The Truth About Uri Geller by James Randi

The Truth About Uri Geller Reviews

• 
  Susan Paxton

  James Randi passed on recently, at the great age of 92. He started out as a mentalist in the years after the war, and became not only a magician of great skill, but a noted debunker as well, his most famous target being the ridiculous Uri Geller.
  
  Hard as it is to believe, Geller has believers even now, but Randi's book, originally published in 1975 (the Prometheus edition is slightly revised and was published in 1982), should have ended him then. Randi showed up Geller thoroughly, and in this book describes in detail how he did so. Randi became a student of Geller; in a day when hardly anyone had a VCR Randi bought one and taped Geller's TV appearances so he could examine them in detail. He worked with Johnny Carson - himself a magician - to turn Uri's appearance on the Tonight Show into a disaster by the simple method of controlling the props.
  
  Randi found himself most angered by the way Geller deceived scientists, and his advice remains true for anyone testing a "wonderworker" - involve a magician. Randi's analysis of Geller's "scientific tests" remains blistering, and troubling.
  
  Randi had a deep knowledge of the history of his craft, and one chapter includes part of the text of a booklet written by the great Houdini, who was a devoted enemy of the fakes of his own day, debunking a proto-Geller who claimed to have the ability to read through metal.
  
  This remains an excellent read, and is a monument to the Amazing Randi.
• 
  Arnied

  The Amazing Randi isn't the greatest writer but he is certainly a guy I wouldn't want as an enemy. He was obviously obsessed with bringing down Uri Geller, the reknowned spoon bending psychic of the 1970's. What is more amazing than the Amazing Randi is that so few others were sceptical and Uri's deceptions were so simple. But everyone was always looking for the difficult explanation instead of just bending the spoon with his hands wgen you weren't looking. The Uri rules should have told everyone he was full of crap. Uri required a positive atmosphere to pull off his psychic powers. And the fact that he couldn't always do it was his proof that it wasn't a trick. Everyone should watch the Uri Geller appearance on Johnny Carson. It is available on youtube. Some of the claims Uri makes are wild too. He doesn't just bend spoons. He travels in his mind to Rio and brings back money. I won't tell you the other insane claims. I will let you read them. You youngsters out there probably never heard of Uri. And why would you care when you have Ironman, Thor and the XMen? I am with you by the way. Bending spoons is for the birds. I want people who can blow things up with their minds. That is what I am trying to do - like in Scanners. If I stare really hard at you - look out.
• 
  John

  I've no time for more than a line or two on this, but basically the book's essential reading for anyone interested in the rational approach to supposedly paranormal phenomena. Largely using the method of quoting in extenso from other sources -- newspaper articles, etc. -- and adding his own pungent commentary, Randi pulls apart the pretensions of the celebrated "super-psychic." Geller of course tried to silence Randi through multiple lawsuits, but, just like so many of his "psychic" stunts, that eventually pulled the wool over no one's eyes.
  
  The book's compulsively readable -- I got through it in a day -- and often funny enough to make one laugh out loud. Much recommended.
• 
  Steve Dustcircle

  A 70's and 80's Israeli psychic exposed! Formal documentation from essays, interviews, and TV shows where Uri tries his best to deceive, only to get exposed. Detailed book with subtle sarcastic humor. Love me some James Randi!
• 
  Shenanitims

  As many reviewers have mentioned before me, Randi's tone really fails him here. While I understand that Geller had done his best to silence Randi, and made Randi spend a lot of money fighting lawsuits, Randi's smugness really sets the reader back. Which is especially troubling coming from a man who (usually) champions the scientific method. But here he's anything but objective.
  
  Part of the problem apart from the book's tone and is its bizarre sense of narration. Rather than run in chronological order, Randi's episodes are split apart and sprinkled throughout - a sign that he didn't have enough material for a book, so had to resort to stretching what he did have. This causes one to lose interest in the book pretty fast; doubly so considering we already know how it ends (i.e. Geller being a fraud). Had Randi perhaps just focused on the core, case facts, wrote an excellent write-up on that, and then added in the more interesting parts of Flim-Flam and you would've had a masterpiece of skepticism. Instead of a severe case of could've/should've.
  
