For the thoughtful reader pondering right and wrong, this book delves into the complex nature of truth, ethics, and deception, inviting crucial conversations.
A parent might reach for this book when their teen starts asking complex questions about fairness, honesty, and why people lie. This nonfiction investigation moves beyond simple 'don't lie' moralizing to explore the gray areas of ethics. It uses historical examples, from political scandals like Watergate to advertising tricks, to dissect the different forms and motivations behind deception. It encourages critical thinking about honesty, integrity, and justice. For the philosophically minded adolescent, this book provides a framework for building their own moral compass, making it a valuable tool for parents who want to support their child's intellectual and ethical development.
Published in 1988, some historical and political examples may require modern context.
Sensitive Topics
The book's core is moral ambiguity and societal injustice. It directly addresses historical events involving betrayal, false accusations, propaganda (including Nazi Germany), and political corruption. The approach is secular, analytical, and journalistic. It does not offer easy answers or simple moral resolutions; instead, it presents a realistic and complex view of human ethics, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Ideal Reader
A thoughtful, intellectually curious reader aged 12 to 16 who is beginning to question societal norms and grapple with abstract concepts of right and wrong. This is for the teen who enjoys debates, is bothered by hypocrisy, or was recently confronted with a complex ethical dilemma (either personally or in the news) and is seeking a deeper understanding.
Parent Prep
Parents should be prepared for the book to open conversations without providing easy answers. The historical examples (Watergate, Cold War) are from a specific era and may benefit from a brief discussion to connect them to current events like 'fake news' or modern political discourse. Reading a chapter alongside their teen could facilitate a richer conversation. A parent hears their teen say, "It's not a big deal, it was just a small lie," or sees them struggling with the fallout from a friend's betrayal or a widespread rumor. The trigger is the realization that their child needs a more sophisticated framework than "honesty is the best policy" to navigate the modern world.
Age Experience
A 12 or 13-year-old will likely focus on the concrete examples of lying between friends, cheating, and the fascinating historical stories of injustice. An older teen, 15 or 16, will be better equipped to engage with the abstract philosophical questions about the nature of truth itself and apply the book's frameworks to contemporary social and political issues.
What Makes It Special
Unlike fictional stories about honesty, this book is a direct, journalistic investigation. Its strength lies in connecting personal, everyday ethics to large-scale political and historical deception. It's less a moral lesson and more a toolkit for critical thinking. Its 1988 publication date makes it unique as a snapshot of late 20th-century ethical concerns, providing a strong foundation for understanding how these issues have evolved.
Read plot summary
This is a nonfiction exploration of ethics, truth, and lying. The book is structured thematically, with chapters dedicated to different types of deception. It covers personal lies (white lies, cheating), commercial deception (advertising), and institutional lies (government cover-ups, propaganda). It uses a variety of historical and contemporary (for its time) case studies, including the Dreyfus Affair, the Watergate scandal, and the Iran-Contra affair, to illustrate its points and pose philosophical questions to the reader.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The book discusses 'white lies.' Can you think of a time a white lie was helpful? When could it be harmful? Where do you personally draw the line?
2
In the chapter on government deception, the book explores events like Watergate. Do you think it is ever acceptable for a government to lie to its citizens? If so, under what circumstances?
3
After reading about advertising and propaganda, how does it change the way you look at commercials, social media posts, or news headlines?
4
The author examines plagiarism and academic cheating. How is copying a friend's homework similar to, or different from, the larger deceptions discussed in the book, like political cover-ups?
