Social Sciences Books

"There Are No Children Here" is an extraordinary book about living in the projects of chicago. This book is dated since this project got knocked down years ago, but it does not make the story any less relevant. It's about two boys, Lafeyette and Pharoah, and their families living day to day just trying to survive. You get into this story quick and stay there. It's a good read. I recommend it.

I found this book both rewarding and disturbing at the same time but appreciated that it took me out of my middle class comfort zone and reminded me that there are social and cultural inequities that continue to cry out urgently for solutions.
Mr Kotlowitz has the ability to describe the lives of two young gentle souls who are raised as best their mother can against a system that tolerates, shamefully, physical surrounds and economic deprivations that most of us can only guess at.
The author narrates his observations as he follows the children around and describes how they deal with the life they are dealt and the heroics involved in order to do so over a two year period.
I think that the way we are shown how their loving mother has to go about her daily life should awaken in all of us a desire to help in any way we can, to find ways to ease the life of those who live in sub standard housing and the lack of more assistance to live a more comfortable and nurturing life.
Without tackling such issues, we continue to condemn our youngsters to a way of life that inhibits their potential and ingrains the social ills that contribute significantly to their development.
Mr Kotlowitz,in deciding to help those youngster personally, to give them the opportunity to study at a private school, whether they did or did not ultimately benefit from his generosity, is an example most of us can only dream about.
I highly recommend this book to all who may wish to gain insight into a class in our society that cries out for understanding and assistance.

Incredible book and this is a strong and valid depiction of life in the Chgo Housing Projects as seen through the eyes of 2 young boys and their family members. The uphill battles and huge struggles are incomprehensible. You don't have to be from Chgo to appreciate this.

Kotlowitz has given us a striking example of the power of journalism.

This book is able to show the reader the plight of the urban poor without overly moralizing. Kotlowitz gives a straight ahead account of the lives of Lafeyette and Pharoah, the two brothers this book centers. Their struggles to retain their innocence while living in an environment that strips it away is mesmerizing.

I could not help but empathize with the families in this book. A lot of pundits will say that poor people are lazy, but this book brings a lot of their challenges to light. When survival is a day to day struggle, how can people be expected to get ahead? Kotlowitz details the struggles the boys and their families have in trying to improve their situation.

This book is a modern classic about poverty and its effects, in the vein of 'Down and Out in Paris and London' by George Orwell. Anyone wanting to understand 'welfare moms' and why they don't improve their situations should read this.

Nice mix of anecdote and historical background on life in inner city America. Excellent insight into the everyday difficulties faced by families and some of the root causes. This book, though almost 20 years old, still has a message that needs to be heard.

Dr. Goleman writes a compelling book, filled with interesting findings. We learn that we are predisposed to connect with others, and the role of the brain, dopamines etc. in our relationships. I loved reading about how our emotions are involved in our relationships. Any reader who is interested in social neuroscience, should read this book. As I am a great fan of Rosalene Glickman's philosophy "The purpose of relationships is to be our best self regardless of the circumstances", I recommend Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self. Read both books!

In 1995, as an officer in the US Submarine force, I read Goleman's first book - "Emotional Intelligence". It was an eye-opener for someone in a leadership role operating under unusual and extremely stressful conditions. None of my military leadership training, nor any of my mentors in the military, had prepared me for leading people on an emotional level.

Naturally, Goleman's most recent book strikes a similar chord. Whether it's a social, business or casual interaction, this book explains many of the fundamental dynamics of the human brain when interacting with another person. While much of it seems intuitive, and many of the referenced sytudies have been cited in other works, this book packages it all together rather nicely. Fans of the Cameron Diaz/Ben Stiller movie "There's Something About Mary" will even recognize a scientific correlation to the famed "don't go out with a loaded gun" discussion. (No, not the unconventional hair gel, but the condition of the male brain after the fact.)

Combined with "The Tipping Point", this book makes the required reference library for any marketeer.

