Westerns Books

This was the textbook to a college class on Zarathustra, and I have to say not only am I glad I took the class, I'm incredibly happy I have this book. First I'll tackle the negatives. The teacher used this instead of Kaufmann's translation because he noticed it packed in a few lines that Kaufmann's lacked: however it also discarded some. So essentially the translation is incomplete. Additionally, (my professor is fluent in German) there are many words that he himself thought would have been a better translation. Also, on one of the sections on women, the editor puts a notation where he says that Nietzsche says "Women are not yet ready [to be friends]." The text has to be read carefully: It most certainly does not say that.

All that said, if possible I would recommend reading this book with guidance; It is highly allusory (95% of allusions are to biblical scenes) and you have to both have a good knowledge of ancient Greece as well as a very good grasp of the New Testament to be able to more fully understand some of what he's saying. Be prepared for careful study--you cannot just pick it up and read it like a novel. Each section and subsection are poetically and carefully arranged, and all sections link to previous and upcoming sections. Nietzsche's straightforward argument only becomes apparent when the book is finished.

It did indeed personally affect me. It made me realize that I valued creativity and had lost touch with that in my pursuit of a degree in biotechnology. It made me switch to accounting so I can simply make a good living while having all the time in the world to write and engage in my artistic endeavors.

As far as what people say about his views on God, if you read this book carefully, you will realize that he critiques what people say about God, and attacks the image of God as western civilization has made it, not necessarily God itself. He is neither an atheist nor theist and could barely be considered agnostic, because agnosticism implies that there is some kind of absolute knowledge, an idea which he very early decries as nonexistant. Man's role in the world is to deal with infinite uncertainty, and the prescription is to be lighthearted in your dealings and to always work towards a goal, while respecting science albeit not to the point of declaring any of science as an absolute.

I could write much more about what this book has done for me but I'll rob you of your own interpretations. Good day!

Part of the Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy series, Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a specially commissioned English translation of what the renowned philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche considered to be his most important work. Framed in the context of the story of the wandering Zarathustra, Thus Spoke Zarathustra applies homilies, parables, epigrams, and dreams to present philosophical doctrines. Written in a bullet-by-bullet style of short paragraphs and brief lines of dialogue, Thus Spoke Zarathustra solidly conveys Nietzsche's views of nihilism, theology, the role of compassion, and other complex subjects. An index rounds out this superb primary source of classic philosophical discussion and frame of reference. Highly recommended especially for philosophy and college library reference shelves.

Klosterman understands the universe, and why heavy metal had to exist to make it balanced and just.

Personally, Chuck is my top 3 favorite writer. I think he hit me hard with his styles and topics in all of his books. So if you're like me:

- Love Rock and/or Heavy Metal music*****this is very important for this book
- Enjoy reading about popular culture topics
- Love sarcastic and funny books
- is in the age range of 18-30 (I'm 24)
- Like to explore all kinds od writings and books
- is not one who tend to OVERTHINK AND OVERCRITISIZE books and writing styles
- is open minded

Then, this is probably your kind of writer too. Good luck and enjoy!

If you grew up enjoying hard rock and/or heavy metal of the 80's and early 90's, or are just a fan of that music, then you simply must read this book. It will bring back fond memories of your developing musical tastes and make you laugh out loud.

I bought this on the recommendation of Martin Popoff, and was terribly disappointed. If you want to read an insightful, entertaining, and fair review of heavy metal, this is most definitely NOT your book. Klosterman's "appreciation" of the form starts and ends with glam. He spends most of the book in postmodern smirky hipster mode, which means he continually trashes the music from a musical point of view, and chooses to battle for its "validity" in the more easily defended realm of "what it meant to me as a kid." As cultural studies, this is crap, and as a book about heavy metal it is an utter waste of time. He elevates glam (Poison, GNR, Cinderella, etc) and simultaneously slags Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and the host of other metal bands which were the meat and potatoes of any real metalhead of the time. He has no appreciation for what most metal fans would actually grace with the term "heavy metal". As you will quickly be able to tell, this is masterfully well done, in that he affirms what most of the snobs have been saying all along about metal--all the 5 star reviews are from people who are...gasp...not metal fans--whilst and at the same time pretending to be a true fan. Hipster dreck at its worst. You are better off reading Ian Christe's "Sound of the Beast", or even Walser or Weinstein's books. Better yet, check out Sam Dunn's documentary "Metal-A Headbanger's Journey." Dunn and Christe are real fans of the music, and they don't spend all their time perpetuating all the stereotypes of the form.

