Publisher Description
Storytelling, a tradition that built human civilization, may soon destroy it
We are storytelling animals. No other tool is as essential to human civilization as stories. Countless books celebrate their virtues. But in The Story Paradox, Jonathan Gottschall argues that there is a dark side to storytelling we can no longer ignore.
Stories tend to be divisive, and they are especially good at short-circuiting rational thought. Societies succeed or fail depending on how they manage these problems. And new technologies that amplify the effects of disinformation campaigns, cultural tribalism, conspiracy theories, and fake news have made separating fact from fiction nearly impossible.
With clarity and conviction, Gottschall reveals why our biggest asset is also our greatest threat, and what, if anything, can be done. It is a call to stop asking “How we can change the world through stories?” and start asking “How can we save the world from stories?”
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“Jonathan Gottschall has written a gripping and thoughtful book on a neglected but urgent topic: the dark side of stories. With crisp prose and an array of fascinating examples, he demonstrates how our innate ability to spin tales can lead to distortion, dissolution, and destruction. The Storytelling Paradox is a bracing call to action to become more empathetic and to deploy narrative as a force for good.”
—
Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author
About Jonathan Gottschall
Jonathan Gottschall is a distinguished research fellow in the English department at Washington & Jefferson College. His research has been covered in the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times, Scientific American, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and on NPR. His book The Storytelling Animal was a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
About Joshua Kane
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Effing Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Princess Diana, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson, and received an Edgar Award, nine Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.