Book Description
The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Timothy Egan's critically acclaimed account rescues this iconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour de force of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantly capturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, Egan does equal justice to the human characters who become his heroes, "the stoic, long-suffering men and women whose lives he opens up with urgency and respect" (New York Times). In an era that promises ever-greater natural disasters, "The Worst Hard Time" is "arguably the best nonfiction book yet" (Austin Statesman Journal) on the greatest environmental disaster ever to be visited upon our land and a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of trifling with nature.
Customer Reviews:
It's Good --- but is it National-Book-Award good?.......2007-10-16
I liked this book. For the most part.
It's an exciting account of an amazing and horrific time in the nation's history, and its descriptions of the dust storms as they came in over the prairies are absolutely terrifying--but I think it's far from the great book that it could have been.
The story, of course, is one of the great stories of American history, and will no doubt enthrall any readers unfamiliar with the 1930s Dust Bowl. But the book fails, I think, in bringing across the full scope of it all, focusing so intently on handful of towns and counties (and always forgetting to remind us what states these towns are in) that it feels like more like a gathering of a number of isolated occurrences. It also fails to provide all the facts that the story begs to contain. And it kind of peters off toward the end, as if the author just grew tired of the subject.
Is this a good book? Sure. I enjoyed it. But would I have given it the National Book Award? No. And is it the best book on the subject? No, again. I prefer the book "Dust Bowl," by Donald Worster, which I found to be much more thorough and vivid in its treatment of the subject.
Outstanding.......2007-10-10
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
This is an outstanding book! I had no idea how bad the Dust Bowl was. I was so impressed with the book that I bought a copy for each of my 3 siblings.
Unbelievable!.......2007-10-03
This book was fantastic. Although the majority of books I read are fiction, I'm not hesitant to read good non-fiction. This book was so well written that it reads like a taut novel. Along with Seabiscuit and The Devil in the White City, it is one of the best historical books I've read. Very well researched and thought out. You almost can't believe that this could have actually happened. You feel like you know the characters, and you certainly root for them even though you seemingly know how it will turn out. I would recommend this book to any avid reader - fiction or non-fiction.
Hopefully, we will learn from our past.......2007-10-02
This is an important event in US history that is so relevant today, supplying more fuel for both side of the ongoing debate on global warming.
I found it a bit difficult to stay connected to the characters. In spite of that, the story remained interesting, showing the plight and hardships endured by the generation before us, and bringing us an awareness of our fragile ecosystem.
Eye Opening and Hard to Put Down.......2007-09-25
A must read for history buffs and readers in general. Information places the midwest, its people, and past in an entirely different light of appreciation. (Absolutely Facinating)!
Book Description
The definitive and rollicking story of one of the best, and one of the wackiest, teams of all time, during one of the most vital eras in baseball.
With The Gashouse Gang, John Heidenry delivers the definitive account of one the greatest and most colorful baseball teams of all times, the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, filled with larger-than-life baseball personalities like Branch Rickey, Leo Durocher, Pepper Martin, Casey Stengel, Satchel Paige, Frankie Frisch, and--especially--the eccentric good ol' boy and great pitcher Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul.
The year 1934 marked the lowest point of the Great Depression, when the U.S. went off the gold standard, banks collapsed by the score, and millions of Americans were out of work. Epic baseball feats offered welcome relief from the hardships of daily life. The Gashouse Gang, the brilliant culmination of a dream by its general manager, Branch Rickey, the first to envision a farm system that would acquire and "educate" young players in the art of baseball, was adored by the nation, who saw itself--scruffy, proud, and unbeatable--in the Gang.
Based on original research and told in entertaining narrative style, The Gashouse Gang brings a bygone era and a cast full of vivid personalities to life and unearths a treasure trove of baseball lore that will delight any fan of the great American pastime.
Customer Reviews:
Baseball lover's only!.......2007-09-23
Baseball in times long passed was a very different game, but like today there were some really wild characters to mke the game all the more interesting. The 1934 Cardinals, "The Gashouse Gang" were an exciting, odd collection of great ball payers who played for the love of the game in a way we wish today's players did.
If you love baseball you won't be able to put this down, and even if you don't it will be too intriquing to stop reading once you start. Well written, well researched and as entertaining as anything I've read this season. Highly reccommended!
The Gashouse Gang Personalities.......2007-09-15
This book climbs to the top wrung of my baseball ladder. Rather than a statistical or play-by-play book so common in baseball pages, this features personality development of some of the wackiest players of all time. Learn that Ducky Joe should have been Mean Joe, that Leo the Lip couldn't handle relationships, or that Dizzy Dean was really Jerome or Jay or Hanna or Herman, maybe that he was from Arkansas or Oklahoma or Texas -- well, you get it.
This book captures the thrill of a season and the joy of a team effort. It really makes you think of the Oakland Athletics of the Catfish days.
Just one observation: John Heidenry missed the point of the moniker, "Gashouse Gang." He can't figure out where it came from. He even ponders how "Gas Tank" became "Gashouse." During that day, electricity was provided by manufactured gas plants, sometimes called "witch's brew." The main structure was known as the "gashouse." The working class fellows who toiled away in those dirty gashouses were known as "the gashouse gangs." They cursed, they played dirty and hilarious tricks on each other, they had great and sour dispositions -- necessary to get through the tough days, and yes, their clothes were always filthy. Sound like the beloved Gashouse Gang?
Snag this book, and you will enjoy several hours of quiet time, if you can block out your own laughter.
Me 'n' Paul.......2007-09-02
In baseball, 1934 was a year to remember, a year in which the Saint Louis Cardinals, a scruffy team of misfits and malcontents, came from almost the graveyard to win the National League pennant, and then the World Series. While we learn a tremendous amount about the Cardinals, and especially the Dean brothers, Dizzy and Paul, there are others about whom we receive thumbnail biographies. Most importantly, Branch Rickey is focused upon for much of the early part of the book, and just reading about this remarkable man is sufficient reason to study this book. Other famous players make cameo appearances: Babe Ruth, Mel Otto, Mickey Cochrane, Leo Durocher, and Pie Traynor, with whom I was once priviledged to have an extensive conversation about baseball when I was in college. I also remember listening to Dizzy on the television announcing(?) games and talking about all kinds of extraneous subjects other than the game he was supposed to be calling. Of course, Dizzy is the centerpiece of this book, and he strides through it like a colossus. He did things then that would not be tolerated by a basseball organization today, and perhaps we are the pooorer for not having men such as him (and Curt Flood)to challenge what is considered the "right" way to act as a porfessional ball player. He's gone, and so are all of those famous old-timers, and the world misses them!