  (Hell had Randi not padded this one out, and cut the (albeit minimal padding from his otherwise excellent, the Faith Healers, and combined the two the result would still be amazing, and would leave Flim-Flam alone to reign supreme.)
• 
  Seth Lynch

  A bit dated now that the Geller phenomenon is in the past but still an interesting read
• 
  Silvio Curtis

  Discredits the supposed psychic Uri Geller. Written when Geller was a big deal back in the 70's, with a few details added several years later. Randi is a professional magician who figured out how Geller faked a lot of his tricks and performed them, or sometimes improved on them, in order to expose the fraud. Considering how much Randi talks about scientific rigor, the book could have used less angry sarcasm and more organization. It keeps jumping back and forth between describing Geller's performances, bashing Geller's associates and dupes, and drawing parallels with fake psychics of the past, but doesn't leave any clear picture of what Geller did when. Another thing that makes it unsatisfying is Randi's reluctance to tell how tricks are done (magicians like to keep their methods secret, apparently). The real potential to convince Geller converts of their mistake was in Randi's duplication of the tricks, not in writing a book about it. The basic point is that magicians know how to trick people and they can trick scientists too, and only another magician is qualified to detect fake psychics.
• 
  Ashok

  I knew Uri Geller was kinda generally disliked for being a fraud, but I had no idea he was so successful in tricking so many over such a long period of time.
  
  James Randi is amazing. This book lead me to looking up his videos on youtube, the shows he had done in the past, and his TED talk etc. A very strong mind of reason - if anything in this book, and in general, he is too decent and too lenient to the crooks like Uri. But on the other hand, Uri and his ilk serves the purpose to prove how stupid / easily deceived we are as a group of people. I am sure there are thousands of Uri Gellers working out there right today, and is making millions in the process - they are just disguised, that's all.
• 
  Harry Hol

  Even though the analysis of Uri Geller's trickery and the gullibility of his believers is described well, I found the tone of the book a bit unpleasant. James Randi rightly points out the flaws in Geller's claims but I could have done without the overt smugness. Also, Randi tends to repeat himself just a tad too much. It's still a very interesting read, though, and much of Randi's book could be applied to current 'psychic phenomenon'. Recommended if you are interested in psychic phenomena and how people seem to want to believe in them no matter what.
• 
  Niels Hovmöller

  James Randi has the guts and the insights to expose Uri Geller, who has betrayed the magicians' trust never to pretend they have supernatural powers. By doing that, Randi has perhaps had to betray another trust: never to reveal how a trick is done. This is a brave and important book that should be available to all young and curious people who want to know the Truth about a clever and successful charlatan. Highly recommended!
• 
  Amanda

  Ugh this book has such an air of playground tittle tattle about it! "Teacher Teacher looooook Uri was cheeeeaaating"
  
  Does anyone really care? Must of us over the age of 10 know illusionists and psychics are fake but we watch because we are amazed at the slight of hand and how easily we can be fooled.
• 
  Christopher Miller

  Battle of the Egos. James Randi vs Uri Geller. It's all so old hat now.
  
  This book has so many typos that I found it annoying to read. Who proof-read the Kindle version? I suspect no one. Near the end of the book James Randi was written as 'James Ranch': that's pathetic.
  
  Don't waste your time on this book.
• 
  Bob

  I've been wanting to read this book for years. The only flaw with the text is Randi's ego. I enjoy the technical nature of how Geller's tricks were performed, but Randi seems to take this holier than thou stance that is totally unnecessary.
• 
  Summer

  A great read, and one I keep coming back to for the meticulous investigation and enjoyable whiff of scandal.
  Don't get the Kindle edition, by the way. It's riddled with formatting errors - improper italics, glitchy footnotes, unmarked quotes.
• 
  Ikonopeiston

  It astonishes me that after the devastating points raised in this book that Geller is still showing up in various places. One would think he would seek a wonderfully well deserved obscurity.
• 
  Robert

  Uri shouldn't be able to straighten out of this bend.
• 
  Tim Chizmar

  Suck it psychics!
• 
  Michael Keller

  This book was interesting on how science deals with the paranormal, also the lies that people tell themselves to keep believing. Though it was pretty much one note.
• 
  Anas

  good