Ronald Gross (2)

There are certainly more up-to-date books out there on the subject of personal learning. As long as you skim over the goofy self-help style anecdotes (which are about 2/3 of the book, alas), and drastically change the "exercises" so they'll actually be useful, then you'll probably get something out of this. I found some nice tips on creating a personal learning space / atmosphere in chapter 8, and some nice ideas about creating goals. But overall, I would skip this book in favor of something that stays on topic and gives more concrete advice.… (more)

Short Review

I thought that Gross could have gone into more detail on the specifics of research, however on reflection that is not within the scope of the book.
Overall it does a decent job of showing what resources are available for scholars who are not affiliated with a traditional academic institution. Littered amongst the text there are many examples and case studies of those who have successfully pursued independent scholarship.
As I said before, decent but nothing which you couldn't work out yourself with a few hours reflection and brainstorming.

Rated 2 Stars (05/03/11)… (more)