change Books

no problems, in same condition as stated and arrived when they said it would!

This book tells how to be more optimistic and gives solid scientific reasons why depression is associated with feelings of helplessness. In my search to achieve a more positive and productive life I have read many self-help books. Most are theories devoid of any compelling scientific rationale. Once you are exposed to the ideas in Learned Optimism you find them so rational that they become second nature. I knew of cognitive therapy but never the research that preceded it. I find that knowing the research behind the theory makes the mechanics of cognitive therapy totally intuitive.

Don't be put-off by the tests that comprise chapters three and four. These are useful, scientifically proven tests that have little in common with the tests that litter the average self-help book.

If there are any flaws in this book it may be the overuse of dialogs demonstrating how to learn to be an optimist. These are useful for those not familiar with cognitive therapy but I found them a bit repetitive.

I found out that a) I am a pragmatic realist w/ an optimist's bent and b)if i choose to apply what I've read it can make a difference in my outlook and in everyday as well as professional problem solving.

Learned Optimism is a - sometimes uneasy - mix of the theoretical and the practical. Seligman is clearly captivated by his subject, which he has made his life's work. Not surprisingly then, he sees the value of an optimistic outlook in every aspect of life. It's not just that optimists do better than pessimists at school, work and sports, but they even live longer. Seligman makes the case that "the arrow points both ways": that pessimism is not a consequence but also a contributing cause of depression and that an optimistic "explanatory style" for the misfortunes of life, large and small, can actually prevent a descent into morbid depression. He even says he can predict the outcome of elections by analyzing the explanatory styles of the competing candidates - because in a head-to-head contest the most optimistic candidate will prevail.

In Part 1 of the book he lays out the theoretical case for optimism and the techniques by which it can be measured. In Part 2 he describes how the optimist's advantage is played out in the different "realms of life", such as work, sports, politics, etc. In Part 3, he explains self-help techniques for moving from pessimism to optimism.

I found Part 1 the most interesting - not least because I got to fill out a couple of tests to help me discern my explanatory style and determine if I was currently depressed (and how deeply). It turns out I am moderately optimistic about bad events and moderately pessimistic about good ones. But I am not at all depressed, so I guess I must have learned to live with the contradiction.

Part 3 gets us into the land of the light bulb joke (where to change, the light bulb must truly desire change). I am convinced from my own experience that optimism is like a muscle that can be worked and strengthened. I also recognized in Seligman's techniques ones that I had stumbled onto myself.

In the final analysis, whether the reader will find reading Learned Optimism helpful will depend on the reader. Judging by the Amazon reviews, the experience for some will be life-changing; for others not so. Perhaps underlying explanatory style may have something to do with that. Perhaps also a self-help book is not the best therapy for the truly, deeply depressed (as the book suggests, you can improve your outlook but you have to be motivated to start a mental workout routine and stick with it to see the positive results). However there is much to learn here and I would not hesitate to recommend the book to anyone interested in understanding more about the origin and effect of individual explanatory styles - including one's own - and what can be done to change them.

It is refreshing to read a book like this showing people can change to being more optimistic, rather than all those books out there trying to convince people they have depression and they can't do anything about it but take pills for the rest of their lives.

This is a book packed with science yet written in a style that is interesting and easy to understand. Reports of experiment after experiment systematically convince the reader.

Seligman's book describes how the mental attitude of helplessness can be learned and unlearned, how helplessness both results from and exacerbates a pessimistic personality style, and how helplessness/pessimism ends in depression. A test is included so you can find if you are an optimist or a pessimist. A second test reveals if you are suffering from depression. But if you are a pessimist/depressed don't despair. Just as helplessness can be unlearned optimism can be learned and this book tells you how.

Next we learn how optimistic people succeed better at work, school, sports, health, politics, religion and culture.

If I have one criticism of this book it is that Seligman strangely does not provide scientific evidence that his cognitive therapy methods for learning optimism work. Instead he simply writes: "The National Institute of Mental Health has spent millions of dollars testing whether the ... [cognitive] ... therapy works on depression. It does." (p.75). A report of at least one study would have been useful at this critical point.

I have suffered from depression and I found this book provided me with an invaluable technique that work for me. This is one of the very few books that I can say has changed my life.

In Education and Social Change, author John L. Rury introduces readers to the history of American education, focusing on the essential question, "Do schools change society, or does society change the schools?" (1). From the first pages of the book, Rury declares that this is not an either/or question; the influences of schools and society are reciprocal, sometimes moving more noticeably in one direction, but always involving a certain amount of give and take. This back and forth relationship provides fertile ground for Rury's narrative, which opens in the colonial period and continues to the present.

