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
Showing posts with label Book Club of And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Club of And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
The mindfulness code: Keys for overcoming stress, anxiety, fear, and unhappiness
By Donald Altman
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
It is helpful to know Altman’s credentials before reading this book. First, he is a psychotherapist, second, he is a former Buddhist monk, and third, he is an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College Graduate School and Portland State University. Why is it important to know this? Because, throughout the book he successfully and seamlessly blends these three areas of interest and expertise.
Altman tells effective stories, and he tells them well. The book is absolutely loaded with examples.
There are 44 chapters in this in 256 pages of text. That means that, on average, each chapter is less than six pages long. They read quickly. And, too, each chapter includes a simple lesson, activity, or tool that engages readers and gives them an exercise to experience or apply the idea on their own.
Chapter titles will give you an exact idea of the contents of this book. The first section, “The Mind Key,” includes 11 chapters. The second part, “The Body Key,” includes eleven chapters, “The Spirit Key,” includes eleven, and the fourth part, “The Relationship Key,” includes the final eleven.
Because I have a special interest in relationships (I write about them on a regular basis, and I had a college textbook, UNDERSTANDING INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, that went through 7 editions), let me give you the chapter names in this part: Give Others Your Full Presence, Embrace Silence and Deep Listening, Share Loving-Kindness with Others, Be Genuine and Real, Seek Out Happy and Meaningful Connections, Untie the Knots of Emotional Entanglement, Light Another’s Candle, Attune Yourself to Others, Offer Up Your Nonjudgment and Joy, Cultivate Kind Speech, and Mind Your Relationships. (How can anyone argue against these ideas when it comes to cultivating successful relationships?)
In her review of the book at Amazon.com, I thought Marilyn Dalrymple of Lancaster, California, made a particularly good point. She said the book “is a gentle, but serious reminder that most of us need to take care of ourselves and be concerned and caring toward others.” I love her use of the word “gentle” for not only is it an accurate reflection of Altman’s approach, it is the feeling you acquire as he explains the idea of each chapter, offers examples to clearly define and demonstrate the idea, and then provides the “gentle” guideline readers can use to obtain (or at the least experience) the idea on their own.
This book is available at Amazon.com: The mindfulness code: Keys for overcoming stress, anxiety, fear, and unhappiness
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
It is helpful to know Altman’s credentials before reading this book. First, he is a psychotherapist, second, he is a former Buddhist monk, and third, he is an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College Graduate School and Portland State University. Why is it important to know this? Because, throughout the book he successfully and seamlessly blends these three areas of interest and expertise.
Altman tells effective stories, and he tells them well. The book is absolutely loaded with examples.
There are 44 chapters in this in 256 pages of text. That means that, on average, each chapter is less than six pages long. They read quickly. And, too, each chapter includes a simple lesson, activity, or tool that engages readers and gives them an exercise to experience or apply the idea on their own.
Chapter titles will give you an exact idea of the contents of this book. The first section, “The Mind Key,” includes 11 chapters. The second part, “The Body Key,” includes eleven chapters, “The Spirit Key,” includes eleven, and the fourth part, “The Relationship Key,” includes the final eleven.
Because I have a special interest in relationships (I write about them on a regular basis, and I had a college textbook, UNDERSTANDING INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, that went through 7 editions), let me give you the chapter names in this part: Give Others Your Full Presence, Embrace Silence and Deep Listening, Share Loving-Kindness with Others, Be Genuine and Real, Seek Out Happy and Meaningful Connections, Untie the Knots of Emotional Entanglement, Light Another’s Candle, Attune Yourself to Others, Offer Up Your Nonjudgment and Joy, Cultivate Kind Speech, and Mind Your Relationships. (How can anyone argue against these ideas when it comes to cultivating successful relationships?)
In her review of the book at Amazon.com, I thought Marilyn Dalrymple of Lancaster, California, made a particularly good point. She said the book “is a gentle, but serious reminder that most of us need to take care of ourselves and be concerned and caring toward others.” I love her use of the word “gentle” for not only is it an accurate reflection of Altman’s approach, it is the feeling you acquire as he explains the idea of each chapter, offers examples to clearly define and demonstrate the idea, and then provides the “gentle” guideline readers can use to obtain (or at the least experience) the idea on their own.
This book is available at Amazon.com: The mindfulness code: Keys for overcoming stress, anxiety, fear, and unhappiness
Monday, October 17, 2011
Venus on fire, mars on ice: Hormonal balance---The key to life, love, and energy
By John Gray
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I have been writing about relationships for many years. My book, Understanding Interpersonal Communication (now out of print) went through seven editions and always included at least two chapters on interpersonal relationships. Thus, I am familiar with the related literature and always interested in new developments.
That paragraph explains why I might have an interest in Gray’s new book. Also, I feel that any book that will help people form, develop, and maintain healthy relationships can be (should be!) a useful tool for relationship partners — especially when it is as fundamental and practical as this one.
With numerous sets of male-female explanatory dialog, sentence inserts that offer key phrases, tables that illustrate key concepts, bulleted lists that aid comprehension, many real-life examples from Gray’s seminars and practice, important summaries when they are needed, this book literally begs for reader understanding.
Clearly, from the writing, the illustrations, and the advice, it is written for a lay audience — the same audience, I might add, for which his best selling book, Man are from Mars, Women are from Venus, was intended. I say this simply to indicate that this is not a sophisticated book nor is it scientifically obtuse — although when you are explaining hormones and hormonal behavior it certainly could be. Note the following paragraph from page 45:
“Over the past 10 years, researchers at a variety of universities in Canada have developed and researched a new compound called PolyGlycopleX * (PGX*), a unique complex of water-soluble polysaccharides (plant fibers) that can help reduce blood sugar fluctuations”. . . (p. 45).
Incidentally, this is not typical prose, just an example of one explanation. Most others are considerably simpler; however, Gray’s understanding of biochemical research and its applications is impressive. There are so many facts in this book relevant to the success of relationships (or, at the very least, the understanding of relationships) that these facts could well be one’s only excuse (need) for reading it:
“What’s more, he may become needy. Did you know that the average man at 58 makes more estrogen than his woman does? It’s true, and the estrogen — combined with his continuing lack of testosterone — tends to make him more prone to sharing his woes with his woman” (p. 161).
Now, the part of the book I found most interesting is Chapter 10, “Super Fuell to Balance the Planets—Nutrition for Healthy Hormones.” One interesting point is Gray’s approach: “Do as I say, and as I do.” Follow the guidelines, and you will fall in line right behind Gray himself. Although I have no trouble with Step One (water, sea salt, lemon, aloe vera, and plant-sourced enzymes), in Step Two the ingredients that go into his “daily shake” (maca power, goji berries, PGX, caco nibs, a ai berries, coconut oil, stevia, and molasses) would be quite a stretch for most people (and, thus, not followed!). Step Three (includes magnesium orotate or citrate, calcium orotate or citrate, potassium citrate, zinc orotate or citrate, chromium, and trace minerals) would also create some public concern.
You can love the book for all its connections between hormones and relationship effectiveness, but when it comes down to the nutritional elements “necessary” to mend the stress problems relationship partners may experience, I think most readers would want to solve their nutritional needs in a local grocery store and purchases they can make without going to pills, powders, and ingredients in vials and small brown bottles.
Although the tips for improving sleep patterns (pp. 195-197) are well-known (except perhaps for the use of the superfood PGX* with dinner), it is good to have them spelled out in detail here.
I thought Gray’s “18 Essential Sources of Love and Support” (pp. 211-225) were excellent — even though, once again, they are commonplace suggestions.
My one major weakness of the book is the lack of sources. There are no page-by-page footnotes, notes listed at the back of the book, bibliography, sources cited, or even recommended sources. I think this would add a great deal of strength to the book, and it would provide those interested, places to go to gain further information, related ideas, or even more support and evidence. It is likely that most readers of the book would not be concerned about this, and it is unlikely to affect the sales of this book; however, it is a bit much to expect readers to assume that all of the information came from the author alone. Of course, Gray has a great deal of credibility — especially with the popularity of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, but that is no excuse for not including sources in this book.
This is, for the most part, an excellent read, and as I said earlier, any book that contributes to relationship harmony is welcomed.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: Venus on fire, mars on ice: Hormonal balance — The key to life, love, and energy
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I have been writing about relationships for many years. My book, Understanding Interpersonal Communication (now out of print) went through seven editions and always included at least two chapters on interpersonal relationships. Thus, I am familiar with the related literature and always interested in new developments.
That paragraph explains why I might have an interest in Gray’s new book. Also, I feel that any book that will help people form, develop, and maintain healthy relationships can be (should be!) a useful tool for relationship partners — especially when it is as fundamental and practical as this one.
With numerous sets of male-female explanatory dialog, sentence inserts that offer key phrases, tables that illustrate key concepts, bulleted lists that aid comprehension, many real-life examples from Gray’s seminars and practice, important summaries when they are needed, this book literally begs for reader understanding.
Clearly, from the writing, the illustrations, and the advice, it is written for a lay audience — the same audience, I might add, for which his best selling book, Man are from Mars, Women are from Venus, was intended. I say this simply to indicate that this is not a sophisticated book nor is it scientifically obtuse — although when you are explaining hormones and hormonal behavior it certainly could be. Note the following paragraph from page 45:
“Over the past 10 years, researchers at a variety of universities in Canada have developed and researched a new compound called PolyGlycopleX * (PGX*), a unique complex of water-soluble polysaccharides (plant fibers) that can help reduce blood sugar fluctuations”. . . (p. 45).
Incidentally, this is not typical prose, just an example of one explanation. Most others are considerably simpler; however, Gray’s understanding of biochemical research and its applications is impressive. There are so many facts in this book relevant to the success of relationships (or, at the very least, the understanding of relationships) that these facts could well be one’s only excuse (need) for reading it:
“What’s more, he may become needy. Did you know that the average man at 58 makes more estrogen than his woman does? It’s true, and the estrogen — combined with his continuing lack of testosterone — tends to make him more prone to sharing his woes with his woman” (p. 161).
