Fascinating and frustrating, throws the baby out with the bath water
Kahneman begins with a distinction between System 1, the automatic and seemingly effortless functions of the mind (which basically conflates perception, emotion, and the subconscious), and System 2, the effortful, volitionally controlled "executive" functions of conscious awareness. He then discusses how the ways in which they typically operate and interact can lead to a variety of predictable effects and systematic biases, such as priming, confirmation bias, the halo effect, etc. In much of this discussion he takes the contents of System 1 as the given, neglecting the fact that what gets automatized is what's done repeatedly by System 2 (though he does pay some attention to this fact later in the book in his discussion of "intuition", which is reliable precisely when based on lots of practice with good feedback in predictable, e.g. high validity, situations).
Next he follows Cass Sunstein's distinction between "econs" (basically theoretically rational agents) and "humans" (basically a descriptive rather than prescriptive account of how people actually make economic decisions), arguing that a rational agent model of economic theory is hopelessly flawed and his brand of behavioral economics is more accurate and useful. While it's true that a model of human action as inherently rational is inadequate, Kahneman swings to the other extreme and seems to delight in trying to show that it is inherently IRrational show more (even though he half-heartedly denies this toward the end of the book, it's pretty clear where he stands).
Finally he draws a third distinction between the "experiencing self" and the "remembering self", trying to show that people's later evaluations by their remembering self aren't consistent with their actual experience. Again, there's some very interesting material here, such as how the remembering self's tendency to focus not on the sum total of an experience but on particular moments, especially the peak and the ending, explains the narrative structure of our art forms. But Kahneman neglects that people can legitimately focus on certain aspects of their experience to the detriment or exclusion of others, and this is not at all necessarily irrational or inconsistent.
He also notes that even in measures of the well-being of the experiencing self, there is an unequal distribution with some people experiencing life as almost entirely positive while for others it's largely negative, but doesn't know what to make of this and tentatively attributes it to the effects of poverty, disease, etc. But the real explanation is implicit in (at least a charitable interpretation of) his theory: it's largely a matter of what you choose to focus on, or to put it in his terminology how you use your System 2 (which will in turn improve your System 1 over time, which Kahneman sometimes seems to recognize but at others to deny). He even goes on to discuss a bit later how victims of debilitating accidents or disease are only made unhappy by it as long as their "remembering self" dwells on it (and as someone who's been dealing with a chronic illness for a decade and had to learn to appreciate all the good in life, I should know!).
The main theme I took away from the book is that most of the errors to which people are prone are caused by failing to take the full context into account, or as Kahneman puts it, What You See Is All There Is. This comes up again and again in his discussions of overconfidence, framing effects, base rate effects, substitution (which is basically being asked for signal and answering with noise), etc. Whether you want to think of this as differentiating and integrating, zooming in and out, or in Kahneman's terms of narrow vs. broad framing or taking an "inside" vs. (a more statistical) "outside" view of a situation, it all comes down to the same thing, though again he moves from rightfully pointing out the problems of focusing too narrowly on a particular case to the opposite extreme of only considering the broader context and ignoring the particular details of a given case. This leads him to some disastrous policy recommendations such as relying exclusively on algorithms to make vital decisions in, e.g., healthcare, which could improve outcomes for many people with fairly common or straightforward problems but would result in "cookie cutter" medicine that would pretty much screw patients like me. I appreciated his discussion of those who reject the use of such algorithms as "artificial", but again he's rejected one side of a false dichotomy and swung to the other.
But the book is full of lots of practical tips as well, such as the use of such formulas to maximize predictive validity (e.g. the Apgar score, for more on which read Atul Gawande's Better), how to conduct interviews so as to make better hiring decisions, use reference class forecasting to avoid (or at least mitigate) the planning fallacy, use a pre-mortem to overcome the suppression of doubts and overconfidence, see through the endowment effect and avoid committing the sunk cost fallacy, and much, much more, which alone makes it worth reading.
This is a fascinating, and frustrating, book. Kahneman provides a wealth of information, but his explanatory framework is problematic and leads him to draw many blatantly wrong conclusions, even falling into some of the specific wrong thinking methods he discusses throughout the book (notably theory-induced blindness)! That said, the careful reader can glean substantial value from it.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R24COWZBPFJV1F show less
Kahneman begins with a distinction between System 1, the automatic and seemingly effortless functions of the mind (which basically conflates perception, emotion, and the subconscious), and System 2, the effortful, volitionally controlled "executive" functions of conscious awareness. He then discusses how the ways in which they typically operate and interact can lead to a variety of predictable effects and systematic biases, such as priming, confirmation bias, the halo effect, etc. In much of this discussion he takes the contents of System 1 as the given, neglecting the fact that what gets automatized is what's done repeatedly by System 2 (though he does pay some attention to this fact later in the book in his discussion of "intuition", which is reliable precisely when based on lots of practice with good feedback in predictable, e.g. high validity, situations).
Next he follows Cass Sunstein's distinction between "econs" (basically theoretically rational agents) and "humans" (basically a descriptive rather than prescriptive account of how people actually make economic decisions), arguing that a rational agent model of economic theory is hopelessly flawed and his brand of behavioral economics is more accurate and useful. While it's true that a model of human action as inherently rational is inadequate, Kahneman swings to the other extreme and seems to delight in trying to show that it is inherently IRrational show more (even though he half-heartedly denies this toward the end of the book, it's pretty clear where he stands).
Finally he draws a third distinction between the "experiencing self" and the "remembering self", trying to show that people's later evaluations by their remembering self aren't consistent with their actual experience. Again, there's some very interesting material here, such as how the remembering self's tendency to focus not on the sum total of an experience but on particular moments, especially the peak and the ending, explains the narrative structure of our art forms. But Kahneman neglects that people can legitimately focus on certain aspects of their experience to the detriment or exclusion of others, and this is not at all necessarily irrational or inconsistent.
He also notes that even in measures of the well-being of the experiencing self, there is an unequal distribution with some people experiencing life as almost entirely positive while for others it's largely negative, but doesn't know what to make of this and tentatively attributes it to the effects of poverty, disease, etc. But the real explanation is implicit in (at least a charitable interpretation of) his theory: it's largely a matter of what you choose to focus on, or to put it in his terminology how you use your System 2 (which will in turn improve your System 1 over time, which Kahneman sometimes seems to recognize but at others to deny). He even goes on to discuss a bit later how victims of debilitating accidents or disease are only made unhappy by it as long as their "remembering self" dwells on it (and as someone who's been dealing with a chronic illness for a decade and had to learn to appreciate all the good in life, I should know!).
The main theme I took away from the book is that most of the errors to which people are prone are caused by failing to take the full context into account, or as Kahneman puts it, What You See Is All There Is. This comes up again and again in his discussions of overconfidence, framing effects, base rate effects, substitution (which is basically being asked for signal and answering with noise), etc. Whether you want to think of this as differentiating and integrating, zooming in and out, or in Kahneman's terms of narrow vs. broad framing or taking an "inside" vs. (a more statistical) "outside" view of a situation, it all comes down to the same thing, though again he moves from rightfully pointing out the problems of focusing too narrowly on a particular case to the opposite extreme of only considering the broader context and ignoring the particular details of a given case. This leads him to some disastrous policy recommendations such as relying exclusively on algorithms to make vital decisions in, e.g., healthcare, which could improve outcomes for many people with fairly common or straightforward problems but would result in "cookie cutter" medicine that would pretty much screw patients like me. I appreciated his discussion of those who reject the use of such algorithms as "artificial", but again he's rejected one side of a false dichotomy and swung to the other.
But the book is full of lots of practical tips as well, such as the use of such formulas to maximize predictive validity (e.g. the Apgar score, for more on which read Atul Gawande's Better), how to conduct interviews so as to make better hiring decisions, use reference class forecasting to avoid (or at least mitigate) the planning fallacy, use a pre-mortem to overcome the suppression of doubts and overconfidence, see through the endowment effect and avoid committing the sunk cost fallacy, and much, much more, which alone makes it worth reading.
This is a fascinating, and frustrating, book. Kahneman provides a wealth of information, but his explanatory framework is problematic and leads him to draw many blatantly wrong conclusions, even falling into some of the specific wrong thinking methods he discusses throughout the book (notably theory-induced blindness)! That said, the careful reader can glean substantial value from it.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R24COWZBPFJV1F show less
A nearly perfect ending to a rewarding series
I've greatly enjoyed Rick Riordan's young adult mythological fantasy series, and this final installment did not disappoint. The Heroes of Olympus has been somewhat different from the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians, in some ways I didn't like as much, such as the plot feeling a bit more formulaic with fewer major twists, but in other ways I enjoyed even more, such as the bigger, more diverse cast of characters. Riordan couldn't develop them all as fully, but over the course of the series I felt he did justice to all the central characters so that by the end I came to appreciate each of them as unique individuals. And while their ethnic diversity was nice, and their diversity of Olympian parentage even more interesting, it was most gratifying that given those genetic backgrounds the essence of their characters grew out of their experiences and choices.
Some reviewers have complained that Percy and Annabeth get short shrift in their last book, and I can understand wanting to see more of them. But personally, after having spent so much time with them already in the earlier books, I enjoyed spending more time with Reyna, Nico, Jason, and even Piper, but especially Leo. And I was satisfied with the ending to Percy and Annabeth's story.
I have less sympathy with the complaint that the ending was "too happy" because none of the central protagonists died. Sacrifice doesn't make things more meaningful, just pointlessly tragic. If show more the heroes can figure out a way to triumph in the end that avoids the necessity of laying down their own lives, that makes them all the more heroic. I, for one, applaud Rick Riordan for daring to give us a happy ending. I would have been disappointed if he'd gone for the usual cheap trick of "heroic sacrifice". The final chapter had me laughing from sheer delight, so as far as I'm concerned, The Blood of Olympus was a nearly perfect conclusion to a very worthwhile journey. Thank you, Mr. Riordan.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RH0E32SMOMQE9 show less
I've greatly enjoyed Rick Riordan's young adult mythological fantasy series, and this final installment did not disappoint. The Heroes of Olympus has been somewhat different from the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians, in some ways I didn't like as much, such as the plot feeling a bit more formulaic with fewer major twists, but in other ways I enjoyed even more, such as the bigger, more diverse cast of characters. Riordan couldn't develop them all as fully, but over the course of the series I felt he did justice to all the central characters so that by the end I came to appreciate each of them as unique individuals. And while their ethnic diversity was nice, and their diversity of Olympian parentage even more interesting, it was most gratifying that given those genetic backgrounds the essence of their characters grew out of their experiences and choices.
Some reviewers have complained that Percy and Annabeth get short shrift in their last book, and I can understand wanting to see more of them. But personally, after having spent so much time with them already in the earlier books, I enjoyed spending more time with Reyna, Nico, Jason, and even Piper, but especially Leo. And I was satisfied with the ending to Percy and Annabeth's story.
I have less sympathy with the complaint that the ending was "too happy" because none of the central protagonists died. Sacrifice doesn't make things more meaningful, just pointlessly tragic. If show more the heroes can figure out a way to triumph in the end that avoids the necessity of laying down their own lives, that makes them all the more heroic. I, for one, applaud Rick Riordan for daring to give us a happy ending. I would have been disappointed if he'd gone for the usual cheap trick of "heroic sacrifice". The final chapter had me laughing from sheer delight, so as far as I'm concerned, The Blood of Olympus was a nearly perfect conclusion to a very worthwhile journey. Thank you, Mr. Riordan.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RH0E32SMOMQE9 show less
The Lean Entrepreneur: How Visionaries Create Products, Innovate with New Ventures, and Disrupt Markets by Brant Cooper
Integrating the IT and value revolutions
"Man, being biological, follows biological patterns. So do man-made things." Including entrepreneurial business ventures, according to the authors. Due to a convergence of factors, from lower barriers to entry to greater access to capital, we are now seeing the beginning of an unprecedented rate of technological evolution. If they're going to keep up, business practices will have to evolve, too.
That's where The Lean Entrepreneur comes in. Cooper and Vlaskovits integrate principles from a variety of complementary sources, from traditional lean thinking, to customer development, to design thinking, all of which come down to applying the scientific method to designing your business. Using these principles, they lay out a clear path showing how to establish values and culture, identify market segments, define a value proposition and refine the value stream, interact with customers and run experiments to de-risk your business model, navigate data without drowning in it, and more.
It all adds up to the deep insight that the information technology revolution we are undergoing has been made possible by, and is helping to accelerate, an underlying value creation revolution. This creates a virtuous spiral in which, despite the continuously disruptive nature of innovation, we are increasingly better off. Or as the authors put it: "The best way to navigate the near future is to hyperfocus on creating value for customers and moving at the speed show more of the Internet. We'll show you how." That's what The Lean Entrepreneur is all about, and they largely live up to that promise.
Readers might also want to check out Lean Thinking and The Startup Owner's Manual for more background, and and The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves and The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science for broader perspective.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1WH799L01B8B4 show less
"Man, being biological, follows biological patterns. So do man-made things." Including entrepreneurial business ventures, according to the authors. Due to a convergence of factors, from lower barriers to entry to greater access to capital, we are now seeing the beginning of an unprecedented rate of technological evolution. If they're going to keep up, business practices will have to evolve, too.
That's where The Lean Entrepreneur comes in. Cooper and Vlaskovits integrate principles from a variety of complementary sources, from traditional lean thinking, to customer development, to design thinking, all of which come down to applying the scientific method to designing your business. Using these principles, they lay out a clear path showing how to establish values and culture, identify market segments, define a value proposition and refine the value stream, interact with customers and run experiments to de-risk your business model, navigate data without drowning in it, and more.
It all adds up to the deep insight that the information technology revolution we are undergoing has been made possible by, and is helping to accelerate, an underlying value creation revolution. This creates a virtuous spiral in which, despite the continuously disruptive nature of innovation, we are increasingly better off. Or as the authors put it: "The best way to navigate the near future is to hyperfocus on creating value for customers and moving at the speed show more of the Internet. We'll show you how." That's what The Lean Entrepreneur is all about, and they largely live up to that promise.
Readers might also want to check out Lean Thinking and The Startup Owner's Manual for more background, and and The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves and The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science for broader perspective.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1WH799L01B8B4 show less
Mark Miller takes a page from Aristotle's book and opens his story by noting that if we want to know what makes a team exceptional, we should begin by studying exceptional teams. He then proceeds to do so with a series of case studies from a variety of fields, showing how the same fundamental principles apply in each of them even if the terminology varies somewhat.
And the principles he identifies are indeed fundamental. First is selecting the right people to make up the team, who have the potential to fill the complementary roles required. Second is actualizing the potential of each individual team member through training or practice, leading to continual growth in their level of skill. The third is actually an integration of the first two, finding how each person fits into the team and practicing working together toward a common end. (Interestingly, all three of these principles have their counterparts in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, so I guess Miller cribbed several pages from him!) Miller examines them all from multiple angles and gives several terms for each, so you can pick the ones that resonate with you and will be easiest to remember.
This might seem deceptively simple, but what Miller is actually doing here is modeling how to think inductively about anything, looking for those connections among seemingly disparate cases. He ably applies this integrative method of thought to exceptional teams, but the method itself may be of even greater value to the observant show more reader.
There is quite a lot of other good material in the book as he fleshes out how to follow through on putting these principles into practice. The only reason I don't give this a full five stars is that, while I think his basic approach here is excellent, his execution, though quite good, could have been improved upon in some areas. His discussion of enlightened self-interest was most welcome, for instance, but could be even better in some ways. Still, on the whole I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.
www.amazon.com/review/R3U2J4PWLO166K show less
And the principles he identifies are indeed fundamental. First is selecting the right people to make up the team, who have the potential to fill the complementary roles required. Second is actualizing the potential of each individual team member through training or practice, leading to continual growth in their level of skill. The third is actually an integration of the first two, finding how each person fits into the team and practicing working together toward a common end. (Interestingly, all three of these principles have their counterparts in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, so I guess Miller cribbed several pages from him!) Miller examines them all from multiple angles and gives several terms for each, so you can pick the ones that resonate with you and will be easiest to remember.
This might seem deceptively simple, but what Miller is actually doing here is modeling how to think inductively about anything, looking for those connections among seemingly disparate cases. He ably applies this integrative method of thought to exceptional teams, but the method itself may be of even greater value to the observant show more reader.
There is quite a lot of other good material in the book as he fleshes out how to follow through on putting these principles into practice. The only reason I don't give this a full five stars is that, while I think his basic approach here is excellent, his execution, though quite good, could have been improved upon in some areas. His discussion of enlightened self-interest was most welcome, for instance, but could be even better in some ways. Still, on the whole I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.
www.amazon.com/review/R3U2J4PWLO166K show less
A principled approach to unconditionally constructive negotiating
In Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher and his co-authors at the Harvard Negotiation Project advised us to separate the people from the problem, i.e. relationship issues from substantive ones, during a negotiation, then focused largely on dealing with the substantive ones. In this follow up, they tackle the people issues that arise when negotiating. They build on the principled, win-win approach pioneered in their earlier work, this time focusing on using negotiation as a means to fostering stronger relationships instead of harming them with a win-lose mentality that either dominates without regard for the other's interests or gives in for the sake of keeping the peace. The authors argue that even though we can't always change how others respond, we can control our own behavior to be unconditionally constructive by always acting on the principles they advance.
These include: keeping reason rather than emotion firmly in the driver's seat (Rationality); making the effort to learn where someone else is coming from (Understanding); always consulting those who will be significantly affected by a decision before making it, and actually taking their feedback into account (Communication); not being overly trusting, but impeccably trustworthy (Reliability); dealing with others using persuasive rather than coercive tactics (Persuasion); recognizing the other's right to differ without necessarily approving of their position show more (Acceptance).
Each of these principles is helpfully developed in its own chapter and illustrated through examples from a variety of situations, from the personal to dealing with colleagues, to higher stakes business negotiations all the way up to international relations (though some of these latter examples with the Soviet Union feel a bit dated). A final chapter ties them all together, showing how each principle relates to the others so that they form an integrated whole (e.g., failing to consult someone whom a decision will impact will tend to make him feel coerced rather than persuaded.) Even the appendix is interesting, discussing how the tit-for-tat strategy in game theory relates to their principles, and showing how the prisoner's dilemma does not apply to them because it is always in your interest to be unconditionally constructive in the ways they advocate. There is some real meat to chew on here, making this a great supplement to their earlier books. Also check out William Ury's more recent The Power of a Positive No.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R17PQH3S2MUDE show less
In Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher and his co-authors at the Harvard Negotiation Project advised us to separate the people from the problem, i.e. relationship issues from substantive ones, during a negotiation, then focused largely on dealing with the substantive ones. In this follow up, they tackle the people issues that arise when negotiating. They build on the principled, win-win approach pioneered in their earlier work, this time focusing on using negotiation as a means to fostering stronger relationships instead of harming them with a win-lose mentality that either dominates without regard for the other's interests or gives in for the sake of keeping the peace. The authors argue that even though we can't always change how others respond, we can control our own behavior to be unconditionally constructive by always acting on the principles they advance.
These include: keeping reason rather than emotion firmly in the driver's seat (Rationality); making the effort to learn where someone else is coming from (Understanding); always consulting those who will be significantly affected by a decision before making it, and actually taking their feedback into account (Communication); not being overly trusting, but impeccably trustworthy (Reliability); dealing with others using persuasive rather than coercive tactics (Persuasion); recognizing the other's right to differ without necessarily approving of their position show more (Acceptance).
Each of these principles is helpfully developed in its own chapter and illustrated through examples from a variety of situations, from the personal to dealing with colleagues, to higher stakes business negotiations all the way up to international relations (though some of these latter examples with the Soviet Union feel a bit dated). A final chapter ties them all together, showing how each principle relates to the others so that they form an integrated whole (e.g., failing to consult someone whom a decision will impact will tend to make him feel coerced rather than persuaded.) Even the appendix is interesting, discussing how the tit-for-tat strategy in game theory relates to their principles, and showing how the prisoner's dilemma does not apply to them because it is always in your interest to be unconditionally constructive in the ways they advocate. There is some real meat to chew on here, making this a great supplement to their earlier books. Also check out William Ury's more recent The Power of a Positive No.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R17PQH3S2MUDE show less
Better than I expected
After the last season of Castle (particularly the way it ended), I can't even bring myself to watch the show anymore. I was worried that the books, which I had quite enjoyed up to this point, would similarly go downhill. And this one gets off to a bad (and rather gruesome) start, which seemed to confirm my fears.
But I kept going, and my perseverance was rewarded as it actually did pick up, get me hooked, and keep me reasonably entertained to the end. It still wasn't as good as (and was somewhat darker than) most of the earlier books in the series, but it was definitely better than the way the show has gone.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RYC65TMLUGJ2Z
After the last season of Castle (particularly the way it ended), I can't even bring myself to watch the show anymore. I was worried that the books, which I had quite enjoyed up to this point, would similarly go downhill. And this one gets off to a bad (and rather gruesome) start, which seemed to confirm my fears.
But I kept going, and my perseverance was rewarded as it actually did pick up, get me hooked, and keep me reasonably entertained to the end. It still wasn't as good as (and was somewhat darker than) most of the earlier books in the series, but it was definitely better than the way the show has gone.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RYC65TMLUGJ2Z
Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E. P. Seligman
An Aristotelian approach to psychology
The basic idea behind positive psychology is that, rather than solely treating mental disease and alleviating negative symptoms, the field of psychology should focus on defining mental health in positive terms and promoting positive emotions, character traits, and social institutions. But Seligman is even more ambitious than that: in the introduction, he writes that he seeks to overthrow what he calls the "rotten-to-the-core dogma", the oldest manifestation of which is the doctrine of original sin but which was dragged by Freud into twentieth-century secular psychology, which has since tended to regard happiness or any positive emotion as inauthentic.
This completely sold me on the book, and while it's far from perfect (I would take exception with Seligman on a number of points), it's general approach is very good. To a large extent, it's explicitly Aristotelian, and Seligman even argues for virtue ethics in the form of identifying and cultivating what he calls "signature strengths". He also draws on a lot of interesting recent research, including some of his own. His earlier book Learned Optimism and the more recent Flourish are also well worth reading.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2Y0D3VC04WDNS
The basic idea behind positive psychology is that, rather than solely treating mental disease and alleviating negative symptoms, the field of psychology should focus on defining mental health in positive terms and promoting positive emotions, character traits, and social institutions. But Seligman is even more ambitious than that: in the introduction, he writes that he seeks to overthrow what he calls the "rotten-to-the-core dogma", the oldest manifestation of which is the doctrine of original sin but which was dragged by Freud into twentieth-century secular psychology, which has since tended to regard happiness or any positive emotion as inauthentic.
This completely sold me on the book, and while it's far from perfect (I would take exception with Seligman on a number of points), it's general approach is very good. To a large extent, it's explicitly Aristotelian, and Seligman even argues for virtue ethics in the form of identifying and cultivating what he calls "signature strengths". He also draws on a lot of interesting recent research, including some of his own. His earlier book Learned Optimism and the more recent Flourish are also well worth reading.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2Y0D3VC04WDNS
A great guide for both patients and practitioners
I read this book from the perspective of someone who's had to learn the importance of a positive outlook the hard way, after years of struggle with a debilitating chronic medical condition. Dr. Tindle recounts the story of her own health problems early in life, as well as stories of working with patients as a practicing physician, so she ably brings both perspectives to the writing of this book.
Drawing on a wide range of recent research, she examines the impact our mental attitude can have on our health and aging, right down to the cellular level. For instance, studies have shown higher, longer-lasting, levels of inflammation associated with negative outlooks leading to faster aging at the cellular level, such that the term inflammaging has been coined to describe the phenomenon. (As someone all too familiar with the joys of chronic inflammation, I can attest to this...curse you, excessive interleukin-6!)
Thankfully, she also gives strategies for improving your outlook, and thus your health and aging in the process. Most of this material is quite good. Some of it will be familiar to those who've read about positive psychology in recent years (e.g. Martin Seligman's Learned Optimism), or even some of the better stuff in the self-help genre (say, Napoleon Hill's Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude), but the perspective on health and aging Dr. Tindle focuses on here makes it well worth reading even to those already sold show more on the importance of a positive outlook in general. On the whole, Up is intelligently written and should be of interest to doctors, patients, or just the general reader interested in how their mental outlook can affect their physical well-being.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R24CQU6JSEMVVP show less
I read this book from the perspective of someone who's had to learn the importance of a positive outlook the hard way, after years of struggle with a debilitating chronic medical condition. Dr. Tindle recounts the story of her own health problems early in life, as well as stories of working with patients as a practicing physician, so she ably brings both perspectives to the writing of this book.
Drawing on a wide range of recent research, she examines the impact our mental attitude can have on our health and aging, right down to the cellular level. For instance, studies have shown higher, longer-lasting, levels of inflammation associated with negative outlooks leading to faster aging at the cellular level, such that the term inflammaging has been coined to describe the phenomenon. (As someone all too familiar with the joys of chronic inflammation, I can attest to this...curse you, excessive interleukin-6!)
Thankfully, she also gives strategies for improving your outlook, and thus your health and aging in the process. Most of this material is quite good. Some of it will be familiar to those who've read about positive psychology in recent years (e.g. Martin Seligman's Learned Optimism), or even some of the better stuff in the self-help genre (say, Napoleon Hill's Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude), but the perspective on health and aging Dr. Tindle focuses on here makes it well worth reading even to those already sold show more on the importance of a positive outlook in general. On the whole, Up is intelligently written and should be of interest to doctors, patients, or just the general reader interested in how their mental outlook can affect their physical well-being.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R24CQU6JSEMVVP show less
As suggested by the book's subtitle, How Prosperity Evolves, Matt Ridley's central premise is that there is a strong analogy between the fundamental principles driving biological evolution and those that have driven economic growth over the course of human history. To begin with, he argues that specialization and exchange have driven development and progress both at the biological level (e.g., increasing specialization of cells driving the evolution of increasingly complex, sophisticated, and adaptive multicellular organisms) as well as the economic. Further, he develops a comparison between sexual reproduction and the cross-fertilization of ideas giving rise to new innovations, which is more than mere metaphor.
Ridley isn't the first to notice similarities between living things per se and how we make our livings. (That honor actually goes all the way back to Aristotle, as discussed in Armand Marie Leroi's The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science.) And this shouldn't be surprising, since economic activity is ultimately an aspect of life. Ridley writes that he is building on both Adam Smith and Charles Darwin, but he goes far beyond this, incorporating ideas from several other domains into a sweeping integration of biology, anthropology, history, economics, and more. This book is its own best example of its thesis: it is the result of a veritable orgy of ideas.
After the opening chapter cataloging how good we really have it today, The Rational Optimist takes us an a grand show more tour of the course of human progress to explain how we got here, from the specialization and exchange that set our species apart from our hominid cousins and allowed us to adapt to nearly every niche on the planet, through the rise of agriculture to the explosion of innovation in recent centuries. Two of these later chapters, on how slavery was abolished by the use of fossil fuels (for more on which, read The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein) and then how the rise of technology has led to an ever accelerating rate of innovation and increasing returns, were particularly inspiring, along with the final one containing Ridley's thoughts about the present century and the promise it holds.
I could quibble with Ridley on some relatively minor points, such as his emphasis on the idea that knowledge is collective. This is true in the sense that no one person can know everything and so progress is limited by population size and the degree to which specialization and exchange occur. But it is also true that each new idea originates in the minds of individuals, so while specialization and exchange are of fundamental importance to progress, the role of the individual creative thinker is ultimately primary. Still, this is a small complaint when the book provides so much of enormous value that it still easily earns my five stars. Perhaps the highest recommendation I can give is to say that this book helped change my view of the world radically for the better. Pick it up. It might change yous, too.
www.amazon.com/review/ROF236BQWY5B4 show less
Ridley isn't the first to notice similarities between living things per se and how we make our livings. (That honor actually goes all the way back to Aristotle, as discussed in Armand Marie Leroi's The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science.) And this shouldn't be surprising, since economic activity is ultimately an aspect of life. Ridley writes that he is building on both Adam Smith and Charles Darwin, but he goes far beyond this, incorporating ideas from several other domains into a sweeping integration of biology, anthropology, history, economics, and more. This book is its own best example of its thesis: it is the result of a veritable orgy of ideas.
After the opening chapter cataloging how good we really have it today, The Rational Optimist takes us an a grand show more tour of the course of human progress to explain how we got here, from the specialization and exchange that set our species apart from our hominid cousins and allowed us to adapt to nearly every niche on the planet, through the rise of agriculture to the explosion of innovation in recent centuries. Two of these later chapters, on how slavery was abolished by the use of fossil fuels (for more on which, read The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein) and then how the rise of technology has led to an ever accelerating rate of innovation and increasing returns, were particularly inspiring, along with the final one containing Ridley's thoughts about the present century and the promise it holds.
