Book Description
What do your people at work and your spouse and kids at home have in common with a five-ton killer whale? Probably a whole lot more than you think, according to top business consultant and mega-bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld. In this moving and inspirational new book, Blanchard explains that both whales and people perform better when you accentuate the positive. He shows how using the techniques of animal trainers -- specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld -- can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.
When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to get these huge killer whales, among the most feared predators in the ocean, to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior -- all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between "GOTcha" (catching people doing things wrong) and "Whale Done!" (catching people doing things right).
In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how to make accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative the best tools to increase productivity, instead of creating situations that demoralize people. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing readers to become better parents and more committed spouses in their happier and more successful personal lives.
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"What do your people at work and your spouse and kids at home have in common with a five-ton killer whale? Probably a whole lot more than you think, according to top business consultant and mega-bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld. In this moving and inspirational new book, Blanchard explains that both whales and people perform better when you accentuate the positive. He shows how using the techniques of animal trainers -- specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld -- can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home. When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to get these huge killer whales, among the most feared predators in the ocean, to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior -- all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between ""GOTcha"" (catching people doing things wrong) and ""Whale Done!"" (catching people doing things right). In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how to make accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative the best tools to increase productivity, instead of creating situations that demoralize people. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing readers to become better parents and more committed spouses in their happier and more successful personal lives. "
Customer Reviews:
Quality content spoiled by poor presentation.......2007-09-07
Let's break the book down into two halves: the message and the writing. The message is great, and genuinely insightful, particularly in some of the subtleties of how one builds a positive relationship (rewarding progress, rather than just acheivement) and smart ways to do rewards.
The writing, though, is a different story. Like so many management books often do, it tries to reveal this information as a parable, by telling you the story of foul-mannered Wes Kingsley finding his guru at SeaWorld. The writing is unabashedly corny, and tiring, particularly with its relentless use of GOTcha (sic) and WHALE DONE (sic). I have found that I can relate the entire useful content of the book in a 5-10 minute conversation, and so, that makes the actual size of the book seem unnecessary. The upside is that print is large, and the writing is breezy, and the book reads very quickly. Think of it as the Cheerios of books: bland but easily digested.
Having read much stronger books that use this sort of presentation (Goldratt's "The Goal" comes to mind) I would not readily recommend this book, except that the concepts contained within are original, and useful. I think that there are other concepts from animal training that could have been integrated to improve the book, but as it stands, it is a tolerable and useful read. An abridged version with less of the overwrought story would be a very strong work.
Whale Done.......2007-05-31
Have you actually wondered how they get those huge whales to jump out of the water at Sea World or Marine Land? This book can be used to train animals, family, workers in how to use positive praise to get what you want. It's not a gimmick, but giving praise to encourage better performance and not just when a good performance is seen but a way of life, a value system. A great book!!
Learn To Build Others Up.......2007-05-09
Orlando Sea World's killer whales are a source of inspiration in this book, which seeks to help you build up your relationships.
A Whale's Motivation.......2007-04-03
Most of us read anecdotes and examples about how people, who are paragon of virtues, perform to meet other people's expectations and go beyond it. This gives us hope and inspiration. What I found interesting about this book was that the inspiration came from an unlikely source - the killer whales of the Orlando SeaWorld.
The key concept being that the more attention you pay to a behavior, the more it will be repeated. Another concept the book emphasized was of re-channeling energies on the positive and away from the negative. Redirection is the most effective way to address undesirable behavior. It gets a person back on track almost immediately and works in ninety-nine percent of the cases where we might be tempted to use a Negative Response. I find more resonance with this quote after reading this book - "If you give as much energies to you dreams as you do to your fears, miracles start to happen".
Whale Done is an understatement!.......2007-02-06
This book was a fast and easy read...it was over before I knew it! My boss has started a book a month club for us and this was one of the required reading. At first I was reluctant because I thought it might be boring but I was severely mistaken in that assumption. We have begun applying the positive relationship building in our office and this method described in the text can be applied at home and in every day encounters with people as well. I can really see a difference in my co-workers as well as in my children and just the people I run into each day. For example: I go to Starbucks every morning for my weekly Frappuccino treat and they know me by name. Today I ran into one of the elderly employees there and she was frustrated because she was having trouble getting the new cash register to read her fingerprint to sign in and she could not remember how to make my drink. I simply explained that when she made the drink I knew it would be extra delicious because I was made to wait and would enjoy it more and that I really was not in any big hurry, my work would understand (we are after all focusing on the positive now. :-)). She relaxed, remembered how to prepare the drink and was able to summon another employee to help her sign into her register. She was suddenly smiling and seemed to be much happier. Rather than focusing on the negative setbacks I redirected her to the positive and you could see the difference it made in her over all performance as well as the beginning of her morning. :-) Whale done is awesome! I would recommend it to anyone wishing to put a more positive spin on life!
Book Description
Dutiful daughter, frustrated wife, passionate lover, domineering mother, doting grandmother, devoted friend, tireless legislator, generous patron of artists and philosophers—the Empress Catherine II, the Great, was all these things, and more. Her reign, the longest in Russian Imperial history, lasted from 1762 until her death in 1796; during those years she built on the work begun by her most famous predecessor, Peter the Great, to establish Russia as a major European power and to transform its new capital, St Petersburg, into a city to rival Paris and London in the beauty of its architecture, the glittering splendor of its Court and the magnificence of its art collections. Yet the great Catherine was not even Russian by birth and had no legitimate claim to the Russian throne; she seized it and held on to it, through wars, rebellions and plagues, by the force of her personality, by her charm and determination, and by an unshakable belief in her own destiny.
This is the story of Catherine the woman, whom power alone could never satisfy, for she also wanted love, affection, friendship and humor. She found these in letter-writing, in grandchildren, in gardens, architecture and greyhounds—as well as in a succession of lovers which gave rise to salacious rumors throughout Europe. The real Catherine, however, was more interesting than any rumor.
Using many of Catherine’s own words from her voluminous correspondence and other documents, as well as contemporary accounts by courtiers, ambassadors and foreign visitors, Virginia Rounding penetrates the character of this most powerful, fascinating and surprisingly sympathetic of eighteenth-century women.
Customer Reviews:
Lots of Original Research.......2007-09-13
Rounding must have poured over letters and diaries for years to produce this interesting work on the personal life of Catherine the Great. It's quite a story. Catherine's governing and military leadership are beyond the scope of the book. I would have liked more background than what was given, but the personal focus would have suffered.
