Book Description
Author of the greatest inspirational bestseller of our time offers positive strategies for success in business and personal life. The remarkable self-help phenomenon,
The Power of Positive Thinking, plus the successful
The Positive Principle Today and
Enthusiasm Makes the Difference show why Norman Vincent Peale has helped millions of readers transform their lives and find joy and fulfillment.
Customer Reviews:
Very good book.......2007-06-06
I own the first book "Power of positive thinking". I can hardly wait to read the other two. At one point in my life I was covered with negative thinking and it drastically affected my actions and situations around me. However, using this book changed my life. I trust in God more now, have more faith in him, and I am much happier today. Also, more people started noticing and they liked the happier, more in control me. Praise God!!
Full of Stories, no real direction.......2007-03-27
The book teaches through others inspirational stories; there is no real teaching on how to have a positive attitude. I was expecting the book to give me steps on how to have a positive out look. It is also a religious book, which I didn't expect when I ordered it.
Excellent Boost!.......2007-01-05
This book is an excellent comprehensive boost for anyone who wants to welcome change and new ways of seeing their world and the issues they may have in relationships, wealth, success and life in general. I haven't finished reading it yet - but have found that even just one page a night before bed does wonders in slowly opening us up to change and positive ways of thinking. It's difficult to do in a world that bombards us at lightening speed with so many mixed positive and negative, draining messages. This is a great way to keep your feet on the ground, mind focused on the important things and even if you aren't religious to explore yourself and spirituality. Like a pocket psychotherapist ;-)
PEALE SOME OFF FOR ME!.......2006-11-18
STILL APPROPRIATE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. I READ IT 30 YEARS AGO, NOW IT IS HELPING MY SON.
Buy it. NOW........2006-11-04
Easily the best book I've ever bought. If I could rate this book six stars, I would.
Six months ago, I decided to change my life and head for the military. I wanted to be the best and decided to try out for the Rangers, an especially ambitious goal considering my activity level was on par with most vegetables. My friends laughed at me, I bought this book.
Using this book as my motivational guide and Stew Smith's 12 Weeks to BUD/S as my exercise plan, my pushup/run/situp/swim scores absolutely shot through the roof. I have never felt motivation like I felt after reading through Norman Peale's book and if it wasn't for this purchase, I honestly believe I would have abandoned this goal and would still be miserable, sitting on my couch, and playing video games, not out getting in shape for the Rangers.
That was over six months ago now, and am heading off to basic pretty soon with my body ready and my mind motivated.
Thank you Mr. Peale even though you are probably dead, I am a very happy customer and have even bought a couple copies for my friends. The concepts in this book are the best things that have ever happened to me and have absolutely revolutionized my life.
They can revolutionize yours too. All you have to do is buy it and use it.
Book Description
With the same grace and breadth of learning she brought to her studies of the mind’s pathologies, Kay Redfield Jamison examines one of its most exalted states: exuberance. This “abounding, ebullient, effervescent emotion” manifests itself everywhere from child’s play to scientific breakthrough and is crucially important to learning, risk-taking, social cohesiveness, and survival itself.
Exuberance: The Passion for Life introduces us to such notably irrepressible types as Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and Richard Feynman, as well as Peter Pan, dancing porcupines, and Charles Schulz’s Snoopy. It explores whether exuberance can be inherited, parses its neurochemical grammar, and documents the methods people have used to stimulate it. The resulting book is an irresistible fusion of science and soul.
Customer Reviews:
Passion is for LIfe.......2007-04-23
This refreshing book about passion is welcome as it characterizes some behavior what others might think was excessive as exuberance. A nice shift in perspective with a positive spin. Sees bi polar activity as many faceted and differing in each person
Get on with it!.......2006-11-24
I have yet to finish the book but within pages I was both crying and laughing from the EXUBERANCES of the folks highlighted. This is a great reminder to get on with it and stop taking yourself so seriously. I am giving it to many in my family for Christmas.
The Tragedy of Exuberance........2006-09-25
_Exuberance: The Passion for Life_ by psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison is a fairly interesting account of individuals who have exhibited a distinctive zest for living as revealed in their activities and work. Those who are prone to excessive enthusiasm, gregariousness, and creative insight are discussed by the author, who attempts to show what it is that uniquely determines this trait. While much of the writing in this book is beautiful, it must be pointed out that exuberance is not without its pitfalls. At times enthusiasm may overcome reason leading to unusual, eccentric, or even dangerous behavior, perhaps best illustrated in literature by the case of Toad from the book _The Wind in the Willows_ by Kenneth Grahame. And, often behind the personalities of exuberant individuals there lurks a darker side of irritability, depression, and despondency. Cases of collective exuberance include stock market booms and the battle lust exhibited by some soldiers during combat. However, as anyone quickly realizes both of these have their downside and can be highly destructive. In addition, exuberance often makes it difficult to interact with others. As the author explains, exuberance tends to be a trait that an individual either has or they don't. Those who lack this trait may become jealous of or annoyed with those who possess it in abundance. In the life of great scientists, the case of the physicist Richard Feynman provides an illustration of this. While he exhibited great exuberance in his teaching style, he often left students who could not keep up or who possessed a more placid personality completely alienated. Feynman himself seems to have understood this at times, and the author quotes one of his remarks to the effect that perhaps his style served only the purpose of amusing himself.
This book for me in many ways was a great temptation.
For many years I felt like much of what is described in this book. I was intensely enthuasiastic, curious, fascinated by detail, completely immersed in thoughts and ideas, and at times experiencing an almost mystical sort of communion with the world and nature. Then one day something happened. I began to realize that not everyone had these feelings and this zest for life, and that what was worse is that many resented me because I did. Things started to bother me more, I began to feel profoundly alienated, and feelings of distress and anxiety welled up inside of me. Little by little I was exhausting myself. As it turned out I became severely depressed, and it took a long while before I felt close to normal again.