I could quibble with Ridley on some relatively minor points, such as his emphasis on the idea that knowledge is collective. This is true in the sense that no one person can know everything and so progress is limited by population size and the degree to which specialization and exchange occur. But it is also true that each new idea originates in the minds of individuals, so while specialization and exchange are of fundamental importance to progress, the role of the individual creative thinker is ultimately primary. Still, this is a small complaint when the book provides so much of enormous value that it still easily earns my five stars. Perhaps the highest recommendation I can give is to say that this book helped change my view of the world radically for the better. Pick it up. It might change yous, too.
www.amazon.com/review/ROF236BQWY5B4 show less
The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything by Daniel Coyle
The path to greatness is constant improvement
All skills have to be acquired through practice, repetition and automatization, from the basics most of us take for granted from learning to walk and talk and type to more complex skill sets such as playing a sport or musical instrument and integrative thinking, with each higher order level of complexity building on top of all those that came before it. In this very readable book, Daniel Coyle takes us through a series of intriguing case studies to show us how this occurs, and how we can optimize the process.
In Part I, he examines the type of deep practice required for the sustained, long-term improvement that leads to mastery. In Part II, he focuses on the importance of igniting a deep passion for the process that provides the motivation needed to sustain the ongoing practice. And Part III discusses the role of mentors and modeling in accelerating the process. All three parts are intriguing and insightful, and add up to a comprehensive model of achieving greatness in any domain.
Some reviewers have complained that his treatment of the neuroscience is superficial or that he doesn't delve deeply enough into specific methods of deep practice. If that's what they want, by all means they should go read other more specialized books on those topics, but that's not the point of this book. The Talent Code is a major inductive integration identifying the principles (and basic underlying neural mechanisms) common to all skill acquisition. show more I would also recommend The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg as a nice companion to this.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3VI5W3ZYKPDDP show less
All skills have to be acquired through practice, repetition and automatization, from the basics most of us take for granted from learning to walk and talk and type to more complex skill sets such as playing a sport or musical instrument and integrative thinking, with each higher order level of complexity building on top of all those that came before it. In this very readable book, Daniel Coyle takes us through a series of intriguing case studies to show us how this occurs, and how we can optimize the process.
In Part I, he examines the type of deep practice required for the sustained, long-term improvement that leads to mastery. In Part II, he focuses on the importance of igniting a deep passion for the process that provides the motivation needed to sustain the ongoing practice. And Part III discusses the role of mentors and modeling in accelerating the process. All three parts are intriguing and insightful, and add up to a comprehensive model of achieving greatness in any domain.
Some reviewers have complained that his treatment of the neuroscience is superficial or that he doesn't delve deeply enough into specific methods of deep practice. If that's what they want, by all means they should go read other more specialized books on those topics, but that's not the point of this book. The Talent Code is a major inductive integration identifying the principles (and basic underlying neural mechanisms) common to all skill acquisition. show more I would also recommend The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg as a nice companion to this.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3VI5W3ZYKPDDP show less
Historical perspective and statistical analysis shed new light on trends in violence
Follow any major news media outlet (and most of the minor ones) and it's easy to get the impression that the world has become increasingly violent over the course of human history so that we are living in an era of unprecedented violence with things getting worse all the time. But to really understand where are are now and where we are heading requires taking a broad historical perspective. Pinker provides one in this book, taking us on a whirlwind tour in the first chapter of violence throughout history. Some of this is difficult to read, but it makes you appreciate how good we actually have it now and realize how rarely we directly experience in our own lives the kinds of brutality that were commonplace facts of life for the vast majority of people living before us.
In subsequent chapters, Pinker delves into various cultural trends, most of them quite recent (over the past few centuries or even decades), driving this decline of violence and their causes. I found the chapters on the humanitarian and rights revolutions particularly fascinating. Finally, he turns to an examination of the aspects of human nature and psychology inclining us toward violence (our "inner demons", among which his discussion of the rise of violent ideologies was especially interesting), and those inclining us away, underlying the various cultural trends discussed earlier (the "better angels of our nature" of the show more title, and perhaps the best chapter of the book).
This is a lot of material that I am just giving a capsule summary of here, and Pinker amasses a formidable array of evidence to back it up. His use of statistics is generally compelling, and even where I would quibble with some of the details they don't significantly undercut the force of his argument. Interestingly, this method of amassing data that Pinker brings to bear may itself explain some of the decline in violence, at least over the course of the past century or so when we really began trying to accurately measure these things, since the very act of measuring something you want less of goes a long way toward reducing it. On the whole, a compelling read and a persuasive case. I would also recommend Matt Ridley's The Rational Optimist as an excellent companion to this.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3QO9DXPBNVERC show less
Follow any major news media outlet (and most of the minor ones) and it's easy to get the impression that the world has become increasingly violent over the course of human history so that we are living in an era of unprecedented violence with things getting worse all the time. But to really understand where are are now and where we are heading requires taking a broad historical perspective. Pinker provides one in this book, taking us on a whirlwind tour in the first chapter of violence throughout history. Some of this is difficult to read, but it makes you appreciate how good we actually have it now and realize how rarely we directly experience in our own lives the kinds of brutality that were commonplace facts of life for the vast majority of people living before us.
In subsequent chapters, Pinker delves into various cultural trends, most of them quite recent (over the past few centuries or even decades), driving this decline of violence and their causes. I found the chapters on the humanitarian and rights revolutions particularly fascinating. Finally, he turns to an examination of the aspects of human nature and psychology inclining us toward violence (our "inner demons", among which his discussion of the rise of violent ideologies was especially interesting), and those inclining us away, underlying the various cultural trends discussed earlier (the "better angels of our nature" of the show more title, and perhaps the best chapter of the book).
This is a lot of material that I am just giving a capsule summary of here, and Pinker amasses a formidable array of evidence to back it up. His use of statistics is generally compelling, and even where I would quibble with some of the details they don't significantly undercut the force of his argument. Interestingly, this method of amassing data that Pinker brings to bear may itself explain some of the decline in violence, at least over the course of the past century or so when we really began trying to accurately measure these things, since the very act of measuring something you want less of goes a long way toward reducing it. On the whole, a compelling read and a persuasive case. I would also recommend Matt Ridley's The Rational Optimist as an excellent companion to this.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3QO9DXPBNVERC show less
Change your habits, change your life, change the world
Aristotle wrote about the power of habit over two millennia ago. Indeed, he begins developing his moral theory in Book II of the Nicomachean Ethics (after his opening meta-ethical discussion on the nature of the good in Book I) by noting the strong connection between moral excellence and habit (the Greek word for which was "ethos"). "It makes no small difference," he wrote, "whether we form habits of one kind or of another from our very youth; it makes a great difference, or rather all the difference."
In this book, Charles Duhigg picks up where Aristotle left off. Drawing from the latest research in neuroscience and psychology and from a wide variety of inductive case studies, ranging from examples of successful habit change in individuals to sports teams and businesses, and how they use marketing and user interface design to instill habitual use in their customers, to broader social change such as the civil rights movement, he shows what habits are, why they matter, and how we can use this knowledge to improve our own habits and hence our lives.
The final chapter on "The Neurology of Free Will: Are We Responsible for Our Habits?" is a bit frustrating, as he examines two cases in an attempt to strongly imply that the one who clearly did have control and could have changed paths at many points (which is the point of the whole book, after all) was not responsible for her actions, while the one who did not have control show more was. I kept thinking, "He really needs to read Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame by Diana Hsieh!" But stick with it, he sorts it out more or less correctly in the end. So while this may not have quite the philosophical depth and breadth of Aristotle, it does dig into some interesting questions and is well worth reading for anyone interested in the power of habit. I would also recommend The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RK2AGO14ZIAYY show less
Aristotle wrote about the power of habit over two millennia ago. Indeed, he begins developing his moral theory in Book II of the Nicomachean Ethics (after his opening meta-ethical discussion on the nature of the good in Book I) by noting the strong connection between moral excellence and habit (the Greek word for which was "ethos"). "It makes no small difference," he wrote, "whether we form habits of one kind or of another from our very youth; it makes a great difference, or rather all the difference."
In this book, Charles Duhigg picks up where Aristotle left off. Drawing from the latest research in neuroscience and psychology and from a wide variety of inductive case studies, ranging from examples of successful habit change in individuals to sports teams and businesses, and how they use marketing and user interface design to instill habitual use in their customers, to broader social change such as the civil rights movement, he shows what habits are, why they matter, and how we can use this knowledge to improve our own habits and hence our lives.
The final chapter on "The Neurology of Free Will: Are We Responsible for Our Habits?" is a bit frustrating, as he examines two cases in an attempt to strongly imply that the one who clearly did have control and could have changed paths at many points (which is the point of the whole book, after all) was not responsible for her actions, while the one who did not have control show more was. I kept thinking, "He really needs to read Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame by Diana Hsieh!" But stick with it, he sorts it out more or less correctly in the end. So while this may not have quite the philosophical depth and breadth of Aristotle, it does dig into some interesting questions and is well worth reading for anyone interested in the power of habit. I would also recommend The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RK2AGO14ZIAYY show less
This is perhaps the classic work in the field of negotiation, and for good reason. Fisher and Ury start by showing the many problems with conventional "positional" bargaining, then proceed to lay out a much more principled approach that instead focuses on interests, separates the people from the problem, and allows for creative problem-solving to create win-win solutions, using objective criteria to define success.
While these principles provide the greatest value in the book, sometimes applying them to real-world situations can be difficult. So the authors go on to provide more specific techniques to use in various sticky situations. They give lots of examples, usually realistic and compelling.
Best of all, these principles and techniques aren't just for hardball business or political negotiations, but can be applied more broadly to all of your interactions and relationships. Want to learn how to deal with colleagues and coworkers more effectively? Keep minor disagreements with your spouse or kids from escalating into destructive arguments? The tools provided in this book can help.
And if you haven't read it yet, you might want to start with William Ury's "prequel" The Power of a Positive No, as I did. It's even better.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R9VNB3K5RA7P
While these principles provide the greatest value in the book, sometimes applying them to real-world situations can be difficult. So the authors go on to provide more specific techniques to use in various sticky situations. They give lots of examples, usually realistic and compelling.
