Scared to Death: From BSE to Global Warming: Why Scares are Costing Us the Earth: From BSE to Global Warming: Why Scares are Costing Us the Earth [Paperback] Booker, Christopher; North, Richard

Christopher Booker and Richard North dissect two decades of public panics — BSE, bird flu, the Millennium Bug, passive smoking, global warming — and argue that most followed the same playbook: scientists misreading evidence, media amplification, political overreaction, and massive economic fallout. This is a contrarian take on modern risk assessment, written by journalists who believe we've been sold fear instead of facts. Whether you agree or not, it's a provocative read that questions how scientific consensus gets formed and who benefits when the public panics. The authors dig into the mechanics of each scare, showing where the data frayed and where policy ran ahead of proof. If you've ever wondered whether we're overreacting or underreacting to threats, this book will give you plenty to argue about. Sitting at 4.0 on Goodreads with 87 ratings.