I still sometimes have these feelings again, but I have learned now to keep them to myself. And this is the tragedy of exuberance. For every up side there is a down side.
The author Kay Jamison is perhaps best known for her research on and theories of manic depression. She herself is a sufferer from a rather severe form of this illness. And in this book, she attempts to link the more extreme forms of exuberance to mania. Exuberance may be seen on a continuum, in its milder forms it may involve an excess of enthusiasm, gregariousness, creativity, and perhaps even religious and mystical feelings. However, in excess exuberance may overcome reason and commonsense. It is in the form of hypomania and mania where excesses of exuberance prove most severe. And often lurking behind this great excess of feeling lies irritability, paranoia, and eventually depression. Perhaps most interesting in this regard is Jamison's discussion of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, himself plagued by wild changes in mood, who wrote on the dual nature of man, perhaps most famously in his account of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this story, Stevenson revealed the conflict within man between his better nature and his shadow, darker self. This conflict may be observed in those individuals who exhibit exuberance at its most extreme. My one fault with Jamison's analysis is that she seems to restrict exuberance to extraverted individuals, and this restriction to me seems unwarranted. While extraverts may seem the natural sort to experience feelings of exuberance, I certainly believe that it is possible to have an introverted sort of exuberance (one allied perhaps with mysticism or scientific creativity and discovery). In addition, while the author mostly focuses on scientists and a few "eccentrics" and observers of nature, many scientists look down upon those who are exuberant, finding them lacking in the proper degree of objectivity, skepticism, and rigor necessary for the scientific endeavor. Indeed, an entire movement exists in the sciences that seeks to move away from any sort of cosmic, pantheistic, or mystical feelings of awe associated with nature towards a more brute materialism. Within the field of religion a similar thing exists, with many religious looking down on mystics.
Finally, I must add that my major problem with this book as with all Kay Jamison's books is her tendency to romanticize suffering and mental illness. She seems to associate certain personality traits with high social status, something I find particularly noxious. What is worse, she seems to associate mental illness, particularly manic depression, with high social status, creativity, and genius. Not only does this re-inforce stereotypes, but also it entirely overlooks the fact of the many individuals who suffer from this illness in silence and alone, never to achieve any social status whatsoever. Jamison never really seems to face fully on the darker more destructive side of things. And this leaves her almost oblivious to the social issues raised by mental illness. As with all her books, this one is really written for the high IQ, highly socially connected manic; however, Jamison never really seems to consider the fact that there are many who suffer in silence who are not so blessed.
Far from exuberant.......2006-07-18
Having read the five-star reviews I expected a joyful book. Unfortunately I got well and truly bogged down - not because of its intellectual weight (I've read far more erudite books than this) but because it seemed to analyse a human quality to death. What next: a mathematical formula for love - with warnings on overdose?
If other readers argue that any other approach to the subject would be frivolous, I would strongly disagree. Rather than being encouraged to experience joi do vie ourselves, we are constantly cautioned by the author to beware of the fine line between exuberance and psychopathology. Oh, we are assured - more as an afterthought - that we can reclaim joy in the end. But this is only after a long hard struggle.
Emphasising as it does the "duality of moods" the book is more a thesis on the unhealthy extremes - something that no doubt is germane for psychology students. But do we have to become so self-conscious about aliveness that we worry about going over the edge when we celebrate life?
It is interesting to note that the author does not mention playfulness, surely a 'calmer' form of exuberance, but which the majority of adults seem to have lost. No academic thesis, even if it is impressively articulate(as I concede this one is) will help us retrieve that lost quality. I note too that the author does not give personal examples. Does this mean that she is theorist only - an observer at best? If so, I'd like to hear from someone who speaks from experience. A child maybe. After all, children are reported to laugh every day five times more than adults. Perhaps this is because they are not so self-conscious and self-limiting in their approach to life as we are.
An Interesting, Anecdotal Exploration of Exuberance.......2006-07-03
As a scientific work, this book is well-written and presented in an interesting fashion. It consists mostly of brief anecdotes about people who were unusually exuberant, including Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Richard Feynman. There isn't a great deal of technical or clinical data, just well-written observations. The author's exploration of the dark side of exuberance was brief, but intriguing. If you are looking for a book about how to bring exuberance to your daily life, this isn't it. The author takes the position that exuberance isn't something that can be developed, but rather occurs naturally.
Book Description
What are the secrets behind the creation of Larry David's hit show?
Fans can finally find out with this long-awaited
companion guide to the Golden Globe- and Emmy®
Award- winning series.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book is complete with stories about Larry David's childhood, his roots as a stand-up comic, and his various writing jobs before the breakthrough of Seinfeld. Readers will enjoy dating stories from his bachelor years, discover how he met his future wife, Laurie David, and learn why Cheryl Hines was picked to play his TV wife. A highlighted map of Santa Monica shows locations where favorite Curb scenes were filmed, such as the Toyota of Hollywood where Larry works as a car salesman. Ever wonder if there's a story behind the creation of Krazee-Eyez Killa's infamous rap? There is, and it's in this book, along with the tale of the ordinary afternoon lunch where the idea for Curb Your Enthusiasm was first formed. Perhaps best of all, fans can finally see Larry David's original scene outlines-just a few sentences from which the actors improvise-which eventually evolve into the carefully edited comedy that we see on air.
After five hilarious seasons, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book offers fans an intimate view of the people, experiences, and stories behind one of television's funniest shows.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book is filled with hilarious images, insights, and behind-the-scenes moments, including:
* Original interviews with and commentary from more than 100 cast and crew members, guest actors, comics, and friends and family, including Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, and Richard Lewis
* An in depth, four-section interview with Larry David, covering everything from his childhood in Brooklyn to his emergence into the world of comedy and television.
* Never-before-seen outlines from the show that are the basis for episode storylines.
* Detailed episode guides for the show's first five seasons.
* More than 100 full-color photographs.
