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Bad for You: Exposing the War on Fun

Kevin C. Pyle,

Scott Cunningham

3.99 · Rating details · 105 ratings · 18 reviews

SHOULD U.S. COMICS BE BANNED?

“SATANIC” HARRY POTTER BOOKS BURNT

PLAYGROUNDS POSE THREAT TO CHILDREN

TEXT-MAD YOUTH LOSING WRITING ABILITIES

CHILD SUSPENDED FOR BRANDISHING CHICKEN

SOCIAL WEBSITES HARM CHILDREN’S BRAINS

STUDENT ARRESTED FOR “PASSING GAS” AT SCHOOL

These are all real headlines screaming about the terrible stuff that’s out there . . . stuff that’s supposed to be B ...more

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Paperback, 192 pages

Published January 7th 2014 by Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks

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Community Reviews

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Rating details

· 105 ratings · 18 reviews

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Jan 30, 2014 Scott rated it it was amazing

This book should be required reading. It is all true stories about stupid people having control doing oppressive, totalitarian, and unconstitutional things to children, sometimes with impunity, told in a manner that is both humorous and scary.

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Sep 07, 2013 paula rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, great-books-for-teens, great-nonfiction-for-kids, children-s, read-for-2014-nf4rr, nonfiction

This review is of an ARC.

A little sloppy. Dangling asterisks, spelling errors and consistent use of "it's" instead of "its" WILL make some readers crazy. Citing study results without conveying the name, date, or sponsoring institution (not even in the bibliography) chips at the book's credibility. BUT. The topics are interesting, the tone is engaging, and the book introduces important concepts (media panic, correlation does not imply causation, flaws of self-reported surveys, etc) and uses logi ...more

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May 27, 2014 Noah rated it it was amazing

This book is a great read about the "War on Fun" and how children across the nation and the world have been restricted from doing many different things because they are supposedly dangerous or harmful to children. Although it is also a large opinion piece, it also presents a myriad of facts and is a great read. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in this sort of thing. ...more

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Mar 22, 2014 Elizabeth Hobson rated it it was amazing

What a fun book. Really well researched stories of all kinds of bad things - comic books, video - and many other kinds of games, cell phones - anything that might present kids with opportunities to experience fun. Love this one. Will be book talking it for summer reading, for sure!

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Apr 15, 2014 wildct2003 rated it really liked it

Very good book. Throws a lots of stats info at us after warning us not to let stats quoters confuse cause and effect with correlation. Quick read. Are we becoming a country that stifles creativity and restricts our youth too much?

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Nov 09, 2016 Stewart Tame rated it really liked it

This is, perhaps, a bit on the simplistic side, but then again, it's not really aimed at the almost-50 demographic. My library had this shelved with the YA titles, which sounds about right. It's only my lifelong interest in the subject matter that prompted me to check it out.

So this is a book about moral panics and fear of whatever it is the kids are into these days. Among the various topics covered are the so-called corrupting and/or harmful influences of comics, fantasy novels, videogames, Dun ...more

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Dec 14, 2017 Chelsea Martinez rated it liked it

This book totally does what it sets out to do, and I think it would be a great book for any school library to have. It takes on a number of "bad influences" and uses studies to debunk parental/adult claims that they are harmful and shine light on ridiculous local ordinances and school districts that take actions that end up being more harmful than the behavior they seek to stop kids from doing. I appreciated the timeline of adults in various historical texts talking about how kids are terrible a ...more

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Feb 17, 2021 Schuth22 rated it really liked it

An unexpectedly thought provoking look on censorship and children's rights as citizens (or lack there of). As a nonfiction book it was defintely too biased and went down a slippery slope quite a lot but still made some interesting points. ...more

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Jul 14, 2014 Ken rated it really liked it

I was drawn to Bad For You, released in 2014, because it appeared to be about the exact topic of my 2001 thesis: moral panics over youth culture and juvenile delinquency. In 100 pages of text, I reviewed how the press has portrayed comic books, rock 'n roll, Dungeons & Dragons, and video games as causal to the corruption of youth.

With the exception of rock 'n roll, Bad For You covers these topics in five broad categories of activities that children are discouraged or barred from enjoying: comics I was drawn to Bad For You, released in 2014, because it appeared to be about the exact topic of my 2001 thesis: moral panics over youth culture and juvenile delinquency. In 100 pages of text, I reviewed how the press has portrayed comic books, rock 'n roll, Dungeons & Dragons, and video games as causal to the corruption of youth.

With the exception of rock 'n roll, Bad For You covers these topics in five broad categories of activities that children are discouraged or barred from enjoying: comics, games, technology, play, and thought. Each chapter is about 35 pages and mixes black-and-white comic panels with longer prose. Bad For You is current as of 2012, referencing the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

Despite my previous research into these areas, I learned a great deal from this book, especially in the areas I hadn't written about. The chapter on "Play" reviews the history of the American education system. I didn't realize its origin had much the same inspirations and influences as Aldous Huxley's Brave New World — how terrifying! The authors come down harshly on standardized testing and recommend more diverse, individualized curricula including science, arts, sports, and critical thinking. I also didn't realize the transformation America's playgrounds had undergone — and not for the better.

The chapter on "Thought" looks at the many clashes that students have had with authority. If children can be tried as adults in court, shouldn't they have the same rights and freedoms as adults? Instead, according to Bad For You, schools are the only place in the country where people can be legally beaten. Eek.