Great Father's Day gift.......2007-07-12
I gave this book to my 60 year old father for Father's Day. He hasn't read a book in years but is a huge baseball fan. He loved the book and stayed up late into the night reading it. Great for a Cardinals or baseball fan!
RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "73 YEARS AFTER WINNING THE WORLD SERIES "THE GASHOUSE GANG" ST LOUIS CARDINALS HAVE A BOOK!".......2007-06-13
Before I give you the details of this book, let me save some people their valuable time, by telling you who this book would appeal to! Old School Baseball fanatics, "Baseball Historians", Saint Louis Cardinal fans. If you think the designated hitter rule is good for baseball this book isn't for you.
73 years after the famous (To the above listed people.) Saint Louis Cardinals, hereafter known as "The Gashouse Gang", won the World Series, they have had an excellent book released on their exploits and accomplishments. As a self-acclaimed baseball fanatic, some of the statistics, and idiosyncrasies, I discovered in this book about famous old time players that I already knew about, were both interesting and amusing. The author's writing style is not anything you'll remember as out of the ordinary, since so much of the meat of the book, you can tell is repeated from old newspaper articles. But the detailed, meticulous, research should be applauded. As I've mentioned in my earlier reviews, I've read literally hundreds of baseball books, and memorized half the "Encyclopedia Of Baseball" when I was 10 years old, yet I learned even more details and amusing personality "quirks" of some of the old-time stars. I of course already knew that Dizzy Dean was a great pitcher, in the Hall Of Fame, and the last National League pitcher to win 30 games. What I didn't know, but learned here, was the absolute bottom of the barrel poverty he came from in the historically famous "dust bowl"! I knew he was a "wacky" character, but I didn't know, it went to the extent of him literally being the Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, of the baseball world in the 1930's, before there was an Ali. I didn't know that Dizzy held out and boycotted games, in a demand for an increased contract, in the middle of the season. I also got to learn much more about the great Ducky Medwick, (The last National League Player to win the Triple Crown 70 years ago.) who was one of my dear departed Mother's favorite players, when he later played on the Brooklyn Dodgers. I never knew he was such a New Jersey, street fighting, chip on the shoulder, ready to fight anyone, including his own teammates, type of guy! I learned more than I ever had known about what led up to one of the biggest name trades in baseball history, Rogers Hornsby for Frankie Frisch. The detailed background on Branch Rickey, before his famous relationship with Jackie Robinson, was also expertly detailed. The almost blow by blow reporting on the 1934 World Series between the Gashouse Gang and the star studded Detroit Tigers makes you feel like you were there. I could go on and on, but like I said in my opening sentences, these facts, that are exciting and educational to me, would only be exciting to the type of people I described in my opening.
Book Description
Since its original publication in 1995, Leading with Soul has inspired thousands of readers. Far ahead of its time, the book bravely revealed the path to leadership to be a very personal journey requiring a knowledge of self and a servant-leader mentality. Now, in this new and revised edition, authors Bolman and Deal address such currrent issues as the changing nature of work, the new face of today's workforce, and the greater need for an infusion of soul in the workplace. They also include real-life stories from readers of the first edition, and answer key questions that those readers raise. As vital as ever, this revisted narrative of an executive and his quest for deeper meaning continues to point the way to a more fulfilling work experience.
Customer Reviews:
Saccharine for the Soul.......2007-07-12
First, a disclaimer -- I'm an atheist, so a book that regularly refers to concepts like "soul" and "prayer" wasn't perfect for me.
That said, as a former partner in an international management consulting firm I've had to wade through many poorly written management and advice books. Among those, this stands out for being particularly vapid. The conceit of being a work of fiction that teaches allows the authors to ignore the need for research or data. The fictional account also allows them to avoid taking any repsonsibility for presenting alternate viewpoints or expressing doubt.
Most management books have a theme that could have been confined to a ten page article, which the authors instead run out to 200 pages to make a book. In this case, the messages of "more to life than work" and "treat employees with respect" would have better been presented as a five paragraph essay.
Nice cover photo of the woods though...
leading with soul.......2007-04-07
I found this book to be very well written, useful in my career decision making.
I hope to read more books written by this arthur.
Easy Read Business Book.......2007-03-11
Leading with Soul is an easy read. But it has so much to give to the reader. It interweaves a story line of an executive in crisis with business advice rather than just telling war stories. It could be one of those business books that you read once a year. It is a living book that would continually have new insights as you live your life.
For example I participated in an on-line book study at the Work and Worship Institute, and one of the questions I answered was:
Reflect on Gandhi's words we must "become the change that we want to see in the world."
My answer: I think it is critical that leaders role model the type of behavior and values they want to see in followers. It is hard to change other people when you haven't experienced the change yourself. Also by trying to become the change our understanding of the change will we different. The group might still need to make the change but how a change is implemented or the timing of the change can be very different. I work with small businesses, it helps that I bought a business and went bankrupt as I consult with them. I have walked a difficult small business walk. I understand that new change of starting a new adventurer of a small business. I am the change because I have taken a risk.
Obviously you would answer this question differently and I would answer it differently today than I did two years ago. Enjoy this valuable book.
Leading with Soul book.......2007-02-12
I recieved the latest version of the book. The shipping was within the deadline promised. It is the latest edition of the book. The book itself is of medium quality. It is a new, unused hardback but the finish of the pages is rough. There are pages sticking out from the inside a couple centimeters and (compared with the straitness of the text)the top and bottom of the pages from left to right are uneven. It is obvious this was a cheap reproduction of the origonal and it was not cut right from the factory. When the book is looked at it appears someone or something was chewing on all the edges of the pages inside the book. The hard cover is perfect though. But, seeing as I paid less than 8 dollars for a HARD BACK book and that all the printed text was perfect and more than readable, I really souldn't complain. I am satisfied. The cosmetic errors did not take away at all from the functionality of the book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SELLER!
I wish all would lead with soul. Great book.......2006-10-26
A parable and an introduction to a personal journey from autocratic and hateful leadership to leadership with soul. This is a book that invites you in and holds you tight as you read this compelling journey. Changing from autocratic leadership to leading with soul is daunting and not many make the journey. My question is what does it take to move autocratic leadership to make the transition. May be the question of the century. If we can move people to this leadership paradigm, we can change people's lives, their family's lives, and create a new reality for the children of this world. Read this book.
