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- Not Free SF Reader
- Merry Gentry gets lucky...a lot
- Le sigh... is this series going anywhere?
- porn
- Great Customer Service
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Seduced by Moonlight (Meredith Gentry, Book 3)
Laurell K. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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A Kiss of Shadows
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ASIN: 0345443594
Release Date: 2004-12-28 |
Amazon.com
The third novel in Laurell K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series, Seduced by Moonlight continues the story of Merry Gentry, a mortal Faerie princess hiding in L.A. Her aunt, the immortal and insane Queen of Air and Darkness, has ordered her to compete with her cousin, Prince Cel, in making a baby. Whoever produces a child first wins the throne of the Unseelie Court. But Merry still hasn't conceived--and that's not her only problem. Unknown assassins seek her life; her magical powers are becoming potent and uncontrollable; and her sadistic aunt has just commanded her to return to Faerie.
Readers tired of mild modern fairy-tales about nice, polite elves may want to explore the Meredith Gentry series, which remembers that Faerie was originally a dark, dangerous realm of sex and violence. Hamilton's Queen of Air and Darkness is a vicious killer and torturer, and many of her fay drink blood or practice kinky sex (or both). Under royal orders to bed many males, Merry is far from averse; she and several lovers hit the bedroom on page 8 of Seduced by Moonlight and don't emerge until page 175. There's no shortage of sex, but not as much as the page count may indicate; the characters like to talk and sulk even more than they like to fornicate. The large cast and complicated backstory make this book the wrong starting point; newcomers should begin with the first novel, A Kiss of Shadows. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
I am Meredith Gentry, P.I. and Princess Merry, heir to the throne of Fairie.
Now there are those among me who whisper I am more.
They fear me even as they protect me. And who can blame them?
I’ve awakened the dazzling magic that’s slumbered in them for
thousands of years. But the thing is, I can’t figure out why.
My aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is no longer distracted by her usual sadistic hobbies. Her obsession has turned unwaveringly to me. The mission to get me pregnant and beat my cousin Prince Cel to the crown is taking longer than expected. Even though I spend each night with the Queen’s Ravens, my immortal guards, no child has come of our decadent pleasures. But something else is happening. My magic courses through me uncontrollably. And as I lock my half-mortal body with their full-Sidhe blooded ones, the power surges like never before.
It all began with the chalice. I dreamed of it, and it appeared, cool and hard, beside me when I awoke. My guards know the ancient relic well—its disappearance ages ago stripped them of their vital powers. But it is here with us now. My touch resonates with its force, and they’re consumed with it, their Sidhe essences lit up by it. But even as they cherish me for this unexpected gift, there are those who loathe me for it. Me, a mongrel, only half fey and part mortal. The Unseelie court has suffered for so long, and there are some who would not have it weakened further by an impure queen. My enemies grow in number every day. But they do not know what I am capable of. Nor, for that matter, do I. . . .
In Seduced by Moonlight, Laurell K. Hamilton brings the dark, erotic reign of the immortal fey to a startling new depth. Full of sensuality and the consuming anticipation of latent powers unleashed, this world of gods, shapeshifters, and immortal souls is unveiled in all of its supreme magnificence and its treacherous deceits.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
I am Meredith Gentry, P.I. and Princess Merry, heir to the throne of Fairie.
Now there are those among me who whisper I am more. They fear me even as they protect me. And who can blame them? I've awakened the dazzling magic that's slumbered in them for thousands of years. But the thing is, I can't figure out why.
My aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is no longer distracted by her usual sadistic hobbies. Her obsession has turned unwaveringly to me. The mission to get me pregnant and beat my cousin Prince Cel to the crown is taking longer than expected. Even though I spend each night with the Queen's Ravens, my immortal guards, no child has come of our decadent pleasures. But something else is happening. My magic courses through me uncontrollably. And as I lock my half-mortal body with their full-Sidhe blooded ones, the power surges like never before.
It all began with the chalice. I dreamed of it, and it appeared, cool and hard, beside me when I awoke. My guards know the ancient relic well -- its disappearance ages ago stripped them of their vital powers. But it is here with us now. My touch resonates with its force, and they're consumed with it, their Sidhe essences lit up by it. But even as they cherish me for this unexpected gift, there are those who loathe me for it. Me, a mongrel, only half fey and part mortal. The Unseelie court has suffered for so long, and there are some who would not have it weakened further by an impure queen. My enemies grow in number every day. But they do not know what I am capable of. Nor, for that matter, do I....
In Seduced by Moonlight, Laurell K. Hamilton brings the dark, erotic reign of the immortal fey to a startling new depth. Full of sensuality and the consuming anticipation of latent powers unleashed, this world of gods, shapeshifters, and immortal souls is unveiled in all of its supreme magnificence and its treacherous deceits.
"Sexy... Merry's adventures are engaging and keep the reader turning the pages."
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
"Stunning... Steamy... An exciting and original world."
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
"A sizzling new series that blends supernatural fantasy with detective adventure... Memorable characters and wicked wit make it all delicious, ribald fun."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
It is not just the packet of life savers five fruits colored Sidhe bodyguards that the princess has to romp around with, you can add goblins into the mix as well. Those goblin types like eating people too, so this can be a little problematic.
Then there is the whole possed by powerful Sidhe god types, as well. This could all really leave one woman sore.
Merry Gentry gets lucky...a lot.......2007-08-18
I never took to Laurell Hamilton's popular Anita Blake series, but I enjoy the Merry Gentry series a lot more. It's probably the sex - Merry Gentry is on a mission to have lots of it. She is a Faerie Princess - her aunt is Queen of the Unseelie Court of Faerie - and her newfound powers are triggered by sexual energy. In the earlier volumes, Merry enjoyed relations with a variety of inhumanly handsome men with gorgeous hair. Now her mission takes her further afield to partners differing in size, shape, species, and gender. Hamilton makes each encounter quite erotic. My tastes are conventional, but I saw the appeal through Merry's eyes.
The context for all this bed-wrestling is politics in the Faerie Court. Merry has an opportunity to become her aunt's successor, but of course is opposed by other factions within the court. Her aunt also becomes more insecure as she sees Merry's powers grow. Political intrigue plots can be snoozers, but Hamilton makes it be about the immediate threat to Merry, which drew me in.
Readers should start from the beginning of this series. There are quite a few characters by this point in the story who have been gradually introduced over the previous two books. Also, becoming acquainted with Merry before her powers came to her makes her a more sympathetic character. At this point in the story, she's a gorgeous woman with profound magical powers, and more magic coming to her almost every day. It's harder to relate to such a perfect being.
Le sigh... is this series going anywhere?.......2007-05-02
I read Sunny's Monere series (Mona Lisa Awakening and Mona Lisa Blossoming) and many of the reviewers compared those books to Laurell K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series, so I thought I'd give them a shot while waiting for the third Monere book to come out. I recently read the first two Merry Gentry books, A Kiss of Shadows and A Caress of Twilight. The first book in the series was interesting enough that I wanted to know more. The second was pretty much a run-down of info that should have been included in the first book, and reading it was like watching paint dry, but I was still interested in Merry and I'd already committed by reading the first two books in the series. I am a person who finishes what she starts. That being said, I feel duty-bound to finish these books off. But, I have to wonder... is this series going anywhere?
Merry just seems to be falling deeper and deeper into nothing at all. We keep hearing how great she is at court politics and I get the impression that we're supposed to want her to be the next Queen of the Unseelie court, but then she's all of a sudden bespelled by magic since she can't think when she's having sex (and she's ALWAYS having sex), or she's getting some new power she doesn't understand and everyone around her has to explain what it means (so much for all your father's knowledge), or even making promises to share her body and blood with goblins, demi-fey, and anything else that wants a taste. And she expects these people to respect her on the throne? Please! These books keep getting more and more outrageous and hard to follow, but like a fool I keep coming back for more. Take my advice and stick to Sunny's Monere series rather than coming to the Merry Gentry side of things. I wish I had, but now I'm stuck in a series that seems to be going nowhere.
porn.......2007-04-21
This book has little story and a lot of bad porn. Read only if you are into fairy sex.
