The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • afflictions of affluence
  • a practical and insightful book
  • Clearly I'm in the minority here..
  • The Price of Privilege
  • Very Important Book
 The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
Madeline Levine
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Adolescent PsychologyAdolescent Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060595841
Release Date: 2006-07-03

Book Description

Madeline Levine has been a practicing psychologist for twenty–five years, but it was only recently that she began to observe a new breed of unhappy teenager. When a bright, personable fifteen–year–old girl, from a loving and financially comfortable family, came into her office with the word empty carved into her left forearm, Levine was startled. This girl and her message seemed to embody a disturbing pattern Levine had been observing. Her teenage patients were bright, socially skilled, and loved by their affluent parents. But behind a veneer of achievement and charm, many of these teens suffered severe emotional problems. What was going on? Conversations with educators and clinicians across the country as well as meticulous research confirmed Levine's suspicions that something was terribly amiss. Numerous studies show that privileged adolescents are experiencing epidemic rates of depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse –– rates that are higher than those of any other socioeconomic group of young people in this country. The various elements of a perfect storm –– materialism, pressure to achieve, perfectionism, disconnection –– are combining to create a crisis in America's culture of affluence. This culture is as unmanageable for parents –– mothers in particular –– as it is for their children. While many privileged kids project confidence and know how to make a good impression, alarming numbers lack the basic foundation of psychological development: an authentic sense of self. Even parents often miss the signs of significant emotional problems in their "star" children. In this controversial look at privileged families, Levine offers thoughtful, practical advice as she explodes one child–rearing myth after another. With empathy and candor, she identifies parenting practices that are toxic to healthy self–development and that have contributed to epidemic levels of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse in the most unlikely place –– the affluent family.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars afflictions of affluence.......2007-09-05

Madeline Levine knows the afflictions of affluence. Although she was raised in a blue collar setting and her family even lived on state assistance for a while, for thirty years she's lived in Marin County, California, just across the Golden Gate Bridge, where she's raised a family of five and practiced as a clinical psychologist. In addition to her personal experiences as a mother and a clinician, her book includes the findings of social-scientific studies, cultural analyses, and the insights of her colleagues to explore the "paradox of privilege." Why are there so many kids "whose problems seem out of proportion to their life circumstances?" Why do her adolescent patients have some of the highest rates of dysfunctional behaviors, including addictions, eating disorders, cutting, burning, depression, insomnia, boredom and anxiety? Why have adolescent suicides quadrupled since 1950?

Levine encourages us to take an "unflinching look at our parenting skills." There she finds two contributing factors: achievement pressure and maladaptive perfectionism that make kids feel like parental love depends upon performance. Kids also feel isolated from their parents, even those overweening parents who, out of their own neediness, are not simply involved in the lives of their kids but downright intrusive. Levine teases out the distinctions between support and micro-management, wholesome encouragement and overbearing pressure. She also spends considerable time deconstructing the more toxic elements of affluent cultures, encouraging parents to resist the status quo of overwrought competition, perfectionism, and materialism.

All parents have limited abilities, skills, and opportunities, not to mention their own family of origin baggage. Children are all different and unpredictable, so there is no one-size-fits-all set of techniques that guarantees success. Levine is empathetic and realistic; she never makes you feel like parenting requires sainthood. I especially appreciated the several times she shared her own family failures and successes. She repeatedly returns to the special influence of mothers on their children, along with the their unique challenges (including her entire last chapter). I'm sure that many of the problems she describes exist not merely in affluent communities but most everywhere. The wisdom she offers in this book will help any parent, no matter where they live.

4 out of 5 stars a practical and insightful book.......2007-07-11

One reason I was pleased with this book is that the author, psychologist Madeline Levine, doesn't blame money itself for the rising problems among privileged teens. She mentions wealthy families where the kids are raised to be decent, hard-working, responsible and mature. Rather than rail against the evil of money (which would've been annoyingly hypocritical, given that she, her husband and sons live in an affluent community), Dr. Levine makes an important distinction between money and the values that often go hand-in-hand with money (but don't have to).

One example is the attitude of materialism one sees in many privileged communities. Materialism isn't constrained to any one socioeconomic class; a person from a poor or middle class home may also value his possessions excessively, and place more importance on acquiring more "stuff" at the expense of spending quality time with family, forming friendships, and cultivating meaningful interests and positive character traits. The reason why materialism is often associated only with wealth, is that wealthy people have the means to indulge it more often and in more conspicuous ways. The point is, it's this mindset that Levine criticizes, not money per se. She knows wealthy kids who are well-adjusted, in part because their parents had them do chores around the house, encouraged them to volunteer and engage in community activities, did not cave in and buy them everything they wanted, and basically set firm boundaries and placed emphasis on the important values in life. In less healthy families, material goods are sadly seen as fulfilling all needs and solving all problems.

