Average customer rating:
- Inspiring, Wise, and Creative
- Opening Closed Doors
- In Transition? Thinking About Quitting? or Retiring?
- Superficial, irrelevant, and irritating
- Go Ahead, You Can Do It!
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Second Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career You Truly Desire
Stephen M. Pollan , and
Mark Levine
Manufacturer: Collins
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0060514884
Release Date: 2003-12-23 |
Book Description
Second Acts is a guide to reinventing your life. Whether you wish to change careers, move to a more desirable part of the country, start a business, write a novel, or drop everything to pursue a life dream, Stephen Pollan offers a powerful message ofhope and guidance that has benefited his own clients.
Through a series of exercises, you will develop a comprehensive "script" for your second act—a step-by-step action plan that will lead you to the life you've always wanted.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring, Wise, and Creative.......2007-07-10
It is obvious that the author lives on positive energy. This text motivated and inspired me every time I flipped the page. I think it was well structured, and the exercises were well-conceived; they really helped me internalize the information.
Essentially, this book is about how you can have a second career, or even a third. It also explains why you would want to, it empowers you to believe you can, and provides a few kicks in the pants for those of us who need it.
Stephan Pollan created a second act in his own life before writing this book. He is Michael J. Fox's father-in-law, so he has observed Fox's second act blossom. And he also went out looking for other examples of people who have successfully pulled off a second career. Therefore, this is not a fluffy book pulled out of the author's imagination...or pulled out of anywhere else. This is a practical and inspiring guide based on the experiences of many.
Opening Closed Doors.......2006-07-28
There are many books on life planning. There are many books on reinventing a life. I keep coming back to this one as a gold standard among the many instruction manuals out there. It's simple. It's well-written. The examples are clear. There are no gimmicks. The authors encourage introspection and self-reflection without making this seem scary and they offer simple guidance in indentifying and obercoming obstacles. This is one of a handful of books that I've used myself and highly recommend to my coaching clients.
In Transition? Thinking About Quitting? or Retiring?.......2006-06-02
Better read this book. Whether you are leaving a job to go to another one or thinking about hanging it all up, you ought to spend $10 and get this book.
I like a book where the author has actually had "fate" push him into the abyss and he had to figure out how to climb out of the darkness. This author lost his a good job thru no fault of his own, had a bout with TB (and was happy because it wasn't lung cancer), had no savings (alright how he had no savings is beyond me - but I am sure Mr. Pollan covers this in another book and will keep you from making the same error)and had to start all over. He tells you how he started all over, where he "wanted to go" and where he eventually wound up.
The author is sincere, honest, humble and writes like a person talks (which is always a good thing because it makes you feel he is sitting right next to you).
If you lost your job and are not sure what you want to do - pick up this book. The book provides ideas and I think more importantly a roadmap to uncover or discover what you want to do now that you're all grown up. BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, is the book gives hope, a sense that there is a future and that things will and can get better - as soon as you decide to.
Another good book is some of Brian Tracy's books especially his two books Maximum Achievement and Change Your Thinking and You Can Change YOur LIfe. These two books are similar to what Mr Pollan discusses around the way you need to think, and how you can control your destiny.
My best of luck to you in your search for happiness and peace and success!
Superficial, irrelevant, and irritating.......2006-03-24
Let's see - I graduate from law school at age twenty, work as an attorney, a real estate developer, venture capitalist, and a banker over a span of about thirty years. Then I get sick and am out of work. When I am ready to return to work, I, through a large network of past contacts, just happen to get a job teaching college courses, which leads to writing books and appearing on national TV shows, and which, in turn, leads to forming consulting businesses including life coaching. And, of course, my advanced degreed wife takes a well-paying job at a magazine as a cushion. Then I hold myself up as an example of how the typical person can launch a second career and put it all in a book, SECOND ACTS. So the reader learns early on that the author cannot distinguish the irrelevant from the situation of most attempting to make a career change. Furthermore, it is an irony, which the author little sees, that he did not depend on the exercises that he recommends to others in finding a second career. He actually stumbled into most of what he calls a second career. Is that the real message: get lucky.
Of course, what would a self-help book be if it didn't have any number of exercises that must be followed to find a second career. First of all, one is to write about their dream: passions, strengths and weaknesses, interests, needs, and the specific dream. And then there are the typical obstacles of which one must be cognizant: age, money, duration, consent, location, physical condition, education and training, timing, esteem, fear of failure, fear of success, and fatalism. There is a subtle message here that failure to launch a second career may be due to your failure to overcome these obstacles - like they are not really obstacles after all.
This is the wrong genre to look for a realistic description and assessment of the world of work and training and education for it. If employees were actually empowered and if students could get educated and trained without tremendous amounts of extraneous hoop-jumping, perhaps all of these books about how to deal with work and workplace unhappiness would not be necessary. Issues such as obsolescence and downsizing could be dealt with realistically taking into account the interests of all parties. Changing the content of one's current job would be possible.