Great Customer Service.......2007-03-30
Initially I received a different product, but Mark was really helpful in getting the correct item to me and I received a full credit for the original purchase. He is a really customer focused person and I would definitely recommend purchasing items through him. Thanks again Mark!
Book Description
Studies have shown that 96 percent of Americans fail to achieve financial independence by the age of 65. The number one reason cited? The inability to delay gratification. The hidden cause, as John Cummuta demonstrates, is what he calls the "Coalition of Four," a subtle combination of marketplace forces focused on seducing American income earners into first spending
all they make…and then spending far
beyond what they make by using debt. The Coalition preys on this human weakness to systematically siphon most of the money Americans earn into Coalition coffers. Made up of Merchants, the Advertising Industry, Media, and the Credit Industry, the Coalition works synergistically to create a sense of need, prey on our naivete, appeal to our pride, and offer us an "easy" way to
afford it all.
But the reality is we can't afford it all…at least not early and all at once. The result is that most consumers end up being slaves to the Coalition, and fully expect to be making debt payments till the day they die.
After exposing the Coalition and its intentions, Cummuta helps readers stop succumbing to the seduction and take charge of their own financial future. His purpose is to free readers to be able to live the life they really want to live. The solution Cummuta offers is his "Cascading Debt-Elimination System™," which can eliminate a typical American household's debts to zero - including paying off their home mortgage - in just 5 to 7 years, using nothing more than the money they already make. And the system works no matter the household's income level or debt amount.
Finally, Cummuta explains how readers can achieve permanent immunity from the Coalition of Four by maximizing their income and successfully investing it in assets that will produce more than enough retirement income to live on…with our without working. Most people are trapped in their jobs and lives, "sticking it out" just so they can pay the bills. This book gives them the tools and the opportunity to
redesign their lives and start over.
Customer Reviews:
Questionable Business Ethics.......2007-05-19
While the book might offer common sense advice, I question the business ethics of someone who is so involved with Internet SPAMMING. I receive about 10 unsolicted emails a day from Mr. Cummata. As a result, I would be skeptical of any business strategies he proposes.
A Personal Financial Plan That Really Works!.......2006-07-08
I get tired of reading the same old lines about how to become financially independent. While many publications offer some good advice, but mostly platitudes, I find this debt-free plan to be one of the best. It worked for me, as well as members of my family, and business associates. I am a retired financial planner, and I have promoted this plan to many of my clients.
This book thoroughly explains the renowned "Transforming Debt into Wealth" and "Debt-Free & Prosperous Living" program available from the same author. I highly recommend this book.
Surprisingly Good.......2005-06-07
I was skeptical about a book that would obviously point out the perils of credit cards, aka "consumer cocaine." However, I find this book to be very well written and inspiring. Cummata's psychological games of "attacking" debt work for me.
People who don't need this book are likely to agree with it's common sense advice.
I'm eager to review my notes of John Cummuta's course here........2005-05-27
I almost didn't consider a review, but in my online research for info about Mr. John Cummuta, I found this link & recalled I could submit reviews & felt the obligation; I ordered his "course," so I'm guessing his book here is in the course -or is very similar to it, so my review of his course will give you an idea of how the book is. (I did online research to see what was up with his course and if I should return it & get my money back or keep it.)
Anyhow, some "oldie but goodie" ideas include the simple but reliable adage to NOT be in debt. Mr. Cummuta tells the reader (or listener in my case; I had CD's) early on that you gotta cut up that credit card. He makes his case well, and as a person who has used credit cards successfully for many years, in college and since, I say from experience: He is right. Most of the time, I had not problems with using my credit card, but recently some emergencies have pushed my balance up to about 5,000 dollars, and let me tell you: The interest of about $50.oo per month is eating me up because (as I'm sure you know) you don't pay on the principal owed until AFTER you've paid that interest.
Suffice it to say that he is right. After he makes his case, he casually mentions another wise man, Solomon, the author of Proverbs, whose proverbs caution the reader to NOT be in debt. (Yes, I was surprised to here him quote the Bible, even as a person who believes in it, but he is right, and he is careful to acknowledge that some people might have different religious beliefs. He is careful to not offend the reader, but merely offer this as supplemental info for the curious; He does well here!)
The elimination of credit card debt is not the only thing he has to offer, but there were new things in his packet (which may or may not be in this particular book; I don't know). He lists four (4) different ways to supplement your income, and is careful to admit that these are NOT "get rich quick" methods. The four he lists are: #1, An intro to e-bay and online auctions; #2, buying & renting residential real estate (the "landlord" thing); #3, Creating & marketing information products; and, #4, Online affiliate marketing business (that is, click-able referrers on your website).
Those were a refreshing addition which stimulated my imagination, but the **main** focus he makes is to pay off your debts in a "logical" fashion, prioritizing the "most important" debt first. He shows the reader how you divide the balance by the minimum payment that the creditor sets, and you get this figure for each debt, that tells you which one is a priority. I think that the smaller the balance in comparison to the payment, the easier it is to pay off, and should be prioritized, with the other debts receiving the "minimum monthly" payment. This is "logical" because the "spare cash" you'd have after that debt is paid can go to the other debts.
He also has a laundry list of tips to cut corners, and some of them are good, like getting a used car, which would cost much less yet be still almost as good as a new one. I think (but don't recall) that he advocates using a clothing line instead of a dryer, still a good idea.
One of his strengths is knowing when add-ons to your insurance are good, and makes the case that a higher deductible is not unsafe, because the insurance company would NOT insure you if THEY thought you were a risk, and he suggests you trust the insurance company, as it is comprised of experts. (John surprised me with his attention to detail: He correctly points out that using spare money to pay off debt is better than investing it, due to the comparison between the two interest rates!)
Well, they offered a money back guarantee, and I strained my brain listening to this guy's CD's. He sure can talk, and talk, and talk, and he makes sense, so his book is probably not bad.
All in all, since I knew some of this stuff and took notes on the rest, I feel that I don't need his course, but he is "old school," and will guide you right if you need to get out of debt. My online research confirms my feelings that he is trustable.
Although I am returning his course to get my money back, I nonetheless recommend it for you because his ethics are HONEST: His methods is based on the premise that you don't get something for nothing. When he suggests that you put your credit card in water, and then freeze it, to eliminate "impulse" usage (except for emergencies), you will know what I mean: If you don't get his book or course and are still in debt, don't blame Gordon Wayne Watts of Lakeland, Florida, USA -because he has told you -as one who has experience in credit cards -both good and bad experiences.
My review is meant to be helpful, and I sign with my real name to show I'm not some paid advertisement hack. Even though I'm returning it, I am VERY grateful that I was able to review it (and take good notes). Since I am eager to pour over my notes, this is a good indication that my "5-star" review is accurate: Yes, I highly recommend the John C. Cummuta book.
Gordon Wayne Watts, Lakeland, Florida, USA
I'm eager to review the notes I took on John's course.......2005-05-27
I almost didn't consider a review, but in my online research for info about Mr. John Cummuta, I found this link and recalled I could submit a review -and felt the obligation; I ordered the course he offers, so I am guessing that the book here is in the course -or is very similar to it, so my review of his course will give you an idea of how the book is. (I did online research to see what was up with his course and if I should return it & get my money back or keep it.)
Anyhow, some "oldie but goodie" ideas include the simple but reliable adage to NOT be in debt. Mr. Cummuta tells the reader (or listener in my case; I had CD's) early on that you gotta cut up that credit card. He makes his case well, and as a person who has used credit cards successfully for many years, in college and since, I say from experience: He is right. Most of the time, I had not problems with using my credit card, but recently some emergencies have pushed my balance up to about 5,000 dollars, and let me tell you: The interest of about $50.oo per month is eating me up because (as I'm sure you know) you don't pay on the principal owed until AFTER you've paid that interest.