It's painful to read about parents who hold out bribes of expensive cars and clothes in the hopes that their kids will get the best grades, make the best sports teams, and get into the best colleges. As Levine points out, it's not only materialism that hurts these kids. It's also the intense pressure to be the best at everything and pull it off without any apparent effort. The emphasis on outward appearance, on superficial measures of success stifles many of the kids in these communities.

One example she gives is a boy who's unremarkable academically but very gifted at car repair and mechanics. For his parents it's a nightmare; they're ambitious, college-educated professionals and can't accept their son's enthusiasm and preference for what they see as lower class work. They criticize him relentlessly, and as one coping mechanism for feeling so under-valued and out of place in his family and community, he turns to drugs and starts acting out. Levine doesn't excuse the boy's behavior, but she can understand it; in addition to drug abuse treatment, part of her therapy involves the parents and getting them to see that their son is his own person and shouldn't be forced into the prototypical mold for a "successful" child.

Which brings me to another good point about the book. Levine really encourages parents to rethink their parenting styles and review their values and motives. For example, after reading this book a father might wonder why he's pushing his son so hard to play a sport - is it because he wants the boy to learn something and grow as a person? Or is it because he wants to live vicariously through his son and be the envy of the other competitive fathers in the community?

Levine is sympathetic to parents. She acknowledges that most parents want the best for their kids. She has particular compassion for the mothers in these affluent communities, who often lead lonely lives and, because of the need to appear perfectly happy and perfectly together, often don't have a close friend to confide in (in fact, one of the pitfalls is a socially isolated mother turning to her kids for the kind of emotional intimacy she isn't getting from her spouse and friends). She urges parents, particularly mothers, to address the troubled and painful issues in their own lives; essentially, a content and well-adjusted parent makes for a much better influence on a kid than one who is cold and remote, or clingy and needy, or just downright depressed.

Dr. Levine's book is thoughtful, straightforward and worth reading. Though all parents can benefit from her advice, the book is especially important for affluent parents who inspite of their good intentions might readily adopt the dominant values of their communities - the materialism, the pressure to look good and (at least outwardly) succeed, the emotional isolation, and the conformity to a certain kind of lifestyle. As Levine demonstrates again and again in her book, these values stunt and skew development.

3 out of 5 stars Clearly I'm in the minority here.........2007-06-13

This is a very good book with many valuable insights and clinical observations. The problem I have with this book is the same problem I have with the psychological and psychiatric communities in general. Psychotherapists like Dr. Levine have effectively removed religion from their professional discourse and thus their diagnoses, both personal and scoial, are inevitably incomplete. In my opinion, there is a clear link between affluence and secularism/atheism and between secularism/atheism and depression. Statistically, impoverished, less affluent peoples are far more likely to attend religious services on a weekly basis and to hold the religious life in higher esteem. Perhaps it is this lack of a religious orientation that causes or helps to cause those issues which Dr. Levine does consider at length; depression, materialism, perfectionism, stress etc. Unfortuantely, in today's psychiatric climate the question of religion is off the table.

5 out of 5 stars The Price of Privilege.......2007-03-12

This book enlightens parents to the consequences of pampering their chidren monetarily and with lack of discipline. The topic crosses the affluence boundary and affects all families in this day and age, to some extent. Chidlren are growing up with less of a spiritual core which parents fill with 'stuff', playing into the consumer culture of today. It's not only a great parenting book, but an excellent profile of our need to succeed in order to feel worthy. She is a great writer and I highly recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars Very Important Book.......2007-02-13

I gave this to one of my sisters last spring when her teenage son was going thru some difficulties. She subsequently gave it to her husband, and then to the school headmaster who made it mandatory reading for the school's counseling dept. If they believe so strongly in this book, parents can, too.
Disconnected: A True Hurricane Katrina Story
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Disconnected: A True Hurricane Katrina Story
    Cheryl Ory , and Belinda Thompson
    Manufacturer: Tate Publishing & Enterprises
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 1598867520
    Release Date: 2007-02-27