Now, the part of the book I found most interesting is Chapter 10, “Super Fuell to Balance the Planets—Nutrition for Healthy Hormones.” One interesting point is Gray’s approach: “Do as I say, and as I do.” Follow the guidelines, and you will fall in line right behind Gray himself. Although I have no trouble with Step One (water, sea salt, lemon, aloe vera, and plant-sourced enzymes), in Step Two the ingredients that go into his “daily shake” (maca power, goji berries, PGX, caco nibs, a ai berries, coconut oil, stevia, and molasses) would be quite a stretch for most people (and, thus, not followed!). Step Three (includes magnesium orotate or citrate, calcium orotate or citrate, potassium citrate, zinc orotate or citrate, chromium, and trace minerals) would also create some public concern.
You can love the book for all its connections between hormones and relationship effectiveness, but when it comes down to the nutritional elements “necessary” to mend the stress problems relationship partners may experience, I think most readers would want to solve their nutritional needs in a local grocery store and purchases they can make without going to pills, powders, and ingredients in vials and small brown bottles.
Although the tips for improving sleep patterns (pp. 195-197) are well-known (except perhaps for the use of the superfood PGX* with dinner), it is good to have them spelled out in detail here.
I thought Gray’s “18 Essential Sources of Love and Support” (pp. 211-225) were excellent — even though, once again, they are commonplace suggestions.
My one major weakness of the book is the lack of sources. There are no page-by-page footnotes, notes listed at the back of the book, bibliography, sources cited, or even recommended sources. I think this would add a great deal of strength to the book, and it would provide those interested, places to go to gain further information, related ideas, or even more support and evidence. It is likely that most readers of the book would not be concerned about this, and it is unlikely to affect the sales of this book; however, it is a bit much to expect readers to assume that all of the information came from the author alone. Of course, Gray has a great deal of credibility — especially with the popularity of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, but that is no excuse for not including sources in this book.
This is, for the most part, an excellent read, and as I said earlier, any book that contributes to relationship harmony is welcomed.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: Venus on fire, mars on ice: Hormonal balance — The key to life, love, and energy
Monday, October 10, 2011
In pursuit of silence: Listening for meaning in a world of noise
By George Prochnik
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I jog in the morning between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. before the expressway (just less than a mile from our housing development) expresses its presence by the low and fairly constant cacophony of truck and automobile noise and between the times when trains, passing through our small village (about 3 or 4 miles from our house) signal their warning at each intersection. In general, it is a time of near silence when few, if any, other cars are on the roads and no other joggers break my concentration.
I am often asked why I jog at such an early hour, and the comfort of the silence (and dark) easily justify the choice. It is a time away from the various assaults on my senses of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, talkaholics, cars with boom boxes, traffic, trains, planes, and the continually annoying din of the media.
Why is my experience relevant to this book review? Because I — or my experience — could have been just one more adventure the author, Prochnik, made in his “pursuit of silence.” In his book, Prochnik suggests “that silence can exert a positive influence on our individual lives and our relationship to the world” (p. 14). I support that conclusion with more than 30 years of jogging experience as evidence.
His experiences included a visit to the New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, the Barton Creek Square mall in Austin, Texas, Paley Park on East Fifty-third Street, just across Fifth Avenue from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Explosive Sound and Video, thirty miles from Cape Canaveral, just off Martin Luther King Boulevard, near the border between Seffner and Mango, in central Florida, Noise-Con 2008 in Dearborn, Michigan, Br el & Kjaier’s (B&K’s) global headquarter’s on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Portland’s Japanese Garden in Oregon, and the Sorenson Language and Communication Center at Gallaudet University, to name just a few sites on his “pursuit.”
The writing in the book is extraordinary: elegant, engaging, and humorous. Also, Prochnik not only tells great stories along with his personal insights and adventures, but he cites numerous studies as he examines the scientific, sociological, and spiritual aspects of sound in addition to the political history of sound management.
In her five-star review of this book at Amazon.com , Dr. Debra Jan Bibel, who bills herself as “World Music Explorer, writes: “This book is important and should serve as warning. As Prochnik points out, it is an old story; only now the problem is becoming more acute as people have become desensitized to noise.”
Benjamin Swet concluded his five-star review of the book at Amazon, saying, “Entertaining and authoritative, with forays into science, philosophy, and the inner ear, this hopeful look at the contemporary American scene made me think in new ways about the possibilities for silence even in the loud rush of everyday life.”
This is one of those “must-read” books. It is amazing.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: In pursuit of silence: Listening for meaning in a world of noise
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I jog in the morning between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. before the expressway (just less than a mile from our housing development) expresses its presence by the low and fairly constant cacophony of truck and automobile noise and between the times when trains, passing through our small village (about 3 or 4 miles from our house) signal their warning at each intersection. In general, it is a time of near silence when few, if any, other cars are on the roads and no other joggers break my concentration.
I am often asked why I jog at such an early hour, and the comfort of the silence (and dark) easily justify the choice. It is a time away from the various assaults on my senses of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, talkaholics, cars with boom boxes, traffic, trains, planes, and the continually annoying din of the media.
Why is my experience relevant to this book review? Because I — or my experience — could have been just one more adventure the author, Prochnik, made in his “pursuit of silence.” In his book, Prochnik suggests “that silence can exert a positive influence on our individual lives and our relationship to the world” (p. 14). I support that conclusion with more than 30 years of jogging experience as evidence.
His experiences included a visit to the New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, the Barton Creek Square mall in Austin, Texas, Paley Park on East Fifty-third Street, just across Fifth Avenue from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Explosive Sound and Video, thirty miles from Cape Canaveral, just off Martin Luther King Boulevard, near the border between Seffner and Mango, in central Florida, Noise-Con 2008 in Dearborn, Michigan, Br el & Kjaier’s (B&K’s) global headquarter’s on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Portland’s Japanese Garden in Oregon, and the Sorenson Language and Communication Center at Gallaudet University, to name just a few sites on his “pursuit.”
The writing in the book is extraordinary: elegant, engaging, and humorous. Also, Prochnik not only tells great stories along with his personal insights and adventures, but he cites numerous studies as he examines the scientific, sociological, and spiritual aspects of sound in addition to the political history of sound management.
In her five-star review of this book at Amazon.com , Dr. Debra Jan Bibel, who bills herself as “World Music Explorer, writes: “This book is important and should serve as warning. As Prochnik points out, it is an old story; only now the problem is becoming more acute as people have become desensitized to noise.”
Benjamin Swet concluded his five-star review of the book at Amazon, saying, “Entertaining and authoritative, with forays into science, philosophy, and the inner ear, this hopeful look at the contemporary American scene made me think in new ways about the possibilities for silence even in the loud rush of everyday life.”
This is one of those “must-read” books. It is amazing.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: In pursuit of silence: Listening for meaning in a world of noise
Monday, October 3, 2011
It's not rocket science and other irritating modern cliches
By Clive Whichelow and Hugh Murray
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I found this book delightful, not just because of the cliches the authors have found and explained, but because it was written by two British authors. For me, this added a unique dimension for in every case, I was interested to see how many of our common phrases had survived the trip overseas. That is, I wanted to see how they were defined by non-Americans.
The authors cover a range of cliches: general, media, entertainment, commercial, business, political, and social. I think young people today are those who might benefit most from reading such a book as this. What I found in my more than twenty years of teaching public communication was simply that when I pointed out a phrase to a student and labeled it a cliche, he or she was totally unaware that it was. They simply did not have the background or experience to know it. (That generalization was not true of all students, of course.)
Another group of people who might benefit from reading this is those who write greeting cards. Can you imagine it? There are already so many cards so full of cliches that we don’t need any more, that is true; however, when a slacker writer is looking for content for the blank screen in front of him or her, this book can certainly supply the missing “content.” There is so much here to fill so many more cards with oh so many more “wonderful” cliches. (They appeal to the masses!)
What I found to be a challenging and rather interesting exercise when I read this book was improving on the authors’ explanations. It wasn’t the fact that “I know better than they do,” but, coming from an American perspective (rather than a British one), many of the cliches could have benefited from a better (more U.S. friendly) definition (not all of them, of course).
I have always spelled “DOH!” (the “self-flagellating expression of dismay”) as “DUH!” although, I admit, I seldom use the expression in my writing.
“Gobsmacked,” meaning surprised, is a cliche with which I was totally unfamiliar, but it originated in Liverpool, UK, and that may be a good reason.
I loved the expression “Happy-clappy” to describe modern church services. I had never heard that one either. “Utilise” (meaning use) is another word I have never heard before.
Of the other cliches in the book, I have to say I have some familiarity with all of them. I thought some of the explanations/definitions were a bit weak, but making up for their weakness was the authors’ use of humor, which was delightful.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: It’s not rocket science and other irritating modern cliches
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I found this book delightful, not just because of the cliches the authors have found and explained, but because it was written by two British authors. For me, this added a unique dimension for in every case, I was interested to see how many of our common phrases had survived the trip overseas. That is, I wanted to see how they were defined by non-Americans.
The authors cover a range of cliches: general, media, entertainment, commercial, business, political, and social. I think young people today are those who might benefit most from reading such a book as this. What I found in my more than twenty years of teaching public communication was simply that when I pointed out a phrase to a student and labeled it a cliche, he or she was totally unaware that it was. They simply did not have the background or experience to know it. (That generalization was not true of all students, of course.)
Another group of people who might benefit from reading this is those who write greeting cards. Can you imagine it? There are already so many cards so full of cliches that we don’t need any more, that is true; however, when a slacker writer is looking for content for the blank screen in front of him or her, this book can certainly supply the missing “content.” There is so much here to fill so many more cards with oh so many more “wonderful” cliches. (They appeal to the masses!)
What I found to be a challenging and rather interesting exercise when I read this book was improving on the authors’ explanations. It wasn’t the fact that “I know better than they do,” but, coming from an American perspective (rather than a British one), many of the cliches could have benefited from a better (more U.S. friendly) definition (not all of them, of course).
I have always spelled “DOH!” (the “self-flagellating expression of dismay”) as “DUH!” although, I admit, I seldom use the expression in my writing.
“Gobsmacked,” meaning surprised, is a cliche with which I was totally unfamiliar, but it originated in Liverpool, UK, and that may be a good reason.
I loved the expression “Happy-clappy” to describe modern church services. I had never heard that one either. “Utilise” (meaning use) is another word I have never heard before.