Suffice it to say that he is right. After he makes his case, he casually mentions another wise man, Solomon, the author of Proverbs, whose proverbs caution the reader to NOT be in debt. (Yes, I was surprised to here him quote the Bible, even as a person who believes in it, but he is right, and he is careful to acknowledge that some people might have different religious beliefs. He is careful to not offend the reader, but merely offer this as supplemental info for the curious; He does well here!)
The elimination of credit card debt is not the only thing he has to offer, but there were new things in his packet (which may or may not be in this particular book; I don't know). He lists four (4) different ways to supplement your income, and is careful to admit that these are NOT "get rich quick" methods. The four he lists are: #1, An intro to e-bay and online auctions; #2, buying & renting residential real estate (the "landlord" thing); #3, Creating & marketing information products; and, #4, Online affiliate marketing business (that is, click-able referrers on your website).
Those were a refreshing addition which stimulated my imagination, but the **main** focus he makes is to pay off your debts in a "logical" fashion, prioritizing the "most important" debt first. He shows the reader how you divide the balance by the minimum payment that the creditor sets, and you get this figure for each debt, that tells you which one is a priority. I think that the smaller the balance in comparison to the payment, the easier it is to pay off, and should be prioritized, with the other debts receiving the "minimum monthly" payment. This is "logical" because the "spare cash" you'd have after that debt is paid can go to the other debts.
He also has a laundry list of tips to cut corners, and some of them are good, like getting a used car, which would cost much less yet be still almost as good as a new one. I think (but don't recall) that he advocates using a clothing line instead of a dryer, still a good idea.
One of his strengths is knowing when add-ons to your insurance are good, and makes the case that a higher deductible is not unsafe, because the insurance company would NOT insure you if THEY thought you were a risk, and he suggests you trust the insurance company, as it is comprised of experts. (John surprised me with his attention to detail: He correctly points out that using spare money to pay off debt is better than investing it, due to the comparison between the two interest rates!)
Well, they offered a money back guarantee, and I strained my brain listening to this guy's CD's. He sure can talk, and talk, and talk, and he makes sense, so his book is probably not bad.
All in all, since I knew some of this stuff and took notes on the rest, I feel that I don't need his course, but he is "old school," and will guide you right if you need to get out of debt. My online research confirms my feelings that he is trustable.
Although I am returning his course to get my money back, I nonetheless recommend it for you because his ethics are HONEST: His methods is based on the premise that you don't get something for nothing. When he suggests that you put your credit card in water, and then freeze it, to eliminate "impulse" usage (except for emergencies), you will know what I mean: If you don't get his book or course and are still in debt, don't blame Gordon Wayne Watts of Lakeland, Florida, USA -because he has told you -as one who has experience in credit cards -both good and bad experiences.
My review is meant to be helpful, and I sign with my real name to show I'm not some paid advertisement hack. Even though I'm returning it, I am VERY grateful that I was able to review it (and take good notes). Since I am eager to pour over my notes, this is a good indication that my "5-star" review is accurate: Yes, I highly recommend the John C. Cummuta book.
Gordon Wayne Watts, Lakeland, Florida, USA
Book Description
Did you have a parent whose love for you felt more confining than freeing, more demanding than giving, more instrusive than nurturing? Did you feel trapped in a "psychological marriage" with this parent? If so, you may be a victim of covert incest. Identification of this kind of incest is difficult, since covert incest victimrs often feel idealized and privileged, not violated and abused. In Silently Seduced, Dr. Adams, through illustrative case examples and perceptive insight, provides covert incest victims a framework to understand what happened to them, how their lives and relationships continue to be affected and how to begin the process of recovery.
Customer Reviews:
The Parent-child Dynamics of Covert Incest.......2006-12-14
I purchased this book to use clinically, however found it personally enlightening as well. It is fairly simple to read, but the message belies the book's easy readability. The book focuses on covert incest, as the title suggests, and will probably not be very beneficial for overt incest survivors seeking answers. A client of mine borrowed the book and reported that little pertained to her. This does not mean, however that the parent-child dynamics involved in covert incest can't also exist in a more physically/sexually abusive relationship. I recommend this book for clinicans and survivors.
Must reading, especially for addicts.......2006-02-25
This book certainly protrays the difficulties and impact on children haunted by covert incest. At 55 yrs. old, my life could have been soooo... much better if I had been diagnosed previously. Thanks very much to my therapist (3rd one I worked with) for identifying this issue for me. Amazon's search engine recommended this book immediately and I devoured its message. The 5th chapter will be presented at our area's Spring Retreat of S.A.A. this April. This book should be a must!!
a clear guideline .......2005-11-28
Wow, very impressive! I read it from cover to cover, in one sitting. Just could not put it down. It is written in a clear and concise manner. Almost every word seems well selected and carefully considered to support the theme of the whole book. Very convincing with powerful logic.
I have to admit when I was hesitant to order this book at the beginning. I thought, "What this says about me, if I need to read a book on this topic?" I felt uncomfortable to put myself in the category of covert incest victim.
Several things which are happening in my life, made me decide to take a try. My career has experienced a setback for several years. I have difficulty in establishing a great long term relationship. And most immediately, I have dreams of being angry at my parents. Those dreams rarely occur, but when they do, once or twice a year, I find my whole body tighten up in anger when I wake up. I ask myself, if I can be so angry about something I don't understand, why not spend some time to understand what exactly makes me so angry?
When the book arrived, I wrapped it up in a book cover to hide the name. I have to agree this is an uncomfortable topic and I do not want to be seen reading such a book in public.
But let me tell you, this is one of the most important books I have read in years. It is neatly organized:
First two chapters:
-What is the silent seduction?
-When is a child betrayed by a parent's love?
Introduce the concept of silent seduction and general pattern.
The next two chapters:
-The man of the house
-Daddy's little girl
Talk about the specific situations in case of a mother and a son, and a father and a daughter. The author uses different cases to address different areas. It is quite specific.
The following chapters:
-When does sex become a hiding place?
Discusses the impact on the victim's sexual feelings when the victim grows up.
-The struggle to Commit
Talk about the impact on relationships the victim will face as an adult
The last chapter:
-Towards Wholeness
A short but comforting guide towards healing.
When I was reading the first two chapters, I found myself nodding occasionally but suspicious. But when it got specific, my eyes grew wide, as I saw a step by step description of my life. It is as if the author had followed my life and summed it up in different cases. It is scary to see your life being so accurately depicted.
As it was very late (midnight), I went to sleep. And I was sad. The author reminds in the last chapter that when we let it go, we would feel sadness.
I turned back and forth on bed, feeling emptiness. The kind of emptiness you feel when you cannot find the purpose in life.
The book made a very important point, that when we were treated as special by our parents, often it is perceived as love from our parents, and we hang on to it as the only and most powerful love we have experienced, but actually it is not love, it is an expression of needs of our parents. We were there merely to satisfy the emotional needs of our parents. And our needs, when as little kids, were ignored.
Logically, I accepted this point. But emotionally, it was sad to recognize the single most powerful love in our life experience was not even love. It brought a question: what do we live for?
Since I could not sleep, I got up and started reading again.
The next chapter talks about sex addicts. I almost laughed, hey, this could not be about me. Out of curiosity, I did not skip it entirely. Wow, when my finger touched on the last page of this chapter, it turned out it was talking about me. It talks about the seeking of sexual highs, and the seductive patterns.
It exactly describes the experience I have been having in the last year. I reveled in the attention of many suitors. I seduced one after another. Of course, the seduction was very subtle. I behaved exactly like a lady, but secretly put the man of my seduction in anxiety to get me. It was like a power game. And I felt safe when powerful men fell for me. And I do not stay for any long term relationship. I just seduced and moved on. The reason why I never labeled myself as sex addict, was because actual sex seldom happened. The seduction was very sexually charged (with strong sexual energy), but I almost always moved on before the man could actually get me on bed.