    Product Description

    No power; no running water; no modern day resources; completely surrounded by water. It was like a third world country and a war zone. The outside world was misled to believe that all 550 people inside the hospital had been evacuated. No one knew they were there. They could hear the helicopters flying overhead and see the rescue attempts nearby at the Superdome. They shined flashlights out the window at night with the hope that someone would see them. Thirty-something people would gather and hold hands in prayer with the hope of even a word of rescue. They waited and waited. But no one came. They were cut off from the outside world completely Disconnected.
    America's Disconnected Youth: Toward a Preventative Strategy
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		America's Disconnected Youth: Toward a Preventative Strategy
      Douglas J. Besharov
      Manufacturer: AEI Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      Disconnected Rivers: Linking Rivers to Landscapes
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        		Disconnected Rivers: Linking Rivers to Landscapes
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        Manufacturer: Yale University Press
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        Ellen Wohl begins by introducing the basic physical, chemical, and biological processes operating in rivers. She then addresses changes in rivers resulting from settlement and expansion, describes the growth of federal involvement in managing rivers, and examines the recent efforts to rehabilitate and conserve river ecosystems. In each chapter she focuses on a specific regional case study and describes what happens to a particular river organism—a bird, North America’s largest salamander, the paddlefish, and the American alligator—when people interfere with natural processes.

        The Disconnected Generation
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • !Must read for all DADs....
        • A Dangerous Book, If Such a Thing is Possible
        • For Parents of Teens
        • Outstanding and Insightful!
        		 The Disconnected Generation
        Josh McDowell
        Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 084994077X

        Book Description

        The real battle is not in the amoral and immoral influences of our culture, but in the hearts of our young people, says author and speaker Josh McDowell inThe Disconnected Generation. And our young people are losing hope because they feel isolated and alienated from their parents. They are the disconnected generation. This book shows parents and youth workers how to understand and close the isolation gap to form nurturing, enduring relationships that can withstand cultural influences. As a companion toThe Disconnected Generation,the video curriculum resources provides five video sessions from Josh McDowell offering practical steps that every adult can take to close the emotional gap between themselves and their children.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars !Must read for all DADs...........2007-01-25

        If anyone is concerned about their youth or pre-youth.. or just need some good advise on your 15yr-old... this is a must read...

        When you start not to understand your child... and he/she seemingly have a different culture all of a sudden... you need help.... how do you build a close relationship? How can you understand their world...

        I think this book help me for sure....

        1 out of 5 stars A Dangerous Book, If Such a Thing is Possible.......2002-07-04

        Let me make something clear from the outset. I am a postmodernist. Deal. For those of you that are still reading, let me explain why this book is dangerous. First, McDowell's goal is one that I can wholeheartedly agree with. Students shooting each other is a situation that is unacceptable. Something needs to be done. This, unfortunately, is very much NOT it. The reason is very obvious, once you set aside your bias and consider what the author is trying to do. He is attempting to show you how to lead (i.e., coerce) your child/children back into a faith in God.

        This very attempt to coerce your children back to God is wrong. No one should be forced to believe in Christianity or anything else, or we may as well reinstate the Crusades and the Inquisition. It will give you a good laugh if you take it the way that I can only assume that it is meant: as a joke. If you do what McDowell suggests, you will be forcing them to believe what you do and you will be sending them down a certain path to self-destruction. If you want your children to relate to you and to be healthy, teach them critical thinking skills and attempt to understand their lives and their decisions. They are their own human being and they CAN indeed make their own decisions.

        It's a fun joke and I read it every once in a while to give me a fun laugh. Taking it seriously is a mistake. You do a good job, Josh. Keep the laughs coming!
        Harkius

        5 out of 5 stars For Parents of Teens.......2001-02-09

        Today's teens live in a different world from their parents, more so than ever before. It's hard to teach your teens how to grow up spiritually, especially when you may not have had good guidance from your own parents. This book is a great resource for learning how to connect to your teen. Learn how to make connections with your teen that will give them their needed sense of authenticity, importance, security, significance, lovability, and responsibility. My husband and I are already making great steps towards beginning to better relate to our teenage daughter.

        5 out of 5 stars Outstanding and Insightful!.......2000-09-04

        We read the book with great relief. We were sure our teenagers were the only ones behaving and speaking a language we did not understand. After reading the book and trying some of the techniques suggested, we can only describe it as the Rosetta Stone of teen language. It was great!
        Stop Screaming at the Microwave: How to Connect Your Disconnected Life
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Life Balance
        • You gotta be kidding me...
        • Several excellent ideas
        • Prioritizing - Without Lists
        • A remarkable set of tools for today's hectic lifestyle
        		 Stop Screaming at the Microwave: How to Connect Your Disconnected Life
        Mary LoVerde
        Manufacturer: Fireside
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 0684853973

        Amazon.com Audiobook Review

        While many self-help books focus on how to organize, prioritize, and manage your time in order to operate at top efficiency, Stop Screaming at the Microwave takes a refreshingly different tack--slow down, start connecting with people, and learn how to feel good. This short but friendly abridged audiobook provides simple ideas to put you more in touch with your spouse, family, colleagues, and yourself, based on the philosophy that the more connected you are to others, the better you'll feel. Although you may have heard some of these ideas before, author Mary LoVerde reads them with an infectious enthusiasm that makes Stop Screaming a welcome change of pace for harried working people. (Running time: 1.5 hours, one cassette) --Sharon Griggins

        Book Description

        AN OVERFLOWING IN-BOX...AN OVERFLOWING SINK FULL OF DIRTY BREAKFAST DISHES...IS THIS WHAT THE EXPERTS MEAN BY "HAVING IT ALL"?

