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Book Club... And Then Some!
Bozo Sapiens: Why to Err is Human
by Michael Kaplan and Ellen Kaplan
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
This is a fabulous book: well-written, erudite, heavily supported by notes (26 pages out of 304 total), incredibly witty, full of examples and illustrations, with an excellent balance of depth and breadth.
If you are simply looking for a book that will both educate and entertain, this would be an excellent selection.
It is like a 100-level survey course in evolutionary psychology. The Kaplans discuss the latest research in neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, evolutionary biology, cognitive and social psychology, behavioral finance, among other topics, and although any educated person will be familiar with some of their examples, their endless stream of hilarious anecdotes effectively explain and illustrate the dry research.
What makes this book a captivating page turner is their discussion of sensory mistakes, confirmation bias (motivational reasoning), errors in economics, as well as the stupid mistakes we make in both love and ethics.
If you want to know how the human brain works, depend on the Kaplans for a delightful treatise on human folly.
Live a Little! Breaking the Rules Won’t Break Your Health
By Susan M. Love and Alice D. Domar
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I like this book; however, I think anyone who is fit and healthy likes to read the reinforcements to their lifestyle, and this is certainly one of those books. It is designed for women not men, but men need a dose of reality as well. The authors cover the areas of sleep, stress, preventive care, exercise, nutrition, and personal relationships. It is an interesting and well-written book.
If you are already fit and healthy you certainly don’t need to read this book. I found nothing new here that you wouldn’t have read (in sufficient supply) elsewhere, whether it is in the “Science” section of the New York Times or in the “Health” sections and columns of your weekly news magazine or newspaper.
I do appreciate the specificity of their suggestions, and their little quizzes are enjoyable to take. Their quiz (pp. 114-117) “Are Your Exercise Habits Pretty Healthy?, is designed for self-scoring, and when I looked at my score (18-24 points), I thought the result was well-written: “You are committed to working out without being a fanatic . . . “ At the top end of the scale, 25-30 points, the authors state: “ . . . consider seeking professional help.” I’m a fanatic when it comes to “regular exercise,” but I don’t “groan in agony,” suffer “serious pain,” exercise seven days a week, or punish myself “for pigging out” (I don’t “pig out.”).
The quiz on, “Are Your Eating Habits Pretty Healthy?” (pp. 158-161), also rewards (in the self-scoring portion) reasonableness. Although 22-30 points is the top and the authors recommend lightening up—“Your extreme attitude prevents you from taking joy in your food, and probably leads to quite a bit of unhealthy stress.” I like this approach, and it was followed as well in the quiz, “Are Your Relationships Pretty Healthy?” (pp. 187-191).
I thought their box, “How We Studied the Studies” (pp. 9-10) is a useful inclusion for any readers unfamiliar with statistics or statistical studies and their interpretation.
The various boxes throughout the book, the addition of the personal experiences of both authors, the history and background of research and various recommendations, the use of “From the Trenches” by other authors and writers, and their final chapter, “A Pretty Healthy Life, Decade by Decade” (193-215) (20's -70's and beyond), I think, offers useful, commonsense advice.
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These books are both available from Amazon.com: Bozo Sapiens: Why to Err is Human and Live a Little! Breaking the Rules Won’t Break Your Health
Book Club... And Then Some!
How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do
by Sharon Moalem
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
Although the title might suggest otherwise, this is a research book with 28 pages of “Notes,” for a 288-page book.
It is well written, highly informative, and a compelling read.
What I most appreciated were Moalem’s frank and open discussions of everything from contraception and fertility to menopause, homosexuality, and orgasms.
The research and studies Moalem cites are overwhelming, and his explanations and descriptions are easy to comprehend.
One of the reviewers at Amazon.com writes, “I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was nice to be able to pick up a book on the subject of sex and actually learn something new. It made me think of sex in a new perspective. Information was referenced with numerous research studies and examples. I also appreciated the author's writing style, and found the chapter titles brilliant. Very engaging!”
