change Books

This was too daytime-talk-show for me. She talks about affirmations and intentions and being "true" to yourself. This isn't what I need. I'm already true to myself, I just need a job.

Rhonda Britten is someone to look to for survival and thriving in life. She alone has been through horrific times in her life, but found a healthy path to live again.

She teaches from her own real life lessons and her teachers.

Great read!

Merna

Pocket of Pearls: A 30-day pocket workbook to start hearing a softer voice inside of you!

IF you watched the show "Starting Over" then you know what Rhonda Britten can do for people. I actually listened to this book on CD on my commute to work and back first. By the second day, I knew I HAD to have the book.

There is so much valuable information for YOU in this book. There were sine points she made in this book, that turned the light bulb on for me, it gave me knew understanding, not only of myself, but my family and friends.

I commend Rhonda for the way she has changed her life, and the blessing she is to others!

Of all of Rhonda Britten's books this is my favorite. Each of the 30 days provides insightful information, detailed explanations of what action to take to change your life each day and real life examples of how it has worked for others. Every day builds on the previous and before you know it your life is even better than you ever dreamed possible. This book helped me to see where I was being my own worst enemy and what to do about it. This book doesn't just tell you to be confident it TEACHES you what to do to build your confidence and so much more.

Read all the other reviews that talk about how this changes your life. They are 100% accurate!!!

Generally, when I buy a used book on Amazon.com for just a few dollars, I have an expectation that it might just be so-so. I was 100% WRONG when it comes to this book! It has become my bible for changing my life: not just for 30 days, but forever.

Where to begin on how to describe what it does:

1) There is something to learn every day for 30 days. But, don't confine yourself to thinking you have to do this in 30 days or in the order shown necessarily. The best thing I did was read the introduction, then open the book to any chapter. I let the Universe steer me to what I needed to read for that day. And - without fail - the chapter I turned to was EXACTLY what I needed to read.

2) Each chapter has a combination of information, Rhonda's story, and stories from others. The balance is perfect. Some chapters have more of one than the other...but it's the right combination in every case.

3) You will wish that Rhonda was your best friend by the time you are done. I found that she touched parts of me that I didn't know existed, and other parts that were there but I was afraid to uncover.

A book of this type is always going to have "nay sayers" who don't like it. One guess why? Because this is hard work. You have to want to face who you are. You have to want to ask yourself the tough questions. You have to want to "upset the apple cart" in order to move forward. And for each of those reasons why you won't do something, Rhonda has an explanation, and a solution.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. In fact, I loved it so much, I'm going to buy more copies and give them to people I know who are lost...as I was...when I bought this book.

Thank you, Rhonda! I am grateful you wrote this book.

I like the fact that each days reading has the Old & New Testament, a Psalm and a verse from Proverbs right there ready for reading so that you don't have to flip back and forth.

I also love the New Living Translation.

The way this Bible is set up has helped me to maximize my time of meditation and contemplation first thing in the morning.

I loved how this bible was set up...it made it easy to read the bible in a year!! It also has a verse bolded each section that you may like to go along with the journal. The journal is great too... though not enough room for some things-it really has all the imporatnt stuff; prayer journla, to do, excersice log, eating log, forgiveness log, goals, mental items, etc.
I recommend it!!

This book is well written and describes the UBS story in detail. Lots of interesting examples of how they succeeded and failed in various stages of their corporate history. But it is a bit dry sometimes.

The history of UPS is a century-long story about a visionary founder, Jim Casey, who took a simple idea and made it grow, forging a global delivery, logistics and transportation network. He built an exceptional company that recognizes the critical role of its employees and the need for constant renewal. Mike Brewster and Frederick Dalzell were given complete archival access ("warts and all," they say, although the book is very positive) to create this corporate biography for the company's 100th anniversary. They cover UPS's history and development, detailing Casey's visions and methods, and showing how UPS has become a leader in global shipping and logistics. Their enjoyable, informative book is as much an industrial engineering story as it is the biography of a company that has continually reinvented itself. getAbstract recommends it to businesspeople who want to see how diligent leaders built a global company.