Book Description
This book examines how it was possible and what it meant for ordinary factory workers to become effective unionists and national political participants by the mid-1930s. We follow Chicago workers as they make choices about whether to attend ethnic benefit society meetings or to go to the movies, whether to shop in local neighborhood stores or patronize the new A & P. Although workers may not have been political in traditional terms during the '20s, as they made daily decisions like these, they declared their loyalty in ways that would ultimately have political significance. As the depression worsened in the 1930s, not only did workers find their pay and working hours cut or eliminated, but the survival strategies they had developed during the 1920s were undermined. Looking elsewhere for help, workers adopted new ideological perspectives and overcame longstanding divisions among themselves to mount new kinds of collective action. Chicago workers' experiences as citizens, ethnics and blacks, wage earners and consumers all converged to make them into New Deal Democrats and CIO unionists.
Customer Reviews:
Great insights on the labor movement during the depression.......2005-01-20
Cohen presents a seemingly broad and well-supported thesis to explain the success of unionism in the 1930s. However, while all persuasive, some of her major arguments seem only tangentially relevant to either each other or her main thesis. While she provides a strong, coherent explanation as to why Chicago workers' political loyalties and attitudes shifted so dramatically during the depression, it is frankly nothing new. Yes, workers felt entitled to aid and came to favor a strong, interventionist federal government, but the connections she draws between this and the unionization of Chicago factories remain tenuous. Correlation, as they say, is not causation; but Cohen argues, both implicitly and explicitly, that workers' preference for government intervention was a major factor in the labor struggles of the 1930s. If Cohen had acknowledged that labor solidarity and preference for big-government welfare programs were but two symptoms of worker's frustration, and accordingly broadened and adjusted her thesis, her chapter about Chicagoans attitudes vis-à-vis big government could have provided excellent support for her final argument. In the context of her overarching thesis, however, the chapter seems almost like a square peg in a round hole. Instead of letting her explanations-albeit insightful-of the working class's political consciousness reflect back on the people who hold them, she advances the somewhat further-fetched notion that worker's political experiences led directly to the later growth of unionization. None of this, however, detracts from her excellent account of the organizations and institutions that were shared between the too. Cohen primarily fails by not supporting her argument that these interrelations were anything more than marriages of political expediency forged in desperate times. That the Communists dabbled in both the labor movement and various forms of political activism does not mean that both were one and the same. Cohen rejects the simple explanation that they were both separate outlets for the collective rage of the underemployed.
Ask many American historians for a short answer why the CIO was so successful in the 30s, and they may answer: because of the NLRA, hesitance of local, state, and federal governments to take the politically inexpedient step of supporting industry, and, most importantly, a mass of desperate workers imbued with a newfound distrust for the system that had betrayed them. This is essentially the answer Lizabeth Cohen arrives at; she simply takes a circuitous-if enjoyable-path to reach it. She provides a complex, nuanced answer in a place where a simple answer might do. Perhaps she's asking a different question than it appears she is. The title of her book, Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919-1939, implies that she's looking at a topic broader than the unionization of Chicago factories, but by bookending her many salient and though-provoking claims with the tales of 1919's failed strike and the CIO's ascendancy in the 1930s, she is limiting the scope of her book far too narrowly. Nonetheless, nothing is intrinsically wrong with any of Cohen's arguments and she provides a fascinating window into the mind of America's urban, industrial workforce during the depression.
In-depth Analysis of Chicago and Chicagoans.......2004-02-15
Cohen's work based on her Ph.D. Dissertation at UC-Berkeley proves to be a comprehensive, engaging, and insightful look into popular culture in 1920s and 1930s Chicago. She moves seamlessly from labor history to cultural history to ethnic history without losing the reader by including helpful charts, figures, and photographs. Her section on the nature of mass media and mass consumption undoubtedly provides evidence of her writing style in The American Pageant.
Cohen does not create a delineation between immigrants that came to the area and natives of the Chicago area, which goes a long way in terms of bias. She covers African-Americans, Polish, Italians, and Jews without being critical one way or the other. Each chapter seems to be able to live by itself, which gives the book a flavor of being a compendium of papers instead of a conjoined work. All in all, Cohen does a wonderful job examining Chicago and Chicagoans whatever their ethnicity may be.
Outstanding view of workers in Chicago between the wars.......2003-02-17
Making a New Deal is an absolutely incredible look at workers during the Interwar period in Chicago. Cohen has crafted a monumental work that not only covers workers political and union organization but also covers the changes in their lives resulting from societal changes such as the advent of radio and the chain store.
What's particularly appealing and interesting about this book is also what it says about modern times. Cohen discusses that due to the advent of radio and national networks, fewer workers got their local and world news from ethnic newspapers or other papers in Chicago. As can be seen from this, the current lement concerning the consolidation of newspapers, TV and radio stations isn't new, it began even in the 1930s. Also interesting is how many immigrant parents worried about their children becoming influenced by American culture that they did not understand, particularly clubs, dance halls and radio music.
Cohen's work is profoundly important and most of the book is a great read.
A superior book on labor, ethnicity, and politics.......2003-02-01
A well-researched and original book describing the shifting allegiances of Chicago workers from ethnic help societies to their welfare capitalist employers to finally the US government. In addition to the subject of the growing labor movement, the book is also a great survey of the various ethnic/racial groups of 1920s Chicago and their differing experiences with Americanization.
There is a book I would like to recommend as a virtual "sequel" to this one. The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Thomas Sugrue. While Cohen's book is about the creation of the New Deal coalition in the factory neighborhoods and towns of Chicago, Sugrue's book is about the disappearance of the factories and the departure from the Democratic coalition in the 1960s of the same groups who joined it in the 30s. Sugrue's book also won a Bancroft prize and if you like one you will surely like the other.
Making Sense of the Great Depression.......2001-04-21
Cohen's synopsis of Chicago through the 1920's and into the tough times of the 1930's is truly a remarkable account that makes sense of the Great Depression in a way that truly brings it to life for the reader. Though focused on Chicago, the story she tells really holds true for the whole US and delves deeply into the real world reality of the depression experience. Carefully outlining the change in America from an industrial capitalism to a welfare state society, the important changes in America are clearly explained and brought to life through understandable and vivid human stories. The fourth chapter discussing the actual alteration in the worker's mindset that created an atmosphere for not only the New Deal, but for the federal government activity we are used to today, is truly the highlight of the book. Just chapter alone earns this book my highest recommendation, as overall it is one of the better books of this era and topic with which I am familiar.