Daniel Goleman's book, "Social Intelligence- The New Science of Human Relationships", is a thought-provoking, analytical immersion in how people interact with one another on a daily basis. Goleman is perhaps widely recognized for his earlier success when he wrote about a similar theme in his previous book Emotional Intelligence.

Goleman's theories are intellectually stimulating and applicable in daily living. Case by case, the author is thoroughly able to prove his hypothesis- that healthy human interaction is directly connected to well being, tranquility, and a general sense of happiness. Goleman writes in depth about social awareness and social facility. He states that social awareness is possible by "instantaneously sensing another's inner state" and that this awareness itself can lead to mutually satisfying communication. As we live our daily lives, our social interactions, both with strangers and those within our familiar circle can grow richer and easier each and every day, as long as we remain socially `aware'.

Goleman's insights remind me of two of my favorite authors Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes have written two wonderful and inspiring books entitled Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenmentand Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation. Both books are full of incredible and insightful examples of how their friends and family members were able to attain well being and satisfaction in their lives by simply developing self awareness and awareness of others. Their technique is called Instantaneous Transformation. It's easy to understand and apply in your daily life- and the results are really instantaneous! In one of my favorite passages in Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation, the Kanes define awareness as "a non-judgmental witnessing, viewing or seeing of yourself and how you interact with your life." Imagine living a life that is free of judgment- that you could actually allow yourself to interact with others without the need to hide behind societal labels? Imagine living your life with free and easy communication- and interacting with your life exactly as it shows up without predetermined preferences! The Kanes offer numerous insights on how to make all of the above possible.

The Kanes' books allows for practical application that seems to nicely compliment Goleman's theories. I highly recommend that you read all three books as companion pieces.

For Goleman fans, who seek an in-depth coverage of the scientific
research behind social intelligence, this book will satisfy. It can be an essential resource for researchers and human development practitioners, but may have less appeal for those seeking a more applied, "how-to" explanation. Goleman provides lots of scientific tidbits, but little advice on how to actually describe, assess, or teach social intelligence as a set of practical competencies. As with his first book, "Emotional Intelligence: Why It May Be More Important than IQ," educators and business users will find it necessary to develop their own methods for application.

It's worth noting that this book was published a year after the publication of Dr. Karl Albrecht's book, "Social Intelligence: the New Science of Success." Albrecht's book offers a more practical, "street level" treatment of the subject, with a five-point descriptive model of social intelligence, ("S.P.A.C.E.," which stands for Situational Awareness, Presence, Authenticity, Clarity, and Empathy) and a primary focus on how those dimensions can be measured and developed.

Recommendation: read both books.

This book has some interesting new ideas, spread thinly among pages of personal anecdotes and wishy-washy prose. The part that really killed it for me was where Goleman casually dismisses Richard Dawkins' "Selfish Gene" theory with an explanation "it works in some cases, but here's what I think is _really_ going on..." Way to tackle an argument buddy.

You will understand less after reading this book.

the order matched the product description perfectly and i got my book in 2 days as promised. i was left extremely satisfied with my purchase.

This text is easy to read, easy to understand and therefore not intimidating as far as Stats Texbooks go.

This book is a good but it truly does not cover biostatistics as well as Clinical Epidemiology by Fletcher or Designing Clinical Research by Stephen Hulley. I think that the other two books are a better buy for your buck. This book is well written but very specific in whom it will appeal to--namely those users who need assistance in the use of the computerized statistical packages.

The book was brand new and arrived very promptly! The only thing I would caution you when buying this book, is that is does NOT include the CD with it...so research a little further before purchasing. Overall, great experience and a great book!

This book really helped to simplify much of the statistical information that I received in class. I warn that some chapters are more digestible than others but overall it is a good book for someone who is likely to struggle in a statistics class.

We all talk. (Some of us more than others). But all humans -- barring a problem such as deafness -- talk. Even our deaf friends talk by means of a complicated language of visual signs.

And Steven Pinker tells this story, the story of human language, and why it's so essential a part of our humanity, well. Following Chomsky, he posits a universal language structure, an innate part of our being who we are, and how small children grow quickly into complex grammatical and syntactical structures.

