Strawman

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A madman is on the loose! Can you play his mind games and win? Can you catch him before he strikes again?

Strawman is a detective novel designed to teach readers to spot three specific cognitive biases in realistic situations and to employ effective strategies to limit their effects. The book uses a gamebook format that forces readers to make decisions and enjoy success or suffer the consequences as they move through the story. This, coupled with realistic scenarios, crisp writing and the ever-present possibility of failure makes Strawman engaging and memorable.

What others are saying about Strawman:

“Recognition of cognitive bias in one’s own thinking as well as in others is a key skill for effective analysis. New and imaginative methods for teaching this skill, such as Strawman, are badly needed.”
-- Richards J. Heuer, Jr., Former CIA Analyst, author of Psychology of Intelligence Analysis

"What I like the most about Wheaton and Richey’s Strawman is that, even though it’s billed as a choose-your-own-adventure style gamebook, it actually feels a bit like a videogame, as it introduces readers (players?) to three psychological biases through a set of early missions that lead into the main story, like a good set of tutorial levels for a videogame. Also like a good videogame, Strawman’s story ingeniously provides an in-game piece of hardware to help scaffold player learning, helping readers see situations from different perspectives. This crutch is taken away for later missions, making for a nicely-designed difficulty curve. Meanwhile, readers are drawn into a compelling story arc that builds steam and brings it all together with a satisfying final mission that’s straight out of NCIS or 24."
-- Mark Chen, Author of Leet Noobs: The Life And Death Of An Expert Player Group In World Of Warcraft.

“An innovative, engaging read. With its unusual format and accessible writing style it’s perfect for high school or college crowds all the way up to professionals in the field. If you’re interested in cognitive bias, Strawman will teach you how to identify and how to eliminate it.“
--Josh Klein, hacker, author of Reputation Economics: Why Who You Know Is Worth More Than What You Have and host of NatGeo's The Link

"Strawman is a must read for all entry level intelligence analysts, in any area - military, government or industry. Mel Richey and Kris Wheaton have produced a very interesting and eminently sensible approach to learning about the perils of cognitive biases and the adverse effects they can have on decision-making. Moreover, those who teach intelligence will find that Strawman helps them bring new and profitable excitement to any class."
-- James S. Cox Ph.D. Brigadier-General (Ret'd), Vice President, Academic Programs, Canadian Military Intelligence Association

"Its an easy read. The best part about the format is that it forces you to make a decision to move the story along. If you're not paying attention, you can easily forget that you're learning a thing or two along the way."
-- Jonathan D’Silva, Patent Attorney, McDonald Illig Attorneys