Amazon.com
You can think of Freedom from Fear as the academic's version of The Greatest Generation: like Tom Brokaw, Stanford history professor David M. Kennedy focuses on the years of the Great Depression and the Second World War and how the American people coped with those events. But there the similarities end--and, in terms of the differences, one might begin by noting that the historian's account is over twice the size of the journalist's.
Whereas Brokaw made use of extensive interviews, Kennedy relies on published accounts and primary sources, all meticulously footnoted. This academic rigor, however, does not render the book dull--far from it. Certainly the subject matter is interesting enough in its own right, but Kennedy offers attention-grabbing turns of phrase on nearly every page. He also unleashes some convention-shattering theses, such as his revelation that "the most responsible students of the events of 1929 have been unable to demonstrate an appreciable cause-and-effect linkage between the Crash and the Depression" and his subsequent argument that, although it made order out of chaos, the New Deal did not reverse the Depression--that, he says, was the war's doing. All in all, Freedom from Fear compares favorably to its companions in the multivolume Oxford History of the United States in both its comprehensive heft and its vivid readability. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
Between 1929 and 1945, two great travails were visited upon the American people: the Great Depression and World War II. Freedom From Fear tells the story of how Americans endured, and eventually prevailed, in the face of those unprecedented calamities. The Depression was both a disaster and an opportunity. As David Kennedy vividly demonstrates, the economic crisis of the 1930s was far more than a simple reaction to the alleged excesses of the 1920s. For more than a century before 1929, America's unbridled industrial revolution had gyrated through repeated boom and bust cycles, wastefully consuming capital and inflicting untold misery on city and countryside alike. Nor was the fabled prosperity of the 1920s as uniformly shared as legend portrays. Countless Americans, especially if they were farmers, African Americans, or recent immigrants, eked out thread bare lives on the margins of national life. For them, the Depression was but another of the ordeals of fear and insecurity with which they were sadly familiar. Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal wrung from the trauma of the 1930s a lasting legacy of economic and social reform, including the Social Security Act, new banking and financial laws, regulatory legislation, and new opportunities for organized labor. Taken together, those reforms gave a measure of security to millions of Americans who had never had much of it, and with it a fresh sense of having a stake in their country. Freedom From Fear tells the story of the New Deal's achievements, without slighting its shortcomings, contradictions, and failures. It is a story rich in drama and peopled with unforgettable personalities, including the incandescent but enigmatic figure of Roosevelt himself. Even as the New Deal was coping with the Depression, a still more fearsome menace was developing abroad--Hitler's thirst for war in Europe, coupled with the imperial ambitions of Japan in Asia. The same generation of Americans who battled the Depression eventually had to shoulder arms in another conflict that wreaked world wide destruction, ushered in the nuclear age, and forever changed their own way of life and their country's relationship to the rest of the world. Freedom From Fear explains how the nation agonized over its role in World War II, how it fought the war, why the United States won, and why the consequences of victory were sometimes sweet, sometimes ironic. In a compelling narrative, Kennedy analyzes the determinants of American strategy, the painful choices faced by commanders and statesmen, and the agonies inflicted on the millions of ordinary Americans who were compelled to swallow their fears and face battle as best they could. Freedom From Fear is a comprehensive and colorful account of the most convulsive period in American history, excepting only the Civil War--a period that formed the crucible in which modern America was formed. The Oxford History of the United States The Atlantic Monthly has praised The Oxford History of the United States as "the most distinguished series in American historical scholarship," a series that "synthesizes a generation's worth of historical inquiry and knowledge into one literally state-of-the-art book. Who touches these books touches a profession." Conceived under the general editorship of one of the leading American historians of our time, C. Vann Woodward, The Oxford History of the United States blends social, political, economic, cultural, diplomatic, and military history into coherent and vividly written narrative. Previous volumes are Robert Middlekauff's The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution; James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (which won a Pulitzer Prize and was a New York Times Best Seller); and James T. Patterson's Grand Expectations: The United States 1945-1974 (which won a Bancroft Prize).
Customer Reviews:
Flawed History.......2007-10-06
David Kennedy's "Freedom from Fear" is a very uneven read. It is as if the section on the Depression was written by Kennedy and the section on WWII was assigned to a graduate assistant. The Depression segment is well enough done. It contains quite a bit of primary research, though Mr. Kennedy seems to have a political axe to grind.
Personally, I find it offensive when someone who claims to be a historian writes history and adds his own conclusions and value judgments. I'd rather add my own after hearing the history as plain as possible.
Though the first section of the book is good, it lacks good flow. The second section (WWII) is little more than an overview of other more complete histories. I really expected to hear more about "The American People in Depression and War". Instead we have a summary of various battles in the Pacific and in Europe. One chapter is spent on the home front which can be summarized with the benign comment that the American public had more luxuries than any time previously.
Mr. Kennedy did not fall into the trap of accusing Roosevelt of knowing of the proposed attack on Pearl Harbor, but he did get pulled into name calling when referring to Douglas MacArthur. His reference to "Dugout Doug" is unworthy of an accurate historian. Whatever MacArthur's personal failings and/or ego problems, he was fearless in battle. He was awarded 13 decorations for heroism, most of them in WWI. MacArthur's total campaign from Australia through the Phillipines was less costly in terms of casualties than the single European "Battle of the Bulge". Kennedy was more kind to another great ego, George Patton.
While an earlier book of Mr. Kennedy's was considered for the Pulitzer Prize, there is no danger of this book being seriously considered for the prize. I would suggest there are far better and more politically neutral histories available that cover this period, though possibly not in one volume.
you need much time but at the end you will know definitely more about it.......2007-09-13
It begins with a description of FDR, and his wife.
Many topics are unvaluable for a foreigner; you can't grasp what was the big depression unless you read this book.
I can regret there isn't much about Italy and Italians in Usa; well, some topics are more interesting, from a domestic point of view.
It makes you hungrier to know more about this period, like every good book of history should do; the bibliografy is very exaustive.
Informative AND Entertaining.......2007-08-05
I'm a scholar (in philosophy), but I just don't know enough about American History. This book filled in a nice chunk for me. It's well written and easy to understand. It's also quite entertaining. Kennedy makes judgments about the personality of the people involved, which brings them to life. He's a bit hard on certain figures (eg MacArthur), but somehow that comes off as refreshing. There isn't a lot of hero worship here. Expect an honest account of what happened and some speculation on why, both from Kennedy and from his sources.
The book is well researched, so if you want to follow up on this overview of two of the most critical decades in U.S. history, you will have the resources to do so.
I plan to look for more books by this author, as he brings history alive in a way few writers do.
