change Books

An excellent how-to book, in plain language, that will help anyone in their struggles to lose weight. Jillian Michaels doesn't talk down to you and she doesn't let you talk down to yourself - she just shows you how to make changes that will change your life. I highly recommend this book because it addresses all 3 components to losing weight - diet, exercise and attitude. Everyone will find something helpful in this book!

Everyone knows to eat right and to exercise but it's very hard to follow it everyday when its so easy to see fatty foods everywhere. Thanks to Jillian I know the important things like difference between saturated and transfats and that it is important to give your self a rest day instead of pushing yourself too hard. Thank you Jillian!

I really enjoyed the information in this book. Her work out routine is nice because she mixed things up.

This is an excellent, effective and realistic lifestyle plan by Jillian Michaels. Her workouts will make you sweat each and every time, but imagining her there with you right when you want to give up half way through your last set is all it takes to get you through it. They are not for the fate of heart, but you can work up to being able to do them straight through with some extra cardio training when you have the oomph for it. Don't be discouraged if you're worn out right away the first few times through. Take short breaks when you need to, but don't give up!

Her meal plans are, for the most part nutritionally sound. Personally I like a few more fruits throughout my day (especially during summer!), so I add a homemade smoothie with 1-3 servings here and there. If you have knee problems, try adding some flax to your diet, and maybe a glucosamine supplement so you don't use that as an excuse to go easy or end up in pain. A lot of her exercises are multi-joint movements that can stress the knees if you are starting out very overweight (squats, various lunges, etc), so you might want to add either or both in anyway. Most of her recipes are pretty scrumptious, but watch your portion sizes since most are for 4-6 people.

It would be nice if some of the advanced exercises had photos, but most are available on Google or YouTube if you're serious about doing this right. Overall, Jillian has done a great job of putting together a surmountable, invigorating life style that will produce results proportionate to the effort you put into making the change to be healthy, happy, and fit. Go for it!

i love this book! i related to a lot of what she had to talk about. she tells you about the best and worsts carbs, fats, and proteins, and teaches you about your bodys chemical make up (whether you are a slow or fast oxidizer, and what foods to eat and avoid for each). ive read a lot of books relating to weight loss and this is definatly one of the best. its not confusing and she doesnt give you scientific terms that you dont understand. she breaks it down for you and is constantly motivating you that you can do it! the exercise index in the back is great and she also gives some recipies. sometimes while i was reading i felt like i could have written the book (not in a bad way, but how much i knew what she was talking about). she askes you questions about your eating behaviors and how you feel, are you depressed and anxious, which we all know relates to our weight, and self esteem, and confidence. one i started reading i couldn't put the book down. it made me want to get up and go to the gym and try the new exercises shown in the back of the book. i definatly 100% recommend this book. its totally worth it. if you're really focused and really want to accomplish your goals, and you read this book for a little extra motivation, you'll definatly see results, not only in the mirror but definatly in your mind. =]

John Perkins, a former "economic hit man", revealed his emotional turmoil in Confessions of an Economic Hitman. He illustrated from an insider's perspective the evils of the modern-day empire building of corporations or "corporatocracy" in action. He lifted the veil on the military-industrial complex, which partners with Government in bewitching consumers with guile, corruption and big marketing budgets, whilst carrying out gross environmental and human rights abuses.

In this sequel, Perkins has a more mature view of the world. Gone is the continuous guilt and egotistical self-reflection, and in its place, is more depth, plenty of anecdotes, solutions for a better world, and many exciting world travels thrown in. Not only does it read like a spy novel at times, but also a travel book. Perkins is no journalist, and there is an opportunity here for a follow-up research piece on his vignettes. There are also times when unsubstantiated conspiracy theories run a bit far. His sources are not always vetted for quality. However, I believe Perkins' heart is in the right place and he should be forgiven for less than perfect journalism.

One major faux pas is in his discussion on the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. He mentions that Israel launched an attack on Beirut, as if they were making afternoon tea, and faced international criticism. Perkins conceals the major facts of this war - that Hizbollah instigated it by kidnapping an Israeli soldier from sovereign Israel, and launched a missile attack on Haifa. This error of omission calls to question many of his other theories. I wonder what the book could have been if he had employed a fact-checker.

There is no doubt that corporate hegemony is casting a chilling shadow on our world, and the more aware people become, the more we can do. Whilst this is by no means, a 5-star book, it is redeemed by the solutions provided, and Perkins' open-minded approach. Everyone with an interest in why the world is in the situation it's in, why we're so dependent on oil, politics, economics, and the environment, will find this book worthwhile. I would recommend it to everyone interested in the future of humanity and the world we inhabit. This is a must-read for anyone wondering why so much of Asia, Africa and the Middle East hate America.

The Secret History of the American Empire by John Perkins author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
P. 283; "The world is not in danger. We are. If we don't change our ways, Mother Nature will shake us off like so many fleas."
This fast moving book is packed with historical revelations and profound thoughts.
Read it!

I just finished reading this book. I've been researching this subject for a few years, but more importantly, have been experiencing the effects in my life of the systems he describes. The changin times are barrelling upon us. As a former world traveller, I can attest to everything he says.