Of the other cliches in the book, I have to say I have some familiarity with all of them. I thought some of the explanations/definitions were a bit weak, but making up for their weakness was the authors’ use of humor, which was delightful.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: It’s not rocket science and other irritating modern cliches
Monday, September 19, 2011
1001 funniest things ever said
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
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
Monday, August 15, 2011
The end of work as you know it: 8 strategies to redefine work on your own terms
By Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell
http://www.amazon.com/End-Work-You-Know-Strategies/product-reviews/1580089976/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
This is a well-written book full of great ideas; however, it is not for everyone. Those who are truly interested in ending work as they know it, must have special qualities many people in the workforce today either do not possess or do not want to possess (that is, they strive for nothing more than what they have). The authors acknowledge that those who want to achieve the end that is the title of this book, must have “confirmation that [they] are worthy of what [they] want to achieve.” What does this mean? It means they must ALREADY possess “99 percent of what is required to achieve ]their] end of work” (p. xv).
You may wonder, 99% of what? That is what Sindell and Sindell’s chapters are all about. If you do not already possess expertise, forget it. If you cannot already initiate change, this book will do little to help. If you do not have the capacity to gain autonomy, do not tread here. If you have no way or have never created meaning, this is not the time nor the place to start. Can you spark creativity, seize recognition, maintain balance in your life, or build a legacy? You see, this book is not a starting place; it builds on the talents and abilities you already possess.
I would add, too, that if you have all these talents and abilities in place, you either do not need this slender book (122 pages), or you have already discovered a wonderful, pleasing, satisfying place (or life style) that is completely rewarding. That is, you’re already there.
So, what we have here is a book for an incredibly small, niche audience.
I’m not saying the material isn’t good, nor am I saying that the suggestions are unworthy, I’m simply saying that if you’ve established the credentials that the author outlines at the outset, then it is unlikely this book will offer much help — except, perhaps, reinforce and underscore your talents and abilities. Offering you something new or something you have not discovered (if you are truly 99% there?), not so much.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: The end of work as you know it: 8 strategies to redefine work on your own terms
http://www.amazon.com/End-Work-You-Know-Strategies/product-reviews/1580089976/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
This is a well-written book full of great ideas; however, it is not for everyone. Those who are truly interested in ending work as they know it, must have special qualities many people in the workforce today either do not possess or do not want to possess (that is, they strive for nothing more than what they have). The authors acknowledge that those who want to achieve the end that is the title of this book, must have “confirmation that [they] are worthy of what [they] want to achieve.” What does this mean? It means they must ALREADY possess “99 percent of what is required to achieve ]their] end of work” (p. xv).
You may wonder, 99% of what? That is what Sindell and Sindell’s chapters are all about. If you do not already possess expertise, forget it. If you cannot already initiate change, this book will do little to help. If you do not have the capacity to gain autonomy, do not tread here. If you have no way or have never created meaning, this is not the time nor the place to start. Can you spark creativity, seize recognition, maintain balance in your life, or build a legacy? You see, this book is not a starting place; it builds on the talents and abilities you already possess.
I would add, too, that if you have all these talents and abilities in place, you either do not need this slender book (122 pages), or you have already discovered a wonderful, pleasing, satisfying place (or life style) that is completely rewarding. That is, you’re already there.
So, what we have here is a book for an incredibly small, niche audience.
I’m not saying the material isn’t good, nor am I saying that the suggestions are unworthy, I’m simply saying that if you’ve established the credentials that the author outlines at the outset, then it is unlikely this book will offer much help — except, perhaps, reinforce and underscore your talents and abilities. Offering you something new or something you have not discovered (if you are truly 99% there?), not so much.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: The end of work as you know it: 8 strategies to redefine work on your own terms
Monday, August 1, 2011
Empire of illusion: The end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle
By Chris Hedges
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
When I find a book that challenges me to think and question, I want to shout about it to the world. This is, indeed, one of those books. It’s far more than that, however, for it clearly illustrates how fantasy, illusion, and escapism infuse our society, economy, and political system as one reviewer noted. It doesn’t require a stretch to accept his observations; if you are a media user and an observer of popular culture, you will easily (and readily) confirm what he writes.
Chris Hedges is a terrific writer, and the material he writes about here (literacy, love, wisdom, happiness, and America) closely relate to all of us. This is one of those “must read” books that will not only capture your imagination but will dwell in your thoughts long after you put this book down.
I thought his selection of subjects was excellent, his use of other thinkers and writers for support of his observations was outstanding, and his obvious reporter skills for precision and accuracy were well demonstrated. Yes, it is “gloom and doom”; however, I truly believe that he is on the right track. He does not set out to solve the problems he details, nor is he into “future gazing.” He simply and methodically reports — as a competent reporter should. And what he writes about, whether it is pro-wrestling, the porn industry, celebrity culture, or the dumbing down (corporate takeover) of higher education (and “the military-industrial-academic complex” (p. 91), is not just engaging, it overwhelms the senses.
He writes in Chapter 5, “The Illusion of America”: “At no period in American history has our democracy been in such peril or the possibility of totalitarianism as real. Our way of life is over. Our profligate consumption is finished. Our children will never have the standard of living we had. This is the bleak future. This is reality. There is little President Obama can do to stop it. It has been decades in the making. It cannot be undone with $1 trillion or $2 trillion in bailout money. Nor will it be solved by clinging to the illusions of the past” (p. 145).
This is an important book, and as I said at the outset of this review, it is truly a “must read” for everyone. We live in a time where spectacle triumphs!
This book can be found at Amazon.com: Empire of Illusion: The end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle
Monday, July 25, 2011
The pocket therapist: An emotional survival kit
By Therese J. Borchard
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
The reviews of Borchard’s book at Amazon.com are outstanding — all nine of them as this review is being written — and I am not going to deviate from this trend. I am truly impressed with this book.
First, I enjoyed Borchard’s writing style. She is direct, straightforward, and to-the-point. She is forthright and honest. She really confesses a great deal in trying to help her readers. I was so impressed with her insights that I read the book almost in a single setting. It isn’t just her suggestions and ideas, it is, indeed, her sense of humor as well which shines through. Answering the question,: “Is there any rule that is absolute?” Borchard uses the example about making rules for the kids, “‘Absolutely no candy before six o’clock. Except when Dad is away and I need to bribe you with Kit Kats and Skittles.” (p. 99). Delightful!
Self disclosure? Lots of it. “As a recovering alcoholic,” Borchard writes, “I know that you’re much more likely to relapse if your pals frequent drug rehabs more than grocery stores, and as a manic depressive, I have learned that staying sane is an easier job if you avoid those who talk doom and gloom, because once the negativity is out there, it’s up to me to tell my brain not to dwell on it” (p. 129).
Second, I appreciated her upbeat approach. No matter what illness, malady, or trial you may be facing (even dizziness and nausea), Borchard’s stories, examples, and references are positive and uplifting. You don’t have to have something as severe as mental illness (or a malignant tumor and undergoing chemotherapy and radiation) to get something from this 197-page book with 144 entries. She is simply engaging.
Upbeat? All the time. “. . . Once I listen to an angry voice mail or receive a discouraging piece of news,” Borchard writes, “I start counting: one one-thousand, two two-thousand . . . and see how far I can get before breaking into hysteria. When I’m able to squeeze in at least five seconds between the event and my reaction, I can respond more appropriately and appear more . . . um . . . chemically balanced” (p. 145).
Third, admittedly, much of her advice may simply reinforce things you already know, but that neither makes it trite nor unnecessary. I first read this advice from Sydney Harris, when he was asked why he doesn’t become angry when the man who gives him a newspaper mistreats him: (and I am paraphrasing broadly here) I am not going to let him determine how I am feeling. Borchard writes, “Never ever bequeath your authority to a person not named ‘I,’ ‘me,’ or ‘self.’ When a doctor hands you a prescription for a drug you haven’t heard of, research it before popping it into your mouth. Or when a Blockbuster Video employee insists you pay $543 to replace their copy of Finding Nemo, buy a copy at Best Buy for $9.99 and hand it to him with a smile” (p. 151). Basically, the advice is, take responsibility for your own actions and feelings.
Fourth, I loved the broad range of sources she has read, absorbed, and quoted from. Some she mentions include The Little Prince, We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love, Touching Peace, The Four Agreements, Finding the Deep River Within, Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be, Cutting Loose, Ten Days to Self-Esteem, Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom , What Happy People Know, and The Addictive Personality to name some of them.
Overall I found her Catholic upbringing acceptable. Although it shows up occasionally throughout her 144 entries, it is neither intrusive nor cumbersome. For some, knowing this may encourage them to read the book. Many would already know this from reading her daily blog “Beyond Blue.” Others may have read one of her previous books, I Like Being Catholic. This is not a religious book, and it is not necessary to be a religious person (Christian, Jew, Muslim, or other) to gain from her insights.
Not being mentally ill, mentally unstable, or mentally compromised in any way (that I know about!), and having never visited a therapist, I want to share an insight from DS, whose review on Amazon.com, gives a perspective I cannot: “As someone who has spent thousands of dollars on therapy, partial and full psychiatric hospitalization programs, and who takes the time to self-educate, I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. The advice is practical and graciously compassionate to the ups and downs of managing mental illness like bi-polar and uni-polar depression. The reader will benefit from Ms. Borchard's brave review of her own ‘Ark of the Covenant’: her bin of journals, notes, and therapy worksheets covering the last twelve years.”
I think you will find this book interesting, useful, and . . . short.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: The pocket therapist: An emotional survival
kit
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
The reviews of Borchard’s book at Amazon.com are outstanding — all nine of them as this review is being written — and I am not going to deviate from this trend. I am truly impressed with this book.
First, I enjoyed Borchard’s writing style. She is direct, straightforward, and to-the-point. She is forthright and honest. She really confesses a great deal in trying to help her readers. I was so impressed with her insights that I read the book almost in a single setting. It isn’t just her suggestions and ideas, it is, indeed, her sense of humor as well which shines through. Answering the question,: “Is there any rule that is absolute?” Borchard uses the example about making rules for the kids, “‘Absolutely no candy before six o’clock. Except when Dad is away and I need to bribe you with Kit Kats and Skittles.” (p. 99). Delightful!