While I think that this book is deservedly the black sheep of the Klosterman books, its still enjoyable. What this book lacks is any sense of flow... I never caught a real story or any purpose. It just seemed like a series of rants on liking metal (pop/ hair metal in particular) that were taped and then transcribed. Klosterman still has that really approachable style that's fun and thoguhtful.

While I'd like to laugh at him for liking crappy bands, Klosterman's experiences are similar to most any youth who feels a strong connection to music. I know that they're not unlike my feelings as a young teen becoming obsessed with hardcore records back then... though I had one up on Chuck 'cos I was living in Philly, and not rural North Dakota, back in the day.

Typical Klosterman; funny, absurd, and thoughtful... I suppose a lot of other readers are turned away by what they see as a lack of direction or movement in the book.

Thanks for the book, It looks great and it got here when I needed it.

I took a couple of courses in Chemistry 30 years ago back in high school and then a couple more in college. My son just finished using this book in HIS college Chemistry classes and I thought I'd read through it for grins. I wasn't very impressed. Oh, the information's all there. But, it's presented in the manner of someone having gone through a checklist to see all the Chemistry subjects that should be taught in general Chemistry and then just including them. It's hard to explain, but I think the problem is the lack of historical background in the book. The book has little historical snippets on Chemistry *personages*, but it doesn't follow along the historical *path of discovery* to explain WHY Chemistry is what it is. The end result is that the student is presented with dry, bare facts with no place to hang them in his head.

Another problem is the lack of math in the book. I mean, general Chemistry is not exactly a higher math subject (it's an empirical science, instead). But, as an example, on page 277, in the midst of the Quantum Mechanics section, there's a sidebar explaining:

"The <= sign means that the product (DELTA)x(DELTA)p can be greater than or equal to h/4(PI), but it can never be smaller than h/4(PI)"

(I've substituted the capitalized words for the greek symbols). 277 pages into a Chemistry book and the author is explaining what the "<=" sign is. This assumption of utter mathematical ignorance on the part of the reader continues throughout the book. And yet, a mere 72 pages further on (page 349), the author assumes knowledge of Coulomb's law in an explanation. Coulomb's law implies a class in Physics which means that anyone reading this book should be well versed in basic math.

And, finally, the biggest problem is that there's almost no lab material presented or used. I don't mean just a lack of lab experiments (I initially assumed there was some companion lab manual for this book -- but, if so, there's nothing anywhere in the book that references it). I mean that the author uses almost no hypothetical, lab-based scenarios to illustrate his points. Again, Chemistry is an historically empirical, experimental science. To entirely ignore that in a Chemistry book makes no sense at all.

Personally, this book feels like a book designed for people who have no interest in Chemistry but are forced to take a Chemistry class because of silly academic requirements. The problem with this is that presenting Chemistry as merely a collection of boring facts makes it even harder for such students to get anything out of the subject. And, for anyone who really is interested in the subject, this book could scare them off. Because of this, the best I can rate Chang's "Chemistry" is a Not Very Good 2 stars out of 5.

I thought my brain was broken because I tried several times to understand Chemistry. The problem was the other textbooks required by my professors. When I came across Chang's book, I thought it would be written like the rest of the boring chemistry texts written for people starting out in chemistry (but seemed like they were for people with a Ph.D. in chemistry). After I started to read Chang's book I was surprised, but I doubted myself. I assumed that I would get concepts mixed up or that I did not understand them at all. I was wrong because I passed every test in my Chemistry class. I am so happy to have found this book. I recommend this book to every college student that is somewhat familar with chemistry. This book helped me pass! Now, it would be great if he wrote organic chemistry and biochemistry books also.

This one of the nine books listed by the College Board as a high quality chemistry textbook for teaching AP Chemistry so it's a recognized quality text and has been a standard for years. It's not light reading. College level chemistry is a tough course and no book can make it easy without skipping important concepts. If you want an easy chem-lite, get Cliff's notes. It will get you by with a minimally passing grade, but if you want more than that, use a complete book like this one. Following the explanations in this textbook will get you through the toughest sections of chemistry with an clear and correct understanding. Examples of all the types of problems in first year college chemistry are given with step-by-step descriptions. The illustrations, graphs and example problems alone are enough to guide you through the toughest chemistry course. I've taught AP Chemistry and used a number of texts: Ebbing and Gammon, Zumdahl, Brown and LeMay and each one will reward a dedicated student. Chang ranks right up with them.