The highlights for me were the descriptions of her childhood and life as a young woman and wife. In this section Rounding gives the reader a lot of lot of guidance on the character of the young Catherine, her mother, her soon to be husband and the Empress Elizabeth.
As the book progresses, Rounding reproduces an increasing number of paragraphs from original sources. In some cases this adds flavor. Catherine's text (p. 404) upon the death of her current favorite, Sasha Landskoy demonstrates far better than description could, Catherine's self-absorption. Other times, long quoted passages bog down the story. The quoting increases in the later parts of the book, and as a consequence, less guidance is given by the author.
There is a lot of description of the pageantry, who wore what and what they ate. There are lavish parties and "alimony" settlements. I particularly liked the descriptions of how these and other royals traveled. The logistics must have been enormous.
This is definitely a worthwhile book if you are interested in this period.
Excellent!.......2007-06-02
Finally, a biography of Catherine the Great that doesn't turn her in to the scarlet woman of the century, or the loose woman with the heart of gold. She is seen as a woman who tried to do what was best, didn't necessarily always succeed, but never gave up on herself or her adopted country. A very modern woman in a very un-modern time!
One of my sheroes.......2007-05-18
This well-researched biography does a superb job at giving the reader a look into the world of Catherine the Great and what made her tick. Though she was born a minor German princess and didn't seem destined for much greatness or renown, she was lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time and to become one of Russia's greatest and most beloved rulers. One of the things that endeared her to the people was her wholehearted embrace of all things Russian. Catherine wasn't anything like her husband Peter III; when she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, she really meant it, and became very devout and observant instead of merely going through the motions but remaining a Lutheran at heart, and she embraced Russia as her own land and the Russians as her own people, complete with quickly learning the language fluently. She was one of them and not just some foreign transplant.
After taking power after the death of Peter's aunt Empress Elizabeth, Catherine lost no time in getting down to business. She had made powerful connections during her time as Grand Duchess, and now began using them in earnest. Besides having the support of the people and members of royal society, she was an educated intelligent woman and had been very much influenced by the ideas and people of the Enlightenment. It was clear from pretty much the outset that she was not merely going to be serving as Regent till her son Paul reached his majority. And during her reign, she saw Russia through outbreaks of bubonic plague, a flood, numerous wars, civil unrest, the beginnings of mass inoculation, many reforms of the legal, educational, social, and religious systems, an improvement in the quality of life for many Russians, and the shaping of Russia into a major world power, a player to be taken seriously on the world stage. She was also the last of Russia's great female rulers, as after her death her son Paul reinstituted the law of primogeniture, prohibiting a woman from ever again taking power.
This book also cleared up some misinformation I had gotten over the years, though I had never believed that slanderous urban legend about Catherine being crushed to death by a horse she was copulating with; it's ridiculous that I had two teachers who told that story as though it were true. Catherine was an amazing inspiring woman, yet most people who aren't well-versed in Russian history usually remember only one thing about her; that's the type of urban legend that one isn't very likely to forget after having heard it. Ms. Rounding also shatters the urban legend about "Potemkin villages." I had also gotten the idea that Empress Elizabeth and Catherine were a lot closer than they actually were; far from Elizabeth mentoring Catherine and being one of her closest confidantes, she actually didn't get along too well with her on most occasions. This book also gives a more nuanced view of Peter III and Paul; while it's clear that Peter did have some screws loose, it seems as though he were more immature and unaware of the role that was expected of him than anything else. Now it seems more understandable why he acted the way he did, given how he was treated by his aunt Elizabeth and her court. As for Paul, it's probably for the better that he only became Tsar after his mother's death and then only served for 5 years before being murdered, but he was raised much like his (possible) father, and treated in much the same way even after he became an adult. No wonder he resented his mother and was such a weak person.
My only complaint about the book is that it does start out kind of slow and even boring, what with so many unnecessary details, particularly about things like court ceremonies, balls, and carriage journeys. It becomes a lot more interesting and fast-paced after Catherine comes into her own and takes power. And it's great that the book focuses on her personal life instead of being bogged down in a lot of overly academic material, but it would have been nice had the portrait been balanced out by some more coverage and details of her policies, reforms, and Russian history in general. Still, this is a great biography for anyone interested in Russian history in general or Catherine in particular.
One of Russia's most powerful rulers -- who wasn't even Russian........2007-03-22
It's one of those surprises of history that one of Russia's most effective rulers was a woman, and not Russian at all. The Russian Empire after the death of Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century became a 'winner-take-all, free-for-all' between various descendants of his. By the time that the daughter of Peter, Elizabeth Petrovna, seized power and imprisoned the infant Ivan VI in a remote fortress, there were only two claimants to the Romanov crown left -- herself, and her nephew, a teenager named Peter. Clearly, the best solution to further palace coups and possible uprisings was to establish a clear line of succession.
A bride must be found and as quickly as possible. A Roman Catholic would not be acceptable, but a German Protestant princess who would not mind converting to Russian Orthodoxy just might work. And for one princess in particular, Empress Elizabeth had a soft-spot in her heart. Once, Elizabeth had been engaged to a German prince, but when he had died, the marriage did not happen. This princeling, however, had a sister -- Johanna, who in turn married the prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, and she had a daughter who was just a year younger than Grand Duke Peter.
Sophie Fredericka Auguste was a lively, intelligent teenager when she arrived in Russia with her mother for a closer look by the Empress. She wasn't exactly pretty, but she had a pair of beautiful dark blue eyes, a quick mind, and a willingness to please. Both the Empress and the Grand Duke liked what they saw, and after some careful negotiations, Sophie converted to Orthodoxy, and became Catherine Alexeyevna, and married Peter. The one problem was Johanna, who kept trying to steal the show from her daughter, dabbled in political machinations, and quite nearly ruined it all for her daughter before being returned to Germany.
But married life wasn't that easy for young Catherine. Not only did she have to deal with Empress Elizabeth's whims and capricious nature, her husband Peter was less than ideal as a spouse. For one, he wasn't that eager to consummate the marriage, prefering to scrape away at his violin, and indulging his whims for playing with soldiers, both toy and real ones. Indeed, as years passed, Catherine found herself in a very unenviable state -- no heir, and an ever irritated Empress, along with a husband who cared nothing for her.
There was really only one solution -- Catherine focused her mind on educating herself in politics and Russia, determined to become entirely Russian, and cutting off her homeland. She also used every scrap of charm and intelligence that she had, slowly gathering a coterie of supporters and finally managing to get her husband to make the marriage a reality. But that didn't mean the battle was over -- both of her infant children, Paul and Anna, were taken away from her and raised by Empress Elizabeth, and Grand Duke Peter started to consider divorcing Catherine. Finally, when Peter became Tsar, Catherine knew she had to act to save herself.