Superb Depression and WWII History.......2007-07-18
Born in 1934 I have a permanent impression of the Depression and War years. Fear of not enough to sustain us during the Depression. Maturity or education not required. I do not agree with all of Mr. Kennedy's points but, in general, the book paints an accurate picture of the American People in vivid colors. A must read compare and contrast to America of the 21st Century.
Amazing book through and through.......2007-07-08
This book is HUGE but a great read. It won the Pulitizer Prize and it is obvious why. Not only is it thoroughly researched but it is an easy read. The author's writing flows and he really brings the period to life. I highly recommend this for historians, history buffs, and anyone else.
Book Description
This is the story of a political miracle -- the perfect match of man and moment. Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in March of 1933 as America touched bottom. Banks were closing everywhere. Millions of people lost everything. The Great Depression had caused a national breakdown. With the craft of a master storyteller, Jonathan Alter brings us closer than ever before to the Roosevelt magic. Facing the gravest crisis since the Civil War, FDR used his cagey political instincts and ebullient temperament in the storied first Hundred Days of his presidency to pull off an astonishing conjuring act that lifted the country and saved both democracy and capitalism.
Who was this man? To revive the nation when it felt so hopeless took an extraordinary display of optimism and self-confidence. Alter shows us how a snobbish and apparently lightweight young aristocrat was forged into an incandescent leader by his domineering mother; his independent wife; his eccentric top adviser, Louis Howe; and his ally-turned-bitter-rival, Al Smith, the Tammany Hall street fighter FDR had to vanquish to complete his preparation for the presidency.
"Old Doc Roosevelt" had learned at Warm Springs, Georgia, how to lift others who suffered from polio, even if he could not cure their paralysis, or his own. He brought the same talents to a larger stage. Derided as weak and unprincipled by pundits, Governor Roosevelt was barely nominated for president in 1932. As president-elect, he escaped assassination in Miami by inches, then stiffed President Herbert Hoover's efforts to pull him into cooperating with him to deal with a terrifying crisis. In the most tumultuous and dramatic presidential transition in history, the entire banking structure came tumbling down just hours before FDR's legendary "only thing we have to fear is fear itself" Inaugural Address.
In a major historical find, Alter unearths the draft of a radio speech in which Roosevelt considered enlisting a private army of American Legion veterans on his first day in office. He did not. Instead of circumventing Congress and becoming the dictator so many thought they needed, FDR used his stunning debut to experiment. He rescued banks, put men to work immediately, and revolutionized mass communications with pioneering press conferences and the first Fireside Chat. As he moved both right and left, Roosevelt's insistence on "action now" did little to cure the Depression, but he began to rewrite the nation's social contract and lay the groundwork for his most ambitious achievements, including Social Security.
From one of America's most respected journalists, rich in insights and with fresh documentation and colorful detail, this thrilling story of presidential leadership -- of what government is for -- resonates through the events of today. It deepens our understanding of how Franklin Delano Roosevelt restored hope and transformed America.
The Defining Moment will take its place among our most compelling works of political history.
Customer Reviews:
FDR's Power.......2007-10-15
Quick paced, well-written overview of the FDR peaceful revolution of 1932/33. Hoover had one person opening and responding to his mail. FDR needed a team of 50 people to do the same job, such was the response to his hopeful message. Alf Landon in 1936 called Social Security a "cruel hoax" and was buried as a result in another landslide. It's good to remember all this
The making of a President.......2007-09-15
Using primary sources, overlooked documents, obscure books and oral histories, Jonathan Alter gives us a fairly balanced perspective into the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This in an attempt to try and explain the roots and effects of FDR's amazing `first class temperament'. Alter searches FDR's early life for the answers to this mystery and then moves from nomination, election, New Deal and the changing effects upon the office of the Presidency. Closing out his book is an epilogue wrapping up the text with interesting information on what became of some of FDR's brain trust.
Alter writes a very interesting and informative book. One that is well worth the glimpse into the life and actions of one of America's great Presidents. FDR was a man who is difficult to characterize. It would appear that he didn't truly trust anyone but himself. I'm not sure he ever completely let down the bright and happy mask. Perhaps Louis Howe, his adviser, came closer than anyone to getting inside. We aren't given or perhaps it's unknown how much Sara Roosevelt, FDR's mother, was allowed into her son's thoughts. He keep those thoughts and true counsel to himself creating many times an atmosphere of deception and guile. He implemented policies without much regard for their impact on productivity. Alter discloses that "expanding the pie was not much a part of the discussion". In many areas there wasn't much growth besides public works. FDR certainly was the man of the hour. After the doldrums of Hoover, he was a bright fresh ray of hope and positivity. His first 100 days still hold the standard for future US Presidents. What he accomplished, while not all positive, was truly remarkable. Well worth reading and gaining a better understanding into another of history's great men.
FDR at His Best.......2007-09-12
The Defining Moment, by Jonathan Alter, can be best summarized by its own subtitle: "FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope." I seldom "read" the audio versions of histories or biographies because the numerous dates and names are hard to retain, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this 10-disc, 12 hour and 35 minute presentation is so well read by Grover Gardner that I was able to easily follow the book.
Few of us who didn't live through the troubles of the 1930s realize today just how close the United States came to suffering a literal revolution of its citizens who saw everything around them collapsing while they so desperately struggled to feed their families. Just as the unemployment rate began to soar, workers faced the likelihood of losing their savings to a failing bank system. That was the situation faced by newly elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he stepped into his White House office on his first day in office.
Roosevelt won the "anyone but Hoover" election easily and, while many in his own party did not consider him to be the best man for the job, feeling that he was an intellectual lightweight and physically unable to meet the demands of the job, he turned out to be ideally suited for the situation he faced. Instead of becoming the benevolent dictator that some were calling for, Roosevelt set off in co-operation with congress on a 100-day program that effectively saved both capitalism and democracy for future generations. He accepted a plan to save the banking system, a plan that had been largely drafted by administrators from the Hoover administration, and began to rebuild the confidence of Americans within days of the beginning of his first term.
Within the first 100 days of this first term, plans were in place to put people back to work and the country began to recover from the panic and despair that had cost Hoover the White House. Roosevelt's judgment was not always the best and his political instincts sometimes unnecessarily made enemies of people he could have had as political allies rather than as political enemies. He was adamantly opposed to federal deposit insurance for bank accounts, for instance, because he believed that the weaker banks would fail and that the larger, healthier banks would then follow suit. Fortunately, he was unable to stop congress from passing an insurance bill despite his opposition. Of course, although it didn't occur until 1937, Roosevelt's greatest legacy is the Social Security System which he helped to create. Roosevelt may not have always had a plan, but he understood that action was necessary in order to change the public's perception that its government was unable to cope with the country's problems. Some of what he tried did not work, but enough did, to make Americans believe that things were finally turning around.