Chances are those who are doing what they absolutely love: painters, writers, wood carvers, etc aren't reading this book. For those who have struggled in the world of work, the typical self-help platitudes are here. Their help is doubtful. The author can hardly change workplace realities. When careers or jobs are changed, there is a very real possibility of experiencing the same limitations as before, just in another guise.
Adding to the irrelevancy of the book - the author insists on adding numerous mini-biographies of celebrities which have absolutely nothing to do with finding a second career as most would understand the concept. Furthermore, those writing a serious book on general employment need to keep their personal lives out of it. If one wanted to read memoirs, one can find plenty.
Go Ahead, You Can Do It!.......2005-10-10
Pollan taps into an almost universal wish -- to be doing something else for a living. His strength here, as in his previous books, is to be a cheerleader. Everyone wants to be told, "go ahead, you can do it," and Pollan tells us just that.
Since he defines Second Acts so broadly (a couple who decide to buy a second home in the country, for instance), nearly everyone can be considered a candidate for a Second Act. He outlines the steps you should take before taking the leap. Decide just what it is you want and don't want, determine what financial and family support you will need, etc. By making an orderly exercise out of it, it seems more attainable.
Pollan is good at organizing us and putting a positive spin on doing something that is risky and frightening for most of us. I have to disagree with him on one point, and that is asking family members for money. He says that your family wants you to be happy, and if they were planning on leaving you money in their will, for instance, you should tell them you need it now. Or, if you don't have willing and wealthy grandparents, ask siblings or parents for a loan. This sounds like a mistake to me, but maybe Pollan knows better. It would also be nice to have a summary of the steps at the end of the book.
If you are thinking of a Second Act (and who isn't), you could probably figure out Pollan's steps on your own, but it's nice to have them organized for you with a friendly mentor cheering you on.
Book Description
This book shows what's required for success today in loyalty marketing. Using many successful programs from around the world as examples, the following questions are answered:
1. What are global best practices?
2. Why have some programs failed?
3. How should we measure success?
4. What are the common denominators of success?
5. Are some programs inherently better than others?
6. What keeps customers interested in the program?
7. Why don't all retailers embrace loyalty marketing?
8. How deeply should a loyalty program permeate a company?
In addition, you will learn why:
1. A loyalty program's greatest benefit is the information
2. Points programs costing 1% of sales are questionable
3. Charging a membership fee makes eminent sense
4. Best Customers are the critical success indicator
5. There's no single best strategy
The lessons of this book, using retailing examples, has direct relevance to both on-line and off-line businesses across all sectors. Its purpose is to help you follow in the footsteps of the best, and avoid the missteps of the rest.
Customer Reviews:
May be the book is a bit old from now since 2001.......2006-02-26
When I read the first book of Mr Woolf for me it was a revolution in term of loyalty for retail organization and all the things in the book I try to apply them to my customers.
The second one that I have read in 2006 (five years after it's first edition brings me less learnings. May be it's too late, may too much books have been written on the subject (loyalty and CRM).
Whatever the book should be read because Mr Woolf is a specialist of the subject.
Data Base marketing made easy and everyone's tool.......2002-02-11
"Loyalty Marketing: The Second Acth by Brian Woolf
Retail is a complex system involving many, many factors. In 1996, in his first book, gCustomer Specific Marketingh Brian Woolf added two additional lines to the diagram of this complexity: gCustomers are not equalh and gBehavior follows rewards.h I cannot think of any marketing book ever published that has induced as many retailers, especially grocers, into implementing its basic concepts, as did this book.
gLoyalty Marketing: The Second Acth is a natural sequence to Woolffs earlier book, providing an updated insight into loyalty marketing using real examples from around the world. This book will spark debates and discussions among retailers and the next level of insights, gThe Third Acth, will be anxiously awaited.
Database marketing has long been in existence but unfortunately has been too academic, too abstract, too theoretical, and too impractical for retailers to implement. Brian Woolffs greatest contribution to the industry, though not much noticed, has been to transform esoteric marketing terms and concepts into easy-to-understand everyday words and practical ideas.
This book is a must reading for those charged with marketing. Indeed, for everyone in retail, the most competitive industry today.
Simple solutions to today's complex business environment.......2002-02-05
After having read Mr. Woolf's book "Shrinking the Corporate Waistline", and using it as a guide for my business, I was even more impressed with his book Customer Specific Marketing- The New Power in Retailing. After having worn this book out, I ordered 35 copies for each of my Supermarket Manager's, just prior to kicking off our Loyalty Card Program. The success we were able to derive from this simple approach, was unbelievable!!
Now that I am Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a 120 store chain of Convenience Stores, I was overwhelmed with his newest offering. We will soon begin it here.