This is a concise wrap up of his experience produced in a highly readable format, and I believe is indicative of a broader picture. I like that at the end of the book he gives some suggestions for solutions and ways to work together to transform the world.

Read this book!

Perkins once again tells it like it is. We are part of the problem. Our addiction to cheap clothing and exercise equipment (put together in tropical sweatshops by people living only marginally better than inmates of Nazi prison camps) fuels the system. We have to change, to live sustainable lifestyles. Read the book. Once you understand the problem, you will want to be part of the solution.

Wow, I can't believe the reviews have been so favorable for this writers books. It's as though people just stop thinking for themselves. Let me save you 15 bucks. Down w/ capitilism, people who make money are bad. No mention that, perphaps, it's government interference and manipulation of fiscal programs around the world that cause corperations to act as they do.

This was a very good read on a subject--the brain, neuroplasticity, and the power of the mind--that I have long found particularly interesting. The author writes very eloquently, and at times, in just such a way that I felt was also quite touching. I found this to be an absorbing book, both due to the nature of the subject matter and the writer's wonderful ability to present it. I would highly recommend this book, especially to anyone with a bit higher than average curiosity regarding this particular sort of subject matter. If you are looking for a "self-help" style of book, written in a more personal style, this is not that book.

In this extrodinary book is one statement I disagree with. That is that Christianity presents more of a conflict with the results of the scientific research on the human brain than another religion. I think if the author will read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis she will find out how well the Faith lines up with the scietific research!!

Train Your Mind Change Your Brain
By Sharon Begley
We no longer live in a world where our mind is set in stone. Sharon Begley makes the science of Neuroplasticity and mind science not only comprehensible but meaningful on a very personal level. For anyone who meditates and wonders about the effects of meditation on the brain. [...]

This book was amazing-the implications are far reaching for your own life, as well as your childrens lives. As a mom of three, and someone new to meditation, it's an exciting time to be raising young people. This book has made me think about every aspect of my life differently. I've reccommended it to everyone!!

Sharon Begley's "Train Your Mind Change Your Brain" does a fine job of exploring the science of neuroplasticity which upends long thought beliefs that the brain becomes hardwired early in life and can't be changed other than through physical techniques like medication, etc. Rather, by concentrating one's thinking in certain ways, actual physical changes can be effected in the brain. That is, the brain affects the mind and the mind affects the brain, a two-way process. Plus, she shows how actual scientific testing proves this, both in animals and humans.

She sees Buddhism as an example of neuroplasticity in action.

The book offers a lot of things to ponder. These are the ones which stuck with me:

1. Unlike most other religions, there is no antagonism between Buddhism and science. Experience comes first, then reason, then scripture.

2. A shrunken hippocampus in the brain exists with depression, but not sure which came first. The result being the inability to recognize novelty.

3. The brain's cortical representation of the reading finger of proficient Braille readers is enlarged at the expense of other fingers. Such reader's brain's visual cortex is active, not just the somatosensory cortex, hence brain plasticity.

4. The loss of vision early in childhood, or before, makes peripheral hearing sharper, just as loss of hearing makes peripheral vision sharper.

5. Dyslexia can be at least partially ameliorated by behavior remediation actually repairing left temporal brain region dysfunction, therefore plasticity of the brain.

6. People who have lost a limb undergo some brain reorganization. For example, a missing hand can generate an itch relieved by scratching one's lower face. Also, stroke victims can benefit like from putting one's good arm in a sling to force the person to use the bad arm, resulting in repairing the brain by using the mind to concentrate on using the bad arm.

7. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients, by certain mental action can change the brain chemistry thereby preventing OCD.

8. For piano players, mentally rehearsing can activate the same brain circuits as actually physically rehearsing.

9. Genes can be silent or active, with the environment capable of activating the silent ones. For example, a child with an attentive mother will likely also become an attentive parent. However, a child with an inattentive mother will likely be an inattentive parent, however can also become an attentive parent if adopted later by an attentive mother.

10. Levels of brain hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, can affect social bonding and parental care. Things like being very poor in a very rich country can cause a lack of these hormones, for example.

11. Cognitive functions (concentrating) can trigger emotional functions. For example, with Buddhist meditation it is possible to eliminate emotions of anger, hate, jealousy, envy, and greed.

12. "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", used by therapists, considers normality to be not having such disorders. However, no concentration of positive mental states like happiness, contentment, curiosity, drive, engagement and compassion. Why?

Thank you for this book and the knowledge about what is actually being done about reinventing energy and kudos to environmentalists and scientists. We should impeach all of our senators and reps, not to mention Bush and CHaney and get some real, honest people in charge of our `world'.

The shear volume of emerging technologies described in this book is astounding and inspiring. It quickly becomes apparent that there are no more excuses for continuing our business-as-usual fossil fuel economy. There are so many clean energy solutions right on the brink of success. All they need are the right incentives and investments. A strong and compelling argument is made for a carbon cap-and-trade system, which would go a long way in helping to achieve a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gases and the migration to a clean (and cheaper) energy future. This needs to happen now and it should be the first priority of the new administration. I highly recommend this book.

