Book Description
This volume presents Nietzsche's remarkable collection of almost 1400 aphorisms in R. J. Hollingdale's distinguished translation, together with a new historical introduction by Richard Schacht. Subtitled "A Book for Free Spirits," Human, All Too Human marked for Nietzsche a new "positivism" and skepticism with which he challenged his previous metaphysical and psychological assumptions. Nearly all the themes of his later work are displayed here with characteristic perceptiveness and honesty--not to say suspicion and irony--in language of great brio. It remains one of the fundamental works for an understanding of his thought.
Customer Reviews:
Nietzsche at his Aphoristic Best.......2006-07-20
If you like aphorisms and philosophy, this book will become one of your bibles. If nothing else, it's just plain fun to read for his incredible wit. Of course you have to put his ideas in the context of the period in which he wrote and understand that he has his own odd prejudices, but the brilliance of his understanding of the human condition really shines through. The biggest mistake any reader could make is to think Nietzsche was an anti-semite---far from it. He was anti-neanderthal. In this book especially the reader sees his low tolerance for received wisdom. This book is nothing less than part of the origin of Western psychology as practiced today. It also represents the demolition of science and philosophy polluted by the received Western theological framework. Some of the best parts are when he skewers religion. You have to love his style even if you do not agree with his pessimistic disgust for piety. This is the kind of philosophy book you need not fret over, unless you harbor wishful thinking about a supremely benevolent deity. Instead of making an elaborate argument about the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin, as preceeding systematic philosophers did literally and figuratively, Nietzsche bends the pin and throws it in the trash. I wish I had read this before his Genealogy of Morals, as knowing his thoughts here would have made that book far more interetsing and understandable. I highly recommend philosophy students first approaching Nietzsche pick up Human, All Too Human to start their study. And if you are religious and want to bolster your faith, well, you should stay far away from this book.
Is He Legit?.......2006-05-28
O.k. So I have a minor in philosophy and Nietzsche was one of my inspirations to pursue this as a degree in college. Nietzsche deals with androgony. In more modern terms, men and women are crossing over the line of androgeny with their jock image. They are getting more and more androgynous you can't distunguish between even basic differences between the sexes anymore. While my philosophy professor and classmates dismissed Nietzsche as "not being a first rate philosopher," he does have his points about god and androgeny. This is part of our changing world and in philosophy class I did make my points.
Breath of fresh air.......2005-12-15
if you want to have your moral foundations knocked out from under you, read this book - and then build upon the ruins - Nietzsche's, in my opinion, most accessible work, as his aphoristic style floats over many different topics - don't stop here however, i recommend Kauffman's "Nietzsche, Philosopher, Psychologist, AntiChrist" as a starter if you find the complexity and diversity of Nietzsche's thought to be overwhelming or incomprehensible - he's frequently ambiguous and contradictory but it's more a positive trademark of his works and shouldn't dissuade one from further readings.
Correction.......2005-09-25
I feel obligated to correct an extreme distortion suggested by `unraveler' below. It is popular to suggest Nietzsche was an anti-semite, but this is a rather lazy habit. Nietzsche's remark on `the youthful stock-exchange Jew' was mentioned. Here it is in its proper environment:
. . . the entire problem of the Jews exists only within national states, inasmuch as it is here that their energy and higher intelligence, their capital in will and spirit accumulated from generation to generation in a long school of suffering, must come to preponderate to a degree calculated to arouse envy and and hatred, so that in almost every nation . . . there is gaining ground the literary indecency of leading the Jews to the sacrificial slaughter as scapegoats for every possible public or private misfortune. As soon as it is no longer a question of the conserving of nations but of the production of the strongest possible European mixed race, the Jew will be just as usable and desirable as an ingredient of it as any other national residue. Every nation, every man, possesses unpleasant, indeed dangerous qualities: it is cruel to demand that the Jew should constitute an exception. In him these qualities may even be dangerous and repellent to an exceptional degree; and perhaps the youthful stock-exchange Jew is the most repulsive invention of the entire human race. Nonetheless I should like to know how much must, in a total accounting, be forgiven a people who, not without us all being to blame, have had the most grief-laden history of any people and whom we have to thank for the noblest human being (Christ), the purest sage (Spinoza), the mightiest book and the most efficacious moral code in the world. . . .
