Promise Land: My Journey Through America’s Self-Help Culture

Pros: very engaging, well-researched
Cons: none
I’ve gotta love a writer who nonchalantly describes Dr. Mehmet Oz as a man who bears resemblance to an underfed werewolf. Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, author of 2014’s Promise Land: My Journey Through America’s Self-Help Culture, met Oprah’s TV doctor when she accompanied her father, Dr. Shapiro, to the show as a reluctant expert on kids who hang themselves. The producer first had to prime him on how he should present his psychological information for the most dramatic effect, which her father resisted and finally wore the producer down. I do