Throughout the book, Rury traces the ebb and flow of cultural, social, and human capital, ultimately playing up the "human capital revolution" engendered by the post-WWII economic and educational climate. Along the way, he investigates the impact of industrialization and urbanization, both of which had fundamental and far-reaching consequences for the structure and philosophy of education in the United States.

One socio-cultural aspect of schooling I wish Rury had touched on more deliberately is the influence of consumerism on American education. Although he alludes to reforms that sought to make students wise spenders of time and money, Rury does not fully explore the impact of capitalist values on schooling, a surprising move considering his emphasis on human capital.

While Rury's narrative is sprinkled with case studies that exemplify his larger themes, the book is essentially an overview of broad time periods and socio-historic movements. Especially when paired with Herbert M. Kliebard's Changing Course, a book that offers detailed, chapter-length case studies, Rury's book is a helpful introductory (or refresher) course for any student of education history.

Education and Social Change is far more descriptive than prescriptive, an approach which makes its central issues and ideas all the more applicable to individual readers' experiences. As Rury notes, "At its best, history may offer a point of comparison, to better understand a people's own circumstances, and themselves" (4). For readers looking to situate the contemporary educational climate within a socio-historical context, this account is a good place to start.

Great book, easy to read, provides foundation to understanding sustainability on a personal, professional and global level.

This was a required text for a literacy studies graduate class. The context was pedagogically provoking along the threads of progressive modern education standards that are taught to budding teachers. Some repetition was present as it is a lengthy text with a primary focus and one author. My classmates and I were a bit disappointed with the lack of example and proposals for the curriculum/pedagogy changes being presented. This is a text to be read for establishing perspective not for quick tips or golden ticket ideas.

Maxine Greene defends the role of the arts as social medicine and advancement. She brilliantly argues for maintaining art in curriculum. Art often requires of us to imagine things which do not exist in reality. This excercise is vital in creating social change. In order to create a new and better world, we must first imagine it. We must encourage our children (and adults for that matter) to imagine. That's the first step and I feel society becoming less imaginative and more homogenized. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!! AND BUY A COPY FOR A TEACHER.

If you want to know how egypt changed socially and economically in the last 50 years this is the book to start from. It offers an entertaining as well as deep, board look and what happened to Egypt and how it slowly transformed to what it became now. One of the great features of Galal Amin in this book is that he maintains strict neutrality, neither supporting and attacking a certain side or group, he simply tries to relay to the reader what happened giving the reader a chance to decide for himself whether what happened was bad or good. For us young Egyptians who want to understand what the older folks are talking about when they ramble about the good old days, this is a must read. Truely entertaining.

This book, as well as "Whatever Else Happened to the Egyptians" inform, very entertainingly, about the dramatic Social and Economical changes that has taken place in Egypt since Nasser's era. They also show how in some situations the Egyptian society has been blindly moving in the direction of westernization. The book is divided into different articles, addressing different aspects of the society, eg. income, marriage, etc..., which makes it very easy and more interesting to read.
I was one of Galal Amin's students in the American University in Cairo, and his very charming personality that always made his classes a joy to learn, vividly appears in his writings.

The social history of Egypt in the Middle Ages was well documented by the legendary historian Al Maqrizi who wrote volumes of fascinating history of Egyptians, their rulers, classes and habits. In the last few hundred years starting with Edward Lane writing the social history of Egypt became dominated by the Orientalists who brought their own baggage and prejudices and often supremacist attitudes to the task. Few rare exceptions such as Cairo City Victorious defy the traditional orientalist narratives. (This can be observed from the review of the former colleague of Amin who essentially says this is just good enough for the natives if not in so many words.)

Galal Amin wrote a light hearted, mostly easy to read book about the massive changes that occurred in the Egyptian society since the 1952 military coup aka The Revolution. Amin attributes much of the change in Egypt's society to a massive expansion of the middle class started under Nasser but accelerated under Sadat with the Open Door policy and the massive demand for Egyptian workers (including unskilled and semiskilled) in the oil rich Arab countries.

Amin used a number of personal but very interesting yard sticks to track the changes in the society. He contrasted his university professor salary with that of the house servant. The gap narrowed significantly after 1952 and much more so after 1972 and started to widen again in recent years. Amin also addressed the role of women in the society and contrasted the changes from his mothers, to his sisters to his daughter. Remarkable change has occurred and Amin's admittedly non scientific findings correlate closely with those of Leila Ahmed (Women & Gender in Islam). For many women in Egypt the headscarf serves a tool of liberation not oppression, a point almost always lost on many. Also interesting is Amin's demonstration of the reduced dependence on the state comparing the days of his father (the famous Egyptian Writer & Professor Ahmad Amin) to the generations of his kids and nephews and nieces.