Is this anti-semitism???
". . . must overcome our humanity".......2004-11-01
I am a yogi from an educated family, and my parents gave me this book when I was 12. Nietzsche's presentation is typically unsystematic and he was a pioneer ensuring that we could view philosophical beliefs in a non-linear manner. The dichotomy of his unstructured book organization and his clarity and precision of thought create a tension that can break through many Western Black/White, Right/Wrong thought patterns to see deeper truths. When he says "our humanity is to be overcome" - some have used this to justify eugenics, nationalism, and seeing others as "less than." If you read his entire thoughts (get the book!), it is more about overcoming the fragmented aspects of the self that weaken us, so we can be stronger and more pure. This is a spiritual thought from the man heralded as atheistic. Dig deep, and you will find that Nietzsche is beautiful. Yoga community friends - Neitzsche did not justify atrocities. He challenged us to grow and become better than our base qualities. He paved the way for Deserida's gloriously independent thoughts, and was an inspiration for the pop philosopher Ayn Rand's radical worship of the individual over "the masses" (which can be viewed as "cultural conditioning" in our times. This text is applicable to our lives today as the Tao Te Ching. For a completely different perspective (for balance of thought) read about Jainism as well. Then find your truth. Deep wisdom is timeless.
Book Description
The timeless, magical story of one woman's return to life and love when she thought she had lost it all.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring and Heart Felt.......2007-06-10
Melody Beattie tells of her exeperience of great human tragedy with integrity and brutal honesty. Her book ends with a greater understanding of the human heart and with a message of hope.
The Lessons of Love: Rediscovering Our Passion for Life When It All Seems Too Hard to Take.......2007-03-09
Melody Beattie has great infornation in this book to help you help yourself
THe Lessons of Love.......2007-01-04
This book has been the most helpful book that I have read since my 15 year old son died of suicide in May 2006. She knows exactly how we who have lost children feel. It gave me hope. She made me feel more "normal". I have read Melody Beattie for years and was deeply touched by this book. I would highly recommend it to all bereaved parents.
Extraordinary Journey From Loss to Love and Living Again. 10.......2004-04-13
Melody Beattie's book is a profoundly poignant, honest, courageous, heartfelt, and inspiring journey from being shattered at the loss of her precious 12 year old son, to learning how to embrace life again, and how to love and live fully.
It is not an easy journey, and takes time to adjust, and plunge wholeheartedly into the life circumstances you are facing NOW, so that you can re-claim the love in your heart that you can give both to yourself, and others who do need you.
I was deeply touched at how Melody shares generously with depth, and inspiration that anyone who is suffering from loss will gain tremendous benefit from reading this beautiful gift to humanity.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is in grief, as well as to grief support groups, so you can re-gain your life set by Melody's example. It is a beautiful and genuine one.
Highly recommended! Barbara Rose, author of, `Individual Power' and `If God Was Like Man'
Extraordinary Journey From Loss to Love and Living Again. 10.......2004-04-13
Melody Beattie's book is a profoundly poignant, honest, courageous, heartfelt, and inspiring journey from being shattered at the loss of her precious 12 year old son, to learning how to embrace life again, and how to love and live fully.
It is not an easy journey, and takes time to adjust, and plunge wholeheartedly into the life circumstances you are facing NOW, so that you can re-claim the love in your heart that you can give both to yourself, and others who do need you.
I was deeply touched at how Melody shares generously with depth, and inspiration that anyone who is suffering from loss will gain tremendous benefit from reading this beautiful gift to humanity.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is in grief, as well as to grief support groups, so you can re-gain your life set by Melody's example. It is a beautiful and genuine one.
Barbara Rose, author of "Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE" and 'If God Was Like Man'
Editor of inspire! magazine
Amazon.com
A Rhodes scholar with a healthy ego, the young idealist George Stephanopoulos thought he was ready for the obscure governor of Arkansas. But soon after he signed on as his presidential-campaign manager, the odds of Clinton's triumph soared, and so did the chance for calamity via Gennifer Flowers and other scandals. Stephanopoulos scrambled behind the scenes, squelching rumors, spinning major news organizations, artfully knifing Clinton rivals, and second-guessing public opinion--lessons that would serve him well when Clinton won.
For the next four years, Stephanopoulos was a few feet from the president, advising him on everything from Iraq and Waco to gays in the military and Paula Jones. More than any book yet--including Monica Lewinsky's--Stephanopoulos's memoir reveals what went on in the scary, occasionally hilarious world backstage at the White House. He casts stark light on characters from Yeltsin, "like a boiled potato slathered in sour cream," to the author's nemesis Dick Morris, whom he depicts bellowing for Clinton to bomb Bosnia. And nobody who's talking knows as well as Stephanopoulos the most passionate, mystifying affair of all, between Bill and Hillary.
But years of backroom scheming, screaming, and relentless political attacks took a toll. Stephanopoulos's face erupted in hives; he grew a beard. Slammed by clinical depression, he dangerously delayed medical attention, fearing the story might leak. This memoir could've been titled Prisoner of Spin. Written with the jittery cadence of a bookie, All Too Human is a lively look at the complex and motley cast of characters who rule the world. --Rebekah Warren
Book Description
A Rhodes scholar with a healthy ego, the young idealist George Stephanopoulos thought he was ready for the obscure governor of Arkansas. But soon after he signed on as his presidential-campaign manager, the odds of Clinton's triumph soared, and so did the chance for calamity via Gennifer Flowers and other scandals. Stephanopoulos scrambled behind the scenes, squelching rumors, spinning major news organizations, artfully knifing Clinton rivals, and second-guessing public opinion--lessons that would serve him well when Clinton won.For the next four years, Stephanopoulos was a few feet from the president, advising him on everything from Iraq and Waco to gays in the military and Paula Jones. More than any book yet--including Monica Lewinsky's--Stephanopoulos's memoir reveals what went on in the scary, occasionally hilarious world backstage at the White House. He casts stark light on characters from Yeltsin, "like a boiled potato slathered in sour cream," to the author's nemesis Dick Morris, whom he depicts bellowing for Clinton to bomb Bosnia. And nobody who's talking knows as well as Stephanopoulos the most passionate, mystifying affair of all, between Bill and Hillary.But years of backroom scheming, screaming, and relentless political attacks took a toll. Stephanopoulos's face erupted in hives; he grew a beard. Slammed by clinical depression, he dangerously delayed medical attention, fearing the story might leak. This memoir could've been titled Prisoner of Spin. Written with the jittery cadence of a bookie, All Too Human is a lively look at the complex and motley cast of characters who rule the world. --Rebekah Warren
Customer Reviews:
Interesting in two ways.......2007-10-12
This book is interesting in two ways. The first is the rise of a bluecollar worker's son to the position of political advisor of the world's most powerful statesman. The father of Stephanopoulos was a bluecollar immigrant yet his son was able to become a Rhodes scholar and reach the position in politics he did. The American success story. It is also interesting, from a much more cynical perspective, in that all Stephanopolous political advice was all politically motivated and absolutely none (with emphasis on absolutely)had a basis in the actual non-political benefits or costs (or efficacy). Extremely cynical. One comes away wondering whether it is even possible for the political process to produce socially beneficial policies instead of just politically expediant solutions.
George Stephanopoulos' version of CYA.......2006-01-17
First, my standard disclaimer: I am a political moderate and social conservative. This book is an average look at what happens in political inner circles, specifically the Clinton white house. I was a little disappointed that Stephanopoulos did not take more risks to write about subjects that the general public did not already know. It seemed that much of the reason for the book was for the author to exonerate himself from any wrongdoing.
St. George And The Dragon.......2005-11-30
George Stephanopoulos' memoir of working in the White House during Bill Clinton's first term in office makes you feel like a fly on the wall of the Oval Office. Written in that hypersmart, jargon-fluent style familiar to "West Wing" viewers, "All Too Human" is an engaging, candid companion to readers of any political stripe, in part an impassioned defense of one of America's most infuriatingly bipolar personalities, in part a cautionary tale of power trumping principle.
Among the best and brightest that made up Clinton's 1992 campaign staff, no one burned brighter than Stephanopoulos, a senior advisor to the President at the tender age of 31 whose charge included Congress (he formerly worked for House Majority Whip Dick Gephardt) and satisfying Clinton's critical liberal base.
Stephanopoulos makes no bones about being a true believer. He likens his work with Clinton to being an altar boy for the Greek Orthodox priests of his youth. "It's Nazi time out there," Clinton explodes when the Republicans campaign against him in a special congressional election in Kentucky. Stephanopoulos seems on board with this Hitlerian characterization of the GOP.
Yet Stephanopoulos' passion is tempered by a cool calculating side that finds much common ground with the president, too much, he comes to find. "The last temptation is the greatest treason/To do the right thing for the wrong reason," goes the Eliot verse Stephanopoulos keeps on his desk, in a cramped room he coveted for its proximity to the Oval Office. Even when he manages to get the president to save affirmative action or appease other liberal concerns, it all comes back to a base sort of pragmatism. Is Clinton doing it because it's the right thing to do, or for the political benefit? What about George?
Stephanopoulos' candor is this book's greatest asset, candor about the calculating Clinton, his prickly wife Hillary, and especially himself. He recalls a moment in the first campaign when he caught himself telling a small child that her father is "a bad man" for lying about Clinton. Stephanopoulos wants us to see him, and his boss, as good people, but like the title suggests, with some intrinsic flaws.
While the first half of the book is marginally more interesting as a whole, as the Clinton team finds their way into the White House amid bimbo eruptions and fights its own party to pass a budget through Congress, the second half has the book's most interesting figure, the one man Stephanopoulos paints in entirely black hues: Dick Morris.
Morris could be a Dickens character, "a small sausage of a man encased in a green suit with wide lapels, a wide floral tie, and a wide-collared shirt." As unctuous as Uriah Heep, Morris twitters on about his access to the president, all the time sizing our narrator's back for a place to stick his knife. Stephanopoulos, who views Morris as nothing less than a Republican mole, does likewise.
"I have no home. I have no one left to talk to," Morris tells Stephanopoulos at one point.
Get a dog, Stephanopoulos finds himself wishing he had the nerve to reply.
Morris has claimed Stephanopoulos misrepresented him, but I find the depiction very close to the bone from what I've seen of this fellow commentating on Fox News.
There are flaws in the book, like Stephanopoulos' shorthand with the facts. He seems to assume the reader is as well-versed as he is about the Clinton years, which has him skirt over a lot of material or peripherally refer to things like Tammy Wynette being upset with the First Lady as if we all will know the rest of the story. There is also a fatal Yuppie self-absorption in how Stephanopoulos whines about his trials. A lot of people deal with mega-stress. Not so many have a movie actress ready to draw them a bath.
But "All Too Human" is a good read, and buttressed by Bob Woodward's "The Agenda," one gets an immersive sense of life around Bill Clinton in his first term, a time of great possibilities, hopes, and, inevitably, more than a bit of frailty.