How she took power for herself, and then managed to keep it despite attempted revolts, various pretenders, war with the Ottoman empire, and still managed to be an object of admiration for the time, well, that's what makes this biography so interesting to read. Rounding takes not a political, nor exactly a chronological, look at Catherine the Great's life, but a personal one. Using Catherine's own memoirs and letters, along with the contemporary accounts of those in her life, she gives a very personal look at a powerful woman, who wasn't afraid of taking very big bites of life.
Her passions ranged from her lovers -- Gregory Orlov and Potemkin among them, to the arts -- the Hermitage, one of the most fabulous collections of art in the world, to the palaces of St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo are mostly her creation and inspiration. But as well as her enjoyment of the arts, there was also a very ruthless side to the Empress. She may or may not have had a hand in the murder of her husband after his abdication -- how much Catherine was involved is still a question today, and she would discard a lover with a 'customary' present of land, serfs, and fine gifts, with the unspoken understanding that the affair was over.
But throughout the story I also got to see some of the personality and vibrancy of Catherine II through her letters and descriptions of her life. One surprise was the relationship that she had with her son, who would become Tsar Paul -- while there isn't much of a maternal love there, she was genuinely interested in what he was doing, and never did seem to wish him hard. On the other hand, she took physical and emotional charge of his two eldest children, Alexander and Constantine, in much the same way that Empress Elizabeth had taken Paul away from her.
Rounding's narrative is full of life and insight, and compared to most dusty and dry biographies, this one satisfies on several levels. I can happily recommend it for anyone interested in either Russian history, or how a woman in what was very much a man's world, managed to become one of its most powerful leaders. And yes, the horse myth is finally put to rest, and I hope, for good.
As well as two inserts of colour photos, there are extensive notes, bibliographies, sources and index to help in further research. A genealogical chart helps to sort out the complicated relationships of the Russian rulers in the eighteenth century. The images are particularly fine in this one, and have several paintings that I have not seen reproduced elsewhere.
Recommended.
A Most Amazing Woman.......2007-02-28
One of the more interesting characters in history, Catherine engineered a coup in 1762 that put her on the throne of Russia as she replaced her husband. From here she would rule Russia until her death, 34 years later. Her political accomplishments during those years are spactacular: wars fought and won, reorienting Russia from Asia to Europe, extending Russia's borders, expanding education and the arts.
At the same time her bedroom exploits became legendary around Europe. She had a succession of lovers that also seemed to serve as political advisors. It seems that these lovers were selected by Catherine based on the recommendations of members of the court. It is important to remember that this was a time when in most of the world women were basically considered chattels.
This is a well researched book on a subject that provides a balanced look at Catherine, chronicling her strengths as well as her weaknesses. Her conclusion is that the soubriquet 'the Great' is justified.
Book Description
Relationship expert Regena Thomashauer teaches the lost "womanly arts" of identifying your desires, having fun no matter where you are, knowing sensual pleasure, befriending your inner bitch, flirting (in a way that makes your day, not just his), and more -- because making pleasure your priority can actually help you reach your goals. So if you need a refresher course in fun -- and you know you do -- come to Mama.
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"The irrepressible founder of a hugely popular ""school for goddesses"" shows you how celebrating your sensuality can help you achieve your dreams. You've heard the saying ""Do what you love, and the money will follow."" Mama Gena takes that sentiment one step further, and exhorts women to do what they love because everything will follow -- success, romance, wealth, fulfillment. Profiled everywhere from The New York Times to The Conan O'Brien Show, relationship expert Regena Thomashauer (a.k.a. Mama Gena) urges women to learn this simple principle: self-indulgence is the key to self-empowerment. But in order to pursue pleasure, one must know pleasure. Believe it or not, most women can't pinpoint what really makes them happy. After all, are women ever taught to celebrate their appetites, whether it's for chocolate ice cream or a more entertaining sex life? In her ""School of Womanly Arts,"" Mama Gena transforms ordinary women into glowing Sister Goddesses -- women fully in tune with the mystical, creative power of their sensuality -- and teaches them how to use their creative power to build the life they want. She explains the lost art of giving in to desires (even if it's just for a new lipstick), seeking fun and plea-sure at home and at work, and navigating the world using feminine power instead of patriarchal rules. This is pleasure boot camp, and be forewarned, the exercises are tough: assignments include flirting for fun, flexing your intuition, buying yourself presents, bragging about your accomplishments, and much more. Sister Goddesses report magical results: they get job offers, fall in love, find new possibilities and passions. Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts will help readers across the country recognize and unleash their full feminine potential -- and have a great time doing it.
Customer Reviews:
A Classic on Man/Woman Relationships and Pleasure.......2007-08-29
I love Moma Gena's attitudes about having more fun and pleasure for both the man and the woman. What happens outside the bedroom clearly translates into the bedroom. This book is one of my favorites!
Changed my life.......2007-08-28
I didn't know what to expect when I read this book, but I heard Christine Northrup mention it in her recent talk and decided to check it out. I wish I had this book when I was twenty, it would have saved me a lot of tears over lost loves-and guilt when it comes to dating several men. But its never too late to read this.. Almost 30 years later I'm learning what every mother should be teaching their daughters. Mama Gena gives out exercises-some aren't surprising, but one in particular was well worth buying the book-she refers to it as Bitte et Chat and it really changes the way the world responds to you..Her book gave me the courage to asked a guy to dinner-something I was taught never to do-he was pretty surprised as we had formally talked for months. His first personal question to me was "What do you like to do for fun" after reading her book I now recognize the significance of his question and now know this guy has potential.
A warm and wonderful book.......2007-08-23
The world can be cold, but Mama Gena is warm. Her book is like a cup of hot chocolate and and injection of womanly wisdom from a grand eccentric aunt. This is a little treasure.
Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts.......2007-06-08
It's about time, ladies. Awesome, outrageous, and funny as heck. Over due information and advice.
Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts: Using the Power of Pleasure to Have Your Way with the World.......2007-04-11
What a hoot! Too bad my own mother didn't teach me these principles. I could have saved money on books, workshops, and therapy. Fun info!
Book Description
Highlighted Contents
A Woman's Place God's Purpose in Creation Was the Woman Cursed? The Uniqueness of a Woman How Christ Restored the Woman to Partnership The Proverbs 31 Woman
To live successfully in the world, women need to know who they are and what what role they play today. They need a new awareness of who they are, and new skills to meet today's challenges. Best-selling author Myles Munroe examines societies' attitudes toward women and helps women to discover who they are. He addresses vital issues such as, Are women and men equal? What are the purpose and design of the woman? Are women meant to be leaders? Whether you are a woman or a man, married or single, this book will help you to understand the woman as she was meant to be.
