Author:Joel Bakan
There is now an estimated 1 trillion dollars of buying power in the hands of children.
Tens of millions of children world-wide are prescribed psychotropic drugs today, compared to close to none in 1980.
Food and drink industries spend billions each year marketing junk food to children.
This is the story of how big businesses are transforming our children into obsessive and narcissistic mini-consumers, media addicts and pharmaceutical industry guinea pigs. In this insightful and chilling exploration, Joel Bakan throws a brilliant light on the ruthless manipulation of children and on our failure to protect them.
Powerrful...we are allowing our kids to be abused right under our noses, and we don't even know it
—— Doug Johnstone , Independent on SundayA truly terrifying book...clearly written and forcefully argued
—— Big IssueThe assault on childhood in our corporate-dominated and profit-driven society, painfully dissected in this penetrating study, is a tragedy not only for the immediate victims but for hopes for a better future. It can be resisted, as Joel Bakan discusses. And it is urgent not to delay
—— Noam ChomskyAn homage to pre-digital cinema, an elegy for a vanishing London of almost half a century ago and a tribute to friendship, gonzo-style. Two thumbs up for this triple-billing.
—— FINANCIAL TIMESHe's written a roomful of books, including the Bryant & May series of crimers, but his memoirs are just as much fun... Hugely entertaining this.
—— Sunday SportThis is the sort of book that should be prescribed as a pick-me-up on the NHS...Film Freak is gold-plated writing: uproarious, then dark, and surprisingly moving. Above all it's a fabulous evocation of a London, and a way of life, now almost gone for ever. *****
—— Mail on SundayDazzlingly funny and evocative . . . conjures up a world before corporate suits took over, when rubbishy films played all day in smoke-filled cinemas and stars would do a quick advert for a wad of cash. It’s also the most tender and genuine story of a bizarre and complicated relationship . . .anyone who loves film and brilliant writing should invest in this slice of British culture
—— Daily MailFascinating ... exciting ... The book is packed with interviews from all the key players, including Zuckerberg and Moskovitz. Kirkpatrick's subjects open up about everything
—— Associated PressThis fast paced narrative captures the excitement of the startup world and reminds me of the early days of Wikipedia when I realized we were onto something big. A big revelation is how Mark Zuckerberg's idealism led him to focus on product improvements rather than short-term revenue gains, and how critical this was to the company's success
—— Jimmy Wales, Founder, WikipediaFacebook is becoming the dominant social networking tool, facilitating our online and offline worlds. The Facebook Effect effectively shows its rapid evolution, where it is going, and how it will increasingly affect our lives
—— Craig Newmark, Founder, CraigslistMr. Kirkpatrick doesn't coddle his subject, yet he presents Mr. Zuckerberg's point of view much more comprehensibly than we have seen it before ... The author lets you get inside Mr. Zuckerberg's head
—— Wall Street JournalMr. Kirkpatrick ... was encouraged by Mr. Zuckerberg to write this book and was granted extensive access to him and his associates ... [Kirkpatrick] gives the reader a detailed understanding ... [and] still does an animated job of evoking the collegiate atmosphere that reigned at the company
—— New York TimesA carefully reported book that should change the way you think about a very unusual enterprise ... does the best job yet of making sense of Facebook's founder, 26-year-old Mark Zuckerberg
—— ForbesKirkpatrick's amazing reporting details what happens when a hacker culture turns into a multi-billion-dollar firm. Mark Zuckerberg sought to maintain that hacker energy, and it's fascinating to hear what resulted
—— Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired and author of The Long TailEngrossing. . . . A detailed and scrupulously fair history of [Facebook]
—— Rich Jaroslovsky , Bloomberg BusinessweekAn illuminating glimpse behind the red curtain ... McGregor's lucid dissection shows how top-ranked party members - indeed the party itself - sit outside the law
—— MetroWhat Money Can't Buy is replete with examples of what money can, in fact, buy ... Sandel has a genius for showing why such changes are deeply important
—— Martin Sandbu , Financial TimesMichael Sandel ... is currently the most effective communicator of ideas in English
—— GuardianSandel, the most famous teacher of philosophy in the world, has shown that it is possible to take philosophy into the public square without insulting the public's intelligence
—— Michael Ignatieff , New RepublicA book that can persuade people that the rules of the economy don't just reflect our values, they help to determine them
—— Ed Miliband , New StatesmanFascinating exploration of the alarming encroachment of market philosophy on so many aspects of our lives
—— Alexander McCall Smith , The Herald