MY political education.......2005-10-13
The subtitle of this wonderful memoir taught me more about politics in 400 pages than I'd learned in 40 years. A diehard liberal and a political fanatic, someone whose views would normally make me sneer and scoff, Stephanopolous paints a picture of the stresses, ins-and-outs, spin, activities and the vital scope of the world inside the Oval Office. Every newsworthy event or program is canvassed for its political ramafications; the very definition and refinement of the word "politics" is reinforced on every page; the mistakes that lead to triumphs, and the feel-good preparations that lead to disasters are all here in stark detail. Stephanopolous proves himself a very sensible man, and even his staunchly liberal views are sidenotes to the greater energies, arguments and preparations that occur inside the White House. I occasionally disliked S's speaking his own platform (which he did sparingly), or telling how political parties are constructed to blunt the other even when their plans are sensible, but all in all I learned more from this book about the workings inside the White House than from all my prior readings and public education.
A good look at the dynamics of being a presidential advisor.......2005-04-22
This book is filled with many events and their effects on the presidential staff of the Clinton administration in the first four years of his service as President. Stephanopoulos gives us an insider's view of how relationships are made and how advisors give counsel to the President. Stephanopoulos does not give any sort of analysis on why decisions were made. Unfortunately, there is a lot of scrambling by the staff and Stephanopoulos to cover the women who made allegations of extramarital affairs with Clinton. This book is definitely a page turner. The book also covers the presidential staff's tension with Dick Morris, who was more of a ridiculous character. The hiring of Morris made me wonder what was Clinton's true intentions. Was he wanting to be a popular president instead of trying to lead the people? Stephanopoulos gives some clues.
I am a democrat but wasn't a great fan of Clinton. It shows Clinton as having a nonchalant attitude to the efforts of his staff covering his shortcomings. Stephanopoulos definitely shows some of the unflattering images of Clinton but he keeps a somewhat balanced approach in this book. If you are looking for a political analysis of the Clinton administration, this is not your book. Stephanopoulos focuses more on the dynamics and relationships between the staff and the President.
Book Description
The philosopher reviews his usual — morality, religion, government, society — with his characteristic depth of perception, unflinching honesty, and iconoclastic wit. But Nietzsche's manner of expression takes a new, aphoristic turn. More than 1,400 incisive and poetic aphorisms appear here, expressing many themes developed in Nietzsche's later works.
Average customer rating:
- Camelot was not happily ever after
- five stars for effort, but not much else to say
- The Myth of Camelot
- A Touching Report
- Frothy and surprisingly touching
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All Too Human the Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy
Edward Klein
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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| Books
Political
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Presidents & Heads of State
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
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ASIN: 0671501917 |
Amazon.com
Edward Klein shows that, despite their glamorous public lives, the Kennedys were as human as the rest of us. Through details on the couple's most intimate moments, including Jackie's defloration in a Paris elevator, and her amusing, albeit catty, disposition (kept under wraps because of her political standing), the ivory tower of their existence seems less out of reach. With chapter titles such as "Indiscreet," "Love Lies Bleeding," and "Pleasure First" the book reads a bit like a romance novel, but with a biting touch of reality.
Book Description
The private bonds that united John and Jacqueline Kennedy hove always remained shrouded in secrecy and misunderstanding. Now Edward Klein, a former editor of The New York Times Magazine -- and a friend of Jackie -- recreates the Kennedy marriage in unprecedented detail, shedding new light on the relationship at the heart of Camelot. From their first meeting in 1951 to the President's assassination in 1963, this is a rich, personal portrait of the couple, and answers the questions millions hove posed:
- Was Jack in love with Jackie? And was she in love with him?
- Did Jack's father Joseph Kennedy, arrange his son's marriage?
- Did events on their honeymoon shape the future course of their marriage?
- Was Jackie aware of Jack's compulsive womanizing and how did she react?
- Did Jackie have affairs of her own?
- Did the enormous strains of the presidency -- and the tragic death of their infant son Patrick -- draw Jack and Jackie closer together?
Impeccably researched end brimming with fresh information, ALL TOO HUMAN reveals the private husband end wife behind the grand image -- while presenting their haunting love story for the first time in all its most intimate facets.
Customer Reviews:
Camelot was not happily ever after.......2006-04-08
The Kennedys may have lived in the White House but in many respects were just like the neighbors who seemed like the perfect White Picket Fence family. Both the myth and fascination with the Kennedys is shattered here. It's an intimate take on the family politics of one of the most intriguing American political dynasties.
five stars for effort, but not much else to say.......2005-11-22
I am wildly into Jack and Jackie Kennedy and their mythical 1000 days of "magic" in the White House. After hearing all excellent things about this book, I gave it a shot. It was rather disappointing, not in the effort but in the actual biography/story it tries to tell. Looking through the author's notes, it is obvious that Edward Klein put his all into researching this colossal and intimidating subject. Klein's awe and admiration for the Camelot couple is felt, and parts of his narrative brings tears to your eyes, but you still feel as if there are tremendous holes that, I suppose, can't be helped when writing about such an elusive subject as Jack and Jackie.
Klein basically took all relevant parts out of available books already written about the couple and stringed them into a narrative along with inputs from interviews that he mostly conducted himself. What you get is a rough, distorted gem that is beautiful in its own way but not what we were really looking for...basically meaning that while it does shed light on some touching, intimate moments in their lives we were not aware of/did not understand before, it is still just a composite of information gathered from interviews and other books TRYING to be "the love story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy." Maybe I am being too harsh (and this is not to say I did not enjoy the book--I did), but a good love story shows clearly and distinctly who and what the main players are--gets inside their heads so that afterwards, you feel as if you have personally met them and experienced the tribulations and joys in their life too. This does not quite accomplish that. It simply left me wanting for the more, more of the truth.
The Myth of Camelot.......2003-09-11
Jackie was Edward Klein's editor at Doubleday. The book opens with chapters that present a detailed biographical sketch of Jackie's pre-JFK life and then proceeds into how Jack and Jackie came to be. Joe Kennedy needed to find a suitable wife for John if he was to advance in politics. He turned to his good friend Arthur Krock of The New York Times who suggested Jackie Bouvier. Joe approved so Arthur contacted newspaperman Charlie Bartlett, Jackie's friend, to arrange an introduction.
John was the [fun loving person] of Washington with one of the worst attendance records in the House of Representatives. He found girling and parties much more interesting. Jack liked the challenge of conquest but once conquered he soon lost interest and was incapable of sustaining a prolonged relationship. He stated that he wanted to have children but he wanted to marry a woman who was chaste because he was worried about being compared to other men.
Both Jack and Jackie's families had way too much control over their adult children's lives! Joe Sr. even picked out Jackie's engagement ring. At the luncheon where the mother's were to discuss their wedding, Jack acted like a scolded child. It was pretty clear that he didn't want to kiss bachelorhood goodbye and that he wasn't in love with Jackie.
Janet Bouvier Achincloss, Jackie's mother, felt her daughter was marrying beneath her and was putting up a fight with Rose about how the wedding should go. Joe Kennedy intervened. He sneered at the Archinclosses because they were old money but were unable to maintain it and keep living in style. In the end, Joe got his very public very politic wedding.
Jack treated Jackie as the means to an end: the White House and children. Jack even had a brief fling with Jackie's sister Lee while Jackie was in the hospital. Friends implied that the Cuban Missile Crisis caused Jack to take a renewed emotional interest in his immediate family and that he and Jackie very close. Yet he still had a mistress? Please!
This book has it all scandal, [physical attraction], drugs and lies! It takes an intimate look inside the world of old money WASPs and of the newly moneyed and their views of each other. Klein used primary sources including interviews with many of the people in Jack and Jackie's life. One thing Klein never discussed was what Jackie's feelings and beliefs were surrounding the conspiracy theories that have grown up around JFK's murder. A great companion book to this is The Day John Died by Christopher Andersen, which focuses on really both JFK's children's lives before and after the assassination. I simply could not put either book down!
A Touching Report.......2003-07-26
ALL TOO HUMAN is a touching history of the marriage of John Fitzgerald Kennedy to Jacqueline Bouvier.