Overall it is a really nice easy to read book, it is a compilation of different articles and research papers that mostly mesh in nicely to form a reasonably coherent whole

This unbiased work provides a good overview of the societal changes that have occurred in Egypt during the last 50 years and the challenges that remain. It will prove particularly helpful for people who are planning to go to Egypt and/or deal with Egyptians on more than a superficial level, as well as for those who want to add some depth to their understanding of the Middle East generally. A good overview of a fascinating country.

I personally and professionally know Galal Amin. I was his colleague at the American University in Cairo for several years and have had the pleasure of socializing with him on many occasions. Though I disagree with him about 99 percent of the time, especially on his views of the West and of the economics profession (he seems to have contempt for both), I find him to be one of the most entertaining, charming, and articulate individuals I have ever met. This comes across very clearly in his work. His book is very readable and does indeed offer insights into Egyptian society, much the way Andy Rooney does of American society, and the rapid changes it has gone through. In a way this book, and the man himself, epitomize Egypt. To the Westerner, Egypt is a charming place full of contradictions which both seduces and exhausts the outsider. If one takes it too much to heart, the same can be said of Amin's work. It is best to keep in mind that this book is based on a series of articles that were written for an Egyptian audience. With that in mind, I highly recommend it.

This is the best book I have ever read on the origins of the Internet. It doesnt matter if you are computer iliterate, if you are an expert or if you just know the basics... This book will blow your mind...

This book was riveting and actually a page turner. I could not put it down and was able to read it in one day. It is informative and interesting. This book clues you in to the creation of the internet and to the people behind that endeavor. It will make you a more well informed person and expand your perspectives relative to achievement.

The author's have done a wonderful job of balancing a modicum of technical detail with all the personalities and people who contributed to the early days of the Internet.

In this book you'll learn that the Department of Defense did NOT commission the network because of a fear of atomic attacks (a widely held belief that I also bought into before reading this book), that there IS a difference between the Internet and the Web, and that such a complex piece of technology evolved from very humble origins indeed.

For those of us with a long involvement in networking and who know some of the personalities profiled here, the book is a delight. But if you've never heard of Bob Kahn, Larry Roberts, or Vint Cerf (amongst a host of others), you'll still have a great time with this book.

I recommend this wholeheartedly for people of any technical background.

This is quite possibly one of the most engaging computer books I've ever read, which says quite a bit when I've read computer books for years. The narrative style gives you a beautiful glimpse into some of the trials and tribulations that those involved in the original ARPAnet project went through, and how that project exploded into a vast global phenomenon - a prediction that nobody could have made when the project first started.

This is a simple tale about the founders of the Internet. It does not get bogged down in many technical terms although there are some. It explains the development of a network that we now take for granted. A good read.

After a challenging year in which I have dealt with injury, financial devastation, and diabolical bureaucracy, it was great to be reminded, once again, that the reason I have thrived is largely because I exhibit 100% of the personality traits of a 'survivor'! The exercises included in this book are brilliant and I have recommended the book to many people, including my rehabilitation physician - who has thoroughly enjoyed my approach to everything but is still trying to figure me out! Should be required reading for all high school students and for anyone who is serious about tapping into real human potential. Thanks Al !

I intend to use this as reference material for my Master of Public Health project. The book is practice, incisive, and accessible.

+++++

Self-rate yourself on a scale from 1 (meaning little agreement) to 5 (meaning strongly agree) on the following ten items:

(1) In a crisis or chaotic situation, I calm myself and focus on taking useful actions.
(2) I'm usually optimistic, seeing difficulties as temporary and believe things will eventually turn out well.
(3) I can tolerate high levels of uncertainty and ambiguity.
(4) I'm good at bouncing back from difficulties and quickly adapt to new developments.
(5) I'm self-confident and have a healthy concept of who I am.
(6) I prefer to work without a written job description since I'm more effective when I'm free to do what I think is best in each situation.
(7) I trust my intuition and "read" people well.
(8) I'm a good listener and have good empathy skills.
(9) I've been made stronger and better by difficult experiences.
(10) I've converted misfortune into good luck and even found benefits in bad experiences.

A low score of (under 25) means your resiliency skills are weak and you would greatly benefit from this amazing, easy-to-read, psychobabble-free book by Dr. Al Siebert, a clinical psychologist and Director of "The Resiliency Center". (`Resiliency' means (i) coping well with ongoing negative change (ii) sustaining good health and energy under constant pressure (iii) bouncing back from setbacks and adversities (iv) changing to a new way of living and working when an old way no longer works (v) and doing all this without acting in harmful ways.)
A middle score of (25 to 45) means your resiliency skills are adequate but probably can be greatly enhanced by using this book.
A high score of (over 45) means you have good resiliency skills and this book will validate many things you are doing right.

