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Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences. The annual Nobel Prize winner in that field never receives as much publicity as his or her compatriots in peace, literature, or physics. But if such slights are based on the notion that economics is dull, or that economists are concerned only with finance itself, Steven D. Levitt will change some minds. In Freakonomics (written with Stephen J. Dubner), Levitt argues that many apparent mysteries of everyday life don't need to be so mysterious: they could be illuminated and made even more fascinating by asking the right questions and drawing connections. For example, Levitt traces the drop in violent crime rates to a drop in violent criminals and, digging further, to the Roe v. Wade decision that preempted the existence of some people who would be born to poverty and hardship. Elsewhere, by analyzing data gathered from inner-city Chicago drug-dealing gangs, Levitt outlines a corporate structure much like McDonald's, where the top bosses make great money while scores of underlings make something below minimum wage. And in a section that may alarm or relieve worried parents, Levitt argues that parenting methods don't really matter much and that a backyard swimming pool is much more dangerous than a gun. These enlightening chapters are separated by effusive passages from Dubner's 2003 profile of Levitt in The New York Times Magazine, which led to the book being written. In a book filled with bold logic, such back-patting veers Freakonomics, however briefly, away from what Levitt actually has to say. Although maybe there's a good economic reason for that too, and we're just not getting it yet. --John Moe
Book Description
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an econo-mist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing—and whose conclusions turn conventional wisdom on its head.
Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin with a mountain of data and a simple question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.
Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives—how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they explore the hidden side of . . . well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Klu Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a great deal of complexity and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and—if the right questions are asked—is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking.
Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.
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Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But
Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life -- from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing -- and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.
Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and co-author
Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives -- how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In
Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of ... well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and -- if the right questions are asked -- is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.
Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But
Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.
"
Customer Reviews:
My two cents.......2007-10-08
This collection is the perfect introduction to "thinking outside the box" that Young Adults so desperately need. Filled with challenging situations that demand to know, "why things are the way they are?" Sprinkled with just enough statistics to give credibility, (but not to overwhelm), and just enough history to shed light on the bigger picture; it asks the meaningful, fresh questions that will intrigue and interest the most lethargic student. Recommended for thoughtful, mature audiences, this book may appeal to the Young Adult reader, and their parents. Drugs, crime, getting a job - this book covers many of the contemporary issues facing Young Adults today.
Mind blowing .......2007-10-02
This book changed the way I think about economics, while being entertaining and fun. Highly recommended!
Dumbed Down Levitt.......2007-09-27
I saw Steven Levitt (the economist) on CSPAN Book-TV. He was intelligent, incisive & insightfull and presented his information clearly with a wry sense of humor. I very much anticipated reading this book. What a disappointment! Clearly the book was written by Dubner, not Levitt, and it's origins as a Sunday magazine profile are too apparent. The sharp intelligence and clear ideas are made fuzzy by Dubner's generic, puffy non-fiction writing techniques. This is not to say this book is without merit. Levitt's ideas manage to shine throught the murk of Dubner's writing. But if you want to get a clearer picutre of Levitt and his thinking, go to the C-SPAN Book-TV archives and watch the show with Steven Levitt discussing the book.
I hope that next time Levitt and/or his publisher will have the confidence to have him write a popular, non-academic book on his own and won't feel the need to hire a "professional" to translate his ideas to a popular audience. His ideas need simple clarity, not fancy dressing up.
Spray-Painted Fruit.......2007-09-25
"Freakonomics" has all the elements of great nonfiction. It approaches old subjects in new ways. It combines a "rogue" economist's out-of-the-box thinking with the concise work of a disciplined writer. A quick read, it also challenges Americans to think for themselves--now there's a real accomplishment!
Levitt and Dubner make some interesting points about our education system, medical and parental fears, and racial divides. They never claim to tie all these insights into a cohesive treatise, although they do meander back and forth over unifying themes of what motivates us as human beings and what causes us to buy into collective myths. For years, I've observed the lemming effect in our society, usually driven by the media, and by the average person's seeming inability to override knee-jerk fears with a small dollop of logic. Raising my own children, I heard the flip-flopping of the experts: "Babies should sleep on their backs...their bellies...their sides...in your bed...in their own bed..." ad nauseum.
