Book Club... And Then Some!

Positivity: Groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden strength of positive emotions, overcome negativity, and thrive
by Barbara L. Fredrickson

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

In her review of the book, Bonnie Snyder says, “For me...reading this book narrowed the gap between the major premises of many faith traditions and science. If you are a skeptic she has the numbers that really document how positive emotion shifts your ability to see more options, be physically healthier and how to feel better.” Although there is little doubt that this is a self-help book, Fredrickson does not just use anecdotal evidence to support her ideas. She uses lab research results in addition to other scientific evidence to illustrate her findings. As the review in Publisher’s Weekly noted, “The book includes compelling case studies, concrete tips, a Positivity Self Test and a tool kit for decreasing negativity and raising the positivity ratio.“

The book is divided into two major parts. The first deals with her research on positivity, and the second, application of the research and how to increase a reader’s positivity ratio. There are 10 forms of positivity that Fredrickson discusses — joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love. Her examples are fascinating, her writing style is engaging, and the background and research she brings to her ideas is impressive. In addition to discussing the 10 forms of positivity, also she examines techniques for increasing positivity such as savoring, finding positive meaning, gratitude, kindness, hope, flow experiences, connecting with others, mindfulness, developing distractions, and positivity portfolios. There is something here for everyone.

One thing you will discover as you dig deeply into this book, changing a positivity ratio (trying to achieve a 3 to one ratio) is not an easy, overnight task. Fredrickson uses the analogy of changing the course of a river. It not only takes time, but it takes a great deal of effort as well.

I thought that Annie, a reviewer of the book from Modesto, CA, said it very well, when she said, “‘Positivity’ living is thriving, flourishing, appreciative living. It's looking for what's good and what's right in each person and situation.” That is what this book is all about, however, what you get after reading the book is a solid understanding of, a firm foundation in, and a convincingly sound approach to achieving a positive approach to everyday living. I highly recommend this book.

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Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive

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Ecological intelligence: How knowing the hidden impacts of what we buy can change everything
by Daniel Goleman

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This book can be reduced to its ultimate simplicity: reduce consumption, and buy smartly. If nothing else, this book will cause you to become aware of the choices you make when you purchase “stuff,” and, at the same time, educate you in how to become more socially responsible. Mark Mccaffrey, from Lafayette, CO, concluded his review of this book by saying that the approach Goleman takes is “well reasoned, well presented investigations into "stuff" in all its shapes and sizes, providing fresh insights into the complexities and hard choices that must be made at all levels of society in order to turn the tide of waste and social/environmental degradation and foster the new energy economy with resilient, sustainable communities.” The examples are interesting, the writing style is engaging, the insights offered are instructive, and, overall, the book is a worthwhile purchase — especially for those unaware of the environmental footprint they are making as a result of the choices and decisions made when purchasing “stuff.”

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Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything

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Through our reading, researching, and writing, And Then Some Publishing (and our extended family of readers) mine volumes of books representing a wide variety of tastes. We use the books in our writing, test and try suggested techniques, and we read for enjoyment as well. We wouldn't spend the time reviewing the books if we didn't get something out of it. Read more reviews on other fantastic books at our BookClubAndThenSome.com website.

Book Club... And Then Some!

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Embracing the wide sky: A tour across the horizons of the mind
by Daniel Tammet

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This book could easily be called “self-help for the brain” — as one reviewer of the book noted. Written in a simple, engaging style that is straightforward, Tammet (an autistic savant) offers his insights, research results, and opinions much as a professor lecturing to students; however, you must not allow this approach to render the book unapproachable or difficult. Indeed, this is a primer on the human brain, and through Tammet’s descriptions, you will quickly discover the immense potential we all possess.

I was fascinated with Tammet’s explanation of how he recited the mathematical constant Pi (3.141) from memory to 22,514 decimal places, or how he remembers the dates of the kings and queens of England or the presidents of the United States. This book allows you inside the mind of a savant as much as it educates you in how the mind developed, works, and can work more effectively. His insights on language and the language instinct, and numbers and the numbers instinct, creativityas a result of hyperconnectivity in the brain, are both instructive and astounding. The stories, examples, studies, and personal experiences will hold your attention.

His challenge to readers can be captured on page 219, where he says, “[Cultivate] a healthy curiosity about yourself and the lives and the world around you. Never stop asking questions, even if the answers seem far removed from your ability to immediately glimpse or grasp them. Find joy in learning.”

