Social Sciences Books

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.

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 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.

I was very satisfied with this book. I was tremendously satisfied with the prompt delivery.

Okay, this is a textbook for a lower-level course in psychology of human development. It is pretty simplistic, I think. I wouldn't buy it unless it was assigned to me in a class or I was writing TV screen play and need some names and vocabulary to stick in a character's mouth.

I was very happy with this book. It's nice and has a wealth of information. It's also a great buy for the price compared to buying it at the bookstore.

I bought this at Amazon.com from an Awesome Deal I found on DailyTool.com. I enjoyed reading the book and it helped me get through the summer class.

I enjoyed the readings for most chapters in this text. The information is generally well-presented and nicely segmented for quick reading. The author incorporates the little asides (mini research articles) to break things up and add some flavor and interest at different points in the book, which I also appreciated.

Unfortunately, the chapter on Intelligence is a train wreck. It's fine and expected to mention Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, but the author couches that theory as the intelligence theory of choice for psychologists. His fawning over Gardner's theory is irresponsible given the total lack of empirical support. Then the author proceeds to rake Jensen over the coals, despite the fact that Jensen's research is extensive and well-supported. The author, at times without citations, directs the student to ridiculous conclusions about intelligence research. For example, he downplays the importance of heritability in intelligence and states a hyperbolic case for the effects of environment. Being very familiar with the intelligence research, I was surprised, but shouldn't have been, that someone could selectively choose to ignore what the vast body of data shows. I can only hope that most grad students will look beyond this treatment of the subject of intelligence for something more substantial and less partisan.

Carl Sagan was a wonderful man, and was one of the first people to get me interested in science. In this book, he looks over claims of alien abduction, crop circles, visions, astrology, and other pseudoscientific claims. A great read.

This is a great rebuttal to pseudoscience and superstition. Well-written and interesting. One of my favorites.

Carl Sagan was a great man and had a great way of explaining the awesomeness of the universe to the average man or woman. This book is like that. It allows us to understand logical, rational thaught which we sometimes allow ourselves to ignore.
At the very least it will teach you how to win an argument.

When I started reading this book, it seemed to go slow and I thought about giving up. But, as I went on, the relevance of what he wrote made more and more sense. When I was through, I was pleased that I had read it all the way through and now I am a much more critical thinker.

Taking a broad and accurate swipe at superstition and pseudo-science, Carl Sagan makes a compelling case for scientific thinking. Though Sagan was clearly preaching to the choir in my own case, I found his insights very valuable. Sagan obviously had done alot of thinking about the subject and first sought to understand why people believe implausible and unfalsifiable ideas, but also tries to explain science in the context of our every day lives.

Sagan asks the question of whether humans are simply not proned towards scientific thinking and to the belief in the supernatural. He then goes on to explain hunter-gatherer behavior from the perspective of science. He points out that the careful and learned observations made by bush hunters of game in Africa, utilize a scientific perspective, carefully examining tracks, understanding from past experiences when and where game are likely to be, etc. Science as Sagan explains it is reasoned thinking that results in success as a species. A scientific mind is what has led humans to dominate the planet.

Sagan also examines the nature of superstition and how easy it is for individuals to be sucked into this line of thinking. Dealing with the scary uncertainties in a dark, daunting, demon-haunted world, science is the candle which illuminates. To superstition, criticism is the enemy, but to science, it is the engine by which progress is made. Science is about asking the hard questions, not accepting explanations at face value.

I think any high school science teacher worth his/her salt, would require the reading of this great book and also require a book report on it. Sagan makes a strong case, that our very survival and prosperity are riding on the rejection of superstition and bringing scientific thinking back from the abyss our nation seems to be moving into. I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment.

I used this book to prepare for the AP Psychology exam and was thrilled! I had never taken a psychology course before and thought it would be challenging to try to succeed on the exam to earn college credit. It was easy to read and the practice test questions were extremely similar to those on the actual exam. I was excited to hear that I received a 5 on my exam... and the only aid I used was this book! I would recommend this to anyone.

I am a listener of the Glenn Beck radio show and I found much of his book to repeat what he says on air (surprise, surprise). I would recommend this book to a person that has not listened to Glenn Beck, or someone that wants the hard facts about oil, the economy, and global warming. I found the facts the most interesting part of the book and I will continue to use these facts as I face my liberal friends in debates!

Glenn Beck's book often shows the flaws in the world today. While reveling the troubles in our world and nation he often criticizes the liberals and even some conservatives for their wreckless decesions. he often provides humuros ways to solve our problems, some take these too seriously. Although he jokes about many things he often provides true thought out ideas on how we can fix problems such as the border. - great read if your not a liberal without a sence of humor.