After having had the opportunity to hear Mr. Woolf speak of Loyalty Marketing, in the simplist of terms, to as complex as you could keep up with, I am amazed with his insight. I am still digesting his "Second Act", after having gone through it for the third time. The down to earth approach he takes, and the attitude he carries through with, let's you know he is truly talking from experience. The practices he illustrates in length throughout the book, makes it a must read for businessmen and businesswomen who are really interested in customer retention. One thing you will learn from Mr. Woolf is "it's much more important to reach the customers who count, rather than counting the customers you reach! This is a very good book!
Loyalty Marketing The Second Act is a Winner!.......2002-02-04
As a loyalty marketing professional, I found Brian Woolf's new book, "Loyalty Marketing The Second Act," to be filled with fresh insights and useful information. Building on his earlier breakthrough book "Customer Specific Marketing," Mr. Woolf provides new examples of loyalty marketing practices experienced by successful retailers from around the world. I especially liked his chapter on "The Power of Points," where he extols the virtues and variations of loyalty points programs.
The book is written in an easy to understand style, and the author has a special knack for dissecting complex programs into bite size ideas that are easily digested by both new and experienced practitioners. The book repeatedly demonstrates how to use customer data effectively without being overwhelmed by it. Brian's use of statistical tables is judicious and provides just the right information to zero in on the main point. The real world examples demonstrate a "how to" approach to satisfying the needs of various customer segments while enhancing their value to retailers.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in successful loyalty marketing practices that result mutually profitable customer relationships.
Loyalty Marketing: The Second Act.......2002-01-24
I have read Brian Woolf's two most recent works on loyalty marketing. For many, the world of loyalty marketing and its results may seem incomprehensible, or worse yet, unquantifiable. However, in his new book, "Loyalty Marketing: The Second Act", Brian has conveyed the importance and power of building real loyalty with the consumer. His frequent use of case studies spanning several industries, illustrates and quantifies the benefits of building an effective loyalty program and putting it to work in even the most competitive and mature of markets. In today's business environment, it's not enough to simply attract new customers. The silver bullet for success is the ability to retain those customers through the years to come.
Whether you are a proprietor or charged with the marketing initiatives of a large retailer, Brian's real-life examples and insights captured in his latest book, will give you the competitive edge to secure profitable and loyal customers.
Book Description
iCon takes a look at the most astounding figure in a business era noted for its mavericks, oddballs, and iconoclasts. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Jeffrey Young and William Simon provide new perspectives on the legendary creation of Apple, detail Jobs’s meteoric rise, and the devastating plunge that left him not only out of Apple, but out of the computer-making business entirely. This unflinching and completely unauthorized portrait reveals both sides of Jobs’s role in the remarkable rise of the Pixar animation studio, also re-creates the acrimony between Jobs and Disney’s Michael Eisner, and examines Jobs’s dramatic his rise from the ashes with his recapture of Apple. The authors examine the takeover and Jobs’s reinvention of the company with the popular iMac and his transformation of the industry with the revolutionary iPod. iCon is must reading for anyone who wants to understand how the modern digital age has been formed, shaped, and refined by the most influential figure of the age–a master of three industries: movies, music, and computers.
Customer Reviews:
Oooh The Things I Didn't Know!.......2007-10-17
I've owned two ipods, my dad was the first person on our street with a Mac in the 80's and my best friend is pressuring me to buy a new Apple computer... oh yeah and I knew the names of the two Steve's of Apple... that was about the extent of my Apple knowledge prior to reading this book. However, I didn't need to know any more to be unable to put this book down until finished. The more I read about Steve Jobs, the more I wanted to know about him. My only distraction from being utterly entranced by this book was the same as with Disney War, so many names to keep track of! Nerd or not, if you want insight into one of the most influential leaders of our time - grab a copy.
Kirsty Dunphey, author: Retired at 27, If I can do it anyone can
Nice book........2007-08-24
I don't like Steve, but this is a good book, and it doesn't just say good things about him. Very enjoyable reading. If you haven't bought any other books about Apple, get this one first.
Review: iCon.......2007-07-25
iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business, retraces the dizzying path of successes and failures of entrepreneur and life long ambassador of technology Steve Jobs. Authors Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon produce an impressing and detailed account of Jobs' life and work which begins with Jobs' adoption and early childhood and ends with his (and Apple's) success with the iPod and iTunes. What lies in between describes Jobs' successes and his failures, his recklessness and his genius. The likeness Young and Simon paint of Steve Jobs is close to that of a hero; and like any great hero Jobs shows the ability to evolve with the use of his great strengths, despite his many flaws. iCon will be of special interest to Apple faithful as well as anyone interested in the history of personal computing or design.
Copyright © 2007 Of My Own Design, Josh Crain. All Rights Reserved.
Think Different.......2007-06-17
I've just read this book in Russian (here in Russia we had no original book). I really love my Macbook, I love to watch Jobs' keynotes, but I never thought that he is such a strange, strong and discrepant person. Some times while reading I even couldn't believe, that all the story is about the same Steve Jobs I knew before!..