This is a fascinating, gripping, and highly informative book that I highly recommend.

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Rules of thumb: 52 truths for winning at business without losing your self
by Alan M. Webber

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

Here is one of those books you can pick up, read a little, learn something new, then put down until you have another moment. The brief essays/rules are stimulating, accurate, and interesting, and because each is supported with an example, story, personal experience, or fascinating anecdote, the book will both grab your attention and hold it. From the front flyleaf, it describes the rules as “a collection that is as wise as it is useful and as honest as it is helpful.” Some of the rules that I found useful and instructive were, “Learn to take no as a question,” “Facts are facts; stories are how we learn,” “The soft stuff is the hard stuff,” “Words matter,” “Everything communicates,” “Everything is a performance,” “Don’t confuse credentials with talent,” “Failure isn’t failing. Failure is failing to try,” and “Take your work seriously. Yourself, not so much.” This book is a joy to read, and having it at arm’s length means you can read it and read it and read it — whenever you choose. It’s truly a gem of a book.

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Through our reading, researching, and writing, And Then Some Publishing (and our extended family of readers) mine volumes of books representing a wide variety of tastes. We use the books in our writing, test and try suggested techniques, and we read for enjoyment as well. We wouldn't spend the time reviewing the books if we didn't get something out of it. Read more reviews on other fantastic books at our BookWorksRules.com website.

Book Club... And Then Some!

Get your copy now at Amazon.com!

Get Motivated! Overcome any obstacle, achieve any goal, and accelerate your success with motivational DNA
by Tamara Lowe

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This is exactly the kind of book to which I am not attracted, especially when you read the lengthy subtitle or when you notice that for a book of 267 pages of text, there are only a meager 25 endnotes total for the whole book. DNA stands for “drives,” “needs,” and “awards,” and as the title of the book suggests, they are the heart or core of the book.

There are a number of useful ideas in this book that, according to the front flyleaf, is “grounded in eight years of research with more than ten thousand people — which simply means Lowe has “trained more than two million people in seventy countries” (written in her brief biography on the back flyleaf). We’re not talking formal, documented, controlled experimentation.

The first useful idea is that plotting your own DNA (how you are best motivated) is easy to do, and once done by following Lowe’s perameters, there is a chapter to describe you. The second useful idea is the way Lowe has categorized the eight motivational types: 1) directors, 2) visionaries, 3) chiefs, 4) champions, 5) supporters, 6) relaters, 7) refiners, and 8) explorers. I wish I had taken the time to plot my own DNA so I could share it with you; however, from just looking at the categories, if I had to guess at my own DNA, it looks like I might traverse a number of categories — but I don’t know.

The third useful idea is how each “communication style” differs. Each one is clearly and explicitly explained in a separate chapter.

There is much useful and interesting information on motivation. Her Chapter 16, “Finish First,” and the related 31, “Motivational Rules of Life,” (“Follow them,” she writes, “and success will follow you” — p. 248) are outstanding.

For a book to which I was initially not attracted, this is a well written, practical (applied), fun book, full of great quotations, useful advice, and a sense of enthusiasm and positive spirit. It is definitely a valuable book. You’ll enjoy it.

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The lost art of listening: How learning to listen can improve relationships, 2nd ed.
by Michael P. Nichols

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

I have written about relationships all of my professional life, and I have included information on relationships in my textbook, Understanding Interpersonal Communication — which, I might add, is “on sale” at Amazon.com for $124.20! Also, I have co-authored a book on listening (with Curt Bechler) which is out-of-print, but Amazon.com lists the book, Listen to Win, “on sale” for $70.00! I mention these as my credentials for reviewing The Lost Art of Listening, which is a book that directly relates the two (relationships and listening), and I want to mention at the outset that this book deserves accolades and recommendations. It is well-written and a true pleasure to read. It is full of practical, applied information, which means you can both understand and use the information immediately. Also, it touches on the very core of the listening problem: that we seldom listen well to the important people in our lives. Most people think they already listen well so would not even consider this book relevant. The “Quiz” on pages 67-69 (along with directions for scoring the results) may help disabuse readers of this belief.