"Freakonomics" has worthy goals. It reaches them on many levels. On the other hand, it is marketed toward those who already see through these societal deceits. It's not high-minded enough to satisfy those seeking true "rogue" economics, and it's not accessible enough for those nominative readers who might benefit from it the most. Also, on a number of occasions, it draws from a hodgepodge of statistics and extrapolates theories that, while very reasonable, are not proven here with any certainty. And yet we are expected to believe them, even while the same authors are telling us to stop believing such extrapolations from other "experts."
For a book that'll cause you to reconsider certain "established" norms" and to carry on lively discussions, "Freakonomics" is a wonderful coffee table addition. I was disappointed, though, in its overall lack of depth. Most of the subjects addressed are ones I, as a regular individual, have questioned on basic principles of logic in the first place. I didn't need a "rogue" economist for this, or a catchy title. I could've extracted the same tidbits from a decent magazine article by the same pair.
An apple is an apple is an orange. Yes, there are some nutrients in this tasty book, but the authors, like many grocers, have spray-painted the fruit to appear a bit more delectable than it actually is.
This book makes economics entertaining.......2007-09-23
Think you won't be entertained by a book about economics? Think again. Reduced to its essence, economics is about people's response to incentives. This book abounds with examples that you probably aren't accustomed to thinking of as economics. The author excels at analyzing mounds of data and extracting nuggets of wisdom from it. He even steps you through a couple of them, though once he's sure you've got the idea he sticks to giving you the pertinent information. After reading this book I became aware of how economics permeates human interactions.
Book Description
"The Human Side of Organizations" delivers complete, up-to-date, practical information on how people behave in organizations presented in a readable, easy to understand form. The vital information can be used to understand managers, peers or workers. If you work, you need this information to thrive and survive.
FOCUS BOXES/Reality Checks - Bring the work world as it really is into every chapter./Question of Ethics - Presents ethical questions related to the particular chapters' material./A Global Glance - A look at an international aspect of a chapters' concepts./FYI - A new focus box for the 9e./Presents useful hints readers can apply in their daily lives.
Anyone who wishes to better understand managers, peers, or workers can benefit from this book as it covers the vital skills needed to survive and thrive in an organization.
Customer Reviews:
Good Service.......2007-02-24
Received Book in about 2 weeks after purchase. Book was in excellent condition. Good Service.
Exceeded Expectations.......2005-09-30
My textbook came sooner than expected and it was in great condition! The savings were unbelievable and I actually recommended using this seller to everyone in my class.
Book Description
By the author of the bestselling Moneyball: in football, as in life, the value we place on people changes with the rules of the games they play.
The young man at the center of this extraordinary and moving story will one day be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or any of the things a child might learn in school—such as, say, how to read or write. Nor has he ever touched a football.
What changes? He takes up football, and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets. Their love is the first great force that alters the world's perception of the boy, whom they adopt. The second force is the evolution of professional football itself into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist turns out to be the priceless combination of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side.
Customer Reviews:
Book of the Year.......2007-10-11
I've enjoyed all of Lewis' work, but this is his best yet. It's a wonderfully complex story of football history and social commentary. It's one of those books that you shouldn't pick up late at night, because you won't be able to put it down.
Real, inspirational, and alarming.......2007-09-23
The storyline of this book is well known, so I won't review it.
I was highly entertained - the writing is excellent, the story compelling and true.
At the same time, the clear inequities in rescuing just one person from the millions in similar situations was laid bare. Even more troubling to me was the apparently delusional notions of the good Samaritan that he was driven to help the poor rather than the basketball and football teams of his high school and college. Ethical lapses were rampant - The father lied to the NCAA investigation about ignorance of details, he inflated grades with questionable correspondence courses, and generally compromised the academic standards of the high school. The mother lobbied teachers for special treatment, and they intervened with the Ole Miss administration to mitigate the potential criminal charges when Michael nearly badly injured someone just for some insulting comments, which resulted in injuries to a small child. The parent had a friend of Michael's offered scholarships so he could attend the same school, and were proud of their younger son for asking for his own personal favors from the visiting coaches during recruiting season.