I used this book for 3 quarters of general chemistry. Its an ok book, as I use it quite alot for my organic chemistry lab work. My school bookstore ordered the paperback "custom" version of this book, which I think is retarded because most chemistry / chemical engineering students are going to want to keep their chemistry books for future class and or job reference. A paper back just isnt going to cut it, and I am going to have to repurchase this book as a hard back. That fact that I plan to repurchase this book as opposed to finding another is proof enough of its value. As a second choice, I think the Brown / Lemay chemistry book is just as good of a choice.

Can't say anything about the written quality of the book, as I am required to have it for history class. However, it is in perfect condition. It is wrapped in plastic and came bubble-wrapped. My one qualm is that it is only the first volume of the hardback textbook, which wasn't listed when I ordered. I now have to order volume 2, which is difficult to find.

Most textbooks are designed to teach and instruct in a detailed and straight forward manner. This book is unable to do either. The language it is written in is very confusing, it seems that most of the book is written as an essay, using big fancy words which are totally unnecessary. The message is not easy to discern. The book does not provide good instruction. In fact, THERE IS NOT EVEN A GLOSSARY, and most of the words aren't even defined in context.

This is pathetic, I will have to buy another supplement in hopes of doing well on the AP exam, because this book will be unable to get me prepared. Instructors, please stay away from this book. Students, good luck trying to understand it.

I used an earlier edition of this fine book some years ago in teaching a college-level history of rock and roll, and the only reason I give it four rather than five stars is the obscene price. Stuessy's aim in writing the book was not just to introduce the history of rock and roll, but to introduce students to the various elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre) and of musical formal structures: these items are covered in detail, relating to the music of the appropriate chapter, in end-of-chapter supplements. In other words, Stuessy is trying in part to promote musical literacy among people who do not take a more traditional class in "music appreciation." I would not expect that many people without some formal musical training could make complete sense of the supplements, but it is a textbook, not a self-help manual, and I had great success with the book in class. The main text, however, is independent of the more technical supplements, and can be read as an excellent and insightful history of rock and roll.

This book is predictable, boring, and prejudiced. What did I expect from a textbook? More, I guess. I've been listening to a lot of rock and roll from a lot of different time periods in the past two years and have been trying to understand the history of the music, influences on bands, where different trends came from, flashes of originality ... I don't mind an academic perspective, I hoped for some music theory, but this book is just plain stupid. What a waste of money.

For anyone curious about Taoism or even for the person who has followed the way for many years, this is an excellent, well-written book that clearly illustrates the important philosophies of Taoism. There's nothing preachy or pretentious about The Tao of Daily Life. It's more like talking with an old friend - simply the best modern Taoist book I've read and is a more-than-worthy supplement to the original Tao Te Ching.

Derek Lin does an exceptional job at interpreting and discussing Taoist thoughts and parables that can guide you in thought and action. I came by Taoism through the course of academia but now find the Tao to be an active part of my life. This book reflects how Taoism is applied in such a manner. Each chapter leaves a great deal of room for personal interpretation and introspection. Simply from a philosophical point of view, this book can lead to great discussions.

I bought this book after being introduced to taoism on the author's website half a year ago. The book is a collection of parables (short stories) followed by a longer explanation by Derek Lin for each.

The parables have themes on loving others, dealing with our ego, why unfortunate events can be a blessing in disguise, handling negative people, and finding joy in simple things, for example. The parables are often funny, extremely insightful, and easy to remember for when you actually need the insight in real life situations.

This book has given me a large amount of understanding and inspiration in my own life. It is well written so that those of any religion (or lack of) can greatly benefit from its wisdom. The author even states this in the book.

I would put this book at the top of the list for anyone wanting to help move past the daily trivialities and frustrations that can inhibit our lives. This is also a perfect companion to applying the Tao Te Ching to the daily life.

The book contains enjoyable stories and comments which are enlightening yet easy to understand. Great book if you want to put the time proven wisdom to practice.

Based upon the stories of sages from days long past, The Tao of Daily Life, offers practical and thought provoking lessons on topics ranging from spiritual journeys to work and our families. It is through the retelling of simple short stories that Derek Lin imparts wisdom in this accessible work.



This book has 34 chapters, each beginning with a story. The story illustrates in just a few pages the topic. Lin then expounds upon the story to bring a deeper understanding of these principals into our present day context. In some chapters the connection with the Tao Te Ching is explored, however, this book is primarily a guide to living fully and deeply offering teachings that can be employed by anyone.



"Cultivating the Tao isn't all about solitary meditations and mountain retreats. It is also about community. It's about interacting with people, sending out oneness with them, and feeling the invigorating energy that results from personal interaction. The more we do for others, the more blissful contentment we experience; the more we give to others, the more joyous satisfaction we receive."