I did not realize this was what I was doing until I read this book. I just did it unconsciously. For me, it was a game of fun and power to get back at men, and to make myself feel safe, treasured, chased and desirable. Upon this chapter, I began to realize, maybe, just maybe, it is the start of sexual and love addiction.
The chapter also talks about double life. It did make me laugh, because in my fantasy of success, I always added on a second life of sexual satisfaction. It is my ideal life to be a highly successful woman, with a colorful secret sex life. The thrill of having a secret dirty life against common convention seems so exciting and satisfying, against the background of success and social recognition.
This chapter makes me rethink my goal. Is my goal of success, really something I want, or is it a way to get back at my past so that I do not need to face my past? Is that a way to prove to my parents I grow up to be better than them, beyond their wildest expectations? Is this a way to prove myself I was not hurt by my parents, I grow over and above the hurtful past?
My career is in a setback for several years now. It happened very unexpectedly. When everyone expected me to become a great career woman, suddenly all motivation drained away from me. For several years, I just sat around, wanting to do nothing. In business meetings, though I knew I probably were the most qualified in giving out professional opinions (due to my qualification and educational background), I sat in a corner, demure and obscure. I do not understand why I hate to go out, getting what I deserve, and what the other people think I deserve. It is like I clipped my own wings intentionally.
It came to a point that I took a look at my past. I had been a wonder kid academically. I found whenever my academic future or career future opened up to a new height, somehow, on several important occasions, I just escaped the night (or months) before it happened. I undid the effort I put in for years, to avoid collecting the fruit of being much more successful than others.
Every time I did that, it was extremely painful for me afterwards. Guilt and confusion took over. It took years to build the base for success, and it took years to recover from the disappointment of escaping from success and make a comeback. It was like a cycle. Maybe it finally got to my spirit, and I started to associate the prospect of success, with the slow and deep pains from disappointment and fear of escaping again. So, in the end, I felt chasing success did not worth it any more.
In Ken Adams's book, it discusses the ambivalence of commitment to relationships. It is an extremely interesting chapter. From my personal point of view, I do see my own relationship surfacing from the pages, a quick commitment, an illusion of starting anew, followed by a slow stew of doubt, and the desire to get out.
I do wish this wonderful enlightening chapter could address more issues: not only commitment to relationships, but also commitment to goals and personal ambitions. Does the fear of abandonment drive us away not only from committing to intimacy, but also to allowing ourselves the success we deserve, work hard for, and deny ourselves for?
When it comes to the last chapter, it is comforting to see we are not hopeless. It talks about letting go of your idealized image of the seductive parent. Among the many thing I learn from reading this book, this is probably the most important. To realize what you cherish as the best love and the integral part of your childhood memory and what makes who you are today, is actually an unconscious seduction by your parent to realize his or her own need in an unhappy relationship. It is not about you, and never about you. And you miss the important development phase of recognizing your own needs, building your own character, wants and values as a human being. Chasing your parent's love is like chasing emptiness, something they never can give, and something which does not exist. The lack of it makes a strong emptiness in your heart, since you never learn how to live for yourself. That phase of development was stolen from you, by the need of your parents.
Naturally it is angry to recognize it. It feels like being betrayed by someone so close to your heart. I now partly understand why my dreams were so intense, where I screamed at my parents for their lack of love and their insistency of not seeing the error where it is. (In real life, I never accused my parents. I just cannot.)
The book talks about acknowledging your anger toward the seductive parent. And I agree it is very necessary. We need to see the reality the way it is, before we can come back to reality and come to terms with ourselves.
Is it necessary to make your parents acknowledge your anger and their grand mistake? From my experience, it is a no. Because they most likely will never acknowledge their mistake, and it will become a contest of wills. My grandmother was seriously abusive, (hehe, now I agree family issues pass from generation to generation), and my father was deeply hurt. But until her death, my Grandma never ever admitted her mistake, no matter how miserable she made her children's lives. It is unfortunate in an effort to be a better parent, my father turned out to be very much like my Grandma, even though in different ways. From my lesson, it is largely useless to confront your parents, making them admit their mistakes, since they will never ever able to see themselves in that light. They pride themselves as the best, most righteous people in the neighborhood. While that blind pride probably will make you very angry, because you know how much dirt is wiped under the family carpet, they live for that image.
But it is necessary to speak your voice, and set boundaries. (The book talks about: If your seductive parent is alive, begin to set boundaries and separate.) If you see something seriously wrong in your family, speak out.
During my brief visit to the parents' home the last time, my father consistently verbally abused my mom before me, saying she was stupid, short-sighted, silly woman, never can do a thing right, blah, blah. I finally could not take it any more and I confronted him alone while my mother was away.
He was so angry that I dared to speak like that to him. He screamed how badly he had been treated for years by my mom. I simply said, there is no way to treat even a stranger, the way you treat mom. No matter how bad she is, at least respect her as a human being in your words. Give her the respect she deserves as a person. And I stuck to this basic point. I did not argue what was right or wrong in their marriage, since that was beyond my ability to argue. My father nearly kicked me out of the home. (Hey, it is important to be economically independent, so when you are kicked out, you have a place to go).
In a few days, when I made the second visit back home, he calmed down and even respected me a little bit. Later, my mother told me he changed a little bit to become more accommodating. I do not know whether my confrontation ever worked, but it is rare to see a man like my father change even a little bit.
My experience is, even though I do not have guts to confront my parents directly about my childhood, start to set boundaries and address the family issues in simple, objective terms. Never take side and never be involved in a family political war, because there is no win for you. But address the serious and persistent wrongs happening in your family, in a simple, firm, objective view, to make the person who is aggressor realize it is wrong, and to make the person who is victim realize he or she is being wronged. Set an example of being assertive, and encourage each family member to stand up for him/herself and take responsibility in his/her life. Compassion is a good thing, but compassion can be misplaced and taken advantaged of.
The last chapter, the healing and the change, is in my view, one of the sweetest things to read in this book. It makes me stay hopeful and think of how to have a plan to address the issues. So, it is no surprise I wish this chapter can be longer, and more specific in how to set boundary and how to address the anger invariably arising when dealing with the pains.
Throughout the review, I repeatedly stress how close the cases in the book resembled my own life. And it surprised me a great deal to read the preface and find out the cases were not real life cases, but structured from the author's clinical practice.
Nonetheless, I agree the cases are very close to reality. It happened some of my close friends have serious problems with their families too.
A guy took to drinking to drown his frustration in dealing with his parents. His story was very similar to the cases in the book. Unfortunately, his anger was not recognized by any of his family members. Coming from a very traditional family background, every family member encouraged him to acquiesce to his parents no matter what. (It is valued as great family ethics to respect your parents, no matter what; and give them whatever they want, to feel like a good deserving child.) And it was exactly what I told him too when he came for my help. I said, "After all, it is your parents. Do you want them to feel unhappy as old man and woman?" In my words, I denied his right to be angry, just because he was the child and he had a duty to make his parents happy, especially since his parents were aging. It was several years ago. I wish I had read this book when he came for my help.
He was not the only friend who has this issue. I am certain there are many people out there who experienced similar issues. It is just that this is not supposed to be talked about among friends, or in public. My book cover is still shielding the book title, and you see, I do not want to use my real name in the review.
But, do yourself a favor. Buy and read this book, if you relate yourself to issues like this, or if you are like me, feeling angry and frustrated about yourself without knowing why. Your own childhood problems can spill over to your career, love life and your view on yourself, and potentially, your children. I wish I had read this book earlier. I would have viewed my family and myself more objectively, and also I would have started earlier to treat myself as an adult who takes responsibility for her life and decisions she makes in her life.