Best of all, these principles and techniques aren't just for hardball business or political negotiations, but can be applied more broadly to all of your interactions and relationships. Want to learn how to deal with colleagues and coworkers more effectively? Keep minor disagreements with your spouse or kids from escalating into destructive arguments? The tools provided in this book can help.
And if you haven't read it yet, you might want to start with William Ury's "prequel" The Power of a Positive No, as I did. It's even better.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R9VNB3K5RA7P
Growth is a keystone concept, one that is starting to show up everywhere, from Carol Dweck's work in psychology on what she termed a growth mindset to business and leadership books such as this. This is unsurprising, as growth is fundamental to life itself, as Blanchard and Miller rightly point out. In Blanchard's usual parable style, they show the importance of growing in several areas of life, from knowledge and skills to relationships (and if you're looking for more along these lines, I'd also recommend Me, Inc. by Scott W. Ventrella). And as usual, they effectively convey a lot of top-notch practicable content.
The only slight demur I have is to their heavy emphasis on serving others and being a "servant leader". There's nothing wrong with service per se of course, and I can interpret this in a way that's unproblematic. But the way the term is used in some social movements and religions comes with some baggage best steered clear of, so given my background I find it a bit creepy. But Blanchard and Miller don't seem to be pushing that kind of self-sacrificial rubbish, as they're all about personal growth and success.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2FNMI6JVHD63M
The only slight demur I have is to their heavy emphasis on serving others and being a "servant leader". There's nothing wrong with service per se of course, and I can interpret this in a way that's unproblematic. But the way the term is used in some social movements and religions comes with some baggage best steered clear of, so given my background I find it a bit creepy. But Blanchard and Miller don't seem to be pushing that kind of self-sacrificial rubbish, as they're all about personal growth and success.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2FNMI6JVHD63M
A meditation on innovation
In Zero to One, Peter Thiel lays out his philosophy of creating value that doesn't yet exist, not just going from 1 to n, but from 0 to 1. This identification of how progress occurs is radically important and makes this book essential reading for anyone who wants not only to make a lot of money, but to change the world.
Thiel takes a deliberately contrarian approach, which can be a bit irritating at times. For instance, he turns conventional wisdom about monopoly and competition on its head, writing that "Competition is for losers" and claiming that winners are those companies that manage to corner a market, as Google has the online search advertising market with its algorithms. Of course, this depends on how you define the market, not to mention the term "monopoly", and in general I find that most such dichotomies turn out to be false alternatives. Another example of this would be his idea of "last mover advantage", turning on its head the conventional idea of first mover advantage; actually, both are true when viewed from a certain perspective. But even if I'd quibble with how Thiel uses such terms as "monopoly" and "competition", he clearly defines his usages and is deliberately emphasizing the commonly under-appreciated sides of these dichotomies, and so conveys his point quite forcefully.
Thiel is excellent on how to avoid destructive competition and bring new value into the world. Businesses that do so tend to use some combination of show more proprietary technology, network effects, economies of scale, and branding. If one can manage all four, its position becomes unassailable. Thiel also disputes the notion that successful entrepreneurs just got lucky somehow, and argues rather that the best are those with the most definite plans for turning their vision of the future into reality. Think Steve Jobs, who was not only famous for his emphasis on product design, but placed every bit as much importance on designing the business itself (for more on this, I'd recommend reading Design Like Apple by John Edson).
While Zero to One is a quick read, these are just a few of the main ideas that I came away with; there is much more material that I haven't even touched on that is mostly excellent or, at the very least, thought-provoking.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R12CTLXYLGDRZW show less
In Zero to One, Peter Thiel lays out his philosophy of creating value that doesn't yet exist, not just going from 1 to n, but from 0 to 1. This identification of how progress occurs is radically important and makes this book essential reading for anyone who wants not only to make a lot of money, but to change the world.
Thiel takes a deliberately contrarian approach, which can be a bit irritating at times. For instance, he turns conventional wisdom about monopoly and competition on its head, writing that "Competition is for losers" and claiming that winners are those companies that manage to corner a market, as Google has the online search advertising market with its algorithms. Of course, this depends on how you define the market, not to mention the term "monopoly", and in general I find that most such dichotomies turn out to be false alternatives. Another example of this would be his idea of "last mover advantage", turning on its head the conventional idea of first mover advantage; actually, both are true when viewed from a certain perspective. But even if I'd quibble with how Thiel uses such terms as "monopoly" and "competition", he clearly defines his usages and is deliberately emphasizing the commonly under-appreciated sides of these dichotomies, and so conveys his point quite forcefully.
Thiel is excellent on how to avoid destructive competition and bring new value into the world. Businesses that do so tend to use some combination of show more proprietary technology, network effects, economies of scale, and branding. If one can manage all four, its position becomes unassailable. Thiel also disputes the notion that successful entrepreneurs just got lucky somehow, and argues rather that the best are those with the most definite plans for turning their vision of the future into reality. Think Steve Jobs, who was not only famous for his emphasis on product design, but placed every bit as much importance on designing the business itself (for more on this, I'd recommend reading Design Like Apple by John Edson).
While Zero to One is a quick read, these are just a few of the main ideas that I came away with; there is much more material that I haven't even touched on that is mostly excellent or, at the very least, thought-provoking.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R12CTLXYLGDRZW show less
A friend recommended Zig Ziglar's See You at the Top, but I picked up this series on leadership and success first. Which was a mistake. Most of the content is pretty darn good (though not great), but it comes from recordings of several different events, most of which just repeat most of the same material over and over. So unless you want to listen to an old man telling the same few stories again and again, don't make the mistake I did. If you want Zig's best material, just get his actual book, rather than this poorly conceived and executed collection with mediocre production and editing.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2I421YNQHAREW
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2I421YNQHAREW
A friend recommended another book by Daniel Siegel called Mindsight, but my library didn't have that on audio so I picked this up instead. Brainstorm turned out to be a tour de force of psychology in its own right, showing how the adolescent mind and brain work, and why, and drawing valuable lessons for the adult mind as well. Siegel covers a lot of territory, and in quite a bit of depth, and most of the material is first rate.
I particularly appreciated his discussion of the importance of integration, both in the brain and the mind, and even in our interpersonal relationships. He did take it a bit far in his conclusion with his concept of "MWe", but he does qualify it somewhat in response to a student's objection, and most of the material is so good that I can let it slide with only this slight demur. I will definitely be picking up Mindsight now.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R31SQHZL7FZ13V
I particularly appreciated his discussion of the importance of integration, both in the brain and the mind, and even in our interpersonal relationships. He did take it a bit far in his conclusion with his concept of "MWe", but he does qualify it somewhat in response to a student's objection, and most of the material is so good that I can let it slide with only this slight demur. I will definitely be picking up Mindsight now.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R31SQHZL7FZ13V
Embattled Rebel does not aim to be a comprehensive biography of Jefferson Davis (as some people seem to have expected), but more modestly (and probably more appealing to a broader audience) just to evaluate him in his role as Commander in Chief of the Confederate cause, as the subtitle states up front. At that task, it is quite successful.
McPherson discloses at the outset that his sympathies lie with Lincoln and the Union cause, but he makes a point of avoiding direct comparisons of the two men in their leadership roles as not particularly helpful and perhaps not even really possible. Rather, he argues that Davis's situation is different enough that it deserves to be evaluated on its own terms.
He begins with Davis's reluctance to become President of the newly born Confederacy, but how he felt compelled by honor to accept, when he would have preferred a military command. He portrays Davis as working tirelessly to advance his cause despite suffering frequent attacks of multiple chronic illnesses. He takes us inside the problems Davis had dealing with his generals (and here is one area where comparisons with Lincoln are apt), arguing that some of the criticism leveled at Davis is justified but much of it is overblown and it's hard to say whether anyone else in his place would have done better. And he takes us through the final months of the war, when even Davis began considering the possibility of recruiting slaves into the Confederate army with the promise of freedom as a show more last ditch effort.
On the whole, McPherson portrays Jefferson Davis as probably the best man for the job after all, it's just a job that no other Southern leader would have been likely to do any better with. It's not that Davis lost the war for the Confederacy, but that Lincoln and the Union won it, and no matter who was in charge in the South they would have had an uphill battle to defeat the more populous, wealthy, and rapidly industrializing North (who also, perhaps most importantly, had the moral high ground, though McPherson tries not to get into that).
A nice companion to McPherson's short works on Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: A Presidential Life and Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief. This one isn't quite as interesting as those, but perhaps that was unavoidable, as its subject is sort of inherently less interesting. Still, it's certainly worth a read.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3D6IGLOABTK48 show less
McPherson discloses at the outset that his sympathies lie with Lincoln and the Union cause, but he makes a point of avoiding direct comparisons of the two men in their leadership roles as not particularly helpful and perhaps not even really possible. Rather, he argues that Davis's situation is different enough that it deserves to be evaluated on its own terms.
He begins with Davis's reluctance to become President of the newly born Confederacy, but how he felt compelled by honor to accept, when he would have preferred a military command. He portrays Davis as working tirelessly to advance his cause despite suffering frequent attacks of multiple chronic illnesses. He takes us inside the problems Davis had dealing with his generals (and here is one area where comparisons with Lincoln are apt), arguing that some of the criticism leveled at Davis is justified but much of it is overblown and it's hard to say whether anyone else in his place would have done better. And he takes us through the final months of the war, when even Davis began considering the possibility of recruiting slaves into the Confederate army with the promise of freedom as a show more last ditch effort.
On the whole, McPherson portrays Jefferson Davis as probably the best man for the job after all, it's just a job that no other Southern leader would have been likely to do any better with. It's not that Davis lost the war for the Confederacy, but that Lincoln and the Union won it, and no matter who was in charge in the South they would have had an uphill battle to defeat the more populous, wealthy, and rapidly industrializing North (who also, perhaps most importantly, had the moral high ground, though McPherson tries not to get into that).