The author was not immune, recounting the way the likable giant Michael dominated his high school games as though it was Hercules saving the day, when my impression was more of subverting into a cult of personality for the future pro an amateur contest in which many kids might otherwise get some recreation.
The saving grace is the author includes all the facts (so far as I can tell), and I wound up liking all the people involved despite their flaws, as well as being impressed by their accomplishments.
An enlightening and engaging book, which I highly recommend for people with at least a moderate interest in and knowledge of football.
A good story, but not very insightful.......2007-08-23
First and foremost: The Blind Side is not Moneyball for football, so if that is what you are hoping for look elsewhere.
There are two primary storylines. First, the inner-workings of modern professional football as told through the evolution of the left tackle (aka the "blind side"). Second, the lives of top high school football recruits, as told through the story of one impoverished high school student who happens to be a "freak of nature" football prospect.
I would have liked to have seen more of the first, Moneyball-esque, "inside look" storyline, and less of the second. Unfortunately for me, Lewis focuses on the second.
Great story & read!.......2007-08-11
Buy this book! I enjoyed it so much that, after reading it, I immediately went online and searched for more information about the main character and his current team. The author, Michael Lewis, also does a wonderful of job of weaving in pertinent background information about the history of the NFL passing game, and the importance of the left tackle position in football. If you're looking for a great read, look no further! Michael Oher's story is as inspiring as it gets!
Surely Michael Lewis' best storytelling to date.......2007-07-21
I've read all of Michael Lewis' books except "Coach" (as a friend recently commented, "let's leave those to Mitch Albom"). Lewis has made a career out of counter-intuition. "The Blind Side" fits well into the Lewis groove. The casual fan watches football and thinks quarterback, running back, wide receiver. But Lewis takes you through the game's evolution (with its increased reliance on precision passing) and shows you why the left tackle has become the game's second-highest-paid position. As Lewis notes, as the salaries of quarterbacks have risen, so has the cost of insurance. And, on the football field, quarterback insurance is personified by the left tackle...protector of the blind side.
As one reviewer notes here, 'The Blind Side' contains "many stories, all good." Exactly. While the incredible tale of Michael Oher consumes a good portion of the book, there are other great stories. For example, Lewis paints a brilliantly vivid picture of Lawrence Taylor's impact on the league; and I love the juxtaposition of Bill Walsh's brand of football (as personified by Joe Montana) vs. Bill Parcells' brand of football (as personified by LT).
I'm tempted to say this might be Lewis' finest work. The only reason I won't is because of the monster that is Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street, a book that people may well be referencing 50 years from now. I'm also a big fan of the under-appreciated "Trail Fever" (released as Losers: The Road to Everyplace but the White House - which I bet Lewis hated since the whole point of the book was that the so-called losers were life's real winners - in paperback). But "The Blind Side" is surely the author's best storytelling. I bet he'll agree to that.
Book Description
Praise for Blood and Thunder
“Kit Carson’s role in the conquest of the Navajo during and after the Civil War remains one of the most dramatic and significant episodes in the history of the American West. Hampton Sides portrays Carson in the larger context of the conquest of the entire West, including his frequent and often lethal encounters with hostile Native Americans. Unusually, Sides gives full voice to Indian leaders themselves about their trials and tribulations in their dealings with the whites. Here is a national hero on the level of Daniel Boone, presented with all of his flaws and virtues, in the context of American people’s belief that it was their Manifest Destiny to occupy the entire West.”
—Howard Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University and editor of The New Encyclopedia of the American West
“The story of the American West has seldom been told with such intimacy and immediacy. Legendary figures like Kit Carson leap to life and history moves at a pulse-pounding pace—sweeping the reader along with it. Hampton Sides is a terrific storyteller.”
—Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt
“Hampton Sides doesn't just write a book, he transports the reader to another time and place. With his keen sense of drama and his crackling writing style, this master storyteller has bequeathed us a majestic history of the Old West.”
