Social Sciences Books

I had to buy this book for a college ethics class. I could barely wade through it, not because the subject matter was too difficult but because it goes into too much detail about the obvious, and leaves nothing for the reader to do for him or herself. Ethics can be a ridiculous bore anyway, but this book did nothing to make it even bearable.
I couldn't wait to finish this class.

she is not neutral in her perspective- more biased toward feminism, multiculturalism and therefore not very ethical to teach in a class environment where students should not be forced into certain perspectives.

I bought this book for my introduction to ethics college course and after reading the first few chapters, decided I was definetely not selling it back to the college bookstore. This book provides a clear and easy to read format for understanding the more difficult works of the classic philosphers, as well as interweaving the moral lessons in modern movies and books. By relating ethical frameworks to movies you've seen, one is able to gain a clear understanding of ethical thought as taught by the "masters" of moral philosophy. The class is over, but I am still reading this book for enjoyment.

Almost every example and story Mr. Greenberg relates in this book has some sexual/romantic/dating overtone to it. I found this quite funny actually.
As it's title suggests, it's a read about how to reduce stress and learn to relax and smell the roses. There are chapters on meditation to spirituality to biofeedback and of course different forms of stress. He begins most chapters with experiences that he's either had or know of someone who has experienced it.

Fantastic! A book that teachs effective ways of managing stress with out all the mumbo jumbo. I love the assessments provided at the end of each chapter; they help you learn more about yourself (how you handle stress, your personality, and how you react to others). I was required to use this book in a college stress management class, the text definitely help me understand relaxtion techniques and all of the components of stress and relief. It provides plenty of information that is clearly stated and easy to read and understand. I recommend this book to everyone wanting to find more effective and healthy ways of living life.

This book is good if your taking this course in college because my professor allowed me to use since there really was no change but just another small chapter. The newest edition is about 100 dollars so if you can first ask your professor if you can buy this one to use in class. It is a better value than spending a lot on a new edition without much change.

I cannot seriously believe that this book is supposed to be a text for college students. I think this one paragraph sums it up:

"Hey, Harry, here comes another shipment," said Joe Saliva to his brother. The Salivas live in the mouth and, when food enters, they help break it down to small manageable pieces. These pieces are then mailed by pneumatic tube (the esophagus) to Phil Hydrochloric Acid who lives in Stomachville. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) activates enzymes that break the food down even further so it can pass into the small intestine. Another town, Liver, sends Bobby Bile to help break down the fatty shipments. Once these shipments (food) are made small they can be placed in local post offices for delivery to various other cities (body parts). The pieces without ZIP codes are unusable and are discarded by being sent via the large intestine through the anus into space (that is, flushed into another galaxy).

There is nothing I can add to that.

I purchased this book for about $75.00 and noticed that it is also for sale in a paperback version for about $12.00. I don't feel like I got my $75.00 worth, but if I paid $12.00 I would have had lower expectations.

What I liked about the book is that it was comprehensive in the sense that it touched on a lot of different areas. It also had excellent references. In fact, this is probably the best reason to own the book.

Unfortunately, there were several inaccuracies in the stress psychopysiology chapter and I think the author could have been more clear in his explanations. This shocked me given that the book is in it's ninth printing! I must admit the author lost some credibility with me when I hit this chapter, but the rest of the chapters seemed solid with respect to content.

The other chapters were more clearly written and I liked the roadblock model of stress that was introduced. This is certainly a useful model to use for thinking of stress intervention despite its apparent simplicity. This was probably the most interesting chapter to me. The other chapters had useful information, but they were rather superficial. They were good in terms of raising awareness about a particular topic, but they left me hungry for more information.

I did not like the author's tone and the way he delivered advice. I found that he made stress management and the solution to stress related issues sound too simple. His approach came across as stress management was simply a matter of applying his formula in an easy and mechanical way. In short, this seemed like a naive approach without mentioning the cognitive complexities that intefere with applying the formula!

If you are only looking for a survey of stress management and light coverage of the most common interventions, then this book can help you with that. However, if you want an in-depth look at the biology, I would consider "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers." Be warned, however, that this other book goes into a fair amount of depth on the biology side. However, it is extremely well written and I'm not aware of ANY book that covers the health implications of stress in a more eloquent (and often humorous) fashion.

