Spin This! All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)

by Bill Maher (Author), Bill Press (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Press, a Crossfire cohost, provides an amusing look at "spin," the basic commodity of professions from politics to journalism to marketing. After offering a loose definition of spin that distinguishes it from outright lying, Press expounds on the infinite varieties. There is the happy-face spin, which makes bad news sound good; the Boy Scout spin, which is pious denial; the twilight-zone spin, which projects the exact opposite of the truth; and, of course, the time-honored statistics spin, which twists and often fabricates numbers. Press cites plenty of examples, including the it-depends-on-the-definition spin offered by President Clinton's evasive definition of sex when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. Historical examples include the claim that the Civil War was fought to end slavery and talk of "collateral damage" during the Vietnam War to avoid talk of casualties. Press includes nominations to the spin hall of fame offered by well-known writers and political figures. All readers will enjoy this look at a widespread practice. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
James Carville from the left Press impresses. He takes the dizziness out of a spin. This book proves that you can't spin a spinner. -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• ISBN-10: 0743442687
• ASIN: B000C4SXWG
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,460,302 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad read...and not a great read, March 9, 2002

By	OldBookGuy "old-book-guy" (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth (Hardcover)

I was disappointed by this book. Over the last few months, I've been reading the latest literary offerings by political pundits. I saved Bill Press' for last, because I thought it would be my favorite. I liked the angle--an exploration of spin and its influence in every area of our lives. But with the book read, I'm not sure if I learned anything new. Before I get to my major concerns, a few things I liked about the book:

1. It's a fast read. Press writes with clarity and conciseness, a skill not to be downplayed. Especially in political punditry, this is a significant attribute.

2. Chock full of fun examples and anecdotes. Press knows that a good story is always appropriate as support for a point. He doesn't shy away from using them throughout. Excellent historical and contemporary anecdotes.

But...

1. This is a shallow book. The arguments are not unique, the explanations are superficial. There are many ways to communicate the message "nearly everything is spin," and Press covers most of them, consistently repeating and rephrasing this theme.

2. I was let down that Press did not provide a clear conceptualization of what spin really is. As a result, we're left with this broad, abstract notion, and it's not powerful enough to bind the book together.

This was a disappointing read. It's likely I was expecting too much--however, coming to expect a well-written book of political analysis with strong argumentation really doesn't seem to be an overly high expectation.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, hilarious, solid and actually bipartisan!!!!, February 28, 2002

By	Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth (Hardcover)

OK, so Bill Press lost his dayjob, as co-host of CNN's Crossfire (he is now a "contributor"). But not only will we likely still see him on the tube...but he has a great back-up day-job: as an author.

Spin This! has to be one of the funniest, yet most painstakingly researched, books I have ever read. From "spins" dating back to Bibical times, to politics, to show biz, to male-female relationships, SPIN THIS laughingly explores (and exposes) it ALL. Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative...or WHATEVER...you're going to find stuff that you'll LOVE in this book. Even if you don't know anything about politics it is not ALL about political spin.

And there's this bonus: Bill Press is actually a screamingly funny and highly talented writer. And that ain't spin.

If you think you're going to get a diatribe from him, think again. You really don't. And if you love Bill Press' views and expect him to let Democrats or liberals off the hook, think again, too. In reality, he sits back and explores SPECIFIC "spins" in all walks of life -- and comments on them with laugh-out-loud wisecracks.

Still not convinced that this one-of-a-kind book (it is funny but it also can serve as a GREAT reference book due to the truly solid research reflected on each page)can appeal to EVERYONE?

Then consider his Spin Hall of Fame where he lets famous commentators of all persuasions profile THEIR idea of the most outrageous spins. To name a few: Robert Novak (on Al Gore), Kate O'Beirne (Hillary Clinton), Cal Thomas (Satan), Al Franken (Karl Rove), and one of his CNN replacements, Paul Begala on GWB. Clearly his colleagues on the right and left had a lot of fun with this project, too. Painstakingly researched -- and painstakingly hilarious. Gift it to those who agree and disagree with you!

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good couch read, January 26, 2002

By	Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth (Hardcover)

Bill Press's latest spin on spin will not only open your eyes but give you a good idea about the nature of politics, as well as other fields such as media, law, and advertising. Press calls it something between the truth and a lie. It all depends on when and how you use it. Press is slightly left of center but gives a fairly even handed jab to all sides. Giving Clinton his due as the master of spin, followed closely by Bush (in politics).
A quote from the book about what makes news;

"In his masterful biography of Hearst, David Nasaw explains the famous publisher's guiding principal: "News is not a phenomenon that exists in the real world, waiting to be discovered...An event becomes news only when journalists and the editors decide to record it. More often than not, what determines whether an occurrence is noteworthy or not is the ease with which it can be plotted and narrated so that readers will want to read about it." Thus spin feeds the beast of corporate-driven journalists."

I'll leave you with one example of spin from the book:

Spin: "I'm just an average American who found herself in a situation not of her own making."
--Linda Tripp

Translation: I'm going to get a book deal and I'll rat on my friend to do it.

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