Customer Reviews:
it's all about Larry.......2007-09-28
There's only ever been two American sitcoms which can make you squirm in your seat and laugh out loud! It so happens that both of these sitcoms were heavily influenced by the same man, writer/comedian Larry David. Those two sitcoms are Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
So if you love Curb, you'll love the book. Each episode is outlined with interesting anecdotes from cast and crew to help you re-live the magic, or tragic, brilliance of the series. The book also includes some history about Larry David as related by friends, co-workers, and of course by the man himself. There's not enough info about Larry for my liking, but then again the book isn't a Larry David bio so it's as you would expect. Read the book, buy the DVD's, immerse yourelf in Davidism, just for a little sanity.
SOMETHING had to be written about this brilliant show!.......2007-02-28
I love the book because it has tons of interesting behind the scene happenings. I wish it was even more thorough being the immense fan that I am.
If you love the show, BUY THIS BOOK. I've read it twice already, its almost like the show, you need to see it more than once to fully appreciate it. Personally, I thought it was too short but at least it's here and I'm thrilled about it. Many times throughout the book, different people mentioned that there is a great reality show right there as they're all filming. I'm praying for that. I also feel like Larry David is the funniest guy on the planet and this shows needs to be promoted more. Too many people I know haven't seen it or don't give it a true chance.
Brilliant book for a brilliant show........2007-02-08
Want an inside view of "Curb"? This is it. Tons of tidbits concerning this very funny show. I've gone back to see all my "Curb" DVD's to catch all the inside info...just too funny.
Enjoyable Read.......2007-01-23
Divided up into short chapters making it an easy read. A couple examples of how scenes were improved.
A fine book, but not as in-depth as I would have liked.......2007-01-21
Curb Your Enthusiasm ran from 2000 until 2005. Supposedly, a sixth season is in the works. That would be nice. But in the meantime, we have five DVD sets and this interesting, if brief, book about Larry David's hilarious show.
The book features a few script excerpts (brief exchanges of dialogue), some behind-the-scenes commentaries -- the usual for a book of this type.
But for a show as fascinating as Curb, this doesn't seem adequate. More in-depth interviews with cast and crew would have been nice. Perhaps some more behind-the-scenes photos. Maybe...?
I don't know. This is an interesting book documenting an interesting show. I could get picky and prattle on about everything not here, but -- like the classic cover shot for Season Three -- I don't want to look at the situation as the glass half empty. For what it is, this book is a must-own for Curb fans. My wife and I stumbled on it at 50% off at a Borders Books in Birmingham, Michigan. Couldn't pass it up. At $15 it's a steal. In fact, at Amazon's $19 price it's a steal.
I recommend this book.
Book Description
David G. Faucher shares his successful "full-participation model" of coaching youth basketball in this Baffled Parent's Guide. Faucher, the head coach of the men's basketball team at Dartmouth College, covers creating good habits, offensive skills and defensive basics, dealing with parents, first aid and safety, and game rules.
Customer Reviews:
Great Introductory Book.......2007-02-10
Covers basketball fundamentals and team coaching. Many great drills. Best suited for the younger teams - but a wonderful starting place for coaching youth basketball.
Very good book for a beginner coach.......2007-01-16
It was my first time coaching basketball. I coached 1st graders. I coached because nobody else volunteered to do it. With that in mind this book was perfect. It has all the basics you need to understand the game and it provides planned practices according to players age.
If you are ever in my situation with little knowledge of the game and forced to coach a kids team, I highly recommend this book.
Good for beginning coaches of young children.......2006-12-15
I bought 4 basketball coaching books for my husband when he signed up to coach our son's Kindergarten basketball team. He has never coached basketball before. This is the only book he wanted to keep. He uses it to come up with basic drills and general coaching tips. It's good. If you buy only one, I'd recommend this one.
A PRACTICAL AND QUICK STUDY GUIDE.......2005-01-26
I played a lot of basketball before taking on coaching my 6 year olds' team, but I had never coached. I digested the basics of this book in about an hour and it was a roadmap to get me started. I keep reading and using it as the season progresses. Very very good for first-time coaches for kids leagues of about 5-13 years old.
Only One Book Needed.......2004-12-31
I struggled looking for a book written for the experienced youth coach who doesn't know much about basketball. I coach four youth sports, but I never played organized basketball. I was at a loss for drills, plays and defensive philosophies. This book gave me a huge head start and Coach Faucher's style is easy and right for the kids. I enjoy planning and running my basketball practices far more than any other sport now. Thanks Coach Faucher. Do you have one for football, . . baseball, . . soccer??????
Book Description
?I am not enough! Not smart enough, rich enough, successful enough, or good enough!? This is the trance of scarcity?a self-inflicted premise of ?not-enough-ness? that successfully cripples the lives of people who would otherwise be buoyant and passionate. Here, Victoria Castle offers a prescription for realizing abundance and empowerment.
Customer Reviews:
Embodying the change we want to see in the world.......2007-06-26
This book is a life-changer. After working on it as an editor, I have recommended The Trance of Scarcity to a number of people, all of whom later made a point of thanking me personally for the rich wisdom they found here. Victoria Castle's Somatics-based guide to breaking out of the trance of "Not Enough" by adopting a greater attitude, both mentally and physically, is embodied brilliance. Her sassy wit, together with hilarious illustrations by Obadinah, make the book a real joy to read. Read The Trance of Scarcity and you'll surely experience greater ease and wisdom around the big money, prosperity and generosity questions. Oh yes, and joy is allowed. Buy this book for everyone you know!
An invitation to come out of the trance.......2007-05-23
This book is a MUST for anyone who wants to connect with the SOURCE and the TRUTH of abundance and prosperity!
The Trance of Scarcity.......2007-02-24
An inspiring yet practical book. The author has a humorous self-deprecating style as she shares her own journey of moving from scarcity to abundance. This book made me aware - again - that I am surrounded by abundance but, in my busyness, am so often blind to it. The book flows beautifully making the ideas easy to comprehend and to apply immediately. I am buying a copy for each of my five children.
David McNally - Author - Even Eagles Need A Push
very good.......2007-02-23
Good book on changing one's perspective.
I especiallyl liked the reminder about expectations.
gear shift from 'magical thinking'.......2007-02-21
Victoria Castle's book is an elegant and educated exposition of the Universal Law of Flow, but she's too grounded to call it that!.It is extremely readable,filled with robust contagious optimism and wisdom- from her own life and 20 years of coaching others. Whilst none of these ideas are new, she puts into a working framework the over-hyped messages of The Secret, and The Law of Attraction, and shows us the somatic ('in-the-body') practices that allow us to connect to our own real lives and play our part in the dance. Such a relief from all the 'magical thinking' that abounds out there - you know the kind of stuff - write your wish list and affirm it daily, and if it doesnt show up it must be your unconscious beliefs holding you back...sorry to be cynical,but it takes more insight than that! Victoria's book brings that insight. It is practical and inspiring, and gave me a great framework to understand where I get blocked, and how to shift my own body and thinking, to unblock and return to my natural generative state - a state of curiosity and connection that we can all experience, a state in which we feel naturally abundant and connected to life and our fellow beings. I urge you to go out and get this book - it will get you out of the trance and into the dance!
PS I was lucky enough to get to one of her workshops, just one week after finishing the book, and she is as wise and approachable in person as she is in the book - nice to see people who walk their talk...
Average customer rating:
- Every Pentecostal should read Hank Hanagraaff's Counterfeit Revival.
- Counterfeit Revival
- Not Complete
- A Devisive and Cruel Book
- Highly recommended, with one major caveat
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Counterfeit Revival
Hank Hanegraaff
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
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A Different Gospel: Biblical and Historical Insights into the Word of Faith Movement
ASIN: 0849942942 |
Book Description
Hank Hanegraaff documents the danger of looking for God in all the wrong places and goes behind the scenes into the wildly popular and bizarre world of contemporary revivalism. Hanegraaff masterfully exposes the stark contrast between these deeds of the flesh and a genuine work of the Spirit by contrasting modern "revivals" with the scriptural examples of God's movement among His people.
Customer Reviews:
Every Pentecostal should read Hank Hanagraaff's Counterfeit Revival. .......2007-03-23
The signature enthusiasm of Pentecostalism opens he door to laxity of all forms. If neither is checked, the freedom that is celebrated smiths more fetters than it breaks.
Every Pentecostal should read Hank Hanagraaff's Counterfeit Revival.
Counterfeit Revival.......2007-03-09
This book was very thorough and informative. I really enjoyed it and have since passed it on to my daughter and son-in-law, who also enjoyed it very much.
Not Complete.......2007-01-24
In this book, the Bible Answer Man evaluates various phenomena in the American Christian culture including the "Toronto Blessing", the "Brownsville Revival", the "Laughing in the Spirit" fad, being "slain in the Spirit" and other similar occurrences. His conclusion is that the phenomena experience by these people is not Biblically based and is not necessarily from God.
The author does not pull punches. He uses terms like fantasies, fabrications, fraud, apostasy, and hoaxes to describe the phenomena. He accuses some involved of being false prophets and false teachers. He compares them to hypnotists and con men. This is not a wishy washy book. The author is not shy about his opinion and and uses several hundred pages to try to prove his point.
The book is well documented with dozens of pages of footnotes, an extensive bibliography as well as interviews and accounts of events that he witnessed personally.
But it's not complete. The author merely addresses whether these phenomena are from God. He doesn't address the teaching or the actual revival. What are these preachers preaching and teaching, and is it Biblical? What are the statements of faith of the churches involved and are they consistent with the Bible? What about the actualy revival? Is there a revival? Is the gospel being preached by those involved, and are souls being saved? What about the lives of the people? Did they visit nursing homes and orphanages? Did they drive economy cars and use the money to support orphanages in Cambodia? Did they study to become missionaries in Africa or SouthEast Asia? Or did their lives show no visible signs of change at all? The author spends almost no time discussing these important issues.
The fact is that there is a revival going on although not so much in the United States (except among immigrants). Churches are growing and souls are being saved all over Latin America and in Africa, Eastern India, Korea, China, and other places. Much of this growth is in the Pentacostal persuasion, and it has been reported that a lot of these new groups of believers are embracing the prosperity gospel.
The revival that is taking place; is it counterfeit? What teachings are being promoted? Are these people being discipled and educated in sound Christian Biblical doctrine or not? These important questions are almost completely ignored in this book.
A Devisive and Cruel Book.......2006-10-13
This is possibly the worst book I have ever read. It is not only inaccurate and slams ministries that have brought thousands to Christ (like John Arnott), but actually cruelly brings up very personal issues that fellow Christians are trying to heal from by the grace of God. This book has always been harmful and it is full of Pride and Judgement. Avoid it at all costs! Instead read John Eldredge, Max Lucado, or Brennan Manning.
Highly recommended, with one major caveat.......2006-07-27
This is an eminently valuable book for anyone attempting to understand the Pentecostal religion, particularly the Vineyard revival, whose distinctive trait was to figure out how to make Pentecostalism even more chaotic and bizarre. As one who was previously involved in the innermost workings of such a ministry, Hanegraaf's perspective is especially profitable. He exposes almost every single one of Pentecostalism's false claims, from lying signs and wonders to miracle healings to "slaying in the spirit" to the millions of "prophecies" routinely spewed out by these modern day Jeremiahs. What is especially valuable is that he does so by not only citing the Bible, but by explaining the actual psychological processes by which so many minds (and souls) are manipulated and controlled. The one caveat? I was eagerly awaiting his demolition of the doctrine of "speaking in tongues" but when I came to that chapter, all he wrote was that "believers" sincerely disagree on the issue of tongues and should never divide over it. I've heard that Hanegraaff is a tongues speaker himself. It's unfortunate that he can't see that the hypnosis, emotionalism, peer pressure and altered states of consciousness to which he correctly attributes other Pentecostal phenomena is also at the root of "tongues". Still, even with that major exception, this is a very valuble book and should be widely read.