With respect to psychological interventions for stress, I think there are many books that might serve the reader better. One book to consider that is good, but more specialized is Full Catastrophe Living. I would also look at books that explore the cognitive aspects of stress management. There are a lot of them out there.

My bottom line on this book is that for $75.00 you can buy "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" and four other books that cover the same territory much better. However, for a survey course accompanied by complimentary readings, it would probably be adequate.

If I saw this book on the shelf of a bookstore, I would probably pass because it wasn't exciting to read and I think there is better stuff available. However, at $11.00-12.00 it would be tempting to buy it just for all the references.

No one who can read French should read Barthes in English but if you must read him in translation avoid this one. Trying to follow his thought in this version is nearly impossible. Although I managed to finish this short book and glean from it the general intention, it was not worth the time it took to untangle the mangled sentences. Simple words were changed into incomprehensible ones. Admittedly, the author's wish to imitate his satirized material may account for the difficulties of translation but that would account for only a small element. This book should be replaced with a new translation.

This is one of the great mythology books of the twentith century.And still relevant today.That people are so scripted by the slogan,we have forgotten the 'essense' of the product.That we have bought into the cosmetic idealisation of the image,rather than the true appearance of the natural object or root meaning of the word.This philosophical book is deep reading,not just for literary francophiles, still around today.That we are aroused and mystified by the ritual act and the shiny decor,surrounding the hidden object,rather than the nuts and bolts of the product itself alone.And its the mystique surrounding our language,toys,actors and art-work; that inspires, entertains ,educates the soul and mind of modern people.Without mythology ,the core of society would wither.And mankind would simply revert back to the dark sterile caves of oblivion.

A problem with the take on myth that Barthes develops in his Mythologies is that he privileges the illusory distinction between myth and revolutionary speech. Myth for him is speech that naturalizes the ideology and relations of the bourgeoisie, while revolutionary speech upsets this. Both, however, are charged with producing the situation the present and interpret. Myth is productive. Myth is the revolutionary speech of bourgeois interests as seen from its receivers rather than its producers. Revolutionary speech is myth as seen by its producers. Producing his own myths is man inventing himself.

Barthes does, however, provide a tool kit for examining and analyzing the mythic. He also created a field guide for identifying species of mythologizing. From these tools an interested party could derive tools for the intentional production of myth.

from fenris23 dot wordpress dot com
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In Mythologies, Barthes offers a series of snapshots with titles such as "Plastic," "Striptease," "Toys," "The World of Wrestling," and "Operation Margarine." His aim is to reveal the ideological abuse hidden in these myths, which are manufactured to read as reality.

Though complex, Barthes essays are accessible, charming, and funny. I have taught Mythologies to first-year college students, because it does not require its reader to have read volumes of theory to engage in Barthes' clever reflections.

My favorite essay might be "Toys," which demystifies modern (1954-56) French toys as designed to produce consumers ("users") rather than creators. "Toys" exemplifies how, 50 years later, Barthes' myths are still alive and worth reading.

I was assigned this text as the final leg of a Greek and Roman Mythology course. Having no idea what to expect, I easily read through the collection of short essays and was thoroughly entertained. Even in translation, Barthes is graceful, lighthearted, and humorous in telling of the modern myths surrounding him in 1950s France. A very well-educated philologist, lexicologist, and sociologist, it wasn't until after writing the short essays here compiled that he rigorously developed his semiological/structuralist theories. Those with knowledge of structural linguistics and semiology and those without such a background alike will certainly enjoy every essay of this brief collection.

Furthermore, the longer essay, "Myth Today," which follows the shorter essays published originally in the 50s is replete with extremely interesting, albeit dense, critical theory. While someone with little knowledge of structural linguistics or semiology will have some difficulty with this final essay, it is certainly worth the struggle.

This is one of three atlases I am reviewing today, but instead of reviewing the twelve or so in my library, a couple of which I did long ago, I am creating a list of atlases as substantive visualization of inquality and relative status.

