ghosthardware98's review
4.0
When a book comes along with a title like 'Stop Reading the News' I know I have to read it. It seemingly promotes ignorance but the arguments within are practical and logical, the strongest one being that almost no news has actual impact on your day to day life. I imagine most people on the planet would acknowledge this fact, but still feel like they need to keep informed. Luckily there's arguments against that and a host of similar worries.
Being that the chapters were all basically the same length, some topics that could have been expanded on weren't. A few were rehashed with the wording a bit changed and even the short chapters didn't make them feel any less repetitive. There was a chapter about how news can be used as a propaganda tool for terrorists and while I thought it had merit, it felt extreme in contrast to the rest of the book to the point that I questioned even including it here.
I think the book is between 3 and 4 stars, but considering it made me seriously consider my news consumption I decided to be fair to the author as he accomplished his goal. So, 4 stars it is.
Being that the chapters were all basically the same length, some topics that could have been expanded on weren't. A few were rehashed with the wording a bit changed and even the short chapters didn't make them feel any less repetitive. There was a chapter about how news can be used as a propaganda tool for terrorists and while I thought it had merit, it felt extreme in contrast to the rest of the book to the point that I questioned even including it here.
I think the book is between 3 and 4 stars, but considering it made me seriously consider my news consumption I decided to be fair to the author as he accomplished his goal. So, 4 stars it is.
jankatar's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
As someone who doesn't really read the news anyway, I wasn't the envisioned audience for this book. It did help me articulate some of the concerns I already had, such as the fact that equal amounts of news are churned out every day even though there are days where nothing really happens, and the fact that the news consists of tiny snippets of information that never really give you the bigger, very complex picture behind why things are happening. I also gained some new arguments against the news that I'd never thought of, e.g. that it's increasingly made to be clickbait-y since the main source of funding is advertising.
Apart from that, this is a very black and white book about a former news-a-holic (in his own words) who found a thing that made his life a bit better and is now annoyingly preachy about it. He acts as if the news is ruining everyone's life in equal measure and is only ever a bad thing, and though some of his arguments are good, some are just utter incel-y bullshit.
This book would be twice as good if it were 50% the length
Apart from that, this is a very black and white book about a former news-a-holic (in his own words) who found a thing that made his life a bit better and is now annoyingly preachy about it. He acts as if the news is ruining everyone's life in equal measure and is only ever a bad thing, and though some of his arguments are good, some are just utter incel-y bullshit.
This book would be twice as good if it were 50% the length
anniekanthea's review against another edition
1.0
Ik snap het idee, maar met dit boek / verslag heeft Dobelli mij niet overtuigd.
Op enkele punten ben ik het eens, mensen zijn niet gemaakt voor de huidige nieuwsstroom die macrogetarget als reclame op je af komt. Een mens wordt niet gelukkig van álles horen wat slecht gaat maar waar je geen enkele invloed op hebt. Dit waren echter overtuigingen die ik al had voor het lezen van dit boek, want hoe het hier op papier staat doet het deze feiten niet goed recht.
De andere hoofdstukken zijn vooral klaagzangen en eindigen vaak met een doem scenario in de afsluitende alinea, waar hij verteld wat allemaal mis gaan als je nu niet stopt met het nieuws. Ik mis de duidelijkheid in het onderscheid van feitelijke argumenten en zijn mening of inzicht, er is een groot grijs gebied waarin hij zonder al te veel onderbouwing het zwart of wit beschrijft. Jammer.
Op enkele punten ben ik het eens, mensen zijn niet gemaakt voor de huidige nieuwsstroom die macrogetarget als reclame op je af komt. Een mens wordt niet gelukkig van álles horen wat slecht gaat maar waar je geen enkele invloed op hebt. Dit waren echter overtuigingen die ik al had voor het lezen van dit boek, want hoe het hier op papier staat doet het deze feiten niet goed recht.
De andere hoofdstukken zijn vooral klaagzangen en eindigen vaak met een doem scenario in de afsluitende alinea, waar hij verteld wat allemaal mis gaan als je nu niet stopt met het nieuws. Ik mis de duidelijkheid in het onderscheid van feitelijke argumenten en zijn mening of inzicht, er is een groot grijs gebied waarin hij zonder al te veel onderbouwing het zwart of wit beschrijft. Jammer.
alissabar's review against another edition
3.0
My husband tells me I must live under a rock because I rarely seek out the news in any format. And yes, I’m less anxious and happier for that decision. My daughter lent me this book recently. It was an interesting look at what motivates the news outlets and how your life would change if you stop reading the news. And for those of you saying to yourselves, “that’s how I stay informed.” Dobelli encourages you to get your information from long articles and books instead.
khveronika's review against another edition
3.0
The title of the book drew me in while I was caught up in a stream of endless reading of the news on the war in Ukraine for almost a month. I knew that this behavior was having a mentally deteriorating effect on me but I simply couldn't and didn't want to stop. This event felt too close to me to be able to act more rationally with the consumption of information.
This is the second book that I read by the author, the first one having been "The Art of Thinking Clearly". Unfortunately, the negative parts I have previously spotted within his writing were to be found within this book as well. One star reduction was due to the fact that the book was SO. REPETITIVE. By the end, I couldn't wait to get the reading over with, in order to stop seeing those same phrases again and again. The second star reduction was due to the writing being too judgemental. The author could often be found putting his own opinion above all others, drawing parallels and judgements that didn't have clear reasoning within them or even sounding condescending at times, when trying to dictate his ways of life.
For the positive parts, the book did contribute to the fact that I have changed my behavior towards news lately. It gave me a new perspective on certain aspects and I would see it as a useful read for those, who feel like they're drowning in news.
It's a very quick read, it states quite a bit of sources and book suggestions, so that you could dive deeper into some of the topics afterwards if you feel the need to. I wouldn't suggest the author's writing in general but if you go into this book without any expectations, you might be able to filter out some useful suggestions for yourself.
handuhoupeters's review against another edition
3.0
Skeptisch, maar Dobelli heeft goede argumenten. Ga het eens uitproberen voor 6 weken en zien wat er gebeurt…