        You've organized, prioritized, delegated, and simplified, and you still don't have enough time for your family, your spouse, your friends, your boss -- much less yourself! You're a veteran of the time-management wars, fighting for the life balance ideal -- and you're losing. So, short of quitting your job and running away from home, what do you do when you can't keep up? The answer, says Mary LoVerde, is to reach out and connect -- with loved ones, with colleagues, with yourself! Instead of wondering how you're going to get it all done, you'll master the connection solution by

        If you're concerned about the quality of your home life, your work life, and your inner life, you're about to discover that connection works better than the fanciest daily planner you'll ever fall for. Toss out the to-do lists -- it's time to Stop Screaming at the Microwave...and connect!

        Download Description

        For the millions of people who tried time-management techniques, simplified their lives, nurtured their bodies and their souls, and still find themselves screaming at the microwave, this refreshingly practical guide shows how to create the life-enhancing connections that make the difference.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars Life Balance.......2006-08-29

        I read a great book on the weekend called, "Stop Screaming at the Microwave!" by Mary LoVerde. This book is not one that I would normally pick up and read, but since I heard Mary speak at an YPO event, I was duly inspired. Most of her lectures and most of the book is about life balance (one of the courses that I failed).

        The interesting thing about the book is that it has a number of time management tips. I think this is great because one of the things that I often tell people when they question my high drive and push towards time management and efficiency is "good time management allows you to spend time doing what you choose to do". So if they want to be more balanced, they should stufy time management more.

        One interesting vignette in her book was a story about something her daughter did and her daughter said, "You're not going to use this story in your talks, are you?" I get the same thing about blogging. You have to be careful now, I own the media.

        One concept LoVerde talks about in her book are connections and the need to connect, and connecting deliberately. Again there is interesting analogies to this and business networking which she even speaks about. The gist of it is having a good number of connections can help de-stress your life.

        One slide that I am adding to my time management seminar is one that Mary calls micro-actions or inch-by-inch. Instead of trying to tackle the whole project, just tackle a small part of it. Simply start the task and the rest goes from there. One example she uses in her book is, "Microactions can work in any field. My husband uses them with the high school students he counsels. Seventeen-year olds have a thousand ingenious reasons why they have not yet applied for college admission. Instead of harping on them to fill out the application and warning them of the dire consequences if they fail to act in time, he asks them to bring in a postage stamp. He instructs them first to lick the stamp (they roll their eyes) and then place it on an addressed envelope in his presence. He reminds them that everyone who has graduated from college first put a stamp on an envelope and mailed in the applications. The kids think his advice is so stupid they mail in the forms. What else are they going to do with the stamped envelope?"

        Mary also talks about rituals as a way of grounding us and helping us to be centered. I often talk about habits that could also be referred to as rituals and we are the product of what we repeatedly do. She talks about creating possible rituals.

        Many interesting parallels in this book to some of my tricks and habits. And don't worry, I wont get too laid back.

        I would strongly recommend this book.

        2 out of 5 stars You gotta be kidding me..........2002-02-23

        I bought this book because I've got too much to do and too little time. The author's suggestion for how to prioritize, when faced with a choice of things I want to do, things I need to do, people I need to connect with? Choose "people" every time! Well, that is a lovely thought, but she doesn't give a whole lot of advice on how to keep the rest of your life from going to the dogs while you spend all your time playing touchy-feely with your loved ones. LoVerde's imaginative solution to her own time crunch was to stop cooking. Marvelous option if you can afford to eat out every day, and don't care much about nutrition. Not a workable option for most of us out here in the real world.

        4 out of 5 stars Several excellent ideas.......2000-12-31

        Although we are swimming (perhaps drowning) in self help books in general -- and "how to live the good life" books in particular -- this book provided several excellent ideas which I had not seen in other books of its ilk. In this day and age, getting even one novel and useful idea out of a book is the exception rather than the rule.

        Granted, there are many parts of this book which didn't apply to me (a great deal of it centers around spouse and children). But her ideas for a "Memory Jar," a "Feel Good File," and a "Policy statement" were worth the price of the book alone.

        Although it won't change my life (that would be asking a lot from ANY book), I found "Stop Screaming at the Microwave" to be better than average.