This book changed the way I look at my parents.......2005-09-05
I've been recovery for years but I did not realize how my relationship with my mother distorted my perception of my father and our family. This book has changed the way I relate to them both.
Silent and invisible.......2004-11-29
This book is an important addition to the collection of books out there that exist on sexual abuse. Even moreso are the examples of how a mother can be sexually abusive in covert ways unlike fathers who tend to manifest their abuse overtly. This book along with Pat Loves book, The Emotional Incest Syndrome, are the bible of Covert Incest.
It is easy to say covert incest does not exist since it is subtle, indirect and is about what you don't see, but the victims of this all feel it and it is very real!
Average customer rating:
- When does lust equal love?
- Eh, ok...
- I was hooked!
- Exciting and heart warming
- Not McCray's Best-3 1/2 Stars, Really
|
Seduced by Magic (Magic Series, Book 2)
Cheyenne McCray
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0312937636
Release Date: 2006-10-03 |
Book Description
Copper Ashcroft is an accomplished D’Anu witch, but the magic she wields is a potent force—strong enough to hurl her into a mysterious Otherworld when a spell backfires. Before Copper can escape, another being is pulled into her realm—Tiernan, a powerfully virile Tuatha D’Danann warrior. Blond, blue-eyed, and shamelessly seductive, Tiernan could be Copper’s savior…and his touch sets her body on fire.
Like others of his kind, Tiernan stands alongside the D’Anu witches to battle the demons of the Underworld. Obligation to his cause and his people cautions against any entanglement with Copper, yet each second spent with this beautiful, uninhibited woman stirs an insatiable hunger. Desire explodes into carnal bliss, but the visions that haunt Copper’s dreams are growing stronger, and they foretell a terrifying evil waiting to be unleashed…
Saving the city will take more than brute strength…more than witchcraft. Only together can Copper and Tiernan find a way to overcome the dark forces—and seize a passion that has bewitched them both.
Customer Reviews:
When does lust equal love?.......2007-04-17
I have read MANY Romance and Adventure Novels in my time ... and never have I read one with som much F-ing in it. Not making love, not sex, but just straight F-ing. There is no tenderness in this book that I could find ... so I had a very hard time connecting with and seeing how the main Characters, Copper & Tiernan, could have possibly fell in love? If you like to read Porn, this book is great ... if you are looking for romace, love and all that implies ... skip it. As for creating another world ... the authors imagination is passible, I was able to "see" the "worlds", I just wished that not all of the "romanticly" linked characters were so VULGAR and base! It is one thing to lust for someone, but when there are feelings involved ... I am sorry, it is not always lustful, angry and hard ... definately more porn than anything else.
Eh, ok..........2007-04-08
I just finished this book and it took me longer than usual to read through it b/c I didn't feel it was good as her first one. To me, the characters seemed fake. It was hard for me to feel connected to them and it wasn't very believable. There were a few parts where I felt wrapped up in it but they didn't seem to last very long...
I was hooked!.......2007-03-22
I thought this book was hard to put down. I read the whole thing in two days. It may have had some 'cheesy' moments, but I really like books that come together in the end and hey, the 'love' scenes were um.. quite vivid.
Fun book to read.
Exciting and heart warming.......2007-02-17
Awesome read. This is the second part of the witch's books written by Cheyenne McCray. The first was Silver and Hawk's book. This book has the heroinne Copper and her gorgeous man Tiernan. You will really enjoy all the intrigue of this book. I cannot wait until the next book comes out.
Not McCray's Best-3 1/2 Stars, Really.......2007-01-27
Copper Ashcroft is a witch whose use of grey magic got her kicked out of her former coven, along with her sister, Silver. Now Copper's persistence in using grey magic has landed her-accidentally-in Otherworld, where she tries new spells as often as possible in order to get free, and back home to her sister and the new coven they have formed.
Tiernan is a Tuath D'Danann warrior who is drawn to the picture of Copper her sister has every time he sees it. But he's betrothed to someone, an alliance which will strengthen both families, and Copper has disappeared anyway. When a visit back home uncovers his fiance's affair with another man, he puts off the wedding until he can find a suitable way to end the betrothal, and returns to San Francisco to help expel the Fomorii demons which threaten both the worlds of the Fae and humans.
He is surprised to find himself sucked into the same Otherworld where Copper is trapped, by yet another of her spells gone awry-but he loses no time in seducing Copper, a mutually enjoyable experience. Until Copper finds out he has a fiancé. . .
I very much like what I've read of Cheyenne McCray's work in the past. This book, however, was one I failed to enjoy as much as I have her past works. There was plenty of action, and lots of interesting supernatural elements, but the main characters seemed too lacking in depth, their interactions too rushed, for me to be able to enjoy or believe in their relationship as anything but purely sexual, and it didn't seem as if they respected each other even within that framework.
It wasn't so much Tiernan, since he had good reason not to be faithful to his fiancé, but Copper came across as a bit of a bumbling airhead with a vocabulary lacking the words `moral compass'-even though she got mad at Tiernan for having sex with her, once she found out he was engaged. Shouldn't that be a question a smart person asks BEFORE the horizontal bump & grind? I dunno. *G*
There were aspects of the character that were fun to read-her stubborn use of grey magic had me thinking at first we were going to get a far more fully rounded and determined gal-but once she found out about Tiernan's pseudo-fiancé, she just kind of sank into behavior that was ill-suited to a woman confident enough to veer from the well-traveled paths her art decrees to explore new vistas. This book was by no means horrible: it simply wasn't up to the standard this author is capable of.
With good authors, there's always the bar they set themselves with their former work, and McCray's has always been quite good-and no doubt will continue to be in the future. For many authors, this would be an excellent effort. As measured against McCray's own well-demonstrated talents, it can only be described as a bit below her usual high standard.
Reviewed by Lee M
Copyright © 2006-2007 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved.
Amazon.com
Iain Gately's Tobacco is a sweeping cultural history of the world's most prevalent addiction, and it's probably the best book ever written on its subject. Gately begins in pre-Columbian America, where the natives made tobacco "their most popular gift to the rest of humanity," and continues through all the cantankerous smoking litigation of the 1990s. The story touches on just about every subject imaginable: tobacco in literature, the movies, and society. It would be wrong to call Gately an advocate of smoking, but he clearly takes pleasure, for example, in noting that Hitler's Nazis launched one of history's most vigorous anti-smoking initiatives. The book is full of delicious trivia: Many of Shakespeare's contemporaries smoked, but there's no evidence that the Bard himself did, and none of his plays make any mention of smoking; he "kept his writing a smoke-free zone." Nevertheless, reports Gately with a smirk, there is "archaeological evidence proving that smoking was going on around the Shakespeare household in Stratford-upon-Avon during his life." Smoking aficionados won't want to miss Tobacco, and it's a much healthier gift for them than a box of cigars. --John Miller
Book Description
Tobacco was first cultivated and enjoyed by the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas, who used it for medicinal, religious, and social purposes long before the arrival of Columbus. But when Europeans began to colonize the American continents, it became something else entirely -- a cultural touchstone of pleasure and success, and a coveted commodity that would transform the world economy forever. Iain Gately's Tobacco tells the epic story of an unusual plant and its unique relationship with the history of humanity, from its obscure ancient beginnings, through its rise to global prominence, to its current embattled state today. In a lively narrative, Gately makes the case for the tobacco trade being the driving force behind the growth of the American colonies, the foundation of Dutch trading empire, the underpinning cause of the African slave trade, and the financial basis for our victory in the American Revolution. Informed and erudite, Tobacco is a vivid and provocative look into the complex history of this precious plant. "A rich, complex history ... Deeply engaging and witty." -- Carmela Ciuraru, Los Angeles Times "Ambitious ... informative and perceptive ... Gately is an amusing writer, which is a blessing." -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post "[Gately] documents the resourcefulness with which human beings of every class, religion, race, and continent have pursued the lethal leaf." -- John Leland, The New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
Robusto!.......2007-05-21
I really do not understand the objections that other reviewers had to this book. Gately put together a lively, enchanting narrative concerning the history of tobacco. He covers a great many things and does not fail to include the words of those who once sung its praises. That's what should be done whenever one wishes to tell a "complete" story about anything. He does not self-censor his prose which is exactly what those of us most interested in the truth deeply desire. This book isn't titled "Quit Smoking," it's a cultural history of tobacco. Anyway, Gately presents statistics and analysis elucidating the dangers inherent to using the infamous weed. He outlines the positions of the state and depicts lung cancer as the private hell it clearly is. Smoking is a personal choice and there's no reason to ban it as the prohibition of substances has not met with much success over the years. I'm sure the author would agree with my conclusion but that does not mean he is depicting tobacco in a favorable light. This book was a serious page-turner and I enjoyed it very much. I recommend it without reservation.
