Social Sciences Books

This book provides exhaustively documented evidence that our cultural myths, such as the idealized nuclear family of the 50's, were not typical of American history after all, and that some of today's problems are not new. It's slow going for most readers (unless you majored in sociology). It made me look again at my own memories of earlier times of my life. The end notes would be helpful to scholars in American history, sociology or even social work.

I have just finished reading this book. Throughout the entire reading, I often felt that the author was taking her point too far to the left. And I'm a liberal democrat! I believe 100% in the rights of women to work... but I also believe that same right applies to those who wish to stay at home with their children.

The author seems to downplay the importance, and the value, in staying home with children. While she is correct in the assertion that our nostalgia for bygone days clouds our vision of the truth, there is something to be said for taking responsibility.

In the author's call for more social action and responsibility, there seems an underlying hint that the problems in the American family come from without rather than within. I disagree with this completely and think that we should stop blaming the media, the schools, our neighbors, the government, and our children's social group for the ills within our own homes. While it is an honorable endeavor, helping society clean up it's act, we must first start in the home. We must first start with ourselves, and with our children, before we can have any hope of helping someone else.

Overall a good read, but this author is a product of her generation and her writing should be viewed as such.

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Liberal
Military Spouse
Homeschooling Mom

Coonz dissects piece by piece the ideal of the "normal" family and lifestyle that neoconservatives frequently point to, as a solution to society's ills. Coonz's research is meticulous, and this book is a potent antidote to the fallacy that too often guides policy making in Washington and statehouses across the nation. i.e. that only the reestablishment of the "normal" traditional nuclear family is the path to our salvation. A+

The first thing I did when I got this book was to look up what the author had to say about the Moynihan Report (thinking that based on the subject of the book the author would have many interesting criticisms). Alas, all that existed was a few sentence dismissal. After that I couldn't take the book very seriously and just jumped around to various things that I found interesting. Some things were interesting, others were foolish.

The tendency of people to look back on their past and see only the good and not the bad is all too evident in the agendas of conservatives and so-called advocates of so-called traditional families.

Those of us who lived through the perfect era when dads worked, moms vaccuumed in pearls and kids have perfect lives behind white picket fences remember it far differently.

We remember when domestic violence was considered a "private family matter" and battered women had no escape except a casket. We remember the days before Rape Crisis Centers, and when the law required the victim to first prove herself innocent at her accuser's trial. We remember women who gritted their teeth and stayed in bad marriages until their children were grown because they knew they'd have no property rights in the divorce. We remember the days before Title 9, when the boys got the gym and the girls got the cafeteria. We remember the girls who were sent away for the summer to an aunt, a euphemism for an unwed mother's home. (Check out Ms. Fessler's "The Girls Who Went Away" for more on this) and the women who could only quit their jobs while their sexual harasser was free to move on to his next victim.

There was no perfect era, there was no perfect home, there was no perfect family. Time we realized it, and stopped looking for an easy fix to real problems.

I really enjoyed this book. Often, people seem to think the problems of the modern world are new and insurmountable issues. This book shows the cycle of life is just that, a cycle. Working on the stock market, I'm constantly assailed with the negative news of the day. This book cites examples of the same issues we now face... only these examples come from roughly 300 years ago.

I am amazed that, as a species, we still cannot seem to learn from our past. This book shows that unregulated markets are rife with corruption, and the ignorant often suffer. Looking at our current housing market crisis, I see many similarities with the corruption and suffering of generations past. Within these pages, unscrupulous people will learn to profit. Of course, those same unscrupulous people will also be the ones crying for deregulation. There is a lesson to be learned here. Pick up the book and enjoy.

This book identifies and describes phenomena that most would assume to be foreseable and evident when observed as historical event.
However such manic human behavior keeps occuring over and over again, which inevitably (as history observes) have destructive consequences.

As many others have noted, this book is hard to read and it could certainly be written using much simpler vocabulary and probably in a fraction of its length.
However one must keep in mind that this book was initially written almost 200 years ago!