In hindsight, Jacqueline had as big an impact on modern culture as did her first husband, perhaps simply because her life lasted longer. Yet this is not to belittle her actual influence; an entire generation of women modeled themselves on her style. Her dignity, her educational standards, her appreciation of the arts, all proved to be an inspiration to the world.
Author Edward Klein has turned writing about the Kennedys into a cottage industry. This particular biography is a nice balance to many other harsher reports, focusing here as he does on the good points of the marriage of this President and his First Lady.
Frothy and surprisingly touching.......2003-07-04
Reading this book I was reminded of an old 70s song, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." For in this version of the Kennedy marriage, that seems to be what happened. Jackie needed to make a "successful" marriage that would land her "real money," and time was running out. After all, she was 24 years old! JFK needed a wife, a good and presentable CATHOLIC wife, to enhance his image with voters. From these cynical beginnings, according to Klein, a marriage was born and eventually, true love. Over the decade they spent together, Jack and Jackie came to appreciate and depend on one another, bonded by unique experiences and the love of their children. I have one quibble with the point-of-view of this book: Jackie became one of the most influential women of the century because of her marriage to this powerful man. To pretend otherwise is just silly. And for Klein to insist that Jackie was "important" politically is also silly. This is not Hillary Clinton, Rosalyn Carter, or Eleanor Roosevelt we're talking about here. She represented her nation well overseas, honored her husband's memory gallantly and worked hard at being a good mother. There is much to admire about her. But she was neither a policy wonk nor a political powerhouse, but a glamorous celebrity, and therefore historically, she was no where near as important as her first husband.
Average customer rating:
- Case History of "Stalled" Thinking about Governing Processes
- an honest somewhat sry account
- Very Pleased With This Honest Account
- Human Indeed, and admirably so
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All Too Human
George Stephanopoulos
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
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ASIN: 0316929328 |
Customer Reviews:
Case History of "Stalled" Thinking about Governing Processes.......2004-09-16
This book says a lot about our governmental processes that suggests room for improvement. Most people will think about the book from a political, ethical or personal perspective, so I thought it would be helpful to consider the management lessons instead.
As portrayed in All Too Human, the Clinton administration displayed many of the most significant forms of "stalled" thinking that delay human progress. For example, decisions were often made at the last minute or delayed for months, unnecessarily (deomonstrating the procrastination stall). A contributing factor was that everyone was allowed their say, time and time again, making for a hopeless bureaucrataic stall. This tendency led to little time to decide what to say about the decision after it had made so a lot of miscommunications occur (creating communications stalls). The people in the White House often did not know how they were supposed to do their jobs (contributing to a misconception stall). They were also slow to understand that the voter anger that led to the Republican success in 1994 was something they were going to have to accommodate (the result of a disbelief stall). Further, the administration did not want anyone to look too closely at controversial areas about the Clinton's past dealings (an ugly duckling stall that affected the credibility of those who defended actions that later turned out to be different than initially portrayed). Two centuries of government had also developed a lot of precedent that made lawyers and poltical advisors limit the President's choices (exhibiting the tradition stall).
Perhaps the most significant lesson is that the administration was slow to perceive that creating good processes for managing government was important. This seems related to the inexperience of many with government at the national level, and the extreme talent of the people at the top who felt confident that they could "wing it" successfully. The good news is that beginning with Leon Panetta's appointment, the White House learned to put more stock in management processes.
One lesson of All Too Human is that humans can learn, improve by learning from their mistakes, and go on to make great progress. That seems to have begun to happen before Mr. S. left the White House. With Robert Rubin at Treasury, we saw the contrast of a well-functioning management process.
The potential is still there for 2,000 percent solutions (getting 20 times the normal rate of progress or the same progress in 1/20 the amount of time). Our economic performance versus the rest of the world seems to be headed in that direction. With better government processes (to elect and to govern), we can hope for an even brighter tomorrow.
