By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
Before you read this review you must understand several things. First, I am not a strong advocate for any of the books in the Chicken Soup series. Second, I am a believer in a positive life, and thinking positive about anything should a natural and automatic part of living, not something saved for a particular illness, problem, or situation. Third, I find that prayer serves no purpose whatever. It may be useful to buoy your spirit or give you hope, but chances for a positive outcome because of prayer are 50-50, just as they are in life without prayer. And there are no such things as miracles. Fourth, all thoughts and feelings occur in the brain — not in the heart. You cannot be guided by your heart, have a nagging in your heart, or have a broken heart. Sorry. The heart is merely a muscle that pumps blood.
Also, and this is just an aside. Anecdotal evidence (stories, examples, personal experiences, and illustrations) count for little in the course of life. There is no doubt that they have persuasive power because of the way they stir the emotions and can rally people to act. But with respect to proving something (there is no doubt that God exists), or serving as a basis for argument, they have no — zero — evidential power. The experiences detailed in this book are personal, highly subjective, and told with a bias (slant or angle) that can easily cause readers to question their true veracity.
Then why did I pick up this book? Curiosity could explain it. I write positive essays, and even my publishing company, And Then Some Publishing, is based on a philosophy (carefully explained at the website) that is founded on the idea that you must do everything that is required of you in life — and then some. It is the “and then some” that is most likely to bring you recognition, rewards, riches, and success.
One more answer as to why I picked up this book is simple: I am always in search of additional ideas to write about. At my blog, I write a 1,000-word essay every week, and this is my fourth year (over 200 essays!) of writing them. I thought that with 101 inspirational stories in this single volume, surely I would find one or two that would stimulate a unique thought, a useful memory, or a new essay. I was wrong.
Now, you might think — from this introduction to this review — that I found the essays boring, unnecessary, inappropriate, irrelevant, or worthless. No such thing. Most are very well written. Their writers tell a compelling story in great detail and always with a positive outcome. Just as in all the Chicken Soup books, if you want short inspirational essays, there is no doubt about it, this is a good choice. They will cause you to closely identify with the writers and, in many cases, appreciate human determination and perseverance. (I always think to myself, “Damn! what some people have to endure!”)
On the other hand, I found the essays rather repetitive, so I do not recommend readers read the book from beginning to end without stop. (It can be read quickly.) Put it somewhere where you can read it in short segments, just as I think it is intended.
I want you to know that I admire any book that causes readers to feel better about themselves or better about the human race in general. If a book such as this gives people hope, then it has served a useful purpose. If it helps people put their own life in perspective (by comparing theirs with others in worse situations than their own), then I think it is valuable. And, if it makes readers “rage, rage against the dying of the light,” as Dylan Thomas expressed it in his famous poem, “Do not go gentle into this good night,” then, perhaps, it should be read by everyone.
(I have reviewed over 250 books, and I did not realize that I had reviewed this book previously. On July 23, 2011, (about 8 months after my first review) I reviewed it a second time. Although there is some of the same information in my second review as there is in the first, there is a lot of additional information. Without any tailoring or deletions, the following is my second review of this book.)
I have been delighted with many of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, but not in the way many of those reading this review would suppose or imagine. My first goal in selecting this book was to find potential topics, themes, or ideas to write about on my own positive-oriented blog at http://essaysandthensome.blogspot.com/
For the short, inspirational stories, of course, this is not unlike most of the previous books of this genre (although a number of reviewers at Amazon.com suggest this selection is not as strong as others).
There was an unexpected byproduct here, however, similar to the one I experienced in reading my father-in-law’s (Edgar E. Willis) book, How to be Funny on Purpose: Creating and Consuming Humor. What I discovered from reading the Willis book, because of its clear, accurate, and detailed explanation of how to create humor, I found myself engaged actively in the process of writing jokes. I had never written jokes previously nor did I think myself capable. What fun I had constructing them!
Well, in reading about “thinking positive,” I went through a number of epiphanies. I couldn’t help myself. I thought, for example, about what a positive and pleasant life I have led, and why it has happened.