Self disclosure? Lots of it. “As a recovering alcoholic,” Borchard writes, “I know that you’re much more likely to relapse if your pals frequent drug rehabs more than grocery stores, and as a manic depressive, I have learned that staying sane is an easier job if you avoid those who talk doom and gloom, because once the negativity is out there, it’s up to me to tell my brain not to dwell on it” (p. 129).
Second, I appreciated her upbeat approach. No matter what illness, malady, or trial you may be facing (even dizziness and nausea), Borchard’s stories, examples, and references are positive and uplifting. You don’t have to have something as severe as mental illness (or a malignant tumor and undergoing chemotherapy and radiation) to get something from this 197-page book with 144 entries. She is simply engaging.
Upbeat? All the time. “. . . Once I listen to an angry voice mail or receive a discouraging piece of news,” Borchard writes, “I start counting: one one-thousand, two two-thousand . . . and see how far I can get before breaking into hysteria. When I’m able to squeeze in at least five seconds between the event and my reaction, I can respond more appropriately and appear more . . . um . . . chemically balanced” (p. 145).
Third, admittedly, much of her advice may simply reinforce things you already know, but that neither makes it trite nor unnecessary. I first read this advice from Sydney Harris, when he was asked why he doesn’t become angry when the man who gives him a newspaper mistreats him: (and I am paraphrasing broadly here) I am not going to let him determine how I am feeling. Borchard writes, “Never ever bequeath your authority to a person not named ‘I,’ ‘me,’ or ‘self.’ When a doctor hands you a prescription for a drug you haven’t heard of, research it before popping it into your mouth. Or when a Blockbuster Video employee insists you pay $543 to replace their copy of Finding Nemo, buy a copy at Best Buy for $9.99 and hand it to him with a smile” (p. 151). Basically, the advice is, take responsibility for your own actions and feelings.
Fourth, I loved the broad range of sources she has read, absorbed, and quoted from. Some she mentions include The Little Prince, We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love, Touching Peace, The Four Agreements, Finding the Deep River Within, Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be, Cutting Loose, Ten Days to Self-Esteem, Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom , What Happy People Know, and The Addictive Personality to name some of them.
Overall I found her Catholic upbringing acceptable. Although it shows up occasionally throughout her 144 entries, it is neither intrusive nor cumbersome. For some, knowing this may encourage them to read the book. Many would already know this from reading her daily blog “Beyond Blue.” Others may have read one of her previous books, I Like Being Catholic. This is not a religious book, and it is not necessary to be a religious person (Christian, Jew, Muslim, or other) to gain from her insights.
Not being mentally ill, mentally unstable, or mentally compromised in any way (that I know about!), and having never visited a therapist, I want to share an insight from DS, whose review on Amazon.com, gives a perspective I cannot: “As someone who has spent thousands of dollars on therapy, partial and full psychiatric hospitalization programs, and who takes the time to self-educate, I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. The advice is practical and graciously compassionate to the ups and downs of managing mental illness like bi-polar and uni-polar depression. The reader will benefit from Ms. Borchard's brave review of her own ‘Ark of the Covenant’: her bin of journals, notes, and therapy worksheets covering the last twelve years.”
I think you will find this book interesting, useful, and . . . short.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: The pocket therapist: An emotional survival
kit
Monday, July 18, 2011
Paradise beneath her feet: How women are transforming the middle east
By Isobel Coleman
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
From the back flyleaf: “Isobel Coleman is a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she also directs the council’s Women and Foreign Policy program.” From one of the reviews (this one by Jeanette) at Amazon.com: “This book is the result of nearly a decade of travel, study, interviews, and writing about women in the Middle East.”
Talk about convincing! Wow. Coleman offers direct (sometimes anecdotal, much more often statistical) evidence to prove the value of giving money to women (not men), and educating women (along with men). Here, she writes about educating women: “Due to the central role women play in the domestic sphere, increasing a mother’s schooling has a larger positive impact on the next generation than does adding to a father’s schooling by the same number of years” (p. 19). The direct, positive correlation between a country’s openness to educating women and that country’s rise from poverty is clear and well established.
I thought Coleman’s comments about promoting women to government positions as a way to counter extremism was insightful and accurate. (Isn’t it interesting that in America (between 1848 and 1920) “conservative Christians sustained a consistent rhetoric that giving women rights was against the teachings of the Bible, and would undermine the family” (p. 27), and as recently as 2010: “The Vatican today [July 15, 2010] made the ‘attempted ordination’ of women one of the gravest crimes under church law, putting it in the same category as clerical sex abuse of minors, heresy and schism.” Can you believe it? Islam doesn’t even allow men and women to pray together (p. 33).)
The key sentence of the book, and the point Coleman makes throughout her interviews and observations is this: “Islamists are trying to impose their restrictions on women . . . at a time when globalization and modernization are working in the other direction by inexorably expanding female opportunities” (p. 53). Of course, her approach is much broader than this, and her research, interviews, and specifics about life for women in the Mideast cover a far wider range, too.
There are five countries which Coleman profiles regarding women’s rights: Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Her writing is clear and easily digestible, her insights and observations are well-described and specific, and the anecdotes and stories are engaging and revealing. Reading the profile she offers on each country is heart-stopping, breath-taking, and mind-bending — especially if you have never traveled in these countries or have little familiarity with various ways-of-life around the world. It is hard to believe that countries could be this backward, regressive, and wrong-footed. (In Afghanistan, a deeply conservative country, Coleman writes about it today: “The resurgent threat of the Taliban looms largest over the country’s women.”)
Incidentally, the stories Coleman tells throughout the book alone, will not just hold your attention, they will rivet you to your seat.
Look at what Coleman reports about Saudi Arabia: “Saudi Arabia is a country of contrasts, no more so than with respect to women. Saudi women are internationally recognized doctors. They are prominent businesswomen running global companies. They are Ph.D. economists and scientists. They are deans of colleges and heads of university departments. They are journalists and newscasters. Yet none of these women can drive in their home country or vote in a local election. Saudi women enjoy fewer legal rights than women in any other country in the world today” (p. 205). Did you know that? These are the kinds of facts that you will learn from reading Coleman’s book.
Of course, Coleman goes much further than simply giving informational profiles of each country and how they treat their women. Her emphasis is about how women are working to change their repressive environments. What organizations are they forming? How are they using their academic, professional, and economic successes to break down their country’s pervasive discriminatory policies and social attitudes? In what ways are they experiencing political success and where are women’s reform efforts paying off? This is the driving force of this book, and, too, it is what gives Coleman’s writing energy and vigor.
I don’t know whether you can tell it or not, but I loved this book. One reviewer on Amazon.com writes: “Well-researched, well-written, and incredibly informative book by Coleman on Islamic feminism in the greater Middle East.” I couldn’t agree more.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: Paradise beneath her feet: How women are transforming the middle east
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
From the back flyleaf: “Isobel Coleman is a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she also directs the council’s Women and Foreign Policy program.” From one of the reviews (this one by Jeanette) at Amazon.com: “This book is the result of nearly a decade of travel, study, interviews, and writing about women in the Middle East.”
Talk about convincing! Wow. Coleman offers direct (sometimes anecdotal, much more often statistical) evidence to prove the value of giving money to women (not men), and educating women (along with men). Here, she writes about educating women: “Due to the central role women play in the domestic sphere, increasing a mother’s schooling has a larger positive impact on the next generation than does adding to a father’s schooling by the same number of years” (p. 19). The direct, positive correlation between a country’s openness to educating women and that country’s rise from poverty is clear and well established.
I thought Coleman’s comments about promoting women to government positions as a way to counter extremism was insightful and accurate. (Isn’t it interesting that in America (between 1848 and 1920) “conservative Christians sustained a consistent rhetoric that giving women rights was against the teachings of the Bible, and would undermine the family” (p. 27), and as recently as 2010: “The Vatican today [July 15, 2010] made the ‘attempted ordination’ of women one of the gravest crimes under church law, putting it in the same category as clerical sex abuse of minors, heresy and schism.” Can you believe it? Islam doesn’t even allow men and women to pray together (p. 33).)
The key sentence of the book, and the point Coleman makes throughout her interviews and observations is this: “Islamists are trying to impose their restrictions on women . . . at a time when globalization and modernization are working in the other direction by inexorably expanding female opportunities” (p. 53). Of course, her approach is much broader than this, and her research, interviews, and specifics about life for women in the Mideast cover a far wider range, too.
There are five countries which Coleman profiles regarding women’s rights: Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Her writing is clear and easily digestible, her insights and observations are well-described and specific, and the anecdotes and stories are engaging and revealing. Reading the profile she offers on each country is heart-stopping, breath-taking, and mind-bending — especially if you have never traveled in these countries or have little familiarity with various ways-of-life around the world. It is hard to believe that countries could be this backward, regressive, and wrong-footed. (In Afghanistan, a deeply conservative country, Coleman writes about it today: “The resurgent threat of the Taliban looms largest over the country’s women.”)
Incidentally, the stories Coleman tells throughout the book alone, will not just hold your attention, they will rivet you to your seat.
Look at what Coleman reports about Saudi Arabia: “Saudi Arabia is a country of contrasts, no more so than with respect to women. Saudi women are internationally recognized doctors. They are prominent businesswomen running global companies. They are Ph.D. economists and scientists. They are deans of colleges and heads of university departments. They are journalists and newscasters. Yet none of these women can drive in their home country or vote in a local election. Saudi women enjoy fewer legal rights than women in any other country in the world today” (p. 205). Did you know that? These are the kinds of facts that you will learn from reading Coleman’s book.
Of course, Coleman goes much further than simply giving informational profiles of each country and how they treat their women. Her emphasis is about how women are working to change their repressive environments. What organizations are they forming? How are they using their academic, professional, and economic successes to break down their country’s pervasive discriminatory policies and social attitudes? In what ways are they experiencing political success and where are women’s reform efforts paying off? This is the driving force of this book, and, too, it is what gives Coleman’s writing energy and vigor.
I don’t know whether you can tell it or not, but I loved this book. One reviewer on Amazon.com writes: “Well-researched, well-written, and incredibly informative book by Coleman on Islamic feminism in the greater Middle East.” I couldn’t agree more.