In this 314-page paperback (with a 5 1/2-page index), some may believe the book too forbidding at first glance; however, the author offers numerous examples, interesting and useful boxed inserts, short sections, highlighted (boldface) quotations that offer suggestions and insights, and end-of-chapter exercises that assist you in applying chapter information. It is clear just from a quick glance through the book that Nichols is an accomplished textbook writer — all the essential ancillaries are here. (If you check out his other books at Amazon.com, you will notice from the number of books and froml the reviews, that Nichols has achieved success in a number of subject areas.)

There is no doubt that following the author’s guidelines will not only make you a better listener, but they will contribute positively to improved relationships (his main point!). I recommend this book without hesitation or reservation. Every parent should read it, and anyone, too, who is planning to enter, is already in, or has experienced any failed relationships in the past desperately needs the information in this book.

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Through our reading, researching, and writing, And Then Some Publishing (and our extended family of readers) mine volumes of books representing a wide variety of tastes. We use the books in our writing, test and try suggested techniques, and we read for enjoyment as well. We wouldn't spend the time reviewing the books if we didn't get something out of it. Read more reviews on other fantastic books at our BookWorksRules.com website.

Civilian in an Ill-Fitting Uniform: A Memoir of World War II

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Book Club... And Then Some!
Civilian in an Ill-Fitting Uniform: A Memoir of World War II
by Edgar E. Willis

Review by:
Major Zachary Miller, U.S. Army
Veteran of the Iraq War
Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart recipient
Graduate of Harvard and West Point

“In Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform Edgar Willis reminds us why the greatest generation has earned our respect and gratitude. More than just a vividly told memoir of his service in the Navy during World War II, it is a narrative of the entire war-time experience. From the fortuitous twists of fate that so influenced his path to his faithful portrayal of life aboard the “USS Alaska,” Willis weaves together a wonderful story. But this memoir also chronicles a consummate family man whose most crushing disappointment was not returning home to his wife and kids immediately after the war ended. In telling us how he came to serve and the sacrifices he made along the way, Willis delivers an engrossing account of a life well-lived.”

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Review by:
Darrell Trent, United States Ambassador
Acting Secretary of Transportation under President Ronald Reagan

“This book makes a significant contribution by detailing inefficiencies of war on a personal basis. It describes the impact war has on the lives of those actually doing the fighting. My wartime experience in Iraq gave me the opportunity to experience the tenor of combat, and to see the absurdity of a large military bureaucracy trying to deal with daily operational issues. Willis captures both initiatives in real time experience. I cringed at the moments of tragedy, and laughed at the absurdities of other events as they interplayed together.”

“Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform is a book that should be read by policy makers who are sending our young men and women into combat situations in far off places without having clear objectives or opportunities for success.”

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Review by:
William C. Orr, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Lynn Health Science Institute
Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

“This book provides a rare first hand account of a crucial time in American history, the end of the war in the Pacific in WWII. The book is compelling and insightful, and describes the experiences of a young PhD who is suddenly exposed during wartime to the rigors, discipline and dangers of military life. The book is replete with anecdotes which are riveting and sometimes quite touching and humorous. Reading the book is much like reading a book by the eminent American historian David McCullough, in that the accounts of events are as if you were actually there.”


Review by:
Rev. Daniel W. Bellavia
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church of Greater Toledo

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“Dr. Willis’s command of the written word is extraordinary, and as you read the book, the voice of the author is loud and clear. He is whimsical when recounting the story of Bing Crosby sharing an impromptu version of “White Christmas” on the eighteenth hole of a charity golf tournament, stark and graphic when writing about the effect of hearing General Schmidt’s plea for information during the early days of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and lucid and insightful when sharing the language of the navy in a way that is both instructive and easily understood.”

“Dr. Willis shares his conclusions as well as his memories. While some veterans would be content to simply remember through a haze of rose-colored reflection, Dr. Willis clearly reports the truth as he knows it. The most refreshing aspect of the memoir is how it reveals a mind at work—willing to share opinions and name names—rather than simply providing a stenographer’s account of events. This mind is perhaps the most wonderful aspect of the book as Dr. Willis spins tales of grim reality and utter joy with equal skill and interest. His stories are both intimate and at times shockingly public.”

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Book Club... And Then Some!
Through our reading, researching, and writing, And Then Some Publishing (and our extended family of readers) mine volumes of books representing a wide variety of tastes. We use the books in our writing, test and try suggested techniques, and we read for enjoyment as well. We wouldn't spend the time reviewing the books if we didn't get something out of it. Read more reviews on other fantastic books at our BookClubAndThenSome.com website.