Earth: The Sequel The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming by Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, and Miriam Horn, is a good place to acquaint yourself with many of the alternative energy technologies currently under development. The style is easy to read and Krupp and Horn do a good job of explaining the complexities of a given technology in simple, easy-to-understand language. The focus is on future technologies that, in many cases, are still not proven, i.e. biofuels from algae, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

The book's one notable flaw is that there is virtually no discussion of wind technology. In one sense this may be good news given Krupp's enthusiasm for new technology. Perhaps he regards wind as too simple and well established to merit detailed discussion in a book dedicated to complicated technical solutions to the problems posed by fossil fuels. Nonetheless, it's a curious omission.

The authors describe in detail a number of ongoing alternative-energy projects and the scientist-entrepreneurs who are developing them. Attention is paid to the challenges faced by these entrepreneurs in technology development, permitting and arranging the financing that they need to make their projects a reality.

At the end of the book, the authors discuss the policy changes they believe it will be necessary to implement if these projects are to succeed, chief of which is the enactment of some form of cap and trade program. They also briefly revisit some of the options already discussed, this time with a more critical eye, (I suspect the last chapters were written quite a bit later than the first ones) particularly as regards ethanol and hydrogen, both of which can now be clearly seen to have been way overhyped.

Most books on Global Warming are depressing - not "Earth: The Sequel." Krupp's summary of actual projects underway to reduce global warming brings a welcome sense of positivism and excitement to the topic.

He believes that a transformation of the world economy is on the horizon that will generate the great fortunes of the 21st century while securing the world against the dangers of global warming. The "bad news" is that the federal government devotes only $1 billion/year for R&D on renewable energy, less than ExxonMobil earns/day, and the $6 billion/year that oil and gas industries receive in government benefits. On top of this are large ethanol subsidies and mandated usage.

Krupp's positive examples begin with solar power - nanotech, printable films, and layered films that capture varying light wavelengths, combined with low-cost production in China and Mexico and rising energy prices make solar power a strong candidate for alternative energy production. Krupp also points out that solar-power costs should be compared with peak power costs, not lower average power costs, as well as added costs of removing CO2 from coal-fired plants. On the other hand, transmission lines required cost about $1 million/mile, and are further handicapped by being used only half the day. The book then goes on to cover thermal solar - its advantage is the ability to store heat for evening use.

Krupp's coverage of biofuels is particularly enlightening. Switchgrass, a cutting-edge energy crop, converts 0.3% solar energy vs. Spectrolab's 42% for PV cells. Such crops also require enormous water, plus nutrients, and labor for harvesting, processing. Production also requires considerable input power and creates pressure to level rain-forests to provide growing fields. Twenty-five gallons of corn ethanol requires the same grain as would feed a person for a year, and only produces 25% more energy than put into its creation. Another problem is it can't be transported in pipelines because it absorbs water within them.

Alternatively, sugar is converted to ethanol in Brazil at a cost of .60/gallon, getting 8 BTUs back for every BTU put in; corn is only 1.3:1. Cellulose is 36:1, though still being scaled up - not an easy task.

Another exciting experiment is growing algae with the CO2 emitted from power-plant exhaust while also removing nitrogen from waste water used as coolant. Dried algae has as many BTUs as coal on a weight basis.

Other possibilities include wave, tidal, river current, nuclear, and geothermal power. Surprisingly, electric-powered vehicles charged from coal-fired plants would also reduce pollution - about 25%.

Bottom Line: "Earth: The Sequel" is an exciting and enlightening book.

This book reviews the various technologies available to reduce the effects of Global Warming. While dealt in an evenhanded and balanced manner the bottom line for most of these technologies is to be subsidized by government or industry.

I, for one, don't see why these technologies should not stand on their own merits without subsidies. Look at what the government has done with ethanol (covered in the book) and you'll understand why.

This book took over a month to get to me, should have refused it. Will never order from them again. And Amazon did NOTHING!!!!!!Very disappointed on the service I received from both Amazon and seller.

This workbook is filled with awareness exercises that can help a person immensely with their healing process. The exercises are designed to find limiting beliefs so you can create affirmations to clear the past and welcome the future you want. You can also do the exercises more than once and find new insights. I require this book for all my Heal Your Life training students.

You really should read the book and need the book for the workbook to be successful. That being said, the workbook is a great tool for a person who is dedicated to self-improvement. You really do work in this workbook.

I bought the whole "Heal Your Life" series, including this workbook. Its selfhelp, an interactive guide to start or continue your healing journey. In this one she tells her story and how she over came her past. My story is similiar, as I am sure most people that buy this book will say. It's a hard read (too many tiggers), but if you are serious about healing your past it's a great tool to have.

Don't buy this book, if you already have main text. It is not worth it.
All the same info and work sheets are in main text. This is just a duplication.

Essential reading in understanding why the Enlightenment ideal of rationality is dead or at least doesn't count in ways that matter. In particular, Kuhn calls into question the idea of science as a rational enterprise, and since science is epistemologically privileged and thought to be the essence of rationality, to call into question the rationality of science is to call into question rationality itself. This is different, I submit, than the anti-rationality of the deconstructionists (e.g., Derrida), which seems to lack immediate real world consequences (aside form contributing to a sense of alienation in some). I find Hegel to be a precursor of Kuhn. Hegel attempted to describe how we come to believe what we believe, and Kuhn attempts to do this in the field of science, and, it should be added, with much more accessibly.

There are some who will find Kuhn lacking all coherence (sophisticated BS, as one person put it), and that is another way of saying "irrational". For those who associate irrationality with things like religious fundamentalism, irrationalism is a fearful thing. Yet, it is rationality itself that has been called into question by the events of the 20th century, beginning with the carnage of WWI. The answer is not more rationalism. Rationalism, the primacy of reason and the center of modernism, is itself a belief, and the crisis of modernity is the recognition that reason has no more claim to a privileged position than religion. The answer may be, as Rorty has pointed out, deciding what we want to believe without being forced to justify the basis of those beliefs: we believe because our beliefs support what we hold to be good things(neo-pragmatism) That may be a fearful thing for those who don't find complete correspondence between their beliefs and Rorty's privileged beliefs. What, though, it does show, is that irrationality is not sufficient grounds for being dismissive. In doing so one may be taking a stance on the wrong side of the arrow of history.

The arrow, though, is not that of the Whig theory of history, where things constantly improve driven by reason. Historians of this view (as well as much of popular culture) denigrate older views by degrading them to myth or religious belief status. This gives a privileged position to our own, contemporary beliefs and gives us a sense of comfort. Kuhn disturbs this comfortable view by showing, for example, that Ptolemaic astronomy gave plausible answers to questions of the day. So too, one could argue that the contemporary dismissive view of Scholastic philosophy is more the result of Enlightenment propaganda than of merit. At the least, Kuhn is a good (partial) antidote for contemporary smugness --- a challenge to bourgeois sentiment. Kuhn, though, is much more than a cultural caution; he is an important voice in the contemporary philosophical debate.

Who would like "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions"? Those who like ideas with profound consequences easily presented. Kuhn is a Nietzsche, and like Nietzsche is at the very least a fun read. He is much more if taken seriously.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is an important book, because it helped people view scientific progress in a new light, and introduced us to the important concept of paradigm shift. Unfortunately, however, the book is poorly written, with a dense and overly academic style, and quite frankly, is very, very, boring. Good concept, poor execution.

I read SSR as part of preparation to begin work on a paper and received a very different dose of smart than I expected.

Kuhn has shown how meaningful, and I daresay fun, the prospect of a career as a researcher in any field could be. In this classic work he also guts a lot of intuitive thoughts on science, discovery, and broader knowledge itself - after a thorough reading you'll really see these processes almost totally redefined.

As a non-science major I found all the scientific antecedents to which he frequently and swiftly referred (i.e., Leyden jar, relativity, photoelectric effect) coupled with the dense, elevated writing quite difficult to get through. Still, with slow and focused reading, and a little bit of note taking, which I would suggest to anyone without a PhD, I feel like the main ideas are quite digestible.

Although this is one of the most important books I've read, it is also one of the least fulfilling. Let me start out by saying that I am a casual reader of the history and philosophy of science. This book, described as being one of the most important in its area, is not for the casual reader. It is a scholarly work and it presumes a great deal of scientific knowledge. When discussing a specific revolution, Thomas Kuhn does not go into the details of the science behind the revolution; he just assumes that the reader knows it. And befitting its stature, the book was written in a very scholarly tone. Unfortunately this meant that I had to do a lot of digging to reach the kernel of the point that Kuhn was trying to make. However, Kuhn's revelations about how scientific revolutions come about and the role of normal science answered a lot of my questions. His discussions of paradigms were also very enlightening and he certainly explained why old ideas are so difficult to overthrow. Indeed, now that I've read this book, I recognize when other authors refer to his thinking. Overall though, I do not recommend this book to other casual readers.

Kuhn's theory has been met with lavish praise, nuanced criticism, vitriol and dismissal. This polemical book challenges assumptions about the way science has worked, and delineates the pattern of scientific progress in terms of changing patterns and modes of thought: normal (puzzle-solving) science, the build up of anomalies, and the introduction of new paradigms. Distilled to its essence, Kuhn argues that scientific study is not immune from the human intricacies that plague other fields of scholarship.

My major critiques are as follows:

1.) Many defenders of science as an endeavor dismiss Kuhn. I think Kuhn gives science too much credit. Kuhn was trained as a scientist, and is obviously aware of the great contributions that science has given to society, but he ignores the fact that science interlopes with other parts of society. It is not totally self-contained but has borrowed ideas from revolutions in other realms, such as the enlightenment.

2.) He sometimes falls into the trap ahistorical timelessness when discussing the notion that knowledge is not accumulated, but rather gestalt shifts govern revolution.

3.) He speaks in such vague language that its difficult to tease apart any real meaning. Such is the nature of any theoretical approach, I suppose. For example, there are branches of scientific study that do just accumulate knowledge, he ignores them and paints with broad strokes. In the first few chapters he explains that he's not talking about applied science, but in doing so avoids having to address technological advances spurring scientific change (see PCR technology, DNA sequencing etc.)