The other two I am reviwwing:
The Routledge Atlas of Jewish History (Routledge Historical Atlases)
The Water Atlas: A Unique Visual Analysis of the World's Most Critical Resource

This specific atlas on women is divided into seven parts:
+ Women in the World
+ Families
+ Brithrights
+ Body Politics
+ Work
+ To Have and Have Not
+ Power
+ World Tables

General comment: I remove one star from all atlases I am reviewing for the same generic reasons:

1) Each volume lacks an overview, in the case of women, "the difference women make." You will not find in this volume the fact that the single best investment for any charitable or foreign assistance dollar is in the education of a woman--from that follows all else that is good in society.

2) Each volume lacks a website where one can rapidly "see" changes for any given chart, or compare and contrast different charts. These atlases, regardless of publisher, are "state of the art" visualization for the INDUSTRIAL era, not the information era.

3) The publishers are not keeping the publications up to date. This one, for example, by Penguin, is copyrighted 2003. All of these need ANNUAL updates as well as a live interactive website where women can interact, add data, and generally create new value from an end-user perspective.

Wish list: that the publishers come together and agree to work together to create a series of atlases on the ten threats and twelve core policy areas, that I list below for convenience.

Ten threats from A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility--Report of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change [LtGen Dr. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret) as USA representative):

- Poverty
- Infectious Disease
- Environmental Degradation
- Inter-State Conflict
- Civil War
- Genocide
- Other Atrocities
- Profileration
- Terrorism
- Transnational Crime

Twelve policies (of my own making, after studying the Mandates for Leadership from the last 4-5 presidential campaigns in USA):

+ Agriculture
+ Diplomacy
+ Economy
+ Education
+ Energy
+ Family
+ Health
+ Immigation/Emigration
+ Justice
+ Security
+ Society
+ Water

Concluding comment: Peter Drucker said, writing in Forbes ASAP on 28 August 1998, that we have spent 50 years on the T in IT, and now need to spend 50 years on the I in IT. Visualization such as this book provided, but interactive and connected to both "true costs" and to real-world budgets at all levels of governance across all organizations (government, corporate, non-profit).

Other notable atlases of great import:
The Penguin Atlas of War and Peace: Completely Revised and UpdatedOxford Atlas of the World, 14th Edition
Zones of Conflict: An Atlas of Future Wars
The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution
An Atlas of Poverty in America: One Nation, Pulling Apart, 1960-2003
Color Atlas of Diseases and Disorders of Cattle
The Atlas of Endangered Peoples (Environmental Atlas)

I was first introduced to this atlas years ago in graduate school and was immediately impressed with the depth of subjects covered and professional graphics. As a result I was very happy to purchase Penguin's third edition of this atlas last week. Hot off the presses, THE PENGUIN ATLAS OF WOMEN IN THE WORLD contains up-to-date statistics of how women fare around the world. This invaluable resource is divided into the following seven sections: Women in the World, Families, Birthrights, Body Politics, Work, To Have and Have Not, and Power. This atlas succeeds where other types of media fail - it leaves a very evident impression of the continued discrepancy between men and women in all aspects of social, economic, and political life. After studying this atlas I was left with a renewed sense of what countries women fare better than others - and the answers might surprise you as much as myself! I highly recommend THE PENGUIN ATLAS OF WOMEN IN THE WORLD to anyone interested in the state of women around the world.

When I saw the interview where the writer of this book said that he had never really read comics, He came across as just another mainstream person who writes aboutr a subject but has little or no education background on the subject itself. Yeah, real nice.

What a wonderful book about a terrible waste and shameful time in American history. Hadju traces the rise of comics from the puckish newspaper funnies through the creation of the superhero pantheon, the diversity of comic book genres and the eventual painful demise under the censorship and revilement of the late 1950s society. I learned so many things from this book. What a tragedy that all those creative and talented writers and artists, most from minorities who were rejected from mainstream and "high" art were villified.

'Ten Cent Plague' shows an image of America at its best and worst; as a land that fostered the rise of an industry of great originality and intelligence and as a society of people so desperate for a scapegoat that adults and children both rounded up and burned thousands of comic books less than 10 years after the fall of the Nazis.

This was a fascinating, well-researched, immensley engrossing book and a vital reminder of the dangers of assigning blame to any one artist or medium.