—James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys
“Blood and Thunder is a big-hearted book whose subject is as expansive as they come. Hampton Sides tackles it with naked pleasure and narrative cunning: In his telling, the vast saga of America’s westward push has a logical center. The dusty town of Santa Fe becomes the nexus around which swirl the fortunes and strategies of a mixed set of serious overachievers, from Kit Carson, the original mountain man, to James K. Polk, the enigmatic president whose achievements, in the dreaded name of Manifest Destiny, were almost biblical in scope. Sides is alive to the exuberance and alert to the tragedy of the taking of the West.”
—Russell Shorto, author of Island at the Center of the World
“For a huge percentage of us immigrant Americans (those whose ancestors arrived after 1492), Hampton Sides fills a gaping hole in our knowledge of American history—a vivid account of how ‘The New Men’ swept away the thriving civilizations of the Native Americans in their conquest of the West.”
—Tony Hillerman
"BLOOD AND THUNDER is a balanced, thoughtful summary of the American conquistadors in the 19th century Southwest. Hampton Sides has re-created violent events and such inflammatory figures as Kit Carson without bias. Carefully researched, thoroughly enjoyable."
-Evan S. Connell, author of SON OF THE MORNING STAR, CUSTER AND THE LITTLE BIGHORN
A Magnificent History of How the West Was Really Won—a Sweeping Tale of Shame and Glory
In the fall of 1846 the venerable Navajo warrior Narbona, greatest of his people’s chieftains, looked down upon the small town of Santa Fe, the stronghold of the Mexican settlers he had been fighting his whole long life. He had come to see if the rumors were true—if an army of blue-suited soldiers had swept in from the East and utterly defeated his ancestral enemies. As Narbona gazed down on the battlements and cannons of a mighty fort the invaders had built, he realized his foes had been vanquished—but what did the arrival of these “New Men” portend for the Navajo?
Narbona could not have known that “The Army of the West,” in the midst of the longest march in American military history, was merely the vanguard of an inexorable tide fueled by a self-righteous ideology now known as “Manifest Destiny.” For twenty years the Navajo, elusive lords of a huge swath of mountainous desert and pasturelands, would ferociously resist the flood of soldiers and settlers who wished to change their ancient way of life or destroy them.
Hampton Sides’s extraordinary book brings the history of the American conquest of the West to ringing life. It is a tale with many heroes and villains, but as is found in the best history, the same person might be both. At the center of it all stands the remarkable figure of Kit Carson—the legendary trapper, scout, and soldier who embodies all the contradictions and ambiguities of the American experience in the West. Brave and clever, beloved by his contemporaries, Carson was an illiterate mountain man who twice married Indian women and understood and respected the tribes better than any other American alive. Yet he was also a cold-blooded killer who willingly followed orders tantamount to massacre. Carson’s almost unimaginable exploits made him a household name when they were written up in pulp novels known as “blood-and-thunders,” but now that name is a bitter curse for contemporary Navajo, who cannot forget his role in the travails of their ancestors.
Customer Reviews:
Blood and Thunder.......2007-10-09
This is a highly readable and comprehensive account of the adult life and times of Kit Carson and the people/places he touched. It's not a biography, but a series of vignettes documenting his involvement in a variety of professions -- from mountain man to military man -- as the needs of the West evolved. There's a great deal of information about Carson's contemporaries as well. I read the book with a map of New Mexico at hand to more closely identify the places mentioned. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Western history, including the several battles of the Civil War fought in New Mexico.
An entertaining and rewarding read........2007-10-03
I came upon this book in searching for an understanding of the historical period in which Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece Blood Meridian is set - the SW of North America in the early to mid-19th century. The book's central theme is the life and times of Kit Carson coupled with the demise of the Navajos in the face of the onslaught of American expansion. Nonetheless, in setting these themes in context, the book addresses all the forces that bore upon them - from the relationship of the early trappers with indigenous society to the seizure of New Mexico and California - in fascinating and enlightening detail. The book is scholarly and authoritative - although there was a complete absence of reference numbers in the text itself to tie in with notes at the back of the book. Even had these been inserted, more detailed references would have better exploited the enormous amount of original research clearly conducted by the author.