Personally, I value this book for the insights it offers into the history of crowd's delusions.
Consequently, the reader will hopefully be able to identify such manias in the future and act accordingly - assuming that he can remain detached enough from the mania itself.

The most boring book ever. No theory, no ideas, just page after page of stuff you already know. There is almost 200 pages on Alchemist. Nuff said.

This book was delayed, and by the time I was notified of the delay, it was too late to cancel the order and reorder somewhere else. It was also the abridged edition. I would have preferred the unabridged edition.

I first discovered this book 40 years ago, and especially loved its description of the witchcraft hysteria. This is a lovely little edition, but it is only a small subset of the entire work, dealing specifically in three economic bubbles. It would have been good reading in 2000.

The book is fine as can be expected. It is a text book for physchology.
I am unhappy with the missing CD that was to accompany the book.

As a college student, I have to say that to find a good deal on textbooks is not easy. The book I purchased was a used textbook that was a lot cheaper here than if I were to have purchased it used at the campus bookstore. It was shipped very quickly. I am very happy. Thanks for saving me some money!

Similar to the review below, I find this book invaluable every time I teach COMS 101 or its equivalent. Not only does the book offer a wealth of information pertaining specifically to the study and field of Communication, but it offers a great deal of visceral information to supplement its core material interesting anecdotes and digressions. The supplemental material proves to be useful in *waking students up* to the lectures at hand.

I have read earlier books by Pearson--they were good, but this book is spectacular. As a classroom teacher, I appreciate the supplements that come with the book. My students responded very well to the first six chapters and to the public speaking chapters.

This book was so inspring when I first read it when it litteraly first came out and it always lifted my spirits, I still use it while i'm in the teen yars.

We all know where 'Real Beauty' comes from. Why not start your young lady out early in learning that beauty is more than skin deep? Help the preteen in your life be more selfconfident and beautiful by knowing how to accomplish this elusive trait.

If you have a young girl in your family circle, I urge you to give her a copy of Real Beauty: 101 Ways to Feel Great About You (American Girl Library.) I promise you that the benefits will be of lifelong value! If more girls had this sense of self-worth, we would have fewer eating disorders, schoolyard bullying, distorted body images, and other issues that plague the lives of teens -- and adults.

Simply put, this book is worth its weight in gold.

I read it first, and I am looking forward to reading it again with my granddaughter.

Whenever I feel bad about myself, hating myself, etc, I pick up this book and start reading it. Then I feel good about myself. Of course, though, I don't really need braces yet but I will when I'm 12! The book gives you lots of information on how to eat healthy, exercise, and if you are maybe 10-15, it tells you what to put in your back pack if you get pimples, your period starts, etc. I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! P.S I am ten years old.

I had to purchase this book for my cultural Anthropology course. Its not a bad book, in fact, it is actually quite enjoyable. Its definitely not one of those boring textbooks that choose to regurgitate facts. The organization of which the information is given about different cultures is very intuitive and great for anybody looking to learn a couple tidbits about our world and the cultures that live within it.

Even though I had to buy this book for an anthropology class for college, I absolutely love it. Every bit of information is both colorful and interesting. There are some things you wouldn't even guess were out there, but they are, and the people talked about in this book are extraordinary to learn about. Even just for reading because of interest in different cultures around the world, I would recommend this book to anyone. It was great.

Peters-Golden's Culture Sketches is a must have for any student of anthropology or anyone interested in the basics of anthropology. Each chapter reviews and details a particular culture/society and explains the particular culture in an academic and laymans way. In other terms, the book is easy to understand even if you do not know a thing about anthropology and it provides useful information for students and academics alike about 13 societies that exist or have existed on this planet. These are not detailed ethnographies, i.e. they do not explain every thing about the society. Peters-Golden gives a taste of each society and encourages to further explore the societies that interest the reader. If you are a student looking for an insight on what anthropologists study (such as economic systems, religion, rituals, beliefs in magic and mystics, marriage rites, rites of passage, etc) or anyone else who is curious about the other societies on this planet, this book is for you.

I bought this book for my son who is going into 6th grade for summer reading. It's not easy to get him to read in the summer. He loved it and couldn't put it down. Now he's reading the sequel.

If you like the notion of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, etc. this series is really excellent. I don't use the word WONDERFUL much, but they're a great read. They really do carry on the story of Peter and his friends in a believable and fun way. Really AWESOME and you won't be disappointed. The entire series is highly recommended - all three books so far.

I guess it is a good book, I gave it to my great grandson, because he loves to read.

Peter (of Neverland fame) hitches a ride on a ship filled with Very Bad Men and goes back to London to warn his friend Molly of the danger that races towards her and her family. The Starchasers are in grave trouble this time. This is a great, fun book. Inventive, funny, fast-paced. The characters are fleshed-out and believable. The baddies are very bad.

Fabulous book! My kids and I liked it even better than the first one in this series (Peter and the Star Catchers), which we also loved! These books are prequels to the original Peter Pan and are very well written. It has lots of very short chapters, which makes it easy to read with your children. It gets you very interested in what is going on with one character, then switches back to a different character, which makes you not want to stop reading it! This one is more intense than the first one and might be a little scary for younger children.

Arendt begins her opus magnum with a proposal: she states that the launch of Sputnik in 1957 (similar to Vaclav Havel's proposal of the moon landing) has hearkened in a new age of humanity. Following this proposal is one of the most mysterious but rewarding books of the 20th century, in my humble opinion.
I first encountered "The Human Condition" in an undergraduate class regarding the post-modern community. To this day, I still have not completely digested this work. Her objective, in her own words, is to determine "... what it is that we are doing", and her choice of a goal is challenging considering what is to follow. Situating herself between a Greek model of society and a Marxist interpretation of labor, Arendt calls into question our ideas of progress, technology, and even forgiveness, and aims a withering critique at the subjective personality of the post-modern world.
I won't go into a broad summary of her points to convince you to read it, but instead implore the reader of this review to see for themselves what Arendt is doing. Some will give up on this book after a few pages, calling it semantical nonsense. Yet for those who forge a path through Arendt's intelligent interpretation of history will come out on the other side with a new appreciation for the way in which they live their lives, participate in this thing we call "work", and interact with the human community. I can't stress enough how much this book means to me.

I should forewarn those who are about to the buy this book that you ought to first be well read in ancient Greek Culture: philosophy, political city-state as well as Greek mythology. Arendt uses a lot of Greek terminology which can make it incredibly difficult for the average Liberal Arts student or international student, for that matter, who are unfamiliar with these these terms.

No doubt the concepts she spoke of in the mid-50s are more than applicable to todays society. She was clearly a woman ahead of her time, but much too brainy for her own good. Chapter 2 on the "Public and Private Realm" is a 50+ page drag, emphasis on the word DRAG. I'm barely scraping through this chapter.

Had Arendt chosen to write in a taut, less opulent but fluid fashion, she could have easily connected to average readers and would have been an instant bestseller. If she did in fact become one...then more power to her.

Two cents worth from a frustrated liberal arts student.

To judge this book by it's cover, I would say that it's red violet. I hope the content covers the spectrum of the human condition. Enjoy your lunch.

Arendt's book is really more a disquisition on political theory than an explanation of the human condition in all its endlessly tragic vicissitudes.

It was interesting, and I learned more about ancient Greek and Roman political theory than I really wanted to know; with the most interesting facet being the defining of the terms "labor", "work", and "action" as they pertain to the the means by which the human animal has his being in the world. But by and large, it really didn't touch on the human condition in a way that enlarged my understanding of the essence of its gestalt.

The most interesting chapter is the one on action as the public realm in which some men choose to live and act, and how that affects both the present and the future. While action is essentially ephemeral in nature, its impact on the human condition is one that can and often does have unintended consequences reaching far into the future like ripples on a pond spreading outward from a central occurence. It is that very unpredictability that is its foremost feature.