Highly informative, slightly esoteric, and entirely relevant, Hajdu's case study on the hysteria surrounding crime comic-books at the dawn of the Cold War left me with far more questions than answers. While this generally is a sign that an author has breached the innermost walls of my cerebrum and forced me to question my previous held assumptions regarding a given topic, Hajdu's impeccable research and wealth of knowledge was simply too much to handle. When I first purchased the book, I was under the assumption that I would be getting a comprehensive look at the hysteria surrounding the comic-book industry as a whole. Not so. Hajdu's research is extraordinarily focused (essentially the decade following WWII), yet highly effective. Those looking for a bit of easy reading need not apply. But I digress...
As a twenty-three-year-old, it makes perfect sense that I would find Hajdu's book rather esoteric. Simply put, I never experienced any of the comic-book burnings or public hysteria cited by Hajdu. But, that does not leave me ignorant of the reactionary elements central to the hysteria surrounding potentially "damaging" aspects of youth culture. As I read this book, I couldn't help but be reminded of the "parental advisory" stickers gracing my generation's compact discs, or the on-going debate surrounding the influence of violent video games on the minds of our nation's "impressionable" youth. Let's not forget the censorship imposed by retail outlets like Target or Wal-Mart, who have effectively banned CD's containing "objectionable" lyrical content from their shelves. So what's the bottom line? I think there's fertile ground for a sequel...

At various times, Americans have chosen to believe that comic books create juvenile delinquency and encourage all kinds of immoral behavior by corrupting the young, as described in the book with a questionable basis, Seduction of the Innocent. The Ten-Cent Plague describes a free-wheeling industry that entertained youngsters and people in their twenties with anti-establishment themes and stories.

Despite little or no research to support these views and the Supreme Court upholding the First Amendment, legislators listened to a few psychiatrists and church and scout leaders who believed otherwise and put stiff penalties on those who put out the most popular comics (especially crime, horror, and romance). Distributors and newsstand dealers didn't want to go to jail over comic books, and they knuckled under to the pressure. Publishers quickly began to go broke. The industry tried to save itself with a rigid self-censorship code that made comics bland and did little to restore sales. Hundreds of comic titles died, and many talented people left the industry under a dark cloud.

Mad Magazine was one of the few survivals, and only because it converted from a comic book to a magazine (which wasn't subject to the same penalties).

It's a chapter in American history that few know about or understand. David Hadju does a solid job of describing it. I was a child during most of this and was aware of the protests against comic books, but didn't realize what the effects were.

This book could have been quite a bit shorter and punchier. I was disappointed that so many simple events (like a comic book burning) were treated in such detail. It was a little ho hum after awhile.

I found this book totally fascinating. Not only does it discuss the social history surrounding comics in the 40's and 50's but you can also see some parallels between the traditional culture's reaction to comics back then and the reaction of some to video games today. (There as some big differences though that will prevent the anti-gaming types (Jack Thompson, etc.) today from doing the damage Werthiemer (sp?) and his crew did back then.) I think anyone interested in social history, comics or video games will enjoy this book.

The teacher told us to buy This Book... Reading and all that jazz. Every body from the class got it at the school store for $ 70 dollars... I did not want to spend all that money soo I started looking around, and I found it here in Amazon and some other web site almost at the same price. When I made the order they told me that the book would take 5 -9 business day but it came in 2 days... WoW Soooo I actually saved money getting it from Amazon. I really had to get the book...