The style is informal with a turn of phrase that occasionally touches on the cliche. Still, for all this it is a highly readable, entertaining and vivid account. Perhaps a little hagiographic at times, but then Carson was an extraordinarily self-contained and capable man of principle and character.
In all, this is a highly rewarding book that vividly portrays the broad vistas, horrors, tragedies, heroics and sheer physical hardships that marked the clash of civilisation in America's South West. A great read.
Bury My Soul With the Navajo.......2007-09-26
If you want to dare look into a horror that can haunt you, read this heart stabbing book. It sheds light on the history of the American west and the US government's heartless to destory a people. The details of Kit Carson are as perplexing as mankind is troubling. I also recommend two other books along the same lines: On the Trail of the Pony Express and especially Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, both by Cherokee author Jerry Ellis. Ellis was the first person in modern history to walk the 900 mile route of the Trail of Tears and the book is a Native American classic, nominated for a Pulitzer and National Book Award.
Blood and Thunder.......2007-09-20
A really exceptional book. It covers one of the most interesting series of events in the history of America with complexity and insight.
Sometimes One-Sided and Misleading.......2007-09-10
As I read through this book, I was amazed that very detailed research had been done and that both sides of the many stories/events had been told. I was severely disappointed when I read chapter 40 - The Children of the Mist when the description and events leading to, during, and after the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The author would like the casual reader to think that the whole event was endorsed by the then President of the LDS Church, Brigham Young. In my personal research, this is far from the case - the presidency of the church at that time would have never approved an act such as that. I would like to note that Mr. Sides did not give any references for quotes by Brigham Young or notes to what happened to the actual ringleaders of the massacre. This was a horrible event and the story needs to be told in the right context. These missing references make me question the quality of the real research that went into the book on a whole.
Average customer rating:
- excellent service
- Very Useful For Beginners
- Side by Side: Student Book 1, Third Edition
- I love "Side by Side"
- SIde By Side Book 3
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Side by Side: Student Book 1, Third Edition
Steven J. Molinsky , and
Bill Bliss
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ASIN: 0130267449 |
Customer Reviews:
excellent service.......2007-09-26
The service is faster I received the book in 3 days before the promise date..Very good service...
Very Useful For Beginners.......2007-05-15
This is a very useful book for beginners. The topics are contemporary, the pictures are engaging, and it's not overwhelming for new students who don't want to be scared away. I have book number 4.
Side by Side: Student Book 1, Third Edition.......2007-01-04
Excellent book for beginning English students. The material is presented logically, leads to great discussion topics and is useful for real life encounters.
I love "Side by Side".......2006-09-12
I was from China and started my life in the USA as a graduate student in Engineering. Although I took the TOEFL before I came to USA, my English is not good enough to express myself clearly and accurately. I decided to improve my English about 4 months ago and started to borrow some ESL books from local libraries.
About 2 weeks ago, I found four "Side by Side" books (Book 1 to Book 4) from a local library and borrowed them. Now I am working on the Book 3 and I have enjoyed every book. I believe that "Side by Side" Book 1 to Book 4 will make very good textbooks for ESL (or ESOL) programs.
SIde By Side Book 3.......2006-08-07
My wife and I have been using Side By Side since living in Japan as ESL teachers 1987-89. We used the first edition way back then. My wife still is active tutoring English to Japanese in our area of the USA and this is an excellent series for English learners. We would recommend it to anyone from any culture.
Amazon.com
A phenomenon when first published in 1972, the Inner Game was a real revelation. Instead of serving up technique, it concentrated on the fact that, as Gallwey wrote, "Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game." The former is played against opponents, and is filled with lots of contradictory advice; the latter is played not against, but within the mind of the player, and its principal obstacles are self-doubt and anxiety. Gallwey's revolutionary thinking, built on a foundation of Zen thinking and humanistic psychology, was really a primer on how to get out of your own way to let your best game emerge. It was sports psychology before the two words were pressed against each other and codified into an accepted discipline.