Every serious person who wants to learn how to manage better (and citizen who wants to mprove our country) MUST READ THIS BOOK. This is especially timely as we end the 2004 presidential election campaign. I hope the candidates are asked early and often about how they will improve on the management processes described in this book. May the best process improver win!
an honest somewhat sry account.......2003-07-03
i wanted to give this a higher rating but although there are some interesting anecdotes throughout the book, i think the writing style leaves a lot to be desired. the author has an immense amount of material to draw from but the results here are mostly wanting. i would have likes to have read more about his encounters with the press when he ran that room and some more of his back and forth with gore and hillary. he skims the surface--maybe with the intent for another book inthe future.
Very Pleased With This Honest Account.......2002-11-26
Bravo George!
It's a very interesting look into the White House and the
intelligence and political finesse it takes just to survive!!
I felt that George was being very candid when trying to
discribe his love/hate relationship with President Clinton, and in the end having to painfully evaluate him as a very flawed
man. The book also shows Hillary Clinton, James Carville, Bugala
and others (including Dick Morris) in an interesting light.
Loved the book...felt like I was in the White House myself!!
Human Indeed, and admirably so.......2001-09-05
From the start of this book, you will develop an admiration for Mr. Stephanopoulos. He is a quixotic man, a man of ideals, who was brought up by a religious family. So he was raised to live life by a certain morale which he never forgets, regardless of where his work leads him. His passion for politics takes him from one intriguing job to the next, until he establishes himself in fame as President Clinton's senior advisor for strategy. The essence of Mr. Stephanopoulos's book is about the whimsical rollercoaster ride, otherwise known as the Clinton Administration. The author portrays an accurate description of key figures of the White House. He not only pinpoints the pecadillos of his colleagues, but those of his own as well. Despite of the fact that he admired President Clinton as a leader, Mr. Stephanopoulos seemed to always have quandaries about the President's personal ethics. The author had his dream job, and the opportunity to constatly voice his thoughts on the public forum. However, as you read his story, you will learn that his personal morals precluded him for continuing with the job. I got the impression that had he been working for "a gentleman President . . ." such as George Bush or Jimmy Carter, chances are high he would have continued with his job for a bit longer. His retirement from the Clinton administration was well deserved; it lead him to more worthy jobs, that require more objectivity.
If you are a regular viewer of ABC's "This Week", you will most likely agree that Mr. Stephanopoulos is brilliant. This book will augment your admiration of him, not just on an intellectual level, but also on a personal level. Hence, this book is appropriately titled. The everyday reader will have no trouble relating to Mr. Stephanopoulos's work and personal ethics
Average customer rating:
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All Too Human: A Political Education.
George. Stephanopoulos
Manufacturer: Little, Brown c
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Federal Government
| Government
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0091800633 |
Average customer rating:
- Great Research Into an Ignored Topic!!
|
All Too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of Women in U.S. State Prisons
Women's Rights Project (Human Rights Watch) ,
Dorothy Q. Thomas , and
Human Rights Watch (Organization)
Manufacturer: Human Rights Watch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Sexual Abuse
| Abuse & Self Defense
| Mental Health
| Health, Mind & Body
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Penology
| Crime & Criminals
| Nonfiction
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General
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| Nonfiction
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| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
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| AIDS
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General
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ASIN: 0300071086 |
Customer Reviews:
Great Research Into an Ignored Topic!!.......1999-06-25
Wonderfully direct presentation of the facts. Sexual abuse does NOT need to be dramatized and made exciting. This book presents facts on a subject which, in spite of women's rights in the U.S., has been almost totally ignored. The research done in this piece is needed and more. Great Work!
Average customer rating:
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All Too Human
Klein Edward
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LB28EY |
Books:
- One River
- One Writer's Beginnings (The William E. Massey Sr. Lectures in the History of American Civilization)
- People Sharing Jesus: A Natural, Sensitive Approach to Helping Others Know Christ
- Poems and Selected Letters (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)
- Profiles in Courage
- Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- Running with Scissors: A Memoir
- Slaves in the Family
- Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knight's Cross
- Someday
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