Kuhn's argument has its deficiencies but it provides a lens through which to view scientific advancement. I cringe at attempts to use Kuhn to attack science as a study or ridicule it. Science has no monopoly on truth, but it happens to be an extremely important endeavor. None of this was Kuhn's intent. He was just trying to describe his observations. Apparently he did something right because its still being cited, published, and reviewed into the 21st century.

Kuntsler's got it right regarding the challanges we face in the not too distant future. His wit and sarcasm combined with a clear writing style make this work a most enjoyable read.

Kuntsler also presents his case cogently in a video entitled The End of Suburbia. I have been influenced by his work, and have actually made lifestyle changes ranging from the use of compact florescent lightbulbs to an investment in a sustainable living community to help me to cope with the coming difficulties that Kuntsler predicts.

There is one point that I would like to add. I see a ray of hopefulness in recent advances in lithium ion battery technology, that will allow the production of electric cars that are actually usable. Theses advances had not been achieved prior to the writing of this book, and therefore are not included in Kuntsler's vision of The Long Emergency. Thank you James Kuntsler for making us aware of the implications of the unsustainable lifestyle arrangements we have created.

This was the second Peak Oil book that I had the pleasure of reading and I wish it was the first. By and large, I would classify this text as a classic. Kunstler's begins his treatment of this topic by viewing the current socioeconomic climate as filled by a populace blinded by certain assumptions that make the coming (or present) oil crisis all the more severe. He then goes on to treat the rise of our modern industrial civilization and its roots in cheap energy (oil) and how the geopolitical nature of oil has shaped international trade and events.

As in other texts on the subject, Kunstler examines the potential alternatives to oil, and how even if combined, the most they are likely to do is soften the fall. Unlike other books however, there is an extensive treatment of the environmental component of the dilemma that other books fail to address. Kunstler wraps up the Long Emergency by forecasting Peak Oil's effects on the economy and what living in the "long emergency" may indeed be like.

Across the board, I enjoyed Kunstler's writing style and presentation. His voice adds to the rising tide of those that herald the awareness of Peak Oil. Like Heinberg, his writing rises to the top and demands the attention that few can or deserve. This is an essential book that is strangely, given the subject nature, enjoyable to read.

For more Peak Oil reviews: http://www.peakoilresources.com

Whew boy! After catching Kunstler on the radio, I bought his book, and read it with great fascination and mounting alarm. As a scenario for disaster, this book should please fans of fiction writers like J.G. Ballard. Only it is not fiction - Kunstler predicts the coming collapse of all human civilization, and he provides dark, witty descriptions of how this will come to pass. He makes a strong, compelling case, and I found myself fervently hoping that he is completely wrong. But we ignore this kind of prediction at great peril. For too long people have complacently accepted the status quo without looking to the future, and the leaders of American business and government are among the greatest offenders.

Kunstler sees a coming collapse and severe contraction of the world economy. When the cheap oil begins to run out, our severely overpopulated world and its global consumer economy will begun to fall apart. Violence, disease, and much lower standards of living are coming to the world's strongest countries, and the developing world will never develop. We will all be taking giant steps backward, and there is no cure, no new technology that will bail us out. Already (in 2008), much of what Kunstler predicts here appears to be taking shape.

As a polemicist and writer, Kunstler is very impressive. He is a good phrasemaker and possesses a sharp, dry wit. However, he is not a first-rate scholar. There are hardly any footnotes and references, and no bibliography. He makes broad predictions without referring to anything that buttresses his views, no political or sociological or scientific or historical studies of any kind. He dismisses all alternative energy technologies, yet he is not a specialist in this area. He offers little in the way of solutions, and instead sketches out a series of inevitable disasters that lurk in the near future. He also presents a brief history of the USA in relation to oil consumption that can no doubt stimulate some discussion. He basically sees the rise of the USA, improvements in world agriculture, and all the technological advances of recent decades as being completely dependent on cheap oil.

It is important to remember that this is a man who dislikes contemporary American civilization and may, in fact, look forward with relish to its collapse. His region by region description of the USA lurching painfully backward towards the 1800s would be amusing if it were not so disturbing. He may be right that American suburbia is the greatest misallocation of resources in history, but his blatant hatred of it may also color his views a little. He certainly possesses the biases of many liberals of his generation, such as viewing the American Southeast as a land of ignorance and stupidity, despising big box stores, and disliking big business in general - but that does not automatically mean he is wrong.

I would recommend this book, but I would also recommend reading it critically and taking into account the views of other writers on the subject. It is now unquestionable that action needs to be taken on his central issue - the dependence of American civilization on imported oil. Personally, I look forward to exploring more of Kunstler's works. His views are pretty extreme, but they make for very interesting reading, and his sharp, cogent writing makes them easier to digest.

The book was interesting and informative. There were a lot of facts, ideas and concepts brought up that made it very worthwhile to read.

As would be expected, there were a few points where I disagreed with the author, but that is to be expected in any controversial book.

I highly recommend it.