Customer Reviews:
Dr. Myles Munroe hits the nail on the head.......2007-05-21
This dynamic book explains in Biblical detail a woman's true position in God's eyes. I highly recommend this book to any man or woman who is seeking for answers as to why women are treated the way they are in the Church and in the world, what they can do about it, and what hope they have for a glorious future. I liked this book so much I bought 7 copies of it to share with my friends. Thank you Dr. Munroe!
Understanding my purpose.......2007-04-12
Having a hard time getting into the book just have read a few pages.
Truly Empowering.......2006-08-10
You may be skeptical about a book written by a man for women; I was too, at first, not the least because so many Christian authors have tried to place women beneath men in the name of God. Munroe, however, is not such a man. He describes women in truly wonderful ways, as people of power and influence. I almost thought it was too good to be true when I read his words that women and men are equal heirs of God's kingdom (not because I don't believe this, but because some Christians tend to shy away from this fact). Munroe neither paints women as weak beings or strong manipulative ones, but as children of God with great potential and gives wonderful advice on how we can use our strengths in Godly ways. He even said that it's wrong for women to demand equality from men because we've already been given it by God and we should never define ourselves by human viewpoints. This book is truly a wonderful tool for women to use in their lives and for men to use as a way of perspective. Munroe is to be praised and I highly recommend this book!
A clear pictue of biblical Women.......2006-07-05
Myles Monroe has done it again! As a man, we all need clear, written, sound words on the issues of womanhood. After I read the book Dr. Monrow wrote for men, this book dove tails on its heals to make sure men an women have a complete balanced view of one another. One author wrote in his book, False Roads To Manhood, that women need to know and men need to Understand. Well, Understanding the Purpose and Power of Women is sure to keep many men off the False Roads to Manhood as they understand women. This is a must read for men perplexed about women. I enjoyed it emmensly.
excellent -well organized and biblical.......2005-07-08
this book helped me learn more about myself and how God created men and women differently.This book was informational and uplifting. I would encourage both men and women to read this.
Book Description
A critical and interdisciplinary examination of women and health, which challenges traditional viewpoints and highlights the importance of ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and ablebodiedness, as well as gender. Addresses issues of social justice, ethics and public policy. For anyone interested in women's health.
Book Description
Why, Ann Laura Stoler asks, was the management of sexual arrangements and affective attachments so critical to the making of colonial categories and to what distinguished ruler from ruled? Contending that social classification is not a benign cultural act but a potent political one, Stoler shows that matters of the intimate were absolutely central to imperial politics. It was, after all, in the intimate sphere of home and servants that European children learned what they were required to learn of place and race. Gender-specific sexual sanctions, too, were squarely at the heart of imperial rule, and European supremacy was asserted in terms of national and racial virility.
Stoler looks discerningly at the way cultural competencies and sensibilities entered into the construction of race in the colonial context and proposes that "cultural racism" in fact predates its postmodern discovery. Her acute analysis of colonial Indonesian society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries yields insights that translate to a global, comparative perspective.
Average customer rating:
- An exciting if not compelling Study
- DISTURBING BUT USEFUL
- Lots about Chimpazee Erections
- Fascinating parallels to human behavior
- Greatly informs evolutionary psychology
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Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes
Frans de Waal
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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ASIN: 0801863368 |
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The great apes, like humans, can recognize themselves in mirrors. They communicate by sound and gesture, form bands along what can only be called political lines, and sometimes engage in what is very clearly organized warfare. (Less frequently, too, they practice cannibalism.) In Chimpanzee Politics Frans de Waal, a longtime student of simian behavior, analyzes the behavior of a captive tribe of chimpanzees, comparing its actions with those of ape societies in the wild. What he finds is often not pleasant: chimps seem capable of astonishing deviousness and savagery, which has obvious implications for the behavior their human cousins sometimes exhibit.
Book Description
The first edition of Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics was acclaimed not only by primatologists for its scientific achievement but also by a much broader audience of politicians, business leaders, and social psychologists for its remarkable insights into very basic human needs and behaviors. In this revised edition -- featuring a new gallery of color photographs along with a new introduction and epilogue -- de Waal expands and updates his story of the Arnhem colony and its continuing political upheavals. We learn the fate of many memorable chimpanzees and meet the colony's current leaders and their allies. The new edition remains a detailed and thoroughly engrossing account -- of sexual rivalries and coalitions, of actions governed by intelligence rather than instinct -- and it reaffirms the complex bond between humans and their closest living relatives. As we watch the chimpanzees of Arnhem behave in ways we recognize from Machiavelli (and from the nightly news), de Waal reminds us again that the roots of politics are older than humanity.
Customer Reviews:
An exciting if not compelling Study.......2007-10-15
Frans De Waal, a Primatologist of some considerable note, in this exciting report on his most recent research, gives us an insider's view of the social "goings on" within a tribe of Chimps. His research model might be described as a Machiavellian-based political model, one he fashions loosely into a framework for understanding and interpreting the meanings implicit in chimp sexual and political behavior, behavior that De Waal observed in a zoo context and recorded for the better part of seven years.
The author discerns definite hierarchical patterns to Chimp behavior, along lines common across the animal kingdom -- especially as regards to how alpha males dominate and sustain their power at the top of their respective social hierarchies. De Waal shows that unlike larger primates, because of their smallness of size, ruling chimp culture requires (almost as a political imperative) that alpha males build coalitions from among the ranks of secondary males and females if they hope to sustain their dominance at the top of the hierarchy for any length of time.
The author vividly walks us thorough several power struggles in which alpha males are replaced. Each of these replacements or "coups" took place either because the dominant male became too greedy, too relaxed in his caolition-building or leadership, or because another male built sounder more enduring and robust coalitions and used them to move against the incumbent.
Making the necessary Freudian extrapolations, one is likely to see in the deeper outlines of these power struggles a remarkable resemblance to similar dramas witnessed everyday in the human political arena. For instance, it take little imagination to guess that Chimp political and sexual behavior is not only Machiavellian in its basic character, but perhaps also Darwinian in its form -- that is to say it is Darwinian in the Sociobiologist's sense of being instinctively driven well beneath cognition. However, it is probably sounder and safer to speculate that such behavior is being driven at the level of "proto-Chimp culture" and socialization rather than at the level of genes.