        4 out of 5 stars Prioritizing - Without Lists.......2000-02-06

        This book helped me set my priorities without being an "organization" book. The author humorously helps you recognize the things that are important for YOU, and helps you let go of the things you might be doing simply because you or "they" have a set of expectations you "should" fulfill.

        Pick out what's important to you, what makes you feel complete and happy and let go of the non-essentials.

        The Memory Jar is a great way to treasure your your memories and build bridges with others!

        5 out of 5 stars A remarkable set of tools for today's hectic lifestyle.......1998-10-28

        This book takes over where time management techniques end. Mary LoVerde has come up with a remarkable set of tools to deal with the hectic lifestyles we find ourselves in. Buy two copies, one for yourself and one to give as a gift to someone you love - it's that good!
        The Pine Island Paradox: Making Connections in a Disconnected World (World As Home, The)
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Beautiful book -- beautiful life
        • Excellent!
        		 The Pine Island Paradox: Making Connections in a Disconnected World (World As Home, The)
        Kathleen Dean Moore
        Manufacturer: Milkweed Editions
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        2. Riverwalking: Reflections on Moving Water Riverwalking: Reflections on Moving Water
        3. Blue Mountain: A Spiritual Anthology: A Spiritual Anthology Celebrating the Earth Blue Mountain: A Spiritual Anthology: A Spiritual Anthology Celebrating the Earth
        4. Reflections from the North Country Reflections from the North Country
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        ASIN: 1571312811

        Book Description

        Can the love reserved for family and friends be extended to a place? In her latest book, acclaimed author Kathleen Dean Moore reflects on how deeply the environment is entrenched in the human spirit, despite the notion that nature and humans are somehow separate. Moore's essays, deeply felt and often funny, make connections in what can appear to be a disconnected world. Written in parable form, her stories of family and friends — of wilderness excursions with her husband and children, camping trips with students, blowing up a dam, her daughter's arrest for protesting the war in Iraq — affirm an impulse of caring that belies the abstract division of humans from nature, of the sacred from the mundane. Underlying these wonderfully engaging stories is the author’s belief in a new ecological ethic of care, one that expands the idea of community to include the environment, and embraces the land as family.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Beautiful book -- beautiful life.......2006-07-13

        This reminds me of "The Web of Life : A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems" by Fritjof Capra as well as his previous book "The Turning Point" on which the movie "Mindwalk" (by Bernt Amadeus Capra, with Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston, and John Heard) was based. The difference is this book is not written by a physicist but by a philosopher whose engagement with her family and her environs is done in beautiful prose. Even an island is not an island.
        What does it mean to love a person? What does it mean to love a place? The list (p. 35) is interesting and so both are similar. How many things I must love according to this list! But even though they all fit, would I say I really love my car? I suppose I am spoiled by C.S. Lewis' "The Four Loves" which I think gives us some wonderful ways of discriminating among different "loves" and keeping them clearly different in our minds. I suppose the issue would be in the degree of love -- number nine "desperately".
        My favorite piece was about the bird hiding the nut in the backyard. What a great ending!

        5 out of 5 stars Excellent!.......2004-10-24

        I had the pleasure of briefly meeting the author, Kathleen Dean Moore, and listening to her read a (too) brief selection of pieces from The Pine Island Paradox, her latest collection of essays. I was so moved by her approach to her work (she is co-founder and Director of The Spring Creek Project, devoted to expanding the connections between the environment, philosophy, and words) and her writing that I ran right out and bought this book.

        I was not disappointed a bit. Ms. Moore has a gift for observations of the natural world and the ways western philosophy
        The Mobile Internet: How Japan Dialled up and the West Disconnected
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Looking for wristmobile
        • Essential overview on the mobile services market
        • Deep insights into marketing in- and outside of mobile I-net
        • Not great, not technical
        • Essential for understanding mobile usability & requirements
        		 The Mobile Internet: How Japan Dialled up and the West Disconnected
        Jeffrey L. Funk
        Manufacturer: ISI Publications Ltd
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        InternetInternet | Home Computing | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books | Internet & Education | Online Searching | Web Browsers | Web for Kids
        GeneralGeneral | Communication | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 9627762695

        Book Description

        The mobile Internet has been phenomenally successful in Japan, with 70% of the world's mobile Internet subscribers and 90% of the mobile Internet income in Japan, and a dismal failure in the US and Europe, who each account for less than 5% of the world's subscribers. Jeff Funk compares the US and Japanese approaches to the mobile Internet and shows how the different approaches have led to such wildly different market responses.