A nice companion to McPherson's short works on Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: A Presidential Life and Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief. This one isn't quite as interesting as those, but perhaps that was unavoidable, as its subject is sort of inherently less interesting. Still, it's certainly worth a read.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3D6IGLOABTK48 show less
I was only vaguely familiar with NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) before reading this, and had the impression that some of its theoretical underpinnings were rather dubious (particularly the linguistic part), but most of the material presented here captures important truths and is imminently practical.
Most people take the way their own mind works for granted, often assuming that everybody else operates in much the same way. But in fact, in a variety of areas there is actually a spectrum of possible approaches, and most people fall more toward one side or the other. A couple of the more obvious examples that Jago discusses early on are whether you are more detail oriented or tend to take more of a big picture view (or what she terms "big chunk" or "small chunk"), or whether you're a task-person or a people-person. Some of these are similar to various personality theories, but she doesn't like the idea of these as being innate, fixed personality traits and instead argues that once you're aware of the opposite approach you can (in good Aristotelian "natural virtue" fashion) learn to drag yourself away from your default setting and toward the other end of the spectrum. Some of the traits were particularly interesting, such as the discussion of how you experience time (what she describes as being "through time" or "in time"), which had never occurred to me before, or seemed especially fundamental, such as whether your attention is drawn more by differences or similarities. show more Also fascinating was the discussion of how all mental processes must be in the form of some sense modality, a fact which I thought I had discovered through discussions with my partner (whose mind tends to work in a different mode than mine), but which I'm glad to see is already known in at least some circles in psychology.
Then there is a sort of transitional chapter about various senses of "modeling" and how to use it to develop your mental flexibility, and then part two applies all these mental tools to various real-life situations, from prioritizing and handling stress more effectively to working in team settings, learning to spot opportunities better, and making decisions. I'd quibble with a few points in this book, but most of the material is fascinating and invaluable.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2OROH6XF4N8KZ show less
Most people take the way their own mind works for granted, often assuming that everybody else operates in much the same way. But in fact, in a variety of areas there is actually a spectrum of possible approaches, and most people fall more toward one side or the other. A couple of the more obvious examples that Jago discusses early on are whether you are more detail oriented or tend to take more of a big picture view (or what she terms "big chunk" or "small chunk"), or whether you're a task-person or a people-person. Some of these are similar to various personality theories, but she doesn't like the idea of these as being innate, fixed personality traits and instead argues that once you're aware of the opposite approach you can (in good Aristotelian "natural virtue" fashion) learn to drag yourself away from your default setting and toward the other end of the spectrum. Some of the traits were particularly interesting, such as the discussion of how you experience time (what she describes as being "through time" or "in time"), which had never occurred to me before, or seemed especially fundamental, such as whether your attention is drawn more by differences or similarities. show more Also fascinating was the discussion of how all mental processes must be in the form of some sense modality, a fact which I thought I had discovered through discussions with my partner (whose mind tends to work in a different mode than mine), but which I'm glad to see is already known in at least some circles in psychology.
Then there is a sort of transitional chapter about various senses of "modeling" and how to use it to develop your mental flexibility, and then part two applies all these mental tools to various real-life situations, from prioritizing and handling stress more effectively to working in team settings, learning to spot opportunities better, and making decisions. I'd quibble with a few points in this book, but most of the material is fascinating and invaluable.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2OROH6XF4N8KZ show less
Learned Optimism is exactly what it sounds like. Dr. Seligman teaches you how to identify your explanatory style in positive or negative situations---how you explain them to yourself---and identifies three broad axes in terms of their perceived permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization.
I would quibble a bit with the quiz to test your own optimism (as I often do with these sorts of things), where one of the questions to test whether you personalize good events is whether you'd be more likely upon winning the lottery to tell yourself it was pure chance, or you picked the right numbers. Not taking credit for "picking the right numbers" doesn't make me a pessimist, it makes me a realist; it's the lottery, by definition it was pure chance!
Leaving that aside, Seligman acknowledges that the personalization of one's explanations is less significant and useful than the pervasiveness and particularly the permanence, which amounts to what Carol Dweck calls Mindset in her book of the same name. And he shows you how to change your mindset across these three dimensions, developing what he calls "flexible optimism" so you can deploy it selectively as appropriate to the situation. For example, you want to be optimistic in most situations, especially those requiring you to call on deeper reserves and in which a pessimistic outlook can only harm your outcome, such as dealing with health problems. But in certain situations, such as those where the failure mode is particularly bad, it's show more helpful to adopt a pessimistic approach at least provisionally in order to ask what could go wrong and figure out how to prevent that (such as surgeons and pilots going through their pre-op or pre-flight checklists every time rather than just assuming that everything is probably going to be okay). This is very useful material.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2P611EX5GJM4S show less
I would quibble a bit with the quiz to test your own optimism (as I often do with these sorts of things), where one of the questions to test whether you personalize good events is whether you'd be more likely upon winning the lottery to tell yourself it was pure chance, or you picked the right numbers. Not taking credit for "picking the right numbers" doesn't make me a pessimist, it makes me a realist; it's the lottery, by definition it was pure chance!
Leaving that aside, Seligman acknowledges that the personalization of one's explanations is less significant and useful than the pervasiveness and particularly the permanence, which amounts to what Carol Dweck calls Mindset in her book of the same name. And he shows you how to change your mindset across these three dimensions, developing what he calls "flexible optimism" so you can deploy it selectively as appropriate to the situation. For example, you want to be optimistic in most situations, especially those requiring you to call on deeper reserves and in which a pessimistic outlook can only harm your outcome, such as dealing with health problems. But in certain situations, such as those where the failure mode is particularly bad, it's show more helpful to adopt a pessimistic approach at least provisionally in order to ask what could go wrong and figure out how to prevent that (such as surgeons and pilots going through their pre-op or pre-flight checklists every time rather than just assuming that everything is probably going to be okay). This is very useful material.
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In The Smoke at Dawn, Jeff Shaara continues to follow the western theater of the Civil War, as the Union forces attempt to follow up on their capture of Vicksburg (chronicled in A Chain of Thunder). But when the Confederates manage to defeat the Union army under General Rosecrans at Chickamauga, they retreat to Chattanooga, and Confederate General Braxton Bragg puts them under siege. When Lincoln removes Rosecrans and elevates Grant to overall command, Grant heads to Chattanooga, where he plans to break the siege if only Sherman will arrive with his forces in time. Meanwhile, Bragg has his own problems as his subordinates question and seek to undermine his leadership.
As usual, Shaara paints vivid portraits of these historical figures, as well as the men in the trenches, represented here again by Private Fritz "Dutchie" Bauer. He even gives us a glimpse of Confederate President Jefferson Davis (for a nonfiction treatment of whom, see James McPherson's recent Embattled Rebel), who has to make an appearance to try to sort out the command problems plaguing Bragg and his subordinate Generals including James Longstreet and Patrick Cleburne, who is particularly interesting as an Irishman fighting for the Southern cause and one of their finest commanders. On the Union side, he also better acquaints us with General George Thomas, who kept the Union defeat and retreat at Chickamauga from becoming a total rout.
This one is a bit slower than most of Shaara's other books, but still show more definitely worth reading. I'm eagerly anticipating the final book in this series.
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As usual, Shaara paints vivid portraits of these historical figures, as well as the men in the trenches, represented here again by Private Fritz "Dutchie" Bauer. He even gives us a glimpse of Confederate President Jefferson Davis (for a nonfiction treatment of whom, see James McPherson's recent Embattled Rebel), who has to make an appearance to try to sort out the command problems plaguing Bragg and his subordinate Generals including James Longstreet and Patrick Cleburne, who is particularly interesting as an Irishman fighting for the Southern cause and one of their finest commanders. On the Union side, he also better acquaints us with General George Thomas, who kept the Union defeat and retreat at Chickamauga from becoming a total rout.
This one is a bit slower than most of Shaara's other books, but still show more definitely worth reading. I'm eagerly anticipating the final book in this series.
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In Retribution, Max Hastings details the final year of the war in the Pacific, giving background on Japan's invasion of China years before Hitler launched his offensive in Europe, and then following events as driven by the major players involved but also as experienced by the soldiers and sailors playing them out. From MacArthur's efforts to recapture the Philippines (which, Hastings argues, did little to bring about the end of the war), to the climactic naval battle of Leyte Gulf and the advent of kamikaze attacks in the fall of '44, the American Army's efforts in China (dealing with Chiang Kai-shek and Mao) and the British in Burma, the island campaigns of 1945 including Iwo Jima and culminating in Okinawa, the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki placed in their historical context of ongoing "conventional" bombing campaigns which were often equally (and sometimes even more) horrifically deadly, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, among other things. Hastings doesn't leave much out.
Perhaps most interesting is Hastings' discussion of Japanese atrocities during the war, both against Allied combatants and prisoners but especially against their Asian conquered subjects, whether Chinese or Filipino. The section on the war-crimes committed in Manila as MacArthur tried to retake it were especially difficult to read (and you can tell listening to the audio edition that even the narrator Simon Vance, whose reading is generally excellent, has a hard time with it). show more Hastings concludes by noting that unlike the Germans, the Japanese (whose war-time record was in many respects as black as that of the Nazis) have never come to terms with or even acknowledged the crimes in their nation's past. It's little wonder that the Chinese still haven't gotten over it, either.
As usual for Hastings (as you'll know if you've read his Catastrophe 1914, The Korean War, to a lesser extent Winston's War, or especially Inferno), this is mostly grim stuff, but fascinating nonetheless as his research is meticulous and his narrative well-structured. Worth reading.
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Perhaps most interesting is Hastings' discussion of Japanese atrocities during the war, both against Allied combatants and prisoners but especially against their Asian conquered subjects, whether Chinese or Filipino. The section on the war-crimes committed in Manila as MacArthur tried to retake it were especially difficult to read (and you can tell listening to the audio edition that even the narrator Simon Vance, whose reading is generally excellent, has a hard time with it). show more Hastings concludes by noting that unlike the Germans, the Japanese (whose war-time record was in many respects as black as that of the Nazis) have never come to terms with or even acknowledged the crimes in their nation's past. It's little wonder that the Chinese still haven't gotten over it, either.