Book Description
This riveting story of America's love affair with technology provides remarkable portraits of the lives and times of the early inventors--Edison, Bell, the Wright brothers, and charts the changing modes of invention from the age of independent innovation to today's corporate research labs and vast technological systems. This is the powerful and dramatic tale of our nation's incessant impulse to invent and discover, and of our complex relationship with the fruits of this impulse--a relationship that finds us liberated, dependent, enthusiastic, and skeptical all at once.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful to better understand technology and its uses..........2007-04-22
The title indicates his thesis. "Americans," Hughes writes, "created the modern technological nation; this was the American genesis."(3) The problem he faces is this: Americans see "themselves primarily as democratic people dedicated to the doctrine of free enterprise" rather than, as he does, as builders.(1) Hughes' challenge therefore is to redirect the focus on Americans and their culture as inventors and systems builders. He makes a good case. Hughes articulates a chronology that logically follows the growth of systems. First he discusses the invention of systems, then the spread of large systems, and finally "the emergence of a technological culture, of mammoth government systems, and counterculture reactions to systems."(6-7)
American inventiveness and technological enthusiasm characterize the period from 1870 until 1970. In its aftermath there remained a legacy, which Hughes labels as "the burden" of nuclear destruction, environmental concerns, and the wastefulness of wars (he specifically mentions the Vietnam War). Hughes hopes that "those who know the history and [understand] the burden may be able to rid themselves of it or turn it to their ends."(12) In his eyes history has a humanitarian message and he is the oracle. While his focus is on technology, his philosophy is humanistic. Government has a role, but people make the difference. This is how history is valuable. The American experience was unique and his purpose is to elevate people's understanding of their role; indeed, their responsibility.
Beginning in 1870, about the time when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, independent inventors were responsible for a "Gigantic Tidal Wave of Human Ingenuity."(13) The number of patents doubled and, between 1866 and 1896, the number issued to each person nearly doubled. Hughes feels existing historical accounts create an unfair image of inventors, as "one-dimensional heroes."(19) To Hughes this is an inaccurate characterization and he proceeds to redefine them as the cornerstones of technological systems.
To make his point he tries to uncover the source of inventor's creativity and motives. They relied on experimentation and their work was characterized by long hours of drudgery punctuated infrequently by "eureka moments."(20) The independent inventors acted on their own free will and followed their own inspirations. They "could not depend on science and abstract theory as guides into the future because they were exploring beyond the front edge of technology and knowledge."(48-49)
Hughes tries to understand why independent inventors chose to solve the problems they did and how they went about solving them. He also tried to get into their heads. Based on their work his analysis disclosed two types of inventions. "The system-originating inventions can be labeled radical, the system-improving ones conservative."(53) Examples of the radical inventors are the Wright Brothers, the airplane; Lee De Forest and Reginald Fessenden, wireless communication; and Nikola Tesla, power transmission. More conservative professional inventor-entrepreneurs include Thomas Edison, Elmer Sperry, and Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim because of "their years of full-time dedication to invention and their establishment of companies to exploit their inventions."(67) This proves insightful and represents original thinking. It becomes a useful reference as Hughes proceeds to discuss the growth of systems.
Furthermore, in delving into the inventor's minds, Hughes observes a unique thought process in problem solving. A "problem-identification technique that suggest[ed] the image, or metaphor, of a reverse salient in an expanding military front. ...A military front line has salients and reentrants (reverse salients) all along its length."(71)"The reverse salient in an advancing military front proves an apt metaphor for a technological system, because the system, like a military advance develops unevenly. Some components in a technological system, like some units in the military front, fall behind other. In the case of the military, ahead and behind can be determined by physical distance. Some components in technological systems can be said to be behind others, if the former function less efficiently and act as a drag on the system."(72)
This is interesting. Hughes realizes he is using a metaphor which might be confusing to the reader so he proceeds with an explanation in order to make it work. It is an apt metaphor, he observes, because "`reverse salient' suggests the fluidity of the course of technological-system development; other metaphors suggesting rigidity and simplicity, such as `bottleneck,' do not work as well."(72-73)
Metaphors must be used skillfully in order to be affective however they can be misleading. Hughes understands this. "[N]ot only poets, but schizophrenics...[can] make such metaphors."(76) There has to be some similarity or, rather than fostering clarity, just the opposite will occur. In explaining the metaphor Hughes not only educates the reader with a deeper understanding of the technological system, but of the military as well. However this is an appropriate technique if used only sparingly. If each metaphor has to be accompanied by an explanation its usefulness as a literary device is negated.
The "reverse salient" metaphor is important to Hughes as a continuing metaphor fundamental to his thesis. The advance of systems technology is not linear; there are advances and retreats along a wide front. This is evident when technological development shifted from independent inventors to a "system must be first"(184) approach that occurred when the radical attitude of system-originating inventions clashed with the conservative system-improving ones.
A case in point is the experience of inventor-entrepreneur Edwin Armstrong and his investigation of frequency modulation (FM) to counter static interference, a "major reverse salient on the expanding [AM] radio front."(146) "Here was a classic case of the independent inventor's radical attitude toward invention and development clashing with the conservative approach of the large corporation."(148) Armstrong was snubbed by RCA and NBC, both heavily invested in existing technology. A protracted legal struggle ultimately led to Armstrong's vindication in court but only after his death by suicide from the stress. In this example Hughes' previous explanation of the salient was essential to the subsequent use of the metaphor and its understanding.
Utilizing another metaphor Hughes describes the Ford Motor Company Highland Park Plant in Detroit as a "great flowing tide of production" and offers alternative ideas which may have inspired Henry Ford's idea for the assembly line. The evocative images of the "flow of production" in the moving lines of the Chicago meatpackers, in tin can manufacture, and in moving conveyors in flour mills might have influence Ford. Hughes also sees a comparison between auto production and the demand for constant flow, mass demand, and mass supply of electric utility production which Ford learned while an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit. Hughes admires the uniqueness of Ford and Edison "who understood that there were no experts about the unknown; no theories, only hypotheses or metaphorical insights, about the uninvented."(215) The idea of mental images as the source of Ford's inspiration is a logical conclusion of Hughes' reasoning.