        It becomes apparent when reading The Mobile Internet, that the reason for the success of the mobile Internet in Japan is that the initial focus of the service providers was on the initially appropriate content, phones, business models, portal/search engines, services, and users (the critical factors), thus creating positive feedback between each of them. This positive feedback has caused each of the critical factors to quickly evolve, and in ways that suggest the mobile Internet is both different and an important complement to the fixed-line Internet.

        At first, the users of the mobile Internet in Japan were young, and the services, phones, content, portals, and content provider business models were simple. Jeff Funk describes how each of these items has evolved from simple to complex, and users have quickly diversified. US and European firms must rethink their approaches to the mobile Internet, focusing first on the initially appropriate critical factors. Unless they do, they will probably not see strong growth in their mobile Internet markets and their third generation services are most likely to fail.

        Customer Reviews:

        1 out of 5 stars Looking for wristmobile.......2003-06-17

        I need to know more about your wristmobile from Do Co Mo Japanese company please answer me because Im planning to buy it ....
        Thank you .

        5 out of 5 stars Essential overview on the mobile services market.......2003-02-28

        By far is the book that goes better into the critical factors at the base of the Japanese mobile services revolution and is a must-read for everyone interested in the mobile contents and services market.

        Jeffrey Lee Funk deconstructs and explain all the elements at the base of Mobile Services Japanese market:

        - operator strategy
        - content providers
        - new business models
        - user behaviours
        - services billing models
        - mobile payment systems
        - mobile portals
        - technology factors
        - social factors
        - multi channel strategy
        - evolution of the services

        By reading this book you understand that the majority of the Telco providers are adopting Ntt DoCoMo's business model.

        Jeffrey has based his book on case studies based on the analysis of interviews with Japanese firms of different sectors:

        - service providers
        - manufacturers
        - Content providers
        - Technology providers

        5 out of 5 stars Deep insights into marketing in- and outside of mobile I-net.......2002-04-04

        On one level this book is an examination of how mobile internet services were successfully developed and deployed in Japan. At this level the author goes into how the right mix of attractive services were developed, customers identified and then successfully marketed. The author provides ample supporting data and insightful analysis. He also demonstrates a thorough understanding of the key players who brought the success about, and their tactics. In this respect this book is a blueprint for American, European and Middle Eastern providers. After carefully reading the book for this level of knowledge I was surprised at how small the role of culture; instead the demographics and data indicate that success depends on understanding a generation (age group) that shares common characteristics regardless of nationality or cultural bias.

        There is a second level to this book and one that I hope readers don't miss: the concept of primary and secondary feedback loops in an ecology-based model that technologies, demographics, content/information, business models and delivery. This model would serve any industry segment, and it is one of the most elegant approaches to market analysis and strategy to which I've been exposed.

        If you're in the telecom provider industry this book is, without a doubt, a treasure for anyone involved in marketing and strategic planning. Not only does it describe in detail what NTT DoCoMo did right, leading to its success as a powerhouse mobile internet service provider, but it also highlights mistakes made along the way and some of the challenges that they are now facing (and some that they will have to face). The value of this is you learn from the experience of others.

        If you're in another industry there is still much this book has to offer: effective techniques, a case study in innovative marketing, and a reminder that identifying target customers and understanding their usage and buying habits are keys to success.

        The copious data, cited sources and each chapter's summary make this a complete and thorough work. If you're looking for technology-related information this is not the book. If you're looking for innovation in marketing this book is essential.

        3 out of 5 stars Not great, not technical.......2002-03-15

        This book was not exactly what I expected, and perhaps I was disappointed in that regard--It did not have any technical description of i-mode or the Japanese mobile web. It was a bit thin and weak in the sense of giving a reader a clear picture of i-mode.
        It's 'I know Japan so well that I don't need to write very well' attitude rather grated on me, and after a couple hundred pages actually had the effect of making stop read the book.

        5 out of 5 stars Essential for understanding mobile usability & requirements.......2001-12-17

        My motive for reading this book was to check my understanding of the issues and factors involved with mobile communications for PDAs and digital phones. As a recent member of a product development project for extending SAP R/3 and PeopleSoft to mobile phones and PalmOS PDAs I thought I had a grasp of the technology and associated issues. How wrong I was. This book provided me with a basic framework that would have proven invaluable during my project, and some key insights about mobile internet devices as opposed to landline-based devices.

        The framework uses primary and secondary feedback loops between and among services to be offered, user populations, content, device type, business models and portals and search engines. This framework allows an analyst (or marketing specialist) to classify the elements based on ranges (simple to complex, single-to-multifunctional, etc.) and to examine cause and effect, and significance.