This book in a nutshell presents five resiliency "levels" or skills (level four is divided into 4 sub-levels while level 5 is divided into 3 sub-levels) so, in affect, the reader is presented with ten essential resiliency skills that Siebert has distilled from "the emerging new science of resiliency psychology." This book, besides other important things, shows you how to:

(1) Sustain strong, healthy energy in non-stop pressure and change
(2) Bounce back quickly from setbacks
(3) Gain strength from adversities
(4) Convert misfortune into good fortune
(5) Overcome tendencies to feel like a victim, and stay detached from victim reactions of others
(6) Overcome the three main resiliency barriers.

Who is this book written for? Siebert explains: "The resiliency guidelines in this book focus mainly on resiliency in the workplace, but they apply broadly to all aspects of life." (Actually, I think Siebert is being too restrictive in saying that these principles "focus mainly on resiliency in the workplace." Personally, I think these principles are essential to know so as to effectively play the game of life.)

What will this book NOT tell you? It "will not tell you what to do or how to act or think...Resilient people are those who decide that somehow, some way, they will do the very best they can to survive, cope, and make things turn out well." This book helps you develop your own unique way of being resilient by being both self-reliant and socially responsible.

As a physically disabled person, my personal favorite chapter was entitled "Mastering Extreme Resiliency Challenges." Included here are true stories from 9/11 survivors. I feel Siebert outdoes himself in this penultimate chapter.

Finally, this book has some key features. Important definitions, exercises, and other important and essential information are isolated from the main narrative as inserts so as to highlight key ideas. Each chapter is broken up into sections with anecdotes, examples, and true stories instead of having one long narrative. At the end of each chapter are insightful "Resiliency Development Activities" that help you utilize and think about the information from each chapter.

In conclusion, this is truly a helpful and unique book. Discover for yourself why this book was named the winner of the 2006 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the "Self Help" category at BookExpo America (the largest book publishing event in the United States) and why it was endorsed by the past president of the American Psychological Association!!

(first published 2005; preface; 13 chapters; main narrative 200 pages; notes; index; acknowledgements; about the author)

+++++

This book has been reviewed in detail enough. I can only add my own personal experience. Seibert wrote a simple concise book that pulls no punches and provides an effective plan to help change one's mindset from that of a depressed anxious victim to that of a person who dosen't let things control how they feel without putting up a heck of a fight first.

This book is very useful for everyone. After all, each of us meets with many challenges everyday.

This is a great book. I have been around the AA program with family members for my entire life and this approach for the hard headed or unconventional alcoholic/user is wonderful. I am happy to have found this and am using these new methods daily.

I have been using this program for 9 months. I know it works for me and see great progress with my afflicted one. It is uplifting, gives me hope and encouragement, and makes sense. I read passages I have underlined almost every day. I learn something almost every day. This struggle is not easy and this book helps me a great deal.

I am so happy to recommend this book!

I was looking for a better way to get my friend into treatment and found some of the latest research on HBO's website for their series, "Addiction". The HBO website has video clips that describe the CRAFT method and how it is proven to be the most effective, so I bought this book with high hopes.

My friend decided he was ready for detox within a week of using this approach. I am grateful for tips like watching for a window and planning for treatment in advance. CRAFT is about empowerment with positive reinforcement - without anger or judgment. This book shows how important it is to avoid shame and guilt about addiction.

I wish I could give this book to everyone in Al-Anon. Al-Anon was not offering anything but a support group for feeling OK about doing nothing - "Letting Go". It did not make sense to detach from my alcoholic friend and wait for him to hit a new bottom. I did not want to isolate him further or fall back into enabling and this book explained how to take action in a healthy way.

Thank you to the authors - and to HBO for promoting CRAFT. Why isn't this more talked about?

I have read this book...i have given copies of it free to many clients...and have gotten only good feedback...and i have heard the shrill voices like those of these negative reviews for so long now i could cry...there are better and more effective ways to help families of alcoholics..this book outlines them, including explaining the research findings now for 20 years on this topic. So when will people start to listen to hear what works in the real world, not what they want to believe and insist on jamming down everyone's throat. These "disease of alcoholism" people with their constant attacks on those struggling to really change their drinking...with their demeaning language and desire to put everyone safely in the same box...the "alcoholic...we all know what that is" box...hurts all of us...treatment providers (me), clients and families alike. The truth is: Alanon does not help the alcoholic, interventions hurt the alcoholic, CRAFT helps everyone. Wake up and grow up please.

I'm a therapist who works with the family members of substance users. I always use this book with my clients and they LOVE it. They like the easy to read format, the exercises that encourage change, and the positive tone of the book. I can't tell you how many lives this book has helped change. If you have a family member or close friend who has an alcohol or drug problem, this is the book for you!