In any case, even though it is wise not to read too much into these similarities, I nevertheless believe that in the final analysis it is brain architecture that drives these similarities home. Man does not always want to account for, nor take full responsibility for, the behavioral remnants of his reptilian brain. As a result we live within a self-made delusional bubble made up of layers of self-righteous beliefs and denials, noble ideals and values, all couched in an ideology of self-preservation. This unconscious super-structure is piled atop our reptilian brain masquerading at the conscious level as a much more evolved and complex form of civilized animal than it really is.
I thus share the view of other reviewers that another way to see this is just as another layer super-imposed on top of the more honest chimp model. To the extent this interpretation is valid, it does raise interesting if not frighteningly close similarities about what normally goes disguised as ordinary human sexual and political behavior.
Drawing conclusions about human behavior based on an already human inspired model being applied to chimp political processes, runs dangerously close to introducing a closed theoretical system, in effect a theoretical tautology. It seems clear that the behavior described in this study -- even if viewed only across the rest of the ape family -- shows remarkable variations. To close this circle completely and begin drawing additional conclusions about human based on a single de Waal's study, would be unwarranted, theoretically questionable and slightly more than just a bit irresponsible.
Nevertheless, I put this work in the same class as Wright's "Moral Animal." There are certainly cross-cutting and reinforcing conclusions to be drawn as a result of this research. Five stars
DISTURBING BUT USEFUL.......2006-05-24
Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes was a very disturbing book to read. Perhaps this is because of the way Franz de Waal chose to end the book. The story about how Luit finished his reign as "alpha male" was extremely upsetting.
One of the key themes in the book is that so called political behavior is rooted at a level of development that is below cognitive and is as much instinctive as it is learned. Learning about the male chimpanzee's quest for dominance, it makes one wonder how much our behavior is motivated by inherent drives that are not only irrelevant in modern cultures, but are unknowable by those who experience the motivation.
This book has changed the way I look at and understand the word around me.
I strongly recommend this book, but it is not for the faint-hearted.
Lots about Chimpazee Erections.......2006-04-07
De Waal investigates chimpanzee behavior in a zoo, which is at odds with chimpanzee behavior in the wild. The main difference is that the female chimps live together instead of foraging alone, which leads them to participate more in politics than usual. The book is about coalitions, how they're formed, and between whom. The longest part details how leadership changed from chimp to chimp to chimp. There is quite a bit about chimpanzee sex, especially how male chimps thrusts their hips forward and bounce their penises up and down to attract women. There is a nude shot of a chimpanzee penis, but you have to be told what it is. There is a lesbian monkey, and an ape rape, and they go together. A big arrow would have been helpful. The very best part is the postscript which depicts something that is treated fully in another book (de Waal is a salesman as well as a biologist); one of the chimps is murdered when the other chimps bite off his balls. It has some good pictures, it's kind of fun, but I wouldn't buy it.
Fascinating parallels to human behavior.......2006-02-25
The parallels de Waal draws between human and chimp politics are interesting, ironic, and often amusing. They seem so valid--if one can look objectively and without prejudice--that I found myself both fascinated and amused throughout the whole book at the similarities between both chimp and human customs and politics. The difference between us and the chimps is that a thin surface veneer of ideology and beliefs hides the true nature of politics for us, and the sex and the money which are really at the root of it.
There lies the real difference between us and chimps. Beneath the slightly polished surface veneer, and a very thin veneer it is--are the same motivations that drive the chimps. Humans like to pretend to high ideals and noble beliefs and values, but the sad fact is that all too often, despite our more evolved brains, we live down to our lower natures rather than up to our higher consciousness (assuming that even exists, which I'm not convinced it does) and values.
There is a reason for that, which is that our brains still contain those more primitive structures and areas of the brain, such as the limbic system, which still control and drive and motivate and control our behavior on a day to day level, and so we retain that core of "chimp" or paleomammalian behavior despite our supposedly more evolved cerebral cortices.
I've had the opportunity to observe mating rituals by a troop of mandrills (which are related to baboons) and also rhesus macaques, and I noticed many resemblances to de Waal's chimps, except that the mandrills and macaques probably aren't as intelligent or quite as varied in their behavior. But the basic elements of power and sex, which de Waal discusses in regard to the chimps, were still there. One difference was I noticed that many times a female would present to a male mandrill or macaque, and the male would refuse, although the female was obviously receptive. Such refusals seem less common among chimps.
As you may know, chimps are more promiscuous than humans, humans being somewhat more monogamous--but probably not as monogamous as we're all brought up to believe. So perhaps male mandrills and macaques are more choosy than chimps, which is something one associates more with female sexual behavior. Since all mandrill and macaque females pretty much look alike (well, at least to us :-)), I presume this had something to do with the female's place in the social hierarchy.
But getting back to de Waal's book, his research dovetails very well with the neurobiology (which was my field) and there is no better or more interesting writer on the subject. Overall this is a fascinating and well written book on the subject.
Greatly informs evolutionary psychology.......2005-01-22
Chimpanzee Politics tells the story of a colony of chimps in captivity. Frans De Waal observed them for years and soon saw that each chimp had a personality and that there was a definite pattern to their behavior. He shows that they have innate desires and goals and that they act politically to attain them. The astounding thing is that the chimps were seemingly very human in their actions.
This book is very accessible and engaging. From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, De Waal shows an unquestionable chimp nature at work. It is then not much of a leap to suggest that there is a human nature and that, like the chimps, we act predictably and politically in pursuit of our goals.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in human behavior or evolutionary psychology. It is a great piece of popular science writing that is nevertheless very serious.
Amazon.com
This book sets out to explore why and when people evolved so far away from other mammals in several key ways, all of which Dr. Shlain ties to the biological differences between men and women. As in his excellent prior work The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image (which holds that there are links between the ascendancy of patriarchy and written language and the descent of matriarchal societies and goddess-based religions), some of the concepts proposed in this book might seem a bit of a stretch. And they are—whether or not they turn out to be factual. Shlain contends, for instance, that women essentially invented the concept of time due to their experience of menses. Whatever conclusions the reader comes to, the author exposes the underlying gender biases in so many scientific assumptions; the result is one of those books that cannot help but alter one's perceptions. A consistently engaging writer, Shlain traces the course of his own evolving ideas with what might be called a didactic wit: bold statements are first writ large, then Dr. Shlain reveals how he came upon them, frequently with colorful anecdotes that show these are questions he's been wrestling with for many years. It's difficult to tell whether this fascinating thinker will be viewed as the next Darwin or as a crank, but there's no denying this is an audacious work in the realm of evolutionary biology. --Mike McGonigal
Book Description
As in the bestselling The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain's provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from. Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human female's pelvis and the increasing size of infants' heads precipitated a crisis for the species. Natural selection allowed for the adaptation of the human female to this environmental stress by reconfiguring her hormonal cycles, entraining them with the periodicity of the moon. The results, however, did much more than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sex—a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history. From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlain's brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.