The new edition of this remarkable work--Billie Jean King called the original her tennis bible--refines Gallwey's theories on concentration, gamesmanship, breaking bad habits, learning to trust yourself on the court, and awareness. "No matter what a person's complaint when he has a lesson with me, I have found the most beneficial first step," he stressed, "is to encourage him to see and feel what he is doing--that is, to increase his awareness of what actually is."
There are aspects of psychobabble and mysticism to be found here, sure, but Gallwey instructs as much by anecdote as anything else, and time has ultimately proved him a guru. What seemed radical in the early '70s is now accepted ammunition for the canon; the right mental approach is every bit as important as a good backhand. The Inner Game of Tennis still does much to keep that idea in play. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
The Inner Game of Tennis is a revolutionary program for overcoming the self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses of concentration that can keep a player from winning. Now available in a revised paperback edition, this classic bestseller can change the way the game of tennis is played.
Customer Reviews:
enjoyable read.......2007-09-23
if you are under pressure to improve your tennis game, this book will put you at ease, but you 'll still improve.
Good Mental Strategies.......2007-09-15
This book gives you the tools to help analyze the mental part of the game. It gives stratigies and examples. If you are serious about tennis, or, want to improve your competitive game. Get this book.
Inner game of tennis.......2007-06-12
great book. Bought three for a couple of my daughters friends
Maybe the best book ever!.......2007-05-17
Could make you better in everything you do in life... not an understatement...
The Inner Game of Tennis.......2007-05-16
While most of us would like to play like the pros, most of us will only run aroung the courts. This book helpes you to play more as a child. Just go out and do it. Don't try to over think.
Everyone says my game has improved over the past 6 months and want to know why. I just tell them to read the book.
Amazon.com
We know the shadow by many names: alter ego, lower self, the dark twin, repressed self, id. Carl Jung once said that the shadow "is the person you would rather not be." But even if you choose to hide your dark side, it will still cast a shadow, according to author Debbie Ford. Rather than reject the seemingly undesirable parts of ourselves, Ford offers advice on how to confront our shadows. Only by owning every aspect of yourself can you achieve harmony and "let your own light shine," she explains. "The purpose of doing shadow work, is to become whole. To end our suffering. To stop hiding ourselves from ourselves. Once we do this we can stop hiding ourselves from the rest of the world."
As threatening as shadow work may seem, it is often very effective in creating transformation. Ford's step-by-step guidebook is modeled on a highly successful course she developed about embracing the shadow. Ultimately, she helps readers illuminate the gifts and strengths that lie within the shadows. Although this works sound vague, clouded in dark metaphors, Ford manages to make it clear and specific. She has the writing gifts of a successful seminar leader--inspirational, trustworthy, and able to convey murky material with grace and ease. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
Debbie Ford believes that we each hold within us a trace of every human characteristic that exists, the capacity for every human emotion. We are born with the ability to express this entire spectrum of characteristics. But, Ford points out, our families and our society send us strong messages about which ones are good and bad. So when certain impulses arise, we deny them instead of confronting them, giving them a healthy voice, then letting them go. It is to these feelings that Ford turns our attention, these parts of our selves that don't fit the personae we have created for the rest of the world. She shows us the effects of living in the dark, of keeping all our supposedly unsavory impulses under wraps. We find ourselves disproportionately frustrated and angry at the selfishness of friends, the laziness of colleagues, the arrogance of siblings. When we are unable to reconcile similar impulses in ourselves, Ford explains, we waste our own energy judging others instead of empathizing. But most important, we deny ourselves the power and freedom of living authentically. Through the stories and exercises in The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, Debbie Ford shows us not only how to recognize our hidden emotions, but also how to find the gifts they offer us. The very impulses we most fear may be the key to what is lacking in our lives.
Customer Reviews:
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers - Debbie Ford.......2007-05-26
This book will help you "find" yourself. A very useable aide in self-enlightenment. Does what it says it can.