This book is must-read not only for Apple fans, but for everyone, who is fond of computer's history.
iCon Steve Jobs, the Greatest Second Act in the History of Business.......2007-04-30
helped me put all the pc/mac pieces together. very enjoyable book.
Book Description
10 Simple Steps to a Higher Score–in Less Than 1 Week!
If the big test is staring you right in the face and you feel doomed, then here’s your last-minute reprieve: an ACT book designed exclusively for the student who’s running out of time.
We may not be able to turn you into a genius overnight, but we can give you the essential tools and rules you need to get a good score. Practice the ten steps in this book and you’ll have The Princeton Review advantage. Here’s what you get:
• Strategies you positively must know to ace the exam
• Dozens of practice questions you can use to master our techniques
• Detailed answer explanations that will help you avoid making the
same mistakes twice
Customer Reviews:
Get what you pay for.......2005-11-13
Only ACT prep book I used and I got a 33.
Compact, helpful...........2002-11-23
...but don't count on this for all your preparation. This little book will give you a basic run-through on ACT preparation and will point up areas in which you might need work, but I would consider it more appropriate for a 1st review book well ahead of exam time or for a last ditch effort for anyone who has procrastinated a bit too long. I gave it 4 stars instead of 3 because it promises no more than what it delivers, a "crash course".
Book Description
If Broadway's triumphant musical hits are exhilarating, the backstage tales of Broadway failures are tantalizing soap operas in miniature. Second Act Trouble puts you with the creators in the rehearsal halls, at out-of-town tryouts, in late-night, hotel-room production meetings, and at after-the-fact recriminatory gripe fests. Suskin has compiled and annotated long-forgotten, first-person accounts of 25 Broadway musicals that stubbornly went awry. Contributions come from such respected writers as Patricia Bosworth, Mel Gussow, Lehman Engel, William Gibson, Lewis H. Lapham, and John Gruen. No mere vanity productions, these; you can't have a big blockbuster of failure, it seems, without the participation of Broadway's biggest talents. Caught in the stranglehold of tryout turmoil are Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Charles Strouse, John Kander, Mel Brooks, and even Edward Albee. The infamous shows featured include Mack and Mabel; Breakfast at Tiffany's; The Act; Dude; Golden Boy; Hellzapoppin'; Nick and Nora; Seesaw; Kelly; and How Now, Dow Jones.
Customer Reviews:
Doomed.......2007-07-16
I couldn't put it down and if this book had just collected only Lewis Lapham's long, long, "new journalism" article on the disastrous Moose Charnap flop KELLY! it would be worth buying. Lapham spares nobody and takes no prisoners and he got everyone to go on record about Ella Logan who must have been a termagant beyond compare. The producers let her go because they couldn't stand her continual "vulgarity" of all things. Kindly old Mel Brooks comes in, takes a look at her, and says, "Fire her." Sadly she had once been a great Broadway star, the original Sharon in FINIAN'S RAINBOW, now reduced to playing mothers (in 1965). Wonder if she's still with us, Suskin might have played fair and allowed us to air her grievances against the horrid KELLY! people. Oh well, SECOND ACT TROUBLE garners one great story after another, and I can't really say which one I like the best. Great monsters always make fantastic reading, and Jerry Lewis in HELLZAPOPPIN is right up there with Hitler and Stalin! There's one part where--he hates Lynn Redgrave--he has to rehearse a song with her, and he refuses to stand up while she's onstage with him so she's forced to sing while he sings with her lying flat on his back on the ground. Oh my, but after a few more chapters of this sort of behavior you begin to feel that being evil is necessary to make it on Broadway, and the squeaky wheels make the most noise.
Steven Suskin has an elastic sense of what shows are hits and which are flops, and some of the shows he covers in this book I was surprised to see he called flops. Some were critical darlings, some were pure spectacle, and some notorious flops like CARRIE aren't covered here. There are many occasions to wonder. Would HALLELUJAH BABY have been a hit if Lena Horne had played in it? I don't think so. Could Jerry Orbach have saved MACK AND MABEL? Who knows at this late date. Could Liv Ullmann be as horrid and egotistical as she is painted here, on the payroll of I REMEMBER MAMA? There goes another illusion shattered.
The book reveals that during the out of town tryouts for KWAMINA Star Sally Ann Howes had an affair with her co-star, and that this behavior was nothing new for Sally Ann for she had previously (a few months before) cheated on her husband, songwriter Richard Adler) with German heartthrob Maxmilian Schell backstage on the sets of a John Frankenheimer telefilm. I didn't even know who Sally Ann Howes is and I'm still enthralled! Adler eventually comes to forgive Howes in the long decades since, and she seems like an admirable woman in many ways, leaving her home to come back to NY and nurse Adler's son in the final months of his tragic illness. Good for you, Sally Ann, I like a woman who goes after what she wants, why, that's what made me a musical queen to begin with.