The Defining Moment gave me a new appreciation for all that Roosevelt accomplished and for just how close the country came to being changed forever in a negative way. Things were so desperate that many in the government and among the citizenry were prepared to junk capitalism in favor of some variation on socialism or communism. As has so often happened in American history, the right man for the job of president came along at the moment he was most needed. Franklin Roosevelt successfully faced his "defining moment" and the rest is history.
The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred days.......2007-08-23
There is a reason why all new employees and new president's are judged at 100 days--FDR. He set the standard for action and this book explores how he did so. Excellent read & well written.
An Important Remembrance.......2007-08-04
Outstanding encapsulation of the era that led to the development of a vibrant American middle class and the prosperity shared for some 40 years by more than the greedy few. This era was ended with the rise of Ronald Reagan who ushered in the demise of the middle class and the dark times we suffer through to this day. That's about to change.
Average customer rating:
- Well written, high level look at FDR's later Years
- No Ordinary Viewpoint
- Extrordinary Leaders for "No Ordinary Time"
- Not my type of book
- A glimpse of my grandparents
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No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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ASIN: 0671642405 |
Amazon.com
A compelling chronicle of a nation and its leaders during the period when modern America was created. With an uncanny feel for detail and a novelist's grasp of drama and depth, Doris Kearns Goodwin brilliantly narrates the interrelationship between the inner workings of the Roosevelt White House and the destiny of the United States. Goodwin paints a comprehensive, intimate portrait that fills in a historical gap in the story of our nation under the Roosevelts.
Book Description
No Ordinary Time is a monumental work, a brilliantly conceived chronicle of one of the most vibrant and revolutionary periods in the history of the United States. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin masterfully weaves together a striking number of story lines--Eleanor and Franklin's marriage and remarkable partnership, Eleanor's life as First Lady, and FDR's White House and its impact on America as well as on a world at war. Goodwin effectively melds these details and stories into an unforgettable and intimate portrait of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt and of the time during which a new, modern America was born.
Customer Reviews:
Well written, high level look at FDR's later Years.......2007-09-23
Having read many of the reviews written here, I think that it is important to first state that I am very conservative both economically and politically. Having said that, I want to make sure that it is understood that I am not judging the FDR Presidency, just this book.
This is my first real historical look at this time frame in American history and I felt that this book was a very good start from which to look into other avenues of interest during the war years. It is important to keep in mind that the earlier FDR years do not come into the focus of this work. This would not be a good book to judge FDR and the New Deal. It sticks with the years 1940 until FDR's death in 1945.
The book is well written and easy to read. It definitely lacks an in depth look at the "whys" of the FDR decision process. I would have liked to have learned more about the actual war decisions, but in reading the subthe title of the book, it is clear that the focus is about the homefront, not necessarily the war efforts abroad. The internal fighting and family relationships are discussed at length. Eleanor is given a front and center position in this work. I really would have liked to see more of FDR and how the decisions for various strategies were found.
There is a liberal bias to the book, but maybe that's my conservative stance showing. Nothing is mentioned in the book other than two sentences about Vice President Wallace. FDR is made to be a Superman, when it could have been read as FDR was merely a dictator that was elected. Without the effect of the decision process, the impression is that all decisions were FDR's alone. And while that may have been the case, the book never clearly states the way many of these ideas came to pass. This book leaves me the impression that much of FDR's time was spent polling the public and then fitting that knowledge into a decision.
So yes the book does have weaknesses in my opinion. But the strength of the book is the look at FDR the person. He was a solitary figure that needed a strong group of friends to humor him and help him through a truly horrific time in American history. His family life was a mess - he and Eleanor going in different directions with the purpose of staying apart. But the main thing I took from this work was that FDR gave the country hope. He never said quit, no matter the odds or obstacles. Was he a great President? This book is a very small piece of that puzzle.
No Ordinary Viewpoint.......2007-09-03
This was a very enjoyable and well written historical account of America during World War II, through the prism of the relationship between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Goodwin's great strength, it seems to me, is to find a really refreshing angle to look at a well documented subject, often by examining the subject's most important personal relationships. She did the same thing in her Lincoln book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by examining the way Lincoln put together a strong cabinet, while still remaining a strong executive.
In this book she focuses on the Roosevelts during World War II, as FDR rallied a totally unprepared nation to become, first the arsenal of democracy, and then to enter the war against both Germany and Japan.
From my point of view I would have preferred more Franklin and less Eleanor. Ms. Goodwin notes several critics dismissing Eleanor as a meddling nag, and at times the criticism has merit. Franklin's demeanor, whether he is holding court at press conferences or White House cocktail hours, is much more enjoyable to be around. And you do, thanks to the lively writing, have a "you are there" feeling throughout this book.
Extrordinary Leaders for "No Ordinary Time".......2007-08-09
I loved this book. In it, Kearns-Goodwin recreates the time frame 1939-1945 like no other book I have read. The Roosevelts, long in power and struggling to overcome personal/physical difficulties, rise to the occasion like few leaders before them. Both children of privilege, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt took on their personal demons (his polio and her, at first, paralyzing shyness) to save the nation. Already dealing with the Great Depression, they were the public face of the war effort. How easy it would have been for FDR to overreach his power (in both the Depression and WWII). Although he was restricted by an isolationist Congress before the attack on Pearl Harbor,he persuaded Congress to ok Lend-Lease, and developed a plan with Churchill (and later Stalin) that eventually led to total victory. While he made some mistakes (internment of Japanese Americans, for example), his optimistic and winning public style balanced nicely with a keen understanding of the power he wielded. Eleanor, for her part, became the paralyzed president's spokesman around the world and at home. She also pushed domestic policy in a way that kept things like civil rights, help for the poor and needy, and better working conditions for labor on the front burner despite the efforts to win the war. Kearns-Goodwin covers it all, including the personal struggles of the First Couple. After it all, they emerge as extraordinary leaders for "no ordinary time". Few have equaled them before or since.