WOW!.......2007-05-12
I've read hundreds of self help books. This one is straight forward, courageous and at times a bit brutal. I'll admit that sometimes she suggests things I didn't want to face in myself. I was especially taken with her open honesty about her prejudices, which she didn't believe she had. Out of all self-help books I've read, this is in my top 5 if you want to transform your life into something more whole and more powerful than anything you've known.
Applicable from the first page.......2007-01-18
This book is a very practical guide to accepting yourself rather than trying to change yourself. It is very user friendly and easy to read and understand. You can either use it as a "handbook" for how to be "whole" or as a way to enhance your qualities in your spritual life. It can easily be read several times. There are exercises to do that you may want to do immediately or return to when you have a different level of understanding of the book. I highly recommend it.
Life Changing!.......2007-01-03
If you were allowed only one self help book, this is the one. Start this book with an open mind if you want to change your life for the better.
So many of my questions were answered with this book. Be aware of the big mirror that will appear before you and embrace it. This book will peel away layers of feelings and emotions you never knew you had. Follow this book and your life will change. I've read a lot of books in my day and this one really digs deep and leads you to a more peaceful and calm life.
You will find the power of forgiveness is really huge.
THE BOOK TO END IGNORANCE AND SPREAD ENLIGHTENMENT.......2007-01-03
This is the most helpful book l have ever read in my life. lt should be mandatory reading for every human. lt will make you see who you really are, not judge others and also look at things from others perspectives, heal any parts that need to be healed, and make you a stronger, better person- all around. lts the first step toward enlightenment. lt will change your life. lt can change people. l wouldnt be who l am today if someone hadnt gave me this book. lt will make you an authentic person who takes pride in who you are. lts the tool for reaching well being, which is a euphoric feeling, and makes a perfect gift for anyone who is feeling any discontent with their life, theirself, or others. ld also recommend 'finding your own north star' by martha beck.
Book Description
This book provides readers with basic information about human beings and their behavior within the context of a business environment. It includes such issues as how to motivate people, how to give them feedback on their performance, how to influence them, and how to help them cope with stress. By examining the factors that contribute to an ever-changing business world, it will teach readers to develop, train, and motivate high-performance employees in a world of constant change. The Field of Organizational Behavior. Perception and Learning. Individual Work Differences. Motivation in Organizations. Managing Your Own Behavior. Group Dynamics and Teamwork. Decision Making in Organizations. Social and Deviant Behaviors in Organizations. Leading and Coaching Others. Culture, Creativity, and Innovation. Organizational Structure and Design. Technology in Organizations. For managers, or anyone else, who are interested in organizational behavior.
Customer Reviews:
Alright.......1999-11-21
I used this book at Cornell's school of Industrial and Labor Relations in an OB course. It was ok, but I have seen better. The examples are mostly revelant, but sometimes it strays from the covered material. A good book to use to review for the final exam, but if your teacher draws tests from their own lectures, make sure you utilize the index in the back!
Poor theory, good applications.......1999-06-11
This text was used at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for an honors OB course. It served the class well by providing relevant and often humorous applications of theory. However, the descriptions of the actual theories themselves were weak and vague often referring to other concepts not yet learned.
Book Description
Who is Heraclitus, and what is he whacking, you ask? Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher, widely considered the world's first creativity teacher. The deck has 32 cards, each containing a "whack," or eye-opening exercise based on the epigrams of Heraclitus. They will spur creative thinking and allow you to look at a problem from a fresh perspective. Created by Roger von Oech, author of the best-selling book, A Whack on the Side of the Head and the Creative Whack Pack.
Customer Reviews:
A New Perspective.......2007-09-23
A delightful book that is easy to read. If you are stuck in your current way of thinking or perhaps don't even know you are stuck this book provides practical tools for opening up your mind to new ways of thinking. This book is loaded with 10 key concepts about how we get stuck in our current ways of thinking. With each concept are 2-3 practical solutions to getting unstuck. This allows the reader to explore the infinite potential that exists in the world of imagination, innovation, and creativity. What a treat.