This book can be found at Amazon.com: Paradise beneath her feet: How women are transforming the middle east
Monday, July 11, 2011
A game of character: A family journey from Chicago's Aouthside to the ivy league and beyond
By Craig Robinson with Mim Eichler Rivas
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
If you’re just looking for a book of inspiration — searching for love, seeking discipline, establishing respect, living with conviction, being relentless, revealing passion — this would be a good choice.
If the book you want to read would be one about parental influence — that is, how parents can positively affect one’s life, and the imprint parents can leave on their children and their children’s values — this would be a good choice.
If, instead, you want a book about character — how a single person with strong motivation and unbelievable conviction — not only can influence others, but in special, well-orchestrated ways does influence those around him — this would be a good choice.
This is a well-written book in which Robinson derives important lessons from the way he was raised, the influences of both his parents, and the various guides and suggestions from his environment (teachers, professors, other coaches, co-players, kids he coached, and mentors) that he shares with his readers.
However, if you want a book that gives insight into the character of both Michelle Obama or Barack Obama, then this becomes an even more enjoyable and insightful choice. For example, I found fascinating the way Craig and his sister, Michelle, went about vetting Barack — determining whether or not he would be a suitable suitor. The insights Craig derived from the way Barack played a “pick-up” basketball game were both delightful and telling.
It was great fun reading about how Michelle (Craig calls her Miche) LaVaughn Robinson met Barack (while he was interning at the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago). Craig writes of Miche’s interest: “But before that evening when we first met him, apparently Barack almost blew it by asking her out that first summer when he worked for her as an intern. Big mistake! When I heard about that, I had little hope for the guy. Michelle turned him down, adamantly. While I didn’t get the transcript of what she said, I can assure you that when my sister is adamant about something, there is no negotiating to follow” (p. 149). There is much more on this, but this gives you an idea of how much insight and information Craig shares — and how he uses examples from his life to draw lessons. In this case it was how the types of choices we make reveal character.
It was even more fun reading about Sasha as the flower-girl at Craig’s wedding, how she was coached, and then how she performed — dropping one petal at a time “with thoughtful strategy and purpose” (p. 184). Delightful stuff.
How Michelle delivered the “best-man toast” at the reception was also insightful. When she became choked-up, Barack “rose from his seat and went to stand next to her,” and how “I [Craig] went to stand on the other side of my sister—but I was more emotional than the two of them. And by the time Michelle was done, everybody in the place was crying like a baby” (p. 186).
The way Barack introduced the idea of running for the presidency, how he bounced the idea off Craig, and how Barack “asked if I [Craig] minded talking to Michelle about how this window of opportunity might not ever be available again . . .” (p. 189), is truly fascinating history. What Craig experienced emotionally before confronting Miche and his mother about Barack’s intentions was interesting, and how he prepared for both meetings was eye-opening to say the least (pp. 189-192).
Craig offers insider information about the planning and running of the campaign for the presidency and the role he was asked and came to play in the campaign. He talks about the importance that the interactive Web site played in the campaign and how “the game plan developed by Barack with his closest strategists (David Axelrod and David Plouffe) hinged on changing the game of politics as usual” (p. 198). There is no one else who can provide these insights, observations, and responses. What the Obama campaign asked of Craig Robinson was really “above his pay grade,” but how he responded, prepared, and delivered is information you will not find elsewhere.
I thought what Craig writes about the campaign’s response to the “out-and-out-lies being reported as fact” was exceptional information: “Indeed, Barack, Michelle, and all of the Obama fr President staff would stay up above the fray and not get into the mud-slinging. In the general election, that quality of character — keeping your cool and having the right temperament — would help win the day. Barack’s natural ability to remain calm and focused on the problem at hand — ‘No Drama Obama’ — thus made him the leader that America needed at a time of grave uncertainties. It’s one of his attributes that continues to amaze me [Craig], and I know him pretty well” (p. 209).
Sure, the book is about Craig, about basketball, and about character, but this book is amazing on a number of different levels. At just 256 pages, it is well worth the read!
This book can be found at Amazon.com: A game of character: A family journey from Chicago’s southside to the ivy league and beyond
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
If you’re just looking for a book of inspiration — searching for love, seeking discipline, establishing respect, living with conviction, being relentless, revealing passion — this would be a good choice.
If the book you want to read would be one about parental influence — that is, how parents can positively affect one’s life, and the imprint parents can leave on their children and their children’s values — this would be a good choice.
If, instead, you want a book about character — how a single person with strong motivation and unbelievable conviction — not only can influence others, but in special, well-orchestrated ways does influence those around him — this would be a good choice.
This is a well-written book in which Robinson derives important lessons from the way he was raised, the influences of both his parents, and the various guides and suggestions from his environment (teachers, professors, other coaches, co-players, kids he coached, and mentors) that he shares with his readers.
However, if you want a book that gives insight into the character of both Michelle Obama or Barack Obama, then this becomes an even more enjoyable and insightful choice. For example, I found fascinating the way Craig and his sister, Michelle, went about vetting Barack — determining whether or not he would be a suitable suitor. The insights Craig derived from the way Barack played a “pick-up” basketball game were both delightful and telling.
It was great fun reading about how Michelle (Craig calls her Miche) LaVaughn Robinson met Barack (while he was interning at the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago). Craig writes of Miche’s interest: “But before that evening when we first met him, apparently Barack almost blew it by asking her out that first summer when he worked for her as an intern. Big mistake! When I heard about that, I had little hope for the guy. Michelle turned him down, adamantly. While I didn’t get the transcript of what she said, I can assure you that when my sister is adamant about something, there is no negotiating to follow” (p. 149). There is much more on this, but this gives you an idea of how much insight and information Craig shares — and how he uses examples from his life to draw lessons. In this case it was how the types of choices we make reveal character.
It was even more fun reading about Sasha as the flower-girl at Craig’s wedding, how she was coached, and then how she performed — dropping one petal at a time “with thoughtful strategy and purpose” (p. 184). Delightful stuff.
How Michelle delivered the “best-man toast” at the reception was also insightful. When she became choked-up, Barack “rose from his seat and went to stand next to her,” and how “I [Craig] went to stand on the other side of my sister—but I was more emotional than the two of them. And by the time Michelle was done, everybody in the place was crying like a baby” (p. 186).
The way Barack introduced the idea of running for the presidency, how he bounced the idea off Craig, and how Barack “asked if I [Craig] minded talking to Michelle about how this window of opportunity might not ever be available again . . .” (p. 189), is truly fascinating history. What Craig experienced emotionally before confronting Miche and his mother about Barack’s intentions was interesting, and how he prepared for both meetings was eye-opening to say the least (pp. 189-192).
Craig offers insider information about the planning and running of the campaign for the presidency and the role he was asked and came to play in the campaign. He talks about the importance that the interactive Web site played in the campaign and how “the game plan developed by Barack with his closest strategists (David Axelrod and David Plouffe) hinged on changing the game of politics as usual” (p. 198). There is no one else who can provide these insights, observations, and responses. What the Obama campaign asked of Craig Robinson was really “above his pay grade,” but how he responded, prepared, and delivered is information you will not find elsewhere.
I thought what Craig writes about the campaign’s response to the “out-and-out-lies being reported as fact” was exceptional information: “Indeed, Barack, Michelle, and all of the Obama fr President staff would stay up above the fray and not get into the mud-slinging. In the general election, that quality of character — keeping your cool and having the right temperament — would help win the day. Barack’s natural ability to remain calm and focused on the problem at hand — ‘No Drama Obama’ — thus made him the leader that America needed at a time of grave uncertainties. It’s one of his attributes that continues to amaze me [Craig], and I know him pretty well” (p. 209).
Sure, the book is about Craig, about basketball, and about character, but this book is amazing on a number of different levels. At just 256 pages, it is well worth the read!
This book can be found at Amazon.com: A game of character: A family journey from Chicago’s southside to the ivy league and beyond
Monday, June 27, 2011
Switch: How to change things when change is hard
Switch: How to change things when change is hard
By Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I loved the Heath’s first book, Made to Stick, and I used the illustration I found in their book (about tapping out the beat of a song like “Jingle Bells” and then predicting the accuracy of getting another person to know what song was being conveyed by just the beat alone) in a speech I gave as well as in the revision of my textbook. That book is well written, and it is, indeed, what prompted me to review their new book, Switch. (The illustration is a great example of what it requires for speakers to know that they are accurately and precisely conveying their ideas to audience members.)
You can sometimes gauge the substance, depth, or seriousness of a book by the resources on which the author(s) depend in their writing. In this 264-page book, there are about 24 pages of notes, and the resources appear well-selected, academic, and thorough. Impressive!
“Chip Heath [from the back flyleaf of the book] is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University,” and “Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). Previously, he was a researcher and case writer at Harvard Business School.”
The book depends for its basis on this fact: “. . . the brain has two independent systems at work at all times. First, there’s what we called the emotional side. It’s the part of you that is instinctive, that feels pain and pleasure. Second, there’s the rational side, also known as the reflective or conscious system. It’s the part of you that deliberates and analyzes and looks into the future” (p. 6).
The Heaths go on to borrow from Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Happiness Hypothesis in which “Haidt says that our emotional side is an Elephant and our rational side is its Rider. Perched atop the Elephant, the Rider holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the Rider’s control is precarious because the Rider is so small relative to the Elephant. Anytime the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose. He’s completely overmatched” (p. 7).
With all that information offered, the Heaths now draw their conclusion regarding change: “If you want to change things, you’ve got to appeal to both. The Rider provides the planning and direction, and the Elephant provides the energy. So if you reach the Riders of your team but not the Elephants, team members will have understanding without motivation. If you reach their Elephants but not their Riders, they’ll have passion without direction. In both cases, the flaws can be paralyzing. A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure that nothing changes. But when Elephants and Riders move together, change can come easily” (p. 8).
The three-part framework the Heaths suggest that can guide readers in any situation includes 1) directing the rider (give the rider crystal-clear direction), 2) motivating the elephant (get it on the path and cooperating by engaging its emotional side), and 3) shape the path (make change more likely, no matter what’s happening with the Rider and Elephant). (See pages 17-18.)