To make his books more appealing and in deference to his audience, Hughes includes captioned photographs. But there is another, more analytic, reason for the pictures. On the one hand the images help the reader visualize history. On the other hand the pictures are symbolic of the verbal and visual metaphors imagined by inventors to understand their "moment of inventive insight."(75) A metaphor aids interpretive history and also, according to Hughes, in understanding the mystery of an inventor's creativeness. Pictures, whether in the mind or in print, help to clarify history. This is revealing. Hughes, from his literary understanding of the use for metaphors, ingeniously points to their usefulness also as a mental tool of inventors. Historians and inventors have something in common.
Hughes argues the history of technology is critical to understanding America's development but he is not a technological determinist. He does not see American technology as socially constructed, nor is America's development driven by technology because, he writes, "the makers of the modern world...[were expressing] long-held human values and aspirations."(5)
hoping for more.......1999-07-30
From the Independent innovators, to the beginning of research groups, to military research, to systems creators of Taylor and Ford, to military industrial complex systems of production. The first few and last chapters are the best. Edison had over 1000 patents, I have none. :-(
Amazon.com
One part intellectual and one part journalist, Ron Rosenbaum offers a thick book full of his writing from Esquire, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, and The New York Observer (where he is currently a columnist). Perhaps not every selection will interest every reader--the diversity of topics is incredible--but there is probably something, or many things, for everyone in The Secret Parts of Fortune.
An outstanding entry is an excerpt from his celebrated book Explaining Hitler. Other highlights include a hilarious interview with Robin Leach (entitled "The Frantic Screaming Voice of the Rich and Famous"), an explanation of why Murray Kempton "is the best prose writer in America," and a short history of computer hackers. One of Rosenbaum's finest pieces focuses on the cancer-cure underground: "False hope springs eternal," he writes, describing how phony cancer "cures seem to spring up and sweep the nation like religious revivals, a new one at least every decade." Yet he's sympathetic--or at least mildly understanding--of the motivations behind the fake healers: the movement isn't "composed mainly of cash-hungry charlatans and snake-oil salesmen eager to make an easy killing off the sufferings and hopes of cancer victims. In fact, among the healers, the prophets, and the alchemists, you find less greed than evangelical fervor--the rapturous conviction of religious visionaries."
Rosenbaum is rougher with Bill Gates; he lights into the billionaire's fabled high-tech home, which he says "exhibits the distinctive feature of the totalitarian mind: the inability to distinguish between private and public spheres. It suggests this isn't just the way he wants to run his house, it's the way he wants to run the world: total surveillance, enforced entertainment, everyone isolated in programmable pods." Yet another standout is Rosenbaum's article on Kim Philby, the British intelligence officer who spied against his native land on behalf of the Soviets. Or did he? Rosenbaum considers the fascinating "possibility that Philby had been not a Soviet double agent but a British triple agent." And there's so much more. This rich book is full of provocative and gripping prose, and highly recommended. --John J. Miller
Book Description
In 1998, Ron Rosenbaum published Explaining Hitler, a national bestseller and one of the most acclaimed books of the year, hailed by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times as "lucid and exciting . . . a provocative work of cultural history that is as compelling as it is thoughtful, as readable as it is smart." Time called it "brilliant . . . restlessly probing, deeply intelligent."
The acclaim came as no surprise to those who have been reading Ron Rosenbaum's journalism, published widely in America's best magazines for three decades. The man known to readers of his New York Observer column as "The Edgy Enthusiast" has distinguished himself as a writer with extraordinary range, an ability to tell stories that are frequently philosophical, comical, and suspenseful all at once.
In this classic collection of three decades of groundbreaking nonfiction, Rosenbaum takes readers on a wildly original tour of the American landscape, deep into "the secret parts" of the great mysteries, controversies, and enigmas of our time.
These are intellectual adventure stories that reveal:
¸ The occult rituals of Skull and Bones, the legendary Yale secret society that has produced spies, presidents, and wanna-bes, including George Bush and his son George W. (that's the author, with skull, on the cover, in front of the Skull and Bones crypt)
¸ The Secrets of the Little Blue Box, the classic story of the birth of hacker culture
¸ The Curse of the Dead Sea Scrolls; "The Great Ivy League Nude Posture Photo Scandal"; the underground
realms of "unorthodox" cancer-cure clinics in Mexico; the mind of Kim Philby, "the spy of the century"; the unsolved murder of JFK's mistress; and the mysteries of "Long Island, Babylon"
¸ Sharp, funny (sometimes hilarious) cultural critiques that range from Elvis to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Bill Gates to Oliver Stone, Thomas Pynchon to Mr. Whipple, J. D. Salinger to the Zagat Guide, Helen Vendler to Isaac Bashevis Singer
¸ And a marriage proposal to Rosanne Cash
Forcefully reported, brilliantly opinionated, and elegantly phrased, The Secret Parts of Fortune will endure as a vital record of American culture from 1970 to the present.
Customer Reviews:
Must Read.......2002-05-25
A blast! A quirky and original series of reports on subjects both profound and bizarre. But with a literate eye and a graceful tone that is engaging and riviting. These are terrific essays and together, they comprise a dazzling read.
As good as it gets.
Very Dense.......2001-01-12
I had never read Ron Rosenbaum before I purchased this book and while I don't love everything I've read so far, I do have a great deal of respect for Rosenbaum as a journalist. To put it simply: he's brilliant. It's so refreshing to read his work. He's one of the best journalists I've ever read and am so glad that amazon brought him to my attention.