Labor too is ephemeral in nature, in its attendance on the basic needs of mankind, food and shelter. Only work, in Arendt's estimation is durable and in this category she places all forms of art.

It is not an easy book to read but, given a little effort, accessible to even a novice at political theory.

I'd had this book for quite some time so I thought I might take a look at it. After reading it from cover to cover, all I have to say is, "What a waste of my time".

Arendt jumps back and forth from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern and post-modern eras, sometimes in the space of a few words in a paragraph, in a single-minded quest to put her stamp on what it is that gives value to existence. Turns out that it isn't happiness (too vulgar and egotistic and Bentham was a dirty crude little egoist) or even God (although He shows up in both the Heavenly and Nazarene versions). Nope, it's politics. The why is unclear to me; something to do with the mind (too vulgar and egotistic) and its inability to really know God's creation (Never mind that Genesis says mankind was created in God's image. Arendt puts a governor on the intellect and proclaims it incapable of understanding.) and how action for the sake of action is the greatest achievement of man (the working animal).

Throw in some rationalizing of immortality based on her understanding of then up-to-date physics and you've got it in a nutshell.

I feel that the story of Celia is better than the book. I say that because the book can be very vague and too narrow at the same time. The author will go on and on (for pages at a time) about an irrelevant political issue in great detail and frequently makes statements like, "it is possible that..." and "it is unknown what happened..." about Celia's story. To me, it felt like the author was trying to fill the holes left by Celia's lack of historical evidence with other, well-documented events of the time period. I understand some background information is important but that was too much and it happened too often. Despite some of the issues with the book, the story itself is great. I was completely sympathic to Celia and wished that things turned out differently.

Based on the content and the depthness of the book, it would be a great book to discuss and read in a college course on African American history/literature.

I agree with another reviewer that this book read like a story out of a history textbook. Although interesting, I think this book would have better served its purpose if written as a historical fictiopn. Plus, I got tired of having to turn to the Notes section for supporting details and background information.

"Yet the lives of lesser figures, men and women who lived and died in virtual autonomy, often better illustrate certain aspects of the major issures of a perticular period than do (others who achieve national prominence)". The introduction my Melton A. McLaurin sets up a well researched and thought out work regarding the life of a female slave, caught killing her owner for raping her over a period of years. The author does two very important things very well in this book. He demonstates in very real terms the hopelessness of women in particular during this sordid period or American history AND he places in a timeline perspective just before the outbreak of the Civil War when tensions were high, especially in her "home" state of Missouri, where the stakes could not have been higher with the question of the expansion of slavery into newly admitted states was being hotly contensted. While it would be impossible to argue that she would ever get a fair "trial" McLaurin astutely walks us through a real defense team doing their best in a time period where ANY notion of fairness is null and void and, specifically, why this is the case.

This book is a must read for any serious students of the "peculiar institution". It is remarkable how the author takes an "anonomous" life and demonstrates how and individual could be and was treated as property and degraded to the depths of our ability to comprehend while weaving in the fast moving antibellum period and the legislation, politics and emotions of the time.

