reason. I'd say that James Randi and Martin Gardner are the best introductions to the skeptic world. Actually it is kind of sad that if your a person who thinks about things and questions what peole say, you get labeled a skeptic. I think people who give things careful thought and don't just accept any explaination should be called reasonable. Needless to say the book is great. It is a bit out dated but the information inside is very good and it reads very well. You won't be sorry to have this book. It can open your eyes. If you give this book are open minded read, then you'll never look at a psychic that same way. Don't hesitate to buy it. I just loved the book, it also make a good reference for debating any of this nonsence with people.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so
Review: I agree with James Randi's train of thought. It's not that I'm saying that unusual phenomenon doesn't exist, its just that I think that in a lot of cases, there are more likely reasons for certain occurrances than, say, the ghost of a thirteenth century slave. I am certainly pleased that there are people like James Randi out there who have studied the tricks that many people who claim to have special powers employ to fool people who, in many cases, are desparate people looking anywhere to find certain information about missing family members and loved ones. I feel that this unfortunate group will be even more expoited, especially in light of the 911 attacks.
That being said, however, I have to say this is a poorly written book. People who agree with Randi's position will probably give it a high rating, but even these people will probably agree that the book is heavily biased. He basically calls people who doesn't see his point of view stupid. It seems he has a great deal of anger against these flim-flam artists, and he is lasing out at them in this book. If I were a person who believed in the supernatural, I would probably get tired of being called stupid and wouldn't finish the book.
What I am really looking for from someone like James Randi is a book that would be psychic friendly, a book that I could give to my friends who believe in the supernatural for them to read without getting offended. This is where this book fails MISERABLY, and this is why I give it only three stars. People who are confused and looking for some helpful information to guide them in one direction or the other simply won't read this book. They will immediately tune out the name calling.
There was actually a TV program(Nova or Discovery) with Randi in it that was incredibly well balanced and fair. Perhaps in the future, with the goal of luring more people over to his unique stand on this topic, he could write a book like that TV program.
Rating:
Summary: Randi unveils.
Review: In an age of irrationality, skepticism glows ever so faintly. Randi's book is such a candle of hope. Randi had made it his job to expose the tricksters. The problem probably lies as much with the gullibility of the masses as with the tricks of the cheaters. Though not a Scientist, Randi the Magician is trained and qualified to take the veil off the cheaters who prefer darkness to the daylight of skepticism. Randi knows the sleight of hand and hence scores while the Scientists miserably fail because they are gullible in thinking life is as honest as a test tube.
Rating: 
Summary: Double-check
Review: Scientific method is effective and, unless you wish to use some other method of discerning the truth, such as what feels right (you are of course, entitled to do so) you must base the notion of fact on a strong foundation of proof. Based on this method one should not simply read a book by a sceptic and take it at face value. I recommend some research into the experiments both outlined in this book and also to find the larger portion that were not. You might, for example, dig up the legal affidavit of a cameraman attesting to the fact that video evidence was taken at the time of experimentation NOT after (Randi stated that the video was not taken at the time of the experiment.) You will also find the experimenters re-buttle of the so called evidence that proves their experiment faulty: the so called peep-hole that turns out to be a hole next to the ground that when open offers a view of the next room to the tune of 1 square foot of carpet. Said hole was actually filled with wires to the camera equipment monitoring the subject (who, according to Randi was peeping through the hole) and also the hole was monitored throughout the experiment to ensure the subject did NOT peep. In fact the experimenters were working to significant strigency to gaurd against even a possible intelligence organisation scam. A little more digging and you might start questioning the other sceptical material you have read. The point being that just because it sounds sceptical it doesn't guarantee that it is correct. Happy hunting...
Rating:
Summary: Cruel To Be Kind
Review: There are two kinds of flim-flam artists, as James Randi points out to us. Those who actually believe they have powers and those who are trying to separate us from our money. To the former group, Randi is unfailingly gentle and instructive. He tries to point out how their mistaken observations might have occurred. He is even forgiving to those frauds who later repent and regret their deeds. To the second group, though he is merciless. It is a pleasure to imagine these charlatans squirming as they are exposed. If you are one of those who has believed in UFOs or ESP or faith healing, this book may be uncomfortable to read, but you really must do it. It could save you from a lifetime of being a chump.
Rating:
Summary: Teaches the Reader How to Think Scientifically
Review: Randi's book is much more valuable than simply exposing the claims of so-called psychics as magic tricks. He shows how a properly-controlled demonstration of paranormal powers would have to be done, and how none have successfully been done to date. He also warns that scientists are the easiest people to fool with magic tricks. Thought-provoking reading!
Rating:
Summary: Flim Flam Kabaam!
Review: The founder of James Randi Educational Foundation offers a wonderful book that exposes the numerous frauds being perpetrated by quacks, shamans, psychics, and other shady characters who fake paranormal powers by use of fraud. Randi, a man with an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, is very familiar with the art of deception, and has built a career exposing numerous frauds. He's even exposed top-notch self-proclaimed Messiahs such as Uri Gellar. Randi, years ago, set up a challenge to anyone claiming paranormal powers. Psychics, spoon-benders, faith-healers, and other assorted weirdos turned up for the challenge and a chance at its $10,000 reward (which has since been raised to $1 million). All of these phonies were exposed, and Randi documents many of his more humorous conquests in this book. So, the next time some theist talks about miracles in our own time, direct him or her to Randi's book or web site.
Rating: 
Summary: Won't Get Fooled Again...
Review: Come closer, dear reader. I, the amazing psychic Patriki, will tell you all about yourself. You are a skeptic. You do not believe in the claims of phony psychics (those unlike the great Patriki), spoonbenders or UFO researchers. You do not believe in the powers of the Bermuda Triangle. You are a rational person. Good for you. James Randi's "Flim Flam!" is a fairly well-written and well-researched expose of some of this century's greatest con artists and their self-deceived cousins. Each chapter focuses on a different case, describing in detail the flim-flammer's case, then picking it apart claim by claim. And herein lies the problem. Randi is a methodical, detailed man, well versed in scientific method. He also seems to like the sound of his own typewriter, never using a single paragraph when five will do. I underwent the same phenomenon during each chapter I read. At first, I was deeply interested. As I continued reading, I kept flipping to the end of the chapter to see how much more of Randi's grandstanding I had to put up with. "And then I did this!" "And then I did that!" Couple this with his penchant for melodrama and his tendency to address the subjects of his exposes by name ("Yes, Mr. Geller, it means exactly that!")and you have a pretty odd book. I understand his desire to be complete, but if you call your book "Flim Flam!" (with the exclamation point), one assumes you are writing a book to entertain first and inform second. Otherwise, you would call your book "An Investigation into the Validity of Paranormal Claims", so people would expect a book full of dry scientific lab notes. In the end, of course, I cannot fault Randi for being thorough, as it is this quality that allows him to prove his point. And most of the book is extremely entertaining. It saddens me that the only people who will read it and get anything from it are people like you and I, who are already convinced.
Rating:
Summary: This is a Handbook for Thinking and Living.
Review: Flim-Flam is one of the ten most best books I have read -- perhaps in the top 3. If "important" means dealing with issues of importance in a clear, logical perspective, then this book meets with that criterion. Fairly simple to read, logical, focusing on important questions -- this is Flim-Flam.
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