A really simple and interesting read. Fascinating vignettes about key turning points in UPS's history that were overcome using the company's unique approach to business issues. Good learnings for any business person, but a fun read even if you are not. The strong culture of UPS really comes through in this book. Many of the tidbits are very interesting -- the early years, the 1997 strike, the international stories. It is a real surprise to see by the end of the book what UPS has become today -- no longer just delivering packages.

If you work for eg. FedEx (I do) and are looking for strategic secrets - this is not the book. However, it still provides an excellent history and overview of an impressive company.

Readers begin by learning that UPS handles some 15 million packages/day, using 8,000 hubs, distribution centers, and package sorting facilities. Of this, about 900,000 go by air. Its founder early on decided to distinguish the firm through high standards (trucks are cleaned every night; drivers cannot smoke, are paid considerably better than average and encouraged to buy stock at a discount, and are inspected for neatness each day). Retention is further encouraged through promotion from within, and a ban on favoritism. Excellence is pushed through extensive industrial engineering and standards, benchmarking (Sears and Marshall Fields were early contributors), and a climate of continuous improvement.

An early strategic decision was to shift from providing messenger service to delivering packages from local Seattle department stores to their customers. This differentiated UPS from its competitors.

UPS tried air service early on - however, its timing was poor (just as the stock market crashed in 1929) and the venture soon folded.

UPS lost over half its volume during and shortly after WWII as an initial combination of conservation, followed by increasing auto ownership led to most department store customers taking home their own packages. UPS then strategically redirected itself to wholesale deliveries INTO the stores, using the increasing volume of highways and trucks, and taking advantage of the decline of railroad service. The "bad" news associated with this was it created considerable resistance from trucking and bus companies, as well as innumerable ICC hurdles. Thus, its 1954 goal of providing wholesale deliveries nationwide within 10 years actually took almost 30.

UPS now operates the world's 8th largest airline. This effort was restarted in 1953 via leasing space on commercial airplanes; however, it was of limited value until the operation was revamped after FedEx's 1973 entry, and combined with a hub and spoke system and increased advertising.

UPS continued to innovate by going international. Again, the expansion was not easy, impeded by cultural and regulatory problems, and inconsistent IT and culture in overseas acquired companies.

IT has been another major area of UPS innovation - again, thanks to prodding by FedEx. UPS now has the largest IBM relational database, and is the biggest user of cell phone minutes in the world. Not content with current abilities, it invests about $1 billion/year in this area, and employs 4,000 some software engineers.

Clearly its employees find much to like. Turnover among managers runs 8% (INCLUDING retirements), and 5% among drivers (again, INCLUDING retirement). The 1997 strike is largely blamed by the authors on a renegade Teamster leader whose election was since overturned and he has been banned for life from the Teamsters.

A 1999 IPO raised $5.5 billion (a record up until then).

UPS' latest initiatives focus on providing warehouse and other services - ideally, in a manner that reduces total shipping costs. Example: A typical truckload consists of 52 pallets with about 100 cases/pallet. At LTL rates, those sending 15 or more pallets pay the costs of an entire truckload. Thus, UPS can consolidate shipments and achieve shipping savings. "Martrac" is another initiative - refrigerated UPS feeder trucks carrying California fruits and vegetables move East after bringing small packages to the West Coast. "End of runway" storage at Louisville is another initiative, allowing last minute shipment to customers each evening, as well as expedited repairs, and even modification of eg. Hitachi hard drives prior to shipment.

Bottom Line: A great story about a great company!

Everything about the book, Driving Change, is meticulously done. Would you expect anything less from UPS? The jacket cover-brown and white with the UPS logo-is perfect. Then if you take away jacket, the hard back cover is also brown! Nicely done!