Customer Reviews:
one of those best sellers that was intended as such.......2007-09-14
I heard about this book from an interview with Shlain on NPR. The ideas he presents are compelling, but in places his arguments lack true depth. As a result, I was left feeling like I should not have bothered to buy the book and should have just been satisfied with listening to the interview, which gave me adequate exposure to the ideas. The book did not go beyond that. It provided only exposure to a wide range of ideas. Exploring the bibliography would obviously lead to the depth I desired, but after 400 pages of looking for it in Shlain's writing itself, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. His style was a bit too flowery and a bit too crowd-pleasing.
Innovative thinking for our time.......2007-05-22
I believe that to arrive at the correct answers, one needs to be asking the correct questions.
It is Shlain's ability to ask questions about how we have arrived at this time and place which inspires some out-of-the-box thinking and ideas.
I enjoyed his thought process immensely.
I recommend the book for any thinking person.
Starts out OK but then devolves into mistaken fantasy.......2007-04-27
Shlain is a quite knowledgable physiologist and has several interesting observations to make about the subject, especially with regard to iron metabolism and some perplexing aspects he's noted relating to humans versus other animals. This material occupies roughly the first third or 40% of the book, and it's worth reading. Interesting stuff, and potentially very important in piecing together how human evolution went.
The problems arise when the author then seeks to do this by applying evolutionary principles in building a model of how these physiological properties came about. In short, his understanding of evolution seems quite dated and just plain inapplicable -- one is tempted to be harsh and use words like 'rudimentary' or 'amateurish'. Specifically, he keeps referring to *group* selection, using terminology such as "what's good for the species", mixing it up with the more currently accepted idea that selection takes place almost exclusively at the level of the individual or its closer kin. His use of questionable concepts in the situation he's trying to come to grips with thus make his conclusions questionable (at best), and all the more so because he doesn't seem aware of his error/confusion, and thus he proceeds both boldy and blindly. He really would have benefited from teaming up with someone well-grounded in how evolution is really thought to work.
Shlain then compounds the error in the last third of the book or so by trying to create a complete scenario of human social evolution from the dim past (50-100 thousand years ago?) up through to about the invention of the first primitive nation states, but again uses grating pseudo-evolutionary sounding language about what "mother nature wants", with yet more appeals to what's good for the human species, while often confusing things by using specific hypothetical individuals as test particles in his thought experiments. I didn't find hardly any of this believable in the least, and since it's based on faulty evolutionary thinking it's almost certainly entirely wrong. Too bad, because the gloss of scientific and evolutionary credibility will cause many to take this part of the book as some definitive exposition on how it really was and draw unwarranted conclusions about human nature. One would love to see this book done right. 2 1/2 to 3 stars.
Who knew a steak was so important?.......2007-04-20
Dr. Schlain has brought to our attention the key role of iron for women, not only for nutriton and survival, but for courtship and commitment. I think Mother Nature is entirely capricious to make we women so dependent on men to provide steaks to get our attention. In a more serious vein, I am impressed with Dr. Schlain's grasp of history, prehistory, anthropology, sociology, and all the other ologies that make us what we are. I will never take my various systems for granted again. And now I understand how I used to become easy prey for the men who took me to dinner and wooed me with a steak (and wine). Thanks, Dr. Schlain.
Leonard Schlain : a Panoramic Thinker .......2007-03-09
Leonard Schlain is a creative and panoramic thinker: very like a multi-tasking woman who must focus in the moment and simultaneously "see" the past and future. He's ingeniously woven the story around the facts into what perhaps is our best guess yet, about our evolutionary underpinnings. Schlain's a genre of his own, who has mentally freed us up from a scanty and overly focussed scientific box. This medical man is comfortable that the scientist affects the experiment. Read it. ~ Elena Dolan
Book Description
Farrell debunks the myth of male power. He dares to question the image of male-as-oppressor, arguing that this misconception has hindered not only men, but women as well.
Customer Reviews:
Not all women's fault; men do these things to other men and to themselves.......2007-10-01
Some author mentioned this book, and as I checked it out it received a whole bunch of positive reviews, so I ordered it, many moons ago. What a disappointment.
First off, the tone of the book isn't very good. He comes off as being more concerned with the perceived harms of feminism than with the plight of men.
He'll make comparisons on how males and females are treatments which seem to pit gender against gender as if fighting each other in a win-lose scenario.
For example, in talking about prostate/testes self-exams and the lack thereof compared to women's breast self-exams, he makes it sound as if the success of breast cancer/breast exam awareness campaigns means that men's health issues are left unaddressed. As if those two issues are fighting each other in a vacuum, to gain a limited amount of resources.
The point should be, that we need more prostate, testicular cancer awareness and to promote self-checkups. Yet, he frames it in a way that would make one think this is the fault of the feminists for only focusing on breast cancer/exams, as if once again they've screwed men over in a vast conspiracy.
He also talks about some problems already known by feminists, but presents them in a way that makes the reader think HE is the first to find discover these problems, and the way he writes about the problems won't really encourage readers to try to change things with feminists, but rather to hate feminists.
The author also mixes slanted opinions with facts as he does not use citations on all fact statements, meaning he must be drawing his own conclusions.
And there are many far better male feminist / men's movements out there that address these issues in a far more constructive way. (Like that show in New Hampshire and that anti-rape anti-violence website... I don't think I'm allowed to mention/advertise their names here)
Warren Farrell also talks about male gender-roles as if they were designed solely to benefit women, and blames feminists apparently because they've broken through many female gender-role barriers, compared to men who still have many more rigid, oppressive gender-roles.
In this regard he seems misguided; he should encourage men to break through their gender-role conditioning, instead of complaining about it to the feminists...
for example, he says one million men get raped every year, mostly in prisons, and he talks about the old dating model where females attract/resist, males pursue/insist, as leading to sexual harassment, date rape charges.
Or, about how the health and lives of adult men in our society have relatively low value so men can be G.I. soldiers, work hazardous jobs.
Or, about how to be masculine is basically to reject and despise all that is weak within your self and others.
But does he try to make men challenge these gender-roles that are deeply ingrained within them? No.
He whines about how women have it better than men, how they're taking over and abusing their power.
Yes, feminism isn't perfect, yes, they've spent most of their time fighting oppressive gender indoctrination affecting women only, and some so-called feminists can be downright misandrous, but come on! He'd rather get men to hate on women than to get them to reflect on themselves, acknowledge their complacency in, and challenge the status quo of misandry, and genuinely try to change things.