Jerry Minchey

Having read the book in 2008, and knowing that Mr. Kunstler wrote it 4 years earlier, the writer is very astute in correctly forecasting the sub-prime/debt crises and the oil price increases.

He does a credible job of explaining why oil may not be there for all time. Unfortunately, his treatment of the alternative fuel and new technologies is rather brief and he seems to dismiss any solution, as it would interfere with his relished doomsday scenario.

Kunstler brings up valid points, but his suggested outcome (a return to a version of an 18th century rural lifestyle) is rather far fetched and does not do justice to mankind's creativity and tenacity in addressing the real energy challenges we are faced with.

I purchased this book for my nephew. He loved it, and has spent several nights this summer reading it. He has enjoyed all of Chris D'Lacey's dragon books. Although, I have not read the book myself, I have it on good authority from my nephew that this is a great book. He highly recommends it.

In the fourth book of his dragon series, "Fire
Eternal," Chris D'Lacey reveals the evolution of David
Rain's character by focusing on the lives of two women
coping with his loss: Zanna, his girlfriend; and
Lucy, his landlady's daughter and inspiration.

It has been five years since the events of "Fire
Star," which left the Pennykettle family and their
dragons to pick up the pieces after the loss of their
tenant David. Lucy Pennykettle, a teenager now,
refuses to let go of the memory of her childhood
friend. When Zanna refuses to help her drudge up
painful memories about David's life and disappearance,
Lucy finds a new ally to help her.

Zanna also struggles to find peace with David's loss.
She is a mother now, raising their whimsical and
insightful daughter Alexa with the help of Liz
Pennykettle and their family dragons.

Throughout the book, both women learn the significance
of what happened to David Rain in the Arctic--and what
dangers lie in wait for the world if they do not stop
them in time.

Brian McLaren may be the most widely known proponent for the Emerging Church in the twenty-first century. The first book I read by McLaren is A New Kind of Christian, which I felt articulated my own frustration with modern expressions of church and Christianity. McLaren has become a prolific writer articulating the journey out of the modern trappings of the Western Church. McLaren is an associate in the Emergent Village, a group of Emerging Church leaders. Famed for his radical and sometimes threateningly abrasive tone as he describes modern Western Christianity, McLaren is often reviled by critics of the Emerging Church and Emergent Movement. Retired from the pastorate in Maryland, McLaren recently completed the "EMC" (Everything Must Change) Tour. He now travels, speaks, writes, and learns especially from friends in Latin America and Africa, how to change our "inner ecology" (294) and therefore help create a community freed from the dominant framing story through the viral message of Jesus.

This book is framed with McLaren's two important questions: What are the biggest problems in the world today? and What do the life and teachings of Jesus have to say about these global problems? (45) McLaren seeks the answers to those questions with his underlying thesis that we are beholden to a destructive framing story and that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, "a message purporting to be the best news in the world should be doing better than this." (34) The biggest problems in the world, as McLaren puts forth, are as a result of a "Suicide Machine," an invisible killer, feeding off of and destroying all life and corrupting the Earth's ecosystem. The Earth is a complex ecosystem in which human society is a participant. In as much as our societal machine, including prosperity, equity, and security, is not cooperatively and creatively informed by the good news of the kingdom of God, humankind will accept the curriculum and teaching of an alternative framing story, one which blinds our eyes to the increasing demands and abuse our societal "machine" places on the Earth's ecosystem.

This book shows how Christians have accepted a "gospel about Jesus", but we have failed to accept the "better news", the "gospel of Jesus", which is the message of the Kingdom of God. (83) McLaren only touches the problematic implications and interpretations of Protestant Reformation orthodoxy, such as Predestination. It is difficult for those who live consistently with that theological framework to not ask, "Why, if the Titanic is destined to sink, should we rearrange the deck chairs"? (153) The Bible, McLaren asserts, is not simply a book about how the "Elect" go to heaven and therefore will abandon the Earth, but a "story of the partnership between God and humanity to save and transform all of human society and avert global destruction." (94)

This book begins with our two questions, considers the "frame" of the conventional gospel story, and reintroduces us to Jesus. The first chapters introduce us to an alternative voice, a health care worker from South Africa, who pointed out the "nonsense" of the conventional gospel, how pastors are preoccupied with divine healing, being born again, and tithing. (27) McLaren relates how this kind of "dissatisfaction" with the current circumstance, coupled with a "shared imagination and hope, combine to form an emerging consensus that is spreading across the Global South," the new Majority Church, and emerging Christian leaders are realizing that "if their message isn't good news for the poor...it isn't the same message that Jesus proclaimed." (30) By including the voices of the Global South, McLaren broadens the emerging church discussion, showing the "two sided coin," the "postmodern" side, which is a perspective from the West, and "postcolonial" side, which is the perspective of those formerly dominated by the West. (44) The "way out" of the West's ugly, excessively confident, dominating, and exploitative narrative and the non-West's formerly colonized and oppressed people, is face-to-face meeting, dialogue, and community formation around the kingdom message of Jesus.
McLaren points out that the necessary change in our world is not "cosmetic" or merely a matter of being "relevant to culture." (32) Rather, like the South African health care worker, the necessary change is seen in the contrast between thoughtful young educated people, who are asking the difficult questions about larger societal and systemic injustices, and the typical adherents to the Christian religion, whose ultimate concern is most typically for only private and spiritual matters. The call, that "everything must change," is rooted in the dichotomy between spiritual and natural concerns. Just as Jesus warned his disciples to "beware the leaven," the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, McLaren warns us of the dangers of "Foundationalism" and "destructive framing stories," combined with the lethal injection of "excessive confidence" in Christian religion most notable since the Enlightenment. (44)

