The author of seven books on contemporary social issues, sociologist Barry Glassner is President of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Described by The New York Times as "a master at the art of dissecting research," Glassner has published research studies in The American Sociological Review, American Journal of Psychiatry, and other leading journals in the social sciences. His articles and commentaries have appeared in newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, and he is the recipient of several honors, including an "outstanding book of the year" award from Choice magazine.<br/><br/>Glassner's book, The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things (Basic Books, 2010), is a national bestseller that was named a "Best Book of the Year" by Knight-Ridder newspapers and by the Los Angeles Times Book Review.<br/><br/>In his other recent book, The Gospel of Food (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2007), Glassner argues that by abandoning food fads and mythical beliefs about diet, Americans will eat better and lead happier lives. "Glassner exposes the strained interpretations, 'prejudices dressed up as science,' and pure fabrications behind much received wisdom," The New York Times wrote of The Gospel of Food, a book that The Los Angeles Times described as "pure fun to read."