I wonder if he's aware of what he is doing. The more men's movements bash feminism in this false dichotomy, the more it distracts people from the real issues of socially constructed gender-based behaviour norms (quite a mouthful), which limit our freedom.
Man Obsoletes Men.......2007-06-25
This book being so well researched and laden with factoids ad nauseam makes it a tedious read. Half-way through you're tempted to shout out, "ENOUGH ALREADY, I GET IT!" I understand why Dr. Farrell felt he had to make as strong a case as possible considering the target audience was his former feminist conspirators. Men will find the book enlightening; women will refuse to even try to comprehend this perspective. A man is deemed wrong out of gate trying to use facts, logic and common sense to argue with a woman. I found "The Manipulated Man", under the same premise, much more enjoyable to read. It's as though Dr. Farrell is proving Esther Vilar's views with a follow up tomb of hard data.
Of what use are men today? Most families are fatherless or the father supports the family from a distance. 50% of all sperm bank withdrawals are to single women and lesbian couples who choose their child's characteristics from a list of hunky and well-educated male donators. (Man as "turkey baster") Warfare is no longer army vs. army conducted on a battlefield. (Even a woman can sit in a missile silo and push a button). The Stage I male protected and provided for his woman as the precious giver of life, often risking his own life to do so. The duties and roles of each were clearly understood. The Stage II male has no one to protect or provide for. Man made men unnecessary for women to give life and live life. His purpose has devolved to being the garbage man, the furniture mover, the miner, the fireman, the construction worker, and the mechanic. He is relegated to merely being short-term brawn or technical expertise. The "War" is over. The fat and ugly lesbian feminists of the 70's and 80's have gotten what they want, a society where most men are obsolete and children are raised wihout a masculine influence.
Dr. Farrell offers improbable, at least for several generations to come, solutions for the Stage II couple. Men need to discover their feelings and have the courage to ask for help. (If he wants to be ostracized and cast out as weak). Stage II women should pursue careers in the "death professions" for true equality to be reached. (Men won't allow it because we're wired to protect the female giver of life and women are wired to want to be protected; but with all the perks of Stage I entitlement-inequality defined) Men need to stop viewing women as "sex objects" and women need to stop viewing men as "success objects." Not in my lifetime, nor that of my children's children...and it's the young people having to navigate life through this unbalanced society, I feel pity for.
It's not you, and you're not alone........2007-06-14
I don't agree that male power is a myth - male power is very real. Just not for the average man, most of the time.
What is a myth is that a man, simply by virtue of being male, is automatically blessed with an edge in modern society. No average man of today feels this way, contrary to the constant barrage of disinformation that tries to make us believe, we should shut up, and suck it down, because we as males allegedly still have the power! Who has really the power here?
Farrell offers a validation to the diffuse feelings that can grow very strong inside a man from everyday experience and observations. No, I'm not insane and it's not me, and I'm not alone. This is such a revelation.
If all women should read this book..........2007-04-20
...then perhaps all men should read 'A Women's History of the World', now called, I believe, 'Who Cooked the Last Supper...' (for another look at how facts can be cherry-picked, warped to suit any argument, and sweeping generalizations are made from singular statistical data, and correlations are based off presumptive conclusions demonstrating no adequate causation--hmm, only from a woman's point-of-view and a whole lot more unapologetic in tone...I believe Rosalind Miles came from that era of "bitter feminist"--the male-bashing years...
Why I'm even wasting brain-cells on this is beyond me, but what the world didn't need was yet one more book--'The myth of Male power'--(you'd do better to read Joseph Campbell and discover the true beauty of myth and symbolism, and some archetypes of masculinity)--that attempts to present the answer to all men's problems (and women's apparently) rehashed once again by misconstrued statistics, sensationalized news contorted to astound and astonish as opposed to making one think, all fit into a pattern of fallacy so apparent, this could be used as an exemplar for intro to logic texts.
Someone in an earlier review stated how disturbing it is so many readers seem to respond favorably to this work without realizing how simplistic the 'facts' proposed are, taken out of context and construed as 'deep' research. What I find even more disheartening is how easily duped most American readers are into not being able to recognize 'pop'-culture hysteria books when they see them and analyze/critique accordingly.
As a case in point, citing men's suicide rates exceeding women's as they go through adolescence into their 20's and 30's, writing the numbers off as a tirade of 'man-the-victim-of-vicious-masculine-stereotypes-see-how-fragile-we-are-damn-the feminists-who've-made-us-suffer-for-demasculinization". How Sir Warren uses these numbers ignores complex issues of familial, socio-economic, ethnic, racial--along with gender--(and even geography) factors. This statement is not made in negation of a consistently documented trend of higher rates of suicide amongst men over women--all anyone needs to do is go to the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/suifacts.htm to see that. To say this trend is happening because of feminism's cancerous influence upon the wider arena of modern society however, thus demonstrating the victimization of men, the subsequent hacking-away of the male-coping mechanisms in terms of cognitive and behavioral health demonstrates one of these sweeping generalizations, and a lack of correlation/causation.
As noted from the CDC website, women are three times more likely than men to attempt suicide (though not carry through on it). Thus, the prevalence of suicide ATTEMPTS amongst women v. men (if we're talking victim v. victim here) is higher for women; men happen to carry through with their attempt on the first go as opposed to women. Did the self-destructive tendency come about as poisoned offspring resulting from feminism's damaging influence to masculine development/mental-health/social identity through adolescence? What about the damage feminism has done to women? After all, I'm 3 times more likely to try and kill myself, because I've obviously been conditioned by my XX chromosome to be manipulative and attention-seeking, and in my journey to evolve into a more self-directed and empowered individual I've suffered a crisis in my feminine identity (assertiveness warring against my more natural tendency toward passivity and submission). So, where men I guess blow their heads off 4 times more frequently than women, women are 3 times more likely to slit wrists and call 911. Hmm, I don't know, seems to me masculinity is fairly intact--purpose-driven and determined straight to the finish.
I don't honestly believe the above statement, but can anyone see where this sort of reasoning leads? The broad sweeping blame on one civil rights movement (of which feminism ought to be included) attempting to effect societal progress for a discriminated populace elicits a backlash of accusation, wherein feminism is touted as the reason men have lost their identity, self-confidence, jobs security, social security, effectiveness in combat, desire for combat, now experience role-confusion, etc etc...all in 21st century America.
Has the male ego become so fragile over the last 50 years that it would allow itself to be debased by such clap-trap argumentation and conclusions as to be found in this book? Are men's identities really so fragile in this country, or in the world, that in trying to reclaim the 'masculine-aura', men must segregate themselves and allow themselves to be defined by one more author espousing post-modernist biological determinism obscured by seeming "deep-research" and profound insight into the male psyche?