This is a well-written book full of engaging stories that are drawn directly from the research. Through the stories and the way the book is organized, the Heaths don’t just draw you in and along, they continually show you what it (the stories and research and insights) mean to you. It is their conversational style, their lack of academic pretension, their ability to distill and make immediate and useful the results of scores of studies, that make this an enjoyable book to read — and for those seriously interested in change, or how to change business, how to make changes in your own behavior, or, even how to make changes in the world, their suggestions hold water.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Switch: How to change things when change is hard
By Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I loved the Heath’s first book, Made to Stick, and I used the illustration I found in their book (about tapping out the beat of a song like “Jingle Bells” and then predicting the accuracy of getting another person to know what song was being conveyed by just the beat alone) in a speech I gave as well as in the revision of my textbook. That book is well written, and it is, indeed, what prompted me to review their new book, Switch. (The illustration is a great example of what it requires for speakers to know that they are accurately and precisely conveying their ideas to audience members.)
You can sometimes gauge the substance, depth, or seriousness of a book by the resources on which the author(s) depend in their writing. In this 264-page book, there are about 24 pages of notes, and the resources appear well-selected, academic, and thorough. Impressive!
“Chip Heath [from the back flyleaf of the book] is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University,” and “Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). Previously, he was a researcher and case writer at Harvard Business School.”
The book depends for its basis on this fact: “. . . the brain has two independent systems at work at all times. First, there’s what we called the emotional side. It’s the part of you that is instinctive, that feels pain and pleasure. Second, there’s the rational side, also known as the reflective or conscious system. It’s the part of you that deliberates and analyzes and looks into the future” (p. 6).
The Heaths go on to borrow from Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Happiness Hypothesis in which “Haidt says that our emotional side is an Elephant and our rational side is its Rider. Perched atop the Elephant, the Rider holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the Rider’s control is precarious because the Rider is so small relative to the Elephant. Anytime the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose. He’s completely overmatched” (p. 7).
With all that information offered, the Heaths now draw their conclusion regarding change: “If you want to change things, you’ve got to appeal to both. The Rider provides the planning and direction, and the Elephant provides the energy. So if you reach the Riders of your team but not the Elephants, team members will have understanding without motivation. If you reach their Elephants but not their Riders, they’ll have passion without direction. In both cases, the flaws can be paralyzing. A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure that nothing changes. But when Elephants and Riders move together, change can come easily” (p. 8).
The three-part framework the Heaths suggest that can guide readers in any situation includes 1) directing the rider (give the rider crystal-clear direction), 2) motivating the elephant (get it on the path and cooperating by engaging its emotional side), and 3) shape the path (make change more likely, no matter what’s happening with the Rider and Elephant). (See pages 17-18.)
This is a well-written book full of engaging stories that are drawn directly from the research. Through the stories and the way the book is organized, the Heaths don’t just draw you in and along, they continually show you what it (the stories and research and insights) mean to you. It is their conversational style, their lack of academic pretension, their ability to distill and make immediate and useful the results of scores of studies, that make this an enjoyable book to read — and for those seriously interested in change, or how to change business, how to make changes in your own behavior, or, even how to make changes in the world, their suggestions hold water.
This book is available at Amazon.com: Switch: How to change things when change is hard
Monday, June 6, 2011
The facebook effect-The inside story of the company that is connecting the world
The facebook effect-The inside story of the company that is connecting the world
By David Kirkpatrick
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
If you want to know every detail about how Facebook began, how it evolved, and why it is the entity that it is today, then this is the book for you. Some readers will love the minutia; other readers will want less — in the end it is a terrific story told in an interesting and engaging manner. (There are 13 pages of notes. Having lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, for six years, footnote #207 refers to Amherst Regional High School and an article in the Amherst Bulletin from 2009, which the author found online.)
If you are “a budding internet startup entrepreneur” then you must read this book first. It will give you so much essential information for setting up a website and establishing it as a “presence” in the cyberworld, you will not believe it.
Andre L. Charoo of San Francisco, a reviewer of the book at Amazon.com writes that the book includes “details such as:
- how Facebook gained so much traffic early on
- how they scaled the site school by school
- the major decisions Mark and his team grappled with at every stage
- the strategy and thought process that went through Zuckerberg's mind
- how they raised their first dollar of investment
- what sort of information did they pitch their first professional investors
- etc...”
The reviews for the book are outstanding. David Ford "Dave Ford Does Earth,” from New York writes: “I saw David speak at a Digital Breakfast in New York City a few weeks ago and afterwards decided to buy his book. 10 days later I finished the book and have such a better idea of how Facebook came to be, where they are now, and where they are going in the future. His unprecedented access to Facebook insiders give a distinct and different perception of what happened and happens behind the walls at Facebook.
“Unlike many other books about Facebook, Zuckerberg is not painted as the villain. Instead, you get a sense of the tremendous responsibility this 25 year old has not only to his company, but to the world.
“My favorite parts involve the "sometimes lucky" corporate political maneuvering that allowed Zuckerberg to follow his vision, and how Facebook emerged in the middle of the battle between Google and Microsoft. I'd highly recommend this book. Its a page turner and chock full of insider knowledge about Facebook and the insiders of Silicon Valley.”
M. Clarke of Greenwich, Connecticut, sums up my feelings about this book in his short review at Amazon.com: “Kirkpatrick was for years one of Fortune's best writers, and that talent is on full display here. He assesses the often broad and complex situations around facebook deftly, in accessible and subtle ways. But it's when he lets his interview subjects speak in their own words -- from founder to current and past executives to investors -- that the book really shines. It's better than a good book, it's an important book.”
The problem with this book is that each story that Kirkpatrick tells leads to his next story, and each story is thoroughly engaging. Once you get started in this book, you won’t be able to put it down. It’s that good.
This book is available at Amazon.com: The facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world
By David Kirkpatrick
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
If you want to know every detail about how Facebook began, how it evolved, and why it is the entity that it is today, then this is the book for you. Some readers will love the minutia; other readers will want less — in the end it is a terrific story told in an interesting and engaging manner. (There are 13 pages of notes. Having lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, for six years, footnote #207 refers to Amherst Regional High School and an article in the Amherst Bulletin from 2009, which the author found online.)
If you are “a budding internet startup entrepreneur” then you must read this book first. It will give you so much essential information for setting up a website and establishing it as a “presence” in the cyberworld, you will not believe it.
Andre L. Charoo of San Francisco, a reviewer of the book at Amazon.com writes that the book includes “details such as:
- how Facebook gained so much traffic early on
- how they scaled the site school by school
- the major decisions Mark and his team grappled with at every stage
- the strategy and thought process that went through Zuckerberg's mind
- how they raised their first dollar of investment
- what sort of information did they pitch their first professional investors
- etc...”
The reviews for the book are outstanding. David Ford "Dave Ford Does Earth,” from New York writes: “I saw David speak at a Digital Breakfast in New York City a few weeks ago and afterwards decided to buy his book. 10 days later I finished the book and have such a better idea of how Facebook came to be, where they are now, and where they are going in the future. His unprecedented access to Facebook insiders give a distinct and different perception of what happened and happens behind the walls at Facebook.
“Unlike many other books about Facebook, Zuckerberg is not painted as the villain. Instead, you get a sense of the tremendous responsibility this 25 year old has not only to his company, but to the world.
“My favorite parts involve the "sometimes lucky" corporate political maneuvering that allowed Zuckerberg to follow his vision, and how Facebook emerged in the middle of the battle between Google and Microsoft. I'd highly recommend this book. Its a page turner and chock full of insider knowledge about Facebook and the insiders of Silicon Valley.”
M. Clarke of Greenwich, Connecticut, sums up my feelings about this book in his short review at Amazon.com: “Kirkpatrick was for years one of Fortune's best writers, and that talent is on full display here. He assesses the often broad and complex situations around facebook deftly, in accessible and subtle ways. But it's when he lets his interview subjects speak in their own words -- from founder to current and past executives to investors -- that the book really shines. It's better than a good book, it's an important book.”
The problem with this book is that each story that Kirkpatrick tells leads to his next story, and each story is thoroughly engaging. Once you get started in this book, you won’t be able to put it down. It’s that good.
This book is available at Amazon.com: The facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world
Monday, May 30, 2011
Click: The magic of instant connections
Click: The magic of instant connections
By Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
The stories the Brafmans tell, the conversational language used, and the effective way they incorporate research findings and studies, make this a compelling read. The only problem I see is that some readers may find that much of what they write about is common sense. That doesn’t discredit the information nor does it detract from the quality or worth of the book; most people need to have this kind of substance to reinforce and underscore what they already know and practice. There is nothing wrong with material that shores up and bolsters us in the ways we think and behave.
Having written a best-selling college textbook on interpersonal communication (my book, Understanding Interpersonal Communication, went through 7 editions), I can tell you that the information the Brafman’s offer is “right on.” What the Brafmans add to any material on the subject is numerous examples that bring the information to life and add power and zeal to it.
If you’re just looking for an interesting, short (192-pages), and useful book that will occupy you for a couple of hours, this is a good selection. You’ll lose nothing but a couple of hours, and it may be that you will have your behavior reinforced, your skill sets enhanced, and your overall ability to connect with others strengthened. Nothing wrong with that!
This book is available at Amazon.com: Click: The magic of instant connections
By Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
The stories the Brafmans tell, the conversational language used, and the effective way they incorporate research findings and studies, make this a compelling read. The only problem I see is that some readers may find that much of what they write about is common sense. That doesn’t discredit the information nor does it detract from the quality or worth of the book; most people need to have this kind of substance to reinforce and underscore what they already know and practice. There is nothing wrong with material that shores up and bolsters us in the ways we think and behave.
Having written a best-selling college textbook on interpersonal communication (my book, Understanding Interpersonal Communication, went through 7 editions), I can tell you that the information the Brafman’s offer is “right on.” What the Brafmans add to any material on the subject is numerous examples that bring the information to life and add power and zeal to it.
If you’re just looking for an interesting, short (192-pages), and useful book that will occupy you for a couple of hours, this is a good selection. You’ll lose nothing but a couple of hours, and it may be that you will have your behavior reinforced, your skill sets enhanced, and your overall ability to connect with others strengthened. Nothing wrong with that!
This book is available at Amazon.com: Click: The magic of instant connections
Monday, May 23, 2011
Well Being: The Five Essential Elements
Well Being: The Five Essential Elements
By Tom Rath and Jim Harter
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I like this book for many reasons. Here are ten. First, it underscores and encourages all of the activities and behaviors that I support — and have supported in my essays. This book could easily have been titled: IMPROVING YOUR LIFE AND THEN SOME!!!
