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By Kathryn Schulz
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
There are a number of things that I like about this book. First, it is extremely well-written. Not only does Schulz write well, but she injects humor into some of her observations and analyses. This, alone, makes reading this book a pleasure.
The second thing I like about this book is Schulz’s choices of examples. Not only is she a great story teller, the stories/examples themselves are engaging, interesting, and a joy to read. So many of her chapter-beginning examples are ones that readers may be familiar with; however, even if they are not, Schulz offers such great detail and vivid descriptions, that they are easy to identify with whether familiar or not.
Not only are her choices of examples terrific, but she uses those with which she begins her chapters throughout the chapter, referring back to them to support the points she makes. If you don’t get the point of why an example is chosen or why it is relevant, she reinforces the point effectively.
Third, Schulz’s writing is fact-based. She has about 45 pages of notes, and, in addition, she includes explanations (or the further development of ideas) in footnotes throughout the book. This is an extremely well-supported book. You know, from her facts, additional examples, and explanations, that she really knows what she is talking about.
Fourth, as someone prone to being wrong (me: with no excuses or blame-worthy referents), Schulz writes about things with which it is easy for readers to identify. We can easily see ourselves in many of her examples, and often she uses her own personal experiences to illustrate points. It is delightful. If you (as a reader of her book) cannot see yourself or put yourself into the examples, then I would suggest that you are probably not being honest with yourself.
Fifth, the sources she uses are excellent. You know that this author has done her homework. As you read you can be amazed, as well, at the breadth and depth of her knowledge, the extent of her reading, and the command of details she has. It is truly remarkable. (When she talks about great literature, for example, she speaks specifically of the characters in the stories and their motives and actions.)
Sixth, she doesn’t leave you with truisms regarding the nature of your wrongheadedness alone. She offers insights into how to correct your faults, what you can do to become more “right-headed.” Her suggestions are well-thought out, reasonable, and well presented. Anyone who is a member of the human race (tsk tsk!) can profit from reading this book.
Seventh, when I presented the book to my father-in-law to read (he is extremely critical, and I seldom provide him with “suggested reading”), the first thing he said was, “hmmm, interesting topic.” I told them that Schulz offers a complete explanation of how she became involved in writing a book on “Being Wrong.” I thought her explanation was excellent.
If you are looking for a book that is a great read, that will not just hold your attention but captivate you as well, and if you are looking for a book that is a bit unusual (in the choice of topics), but a book that relates to you and how you behave in the real world, then I recommend this one with complete confidence you will find it as superb as I did. It is well worth your time.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: Being wrong: Adventures in the margin of error
Edited and with an introduction by Steven D. Price
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I was skeptical of this book when I first selected it — only because what appears funny to one person often is not funny to me. At least that has been my experience. As I read more and more of the book, I kept thinking that the statements (not all jokes per se) selected were great. I even laughed out loud at some of them.
So, as a test of my perceptions, I gave the book to my father-in-law, Edgar E. Willis. For those reading this who are unfamiliar with that name, he is the author of that great book on humor entitled, How to be Funny on Purpose: Creating and Consuming Humor. His book is available at Amazon.com.
As an author of a book on humor, as a critical analyst of humor in the contemporary world as well as what it takes to be funny, as a teacher of how to construct jokes, as a lecturer on the art of humor, and as a true connoisseur of quality humor, I thought his reaction to the selections in 1001 Funniest Things Ever Said would be a true gauge of the book’s merits.
I was correct. He not only read the book from cover-to-cover, he wanted to have it for an extended amount of time. Also, with a question on a quotation from Dan Quayle (which he had used as an example in his own book), I even took the time to Google it and get a complete explanation. (It was a quotation attributed to him that probably was never said by him.)
All the way through the book, both Edgar and I came up with the same question: How in the world did someone discover all of this great material?
Although the book is 322 pages long, it is only 6-inches by 7-inches, and there are usually only 3 or 4 entries on a page; thus, it is a quick read.
You will undoubtedly discover jokes you have heard (or even used) before. I found, for example, the joke Dr. Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire, discovered from his scientific experiment in 2002, to be world’s funniest:
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other man pulls out his phone and calls emergency services.
He gasps to the operator, ‘I think my friend is dead! What can I do?’
The operator in a calm, soothing voice replies, ‘Take it easy. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.’
There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the hunter says, ‘OK, now what?’ (pp. 232-233)
The reason I remember this joke so well is that it is the first joke I use in a chapter, “Using the Internet to Find or Develop Jokes,” in the book How to be Funny on Purpose: Creating and Consuming Humor. In that chapter I offer, as well, five pages of jokes (with explanations) from that same scientific study.