If anyone is interested in how the world thinking operated in terms of men and women and gender roles in the era prior to "2nd Wave Feminism", [...]
If anyone believes this was a better world, then I invite you to continue looking through rose-colored glasses.
For others, especially Sir Warren Farrell, what is it about feminism that has frightened so many, and disgusted so many others? Not to quote a bumper-sticker, but "feminism is the radical idea that women are people too", doesn't seem to scream femi-nazi.
Indeed, I think one review from "Fire in the Belly" had it right on--if you're looking to reclaim your masculinity, you'd do better to rent a John Wayne movie or watch Gladiator or The 300. Now there are paragons of masculine ethos and heroism--even for women (to enjoy on so many levels).
Ultimately, a purpose driven life isn't defined by gender, nor on self-victimization.
On the other hand, as one of my favorite authors once wrote, "It's only stupid, conventional men who like stupid, conventional women," (ah, G. Bradshaw).
I can only wonder at the kind of history with women a man like Sir Warren Farrell has had since he obviously claims to have the answers as to society's ills with them.
Attempt to discover any innacuracies in the book.......2007-02-15
I just finished reading this book, and it one of the most insightful and scholarly works that I have ever read. I then wanted to see if anyone reviewing or commenting on the book, claimed Farrell had presented any statistical innacuracies or was otherwise giving faulty information.
So I googled on "'myth of male power' and 'inaccuracies'" and got 34 hits. I checked the first 8 or 9, and most are either in support of Farrell's work or merely cite portions of the book for reference purposes, in a neutral fashion.
Only two of these are attempts at discrediting Farrell, and neither directly addresses any of the statistice given in M.O.M.P. Instead, one is an astonishing rant about how Farrell is "pro-incest", which Farrell convincingly rebuts on the same site (via email). At one point, the person running the site even claims Farrell to have written a book, which he in fact never wrote!
The other sounds like comments from an uneducated person who, from what I could tell, did not even read the book.
Others are free to check the other hits, my laptop is about to run out of battery power:)
...okay, I'm back (a couple weeks later). I did an expanded search and got 152 hits. I checked about the first half of them, and only two attempt to discredit Farrell. Almost all are supportive of the book, and of Farrell in general. The word "inaccuracy/inaccuracies" occurs so often, because those posting on the sites are commenting on the inaccuracies and lies of feminists themselves!
Here is an example of a "negative" hit: The author on one site claims that Farrell's twelve "Female-Only" defenses (chapter 12) is a "gross exaggeration"..she claims that there are really only three - pre-menstrual syndrome, post-partum depression and battered-woman syndrome. However, Farrell, in the book, uses the word "defense" in a broader fashion than the technical legal sense. For example, he describes the "innocent woman" defense (p. 256)- women are believed when they say they are innocent of violence and most easily doubted when they say they are guilty of violence. He then cites several examples, including the Tawana Brawley case and the "Excedrin Poisonings". One sees that this really is a defense, since women are often found 'not guilty' due to the innocent woman mentality.
It appears to me that people who disagree with Farrell, either do not understand what he has written, or distort what he has written, or take it out of context. They are people who are inaccurate ;-)
Book Description
Our world is awash in sex. We are bombarded with it everywhere we turn--TV, newspapers and magazines, music, movies and the Internet. When this ever-present temptation mixes with human weaknesses and unmet needs, many get pulled into addiction to sexually sinful behavior. They may detest their own habits, but they can't seem to break free. Is there any hope?Russell Willingham speaks from his own experience and that of the many he has counseled. His answer? "Yes! There is hope. Jesus offers forgiveness and healing."True stories show how the principles in this book can be put into action. The essentials are spelled out in practical steps that can help people begin to break free. Willingham deals with such issues as
- what all addicts have in common
- the hunt of the malnourished heart
- where to find the courage to face the dark side
- wrestling with shame and grace
- the healing effect of radical honesty
This realistic yet hopeful book offers a new way to see the world for every person who wants to understand and break free from sexual addiction.
Customer Reviews:
Breaking Free: Understanding Sexual Addiction & the Healing Power of Jesus.......2007-08-28
Great Book!!!
I Would recommend it to anyone who deals with sexual addiction!
Read it with your spouse and get more out of it and revitalize your marriage.
If u want to overcome sexual addiction this is the book!
I've read it 3x's,its an awesome book!!
Inside out.......2007-06-30
There are a lot of other books out there chopping down the weeds but Willingham gets a shovel and digs out the roots. This book nails it!
Excellent Christian book on Sex Addiction.......2007-02-18
The reason I liked this book so much is that the author,Russell Willingham, writes with grace and truth. He also comes from the unique perspective of healing through the power of Jesus Christ. Readers who struggle with sex addiction will be truly blessed with this book.
Help for the hurting.......2007-01-10
One of the best books on sexual addiction. It gets to the root of why a sex addict does what he does. It is written from a true Christian perspective and is a great way for the church to introduce sexual recovery to the body.
Since many churches do not believe that sexual addiction is a true addiction, i.e. just another sin or bad habit, having a Christian author point out this falicy is very helpful. Many Chrsitians will not read secular authors like Patrick Carnes so this book will help a huge demographic that is currently living in total denial.
A good book to hand that brother in church who likes to give the sisters "hugs" every Sunday morning. Or one to give to your husband who has a problem with internet porn.
Practical, comprehensive help... builds acceptance of discipline, grace and truth........2006-03-13
I have talked to many who have attempted to recover from destructive sexual habits; their underlying problem is often quite complex. For the person who is starting to desire freedom, there is usually confusion and a lack of awareness of what is happening inside one's heart and mind to bring about this kind of chronic behavior.
Russell Willingham's text is uniquely effective in uncovering what is at the core of this struggle: a lack of nurturing and understanding. The text is very readable; the author has a knack for making his points in compelling, understandable ways. Through clearly-presented principles, real-life examples and carefully applied scripture passages, Willingham shows the path to healing, growth and recovery. Deftly balancing the powerful gift of Divine grace with the necessity of personal responsibility and discipline, Willingham delivers both the concrete assurance and practical tools that are required by those who desire to be free from sexual impurity.
Highly recommended!
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- Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny
- Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny
- A Guide Book of United states Coins 2007 (60th Edition)(Spiral)
- A History of the Federal Reserve, Vol. 1: 1913-1951
- American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury
- Balanced Scorecard
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization
Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
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High Five!
The Leadership Pill: The Missing Ingredient in Motivating People Today