Not my type of book .......2007-06-29
Packed with information on every aspect of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt during the WWII timeframe, this book is a history lovers dream. Unfortunately, I am no history lover. I became glossy-eyed when fine details were being mentioned about everyday activities. I felt that the book strayed from the main story and gave too much supporting detail. Yet, as is with all of the history books that I marginally enjoy, I learned quite a bit of information that I would never have gained otherwise. I was amazed to learn about how separate the Roosevelt's actually were as a couple and FDR's continued relationship with Lucy Rutherford. I also gained insight into how much Eleanor helped to spur the rights for blacks and women with her forward thinking. Eleanor and Franklin's separation as a couple was shadowed by their strength in bringing a nation out of depression and forming our current business environment. I was also surprised to see the extent in which Franklin relaxed. There wasn't a chapter where Franklin didn't either drive around Hyde Park, cruise on the Potomac, or spend time in his "Little White House" in Warm Springs. This was a man who knew what taking it easy was all about.
A glimpse of my grandparents.......2007-06-09
I am a college student. Before reading this book I barely knew who FDR was, let alone why his terms in office were so important. I traveled to Hawaii shortly after reading this book to visit Pearl Harbor because I was so moved by the book. I feel like I understand my grandparents generation a little better now and truly want to thank them for all they have done.
Overall, a terrific read. The author did a wonderful job of sharing the unique relationship between FDR and Churhill. I was also impressed with the author's knowledge of the homefront, instead of just all of the famous battles. Everyone should read this book.
Amazon.com
Rampant speculation. Record trading volumes. Assets bought not because of their value but because the buyer believes he can sell them for more in a day or two, or an hour or two. Welcome to the late 1920s. There are obvious and absolute parallels to the great bull market of the late 1990s, writes Galbraith in a new introduction dated 1997. Of course, Galbraith notes, every financial bubble since 1929 has been compared to the Great Crash, which is why this book has never been out of print since it became a bestseller in 1955.
Galbraith writes with great wit and erudition about the perilous actions of investors, and the curious inaction of the government. He notes that the problem wasn't a scarcity of securities to buy and sell; "the ingenuity and zeal with which companies were devised in which securities might be sold was as remarkable as anything." Those words become strikingly relevant in light of revenue-negative start-up companies coming into the market each week in the 1990s, along with fragmented pieces of established companies, like real estate and bottling plants. Of course, the 1920s were different from the 1990s. There was no safety net below citizens, no unemployment insurance or Social Security. And today we don't have the creepy investment trusts--in which shares of companies that held some stocks and bonds were sold for several times the assets' market value. But, boy, are the similarities spooky, particularly the prevailing trend at the time toward corporate mergers and industry consolidations--not to mention all the partially informed people who imagined themselves to be financial geniuses because the shares of stock they bought kept going up. --Lou Schuler
Book Description
Of Galbraith's classic examination of the 1929 financial collapse, the Atlantic Monthly said:"Economic writings are seldom notable for their entertainment value, but this book is. Galbraith's prose has grace and wit, and he distills a good deal of sardonic fun from the whopping errors of the nation's oracles and the wondrous antics of the financial community." Now, with the stock market riding historic highs, the celebrated economist returns with new insights on the legacy of our past and the consequences of blind optimism and power plays within the financial community.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-14
This is the best book that I have read so far on the 1929 depression. Galbraith is so easy to read. He has a great sense of humor - dry but great. He is logical, sensible and supports his prejudices with numbers and facts. Anyone who is interested in the 1929 depression should have this on their list as required reading.
Financial Reporting at its finest...........2006-10-05
All writers of market histories should read and absorb Galbraith's short and eminently readable history of the start of the depression. Going beyond popular ideas it gets to the heart of the matter and provides sobering lessons to speculators in today's markets. I give this a hearty 5 stars!
Pretty Good.......2006-08-01
This gives a pretty good examination of the economic crash of 1929 and important events in the preceeding decade.
However, since this was originally published in 1954, there was at least one section in the book where the "rhetorical present" of the author's narration was in the 1950s (in its comparison on the 1929 crash with circumstances extant in the 1950s); however, in this same section, it refers to 'our current situation' in the late 1990s, and then later in the same section, it reverts back to the reference to the 1950s as 'our present.'
Also, the tone of the narration occasionally comes off as elitist when it refers to 'others who aren't intelligent enough to understand this discussion' (my paraphrase-I don't have the time/inclination to cite the exact page number).
All-in-all, though I would encourage the reading of this book for an understanding of the events leading up to and surrounding the 1929 crash and the following depression.
A little brief, but a good intro for me to the Crash.......2006-04-30
I'm not a big expert in the politics and economics of the Great Depression. I do have interests in American history, however, and I felt that this would be a good intro to both Galbraith and the nature of the Crash. For me, the day-to-day specifics of the Crash were a little rushed. I didn't get the full-blown treatment of narrative history that would have enabled me to walk away from this text feeling like a newly born expert in the field. Nor did I walk away with a great desire to learn more about the principal players in the Crash. What I did walk away with was helpful, though. This book is a more a sketch of the psychology of the American market than a history of the Crash. Galbraith strives to show that Americans want to be fooled into believing that speculative gains can lead to fulfillment of dreams of wealth. Of greater importance, this book emphasizes how our political and economic culture does not provide adequate incentives for leaders who wish to dampen our enthusiasm. Yes, there are a few villains in this book. But the greater cause for concern is our tendency to blow up balloons that will inevitably burst.
I hope that sound investing and the Great Crash our taught with great care in our schools, and I would consider this either a passable quick intro or a source for supplementary insights into the nature of how our culture can lead to this kind of market failure.
3 stars
--SD
JKG thinks he funny. He's not........2005-08-29
While I did find the book informative and a good supplement to Robert Sobel's The Great Bull Market: Wall Street in the 1920s, Galbraith interjects his sarcastic view of the participants in the 1920s Bull Market way too much. This makes parts of the book extremely difficult to read. While I persevered to the end, I fouynd Sobel's account as informative and much more enjoyable to read.
Average customer rating:
- Deal With It! Helped me, well...Deal with it!
- Great Book for teens
- Righting Wrongs
- Wonderful, True Education
- Great book.