Trouble with 2nd Act trouble.......2007-07-03
I was extremely disapointed with this book, having read most of the essays contained therein from other sources.
why can't i keep the title in my head!?.......2007-05-23
i read this book and after i finished it, i felt i had enjoyed it. but when i went to purchase it, i couldn't remember the name of it.
then, i was asked by more than a few people for a recommendation of a good book. and i would describe this one but not be able to catch the name for the life of me. and i wondered if it was me, or the title.
well, part of it is the title. it explains what the book is about but doesn't capture the humor of its subject matter or the acerbic prose used by suskin.
and then of course, is that snappy, light, humorous tone. it's fine for a start but then, i didn't stay invited in the book. i read it quickly because i wanted to see the other musicals for this perspective. but then i realized i can't tell you very much about the shows.
and after a moment or two, i can't even tell you any insightful line that suskin wrote about the shows. just that tone--light-hearted, well-researched but not probing or enlightening.
Interesting book about Broadway.......2007-04-11
I haven't read much of the book yet as it just arrived and I have other books to read first. But it looks very interesting to someone interested in theatre. The author seems to have done a very good job
Very disappointing.......2006-10-06
Compared to the wit and flair I had expected, I found this volume boring and dull. It is largely a compilation (with Suskin providing brief notes) of theatrical reviews. Approach this with care if, as I did, you searched on a star's name and found a mention in this book - it may be only one line.
I had expected great humour, inside knowledge, entertaining stories of the backstage. Frankly, I wish I had kept the receipt - I would have returned it the next day.
Book Description
The ultimate guide to mastering ACT! 6 from best-selling author and ACT! expert, Thomas E. Barich, has been updated to include coverage of the latest version of ACT! - v6.0.3. Now, you can learn to use the new features, including multiple e-mail signatures, creating activities from email messages, integrating Eudora with ACT!, and more. Whether you’re new to ACT! or an experienced user, you’ll find everything you need to get up to speed quickly with version 6. The ACT! 6 Insider’s Guide offers in depth coverage of essential features such as e-mail, mail merge, database maintenance, reporting, layout design and much more, combined with easy to follow instructions. It also provides plenty of tips, tricks, and shortcuts to help you save time, and work efficiently. You'll even discover workarounds for handling program limitations and bugs.
Customer Reviews:
Straight forward Step-by-step instructions.......2007-01-12
This is a very valuable reference for anyone new to ACT or making a significant update like we did from 4.0 to 6. It is complete, easy to understand and fills in the gaps not offered by Act's own instructions. It is even more useful when coupled with Act for dummies 6.0.
Average customer rating:
- Same book as "Don't Die of Embarassment"
- Wonderful book of Triumph over Cancer!
- well written
- Excellent - painful - agent of change.
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Second Act
Barbara Barrie
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Don't Die of Embarrassment: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures
ASIN: 0684835878 |
Customer Reviews:
Same book as "Don't Die of Embarassment".......2003-01-01
This is a good book for somebody who's going through this experience, but please be careful you haven't already bought it
- we bought this book and "Don't Die of Embarassment" and they are the identical same book with different titles, which is why I gave it a 3star rating.
Wonderful book of Triumph over Cancer!.......1999-11-06
I absolutely love this book and could not put it down. Barbara's despair, pain, trials and triumphs feel real to the reader. Suddenly Susan suddenly becomes more interesting knowing Barbara and her elegance, grace and strength. I learned about this book from "Quiet Triumphs" written by Mary Alice Williams, another fine author.
well written.......1998-04-27
I had an illeostomy in June of 1997 and could relate to Barbara Barrie's book.Many scenes such as losing blood,being told by the doctor that it is cancer,and telling the kids I was able to relate to.In my case the cancer was found much earlier and I did not need the radiatin or chemo.I gather Barbara as myself had ulcerative colitis and was not told how serious it could be.Her colitis did seem to flare up more when she was younger.Barbara seemed very aprehensive when told she will have to wear a bag,while I from the beginning said get rid of the cancer knowing that I would not have a colon or rectum and that I would be wearing a bag. Barbara, I truly enjoyed your book because I could relate to many of your episodes and feel evryone who undergoes a colostomy/illeostomy shoud read this book.Physicians,this means you too!!!! If I may add having an illeostomy now I feel I want to help others in this position and have become involved in the local Ostomy chapter.I suggested to have an Ostomy Awareness Day which will be held this week at a local hospital.
Excellent - painful - agent of change........1998-02-28
Ms. Barrie's book, like the remainder of her work on stage and screen, rings true to the depths. I read the book in one setting, within several weeks of giving a young man a colostomy - temporary, for him - and seeing the range of emotions he has dealt with thus far. Being in the Bible belt of West Texas, my patients draw on different sources and strengths, perhaps, but the depth of depressioon, and the vigor of the response is still here. On a practical note, it sure reopened my eyes as to how carefully one is examined as to nuance of speech, gesture, etc., in the exam or hospital room...always an issue to remember.