The global problems plaguing the world have been reduced to lists by international agencies like the United Nations (Millennial Goals) and well-meaning Evangelical leaders (i.e. Rick Warren's 5-Point PEACE plan), which still imply on the part of the list-makers a confidence that such global issues can be broken down and solved according to the same Modern Western Framing Story that created the problems. Quoting Einstein, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it", McLaren points out some bigger questions. How do we affect global change? How do we get free from the dominant system? McLaren writes of "liberating our imaginations from captivity;" (254) to whom are we captive? ourselves?, some conspiratorial group?, or is it spiritual forces in heavenly places, as Paul reveals? Who are our teachers? What questions might we ask today, which will affect the greatest transformative change and bring the greatest liberty from captivity for our society, and the world? If the idealist Boomer generation Jesus People became complicit to the dominant system, diseased with an ideology that created independent evangelical churches, what will this generation do? Or will the Emerging Church, those communities emerging from Western Christianity and out of the Western, Southern, and Eastern parts of the globe, be flexible enough in this generation to affect a radical reconciliation effort?

Clearly, we need help and we must ask difficult questions to "discern and articulate the alternative narrative of Jesus." (122) For example, why was Jesus tempted in the wilderness? (139) McLaren points out how even Jesus needed to stand against the "Suicide Machine" of the Roman Empire. We must beware of our teachers, and not just their ideas or systems they establish, but the teachers and "system" enforcers. We must ask where we place our faith and how our framing story of conquest causes us to be "driven" (137), the dehumanizing "Theo-capitalism" drive to go faster and faster, producing more and more. (192) Why do we listen to Jesus explanation of the value of our lives in comparison to a sparrow, which therefore has some value, and yet accept a dualist view of the value of an "immaterial" human soul? (138) Does our understanding of the gospel somehow lead to "derangement" (removed from our natural place in the world) and "decomposition" (divorced from what had previously been joined)? Is our spiritual aim the "disembodiment of soul" (standing outside ourselves), and a kind of spiritual ecstasy, like "a drug-induced euphoria or a hypnotically induced trance...(which therefore leaves us) liberated from all duty as embodied, environmented creatures"? (142)
The second half of this book penetrates deeper, examining and re-framing the systems of Security, Prosperity, and Equity. Chris Hedges, war zone journalist with intimate knowledge of the extent of the Security system and our nation's military investments, points out another kind of derangement saying that nations at war "fall into a collective `autism'...and do not listen to those outside the inner circle." (174) McLaren outlines in graphic detail the ugliness of the Security, Prosperity, and Equity systems in the "Suicide Machine" as if he were recruiting members to join a modern insurgency to overthrow, well...everything. Before you join, or toss aside this crazy notion, consider a few more questions we should be ready to answer: Do I believe that war is "simply a continuation of political intercourse"? (167) While he appears very much like he is presenting an argument for Ideological Pacificism, he steps away from that polarizing position to call for "a new dialogue" (176) replacing our craving for security with a passion for justice through "vibrant, reconciled communities". (182)

McLaren calls for a "New Global Love Economy" in the image of "God's sacred ecosystem." (128-131) He calls us to join the "Divine Peace Insurgency" to rebuild our societal system "as a beloved community." (151) He presents an economic plan of the kingdom of God with sustainable development and fruitfulness as the goal, not consumption. (207-9) Rather than completely abandon organized religion, he calls for "Organizing Religion" to strengthen families and communities through "celebrating virtue and training people to practice it." (264) Rather than call for political involvement, which tends to quickly polarize even the least partisan leaders, he calls for a radical believing, "believing the alternative and transforming framing story." (270) Rather than change the political system (not to mention the business, military, and even religious systems), which tends to attract those who change with the political wind, he repeats what Jim Wallis recommends: "Change the wind." This book is a call to activism with resurrection faith. This "insurgency" will not be defeated, but will "move quietly, at the margins, where all revolutions begin." (272) This is the Emerging Church, the maturing upward spiral of God's people with vision (276), those who are disbelieving a "covert curriculum, a curriculum that must be unlearned." (284) This Emerging Church is creating new lesson plans with a common script and a common faith to move mountains of oppressive systems by faith.


The vision McLaren presents in Everything Must Change is a radical restructuring of society. Jesus was constantly teaching, but only lecturing part of the time. He modeled life, crossed cultural barriers, confronted systems of thinking, and fully surrendered his rights to get his message across. This, it seems to me, is a time to re-examine all my models of ministry. One of the greatest implications of this book to my ministry is a shift in my thinking toward radical community as a transformative witness. In the past I have given myself to integrated, holistic, transformative mission "projects," but I have not formed communities, which share vision for sustainable development, reconciliation, and transformation. I'm turning away from the mission approach of transforming individuals to a radical shift of transforming communities.