Praising a poison, ignoring its toll on humanity.......2007-05-10
This book should carry a label - just like a cigarette box: WARNING ! Reading the next 370 can be hazardous to your (mental) health !
The author paints a rosy picture of smoking as a "pleasure", of tobacco as a stuff that brings out the best in soldiers, writers, hunters, lovers - hardly ever is it associated with something vile, deplorable. And of course the millions who have died and will die in the future are hardly worth mentioning. Those who warned against the dreadful habit through the ages (starting with King James I. who called it "dangerous to the lungs" - in 1605 !) are rdidiculed and belittled, the scientific evidence emerging after the 1950 landmark studies by Evart Graham and Ernest Wynder in the US and Richard Doll and Austin Bradford Hill is a mere footnote and not worth further elaborating. No, smoking is a wonderful experience - and haven't you heard it: "Tobacco has recently been discovered to protect against some of the most devastating ailments of old age, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease." So that superb pleasure is on the way to become a wonder drug ! It's an insult to the readers' intelligence.
A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health estimates that approximately 1 billion (yes: BILLION) people will die of tobacco-related diseases over the course of the 21th century. Gatley predicts that tobacco habits (translation: rude and ignorant people forcing their fellow human beings to inhale carcinogens by exposing them to secondhand smoke) will be with us for centuries to come. Good Lord - or wise lawmakers everywhere - protect us from this dark future !
For a medical doctor and a historian like me, "Tobacco" is one of the must repulsive books I've ever read. It makes you wonder which Big Tobacco company sponsored it - or whether it was a joint venture by the whole industry.
Easy to read, but hard to believe.......2006-10-26
In the begining, the historical information was interesting and quite believable, but by the end accuracy and credibility were suspect. Perhaps an update to include studies released since the book's publication (i.e. the 2006 Surgeon General's Report on Secondhand Smoke) would correct the book's biased slant towards tobacco.
entertaining but partisan to point of silliness.......2006-09-04
A very entertaining and well written history, but the passionate arguments against government taxation and regulation of smoking (hot political topics these days) are hard to take seriously.
Gately denies that second hand smoke poses any danger at all to non-smokers. He is convinced that advertising restrictions, cigarette taxes, public smoking bans, and public service ads have no effect on how much people actually smoke. (They merely infringe on the "rights of smokers.") He ridicules the notion that cigarette smoke could be harmful to children.
His humor is usually enjoyable, but it is sometimes inappropriate (smoking-related deaths are actually a fairly serious matter), and it is sometimes hard to tell when he is joking. For example, he cites UK government data that smokers die 16 years earlier than non-smokers and talks about all the money this saves the government in pensions, adding, "It follows that it would be financial madness for the British government to ban smoking, and unless a better argument than its official estimated death toll of 120,000 smokers per annum can be found, smoking is unlikely to be prohibited in the British Isles." Is this funny? Am I supposed to laugh or cry?
Gately frequently comes across as a loving mother who has discovered her son is a killer and has not quite come to terms with the fact. She can't help wishing for him to succeed, even while acknowledging her sympathy is problematic and recognizing the irony of her situation.
Still, only a true tobacco believer could write in his concluding paragraph that "to the 1.2 billion smokers of the world, tobacco is not just a killer, but a pleasure, a comforter, and a friend... Tobacco has recently been discovered to protect against some of the most devastating ailments of old age, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. It has also been shown to guard against cancer of the womb.... Many great men and women have left elegant testimonies to their tobacco habits, which will be joined, I believe, with others made in centuries to come."
History and Perspective that's Easy to Read.......2005-07-07
I really enjoy these kinds of books. Unlike others that are painfully academic to read, this one moves along smoothly while providing the history and background on the cultural, social, agricultural, economic, and political aspects of this plant. Get some seeds and try growing your own - even if just for ornamental reasons.
Book Description
In this provocative book, Andrew Bacevich warns of a dangerous dual obsession that has taken hold of Americans, conservatives, and liberals alike. It is a marriage of militarism and utopian ideology--of unprecedented military might wed to a blind faith in the universality of American values. This mindset, the author warns, invites endless war and the ever-deepening militarization of U.S. policy. It promises not to perfect but to pervert American ideals and to accelerate the hollowing out of American democracy. As it alienates others, it will leave the United States increasingly isolated. It will end in bankruptcy, moral as well as economic, and in abject failure. With The New American Militarism, which has been updated with a new Afterword, Bacevich examines the origins and implications of this misguided enterprise. He shows how American militarism emerged as a reaction to the Vietnam War. Various groups in American society--soldiers, politicians on the make, intellectuals, strategists, Christian evangelicals, even purveyors of pop culture--came to see the revival of military power and the celebration of military values as the antidote to all the ills besetting the country as a consequence of Vietnam and the 1960s. The upshot, acutely evident in the aftermath of 9/11, has been a revival of vast ambitions and certainty, this time married to a pronounced affinity for the sword. Bacevich urges us to restore a sense of realism and a sense of proportion to U.S. policy. He proposes, in short, to bring American purposes and American methods--especially with regard to the role of the military--back into harmony with the nation's founding ideals.
Customer Reviews:
Timely and Thought-Provoking.......2007-08-27
The best books are those that challenge conventional thinking and have the intellectual weight to back up that challenge. This book is one of those. The author, a Vietnam vet and West Pointer, has the credentials and knows the military from the inside, which gives his argument particular strength and provides the reader with information not otherwise easily available. Is it really necessary that the United States have a military machine as large as it does? In these troubled times, that's a view that wins easy assent. But this book will make you think twice.
scholarly, insightful, balanced--- a must read.......2007-07-23
It is impossible for me to start this review without remembering that Lt. Andrew Bacevich, the author's son, died in Iraq in May 2007. Lt. Bacevich and his family are in my prayers.
It was a moving article concerning his son (Wash. Post) that motivated me to look into Prof. Bacevich's writings and this title seemed to promise some answers for questions I've had for many years. How did we become such a militaristic society? How did we come to exalt military power and action so far above economic and diplomatic power in the world?
The book covers the American growth of militarism devoting a chapter to each influential element. It starts with a look at the Wilsonian vision of a world remade in America's image. I found the chapters about our military officer corps from an inside perspective and the one on the neocon movement particularly illuminating. There are also good chapters on evangelicals and national security thinktanks like the RAND Corporation. The book is mostly focused on post-Vietnam events, but includes information as far back as Woodrow Wilson's presidency.
Throughout the book there are common threads about how the Vietnam experience affected the US. There is also good discussion of how Hollywood and politicians built myths that gave civilians unrealistic ideas of how the military worked. This occurred at a time when the citizen-soldier concept faded away and the all volunteer force came into full development. So with fewer civilians doing mandatory service many civilians had increasingly less personal stake in US military actions and an increasingly inaccurate view of how the military did and should function.
The final chapter puts forth some well thought out solutions to our current situation although some might be difficult to achieve politically. I wish every 2008 presidential candidate would read this book and incorporate ideas from the last chapter into their policy proposals.