And for the most part, this is a good read. My only complaint is that on occasions, Dr. Pinker waxes a bit too eloquent, telling more information than is needed for the argument, giving pages and pages of examples when one or 2 would do. But this is a good introduction to the whole question of why and how we talk, and by inference how we think.

i liked this book better than pinker's "how the mind works." it was a little more focused, obviously, and i feel that pinker had better explanations for his ideas re language and linguistics than for the mind as a whole (tho he did use examples from the "mind" book here, and vice versa). it got a little thick thru the parts discussing grammar rules, but on the whole a good read that kept my interest. less dense than "how the mind works" and on the whole more intriguing.

I found this book to be an interesting and informative read. While I am interested in linguistics (and thus was probably a bit more excited about the topic than the average person), I think this book would also be enjoyable for anyone. Pinker writes in an understandable manner, mostly avoiding linguistic jargon and always explaining complex topics in a generally understandable way.

Additionally, the latest edition includes a "P.S." addition at the end that incudes Q&A with Pinker as well as a summary for each chapter of new advances that have been made since the book was originally written--a nice addition to an already great book.

I give this book five stars not because its reasoning is impeccable, or its writing everywhere beautiful, or its theme always engaging and irresistible. In none of these dimensions is it flawless. But I would nonetheless recommend it without reservation to all readers, so I feel I must give it five stars.

This book is great because of its fascinating subject, and the myriad of relevant ideas and examples it reveals. The book is more of in interesting discussion on a topic than an orderly defense of a thesis. But so many of the examples are utterly fascinating that, were there no attempt to patch them together into a single narrative, this book would still be intriguing and enjoyable. To give you a sense of why I love this book I must mention a few of these here.

Pinker discusses:

>how children, in a single generation, can transform a pidgin (an awkward combination of two languages created by the mingling of two populations with different native languages) into a creole (a composite language that is no longer awkward but instead melds the parent languages into a new one with all of the richness and complexity of any other natural language). He further describes how deaf children creolized artificially constructed sign languages into a natural language with all of the features and depth of expression that extant languages have.

>in depth, the concept that language defines the boundaries of thought and expression.

>how varieties of brain injuries and genetic mutations can alter very specific language abilities while leaving other general cognitive functioning unharmed.

>efforts to teach other animals language.

>how languages change over time and what rules the changes preserve and what aspects of language are up for grabs.

I will force myself to stop. As I flip through the pages of the book I find countless other examples and frequently get caught up in them all over again and have to tear myself away.

Now, I must warn you, that if you are not interested in theories of linguistics and cognition and computer science then there are, here and there, some more nuts and bolts discussions of how language works that you will find to be a bit dry. They're really not bad, and if you ARE interested in the above they're actually quite fascinating. But if you find your interest waning as you encounter these rougher patches, never fear, they are a relatively minor component of the book, and there are many more vigorous discussions yet to come.

If you are interested in language, how it works, how we learn it, and how it affects us, then you will love this book. I find Pinker's arguments in favor of the view that language is innate in humans to be compelling, and I think that most people would find the suggestion to be pretty intuitive. But don't let your feelings about the outcome of this argument obscure the many simpler pleasures available to the reader who innocently enjoys the many vistas afforded by this excellent tour of the world of linguistics.

I thought this was going to be a book about HOW to learn a language. I'm giving this four stars, b/c it's not really the author's fault that I picked the wrong book for my purpose. It's written well and explained well, but I really don't need someone to spend a whole lot of pages explaining to me that we instinctively learn. BUT I understand that there are people who do want to read a whole lot of pages explaining this theory, so...four stars it is. In case you didn't get that, it's NOT a book that teaches you how to learn a language.

Perhaps the greatest validation I could afford this book is its applicability to my own life.

I read parts of this book when I was younger. It was somewhat interesting then in a very abstract way of "Oh, look at how all the stories are similar. Cool."

Since that time, however, having nothing to do with Campbell, I have followed my highest intuitive guidance (or, my bliss, as Campbell would say) through hell and high water. I have reached the depths of despair and the heights of ecstasy. Confused why my life was so miserable all the while the mystical forces guiding me were more prevalent than ever, I was struck by the notion that I was being stripped of my ego.