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Deal with It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL
Esther Drill
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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ASIN: 0671041576 |
Amazon.com
The birds and bees have never been so hip, thanks to Esther Drill, Heather McDonald, and Rebecca Odes, creators of gURL.com and authors of Deal with It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain and Life as a gURL. As their Web site blossomed in popularity, the gURLs noticed that today's teens have the same questions about sex, love, and growing up that they had as teens. "Hearing what they had to say convinced us that there was a need for a new kind of book about being a girl, one that's smart, funny, approachable, and tuned in to the things girls really want to know." With chapters such as "Boobs," "What's Up Down There," "To Do It or Not to Do It," and "Those Sucky Emotions," the gURLs have got everything covered--with the frankness, humor, and style frustratingly absent from the majority of similarly themed books. All topics are fair game: zit remedies; a dazzling array of hair removal techniques; masturbation methods; sexual positions and orientations; what to do if you are raped; how to deal with anger, depression, and anxiety; the physical effects of different drugs; how to get along with friends and family; and more. In addition to a cooler-than-cool, color-drenched layout and loads of detailed info, Deal with It includes a ton of questions, comments, and personal advice from teenage girls who frequent gURL.com. Reading page after page of these earnest, confused, and curious young voices drives home the need for a book like Deal with It and makes clear that the women of gURL.com have met that challenge with resounding success. (Ages 12 and older) --Brangien Davis
Book Description
Deal With It! offers a whole new approach for dealing with your life as a girl. It's a resource to help you learn about, laugh about, and figure out the stuff you go through on your way through life. It won't tell you what to do, because you'll need to decide that for yourself. But whether you're wondering about your body, your feelings or your changing relationships with the people around you, this book provides accurate information and outlines your options. Hilarious illustrations point out the humor in even the sorriest situations. And with hundreds of excerpts from real-girl conversations on the gURL.com website, you can see for real that whatever you're going through, you're not alone.
This book is for anyone who needs to know what it means to be a girl -- from those on the edge of their teens to those who are way past them but still reeling from the trauma.
Customer Reviews:
Deal With It! Helped me, well...Deal with it!.......2007-09-18
I was 13 when i first purchased this book for myself through the teen people book club they had way back when, because my mom didn't really talk to me a whole lot about the topics they discussed in this book like periods,sexual diseases,bra types, etc. Without this book, I would have been lost! It helped me grow and mature,and unfortunately because of my constant flipping and reading, my copy has fallen to pieces, but it's information will stay with me for a lifetime!
Great Book for teens.......2007-02-16
I got this book from my local library and i just have to say that its wonderful! [...]. Even better, they have other girls opinions and advice in just about every page! They even stuff like what a model's picture goes through before it gets put in a magazine or something. This fantastic book covers just about everything you need to know! They explain why you have suckish feelings. They have pages about peer pressure. They give you facts about STDs too.
[...] First of all, RATE this book properly! I know this stuff must disgust you, but what about the other wonderful things they tell you that teens need to know? Also, you could just cut out the pages you dont want your kid to see. How dumb are you people??? [...]
Righting Wrongs.......2006-12-15
I get why parents wouldn't want their daughters getting answers to the questions this book addresses. But the fact is, girls get answers, just not always the right ones. To the mom worried about the bj, someday someone else will give those instructions, don't fret. The fact is, this book offers some life-saving information. Perhaps not all moms are close enough to their daughters to buy them this book, but that's exactly why there are aunts and big sisters out there.
Wonderful, True Education.......2006-10-22
This book is what we should be giving to our daughters. In conservatively blinded America their is a guise saying that lying to our children and keeping them ignorant will save their souls. The truth is this, we are sexual creatures, sex is a gift, we should celebrate it, learn about it, and practice it as safely as possibly. For the mothers who thought this book was filth you put your children in danger, I asked one thing of my own mother, tell me the truth, the whole truth. This book kept me from makign a lot of mistakes growing up and it made me feel rpoud and comfrotable with my own body. Wheras the "Christian Sex Book" my mother had originally given me taught me nothing. It made me feel ashamed like my body was bad and unholy. I told my mom this and she was sincerely sorry, having thought that a book bought from the christian book store would have a higher sense of truth telling.
This book is wonderful, every teen girl should be given one by her mother.
Great book........2006-07-30
Girls in my ninth grade class brought it into school to share with each other because they liked it so much; I was relieved because I do not think they would practice safer sex without learning it from a resource that makes it 'cool'.
Book Description
A leading authority on nonverbal communication teaches readers how to interpret clues to what others are thinking—a mental feat that can lead to greater success at work, in personal relationships, and in every aspect of life
Experts estimate that we use only a small percentage of our minds. The rest just sits there because we don’t know how to unlock it. In this book, Marc Salem—a respected academic researcher known for his studies of the human mind and its potential, considered by many to be the world’s leading mentalist and a world-famous entertainer—shows readers how to tap the hidden powers of their minds.
The author, star of the popular Broadway show Mind Games, which he performs around the world, and the one-man network TV special, Marc Salem’s Mysterious Mind, here presents a 9-week program that teaches readers how to:
• read thoughts and body language
• tell truth from lies (an invaluable skill in love, work, parenting, and such pastimes as shopping)
• intuit answers and problem-solve
• strengthen mind muscles through games that improve concentration and memory (even couch potatoes can excel at this fitness program!)
Filled with exercises, brainteasers, and countless tools to get ahead in life, The Six Keys to Unlock and Empower Your Mind will prove as endlessly diverting as it is mind-expanding and life-transforming.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read!.......2007-09-21
This is a great book for anyone and everyone. I found it to be very easy to read and follow. The things I've learned in this book have been very very helpful and you'd be surprised at how unaware you are of the world around you even if you are quite perceptive. Great read and highly recommended!
I think it will change my life.......2007-07-01
The ideas in this book are new and exciting to me. They make sense and I hope to put them in use every day. Some have already paid off in my getting my way or better understanding of other people. Get it to see a brand new world that you can have control over.
Subtle yet powerful.......2007-06-28
The seeming simplicity of some ideas belie their real depth. The book is almost zen-like in its ease to follow and the hidden perceptions it helps open.
Amazing ....!.......2007-05-14
If you want to built a better mind and reinforce the importance of other around you....this is a good book for seeing the world with a better view...and feeling better with others...it makes me understand more that we have a powerful brain and his force is limitless....I have read many time the book....many good exercises....and good explication.....love it!
if you want to take a better position facing the world....or if you want to understand more how people feels....this book is for you....!!!
Mind over Matter: If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.......2007-05-09
I had the privilege of seeing Marc Salem's show "Mind Games" and immediately pre-ordered the book. I was looking for him to reveal his secrets so I could amaze my friends. Well, guess what? As with virtually anything in this life, it is not an instant ability. It isn't a trick. And it's not magical, mystical, or extraterrestrial. It is, like most things, hard work, focus, concentration and practice, practice, practice.
Now, to be fair, Salem has a most engaging presentation, both in his book and, especially, in person. So the book is definitely a pleasant read. And I've no doubt that most people could apply his techniques with varying degrees of success, depending on how much time and effort they were willing to put into it.
Bottom line is that I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wishes to become more attuned to what's happening around them.
And, by all means, if you have the opportunity to see the man in person... GO!!
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