The implication of this book for the global Church and for my ministry is an invitation to change personally and corporately, to partner with Christians from the West and the global South and East. I may live consistently within my foundational presuppositions, however because those presuppositions of God's nature and activity are different, I can reach very different conclusions unless I consider how much I am serving and supporting a system that is not the kingdom of God. Humankind spars for territory and resources in a closed environment producing a lot of heat, but little benefit for our global neighbors. McLaren is calling for a new ecosystem that nourishes, blesses, and sustains God's kind of life. For those trapped in the destructive ecosystem of liberalism and conservatism, there is a way out. However, it appears that way is frightfully simple, "BELIEVE." Our faith will carry us into a new environment, out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of His dear Son. Like Paul the apostle, who ruthlessly examined all his presumptions as a Pharisee, about God, right and wrong, and the Messiah, we need to ruthlessly examine those bonds that tie us to the "Suicide Machine". Something needs to change and I believe it begins with me.

McLaren has presented an extremely well-researched and clear overview of the gravest issues in the world today, and what followers of Christ should be doing about them. THis book is eye-opening and hopeful, frightening and empowering. It has changed my life, and I bought 5 more copies to share with others.

Two underlying questions are the reason for this book by Brian McLaren.
1. What are the world's top problems today and 2. What do the life and message of Jesus have to say about these issues? This is a continuation of Brian's previous book, "The Secret Message of Jesus" about the Kingdom of God and what does it look like today.

Brian traveled around the world in the writing of this book, talking to church, community, business and government leaders, asking questions and listening to answers. Brian is a thinker and makes you consider your faith, the mission of God's people and its practical outworking to personal, community and global issues in light of the model and message of Jesus.

Like this book or not, you will have to think about the global issues that confront us and the relevance of faith and action to these issues. You may not agree with his ideas and his potential solutions but I have been impressed with his thinking and scope that will give us wisdom and keep us better informed in our response.

McLaren challenges us followers of Jesus about what it means to do God's will on earth. His writing on the context of the life of Jesus and his teaching on the Kingdom of God in regard to Rome and its authority as well as the religious leaders of Judaism and those who opposed Rome is so relevant to us today.

I think that Brian has something very important to say to us as people of faith. I believe that Jesus has some critical things to say to us. The question is are we listening and what will be our response?

In "Everything Must Change", Brian McLaren eloquently expresses what I've felt about Jesus' message, and the manipulation of that message, since middle school. With historical research, political savvy, and personal experience, McLaren thoroughly documents the ways in which Christianity could lead the way out of war, hunger, poverty, and environmental decay. And how instead power uses biblical interpretation and wedge issues like contraception as "weapons of mass distraction". McLaren is part of a wave, with links (which he acknowledges) to David C. Korten's "The Great Turning -- From Empire to Earth Community". Also see "This Present Paradise", an article by Rita Brock and Rebecca Parker in the Summer 2008 issue of "UU World" magazine. The only frustrating thing about McLaren's book is its lack of an index.

I've been waiting for a book about this. I've asked my pastors: For which party should a Jesus-follower vote? What stance should a Jesus-follower have on war and peace? How far should Jesus-followers go toward feeding the poor and caring for the outcasts? Are Jesus-followers really supposed to be loyal to the economy at the expense of caring for the Earth? And I've been looking for a Christian leader to say something intelligent on the subject, something not firmly entrenched in conventional Christian dogma.

Here it is.

Three dominant social systems are at work in our world society: The Security System (The attempt to keep us all safe through dominating all enemy powers), The Prosperity System (The pursuit of riches at the expense of everyone who doesn't have them), and The Equity System (The attempt to redistribute wealth to make things fair). People throughout history have tried to fix the world's problems by adjusting any combination of these, without success. The problem is that all 3 systems are symptoms of the same Framing Story, and until an alternative Story is provided, our world is doomed to destroy itself. Blame that on The Fall (Genesis 3).

EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE asks 2 overarching questions:

1) What Are the Biggest Problems in the World?
2) What Does Jesus Have to Say About These Global Problems?

McLaren looks at the ministry of Jesus as it relates to the dominant powers of his day, namely the Roman governmental machine. The machine was oppressive, and so were its rulers, the Caesars. Then Jesus steps onto the scene proclaiming a different Framing Story, that a new Kingdom is here, forgiveness is available to all by following him, love is the new economy, and this new kingdom offers hope for a healed world. The problem, as McLaren sees it, is that "our conventional view has accidentally put Jesus in the very framing story Jesus originally sought to subvert" (83).

If you're looking for a cakewalk read, don't pick up EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE. This book will make you think. In good ways, it will challenge what you think you know about Jesus. Because when it comes down to it, if the Good News of Jesus isn't big enough to fix the enormous global problems we face today (both spiritually and physically), then the News might not be Good enough. Luckily Jesus' wisdom and truth speaks not just about salvation for our personal souls, but also for our very broken systems of the world. Shalom.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens