Shawn Lawrence Otto

My original The War on Science audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

In an emergency, medics are taught to look for those that are not speaking among those who are screaming for help. In a similar light, we may be missing those most important scientific voices because they can’t be heard above the din of media attention some unscientific work gets. In the audiobook, The War on Science: Who's Waging It, Why It Matters, What We Can Do About It, by Shawn Otto, it’s clear that the issue is complex and he doesn’t shy away from the whole story. In this 20- hour volume, which resembles an eloquent offering from the Great Courses line-up, we get the full story from beginning to end, that we as a country, are often in the dark.

The volume couldn’t be timelier as the new administration, whether you are for or against, puts stops on the dissemination of information from the USDA, the CDC, and EPA. Before tackling the current issues, it makes sense to look back at the rise and decline of our leader's desire for scientific evidence.

Who would want to listen to twenty hours of content? Scientists. policymakers, and those with a vested interest in science and government that want the free and transparent distribution of information. The writing is at a very high and sometimes inaccessible level for many and the sheer depth of research would normally make it difficult to digest. However, the logic is sound, the arguments clear, and well documented. The expectation for many would be to listen from beginning to end, but with multiple parts, chronological movement from a presidential policy of one administration to another, it becomes difficult to follow if in that way. It is really, I believe, a great catalyst for upper-level undergraduate or graduate classroom discussion. The book provides a great return on investment for the single credit Audible charges.

About the Narrator

Peter Berkrot is a veteran narrator with a few hundred titles on Audible.com alone. I first listened to him with The Design of Everyday Things, a classic from Donald A. Norman and his voice works especially well for non-fiction. With his readings of the 30-hour Untold History of the United States and other classics, it’s not just a veteran narrator, but a key fit.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.… (más)

A good book, not a great book. There is much knowledge in here to be gleaned, and quite an excellent history of the why of American ignorance, but it plods at times and there are several 20-30 page swaths that are not easy reading. In the hands of a non-scientist or non-religious person, the information would have been easier to digest. What's interesting about that is the book explains how scientists have such a tough time explaining themselves, an ironic fault with the book itself! Surprising is a lack of hopefulness. Hopefulness would have been better. The author has much to learn about delivering a message.… (más)

Book Review & Giveaway: Did you see the Oscar nominated House of Sand and Fog when it came to movie theaters? Shawn Lawrence Otto was its award-winning screenwriter. He’s also an award-winning non-fiction author who’s just written a debut thriller, Sins of Our Fathers. It deals with the uneasy relationship between Native American reservations and the communities around them, a predatory banking industry, and one man’s rapid descent into a hell of his own making. It’s a complex story that may find Mr. Otto racking up even more awards before all is said and done. This is our first review for a non-profit publishing house that specializes in transformative literature, and Sins of Our Fathers certainly qualifies for that moniker. We’re excited to be hosting a giveaway for a copy that someone will win at http://popcornreads.com/?p=8019… (más)