My wife bought me a copy of Glen's Book for my birthday. As a fan of his television show, it was the perfect gift.

As a person who has first hand experience with the problems surrounding immigration, I could relate and agree with Glen's assessment.

I could also fully agree with the solutions to poverty and the sins of self-serving politicians. While I agree with these viewpoints, I hope that others that maybe wanted to agree find that the over the top humor, may dispel the gravitas of the message. Personally, I like the humor of the book and find this makes for much more interesting read than the typical "I have the answer" type of books.

Hopefully Glen Beck, through his radio, television and books will keep the heat on the groups that are slowing but surely destroying our country and our way of life. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR, Author of Wingtips with Spurs

If you can stomach this guy, maybe you will like the book. I can't, and didn't. I received the book as a gift and began reading with an open mind as I don't normally get to see him on television. It became apparent very quickly that he is more concerned about himself than any of the issues that he discusses. In fairness, I did not reach the end of the book so I'm basing this on the front half. Why did I not reach the end of the book, you ask? (see line one) If Glenn, himself, were to answer this review, I think he'd spend more time attacking those who do not support his views than discussing the views themselves. I can't say that I disagreed with every written word in the book, but I can say that the arrogance of the author did show through with every word.

An Inconvenient Book, as you can tell by it's hilarious title spoofing Al Gore's global warming borefest, is Glen Beck at his best. One of the real solutions which Beck proposes is to burn Mexicans for fuel. But then he scrunches up his face and decides that wouldn't be right and gayly declares.."oh, that would by psychotic! Maybe sociopathic!!".. all the while with the hilarious facial expressions and the effiminate hand-flailing. His solution to the problem of Micheal Moore? Shoot him!! The only complication there is whether he should do it himself or hire somebody. But after loudly pondering it himself while doing the great comic contortions with his face, he determines that he could do it himself! Just look at the book cover, with Beck spewing a map of California!! California, land of hippies and windfarms and organic groceries!!! And the look on his face!! Jim Carrey, watch out. The cover is funny, because it's so true!! The level of intelligence in his groundbreaking satire puts Stewart and Colbert to shame. Simply hilarious! What about Michael Berg, (father of Nick Berg who was beheaded in Iraq)) who criticized Bush's decisions regarding the Iraq war? Beck humorously refers to him as a scumbag on national TV. 9/11 wives who want answers? Get this -- Beck hates them!! And it's so funny listening to why he hates them. I was doubled over! This is political humor of the highest caliber. How fortunate we are that the visionary executives at CNN recognized the brilliance and awe-inspiring comedic talent of Glen Beck and gave him a daily show on a nationally broadcast news network, so that it has the air of a lighthearted mainstream news program, like Entertainment Tonight. And who can resist the magical giddy rapport he has with CNN sexpot Robin Meade? It's such a delight to watch him do the flamboyant facial gestures and vocal inflections as he engages in stimulating banter with his fellow connoisseur of highbrow humor. Thank you CNN.

Best book I've read in ages. Absolutely floored me. I was so into it that I read it at my desk at work because I had to find out what happened next.

Instantly jumps to the top of my list of books I recommend to other people.

This book is absorbing and hard to put down. I read it in one afternoon. The plot is that of a young Pakistani who has gone through Princeton with complete financial aid and, as the author writes, "invited into the ranks of the meritocracy," by being hired by a top notch valuation firm in NYC. At first he fits in beautifully. Or does he? The initial interview with Jim from the firm makes him "uncomfortable," and "puts him off balance." And we find that he's been covering up the fact that he had to hold three jobs at Princeton. And when he's offered the job, he had the sense that perhaps this job would "transform my life." At first it did as he threw himself into it, impressing everyone with his intelligence and energy. But on the first project in Manila, before finding out about the 9/11 events, the narrator finds himself being stared at with hostility by a jitney driver. "...his dislike was so obvious, so intimate, that it got under my skin....I remained preoccupied with this matter far longer than I should have, pursuing several possibilities that all assumed--as their unconscious starting point--that he and I shared a sort of Third world sensibility." He then feels disconnected from his colleagues but again the work takes over and these feelings are forgotten until a day or so later when watching TV he sees the collapse of the WTC buildings. And one could say the life he has been living unravels from there and he ends up back in Pakistan talking to this mysterious American at a cafe in Lahore.

