Book Review: “Flim-Flam” by James Randi (1987)

Wrecks and Restoration:
My Favorite Books

Flim-Flam by James Randi (1987)

It was the first book I read that opened my eyes and expanded my mind to the absolutely essential need for a fundamental baseline of evidence on all the mysteries of the universe. It was and remains an unapologetic promotion of science-based discovery.

Preface: My writing career is a salvage yard of wrecks and restorations, with lots of discarded junk and half-finished projects, mixed in with a few classics. One unfinished project I never hope to complete is reading and then writing about the books I love. Today is the first chapter of a what I’ll call “a new re-discovery,” pulling books from my shelves that were vitally important to me, along with some explanation as to why they had a strong influence upon my life.

I first heard of James Randi long ago in the 1970s. Back then, he was “The Amazing Randi.”

Randi was a magician. Then, he became so much more. An author. A teacher. A mentor. I even met Randi face-to-face — twice. On the first occasion, I was so nervous I didn’t know what to say. The second, shortly before he died, I mustered up the courage to tell him he was one of the most influential people in my life, even though we never had any direct association.

I read Flim-Flam in 1987 when it was first published. I can’t remember what exactly compelled me to buy the book. Perhaps it was curiosity or just a knee-jerk reaction after watching one of his many appearances on popular talk shows, often exposing charlatans and unmasking fraudsters, often hysterically so. Randi was the ultimate master showman of debunking superstition in all its forms. What made him so incredible beyond his courageous activism (he was sued and threatened with ruin many times) were his wildly entertaining methods and mannerisms. He was a pioneer and a lonely voice in a popular culture that promotes mass deception in so many grotesque and destructive forms, from religion to pseudoscience.. I urge everyone to watch James Randi’s videos on YouTube. They’re, well — amazing. The moniker fits.

Flim-Flam, the book, is divided into several chapters which decimate and destroy the con men — be they in the form of psychics, fortune tellers, ESP, the paranormal, ghosts, and so-called supernatural quackery. It was the first book I read that opened my eyes to the absolutely essential need for a fundamental baseline of evidence and unapologetic promotion of science-based discovery. E.g., “Science doesn’t care about your feelings.” Then and now, society and popular media were and are littered with liars and fraudsters, often preying upon those who are the most gullible. Randi’s book (and actions) provided a new pillar of discovery and a demonstrative intellectual treatise on the application of logic and the debunking of myth on all questions.

In the decades since I read Flim-Flam, I’ve become a skeptic (oddly enough, a term that’s been widely misconstrued and misunderstood). I remain a devoted subscriber and supporter of The Skeptical Inquirer, Skeptic, The Humanist, Free Inquiry, and other publications and organizations devoted to ethical critique and commentary on how we react to the things unknown and the questions which still have no clear answers.

I am a better, wiser, more enlightened person because I read Flim-Flam, thanks to James “the Amazing” Randi.