This book exceeded my expectations. It has grown and changed my thinking on recent decades of political history and I often reread parts of it. Sometimes I use it just to find a good reference from the extensive bibliographic notes. One area I think Bacevich might have included would have been a more complete summary of US energy policy in recent decades. But that is a minor quibble and the few parts of the book I disagree with are too minor to mention. This is not one of those partisan cheapshot books floating around but is scholarly, balanced and insightful from a thoughtful, independent minded man. It is a must read for anyone that wants to understand the politics and wars of our times.
Makes a point but too much 'neocon' bashing.......2007-06-11
Bacevich makes several valid points to support his thesis about America's new `lust for war'. He uses `neo-con' excessively which detracts from his research and makes his book seem vengeful against conservatives. Despite his obvious bias, he makes a valid argument for his thesis that should be considered. Liberals will agree with his arguments while conservatives will complain about being bashed. Both seem to be correct.
Support The Troops At Any Price Is Recipe For Failure.......2007-04-08
An eye-opening read for the layman to understand the many negative consequences of the effort to save the American military in the Vietnam, Bachevich spares no punches in eviscerating political generals (Wes Clark, Colin Powell, Tommy Franks) who've undermined the civil-military relationship over the years from within and the politicians who've wrecked it from outside the Pentagon. One can sense in the bloody defeat (or stalemate we can hope) of Iraq the need for military and political leaders to seriously consider the criticisms Bacevich makes as well as the prescriptions for progress he offers at the end. The latter are the true heart of the book (from disbanding the service academies and integrating the military back onto college campuses to restoring the National Guard to its intended role), especially for military professionals, as well as the rich array of sources he utilizes to strengthen his arguments.
Overall, a creative and noble effort to salvage honor and hope from the agony of corruption and misdirection.
Interesting critique of American militarism.......2007-03-04
Andrew Bacevich, a military veteran and self-described conservative, has written a hard-hitting, though-provoking work. His very first paragraph lays out what is at stake in this book (p. ix): "This is a book about the new American militarism--the misleading and dangerous conceptions of war, soldiers, and military institutions that have come to pervade the American consciousness and that have perverted present-day U. S. national security policy." He goes on, in the introductory comments, to note that contemporary leaders often overreach, being caught in their own hubris. He notes (p. xii): "What is most striking about the most powerful man in the world [the President of the United States] is not the power that he wields. It is how constrained he and his lieutenants are by forces that lie beyond their grasp and perhaps their understanding."
He argues that Vietnam's legacy has included the empowering of neoconservatives, the religious right, and others in coming to believe that the United States ought to project military might to advance its interests. He observes how Ronald Regan's presidency exemplified this bent. This has led to a naïve view as to what military power can do. In his view, this faith has led the United States to move in a direction contrary to some of the most important figures in American history, such as George Washington.
He concludes by quoting President Washington, as he left public life. Washington is quoted as saying that Americans ought to be leery of (p. 224): ". . .those overgrown military establishments which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty." Nothing need be added to Washington's words to highlight what Bacevich believes is "at stake."
His suggestions as to how the United States might address this may not be convincing to readers, but he does engage those readers in an important dialogue. For that alone, this book is to be accorded much appreciation.
Book Description
Don't let success put your company on the road to ruin
In Seduced by Success, Robert J. Herbold, the former Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft, shows you how to avoid the nine traps of success-the “legacy practices” that almost felled such giants as General Motors, Kodak and Sony. Herbold, a 26-year-veteran of Procter & Gamble who lived through each trap, gives you proven tactics for preventing arrogance, bloat, and neglect while capitalizing on your accomplishments, sustaining your momentum, and retaining your position in the marketplace.
The nine traps every successful organization must avoid are
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Neglect: Sticking with Yesterday's Business Model
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Pride: Allowing Your Products to Become Outdated
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Boredom: Clinging to Your Once-Successful Branding
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Complexity: Ignoring Your Business Processes
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Bloat: Rationalizing Your Loss of Speed and Agility
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Mediocrity: Letting Your Star Employees Languish
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Lethargy: Getting Lulled into a Culture of Comfort
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Timidity: Not Confronting Turf Wars and Obstructionists
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Confusion: Unwittingly Conducting Schizophrenic Communications
These mistakes cut your business legs off at the knees, destroying your ability to recognize and meet the need for change. Herbold shows you how to avoid these landmines by
- Continually revitalizing your brands and products
- Demanding new approaches to “proven” practices
- Maintaining speed and agility through strong leadership
- Making sure employees are empowered to achieve and not handicapped by bureaucracy
- Using an exciting new product to overhaul your culture
For each success trap, Herbold provides illuminating examples of top companies that were seduced by their success-as well as others that managed to maintain and even broaden their achievements. Seduced by Success is the best way to ensure your company sustains its success for the long term.
Customer Reviews:
A Business Book Worth Reading.......2007-07-22
Often business books value to the reader ends once one reviews the title, but Bob Herbold has written one of the exceptions. Using systematic and thoughtful approaches to companies whose successes have often blinded them to forthcoming challenges, Herbold provides the reader with meaningful recommendations that should make even the most high flying CEO sit down and and strategize.
A great airplane read!.......2007-06-25
When companies are successful they tend to hire too many people which raises costs, fractures lines of communications and leads to being unable to respond to changing industry trends. This is the core thought of Herbold, a long time executive at Proctor and Gamble and a seven year stint as Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft. He also recommends paranoia, if you think your competition is after you, pick up the pace. The meat of the book expanding on the core thought are nine success induced traps and how to detect and avoid them.
The book's points are illustrated by numerous case studies, some of these are well known, for others, Herbold shares inside knowledge. He is a masterful story teller. In fact my biggest gripe of the book is that he is so good at telling stories that when he shares the insights from his business career, I found myself wanting to skip the insights to jump to the next story. I will probably have to reread this book.
Glad I bought it, enjoyed reading it, Seduced by Success has earned a place on my bookshelf.
Seduced Scores!.......2007-05-14
If hind sight is 20/20, Bob Herbold has eyes in the back of his head! His 9 traps for success are backed with mini case study examples... a quick and entertaining read with memorable lessons from some great companies.
Herbold does it again.......2007-05-14
Bob Herbold's "Seduced by Success" is a very intesting read packed with practical lessons for any business person. Lots of well researched stories of once successful companies who became testimony to the old Biblical adage that "Pride comes before the fall."
Robert C. Wallace, CEO, Wallace Properties, Inc.
There's a paradox inside this paradigm shift.......2007-05-03
To me, one of the most interesting paradigm shifts involves a paradox: at a time when change is the only constant, precisely the same elements which result in a given company's success can often be the causes of its subsequent decline. That seems to be the core concept in this book in which Robert J. Herbold explains "how the best companies survive the 9 traps of winning." Conversely, many other of the best companies (however "best" may be defined) do not. The traps that Herbold identifies and examines are among the usual suspects whenever a company goes (invoking Jim Collins' terms) "from great to good" or "from good to mediocre":
1. Sticking with yesterday's business model
2. Allowing your products [or services] to become outdated
3. Clinging to your once-successful branding after it becomes stale and dull
4. Ignoring your business processes as they become cumbersome ands complicated
5. Rationalizing your loss of speed and agility
6. Condoning poor performance and letting your star employees languish
7. Getting lulled into a culture of comfort, casualness, and confidence
8. Not confronting turf wars, infighting, and obstructionists
9. Unwittingly providing schizophrenic communications
Of course, falling into and then remaining in any one of these "traps" can have serious, perhaps even fatal consequences. Moreover, failing companies are usually caught in several (if not most) of the nine. Finally, even if a given company escapes from one or more of them, there is no guarantee that it will not falling into one or more later. Hence a variation on the aforementioned paradox: Precisely the same elements which enable a given company to survive or to go "from mediocre to good" can often be the causes of its decline again.