As usual for Hastings (as you'll know if you've read his Catastrophe 1914, The Korean War, to a lesser extent Winston's War, or especially Inferno), this is mostly grim stuff, but fascinating nonetheless as his research is meticulous and his narrative well-structured. Worth reading.
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G. J. Meyer has written an interesting work arguing that the Borgias weren't nearly as bad as they're typically made out to have been. Coming on the hills of his book on The Tudors, in which he argued that they were actually much worse than is generally thought, this might seem like revisionism merely for the sake of taking a novel point of view, almost bordering on contrarianism. To Meyer's credit, however, it seems to have more to do with his insistence on following the evidence wherever it leads, and (just as important in the case of the Borgias) not being taken in by bad or weak evidence or believing the most outlandish allegations in the face of an utter lack of evidence.
This is not to say that he makes them out to be saints, but rather that he tries to present only what we actually know with at least some degree of probability and within their historical context. Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI, for example, appears (as Meyer presents him) to have been a relatively decent pontiff in some respects by the standards of the time, though Meyer is quick to acknowledge his actual faults so far as we can know them, particularly his nepotism in his later years in advancing Cesare (who Meyer plausibly argues was not in fact Rodrigo's illegitimate son but rather a great-nephew, as Rodrigo's alleged mistress still lived in Spain until after most of her children were born while Rodrigo was living in Italy).
Cesare doesn't come off quite so well, in that the sometimes show more violent means by which he pursued his ambition ultimately came back to haunt him, but even he is not that atypical of his times in that respect and the more monstrous allegations against him seem to be the baseless later inventions of the Borgias political enemies, such as that he had an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lucretia.
And it is Lucretia whose wickedness seems to have been most exaggerated, if not invented out of whole cloth, according to Meyer. There is no evidence to support the claims that she was a murderess (by poisoning or any other method) or the aforementioned incest.
If all this sounds a bit disappointing to those interested in a biography of the Borgias hoping for stories of scandalous excess, for those interested in a more objective historical approach Meyer does a fine job presenting a vivid picture of the papacy during the period of the Italian Renaissance. Worth a read.
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This is not to say that he makes them out to be saints, but rather that he tries to present only what we actually know with at least some degree of probability and within their historical context. Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI, for example, appears (as Meyer presents him) to have been a relatively decent pontiff in some respects by the standards of the time, though Meyer is quick to acknowledge his actual faults so far as we can know them, particularly his nepotism in his later years in advancing Cesare (who Meyer plausibly argues was not in fact Rodrigo's illegitimate son but rather a great-nephew, as Rodrigo's alleged mistress still lived in Spain until after most of her children were born while Rodrigo was living in Italy).
Cesare doesn't come off quite so well, in that the sometimes show more violent means by which he pursued his ambition ultimately came back to haunt him, but even he is not that atypical of his times in that respect and the more monstrous allegations against him seem to be the baseless later inventions of the Borgias political enemies, such as that he had an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lucretia.
And it is Lucretia whose wickedness seems to have been most exaggerated, if not invented out of whole cloth, according to Meyer. There is no evidence to support the claims that she was a murderess (by poisoning or any other method) or the aforementioned incest.
If all this sounds a bit disappointing to those interested in a biography of the Borgias hoping for stories of scandalous excess, for those interested in a more objective historical approach Meyer does a fine job presenting a vivid picture of the papacy during the period of the Italian Renaissance. Worth a read.
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Having previously read Cornelius Ryan's other books The Longest Day and The Last Battle (as well as a lot of other World War II history), I didn't expect to find this one particularly interesting. I mean, how could some operation called Market Garden I'd never even heard of possibly compare to the D-Day invasion of Normandy or the fall of Berlin and final collapse of the Nazi regime?
I was pleasantly surprised.
As always, of course, Ryan is a brilliant storyteller, and this story turned out to be no less gripping than his others. The Market portion of the operation was the largest airborne invasion in history as tens of thousands of allied troops were dropped over Holland by parachute or glider. Their mission was to seize and hold several key bridges for advancing ground forces, the Garden portion of the operation, culminating in a bridge at Arnhem whose successful capture would allow the Allies to cross the Rhine and sweep into Germany, potentially ending the war in Europe in 1944.
Since that obviously didn't happen, you know from the start that the operation did not succeed. But the story of the airborne divisions' incredibly heroic efforts (particularly at Arnhem), whose mission to hold their bridges for two or at most four days got dragged out into nine as subsequent airdrops to reinforce and resupply them kept getting delayed and cancelled as weather did not permit their takeoff and ground forces failed to make the rapid progress they were supposed to, is inspiring show more despite the tragedy of their ultimately useless sacrifice. Ryan does a superb job of vividly capturing both the heroism and the tragedy. Now I want to see the movie!
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3QOR4338N6KHD show less
I was pleasantly surprised.
As always, of course, Ryan is a brilliant storyteller, and this story turned out to be no less gripping than his others. The Market portion of the operation was the largest airborne invasion in history as tens of thousands of allied troops were dropped over Holland by parachute or glider. Their mission was to seize and hold several key bridges for advancing ground forces, the Garden portion of the operation, culminating in a bridge at Arnhem whose successful capture would allow the Allies to cross the Rhine and sweep into Germany, potentially ending the war in Europe in 1944.
Since that obviously didn't happen, you know from the start that the operation did not succeed. But the story of the airborne divisions' incredibly heroic efforts (particularly at Arnhem), whose mission to hold their bridges for two or at most four days got dragged out into nine as subsequent airdrops to reinforce and resupply them kept getting delayed and cancelled as weather did not permit their takeoff and ground forces failed to make the rapid progress they were supposed to, is inspiring show more despite the tragedy of their ultimately useless sacrifice. Ryan does a superb job of vividly capturing both the heroism and the tragedy. Now I want to see the movie!
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3QOR4338N6KHD show less
In The Longest Day, Cornelius Ryan chronicles the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, beginning with the preparations leading up to it in order to set the stage, both on the Allied side and from the perspective of the German defenders.
I found his discussion of Rommel's role in preparing the defenses and how he came to be absent when the invasion actually came particularly fascinating. Rommel is a difficult figure to unravel as he was relatively honorable for a German commander in some respects---e.g., he wasn't a Nazi, didn't get along with Hitler, respected his enemies and treated prisoners relatively well, etc.---but he still put his consummate military skill in the service of Hitler's Nazi regime and was thereby responsible for much unnecessary death and suffering on both sides. (In these respects he's somewhat similar to Robert E. Lee in the American Civil War who was anti-slavery and anti-secession but still fought for the Confederacy.) Rommel even designed and deployed some nasty German weapons such as underwater mines used off the beaches of Normandy to blow Allied landing craft out of the water. Ryan does a good job presenting these multifaceted aspects of his character.
The second part of the book deals with the the airborne invasion the night before to pave the way for the amphibious landings on the morning of the 6th, which are the subject of the third part. Both are as compelling as anything Ryan has written, because he has prepared the reader to fully show more understand what's at stake by establishing the context. This book has definitely given me a much deeper appreciation of the meaning of the events of D-Day, as I'm sure it has done for many others, which is why it is deservedly a classic of military history (along with his other books, A Bridge Too Far and The Last Battle, which I also recommend).
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I found his discussion of Rommel's role in preparing the defenses and how he came to be absent when the invasion actually came particularly fascinating. Rommel is a difficult figure to unravel as he was relatively honorable for a German commander in some respects---e.g., he wasn't a Nazi, didn't get along with Hitler, respected his enemies and treated prisoners relatively well, etc.---but he still put his consummate military skill in the service of Hitler's Nazi regime and was thereby responsible for much unnecessary death and suffering on both sides. (In these respects he's somewhat similar to Robert E. Lee in the American Civil War who was anti-slavery and anti-secession but still fought for the Confederacy.) Rommel even designed and deployed some nasty German weapons such as underwater mines used off the beaches of Normandy to blow Allied landing craft out of the water. Ryan does a good job presenting these multifaceted aspects of his character.
The second part of the book deals with the the airborne invasion the night before to pave the way for the amphibious landings on the morning of the 6th, which are the subject of the third part. Both are as compelling as anything Ryan has written, because he has prepared the reader to fully show more understand what's at stake by establishing the context. This book has definitely given me a much deeper appreciation of the meaning of the events of D-Day, as I'm sure it has done for many others, which is why it is deservedly a classic of military history (along with his other books, A Bridge Too Far and The Last Battle, which I also recommend).
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In The Last Battle, Cornelius Ryan recounts the battle for Berlin and the final collapse of the Nazi regime, as the Allies swept into Germany from the west only to cede the capital to the Soviet army. Most western audiences are naturally more familiar with events on the western front, but here Ryan focuses more on the clash of the Germans and the Soviets to the east. This is grim stuff as the Russians wreak their vengeance, but nonetheless fascinating; if you've read his other books, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, you know he paints a vivid picture, weaving several threads into a gripping narrative.
It's difficult to wrap one's head around the level of barbaric brutality to which supposedly civilized societies could descend so recently in our past, unless you remember that the Nazis in the end were reaping the bitter fruits of the seeds of hatred and violence that they had sown (which is not to excuse some of the Soviet excesses). Ryan does an excellent job capturing the senseless horror or it, while still managing to find some meaning amidst the chaos. Even if you've read quite a bit about the war, I can almost guarantee there's plenty of material here you've not seen elsewhere. Definitely worth a read.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RO0Q4OEILI3TW
It's difficult to wrap one's head around the level of barbaric brutality to which supposedly civilized societies could descend so recently in our past, unless you remember that the Nazis in the end were reaping the bitter fruits of the seeds of hatred and violence that they had sown (which is not to excuse some of the Soviet excesses). Ryan does an excellent job capturing the senseless horror or it, while still managing to find some meaning amidst the chaos. Even if you've read quite a bit about the war, I can almost guarantee there's plenty of material here you've not seen elsewhere. Definitely worth a read.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RO0Q4OEILI3TW
This is a collection of talks by a variety of motivational speakers, so I expected it to be a bit of a mixed bag but thought most of them would be pretty good, having enjoyed some of Made for Success's other offerings. Instead, I found them almost uniformly disappointing.