Strongly recommended.
John Gregg, MD
Book Description
This phenomenally successful book, that has sold nearly a half a million copies since its original publication in 1983, is Gloria Steinem's most diverse and timeless collection of essays.
Customer Reviews:
No kidding........2007-08-15
I only bothered to read the infamous "Undercover as a Playboy Bunny" essay. After I'd heard so much about it, I expected a really shocking and wild story, but it was really pretty boring; all a Playboy Bunny is, is a waitress in a revealing outfit. There was no pressure on the Bunnies to hook up with customers, though there was tacit approval if they did so. If anything, the essay is more an exposé on how difficult it is to be a waitress than on the scandalous doings at Chez Hefner.
A great deal of space is devoted to her supervisor's mistaken impression that Miss Steinem played the piano. Instead of just assuming the supervisor had confused her with someone else, perhaps someone the supervisor had talked to the same day or who physically resembled Miss Steinem, Miss Steinem jumped to the rather odd conclusion that there was another person with the same name working there who did play the piano. Apparently believing this was of some importance, she later asked the supervisor about this piano player with the same name as her, and when the supervisor replied with a blank look, instead of simply concluding that said supervisor was prone to absent-minded mistakes, Miss Steinem instead decided with elation that her true identity was safe! Why, if they'd realized she was a feminist journalist, they might have... um, fired her from a lousy job that she hated and wasn't her real job anyway.
She did make one discovery while she worked there that she apparently considered greatly shocking. Are you sitting down? All right, brace yourselves for her revelation:
*Men are interested in getting laid.*
That's investigative journalism for you!
Gloria Wrote Her Mother's Song To Enable & Encourage Other Daughters To Discover Their Mothers' Songs .......2006-10-11
This review is not a review of the whole book. For focus, it is a review of "Ruth's Song (Because She Could Not Sing It)," a memoir essay written by Gloria Steinem about her mother who suffered from serious mental illness throughout Gloria's entire life. But before I focus on that essay, I want to mention that this book also contains an essay "Alice Walker: Do You Know This Woman? She Knows You" written in 1982 before The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize the following year.
If you are trying to decide whether you want to buy this book, pick it up in the book store and read Gloria's essay on her mother's detailed history of mental illnesses. "Write what you know" is a common adage, and it rings true here. If you want to understand what energized Gloria to take on a life of advocacy promoting women's rights and equality, reading this essay will help you easily understand how her personal suffering has given her such robust motivation for so many years to combat the forces Gloria believes led her mother to become mentally disabled, to varying degrees, for all of Gloria's life. Gloria starts by inquiring into the mysteries of what led her uncle and mother to shut down and completely change from the outgoing and incredibly bright people they were in their young adulthood (her uncle a brilliant electrical engineer, and her mother a math teacher who once taught college calculus) to meeker and lower functioning older adults. She notes that the family was concerned about her uncle, but not as engaged in trying to remedy her mother's ailments.
Gloria lives with the hindsight that she did not know in her youth how to possibly help her mother better, "Assuming there to be no other alternative, I took her home and never tried again," and "Perhaps the worst thing about suffering is that it finally hardens the hearts of those around it," and "For many years, I was obsessed with the fear that I would end up in a house like that one in Toledo. Now, I'm obsessed instead with the things I could have done for my mother while she was alive, or the things I should have said to her. I still don't understand why so many, many years passed before I saw my mother as a person, and before I understood that many of the forces in her life were patterns women share." Gloria spent many years growing up with only herself and her mother in the home while her mother suffered from agoraphobia (primarily suffered by women), terrors, delusions and many other cognitive deficiencies. Her mother suffered from depression and other mental roadblocks, spent time in sanatoriums, was drug dependent, and could not work outside the home.
Please, please read it if you or any woman you care about has either suffered from mental illness, or if they "became a different person" at some point in their life. I have a female relative that all my uncles could not understand why she "changed so drastically" and fell into never ending depression, drug dependency and general dysfunction. But I understand many of the likely reasons for those declines, declines that our extended familial environment contributed to more than most of my family ever realized or were willing to acknowledge.
Gloria's mother, Ruth, sold her only home so Gloria could go to college. She encouraged both Gloria and her sister to leave home for "four years of independence she herself had never had." Before certain events happened to Ruth, Ruth was one of the first female journalists and went to dances when her religion and community told her the music was sinful. Why does Gloria share this private and painful family history? I believe she wants to help teach other women how to tell their own stories. Each woman is best at telling her own story. But when they cannot or do not sing their own song, sometimes others sing it for them, to share their beauty. Gloria concludes with, "At least we're now asking questions about all the Ruths in all our family mysteries. If her song inspires that, I think she would be the first to say: It was worth the singing."
A beautiful coincidence: my mother's mother was a musician named Ruth.
Go Gloria!!.......2006-05-08
This courageous book should have all those mean-spirited feminism bashers running for the hills. Some popular accusations against feminism is that the movement has created a so-called backlash against men. If this imaginary backlash exists, however, I have yet to see any examples of it. The backlash against women and feminism (led by a minority of cowardly, insecure men and women who hate their own sex) is what Steinem details in in her powerful memoir/essay collection. She takes her readers back to a time when sexism against women was a fact of life and full work still only got them half pay.
Honestly and empathetically, Ms. Steinem takes us through her own evolution--from a journalist proud to "write like a man" and ashamed of covering "womens' issues"--to a passionate activist, willing to take on every issue. If you've ever wondered why all the ranting, women-hating anti-feminists STILL abhor Gloria with such irrational fervor, read this book. She presents each of her points in a perfectly calm and reasonable way. Never is there an attempt to force her readers to agree. Gloria Steinem, does not blame anything on men or make any affront on their dignity. She simply questions, unobtrusively, why certain inequalities still exist.
If you're looking a feminist's account of "life in the trenches," you won't be disapointed with Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. Gloria is an inspiration for everyone to reach their full potential.
good book.......2004-09-02
Gloria is a witty woman who tells it like it is. Her adventures are funny and thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed the story in which she was a Playboy bunny back when there were PLayboy clubs with bunny waitresses and coatgirls. She encourages women to step outside the box and think for themselves.
Thank god for Gloria........2004-03-22
There was often grumbling in certain circles that Gloria Steinem had so much attention paid to her because she was pretty. If that was the only factor, Steinem's popularity would have waned, not because she lost her looks (she never did) but because of the fickleness of the media and the "next pretty face." Steinem is smart, brave, funny and a damn good writer. "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions", her 1983 book of collected essays proves it in spades.
In early 1993, I had the privilege of seeing Gloria Steinem speak at Mount Holyoke College. I had to take the bus from UMASS to get there, and the place was packed. They closed the doors at one point saying it was too full, but they ended up letting most people in. When Ms. Steinem took the stage, she urged all those who were standing in the back to come up and join her onstage so that they could sit. This is the kindness and warmth that Steinem raidates. Many people in the audience were clutching copies of her books for her to sign. As this was the era of "Revolution from Within," that book was everywhere. But I also saw many copies of "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions" as well. By then the book was 10 years old, but I can understand why people held onto it. This is a great book of essays written over the years. The book touches upon topics such as abortion rights, Jackie Onassis, Alice Walker, Steinem's college reunion, Steinem's own relationship with her mother and the famous expose of Steinem's undercover work at the Playboy Club in the early 60's. Having a journalism background, Steinem's prose is clear and concise. This is no rhetoric-filled theory-based polemic, but a balanced and fair look at the world from the perspective of an extraordinary woman. Also included in this collection is the wonderfully wry, "If Men Could Menstruate." The second edition of this book has some updated comments from Steinem that reflect on the essays more than a decade after the book was published.
For all those who condemn feminism yet really know nothing about it, read this book. For those who are looking for a book of unique, well-written and enlightening essays, read this book. For those of us who discovered this book long ago and have fond memories, read it again.
Amazon.com
For the more than one million high school students who take the ACT Assessment each year, any assistance helps; a few more points could influence the rest of their lives. So the ACT Official Guide is a wise investment. It's updated for the 1997-98 testing season with real ACT tests and pragmatic strategies. Just the anxiety reduction alone effected by taking practice tests and knowing what to expect helps avoid a test-day fiasco. Getting into the ACT is written by ACT, with illustrative samples for the English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science Reasoning sections. The preliminary practice allows students to bone up on trouble spots, learn what to expect, gain confidence, and do their best on the big day.
Book Description
Created by the same company that prepares the actual ACT assessment, this revised and updated study guide is the only book with real, full-length ACT tests for practice-making it an indispensable resource for the half-million high school students who take the ACT every year.
Customer Reviews:
Getting into the ACT: Official Guide to the ACT Assessment, Second Edition by ACT.......2005-07-05
Review material was what I had expected. The book was in excellent condition.
Newer edition available.......2004-12-09
Once deemed the "only" official ACT guide, Getting Into the ACT has been replaced with a newer, more up-to-date version titled, "The Real ACT Prep Guide". The new guide comes complete with 3 real ACT exams and information on the new optional writing section.
Getting Into the ACT.......2003-12-02
This book is great, since it has real tests and strategies, but I would suggest only checking this out from the library, and not buying one, because there are other ways to get real ACTs. There is a little booklet about the ACT, what to bring and that sort of stuff with a real ACT test, and a way to get two more tests wich all-together cost only about 15 dollars. I would suggest using the Getting Into the ACT for just practice, to see how you would do on the ACT and the other tests with a time limit. Also, don't use just this book, use ACT for Dummies, or some other book to help you out too.
Think of this as the ACT version of.......2002-05-25
I bought this book right after I took my first ACTs. I did not really prepare for my first ACTs; I only took a brief glance at an ACT-produced material. So, I decided to buy this book to get more used to the test.
If you really need to know the 'format' of the test, you don't have to buy this book. Buy Barron's or Kaplan, or Princeton Review. What this book is REALLY useful at is giving you an expectation of the level of questions the ACT is going to ask you.
For instance, Barron's ACT questions are much more challenging than the real ACT questions. However, the questions that appear here are of the SAME level of difficulty, partly because the questions are from 'retired' ACTs of 1996 (or some other year, I am not too sure)
If you already have "10 Real SATs", this is pretty much the same as that book, except it is produced by the ACT for the ACT.
The only difference would be that this book, unlike the "10 Real SATs", does not have 10 tests. It has only 2. However, this book has detailed explanations that will give you an edge if you would like to study more on the ACTs.
If you got the money, buy this, and go through the book 3-4 days before the real ACTs. You will see a definite increase in your scores. I certainly did; I got a 35 on my last ACT.
very helpful.......2001-10-04
I bought this book prior to my taking the ACT for the first time and I must say it was helpful. The great advantage is that this book is written by the test makers and you know that the sample tests are similar to the actual test. This way, you really get the best practice and you are "surprised" on the day of the test with questions you've never seen before. Another great advantage is the sample tests (something you can not get in any other ACT preparation book). Unfortunately, there are only 2 sample tests. The explanations (for the sample tests and also for the other sample questions) are thorough but you can't really get enough practice with this book.
Also, if you are looking for a book that will "teach" you the material, this isn't it. The book contains mainly strategies.
In conclusion, if you are looking for general information in regards to the ACT and some sample question, just to get familiar with the test - this is the book for you. If you are looking for more than that, you should buy this book and another one with the math/science material.
Book Description
"…entertaining and illuminating…" --The Washington Post
"...lively accounts....This engrossing book [is] Highly recommended for public libraries."--Library Journal
"…for those interested in the former presidents, this popular history will do the trick."-- Publishers Weekly
"...revealing in detail and context"--Kirkus Reviews
"Mark K. Updegrove’s Second Acts is a smart and provocative look at the most exclusive club in America – ex-presidents. Highly recommended!"
—Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History and Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Tulane University
Customer Reviews:
Fun and interesting history of the presidency.......2007-04-21
This book makes for light reading but it does offer a unique insight into what president's have done after leaving office and how the role has evolved and differed over the years. It also offers interesting insights into how the various presidents have interacted with one another and with the public at large including how they seem to regain or obtain a measure of respect that eluded them in office. One flaw that kept this from being a five star review was the number of editorial mistakes including a number of incorrect dates listed through out the book that ultimately made a perfect book slightly imperfect. But don't let that stop you from reading this!
Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House.......2006-12-23
Second Acts tells the very human stories of the transitions Presidents Truman through Clinton made from president to private citizen--albeit very public ones. The book is highly readable, revealing the character of the men it covers in ways more illuminating than standard historical tomes. The Library Journal proclaimed it "highly recommended." So do I.
A most ejoyable book to read.......2006-12-16
This book tells of the post-presidential years of all the Presidents beginning with Truman. It is jam packed with interesting information, and while it may break no new ground it does a superlative job of summing the times and men involved. It is a very easy read, and I found it fun to read.
Essential for any collection strong in American history or politics........2006-12-12
Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House chronicles the activities of former presidents who, far from retiring from office, are making important contributions. Now ex-presidents perform valuable services such as international emissaries, taking their own agendas overseas. Interviews with former presidents, first ladies, family member and staff members not only present these activities, but analyze how ex-presidents are continuing to shape the politics and events of the Oval Office. Essential for any collection strong in American history or politics.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Trivial.......2006-11-12
This book was an interesting read that broke virtually no new ground. Most of the knowledge about post-Presidential activities has been in the public domain for years. You'd think Clinton was the most important ex-President ever given the space spent on him.
The fatal flaw in the book was the error that had John Kennedy assassinated on November 20, 1963. C'mon, my 11 year old knows what happened on November 22nd and so should an author on Presidential history. This alone suggests someone was hugely asleep at the wheel and causes one to ask what other fatal flaws got in the book.
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- Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Perennial Classics)
- The Art of Being a Woman: A Simple Guide to Everyday Love and Laughter
- The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu
- The Courage to Be
- The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug
- The Doctor's Heart Cure, Beyond the Modern Myths of Diet and Exercise: The Clinically-Proven Plan of Breakthrough Health Secrets That Helps You Build a Powerful, Disease-Free Heart
- The Fountainhead
- The Great Physician's Rx for Diabetes
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