Second, it is supported by great evidence. The Gallup organization studied people in more than 150 countries. “Rath has been with Gallup for 14 years and currently leads Gallup’s workplace research and leadership consulting around the world” (from the back flyleaf). Rath has degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania — all Big Ten!!!! (With tongue squarely in my cheek, there needs to be no other reason, of course, than the fact he is a U of M graduate!!!!)
Harter joined Gallup in 1985 and has a Ph.D. in psychological and cultural studies from the University of Nebraska. Both are insiders in the Gallup organization and with their background and experience not just in polling but in interpreting of polling results, they are clearly experts who can depended upon for their credibility and expertise.
Third, it is written in a comfortable, easy, conversational style which makes reading it both pleasant and fast. The book is already small (5 1/2-inches by 8 1/4-inches), and they have chosen to print each line almost double-spaced from each other. This puts only 24-25 lines on a page in the essential first five chapters.
Fourth, it is practical. Look, for example, at this excerpt from the chapter on “Physical Wellbeing”: “As you walk through a grocery store, one simple way to sort through what foods are best is to look for fruits and vegetables that have darker tones of red, green, and blue. Look for reds in apples, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, red peppers, radishes, chili peppers, and pomegranates. Healthy greens include broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, spinach, sprouts, lettuce, arugula, collard greens, kale, or Swiss chard. Blue tones include blueberries, blackberries, cabbage, and grapes” (p. 77).
As you can see from the quoted material above, there aren’t any stunning or surprising findings and outcomes IF you already do all the right things in your life. The authors simply underscore and encourage you in the same directions. It’s a little like having a parental voice on your shoulder telling you — in all the right areas — to continue doing what you’re doing because you’re doing a good job! (If you’re unhealthy and NOT doing the right things: read this book!)
Fifth, I like the authors’ choice to focus on the five main areas (discovered by distilling the results of their worldwide survey): 1) career wellbeing, 2) social wellbeing, 3) financial wellbeing, 4) physical wellbeing, and 5) community wellbeing. These, and I’m quoting from the front flyleaf here, “five universal, interconnected elements that shape our lives.” The chapters are arranged in their order of importance for the average person they surveyed.
Sixth, at the end of each of the five opening chapters (covering the universal, interconnected elements listed above), the authors offer “Three Recommendations for Boosting . . . “ that type of wellbeing. These are simply summaries of what the authors discuss within the chapter, but they serve as excellent summaries and reminders.
Seventh, at the end of the five opening chapters, and after several pages of concluding remarks — which take a total of 112-pages only — the authors offer “Additional Tools and Resources.” This is where you will find all the charts, graphs, and statistical results (along with discussion), and I have to admit that most people may not want to read all of this information (about 109 pages of information), but it is fascinating and well-presented. Incidentally, the technical area of the book is written in a smaller font, and the lines are closer together. (It is clear the authors were aware of which part of the book would get read!)
Eighth, I like the fact that the authors have refrained from including “cute little stories” that capture reader attention and cater to “the least common denominator” in reader knowledge and understanding. They aren’t necessary in this book. Instead, the authors talk directly to the reader — or use the third person: “A recent experiment revealed that just 20 minutes of exercise could improve our mood for several hours after we finish working out” (p. 78)” or, “It might seem counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to combat fatigue is by exercising” (p. 79).
Ninth, the paragraphs are short, and the sections are short as well. You can read through and gain the essential information of this book in just over an hour or so. The material is so valuable, the advice so important, and the ideas so critical to boosting your wellbeing that it needs to be short and to the point. It is.
Tenth, the results from reading this book work! Yes, you may have a better understanding of what makes life worthwhile (from the front flyleaf), but the important result is that if you follow the instructions, absorb the information, and incorporate it into your daily life, there is no question that you will be a better person. Not only that, but your friends, family members, colleagues, and others with whom you associate will notice the results.
Buy this book!
This book is available at Amazon.com: Well Being: The Five Essential Elements
By Tom Rath and Jim Harter
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
I like this book for many reasons. Here are ten. First, it underscores and encourages all of the activities and behaviors that I support — and have supported in my essays. This book could easily have been titled: IMPROVING YOUR LIFE AND THEN SOME!!!
Second, it is supported by great evidence. The Gallup organization studied people in more than 150 countries. “Rath has been with Gallup for 14 years and currently leads Gallup’s workplace research and leadership consulting around the world” (from the back flyleaf). Rath has degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania — all Big Ten!!!! (With tongue squarely in my cheek, there needs to be no other reason, of course, than the fact he is a U of M graduate!!!!)
Harter joined Gallup in 1985 and has a Ph.D. in psychological and cultural studies from the University of Nebraska. Both are insiders in the Gallup organization and with their background and experience not just in polling but in interpreting of polling results, they are clearly experts who can depended upon for their credibility and expertise.
Third, it is written in a comfortable, easy, conversational style which makes reading it both pleasant and fast. The book is already small (5 1/2-inches by 8 1/4-inches), and they have chosen to print each line almost double-spaced from each other. This puts only 24-25 lines on a page in the essential first five chapters.
Fourth, it is practical. Look, for example, at this excerpt from the chapter on “Physical Wellbeing”: “As you walk through a grocery store, one simple way to sort through what foods are best is to look for fruits and vegetables that have darker tones of red, green, and blue. Look for reds in apples, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, red peppers, radishes, chili peppers, and pomegranates. Healthy greens include broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, spinach, sprouts, lettuce, arugula, collard greens, kale, or Swiss chard. Blue tones include blueberries, blackberries, cabbage, and grapes” (p. 77).
As you can see from the quoted material above, there aren’t any stunning or surprising findings and outcomes IF you already do all the right things in your life. The authors simply underscore and encourage you in the same directions. It’s a little like having a parental voice on your shoulder telling you — in all the right areas — to continue doing what you’re doing because you’re doing a good job! (If you’re unhealthy and NOT doing the right things: read this book!)
Fifth, I like the authors’ choice to focus on the five main areas (discovered by distilling the results of their worldwide survey): 1) career wellbeing, 2) social wellbeing, 3) financial wellbeing, 4) physical wellbeing, and 5) community wellbeing. These, and I’m quoting from the front flyleaf here, “five universal, interconnected elements that shape our lives.” The chapters are arranged in their order of importance for the average person they surveyed.
Sixth, at the end of each of the five opening chapters (covering the universal, interconnected elements listed above), the authors offer “Three Recommendations for Boosting . . . “ that type of wellbeing. These are simply summaries of what the authors discuss within the chapter, but they serve as excellent summaries and reminders.
Seventh, at the end of the five opening chapters, and after several pages of concluding remarks — which take a total of 112-pages only — the authors offer “Additional Tools and Resources.” This is where you will find all the charts, graphs, and statistical results (along with discussion), and I have to admit that most people may not want to read all of this information (about 109 pages of information), but it is fascinating and well-presented. Incidentally, the technical area of the book is written in a smaller font, and the lines are closer together. (It is clear the authors were aware of which part of the book would get read!)
Eighth, I like the fact that the authors have refrained from including “cute little stories” that capture reader attention and cater to “the least common denominator” in reader knowledge and understanding. They aren’t necessary in this book. Instead, the authors talk directly to the reader — or use the third person: “A recent experiment revealed that just 20 minutes of exercise could improve our mood for several hours after we finish working out” (p. 78)” or, “It might seem counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to combat fatigue is by exercising” (p. 79).
Ninth, the paragraphs are short, and the sections are short as well. You can read through and gain the essential information of this book in just over an hour or so. The material is so valuable, the advice so important, and the ideas so critical to boosting your wellbeing that it needs to be short and to the point. It is.
Tenth, the results from reading this book work! Yes, you may have a better understanding of what makes life worthwhile (from the front flyleaf), but the important result is that if you follow the instructions, absorb the information, and incorporate it into your daily life, there is no question that you will be a better person. Not only that, but your friends, family members, colleagues, and others with whom you associate will notice the results.
Buy this book!
This book is available at Amazon.com: Well Being: The Five Essential Elements
Monday, May 9, 2011
A life of being, having, and doing enough
A life of being, having, and doing enough
By Wayne Muller
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
The author writes: “What, then, can we do? We begin by listening, paying attention, gradually uncovering our own clarity and wisdom. If we are to learn to trust that inner knowing and rely upon the authority of our deepest heart’s intuition, this is where we must begin. For the voices of the world are loud, they are legion, and they are growing exponentially. These outer voices each have their most decidedly necessary prescription for our lives. Each screams louder than the next, insisting we listen to what they [sic] say, what we should need, want, buy, and do, to have a life of enough” (p. 8).
“Wayne Muller,” it explains on the back flyleaf,”is a Santa Fe-based therapist, public speaker, minister, and bestselling author. His previous books include Legacy of the Heart; How, Then, Shall We Life?; Sabbath; and Learning to Pray. He is the founder of Bread for the Journey, a nonprofit organization that supports community organizing and neighborhood philanthropy.” I mention this simply because you would expect this book to be a religious one. The author, however, responds: “I have no concern whether one is religious or not, whether one believes in heaven, or hell, or penance for indulging in these sins. . .” (p. 15).
Later in this same early chapter he says, “I have no interest here in any moral argument regarding sin as a religious precept. I honor and respect any spiritual community that dedicates itself to creating a world where people’s lives matter, where they try to do more good than evil, do no harm, practice loving compassion and service to others. Indeed,” he adds, “I take this seriously enough that I answered my own personal call to graduate from theological seminary and become an ordained minister” (p. 18).
I love the many truths that you find between these covers. For example, “Let us be clear: The choices we make each day are rarely bold, weighty things that immediately, absolutely, and irreversibly eradicate the life we know and force us into a completely new, untried, and untested path for the rest of our lives. . . “ (p. 29).
Another simple truth: “If we can know with confidence and trust the source of love, the unshakable veracity of why we live and work and struggle and give, and remember always what we are living for, the choices we face each day regarding how we will choose and act and move will become vastly less complex and more simple” (p. 37).