The life I have led, both by design and positive thinking, fortunate (and lucky) decisions I made along the way, and certainly circumstances that have provided opportunities I never dreamed could happen, has been challenging, exciting, rewarding, and incredibly satisfying. Many of the results of positive thinking occur because of good choices along the way!
Here is my conclusion regarding positive thinking. All of life depends on making good choices. So, if I were to give advice to anyone (as I have done to over 80,000 students during my teaching career), it would be this: Prepare yourself in such a way that you (not someone else) is in control over the decisions of your life.
Now, I fully realize this is easier said than done and, too, that no matter how much we prepare, we cannot be in total control over all the decisions of our lives. That is true, however, that should not be discouraging. The point is to prepare as widely, broadly, and thoroughly as possible—stretch ourselves in all possible directions—in order to give ourselves the edge, the opportunity, or the advantage in any decisions that affect (or impinge on) our lives. We do not (cannot) know what curve balls life will throw at us, but that does not mean we cannot prepare ourselves to meet them.
When you apply this philosophy to your life, you are always looking for ways to improve, expand, or extend. You never stop learning or, even more important, looking for ways to increase your knowledge and potential.
This is the philosophy, I believe, that best undergirds, reinforces, buttresses, supports, and strengthens positive thinking, or it is the most likely philosophy to bring positive results from positive thinking. Positive thinking alone is valuable, but it takes more than just positive thinking to bring concrete results.
I found this Chicken Soup for the Soul book useful and valuable in this regard. I realize that teachers seldom know the impact—long-range results—of their instruction, but if I instilled this single idea in any of my 80,000 students I taught over more than 30 years in the classroom and lecture hall, I would consider my work successful. It is more than just a positive message, it is a charge, command, or instruction that, when internalized and practiced, will send you on a mission to take responsibility for your life.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Chicken soup for the soul: Think positive — 101 inspirational stories about counting your blessings and having a positive attitude
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Humor me: An anthology of funny contemporary writing
By Ian Frazier, Editor
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
My father-in-law, Edgar E. Willis, who wrote the great book, How to be funny on purpose: Creating and consuming humor, looked at this book. He had just read and enjoyed Michael Shelden’s Mark Twain: Man in White (Random House, 2010), so his inclination was to immediately turn to Frazier’s Mark Twain entry, “1601.” Familiar with this essay, Willis turned up his nose saying not only was it a poor choice (from all the Twain essays that could have been chosen), but it was truly distasteful — lewd and bawdy.
What’s interesting about the Twain piece is that it was singled out by Frazier in the “Introduction.” He said this: “Start again [after laughing uproariously]: Now let us turn our attention to the anthology itself, and its contents, which include an eminent piece by the eminent writer Mark Twain on the subject of Shakespeare farting. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah, oh God why did I start with that one? There’s no way I can describe the farting piece without breaking up completely, oh God oh jeez. What now? Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! A-hee. A-ha. Deep breath. Breathe . . .” (p. x).
I thought his introduction to this book was childish, juvenile, and completely stupid, ridiculous, and irrelevant. What is truly “stupid, ridiculous, and irrelevant” is that very few pieces in this book deserve (earn?) the “hilarity or hysteria” the author gives them. I thought, too, that any editor who would begin a book on humor in this way, cannot be trusted. It was not just “over the top,” it was outrageous and inappropriate.
With respect to Ian Frazier’s introduction, you’ve undoubtedly heard the cliche, “He doth protesteth too much.” I found the following quotation at “Sigmund, Carl and Alfred under the title, “He doth protesteth too much,” which speaks precisely to Frazier’s approach in his introduction: “This is the same sort of phenomenon as the famous “I am not a crook” type of statement. If you have to keep asserting something like that, it is often the case that you probably are a crook. Likewise, if you have to keep mentioning that you are “reality-based”, it becomes more and more certain that –whatever you may be, reality has little to do with it.”
If you have to keep asserting how funny your book selections are — that they keep you laughing uproariously — then it is easy (and proper) to assume the book selections that follow are very unfunny. Be forewarned.