The feelings of alienation and confusion come across strongly in the author's writing. On one level you can read this book as a look at a Muslim experiencing the world after the events on 9/11. This will resonate with some readers and probably alienate others. On another level you can read it as the story of anyone who has moved from one world to another whether by changing countries, social class, or educational levels from the background they come from. Here it leaves the genre of "thriller" and becomes a very human story of one man trying to reconcile competing desires and values in a complex world.

The ending is ambiguous and I appreciated that. There are no cut and dried answers to the issues raised in the course of the evening's discussion.

My only criticism of the story is the almost uni-dimensional character of Erica. The dialogue between the two is often stilted and she basically comes across as not quite there. That's why I gave the book four stars.

A fantastically written book that pulls the reader in emotionally, as if the narrator was a personal aquaintance rather than a fictional character (I found myself wanting to yell "NO!" out loud on more than one occasion). The plot is so real it is still hard for me to believe this is a fictional novel at all.

The entire book is a one-sided conversation between the Pakistani protagonist, Changez, and an American visitor. Changez gives a riveting history of his time in the United States, from his enrollment at Princeton at age 18 to his return to Pakistan at age 22. It is amazing the transformation he goes through in the post-9/11 era. Throughout the novel we also learn of a romance that folds in upon itself.

Overall, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a powerful, emotional read that may just give you a new set of eyes in regard to America's post-9/11 policies.

The pose is gentle and enticing and you are drawn in like a spider wants you to as you walk unaware into its web. That is how I felt as I was reading the book: tentative and wondering as the plot unfolded. I loved the ending: a journey of life's coincidences and sharp turning points that could so easily change our course forever; or is it forever. A touching love story or was it. very enticing and I am sure each reader will get something different from what I got out of the novel. A lot left to the imagination, but I like that a story teller allows the space for you to create your own scene.

Moshin Hamid writes a fictional narrative of an apparently chance encounter between a Pakistani and an American on a market street in Lahore. From there it builds to an interesting conclusion. I found the perspective of middle-eastern politics since and history from a Pakistani writer's viewpoint refreshing and informative. It is a smooth and fast read that manages to keep the pace moving throughout the book.

This is an excellent review of history from women's viewpoints. The recearch was very well done and events factual. I felt as if I were reliving those times with the women who shaped them. Luisa Adams especially showed her mettle in very dificult situations as, of course, did Abigale and Dolley Madison! Thanks Cokie for bringing them to life for me.

I must be the only one who found Ladies of Liberty difficult to read. The ladies and their lives were very interesting or would have been but the way Cokie Roberts presented it. Jumping from one to another sometimes it would be on Abigail Adams and then jump without notice to another lady or it would go on several pages about a different set of ladies and then jump back to Abigail Adams which made it very hard for me to keep up let alone finish reading.
It would have been easier and simpler and less messy to devote parts or chapters to one lady and then moved on to the next. It was messy and disconjointed and I gave up after a few chapters. If you like that style of written then you'll love this book. If not you won't.

Naturally, these seeds of women's liberation were, in fact, the passionate, intelligent, issue-focused women that Cokie Roberts presents to us. The book is a little confusing in its intentions; I had expected these ladies that Ms. Roberts documents to be solely five of the first first ladies of the United States (or in the case of Thomas Jefferson, key women of his family). And the chapter headings identify these rather well-known women: Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, Dolley Madison, Rosalie Stier Calvert, and Elizabeth Monroe.

Roberts does spend a good deal of her conversation telling us what important roles these women played. [I particularly appreciate the writing of Abigail Adams, which Cokie's book serves to remind me of from my reading of John Adams.] But, in my humble opinion, the sadly-and-essentially unpromoted characteristic of Ladies of Liberty is its most important quality: its descriptions of several great 'ordinary' women of the early post-colonial period--some of whom achieved little notoriety and few of whom hobnobbed with big pols:

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For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
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Brian Wright
Copyright 2008

This book gave me an amazing incite into how much women have always been involved in the political process. In today's world it is thought that the current wives of the Presidential candidates are forging new inroads, but it is apparent that women have always played a pivitol role in politics and in their husbands campaigns. Thank you Cokie!

Now I know why high school American History classes were such a snore. Up until now, history books have largely been written by men about only the men who founded our proud nation. Abbreviated, often sanitized versions of how events came to pass seem created to portray the good guys and the bad guys in ways that prove who was right or wrong. They were often dull and statistical, sweeping any nuance or thrills tidily under the rug.

One could not finish the course without knowing that Martha Washington was our first First Lady and that Abigail Adams was a strong woman who helped her husband John, our second president, throughout his career. Dolley Madison may be more famous for the lunchbox sweet cakes named after her than for her powerful influence on our nation's capital for over two decades both as the wife of the unpopular fourth president, James Madison, and as the Grande Dame pillar of society as his widow. Did we know that Eliza Hamilton, wife of Alexander Hamilton, was perhaps the first American political wife who would stand, looking adoringly at a philandering husband as he admitted adultery? Not likely. What we think of as heated debate and political mudslinging today would pale compared to the harsh words in the press or uttered during debate that too often led to duels in misty meadows and murder on the steps of Congress.

As Cokie Roberts neared the publication deadline for her first book, FOUNDING MOTHERS, it became clear that there was a vast, unplumbed treasure trove of historical information in the form of personal correspondence by and about the strong women of the new nation. These letters from and to the women who shared the dangers and privations of disease, separation, lethal epidemics and often near-starvation as one war moved into another crackled with never-before published descriptions, facts and insights into the momentous events that formed our new nation.

Researchers had no problem finding copies of treaties and legislation, even rough drafts of such treasures as the Articles of Confederation and the Bill of Rights. But these had been, for the most part, carefully written, edited and preserved in formal language --- the meatless bones of a new democracy. When these same brilliant men, such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, corresponded with their wives and friends, the true picture of the times flowed from the pages.

In LADIES OF LIBERTY, we learn firsthand, in their own words, of the devastating effects of measles, dysentery, yellow fever and childbirth complications. These famous and very capable women were pregnant most of the time, often losing at least half of their children to one constant threat after another. Many were pregnant nearly a dozen times, perhaps seeing only three or four or fewer children grow to maturity. If they themselves survived all these pregnancies, they often moved across country or sailed to foreign lands as their husbands served as ambassadors or emissaries, enduring months of seasickness or bone-rattling stagecoach rides.

In one vivid chapter, Louise Catherine Adams --- who, with her husband, John Quincy Adams, had spent six years in the court of Czar Alexander of Russia --- is summoned to Paris by her husband, who is there on business at the end of his term in Russia. She packs their belongings into a sleigh along with their seven-year-old son, a nanny and two men of dubious background to travel across Europe in the dead of winter. The trip took two months at a time when Napoleon had escaped Elba and returned to France, turning Europe upside down in a new war. Her husband awaited her in Paris, completely unaware of the dangers she was facing and was in fact attending a theatrical production the night she finally arrived after a journey that would have killed a lesser woman. Mr. Adams's account of this incident is a brief footnote, including a review of the play as he acknowledges the arrival of his wife and son. Louise's vivid description of the freezing conditions, crude accommodations along the road and their terror at swordpoint of marauding soldiers brings to life what life was really like in 1816 Europe.

Would we have learned that Theodosia Burr, daughter of the infamous Aaron Burr, would play such an important role in our nation? That the Ursaline nuns of New Orleans were invaluable help in nursing the wounded and taking in orphans during the famous battle of the War of 1812, but had been educating women, slaves and native Americans in their schools --- unheard of anywhere else in the country --- since 1727? Sacajawea, the famous Shoshone Indian teenager who gave birth to a baby while serving as an interpreter for Lewis and Clark on their Northwest exploration, could neither read nor write. But Lewis and Clark did, describing in ever-growing admiration the skill and importance of her presence to their mission.

A favorite chapter is Dolley Madison's account, through letters to friends and her husband, of the attack and burning of Washington and the President's house during the War of 1812. What? The British came back and burned down Washington after the Revolutionary War? Where was I the day they covered that in class? And did I ever hear about Dolley Madison delaying her flight to safety as the British arrived at the door to rescue the portrait of George Washington and see that it was spirited out of town under cover of darkness?

The only criticism I can aim at this fascinating account of these exciting historical events is that I sometimes became a little lost in the timeline. I did a fair amount of glancing back to orient myself to locations and dates as each absorbing tale unfolded surrounding the dozen or so women covered in the story.

But LADIES OF LIBERTY brings stuffy old American History crackling to life through these priceless correspondences. Cokie Roberts modestly states that all she did was find them and pull them together into a book. For this we are grateful, Ms. Roberts.

--- Reviewed by Roz Shea

Excellent workbook to accomany your learning of Spanish. Very clear in English how to proceed. The seller sent me a pristine book.

This book was delivered to me very quickly and in extremely good shape. I would buy books again!!! I had a very good experience.

This is a good workbook for reinforcing the materials in the textbook. There are different drills and interesting exercises to help learning Spanish.