A few days later I was in a bookstore and, without any thought of a connection, began flipping through this book. I could not copy passages fast enough. I was reading - in Campbell's writing and in the ancient stories throughout time - the experience through which I have been traveling.

In following my highest intuitive guidance (aka bliss), I have inadvertently lived the hero's journey: removed from the comforts of my life, put through tests where the realm between the physical and the metaphysical shattered with forces helpful and hurtful engaging almost simultaneously, been stripped of my ego, been given vast insights to help save our civilization, and am now reaching the phase of return.

Whatever the critiques of this book are with regard to outdated psychological theories and science, this book reveals the ancient wisdoms of humanity available to all if they all simply follow their bliss. Those who critique it on technicalities have simply not experienced the transcendence necessary to read this book and the stories of history as an inadvertent autobiography.

Perhaps most compelling about this book is I have to remind myself it was written in 1949. The language and style are so timeless.

For those burdened by the many stories and complexities within, I would suggest that there are two ways of reading this book:

1. Academically, whereby you study the stories and their relation to the overall theme.

2. Stylistically, whereby you skim through the stories and focus on Campbell's analytical writing. In just doing that, you will be able to find the main thrust of the journey's key points without getting lost in how ancient cultures understood this same journey for themselves.

I read this book as a recommendation from a friend, supposedly I wasn't going to be able to put it down. While I didn't find the book as difficult to read as some, the writing style is still dry and somewhat unapproachable. I was also told that the underlying ideology of the book was distinctly non-western in tone and content. However, when you scutinize the basic logic of the philosophy that he derives from the observation that many myths are similar in cross-culturally relevant ways, one sees that his concept is essentially Christian in nature.

Campbell asserts, toward the end of the text, that mankind is unified not only to the rest of humanity but to the whole of reality. Somehow he concludes that because many stories originating from many disperate cultures are basically similar man must not be the summation of his parts or the combination of his actions, body, thoughts and deeds. In fact all of the characteristics and actions of man are mere accidents and it is simply the foible of turning away from our underlying unified "essence" toward the dividing ego that causes all of the suffering in the world.

Supposedly this is a non-christian concept, however, if we replace essence with God we see that these two supposedly different ideas are nearly identical. Basic theology asserts that God is one, much like the oneness of Campbell's unifying essence. God is also the ground from which all being arises, much like the fundemental essence of reality to which man and all things are connected, and from which all things are derived. Also, in Christianity man causes suffering in his life by turning from God toward himself, seeking to worship the value of ego over the value of man's connectedness to God. How does this differ from the assertion by Campbell that man cuses much of his own strife by turning away from the fundamental "essence" of all reality toward the purely, transitory, non-eternal, accidental ego which is supposedly only an illusion of who each one of us truly is.

Ultimately it's deep philosophy for a thirteen year old who thinks it's neat to wonder about the coyote eating the rabbit and the coyote dying and decomposing and a plant eating the coyote and then a rabbit eating the plant. Aside from that it's a pretty decent, though biased introduction to world mythology, espesially if you're lazy (like me) and don't intend to actually read most of the myths and stories mentioned in the book.

This work is Campbell's most famous and has been the source most quoted as being the inspiration for "The Hero's Journey" as outlined in many Hollywood screenplays. Most notably George Lucas' Star Wars Saga. While many may find the work to be more scholarly in its approach and not as easily accessable as some of the books written about Campbell's ideas, it is a necessary part of the student of mythology's library. Some may find it easier to get acquainted with the teacher's work through other volumes of his collected works, and The Hero with a Thousand Faces may be an easier read after one is already abreast of Campbell's modus operendi. A casual reader may find that the scholar's approach to be a bit hard to get through, although this only serves to prove the point that Campbell's scope of knowledge and research was vast. And yet this is an essential component to illustrating his theme, in that it ties all the disparate cultures under one mythic banner. Campbell found that all the heroes in all cultures, despite what costumes they wore, or weapons they carried, all followed one hero thread that cut across all cultures and nationalities. His work serves to remind the tellers of tales that despite all that makes us different, we are all the same in the most important way. We are all human. To students of mythology this is a must read!