I have only two concerns about this book. First, an early chapter explains the difference between correlation and causation, and that just because two things are happening at the same time does not mean they're related. Yet the book then falls into that trap multiple times, such as by demonstrating that youth violence is down while video game sales are up. That's bad science!

There was also at least one factual error when the authors note that Atari founded Chuck E. Cheese as a way to market their arcade games to children. What's true is that Nolan Bushnell was the founder of both Atari and Chuck E. Cheese — but the connection stops there.

Overall, I enjoyed this book: it reviewed some familiar ground while giving me plenty of new material to mull over. Although it's ostensibly aimed at kids, I would instead recommend it to adults who can think more critically about the text and perhaps do something with their findings. ...more

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Sep 29, 2014 Alan rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Helicopter parents, nanny states, and their ubiquitous victims

Recommended to Alan by: That eye-catching cover and topical theme

Bad for You could be very good for you, but—seriously—don't let that put you off. Cleverly disguised as a graphic novel (the promiscuous mingling of drawings and text being, of course, one of the many things that self-appointed experts have claimed are bad for you), this slender volume actually contains a whole series of lively, well-researched and well-illustrated essays about "moral panics" through the ages—and why uncritically accepting fearmongers' claims is probably worse for you than any o Bad for You could be very good for you, but—seriously—don't let that put you off. Cleverly disguised as a graphic novel (the promiscuous mingling of drawings and text being, of course, one of the many things that self-appointed experts have claimed are bad for you), this slender volume actually contains a whole series of lively, well-researched and well-illustrated essays about "moral panics" through the ages—and why uncritically accepting fearmongers' claims is probably worse for you than any of the things they tell you to be afraid of!

Kevin C. Pyle and Scott Cunningham start with comic books, so their first stop is of course in my own home state—it was in Spencer, West Virginia that the first public comic-book bonfire was held, back in 1948.

It wouldn't be the last, of course.

From comic books to books in general, to video games, to technology in general, and on to the devolution of playground equipment and the hazards of long (or short!) hair, Bad for You covers a wide (but by no means exhaustive) range of the subjects about which we're supposed to be afraid. Along the way, Pyle and Cunningham include some cogent reminders of how the scientific method actually works, and why critical thinking about extreme claims is essential, especially when those claims play so well to our natural fears.

And I meant what I said about this book being well-researched—while the body of the book is pretty light on footnotes, there is an extensive bibliography and a list of further resources in the back of the book, as well as a pointer to Pyle and Cunningham's website (free plug: it's at their website, also called Bad For You), where there are more citations and links than you could shake an angry sword-cane at. I heartily recommend that you do your own checking on Pyle and Cunningham's claims—it's what they'd want you to do anyway, I'm sure.

I happened to read this one during Banned Books Week, which seems timely, but really Bad for You seems as if it could be a pretty good choice for any week of the year. ...more

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May 03, 2015 Claudia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-challenge-175-books, graphic-novels-nonfiction, nonfiction

Loved this! Nothing makes kids (or anyone) more passionate than telling them they can't...can't read comic books, can't play D&D, can't skateboard, can't play on the playground...

Pyle does a terrific job of searching down and fleshing out sories of movemets designed to 'protect' kids, which are really about control, and (MY WORD), disrespect children.

He does an excellent job of seating each of his 'bad for you' campaigns in history...going back to the names and leaders, and quoting people in the ...more

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Jan 12, 2014 Bill Habeeb rated it it was amazing

I wish I had bought two copies. Why? Because I’m constantly wanting to show something I’ve just read to a friend… But when I do, I can’t get them to give
the book back.

"Bad for You" is a Bizzaro World look at truth presented in a way that feels like you aren’t reading to get smarter. Full of irony, surprising bits of history, and yes — all those things that we do that we’re told will destroy our minds and turn us into psychopaths, but somehow don’t. If you have kids, read it. It’ll save you fro ...more

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May 23, 2014 Steven Jacke rated it liked it

Shelves: read-nprish-nonfic

This is a look at all the times adults have criticised the fun things kids like to do, from comics and video games to social media to the printing press and even the written word.

This book is a blend of comic book and normal book, which helps because sine of the material is dry. (But warning: An e-ink reader is not a good option). It is thoroughly researched, and probably has plenty of examples you've never heard before (with footnotes, which I appreciate)

But I don't know if this book would chan ...more

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Jul 26, 2014 Tracey rated it liked it

Shelves: americana, pop-sociology, libraryread-tcpl

Spotted this on the library shelf and it sounded interesting.
Complete with a lurid cover reminiscent of the classic 1950's EC Comics, this middle-grade book takes a look at all the stuff that is supposed to be bad for kids/teens (comic books, video games, skateboarding) and whether or not it really is. Surprisingly well researched, with many historical references, this engagingly illustrated and pleasantly snarky book would be a great resource for social studies teachers or anyone wanting to ch ...more

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Nov 05, 2015 talons-and-tails rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 42

This is such an amazing book! Bad for You is an extremely interesting book that kids will love! Exposing the lies and silliness of "experts" and and disproving the theories of misguided parents, Bad for You explores everything you thought would hurt you- and more! With statistical evidences, anecdotes, and comics, Bad for You is truly awesome. One of the best books I've read all year! ...more

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Sep 09, 2014 Liz rated it liked it

Shelves: skimmed

This book was overall okay. I felt like it contained a lot and could have been better organized. Otherwise there were a lot of great concepts that I think kids would be interested about and I liked the comic book formatting of it.

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