        There are many levels to this book and more than one audience. My comments are from the viewpoint of an IT consultant whose goals are to understand mobile internet requirements, how content can be effectively displayed on small screens and the future of mobile computing with phones and PDAs. This book will also prove invaluable to marketing specialists, business strategists and infrastructure capacity management folks; however, none of these areas are covered in this review. Within this context I gleaned the following knowledge and insights from this book: (1) attempting to based mobile services on scaled down landline internet services is a mistake because the devices for each are vastly different, (2) a common mistake is to start with complex services and systems - the wild success of Japan is based on starting simple, and the abysmal failure of the US and Europe is based on providers attempting the opposite. Both of these basic principles are directly tied to the trade-offs between reach (services available to a mobile device have greater reach than a landline device) and richness (limitations of a mobile display restricts the 'glitz' that can be presented on that display). The foregoing should be carefully studied by anyone who is concerned with usability, and is also must reading for content developers and architects. In addition, the research performed by the author provides some insights about what people likely to embrace mobile internet access seek. There are some surprises here because two of the most popular consumers of bandwidth are downloading screen savers and ring tones. Another surprise is the usage patterns, which are typically restricted to 10-minute spurts, and the difference between mobile and fixed internet peak use patterns. All of the facts presented are backed with statistics and cited references. The author's research methods will prove interesting to requirements analysts and marketing analysts.

        The book ends with an objective view of what Japan is doing right and what the rest of the world is doing wrong with respect to mobile internet usage, which is balanced by weaknesses and threats to Japan's early success and opportunities available to the US and Europe for cashing in on the mobile internet. Even if you have no specific learning objectives this book makes for an interesting read and would make an excellent text for a college course in marketing.
        Disconnected: Parenting Teens in a MySpace World
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Disconnected: Parenting Teens in a MySpace World
          Chap Clark , and Dee Clark
          Manufacturer: Baker Books
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 080106628X
          Release Date: 2007-07-01

          Book Description

          Parents worry they don’t have the understanding or training to be able to care for their kids in a world that is increasingly superficial, politicized, and performance driven. Disconnected makes the concepts and strategies described in the bestselling Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers accessible to parents. After the overwhelming response to Hurt, authors Chap and Dee Clark here equip parents with an up-to-date, realistic parenting book that doesn’t ignore the harsh realities of adolescent life. It builds a foundation for parents by describing exactly how things have changed, takes them through the various developmental stages their children go through, and gives them workable paradigms for parenting.
          Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom
          Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
          • Disconnected deceit & berayal at WorldCom
          • In the Middle of Nowhere
          • Train wreck book of a train wreck company
          • Just a disorganized, lifeless, inspid mass of business memo.
          • Interesting story, poor writing
          		 Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom
          Lynne W. Jeter
          Manufacturer: Wiley
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          Company ProfilesCompany Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 047142997X

          Book Description

          The first inside look into the fall of the telecom industry pioneer
          Disconnected is the first book to tell the tale of the once powerful telecom pioneer whose corporate scandal eclipses the Enron fiasco. During the summer of 2002, WorldCom, once a leading carrier of Internet traffic, filed the largest bankruptcy claim in American history due to accounting errors totaling over $7 billion-and now finds itself on the brink of corporate extinction. Disconnected offers an engaging account of what really went wrong at WorldCom and why no one saw this corporate collapse coming. Author and award-winning journalist Lynn Jeter has been covering WorldCom since 1984 and provides a one-of-a-kind look into the inner workings of this global telecom giant. Readers will take a front row seat as Jeter explores the personalities and factors that led to WorldCom's rise and dramatic fall-such as the failed Sprint merger in 2000 and the revelation in June 2002 of their overstatement in earnings. Digging deep to uncover the mistakes, missteps, and outright unethical behavior that engulfed WorldCom, Disconnected also takes a closer look at former CEO Bernie Ebbers who was on the frontline during the years leading up to this corporate debacle. Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom gives readers the most telling account of a one-time industry giant.
          Lynne W. Jeter (Hattiesburg, MS) has been the primary WorldCom reporter for the only statewide business journal in Mississippi (home of WorldCom headquarters), The Mississippi Business Journal. Jeter has closely followed the company's rise and fall since its inception as LDDS in 1983. As a native Mississippian, Jeter has a solid knowledge of the unique business climate of the Deep South and access to a wealth of information and contacts that no other reporter could possess on this topic.

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars Disconnected deceit & berayal at WorldCom.......2007-01-16

          Very descriptive, good insight, a must read for any masters level student MBA,HR,Edu, etc...

          3 out of 5 stars In the Middle of Nowhere.......2007-01-04

          The book is presenting facts in a not too organised way. The most interesting facts are already presented at the beginning so that the following 150 pages just give more details.