There's nothing I can say about Campbell that hasn't been written already. I used this masterpiece of his work to write my Master's Thesis and got nominated for a creative thesis award. Thank you, Joseph Campbell, may your soul rest in peace!

Ok, this is the big one! Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" is a revolution in the field of Anthropology of Religion. His lucid study of Mythology has literally changed the way the world views ITSELF. Ok I'm sorry I don't want to overstate things, but I don't think I am. If you read this book and actually understand what he is saying you wont be the same.

Campbell has found the creative archtypes found throughout history in the mythologies of all cultures. There is an excellent blend of classical psychology as well as Occidental and Oriental Mythology references.

If you have never read Joseph Campbell and you love Mythology BUY THIS BOOK! Buy the POWER OF MYTH and watch the video with Bill Moyers.

Joseph Campbell is the best.

Paul Hawken has a wonderful gift of pattern recognition that enables him to draw from diverse sources and sew together a patchwork of information that is compelling in its message: We must work together if life on this planet as we know it today is going to survive the threats of devaluation of individual life, depleted resources, pollution and global heating. (Heating is my term. I feel that `warming' is an unacceptable euphemism!)What is most appealing to me after the excellent summary of facts and issues is Hawken's positive spin on the situation.

When asked at colleges if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren't pessimistic, you don't have the correct data. If you meet the people in this unnamed movement and aren't optimistic, you haven't got a heart. What I see are ordinary and some not-so-ordinary individuals willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world. (p. 4)

Healing the wounds of the earth and its people does not require saintliness or a political party, only gumption and persistence. It is not a liberal or conservative activity; it is a sacred act. (p. 5)

In total, the book is inadvertently optimistic, an odd thing in these bleak times. I didn't intend it; optimism discovered me. (p. 8)

Hawken points out that the roots of our problems lie in our concepts and attitudes about our world. For instance, production and acquisition of material goods has become the primary focus and goal of the modern world, to the point that they are more important than people. This has shaped our mentality in self-destructive ways. Mass production and distribution of products become more economical and profitable through uniformity. Living systems thrive best on diversity, which provides a gene pool that can adapt to external challenges. However, in the name of enhancing efficiency of food production, distribution and sales, our diversity has been sacrificed and the biological pool of genetic resources has been systematically whittled down to the cheapest and most marketable varieties of edibles. This mind-set is core to the struggles of our modern world between the interests of business and industry and the interests of people and the environment.

In the pursuit of industrial and economic growth that has assumed the proportions of an ideology, natural resources have been over-exploited to the point that they are depleted. Our fish, trees, land and waters have been wantonly exploited, with little if any thought to the needs of tomorrow, much less to those of future generations. Similarly with people:

Slaves, serfs, and the poor are the forests, soils, and oceans of society; each constitutes surplus value that has been exploited repeatedly by those in power, whether governments or multinational corporations. (p. 22)

Trade is not the salient issue; the critical question is, Who sets the rules and who enforces them? There can be no sustainability when institutions whose primary purpose is to create money are dictating the standards. (p. 135)

As a uniform trading system sweeps over the world, the monetary gains are called GDP, but the losses that are suffered, even in the industrialized West, much less in the Third World, are not tallied, as if one were recording sales at the cash register but ignoring thefts at the back of the warehouse. (p. 118)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) seeks to establish commerce as the basis for governing the world. It is set up without checks and balances, as a dictatorial institution that can override local populations' wishes and needs.

The purpose of the organization could not be simpler: the eliminations of constraints on the flow of trade, including how a product is made, by whom it is made, or what happens after it is made. By doing so, WTO removes individual countries; and regions; ability to set standards, to express values, or to determine what they do or do not support if those standards conflict with WTO rules. (p. 120)

In all WTO rulings one common denominator prevails, and the denominator is money. (p. 129)

The severity of the challenges has spawned both awareness and action groups. Hawken gives brief discursive summaries of several dozens of these, and many more as annotated references.

The exponential assault on resources and the production of waste, coupled with the extirpation of cultures and the exploitation of workers, is a disease as surely as hepatitis or cancer. It is sponsored by a political-economic system of which we are all a part, and any finger-pointing is inevitably directed back to ourselves. There may be no particular they there, but the system is still a disease, even if we created and contracted it. Because a lot of people know we are sick and want to treat the cause, not just the symptoms, the environmental movement can be seen as humanity's response to contagious policies killing the earth, while the social justice movement addresses economic and legislated pathogens that destroy families, bodies, cultures, and communities. (p. 145)

Action groups work at different levels to promote a saner, sustainable world:
· Watch organizations - monitor governmental institutions, corporations and geographically sensitive areas
· Keeper groups - advocate for the preservation of waters and all their users
· Networks - combine the information, knowledge and action focus of like-minded groups

For example:
· The US Green Building Council (USGBC) promotes awareness of, use, and distribution of building materials that do not deplete or harm the environment.
· "Slow Food (alimento lento) is the long overdue response to dead food, processed food, fast food, agribusiness..." (p. 155)
· Microloans help to bring hardworking people out of poverty. Kiva.org brokers loans on line.

Hawken points out that every one of us bears a responsibility to participate in addressing these problems. The two basic rules to guide us must be the Golden Rule and the Sacredness of All Life. We must aim for a `zero-waste society" or better, a restorative one.

We will either come together as one, globalized people, or we will disappear as a civilization. To come together we must know our place in a biological and cultural sense, and reclaim our role as engaged agents of our continued existence. (p. 165)

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - to anyone interested in contributing to healing our modern societal illnesses and insanities and saving our world.

This is a wonderfully documented guide about groups working for social justice and for bringing balance and restoring our planet's seriously damaged environment.

Among many issues, Paul Hawken tells us that fighting for those important objectives, ideology or partisan politics play a secondary role, because civilization survival is on the balance and people's direct involvement is vital.

Saving Earth and bringing social justice to all must have priority over short term goals, such as profit maximizing via externilizing costs to society.

The road for the largest social movement in history is long and full of powerful obstacles. That is why social and ecological education along with democratic participation are crucial. After all, real democracy is built from the bottom up and not the other way around, as the political establishment wants us to believe.

I heard about Paul Hawken few weeks ago and I decided to buy his book. I just feel that I learnt so much, the information is clear, the writing is great. Loved the image of the immune system as a comparison of the reaction of people who fight for Human Rights, Environment, Culture, Language, etc. I just want to read more now about these subjects. (sorry for the mistakes)

Some of my friends found this book really inspiring. I tend to look for things like detailed and balanced analysis of issues, in-depth descriptions of the work of political groups, and sophisticated understanding of the way in which voluntary organizations interact with elite politics and economic factors. This book is weak on all of those - but it DOES have a lot of inspirational rhetoric.

A few years ago, activist author Paul Hawken set out to create a database of every non-profit in the world categorized into a taxonomy, which is now on the web in a sort of Wikipedia community format at wiserearth (dot) org - This had never really been done before and he was surprised by the sheer number of organizations working independently to make the world a better place. He found a common thread that all were concerned about the environment and human justice. From this he concluded that there is a global "movement" (a word with many qualifiers) the likes of which have never been seen. He compares it to the "Industrial Revolution" - at the time everyone knew something different was happening, but no one had a name for it or even described it as a unique event, it was both everywhere and unrecognized. Likewise, according to Hawken, this global movement is from the ground up, with no core ideology or leadership, it's an historical mass movement that has snuck up on us and only now being recognized as a major shift.

I think Hawken's message is a powerful one and will appeal to the millions of people working in small groups in isolation against large and powerful forces. Hawken does in fact describe a new trend that has been observed by others: the recent rise, proliferation and influence of NGOs. Hawken contends top-down organizations led by ideologies are old school 20th century, the future is distributed small organic holistic, sort of like how Wikipedia is made, millions of individuals (small and large NGOs) contributing expertise on a local basis that has the net effect of global human and environmental justice.

I had some problems with the book, it is clearly a one-sided manifesto and much of it is historical anecdote of well known incidents (the Bolivian water wars, the India coke pesticide case, etc..) and presents a single side. These issues are extremely complex, it is rarely so easy to say there are good and bad guys, it is harmful IMO to present these controversial issues so one-sided and hold them up as poster children for reform. Why not look at the real undisputed success stories that everyone can get behind? He does in some cases such as Rachel Carson's fight against DDT. Overall I was touched by Hawken's passion,
vision and (ironically) his idealism.

The first thing to know about this book is that it is not about Physics, or even more broadly about Science. The book is about what the author believes and wants the reader to believe about various public policy issues. I agree with many of his beliefs, and disagree with a few. He is entitled to his opinion, but he should present his opinion as Science.

The author leads you to believe that what he is telling you is Science, not opinion when he writes, "I'll bring in engineering aspects they are needed, but the focus here will be on the science. Laws of countries can be changed, but laws of physics are pretty much set." However, he fails to meet the goal he set. He also writes, "Physicicsts, by tradition, have a more stringent standard than the courts: if you get caught exaggerating, distorting, or cherry picking, your scientific reputation is damaged if not destroyed." But then he goes on to exaggerate, distort, and cherry pick himself.

Even in cases where the situation would present a great opportunity to introduce the reader to important ideas from Physics, the author fails to present the reader with the information that would argue against his opinion. For example, as a physicist, the author surely understands what thermodynamics says about limits on the conversion of heat to work, but he treats all energy forms as equivalent by quoting their heating value. Given the difference in work that can be obtained from gasoline (his favorite fuel) and electricity, this is a serious distortion.

As an example of cherry picking, the author dislikes electric cars. He claims his dislike is based in physics, but it is not. He cites the energy density of batteries compared to gasoline to show that electric cars are impractical. That is cherry picking, because there are other relevant facts he refuses to tell the reader.

This book also provides little basis for the reader to learn more on his or her own. The "facts" presented are not substantiated with references, or only with the claim that the author heard it from an acquaintance. However, some of his facts are incorrect.

I do not recommend this book.

What drew me to this book was not so much its title, although it is quite intriguing, but its author. I had read a couple of Professor Muller's books in the past and found them to be very engaging as well as models of clarity. This book is no exception. Using logical scientific reasoning, the author addresses various topics that a future president would likely need to deal with. The topics are: terrorism, energy, nuclear matters, outer space and global warming. Removing any mythology and misinformation that may be associated with these issues, the author carefully analyzes them from a physics perspective; this is to help any future presidents in making solid well-informed decisions. The contentious matter of global warming is dealt with particularly well; in fact, it is one of the fairest and most level-headed discussions of this matter that I have read thus far. A set of notes at the end of the book contain a few simple calculations that complement some of the statements in the main text. However, a reader who is math-phobic need to not worry since the notes are not essential to fully appreciate the book's content. The writing style is very clear, accessible, authoritative, friendly and quite engaging. This informative book can be enjoyed by anyone, especially those interested in the use of a logical scientific approach to address important world issues.

This an important primer for non-science types (i.e. those of us who avoided the sciences, especially physics, in colleges and elsewhere like the plague, but still have lots of opinions about energy and international policy, etc.) - nicely organized, clearly delivered, thought provoking, good humored, and humbling. We need a lot more conversations in this country in a process where citizens and their elected officials actually listen and learn from those who have been studying the topics Richard Muller presents in this book - and this is a great way to begin. Thank you, Dr. Muller.

Muller's basic thesis is that we are sure we know certain things, but these things are actually false. He aims to give the basic science behind current issues like climate change, alternative energy sources, nuclear proliferation, and space.

I am not a scientist, but I often spent my time in high school study halls perusing physics texts rather than doing my homework. This book spares the reader all manner of arcane formulae and mathematics. It tries to present the bottom line on why and how things work they way they do. The net effect is to neutralize many fears common among the public. For example, a nuclear reactor cannot explode like an atomic bomb. It does not have the right kind of uranium and should something go wrong, the nuclear reaction naturally stops of its own.

Muller tries to distinguish between the science of something and its interpretation for what ought be done about an issue. When he violates his own rules for his book, he tries to tell the reader he is doing that.

Some basic factual information is repeated several times in the book. While that could be annoying, it serves to reinforce those concepts.

I found some parts of the book more interesting than others and expect that will be true for any other readers. But, those parts of greater interest to others may be the parts I found less interesting. This would be a good book for any voter to read. Our public discourse would be based more on facts and less on feeling. Still, as the author indicates, there are some areas where the science alone does not dictate how a decision should be made in some problem issue. Maybe the science is not even conclusive as science.

Issue: "The burning jet fuel that took down the twin towers ... ." (From review of Muller's book in S.F. Chronicle, 8-3-08, by Graeme Wood, editor at Atlantic).

The physics of burning jet fuel and the melting point of steel do not provide an explanation as to the twin towers collapse.

Wood writes in his review of Muller's book:
"Muller has lucid explanations of how the World Trade Center collapsed ... ."

"The burning jet fuel that took down the twin towers ... ." (from the review of Muller's book).

This is not possible due to the physics of the problem:

Steel has a melting point of about 1370 Degrees C, or about 2500 Degrees F.
(Source Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia (1983 edition, Vol 14, page 243).

Jet fuel when mixed in precise proportions with air will burn briefly at about 1800 Degrees F. The "open air" burn temperature of jet fuel is much lower. In fact "turbine inlet temperatures cannot exceed about 1100 Degrees C, or about 2000 Degrees F, because of the thermal limitations of the materials" in the jet engine. (Ibid, Vol 15, page 42). This temperature is INSIDE the jet engine with highly compressed air burning with the jet fuel in the "combustion chamber," not the "open air" burning temperature of jet fuel which took place in the Twin Towers.

A google search under "burning jet fuel temperature" is instructive.

Muller has not proved "lucid explanations of how the World Trade Center collapsed ... ."

It is intriguing that Muller, a "polymath in Berkeley's physics department," (Wood) is presenting "physics" which do not agree with the physics of the problem he is discussing.

Final Gifts is a blessing for anyone going through the experience of sharing "nearing death" end of life with a loved one. This book was given to me by Hospice nurses and it opened my eyes and helped me to understand some of the communications that my mother was trying to convey. I recommend this book to anyone who has a terminally ill loved one.

Ms. Callanan and Ms. Kelley have written a guide of different ways patients may react in the process of dying and how everyone involved can be somewhat prepared for what happens towards the end of life. It is very much written in layman's terms. You won't have to worry about cracking open a dictionary for this baby. This book was a great help to my wife when she, her dad and her four siblings helped their dying mother. Many of the examples cited in this book did occur during the final week. The book is illuminating and will give the reader a great deal of comfort. Do yourself a favor and read it.

contains valuable information on what to expect emotionally from and how to interact with a dying loved one. the author assumes life after life, which is unknown in reality. this affects her interpretations of the departings' experience. if you can overlook this, it's a good book.

This is one of the finest books to help you understand the dying process both on helping the dying person and helping yourself.

My sister-in-law asked for this book when her son-in-law was recently killed in a motorcycle accident. I've ordered 3 or 4 and they give so much insight into what a dying patient is feeling - very reassuring and comforting to the loved ones.

This book was exactly what we ordered and came in a timely manner. It was also in excellent condition.

This recent book is the latest in Massey's long running series. Just over 20% of the selections here are new; ie. not in the 4th edition. Massey gives emphasis on topics that have garnered recent broad interest.

Especially globalisation. We see speculations on the societal repercussions of this, where the societies are those of the developed countries. Equally interesting would also be investigations of the rippling effects on the developing countries that are benefiting from outsourcing.

THis book is being used by my daughter in college. It is well written and a book that can be used as a reference for the rest of her college time.