Some are just bad (e.g., those by Jennifer Sedlock and Sarita Maybin). Some, such as Les Brown's, almost have the feel of a religious revival meeting, so that I half expected the audience (in cases where it was recorded live) to start shouting "Hallelujah!" That's more in terms of the style of presentation than the content, but even the content veers in that direction occasionally as Zig Ziglar, for example, insists on promoting some religious ideas and even quotes Bible verses. I found Charley "Tremendous" Jones's attempts at humor rather forced so that they mostly fell flat, and his over the top energy level to be kind of off-putting. I kept wondering what kind of drugs he was doing, so I could avoid them. Even Laura Stack, who's done some excellent work (I'd recommend her Ultimate Time Management System and The Exhaustion Cure over this), is not at the top of her game here. The sad thing is that there's actually some decent content here if you can get past all these distracting elements, but it's pretty difficult.
Probably the best contribution is Mark Victor Hansen's, who as far as I could tell had some really good material, but by the time I got to his at the very end, I had a hard time caring enough show more to really focus as much as I would have liked. What does it say about an audio program on motivation that its effect is that demotivating?
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Some are just bad (e.g., those by Jennifer Sedlock and Sarita Maybin). Some, such as Les Brown's, almost have the feel of a religious revival meeting, so that I half expected the audience (in cases where it was recorded live) to start shouting "Hallelujah!" That's more in terms of the style of presentation than the content, but even the content veers in that direction occasionally as Zig Ziglar, for example, insists on promoting some religious ideas and even quotes Bible verses. I found Charley "Tremendous" Jones's attempts at humor rather forced so that they mostly fell flat, and his over the top energy level to be kind of off-putting. I kept wondering what kind of drugs he was doing, so I could avoid them. Even Laura Stack, who's done some excellent work (I'd recommend her Ultimate Time Management System and The Exhaustion Cure over this), is not at the top of her game here. The sad thing is that there's actually some decent content here if you can get past all these distracting elements, but it's pretty difficult.
Probably the best contribution is Mark Victor Hansen's, who as far as I could tell had some really good material, but by the time I got to his at the very end, I had a hard time caring enough show more to really focus as much as I would have liked. What does it say about an audio program on motivation that its effect is that demotivating?
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I picked this up after listening to The Ultimate Time Management System by the same author. Again, there is nothing groundbreaking here, but she does a good job combining and condensing a lot of the best advice into a workable system. By workable, I mean it has two very important features: it is both flexible and easy (or at least possible) to implement (which is not true of some other books on similar subjects).
She has chapters covering a broad array of topics, beginning with things like sleep, nutrition, and exercise, which makes sense because these really are fundamental factors underlying health and energy level. And there is of course material on time management and getting organized, which is her area of expertise. But she goes beyond that and covers everything from positive thinking and relationships to saying no (for more on which, see William Ury's The Power of a Positive No). There is even a section on the importance of dental hygiene. But I especially love that she included chapters on lifelong learning, and purpose and pursuing your dreams. She really covers all the bases, which is a pretty impressive feat. While some of her advice on, say, nutrition may be outdated, this is probably inevitable given the controversial, still-evolving nature of the field. In general, her advice is sound, and those who are suffering from a low energy level (assuming it's not caused by some underlying medical condition they need to have treated) would probably benefit a great show more deal by following it.
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She has chapters covering a broad array of topics, beginning with things like sleep, nutrition, and exercise, which makes sense because these really are fundamental factors underlying health and energy level. And there is of course material on time management and getting organized, which is her area of expertise. But she goes beyond that and covers everything from positive thinking and relationships to saying no (for more on which, see William Ury's The Power of a Positive No). There is even a section on the importance of dental hygiene. But I especially love that she included chapters on lifelong learning, and purpose and pursuing your dreams. She really covers all the bases, which is a pretty impressive feat. While some of her advice on, say, nutrition may be outdated, this is probably inevitable given the controversial, still-evolving nature of the field. In general, her advice is sound, and those who are suffering from a low energy level (assuming it's not caused by some underlying medical condition they need to have treated) would probably benefit a great show more deal by following it.
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The Ultimate Time Management System!: Featuring The Productivity Pro Planner by Day-Timer by Laura Stack
I don't know if this is the "ultimate" time management system, but it is an excellent one. There isn't anything particularly original here---readers of other time management books will recognize familiar elements from everything from David Allen's Getting Things Done to Tim Ferriss's The 4-Hour Workweek---but with a few minor differences, most of which are improvements or at worst optional, and Stack does a good job gathering all the best pieces of advice and integrating them into a useful system that you can tailor to fit your needs.
I'm especially time challenged, with ongoing medical issues eating up most of the hours of my days and weeks, and I had found GTD pretty much impossible to implement given my situation. I was able to use a few ideas from 4HWW which helped to some extent, but it's thanks to Stack's presentation that I actually now have the time to write this review (and others) again. I just wish that the "Productivity Pro" day planner featured in the subtitle were still available, because as she describes it it sounds incredibly useful and I can't find anything else like it.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R10PF88KGONLY3
I'm especially time challenged, with ongoing medical issues eating up most of the hours of my days and weeks, and I had found GTD pretty much impossible to implement given my situation. I was able to use a few ideas from 4HWW which helped to some extent, but it's thanks to Stack's presentation that I actually now have the time to write this review (and others) again. I just wish that the "Productivity Pro" day planner featured in the subtitle were still available, because as she describes it it sounds incredibly useful and I can't find anything else like it.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R10PF88KGONLY3
As someone who's all about focusing on the positive, the title of this book intrigued me. Isn't saying "No" sort of inherently negative? On the other hand, you obviously can't say yes to everything, or your results will turn negative in pretty short order.
William Ury skillfully untangles this paradox by showing us how to dig deeper into our motivations. When we say no reactively out of anger, we damage our relationships. When we say yes reactively out of guilt or fear, we damage our own interests and values. We should instead be proactive in protecting our own interests and values, which will allow us to say no when necessary in such a way as to preserve our relationships at the same time.
The book is neatly divided into three parts or "stages" of three chapters each. Stage one is on preparing your no, and here he gives several helpful tools for introspecting and figuring out what you really want so you can act accordingly, which isn't always as easy or straightforward as it might sound. Stage two is on delivering your no, and includes a lot of examples of actual language you can use to make your refusal both more effective and less off-putting (because these don't have to be positively correlative!). Stage three is on follow-through and offers strategies for sticking to your own interests and values and making sure your no means no even when they don't want to take no for an answer (as anyone with children is all too familiar with).
The three chapters within each stage are show more because of what Ury calls the two biggest mistakes people make when saying no, the first being starting with no, and the second being ending with it. Perhaps counterintuitively, to say no effectively it helps to begin and end with yes. So the first chapter in each stage deals with the deeper yes in which you root your no, your own positive interests and values; the second with the no itself; and the third with the proposal of a hopefully more mutually agreeable alternative.
This structure may look a little too neat at first glance, but it's actually very practical and effective. And while this might sound simple and easy, it isn't. But this book will help make saying no simpler, easier, and most importantly more effective than it otherwise would be.
A note on the audio edition: I was pleasantly surprised when I realized at the end that the narrator was the author. Usually it's all too obvious when this is the case, but while listening I had assumed it was being read by a professional, and a good one at that. So Ury is not only among the better authors I've read lately, but also among the best narrators I've listened to. I've not yet read his earlier books Getting to Yes and Getting Past No (and he says he regards this book as a sort of prequel to those), but I'll definitely be picking them up.
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William Ury skillfully untangles this paradox by showing us how to dig deeper into our motivations. When we say no reactively out of anger, we damage our relationships. When we say yes reactively out of guilt or fear, we damage our own interests and values. We should instead be proactive in protecting our own interests and values, which will allow us to say no when necessary in such a way as to preserve our relationships at the same time.
The book is neatly divided into three parts or "stages" of three chapters each. Stage one is on preparing your no, and here he gives several helpful tools for introspecting and figuring out what you really want so you can act accordingly, which isn't always as easy or straightforward as it might sound. Stage two is on delivering your no, and includes a lot of examples of actual language you can use to make your refusal both more effective and less off-putting (because these don't have to be positively correlative!). Stage three is on follow-through and offers strategies for sticking to your own interests and values and making sure your no means no even when they don't want to take no for an answer (as anyone with children is all too familiar with).
The three chapters within each stage are show more because of what Ury calls the two biggest mistakes people make when saying no, the first being starting with no, and the second being ending with it. Perhaps counterintuitively, to say no effectively it helps to begin and end with yes. So the first chapter in each stage deals with the deeper yes in which you root your no, your own positive interests and values; the second with the no itself; and the third with the proposal of a hopefully more mutually agreeable alternative.
This structure may look a little too neat at first glance, but it's actually very practical and effective. And while this might sound simple and easy, it isn't. But this book will help make saying no simpler, easier, and most importantly more effective than it otherwise would be.
A note on the audio edition: I was pleasantly surprised when I realized at the end that the narrator was the author. Usually it's all too obvious when this is the case, but while listening I had assumed it was being read by a professional, and a good one at that. So Ury is not only among the better authors I've read lately, but also among the best narrators I've listened to. I've not yet read his earlier books Getting to Yes and Getting Past No (and he says he regards this book as a sort of prequel to those), but I'll definitely be picking them up.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R24F8ERAW59MRS show less