          It might have been better to focus more on the problem/case itself instead of describing early history in every detail.

          Weakest point of "Disconnected" is that the book ends in the middle of the ongoing story and the reader does not know what was the outcome of this scandal.

          3 out of 5 stars Train wreck book of a train wreck company.......2006-06-04

          It's a pity that the only currently available book on the WorldCom meltdown is "Disconnected." While I'm sure Ms. Jeter is a respected writer on Mississippi business "Disconnected" is a perfect example of what can go wrong when a journalist/columnist tries to write a book; it reads more like a series of columns cobbled together rather than anything coherent and unified, which is a shame as the WorldCom fiasco deserves better than this. As a former legacy-MCI middle manager I was hoping "Disconnected" would be an incisive look into how it all went wrong and while it does that to varying degrees of success it's a major effort to get through the book, primarily due to the poor writing. Jeter has a pronounced tendency to repeat herself, which often left me wondering if these were old columns "cut and pasted" together to make a book. One particular problem is Jeter's habit of introducing a player and 40 pages later mentioning them in passing without putting them back into context. A great example of this is Diana Day-Cartee who was involved in WorldCom's forerunner LDDS and allegedly one of Bernie Ebbers many mistresses. She's mention in Chapter 3 "The Spending Spree" (pages 30, 36, & 37) then disappears until page 72 when she pops back up again casually mentioned in passing as, "Diana (Day) married some music executive." Huh? Would it kill Jeter just to append a quick "Bernie's alleged former lover" or "Early LDDS stalwart"? This is typical of Jeter's treatment of characters in the book, she fails to provide context as to who they are and how they're relevant leaving you to flip back and try to recall who the heck they were. Again, this is typical of the problems when a journalist tries to expound things to book-length, but it isn't always like that as witnessed by Neil Hayes's "When the Game Stands Tall." Jeter takes great pains to try and be impartial, which was probably due to the fact this was written and rushed to press before Ebbers trial and there was no way of knowing how the verdict would go.

          Jeter's book also lacks depth as it is told primarily from the legacy-WorldCom side of things and often ignores the perspective of the other companies forced into WorldCom. Some things in the book are spot-on, dead-accurate, and at times it was like a sickening trip down an unpleasant memory lane. But Jeter also gets some things absolutely dead-wrong which tells me she was over-relying on WorldCom sources rather than speaking to ex-MCI employees, which is sad as most of them would have been all too happy to talk (myself included). "Disconnected" would have benefited from a much more diligent editor and the book as considerable dead-space thanks to its odd layout (blank pages). Most of the recommendations on the back dust jacket are puff pieces from fellow Mississippians who likely never read the book beforehand and include her editor at the Mississippi Business Journal and a travel writer (!?). While I did find "Disconnected" a compelling page turner that I read rather quickly I was particularly interested in the subject matter. If it were anyone else I don't know they'd slog through this mess. With Ebbers and Sullivan rightly convicted its time for an updated version that fixes these problems, but preferably I'd rather see someone else just start from scratch.

          1 out of 5 stars Just a disorganized, lifeless, inspid mass of business memo. .......2006-02-05

          I was expecting this book to be a great story, but very disappointed. I cannot believe the publisher allowed the author to publish this book as it is. The book is insipid and dull, has no flow, no story, or no plot. Let me present an example. I have read many insightful Newsweek articles by a writer Allan Sloan. For example, Sloan describes a Sprint merger event in this way, "If talk is getting cheaper, why did MCI WorldCom pay $115 billion to buy Sprint? The once staid phone companies have launched a merger blitzkrieg in an effort to emerge at the center of the wired world. Can regulators handle the complex new order....." It has a clear logical axis, and has a force to attract readers into it.

          But Jeter describes it like this, "The merger announcement of WorldCom and Sprint spurred building activity around Worldcom headquarters as real estate developers readied for economic prosperity. The real estate inventory swelled with new planned unit....." It always presents off-center, trivial detail which makes a reader bored. 70% of books are consumed to described a dry and dull fact, like "the merger of company A & B raised the stock to $X" etc. There is no insight here.

          But unfortunately, unlike Enron scandal, there is no other book that centered on the Worldcom scandal. You would get much better comprehension by collecting articles in Newsweek or Business Week, if you have LexisNexis or EBISCOhost.

          2 out of 5 stars Interesting story, poor writing.......2005-07-25

          This book could have been much better if it progressed in a linear fashion. Much time is spent talking about small time players and the industry in general, but Worldcom and Bernie Ebbers seem to be on the backburner. The scandal is not brought up until the last 15 pages of the book, with only vague reference to "cooking the books" and writing off capital expenses.

          It's an easy, quick read that is mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, it falls short in the facts and research department.

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