When Willis returned the book to me, he had nothing to say about it — which speaks volumes about the book, the editor, and the selections. When he likes a book, it is clear from the quotes he shares, the discussions he engages in (or stimulates), and the specific positive comments he makes. None of that here.
The three-star (out of five) review of the book by the Sacramento Book Review at Amazon.com said, “It's hard to not be skeptical when reading a book pitched as an anthology of funny writing. Humor itself is highly subjective, but the foreword to the book promised laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching, funny stories. The ensuing book, however, didn't match what the foreword or the title promised.” Precisely! Well said.
Toward the end of the “Introduction,” Frazier says, “There are great pieces in here, so you SHOULD enjoy it. If you don’t, the problem is with you” (p. xii). It is true that humor is subjective, but when you pick up a book called Humor Me it should be chock full of “great pieces.” You shouldn’t have to wade through 50 others to find them. Second, I thought the problem with this book could be me, but when Willis, a true expert on humor and what it takes to be funny, clearly confirmed my point of view, I realized it wasn’t me at all. The problem with this book is Ian Frazier and the selections he made for this book. Don’t waste your time on this one.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Humor me: An anthology of funny contemporary writing
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
My father-in-law, Edgar E. Willis, who wrote the great book, How to be funny on purpose: Creating and consuming humor, looked at this book. He had just read and enjoyed Michael Shelden’s Mark Twain: Man in White (Random House, 2010), so his inclination was to immediately turn to Frazier’s Mark Twain entry, “1601.” Familiar with this essay, Willis turned up his nose saying not only was it a poor choice (from all the Twain essays that could have been chosen), but it was truly distasteful — lewd and bawdy.
What’s interesting about the Twain piece is that it was singled out by Frazier in the “Introduction.” He said this: “Start again [after laughing uproariously]: Now let us turn our attention to the anthology itself, and its contents, which include an eminent piece by the eminent writer Mark Twain on the subject of Shakespeare farting. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah, oh God why did I start with that one? There’s no way I can describe the farting piece without breaking up completely, oh God oh jeez. What now? Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! A-hee. A-ha. Deep breath. Breathe . . .” (p. x).
I thought his introduction to this book was childish, juvenile, and completely stupid, ridiculous, and irrelevant. What is truly “stupid, ridiculous, and irrelevant” is that very few pieces in this book deserve (earn?) the “hilarity or hysteria” the author gives them. I thought, too, that any editor who would begin a book on humor in this way, cannot be trusted. It was not just “over the top,” it was outrageous and inappropriate.
With respect to Ian Frazier’s introduction, you’ve undoubtedly heard the cliche, “He doth protesteth too much.” I found the following quotation at “Sigmund, Carl and Alfred under the title, “He doth protesteth too much,” which speaks precisely to Frazier’s approach in his introduction: “This is the same sort of phenomenon as the famous “I am not a crook” type of statement. If you have to keep asserting something like that, it is often the case that you probably are a crook. Likewise, if you have to keep mentioning that you are “reality-based”, it becomes more and more certain that –whatever you may be, reality has little to do with it.”
If you have to keep asserting how funny your book selections are — that they keep you laughing uproariously — then it is easy (and proper) to assume the book selections that follow are very unfunny. Be forewarned.
When Willis returned the book to me, he had nothing to say about it — which speaks volumes about the book, the editor, and the selections. When he likes a book, it is clear from the quotes he shares, the discussions he engages in (or stimulates), and the specific positive comments he makes. None of that here.
The three-star (out of five) review of the book by the Sacramento Book Review at Amazon.com said, “It's hard to not be skeptical when reading a book pitched as an anthology of funny writing. Humor itself is highly subjective, but the foreword to the book promised laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching, funny stories. The ensuing book, however, didn't match what the foreword or the title promised.” Precisely! Well said.
Toward the end of the “Introduction,” Frazier says, “There are great pieces in here, so you SHOULD enjoy it. If you don’t, the problem is with you” (p. xii). It is true that humor is subjective, but when you pick up a book called Humor Me it should be chock full of “great pieces.” You shouldn’t have to wade through 50 others to find them. Second, I thought the problem with this book could be me, but when Willis, a true expert on humor and what it takes to be funny, clearly confirmed my point of view, I realized it wasn’t me at all. The problem with this book is Ian Frazier and the selections he made for this book. Don’t waste your time on this one.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Humor me: An anthology of funny contemporary writing
Monday, December 12, 2011
Merchants of doubt: How a handful of scientists obscured the truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming
By Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
In this 355-page book (274 of text), there are 62 pages of notes. Oreskes is a professor of history and science studies at the University of California, San Diego, and Conway has published four previous books, one of which was Atmosphere Science at NASA: A History. Their reputations are impeccable.
With respect to “the story of the Tobacco Strategy, and how it was used to attack science and scientists, and to confuse us [the public] about major, important issues affecting our lives — and the planet we live on” (p. 7) — what this book is all about, the authors “trust our scientific experts on matters of science” (p. 272). And, it appears that trust is faithfully and fairly placed, and readers can trust the authors to present it in the same manner.
This is an extremely well-written expos , and the story it tells about the tobacco industry and what they did to protect themselves from highly scientific studies about the harmful effects of tobacco could apply to any industry or situation (think pharmaceuticals, alcoholic beverages, nuclear development, foreign threats, outsourcing, antiballistic missel systems (ABMs), pesticides, space exploration, climate change, formaldehyde, pollution, environmental changes, acid rain, global warming, etc.) where large amounts of money can be used to influence honest, well-researched, scientific evidence of harm and destruction.
In the case of smoking, the industry-based goons (scientists who sell their souls) had to counter the claims 1) that smokers lived sicker and died sooner than their nonsmoking counterparts, 2) that early deaths would not have occurred if these people had never smoked, and, 3) were it not for smoking “practically none of these early deaths from lung cancer would have occurred. “Smoking killed people” (p. 23). These are scientifically proven, well-established, accepted facts which affected tobacco sales and, thus, had to be refuted.
This is a thoroughly documented, richly detailed, expertly told story about how doubt is financed and marketed, how evidence can be suppressed, distorted, revised, manipulated, and deleted, how counter narratives are constructed, and how those who promote any program that counters large business, industry, or corporate interests — whatever they are — can have his or her credibility destroyed, professional career undermined, or life threatened.
This is not only a disturbing book about organized, scientific, disinformation campaigns, it is downright scary. What a great book!
This book is available at Amazon.com: Merchants of doubt: How a handful of scientists obscured the truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
In this 355-page book (274 of text), there are 62 pages of notes. Oreskes is a professor of history and science studies at the University of California, San Diego, and Conway has published four previous books, one of which was Atmosphere Science at NASA: A History. Their reputations are impeccable.
With respect to “the story of the Tobacco Strategy, and how it was used to attack science and scientists, and to confuse us [the public] about major, important issues affecting our lives — and the planet we live on” (p. 7) — what this book is all about, the authors “trust our scientific experts on matters of science” (p. 272). And, it appears that trust is faithfully and fairly placed, and readers can trust the authors to present it in the same manner.
This is an extremely well-written expos , and the story it tells about the tobacco industry and what they did to protect themselves from highly scientific studies about the harmful effects of tobacco could apply to any industry or situation (think pharmaceuticals, alcoholic beverages, nuclear development, foreign threats, outsourcing, antiballistic missel systems (ABMs), pesticides, space exploration, climate change, formaldehyde, pollution, environmental changes, acid rain, global warming, etc.) where large amounts of money can be used to influence honest, well-researched, scientific evidence of harm and destruction.
In the case of smoking, the industry-based goons (scientists who sell their souls) had to counter the claims 1) that smokers lived sicker and died sooner than their nonsmoking counterparts, 2) that early deaths would not have occurred if these people had never smoked, and, 3) were it not for smoking “practically none of these early deaths from lung cancer would have occurred. “Smoking killed people” (p. 23). These are scientifically proven, well-established, accepted facts which affected tobacco sales and, thus, had to be refuted.
This is a thoroughly documented, richly detailed, expertly told story about how doubt is financed and marketed, how evidence can be suppressed, distorted, revised, manipulated, and deleted, how counter narratives are constructed, and how those who promote any program that counters large business, industry, or corporate interests — whatever they are — can have his or her credibility destroyed, professional career undermined, or life threatened.
This is not only a disturbing book about organized, scientific, disinformation campaigns, it is downright scary. What a great book!
This book is available at Amazon.com: Merchants of doubt: How a handful of scientists obscured the truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming
Monday, December 5, 2011
Mark Twain: Man in white---The grand adventure of his final years
By Michael Shelden
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
If your desire is to spend time with an entertaining book, written by a gifted writer, about an American icon, that is not only engaging and insightful but well-researched and thorough, enhanced by black-and-white photographs throughout, this would be a superb choice. There are 35 pages of notes in addition to seven pages of “Sources and Bibliography” (all typed in a small font). There are 417 pages of text, and you wish there were more. The author uses many of Twain’s own journals and letters to offer readers numerous, previously unpublished, fresh insights into Twain’s final four years.
Shelden, using eloquent vibrant prose, provides an engaging, readable, entertaining, and moving narrative. He, by using vivid and thorough evidence, persuasively proves his claim that Twain was more alive during his final years than at any other time of his life.
When you complete this book you will fully realize that Twain was a lively, engaged, very funny man of enormous talent, surprising wit, and astonishing energy. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, in their review of the book, wrote: “The definitive work on this controversial period. . . . Shelden's engagingly written, admirably balanced and thoroughly documented biography is as convincing as it is entertaining."
In your choice of this book, you will not be disappointed. I gave it to my father-in-law, Edgar E. Willis, to read. Willis is the author of two recent books: Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform: A Memoir of World War II, and a second book, How to be Funny on Purpose: Creating and Consuming Humor. In the latter book, Willis makes 18 references to Mark Twain and offers readers one of my favorite Twain quotes: “The difference between the nearly right word and the right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug” (p. 251). A quotation like this one by Twain, however, is dwarfed by the hundreds of witty sayings and remarks by Twain in Shelden’s book.
Willis was so moved by Shelden’s book he wrote a personal letter to him. He ended his letter by saying, “In closing, let me say again that reading your book provided me with a wonderfully enriching experience.” It could not be said more accurately or succinctly.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Mark Twain: Man in white — The grand adventure of his final years
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
If your desire is to spend time with an entertaining book, written by a gifted writer, about an American icon, that is not only engaging and insightful but well-researched and thorough, enhanced by black-and-white photographs throughout, this would be a superb choice. There are 35 pages of notes in addition to seven pages of “Sources and Bibliography” (all typed in a small font). There are 417 pages of text, and you wish there were more. The author uses many of Twain’s own journals and letters to offer readers numerous, previously unpublished, fresh insights into Twain’s final four years.
Shelden, using eloquent vibrant prose, provides an engaging, readable, entertaining, and moving narrative. He, by using vivid and thorough evidence, persuasively proves his claim that Twain was more alive during his final years than at any other time of his life.
When you complete this book you will fully realize that Twain was a lively, engaged, very funny man of enormous talent, surprising wit, and astonishing energy. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, in their review of the book, wrote: “The definitive work on this controversial period. . . . Shelden's engagingly written, admirably balanced and thoroughly documented biography is as convincing as it is entertaining."
In your choice of this book, you will not be disappointed. I gave it to my father-in-law, Edgar E. Willis, to read. Willis is the author of two recent books: Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform: A Memoir of World War II, and a second book, How to be Funny on Purpose: Creating and Consuming Humor. In the latter book, Willis makes 18 references to Mark Twain and offers readers one of my favorite Twain quotes: “The difference between the nearly right word and the right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug” (p. 251). A quotation like this one by Twain, however, is dwarfed by the hundreds of witty sayings and remarks by Twain in Shelden’s book.
Willis was so moved by Shelden’s book he wrote a personal letter to him. He ended his letter by saying, “In closing, let me say again that reading your book provided me with a wonderfully enriching experience.” It could not be said more accurately or succinctly.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Mark Twain: Man in white — The grand adventure of his final years
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