My problem with the book was that many of his essays just didn't grab me. The synopsis described several topics which I was sure would interest me but when I actually read them I found the writing style a bit dense and bogged down. I don't ever expect to like everything I read in collections. I particularly liked "The Great Ivy League Nude Posture Photo Scandal," as well as "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Hoax." This is the kind of compilation which I would not recommend attempting to read in one sitting. Smaller portions worked best for me. This is a wonderful collection of Rosenbaum's work, and while I haven't read them all yet, so far, so good.
YUCK.......2001-01-05
When Entrepeneur magazine reviewed this book it sounded good so I bought it. In reading it, it's nothing more than a compilation of a bunch of dated magazine articles penned by the same author of this book. Random House was obviously looking for a quickie way to bring in cash over the holiday season so decided to put together this "new" book. The only NEW in here is a couple of editorial comments at the end of the dated stories. Whoopee.
First I read the story about Robin Leach, and Rosenbaum's casual nose-tipping, as if what he's about is So Much Better than Robin. Obviously he missed the irony of the situation, and still does.
Then I read the story about Salinger. There is a name for those people who spend their lives name-dropping, and this was a classic example of a New York Elite Writer taking it up a notch. Yuck.
I skipped to the story about phreakers. After reading it, I thought "So what?" The only point I can see in including this story in the compendium is so Rosenbaum can continue to toot his own horn. (See Leach comments, above).
Finally, I gave him one more chance. I read the story about two pets, Stumpy vs. Lucille. This was the one that really did it for me. Rosenbaum's logic screams a five-year-old's syllogism: All Dogs Are Pandering Suck-Ups. You have a dog. Therefore, your dog is a Pandering Suck-Up.
It's obvious that Rosenbaum has never set foot into true dogdom, where there are All Kinds of dog personalities, including the shy, terrified puppy that has never left its tiny chickenwire puppymill cage until it's purchased, the female breeder dog who has spent her whole life cranking out litters of puppymill dogs and, when set free, her dead eyes have no CONCEPT that dogs are supposed to be suck-ups because humans are good, and there's the Mean Dog, the one who learned how to survive in the puppymill pack by beating up anything that came near him, so he'd get enough food to stay alive. I spend my life dedicated to rehabbing these dogs, and when I see the life come back into their eyes again you damn well bet I'm proud. I don't do it to feel important, I do it because puppymill dogs deserve a better life and because I have the skills and patience needed to help them overcome their pasts. Perhaps I should cut Rosenbaum some slack - it's obvious he never leaves his quaint little upscale name-dropped world of Elite Writers to actually research the true parameters of dog/cat behavior before he slaps a label on it and throws his Elite Writer weight behind it to make it stick. When Gandhi said the moral progress of a nation could be judged by how it treats its animals, he was talking about people like Rosenbaum, who can't grasp concept One about them.
The only good aspect of the book is Amazon.com's return policy.
America's best living essayist.......2000-09-05
I have to confess being unfamiliar with Ron Rosenbaum until reading his excellent, perceptive book "Explaining Hitler." What a pleasure, then, that he has followed that book up with this collection of his magazine work extending over the past three decades. The essays collected here are a mixed bag showing Rosenbaum's extensive range, from amusing short pieces to long works in depth. Some personal favorites include his early exploration of the world of phone phreaks (in which Rosenbaum predicted, correctly, that computer hacking was the wave of the future - this in 1971!), his exposure of the Henry Lee Lucas serial killer hoax, his slightly crazed looks at TV culture via the war over canned laughter and the eminence of Mr. Whipple in toilet paper advertising, a short but incredibly horrible glimpse of early 60s teen film star Troy Donahue debauched and decrepit in the early 70s, his explorations into the world of the Kennedy assassination mythos, a brief, horrified look at Bill Gates' house, and his wonderful exposure of Yale's weird Skull and Bones fraternity. Every piece is well worth your time and several are worthy of close rereading. Rosenbaum is a fine writer, improving continuously as this collection shows (and he started at a very high level), and I'll be looking for his magazine pieces from now on.
Rosenbaum, The Gnostic Explorer.......2000-08-08
Ron Rosenbaum got a lot of attention a couple of years ago with his amazing book "Explaining Hitler", which was about all the different theories people have come up with to account for that figure's almost overwhelming evil. However, he has been writing journalism for thirty years that explores the hidden underside of contemporary culture--the "gnostic knowledge", if you will, of the modern world. This book is a thick, satisfying collection of much of that work. Some of the best stuff: an exploration of Kim Philby and the information about him that Graham Greene might have taken to his death. An amusing expose of the naked "posture photos" that used to be required of every freshman at Ivy League universities. His Hitler essay that first appeared in the "New Yorker" magazine. The inside poop on the secret society of "Skull and Bones." There is also a lot of terrific "literary journalism"--the best essay I've ever read on J.D. Salinger, which first appeared in "Esquire"; along with his famous take on the underappreciated Charles Portis, which got his books back into print. Also, perceptive stuff on Martin Amis and an explanation of how the lost art of the "close reading" of the old-fashioned "New Critics" is better than post-modernism at explaining the world. Rosenbaum is definitely *not* a conspiracy theorist; his real subject is how human beings respond to mystery. He contrasts his own shifting views on the JFK asassination ("Oswald's Ghost") with the fatal paranoia that eventually overcame the late Danny Casolaro. This is an endlessly fascinating book--highly recommended for mystery lovers, history buffs, and fans of the weird and unexplained.