A Nice Complement to Other Creativity Books.......2007-08-10
A Whack on the Side of the Head does just that. If you need something of a jolt to get the creative juices flowing again, this is the perfect book to get you going. It's not going to give you detailed explanations of every brainstorming technique that's ever been devised by humans, but it will give you a lot to think about -- and that's half the battle. Kudos to Mr. Oech for putting out a fun, stimulating book.
Inspiring.......2007-08-06
It's an excellent way to improve your creative thinking capability. Packed with exciting concepts. If you are looking for brainstorming techniques to improve your corporate thinking, Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming, will also be useful.
A Classic........2007-06-30
A great book on creative problem solving. I use it, and refer to it in my classes. If you want one, basic book on creativity or on problem solving, this would be a good choice.
Kickstart your creativity with A Whack on the Side of your Head.......2007-05-14
As I have become more active in online communities, I have admired how big ideas and cutting edge breakthroughs have taken shape. Soon, I craved what is rapidly becoming the official drug of the 21st Century: creativity.
After reading how highly it was recommended by fellow readers, the book I chose to purchase was Roger von Oech's "A Whack on the Side of the Head". In one word: excellent. In more then one word: down to earth, practical, encouraging, inspirational, and a gem.
The author does not bore his audience with psychological theory or rambles. He is to the point. Each chapter deals with a common "mental lock," a dud mental condition brought on by believing such things as: there is only one Right Answer (chpt. 1), Play is Frivolous (chpt. 5), or To Err is Wrong (chpt. 9). You'll find each chapter is packed with mind teasers, quotes, personal applications, and age old/modern examples.
Personally, it was a breath of fresh air that encouraged me to stop worrying what other people will think of an idea and instead start focusing on how to develop it. Along with thinking more clearly, I fell in love with creativity thanks to a Whack on the Side of the Head.
Book Description
Millions of people have learned to draw using the methods of Dr. Betty Edwards. Now, in an essential companion to her bestselling classic, Edwards offers readers the key to mastering this art form: guided practice in their newfound creative abilities.
Here are forty new exercises that cover each of the five basic skills of drawing. Each practice session includes a brief explanation and instructional drawings, suggestions for materials, sample drawings, and blank pages for the reader's own drawings. Also provided in this spiral-bound workbook is a pullout viewfinder, a crucial tool for effective practice. While The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain focused primarily on portrait drawing with pencil, this workbook gives readers experience in various subject matter-still life, landscape, imaginative drawing-using alternative mediums such as pen and ink, charcoal, and conté crayon.
For all those who are taking a drawing class, who have already received instruction through a book or course, or who prefer to learn by doing, this volume of carefully structured "homework" offers the perfect opportunity to reinforce and improve their skills and expand their repertoire.
Customer Reviews:
drawing.......2007-02-03
Companion to reading. A must have for anyone who just likes to draw.
Build Drawing Skills easily.......2007-01-26
This workbook is a great companion to Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. We bought it for my teenage son. It provides nicely guided lessons to give directed practice in drawing. The lessons are laid out well. I like that the drawing area is large enough to encourage exploration and expression.
Excellent Practice Book.......2007-01-25
Buy the text and the workbook, do the exercises and see your drawing improve.
Drawing made easier.......2007-01-16
My grandson and I are just starting to work through this book. He is really excited about it. I think it makes sense! While my grandson is only 12 and this is not a childrens book, with our working together it makes my job of teaching possible. I had not had lessons myself and am learning as I teach. I can't wait for our next session.
Making a difference.......2007-01-10
I would say this is one of those book that just gets your brain moving forward and into new spaces of the drawing dimension. Unfortuately my art teacher in high school never used such a high calibre but easy to understand book, otherwise I would have gone a longer way on art courses. But it is never too late, now is the time to start. I am half way through the book, and I am impressed with my results already. What is most important is that you now know what is stopping you is not "natural ability", but time and effort.
Books:
- Free Fall
- GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali
- Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith
- Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: Mysticism in Music from Antiquity to the Avant-Garde
- Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life (Revised Edition with New Bible Study)
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Baby Board Books)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Honor Under Siege
Books Index
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