Another reviewer writes, “How Sex Works is an entertaining and amusing comprehensive review of culture, biology, and history and their intricate connection to today's understanding of sexuality. The book examines recent research concepts, debunks old myths, and defies the common boundaries and understanding of sexuality.”
As you’ve gathered from these two reviewers and mine, this is a must-read book for everyone since it introduces new ideas, dispels numerous myths, and because of his synthesis of culture, biology, and history, he takes readers “far beyond our common understanding of sex.”
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This book is available from Amazon.com: How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do.
Book Club... And Then Some!
Lost Paradise: From Muntiny on the Bounty to a Modern-day Legacy of Sexual Mayhem, The Dark Secrets of Pitcairn Island Revealed.
by Gail Collins
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
At the Simon & Schuster web site, “Authors - Kathy Marks - Biography” section, this is how her biography reads: “Kathy Marks grew up in Manchester, England, and studied languages. She has been a journalist since 1984, working first for Reuters news agency and then for national newspapers in Britain, including the Daily Telegraph and The Independent. Since 1999 she has been based in Sydney as The Independent’s Asia-Pacific Correspondent, reporting from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, and the South Pacific. She has covered major stories around the region, including the post-independence violence in East Timor in 1999, the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, the civil war in Indonesia’s Aceh province, the Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and the 2006 Java earthquake. In 2004 she was one of six international journalists who travelled to Pitcairn Island for the child sex abuse trials.”
Why is all this biographical information important? It reveals the expertise, the journalistic precision, and the background Marks brings to this book.
What an incredible story Marks tells about Pitcairn Island! It’s not just hard to believe such a thing could happen, but it, indeed, stirs up haunting memories once read.
I knew of Pitcairn island in name only, and I always thought it was a South Pacific island paradise like Tahiti, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Easter Island, or the Cook Islands. Of course, it is a paradise—if you discount some of the people who inhabit the island!
This is a very readable telling of a story of 40 years when children were abused and raped, adult males were protected and unpunished, and an entire society of 47 people feigned ignorance or claimed it was South Pacific “culture.”
One reviewer at Amazon.com writes, “In order to make this book as good as it is the author needed to be part criminal trial reporter, part historian and part anthropologist. She was all three and more. This is a fascinating book about a terrible abuse scandal on an isolated island founded by famous mutineers.”
If you want to experience how a tiny, claustrophobic, community operates and what powerful forces can allow abuse to flourish, this is a fascinating saga that takes you through the legal battles and human trials that resulted in a paradise lost.
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This book is available from Amazon.com: Lost Paradise: From Mutiny on the Bounty to a Modern-day Legacy of Sexual Mayhem, The Dark Secrets of Pitcairn Island Revealed.
Book Club... And Then Some!
The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging
by Christine Pearson and Christine Porathail
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
This is a well-organized, thorough examination of incivility. Chapters 1-4 introduce the concept of incivility (its prevalence and characteristics), Chapters 5-11 discuss its costs, whom it hurts and how, and Chapters 12-17 describe in detail what individuals, organizations, and society can do to promote a civil environment. Reading through all the causes for incivility in the workplace—they are many and varied—one not only begins to understand the nature of incivility, but some of the unfortunate characteristics of our society as well and how demographics, competition, selfishness, time compression, information access, and individual stress contribute to the problem and make it worse.
Pearson and Porath’s definition—“the exchange of seemingly inconsequential inconsiderate words and deeds that violate conventional norms of workplace conduct"—and the examples they offer of workplace incivility, will make it clear how pervasive such conduct is.
The costs they discuss of bad behavior—decreased individual/team performance, stress/burnout, turnover, and reputation damage—drive their points home.
Reading this book should be imperative for all organizations, not just those interested in obtaining the highest return on their investments.
The research and documentation is extensive, the writing is both clear and compelling, and their wealth of real-life stories, make this book an outstanding choice. Also, in the final chapters, the authors offer specific methods for recognizing and responding to the signs of incivility, even though they acknowledge as well, that there are no easy answers.this
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This book is available from Amazon.com: The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging
