I can't emphasize this enough, if someone is publishing a non fiction non memoir book that wasn't published by a university press you should examine it extra closely.
Why? First, because there's plenty of shit published by university presses that should never have been published--and university presses, in theory, have many people deciding if it meets the accuracy requirements for publication.
A non university press book, or trade press, book, *might* only care about sales. 1/3
Am I saying don't by trade press books? OF COURSE NOT. I'm just saying be MORE cautious.
And if Oprah says it's good, I'm truly sorry to say, be even more skeptical. This means the trade press used an agent to get it in her hands so *selling* books is likely the priority over accuracy.
What if a well know historian publishes in a trade press--like Heather Cox Richardson has for her last few books?
Yes! Be MORE skeptical of those books. But 2/3
Also keep in mind Heather Cox Richardson earned your trust so it's ok to not be as skeptical.
And here's a fun thing: Richardson's most recent books are not presenting new research. They're essentially opinion books based on her encyclopedic knowledge.
I own ALL of her books. I use her as an example because I love her and I'm saying, yes, still question her non up books more.
btw those books aren't formally peer reviewed... But she does have them informally peer reviewed. 3/3.
One more thing: so what?
So, a lot of you cite, wittingly or unwittingly, things you know to be true and common knowledge that in fact came from one shitty book that either was shredded by peers or no one in the academy even bothered to review because it was so awful.
Here's an older but salient one. "Best practices" in education or whatever.
Yeah. That's a book, sold for profit, with an emphasis on sales that's full of shit ideas (but some good ones too) rejected by education scholars.
@philip_cardella YOu might like this.
But also, she says she doesn't like power, but she absolutely has no issue with asserting what's false and what's true so glossily there's no inny dent at all, much less a slot, to fit a spudger of a question. I mean, it's not her truth, so she really is empowering others', but she sure as hell is taking power by the balls on that.
Lesson learned and I'm with her 100%
@janisf she's fantastic. She's going to be at the massive Miami book fair next week and I'm hoping to see her.