Although all of the companies that Herbold discusses are major corporations (e.g. General Motors, Toyota, IBM, Sony, Wal-Mart and Microsoft), all organizations (including non-profits) can fall into one or more of the nine traps. Brilliantly, Herbold explains how to survive them or avoid them by understanding how others have survived them. To his credit, Herbold spends far less time on the "what" than he does on the "how" and "why" of doing so. Each of his key insights is anchored within a real-world context. For example:
How Toyota avoided "legacy" thinking and behavior
How IBM "tackles its vulnerabilities"
How Wal-Mart uses reapplication effectively
How Microsoft makes "well-analyzed big bets"
How Procter & Gamble stays relevant
How at Hewlett-Packard, "the key to speed and agility is leadership"
It remains for each reader to absorb and digest the material in this book, conduct a rigorous and thorough evaluation of her is his company's major vulnerabilities, select strategies and tactics from among those Herbold recommends, and then with appropriate modification, apply them to the specific needs of the given company.
In Chapter 29, Herbold concludes his narrative by examining the Apple culture within which "resting on your laurels is never an option!" Over the years, Apple has faced the same challenge which other highly successful companies have: How to prevent success from breeding a culture of lack of urgency, satisfaction, excessive pride, a and a protective attitude toward the way things have been done in the past. This is precisely what James O'Toole has in mind when referring to "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." Herbold offers two guidelines when challenging the status quo: When you are a winner, be as aggressive as you were when you were lagging behind. Also, develop a culture that constantly questions all practices at all times. To sum up, there can be no continuous improvement, much less continuous and sustainable success, without relentless skepticism.
Book Description
This wide-ranging, interdisciplinary analysis blends history, economics, and politics to challenge most of the prevailing accounts of the rise of U.S. militarism. While acknowledging the contributory role of some of the most widely-cited culprits (big oil, neoconservative ideology, the Zionist lobby, and President Bush's world outlook), this study explores the bigger, but largely submerged, picture: the political economy of war and militarism. The study is unique not only for its thorough examination of the economics of military spending, but also for its careful analysis of a series of closely related topics (petroleum, geopolitics, imperialism, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, the war in Iraq, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict) that may appear as digressions but, in fact, help shed more light on the main investigation.
Customer Reviews:
A must reading for all Americans!.......2007-08-12
Professor Hossein-zadeh takes over where the late Seymour Melman left off, showing the absurdity & perils of military spending. Those of you familar with Melman, who was a professor of industrial engineering at Columbia University know that time & time again in his many books, he demonstrated how ludicrous defense spending had become through numerous examples. The money spent on "overkill", the cost overuns, the many uneeded military projects, expensive quality control problems coupled with system & hardware failures are just several he often reiterated.
Dr. Hossein-zadeh takes the subject a bit further & in a new direction. He is backed by irrefutable statistics, documents & history itself to prove his case against excessive & unwarrented military spending. All of it very comprehensible, even to someone with no background in economics & a minute knowledge post WW2 history. By reading this book, one can gain some insight into the modus operandi of the military-industrial complex & its the effect it has on the economy,political establishment & both domestic & foreign policy.
A study of the power of the US "defense" industry.......2007-04-04
I loved it. It's packed with explicit information on the tight relationship and revolving door between war profiteers and government officials--they're often one and the same--naming names and providing dollar amounts and sources of information. When you study this book, you will gain an understanding of what motivates the neocons to start wars. Money makes the world go around: you will learn a great deal about why the current US administration bombed Afghanistan, then Iraq, and now appears to be aimed at Iran. Why would anyone want never-ending war?
Hossein-zadeh points out that it is the industrial part of the military-industrial complex that is most problematic because it is driven by the profit motive.
I happen to disagree with Hossein-zadeh in that I think the oil transnationals also want wars in the Middle East. (He says these entities prefer stability.) This difference in views detracts nothing, however, from his analysis of the military-industrial aspect of these conflicts.
I'm a writer and use this book as a reference.
I hope it comes out in paperback so more people can afford it.
Brings facts together in one place and gives cogent analysis.......2007-01-12
This book brings together lots of individual facts, statistics, and citations that those with a concern about US militarism who attentively follow current events and recent US history will have come upon in disparate locations.
The genius of the book is that it puts all of this information in one place and presents it in a coherent structure. It is also very clearly written. The citations and bibliography are useful starting points for those wishing to delve more deeply into the economic underpinnings of the military-industrial complex.
handsome butcher.......2007-01-10
most comprehencive ,well documented,well researched book exposing the essence of our heartless government subserviant to the demands of giant corporations sacrificing the ones it is elected to protect.
Empire's Pricetag.......2006-12-20
Ismael Hossein-Zadeh's The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism will greatly surprise readers who imagine that what lies between its covers is an abstruse economics argument or a rant against the war in Iraq. This accessible, lucid, and generously documented approach to the history of military engagement by the United States since World War II clearly is written with a mainstream audience in mind although its hardcover price of $80 is out of the average reader's ballpark. Hopefully libraries will pick up the title since every taxpayer deserves the chance to consider Hossein-Zadeh's thesis. In short, he demonstrates that although the economic gains of imperialism might have supported required military outlays for a period, there comes a time in every empire's life when further expansion no longer is cost-effective for the metropole and becomes a drain on the national economy. At this point, the war industry becomes "parasitic" as the dividends of empire fall more and more disproportionately into the laps of those associated with military efforts. Hossein-Zadeh considers the current period in U.S. history such a time.
Readers may have heard this claim before. But few if any will have met such a persuasive presentation of it. The book is extremely helpful in how it identifies and then dismantles what Hossein-Zadeh considers weak explanations for why the United States continues to engage in military intervention and expansion abroad. The first is the widespread theory among liberals that the neoconservative element of the U.S. political scene is attempting to take advantage of the absence of a comparable world power in order to spread American values and free market economics. The second is that George Bush is spearheading military adventurism as a result of the need to pose as a "war president" so as to mask the failings of his administration. The third is that America's Zionist lobbyists are championing the war on Iraq in order to shore up U.S. support of Israel. The fourth (and Hossein-Zadeh considers this the most widespread assumption of all) is that the United States is engaging, in the case of Iraq and other Middle Eastern adventures, in military action in order to better control the world's oil resources. Hossein-Zadeh acknowledges and discusses each of these theories, ultimately discarding them as the driving force behind continued U.S. military imperialism.
Instead, he suggests that the military imperialism we are witnessing today "can be seen largely as reflections of the metaphorical fights over allocation of the public finance at home, of a subtle or insidious strategy to redistribute national resources in favor of the wealthy, to cut public spending on socioeconomic infrastructures, and to reverse the New Deal reforms by expanding military spending." Survival of the working man and woman aside, also at stake is the question of which cabal of capitalists will come out on top--the neoliberal multilateralists who favor globalization--that is, the expansion of free markets throughout the world in order to make way for the products of multinationals largely unconnected with war, or the unilateralists, who tend to be linked to the military industry and to other industries that are not competitive in the international marketplace.
In addition to providing engaging economic explanations and political commentary such as those already mentioned, Hossein-Zadeh offers a number of other helpful analyses. He makes a distinction between the military bureaucracies of past empires--e.g., Rome--and America's present-day military industry, which reflects the imperatives of an advanced capitalist economy. Bearing in mind this distinction, he suggests, unlike many who see the United States as declining in the mode of Rome, that decline of the United States more likely would follow that of the British Empire. He points out that multilateralists have in no way been eliminated by unilateralists; rather, leading capitalist countries tend to experience alternating periods characterized by resurgence and diminution of the importance of these two poles. He also acknowledges the benefits of the military industry on an economy such as that of the United States. Finally, as an Iranian-American he offers a unique perspective in terms of political economy on the issue of religious fundamentalism and the fraught relations between the West and the Muslim world. Ismael Hossein-Zadeh's The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism is a fascinating text and one that deserves to be as accessible to the average pocketbook as it is to the average reader.