1001 Funniest Things Ever Said is the kind of book to make available to guests in the waiting room of a dentist’s or doctor’s office, put on the coffee table in your living room, or place in that special room in your house where short reading times are the norm. It is delightful, entertaining, and delicious.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: 1001 funniest things ever said
By Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
On page xi, the authors write: “This book reflects our concern about changes that are occurring. But we offer little in the way of nostalgia. In fact, it is the opposite. It is a cry for action to shape inevitable change in a manner that assures that America will have the journalistic institutions, practices and resources necessary to maintain what can credibly be described as a self-governing society. We do not know the precise character or content of the new media that will develop, but we do know that without bona fide structures for gathering and disseminating news and analysis, the American experiment in democracy and republican governance will be imperiled” (p. xi).
This is a well-researched (43 pages of notes), well-written (intended for the layman, not the technical expert), carefully developed argument designed for those who are interested in looking at “the past and the future of journalism in a more fundamental and critical manner” (p. xii).
They add, “This book proposes specific new methods for using public subsidies to generate a high-quality, uncensored, competitive and independent news media. These methods are founded on an understanding of and respect for the new technologies that make possible a journalism that is more adventurous, more exciting, more participatory and more valuable to society and democracy than any American has ever known” (pp. xiii-xiv).
The authors have based their approach and solutions on a “decade working on media policy issues in Washington and across the nation . . . We have worked with politicians from both major parties and all political philosophies on successful campaigns to stop media consolidation and government secrecy and to promote an open uncensored Internet and viable independent public media” (p. xiv).
I quote extensively from their preface for one reason: they deliver on their promise. This book is clearly and purposefully designed as a manifesto for change delivered by two extremely well-qualified experts.
The authors write of the crisis as well as the opportunity. Their statistics, charts, examples, stories, and quotations are absolutely captivating and convincing. I thought the story of Kate Giammarise was an incredibly well-chosen example of what is happening and has happened in journalism. “The naked and uncomfortable truth is that the business model that sustained commercial news media for the past century is dying, and cannot be recreated” (p. 74), is a statement the authors make that is well-developed and supported. They also state, “. . . we can see a new and dramatically superior caliber of journalism emerging as a result of the Internet . . . It will be a journalism that can truly open up our politics, in the manner democratic theory suggests” (p. 81).
Their discussion of solutions has four components: “1) immediate measures to sustain journalism, each of which transitions to a permanent subsidy if successful; 2) a plan to convert the collapsing corporate newspaper into what we term a ‘post-corporate’ digital newspaper, with print versions at the very least until there is ubiquitous broadband; 3) converting public and community broadcasting into genuinely worldclass civic and democratic media; and 4) spawning a vibrant, well-funded, competitive and innovative news-media sector on the Internet” (p. 159).
One of the essential keys to the success of their ideas is mentioned: “There are significant roles to be played by private enterprise, foundations and nonprofit organizations. But we no longer have any doubt that without the government providing subsidies comparable to what other leading democratic nations provide, and to what this nation routinely provided in its first century, the initiatives of these other actors will have limited effect” (p. 221).
This is an excellent — outstanding — book that deserves to be read by anyone concerned about the future of journalism. You may not agree with their arguments (but I think you will), but you will have to acknowledge that journalism must and will change. McChesney and Nichols provide a reasonable, well-thought-out, and well presented blueprint as they see it.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: The death and life of American journalism: The media revolution that will begin the world again
By Clara Shih
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
It should be clear from the outset that I am reviewing the 2011 (second edition) of this book, not the first. Most of the reviews at Amazon.com (as I write this) are of the first edition, and there have been significant and important changes since then.
Changes from the first edition? Shih writes of the changes on page 2:
— Each chapter now ends with a summary of takeways and an actionable to-do list.
— There are now two dozen case stuides and example that bring concepts to life.
— Rather than discuss Facebook alone, Shih now offers extensive coverage of Twiter and Linkedin as well.
— There are expert opinion sidebars from well known social media authorities.
— Five new chapters have been added including one on customer service, one on innovation and collaboration, one on ways to develop an individualized Facebook Era plan, one that offers advice for small businesses, and one on advice for nonprofits, healthcare, education, and political campaigns.
The book is divided into four parts:
1. Why social networking matters for business
2. Social networking across your organization
3. Step-by-step guide to social networking for business
4. Social networking strategy
This is a basic book written for beginners. If you are a regular Facebook (Twiter, Linkedin, MySpace, Renren in China, Mixi in Japan, Odnoklassniki in Rusia), you may not find a whole lot that is new here, but Shih is not writing this book for you.
I found the book informative, easy-to-read, and comprehensive. If there is anything about Facebook that you don’t know, you will find it here. I found the gray boxes by other authors (“more than three dozen guest contributions from world-class experts”) interesting and valuable. The inclusion of actual pictures from Facebook pages was helpful.
Although I regret the fact that Shih avoided using any references (other than the boxes by guest authors who were all experts in their respective fields) or offered “Other Books to Read,” or even a bibliography, there is a great deal of information here to digest.
I found her hands-on techniques useful, her insights valuable, and her easy-to-use “To Do” lists solid. This is a book for anyone who wants a complete look at social networking.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: The Facebook era: Tappping online social networks to market, sell, and innovate