Geraldine Brooks is as talented at non-fiction as she is at fiction. I could not put this book down. It is easy to read this explanation of the different levels of individual rights found among Muslim women in different middle eastern states. Brooks traces the circumspection of women's rights to the Koran and Hadiths from Mohammed's time. Interestingly Islam appeared to expand women's rights of the 7th century. In the era of Mohammed and for hundreds of years thereafter European women had no property or inheritance rights. In Islam a woman is entitled to inherit half of that bequethed to male heirs. Instead of interpreting these surahs as expanding women's rights, the Muslim communities have used them to infringe on women's rights. Thus this surah is interpreted to mean that a woman can only inherit half that due her brother. Rather it could be interpreted to mean that she must inherit at least half that which her brother inherits, and she could inherit more. It is merely a floor of inheritance. However, in fundamentalist Muslim cultures it is viewed as a limit on inheritance. Many of the infringements are culturally tied to their local society. In Saudi Arabia it is very difficult for a woman to engage in business or a profession and still remain covered and completely seperate from men. However, in the Koran the seperation was really limited to Mohammed's wives and not the community at large. Similarly in the Koran a medical doctor can touch and speak to a patient of a different sex. However, in Saudi Arabia many doctors do not. It is permitted even there in some cases.
Sporting events and activities for women are severly limited in some Muslim countries particularly Saudi Arabia. This is a shame since physical fitness and excellence are so important to good health.
Brooks clearly explains that Islam and democracy cannot truly exhist in one society. Islam is a theocracy with a dictatorship. However, India is an example of a democracy that has a very large Muslim population. Hence, India does not fit the mold.
She describes female genetic mutilation which is at best a crude, dangerous and painful proceedure. It is really inhumane but contiues to be practiced. Most telling is the fact that when a woman is raped she is punished or killed because she had sex outside of marriage. This ia a really warped view of morality. However, it has found a home in Islam. Brooks describes womens' lives among the poor, the wealthy, the educated and the uneducated. Clearly the poor uneducated women come from more fundamentalist households.
I heartily recommend this non-fiction work by this talented writer. Everything that I have read of hers is excellent, and this does not disappoint.

While this book is not meant to be an anthropological analysis of Muslim women, it does give insight into the Muslim world at large. It is broad in scope and should cite information more, but it can be an excellent choice to begin the journey to understanding. It should not be considered the final destination. I suggest this book to all.

This is just one of the facts that I learned from this book. It became not just a fact but an insight as I continued reading it.

The book's excellence is demonstrated in that 13 years after its publication it is still being read. Its continued relevance is evidenced by so many current reviews here on Amazon. Since its publication there have been many books on this topic, including social studies and personal narratives, but this one still stands out.

Brooks spent 6 years in traveling to Middle Eastern Islamic countries covering the plight of women. While there is a chapter on Queen Nour, the book is primarily on the many anonymous middle class women who must submit to decisions about their lives, their health, their time, their children, where they can travel and even their dealth, all made by men. These men are not required, and most are not conditioned to, value her or consider her opinions or needs. They seem to be driven by their "honor" which is reflected by how well she masters the art of submission.

Brooks gives the clearest presentation I've read on the origins of the anti-woman practices that are permitted. She describes Mohammed's relations with his wives and the aftermath of his death which set the stage for others to interpret and misinterpret his words and actions.

The last chapter, where the author summarizes the issue and the lack of attention it receives world wide is pithy and strong.

Geraldine Brooks takes us inside her personal trip trough the Islamic world and gives as close to an UNBIASED view of the treatment of Islamic women that i could imagine. she is careful to point out the reasons that are given for wierd practices. She doesn't shy away from her disgust for certain treatments.

For example the propagation of so-called "honor killings" that still take place all over the world, as well as many other ways women are opressed in the mainstream Islamic world.

O by the way the writting style is smooth and easy to read. You can really enjoy this book even though the topic is sad the way it is told is great!

Geraldine Brooks's book, while written before the "War on Terror" era, allows for a much better insight on Islamic life (specifically the treatment of women under Islamic law) than watching the evening news. Her panorama of experiences in the Middle East allows for the reader to see the tremendous variation that exists in Muslim countries. The background that she provides on Islam is also very useful for a Western understanding of the social climate in that part of the world. This book is an excellent starting point for anyone seeking to learn about the Muslim world.

This textbook was recommended by my professor, and I find it a good tool for therapists who are looking for very basic theoretical information on the various therapies for families out there. Good examples and vignettes make its application simpler.

Good for beginners.

Very helpful for all therapist especailly the new therapists just entering the field. The author has done a great job to simplify the theories and provided guidelines to use during a session.

This book is tailored for California MFTs. It covers the major theories that are presently in use. It gives clear vignettes and has excellent treatment goals for each stage of therapy. It is a necessity to have this book when studying for the Standard Written and Written Clinical Vignette exams.

These books sparked my daughters intrest in reading chapter books. I started reading them with her in kindergarten and by first grade she was reading them on her own. I would read each chapter as she completed it, then ask her questions. She has really good comprehension of these books and lots of laugher while she is reading. She is a rising third grader now and still enjoys the Fairy book series.