Book Description
In this rich, rewarding book, Dr. Peale brings the problems of today into focus and provides hard-hitting, practical advice on how to cope with them by boosting the enthusiasm you bring to each new day. Enthusiasm is the magic ingredient that can
-- Help you persuade others
-- Sharpen your mind
-- Improve your problem-solving abilities
-- Overcome your fears
-- Make your job more rewarding
-- Build self-confidence
-- Calm your tensions
-- Give you insight into your problems
-- Kindle the powerful motivation that makes things happen
Download Description
"""I am convinced that the fortunate individuals who achieve the most in life are invariably activated by enthusiasm." - Norman Vincent Peale If you have a tough time coping with life's disturbances, disappointments, and challenges, this book is for you. Dr. Peale offers a simple, sure-fire solution for stress: a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the magic ingredient that can make the difference between success and failure, and it can help you to: * improve your problem-solving abilities * overcome your fears * sharpen your mind * make your job more rewarding * calm your tensions * build self-confidence * kindle the powerful motivation that makes things happen "
Customer Reviews:
the best peale book i've read.......2004-03-11
This book is by far the best of about 3 Norman Vincent Peale books I have read. While it does tend to repeat stories from his other books(after reading a couple I think they all do), it also has the ability to make you motivated into doing something right now. Peale has the ability to make you want to do something with your life right now and not wait until tommorrow comes. I've notice his advice of just "putting a smile on your face everyday" really works and I think it will for you as well!
Enthusiastic about enthusiasm.......2000-05-08
This is one of the best books I have ever read on the topic of turning adversity into advantage. I have several of Norman Vincent Peale's books and loved them all - but this one beats the rest in that it seems to me to be the easiest to put into practice. There are several real-life examples of success and lots of different ways of going about it. Basically - be enthusiastic about life, youself, and, of course, God. One of the good things about this book is that God doesn't come into it from the beginning, meaning that those who have no faith are hooked by the ideas for improving their lives before they get chance to be put off by ideas of 'the God squad' I have combed England to get hold of another copy. - The original one I read was published in UK in 1991 and is now out of print - I am more delighted than I can say to find it here - I have lots of people of my acquaintance to whom I intend to give it. I must be impressed to want to buy it just to give it away!
Product Description
Happy workers will be more productive workers! In this heartwarming handbook, best-selling author, Barbara Glanz gives you 180 morale-boosting ideas to help you bring more caring, communication, respect, and appreciation to the place where you work. Whether you are an employee or a manager, you can learn to spread your contagious enthusiasm and make a difference every single day!
Customer Reviews:
Creaitng an Engaged Workforce.......2006-07-05
If you've been paying attention to what people have been writing about leadership lately, you've undoubtedly come across the term "engagement". Engaged employees are productive employees.
Recently, I came across a Walk the Talk handbook by Barbara Glanz entitled 180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm. This little book is a must read for anyone who is interested in creating an engaged, motivated workforce.
180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm is divided into seven chapters:
1. Creative Communication
2. Atmosphere
3. Appreciation for All
4. Respect
5. Reason for Being
6. Empathy
7. Enthusiasm
The seven chapter headings reinforce Ms. Glanz's main point about building enthusiasm and engagement: leaders must CARE. She is so emphatic about this point - CARE -- that she makes each point twice.
* C Creative Communication
* A Atmosphere and Appreciation for All
* R Respect and Reason for Being
* E Empathy and Enthusiasm
Here is a sample of the advice she offers.
Creative Communication
* Spend five minutes figuring out how to communicate a decision for every ten minutes you spend deciding.
* Add a quotation, graphic, cartoon or seasonal reminder to memos and fax cover sheets. Make them fun and interesting to get people's attention.
* Hold "grapevine" meetings (informal meetings with an open agenda giving all employees a chance to set rumors straight) at least once a month to enhance communication and get worries and concerns out in the open.
Atmosphere
* A great place to work is one in which you trust the people you work for, have pride in what you do, and enjoy the people you work with.
* Take a look at your office - what does it say about your human level? Always display in your office one or two reminders of things you really love.
* Every Friday, have a "Good News Hour" for 30 minutes before the workday starts...Ask employees to share good things that have happened to them - at home, at work or in the world.
Appreciation for All
* Everyone in organizations should set as their goal to maintain or enhance the self esteem of the people with whom they interact.
* Send logo gifts to spouses and children at holiday time. Ask people to write down the best way they can think of to celebrate their birthday. Then, try to make that happen on their special day.
* Ask everyone on your work team to give five sincere compliments a day to others. Once a week, have people share how the recipients responded.
Respect
* You can tell the value of a man by the way he treats his wife, the way he treats a subordinate and the way he treats someone who can do nothing for him.
* Highlight a different employee's hobbies each month in the lobby of your building.
* Provide etiquette classes for employees. Include how to act gracefully in different cultures.
Reason for Being
* We must stop thinking of work as something imposed on us by the need to make money, and think of it as something we have chosen to participate in because of its value in our lives and the community at large.
* Add a personal signature to your work to differentiate yourself from all the others who do the same work as you.
* Allow every employee to visit one customer organization a year.
* Feature a "Customer of the Month" on your website. Include personal features, how long he or she has been a customer, and a little about the customer's business.
Empathy
* Allow employees to have one to two hours a week during company time to volunteer in the community.
* Create cross department teams, and allow them to have one afternoon off a quarter to plan something to benefit the community.
* Bring in a barber and hairdresser one day a week to help your employees easily get haircuts.
Enthusiasm
* Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life.
* Collect company legends and stories on video or audiotape. If possible, interview the employee or customer to whom they happened.
* Have people celebrate their favorite sports teams by dressing up in their colors, hats or uniforms.
If you don't like any of these ideas, there are over 150 more in 180 ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm. I think that all leaders should read this book. It is a catalyst for great ideas on creating an engaged workforce.
Books:
- North of Ithaka: A Journey Home Through a Family's Extraordinary Past
- Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration
- Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
- Prom Nights from Hell
- Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings: Step-by-Step Construction Methods (Quick Guide)
- Rainbow High
- Rebel Angels (Readers Circle)
- River Thunder
- Rock n' Blues Harmonica: A World of Harp Knowledge, Songs, Stories, Lessons, Riffs, Techniques and Audio Index for a New Generation of Harp Players (Includes ... book and 74 minute stereo CD Jamming Buddy)
- Sacred Hoops: SPIRITUAL LESSONS OF A HARDWOOD WARRIOR
Books Index
Books Home
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