...was hardly told with any sort of talent. This book is a virtually word-for-word historical account of the life and death of Celia; a slave who was tried for killing a master for attempting to defile her. This book tells a story that needs to be told, and on the other end, that needs to be heard, about the extent to which human corruption has been allowed to rampage unchecked in the past of our country.
The problem that human corruption still rampages every bit as unchecked through our current country is not addressed, but rather, the book dwells almost solely on the single incident in question.
I've told you that this story, unlike some stories, deserves to be told, and deserves to be heard. What's truly sad is how the writing style in this book will prevent so many people from actually reading it.
The front cover of the book loudly announces that it is "based on a true story." In fact, it's not "based" on anything. It IS a true story. I define the difference in this way; a story BASED on a true story will sometimes embellish or at least phrase the text in the form of a narrative, for the purpose of providing a single, connected tale that can be followed and appreciated by a casual reader. I read this book because my little brother was assigned it for school reading, and if I had not felt compelled to finish by such a personal motive, I would have dropped it before finishing chapter 1.
Too often in this story, we are told "Celia may have done this," or "evidence supports this belief" or "This may have happened, but we can't prove it," like a crumby history textbook. Still more destructive to this volume is the fact that every two paragraphs or so, the main topic of the novel (Celia, her trial, etc...) is interrupted for a series of incidental and largely irrelivent facts about slavery and the political processes that went into the governments/courts of the time.
Furthermore, on the back of the book, it claims to "produce the kind of anger that never goes away." My anger was principally with the unfeeling tones set by the writer, who would consistently narrate the horrors of the situation as though he were a person virtually impartial to what he was telling us about. The relating of such horrors without seeming the least bit disgusted by them made the writer seem, in my mind, just as odious a creature as any of the people he described, (and didn't describe very well, leaving out, again, like a history text, all things of narrative import, like mood, personality, appearance and so forth.)
Maybe the next time a truly important story of this sort is released, it will be done in a manner that will welcome the casual reader, instead of being something that only a dedicated historian can enjoy.

Everyone! Buy Celia, a slave! She's Celia, a slave! Buy four or five at least!

"It is written on the limitless constellations of the celestial heavens, on the depths of the emerald seas and on every grain of sand in the vast desert that the world which we see is an outward and visible dream of an inward and invisible reality." - Sufi saying.

This book is a beautiful re-introduction to the "Sacred Geometry", the study of the simple mathematical patterns that dominate the universe. At the same time this practice both argues for a creator and also one who is unlike the standard "Holy book" picture for his basic engines of creation unfold like a lotus flower into infinity.

Unlike most stuff found in a "New Age" store, this book is not arguing you to believe anything, it shows you and teaches you and lets your own mind do the work. If I ever become a teacher I'll use bits of this book to try to get students to actually think and hopefully enjoy math, arts, the sciences.

Artfully done with many interesting side notes. Easy to read, the book raises many deep questions. Well worth the price!

Colleague Michael Schneider (who I had the pleasure of interviewing on community radio/TV a few years ago) wrote this outstanding book that has wonderful little illustrations and photographs showing how geometry and number remind us universal archetypes every where we turn in nature, art and architecture. For over a decade I've recommended this book as a perfect complement to my Sacred Geometry Design Sourcebook which you can also find here on Amazon or on my website at www.GeometryCode.com. If you want a great place to begin exploring sacred geometry (even though he doesn't call it that :-), A Beginner's Guide... and SGDS make a great pair of references.

A Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe shows the mathematical underpinnings of nature by explaining how nature makes use of the numbers 1 - 10 and also 12 and 13. For example number six is used by nature in the construction of many things including walls of cells as the six sided hexagon is a very stable geometric object. There is some focus on mystical aspects of math but not too much so that there ends up being a lot of practical knowledge to be found here. The Fibonacci sequence is presented along with the use it is put to by nature. There is a presentation of the golden mean also. I highly recommend this book to those who have had interest in math drilled out of them by the drudgery of unfocused arithmetic and algebra lessons. This book is a peak into the fascinating world of mathematics and should whet your appetite for more. One book to consider after reading this book is "Fascinating Fibonacci's" as it contains more detailed information on the material found in chapter 5 of this book.

First I bought two copies. Sent one to my 90 year old mother who read it cover to cover. Then gave away the other as an emergency gift. Then bought two more. Now I have to buy more because I read my own copy and have three people to whom I would like to give the remaining copy. Let's see, that is 2 + 2 = 4 + 2 or 3 = 6 or 7. Now I know what those numbers "are". This book is precious. It allows one to see the magic and the mystery in common objects and relationships around us. Nicely written. A lot of fun. The whole book is worth the price just for the fantastic quotes in the margins, let alone the chapters. I love this book. I am glad to know more about the radiant essence of my apples, bowls, desks, steering wheel, hands - and everything around me. Thank you Michael Schneider.