And this comment, too, reveals the quiet, peaceful, soothing, and reassuring approach Muller takes: “In opening ourselves to the unknown, our choices may not find an authority within logic, reason, and accumulated evidence but rather in more subtle nuances of intuition, feeling, and sense. So rather than presenting themselves with bold, decided confidence, bolstered by facts and figures, our choices reveal with tender humility, in a soft, open palm. We may not know if we are choosing ‘correctly,’ but we can begin to trust from where the choice arose” (p. 43).
Now that you have a sense of how Muller writes, let me explain a number of other things about this book. The book is 239 pages long (8.1 x 5.7-inches in size) with 61 short (average 4-pages each) chapters. Each focuses on a particular story or example, and often there are additional poems to illustrate or simply expand on an idea. Occasionally, too, there are short pieces that relate to religion. For example, “This is, of course, nothing at all revolutionary or new. For ages people have described feeling guided by the Holy Spirit, following the will of God, or living in respectful obedience to the ways of the Great Spirit; others take refuge in the precepts of right speech, right mindfulness, or right action” (p. 61). There is nothing pushy here, just references and reminders and notations.
Muller concludes his chapter on “Listening,” saying, “So we begin by listening—a deep listening, with the ear of the heart, practiced among widely diverse spiritual communities. We listen for, name accurately, feel our way into, make peace with, what is, for us, for love, for life, for today, enough” (p. 149).
This is the kind of book that is best read in solitude — a place where you can meditate, contemplate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, and lose yourself in thought. It is a gentle, peaceful, soothing book that has the same effect on your mind as it has on your body. It is an absolutely wonderful collection of thoughts, stories, and ruminations, and I assure you, that if you put this book on your “must read” list, you will not be disappointed.
This book is available at Amazon.com: A life of being, having, and doing enough
By Wayne Muller
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
The author writes: “What, then, can we do? We begin by listening, paying attention, gradually uncovering our own clarity and wisdom. If we are to learn to trust that inner knowing and rely upon the authority of our deepest heart’s intuition, this is where we must begin. For the voices of the world are loud, they are legion, and they are growing exponentially. These outer voices each have their most decidedly necessary prescription for our lives. Each screams louder than the next, insisting we listen to what they [sic] say, what we should need, want, buy, and do, to have a life of enough” (p. 8).
“Wayne Muller,” it explains on the back flyleaf,”is a Santa Fe-based therapist, public speaker, minister, and bestselling author. His previous books include Legacy of the Heart; How, Then, Shall We Life?; Sabbath; and Learning to Pray. He is the founder of Bread for the Journey, a nonprofit organization that supports community organizing and neighborhood philanthropy.” I mention this simply because you would expect this book to be a religious one. The author, however, responds: “I have no concern whether one is religious or not, whether one believes in heaven, or hell, or penance for indulging in these sins. . .” (p. 15).
Later in this same early chapter he says, “I have no interest here in any moral argument regarding sin as a religious precept. I honor and respect any spiritual community that dedicates itself to creating a world where people’s lives matter, where they try to do more good than evil, do no harm, practice loving compassion and service to others. Indeed,” he adds, “I take this seriously enough that I answered my own personal call to graduate from theological seminary and become an ordained minister” (p. 18).
I love the many truths that you find between these covers. For example, “Let us be clear: The choices we make each day are rarely bold, weighty things that immediately, absolutely, and irreversibly eradicate the life we know and force us into a completely new, untried, and untested path for the rest of our lives. . . “ (p. 29).
Another simple truth: “If we can know with confidence and trust the source of love, the unshakable veracity of why we live and work and struggle and give, and remember always what we are living for, the choices we face each day regarding how we will choose and act and move will become vastly less complex and more simple” (p. 37).
And this comment, too, reveals the quiet, peaceful, soothing, and reassuring approach Muller takes: “In opening ourselves to the unknown, our choices may not find an authority within logic, reason, and accumulated evidence but rather in more subtle nuances of intuition, feeling, and sense. So rather than presenting themselves with bold, decided confidence, bolstered by facts and figures, our choices reveal with tender humility, in a soft, open palm. We may not know if we are choosing ‘correctly,’ but we can begin to trust from where the choice arose” (p. 43).
Now that you have a sense of how Muller writes, let me explain a number of other things about this book. The book is 239 pages long (8.1 x 5.7-inches in size) with 61 short (average 4-pages each) chapters. Each focuses on a particular story or example, and often there are additional poems to illustrate or simply expand on an idea. Occasionally, too, there are short pieces that relate to religion. For example, “This is, of course, nothing at all revolutionary or new. For ages people have described feeling guided by the Holy Spirit, following the will of God, or living in respectful obedience to the ways of the Great Spirit; others take refuge in the precepts of right speech, right mindfulness, or right action” (p. 61). There is nothing pushy here, just references and reminders and notations.
Muller concludes his chapter on “Listening,” saying, “So we begin by listening—a deep listening, with the ear of the heart, practiced among widely diverse spiritual communities. We listen for, name accurately, feel our way into, make peace with, what is, for us, for love, for life, for today, enough” (p. 149).
This is the kind of book that is best read in solitude — a place where you can meditate, contemplate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, and lose yourself in thought. It is a gentle, peaceful, soothing book that has the same effect on your mind as it has on your body. It is an absolutely wonderful collection of thoughts, stories, and ruminations, and I assure you, that if you put this book on your “must read” list, you will not be disappointed.
This book is available at Amazon.com: A life of being, having, and doing enough
Monday, April 25, 2011
Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America
Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America
By Peter Biskind
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
As I began reading Biskind’s book, I realized this was a period of time I lived through (the 1960's and 1970's) and thoroughly enjoyed. What is absolutely terrific about Biskind’s approach to Beatty is that he consistently and neatly ties situations to what was going on in Hollywood, the nation, and the world at the time. Thus, it is easy for readers to orient themselves as Biskind moves the story about Beatty’s life forward.
I was never a fan of Warren Beatty, but just as I follow other Hollywood stars (lightly and with a sense of humor), I followed his career because he was constantly in the news, and not only that, I enjoyed going to the movies. Also, I think the whole creative art of making movies held some fascination as well, and this is truly a book about how Hollywood movies are made.
I have to confess: I was fascinated with this book. Why? First, Biskind is a terrific writer. The content is well-organized, engaging, and examples and stories are numerous. Second, I am amazed at Biskind’s information and where he went to get his material. Yes, it is a big book: 627 pages! The index is 26 pages in length. There are 45 pages of notes—552 of them in all! His sources are outstanding. Third, Biskind tells a compelling story. He doesn’t take sides; he simply tells it like it was and you come away with a picture of Beatty as an intelligent, manipulative, shrewd, sexual, innovative, creative, perfectionistic, and complex person. What a fascinating portrayal.
Do you get a picture of his sexual prowess? Definitely! Not all the intimate details, but you definitely get the picture. Here, Biskind describes the situation: “Beatty used to say that he couldn’t get to sleep at night without having sex. It was part of his routine, like flossing. This was who he was. As the evening progressed, he would disappear with his little black book, looking for a phone. Simple arithmetic tells us that if he had no more than one partner a night — and often there were several — over a period of, say, three and a half decades, from the mid-1950s, when he arrived in New York, to 1991, when he met Annette Bening, and allowing for the stretches when he was with the same woman, more or less, we can arrive at a figure of 12,775 women, give or take, a figure that does not include daytime quickies, drive-by blowjobs, casual gropings, stolen kisses, and so on” (p. 160). . . . He begins the very next paragraph saying, “There were so many women that it’s hard to characterize his sexual preferences by how he behaved with any particular one. Different women served different purposes” (p. 160).
You shouldn’t read this book for all the titilating details of his sexual nature, for you will be disappointed. Whether you are a Beatty fan or not, here is so much more here to absorb, ponder, and enjoy. It is truly a good read and sheds so much light on the Hollywood film-making process and the professional film-making of Warren Beatty
This book is available at Amazon.com: Star: How Warren Beatty seduced America
By Peter Biskind
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
As I began reading Biskind’s book, I realized this was a period of time I lived through (the 1960's and 1970's) and thoroughly enjoyed. What is absolutely terrific about Biskind’s approach to Beatty is that he consistently and neatly ties situations to what was going on in Hollywood, the nation, and the world at the time. Thus, it is easy for readers to orient themselves as Biskind moves the story about Beatty’s life forward.
I was never a fan of Warren Beatty, but just as I follow other Hollywood stars (lightly and with a sense of humor), I followed his career because he was constantly in the news, and not only that, I enjoyed going to the movies. Also, I think the whole creative art of making movies held some fascination as well, and this is truly a book about how Hollywood movies are made.
I have to confess: I was fascinated with this book. Why? First, Biskind is a terrific writer. The content is well-organized, engaging, and examples and stories are numerous. Second, I am amazed at Biskind’s information and where he went to get his material. Yes, it is a big book: 627 pages! The index is 26 pages in length. There are 45 pages of notes—552 of them in all! His sources are outstanding. Third, Biskind tells a compelling story. He doesn’t take sides; he simply tells it like it was and you come away with a picture of Beatty as an intelligent, manipulative, shrewd, sexual, innovative, creative, perfectionistic, and complex person. What a fascinating portrayal.
Do you get a picture of his sexual prowess? Definitely! Not all the intimate details, but you definitely get the picture. Here, Biskind describes the situation: “Beatty used to say that he couldn’t get to sleep at night without having sex. It was part of his routine, like flossing. This was who he was. As the evening progressed, he would disappear with his little black book, looking for a phone. Simple arithmetic tells us that if he had no more than one partner a night — and often there were several — over a period of, say, three and a half decades, from the mid-1950s, when he arrived in New York, to 1991, when he met Annette Bening, and allowing for the stretches when he was with the same woman, more or less, we can arrive at a figure of 12,775 women, give or take, a figure that does not include daytime quickies, drive-by blowjobs, casual gropings, stolen kisses, and so on” (p. 160). . . . He begins the very next paragraph saying, “There were so many women that it’s hard to characterize his sexual preferences by how he behaved with any particular one. Different women served different purposes” (p. 160).
You shouldn’t read this book for all the titilating details of his sexual nature, for you will be disappointed. Whether you are a Beatty fan or not, here is so much more here to absorb, ponder, and enjoy. It is truly a good read and sheds so much light on the Hollywood film-making process and the professional film-making of Warren Beatty
This book is available at Amazon.com: Star: How Warren Beatty seduced America
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