Protection Publications

To above prices, please add $3 for first book and $1 for each additional book for postage & handling. Foreign countries add $5 per book. Send orders to Quackwatch, P. O. Box 1747, Allen Avenue, NY 18105. The checks must be in US dollars. We cannot process credit card orders. Please use our order form from amazon.com and include your email address.

We’ve all heard it for years: technology is ruining our lives. We are told it ruins our eyesight and productivity. I don’t buy into that mindset (心态) because we all have free will and can limit our technology intakes responsibly. However, one of the strongest bad effects of the technological age has been the downfall of reading books. 

Before we had phones, books were sources of entertainment. I know I’m not the only one who spent nights as a child with a flashlight hidden under my covers so that I could finish a book when I was supposed to be sleeping. I still remember one of my favorite novels was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, from which I learned about the value of friendship.

Reading a book often feels even more pleasant than watching a movie. We create our own worlds, pictures of the characters and views of the events described. Reading requires complete focus, so it pulls us out of our daily lives, our fears and our problems. Reading a book brings us into a state of peace and adventure, letting us dive into others’ worlds.

Reading a book takes time and requires attentions, which is almost impossible in a world in which plenty of distractions (使人分心的事) exist at the mere opening of a phone lock screen. Many people even report feeling distracted by their phones while watching TV. If people are feeling distracted when watching TV shows, how can they focus on reading a novel, a task that requires complete attention? 

I was recently on vacation and found myself on an eight-hour plane ride with no Internet access. At first, this seemed unbearable, but then I remembered I had packed a book in my bag. I started the book, and within minutes, I was totally absorbed. I spent the rest of my journey reading it. 

I advise anyone wanting to rediscover the joys of reading, to simulate (模拟) the environment I was forced to enter into by getting on the airplane. Turn your phone off and find a quiet space. Pick up an old favorite book from childhood or a new one. Then, sit down and begin to create your own world.

Here is some information about books printed by Claren Press.