The book begins with an overview of the history of UPS. It explains how Jim Casey, an enterprising teenager, saw a market need in 1907 for delivering messages in his native Seattle, Washington. Casey then branded his service as cost competitive with any service in town, and his agents as dependable and hard workers. These traits would follow him as American Messenger Service turned into Merchants Parcel Service. That in turn morphed into United Parcel Service in 1919.

Beyond just history, the reader is informed how this company with the ubiquitous brown trucks is very innovative in providing better service at a more reasonable price. Before reading this book I would not have used the word "innovative" in the same sentence as UPS, yet UPS has been an industry leader in the package delivery business worldwide! My perception of UPS was challenged as the authors delved into how such a large corporation could embrace change. UPS could even miss the signals that the market was changing, as they did in the overnight delivery business and global expansion movement, but in an effort to "catch-up" could even surpass the competition.

What is the competitive edge that UPS has that other companies lack? Loyal employees who believe and enjoy the work that they do are that "secret ingredient." UPS is a company with a corporate culture like no other, although they have not been perfect. The book has done a beautiful job in explaining those lessons learned.

This book is well written, well researched, and surprisingly engaging. At the end of each chapter is a quick summary that synthesizes the major points of the chapter. I found this very helpful.

Armchair Interviews says: For anyone with an interest in organizational change, this book is a must read.

While I was attending Eastfield College (one of 7 county colleges in the Dallas County College District) way back in the early 80s [ and still trying to find a purpose/vocation/calling in life...which few if any universities are qualified, competent at or called to do for us anyway..] I had the opp to hear Marilyn Ferguson in a school-sponsored "Quality of Life" lecture.
I recall her more as someone who catalogued things happening in our society and culture and not at all as an instigator with a manifesto for what changes SHOULD be happening but merely what changes were happening whether we wanted it or not. Its the old thermometer vs thermostat role here folks.
And of many of the societal changes one can only say "and your point is...?"
For instance to name but one.."flattened managemt hierarchies"
Well yes, having a fat layer of intermediate middle managers is quite costly. Lots of white collar professionals were booted out of superfluous jobs so managemt and leadership has been shoved downward further and further. We have flatter hierarchies now mainly because the old top heavy bureaucracies (patterned perhaps after the military or govt civil service bureaucracy) cost too damned much and put an even greater disadvantage on usa in the globalized economy. All the money saved by eliminating midlevel jobs apparently went to pay outrageous salaries to men like Kenny Boy Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, Andrew Fastow etc etc.

I am a Christian. Perhaps I didnt read the book with the profound spiritual discernmt many here have. Again form the book and from the lecture she gave (little more than a glorified book promotion tour) I saw her more as a chronicler of what she saw happening with her explanations as to why it was happening. To that end this book is a glorified MEGATRENDS. Megatrends was a good book because the author relied more on statistics to depict things we could expect to see in the later 80s early 90s.
But neither Ferguson or Naisbitt were frontline leaders hoping to win over converts to their vision of what changes needed to be made in our way of thinking, working etc. They were as I said mere chroniclers of new ways of thinking, working relating etc.
It would have been nice had Marilyn had any sort of internal core guiding principles to say stuff like "I'm heartened by trend X but I personally oppose or find distressing trend Y since it runs counter to my belief in ABC"
I think what a lot of New Ager folks hate most of all is the political ramifications of their big "small is beautiful" power-to-the-people paradigm shift is that it lends itself to the politics most often advanced by folks like Harry Browne, Ron Paul and other Libertarian free marketeers who want to radically scale back the size and scope of governmt and to truly empower individuals.

Most either love it or hate it. It has been hailed as the handbook of the New Age. Most New Agers have a well thumbed copy on their shelf. Fundies decry it as the Devil's work. It is still selling in the "crystal dolphin" bookshops.

There are many laudable sentiments and good intentions in this book. There are reasonable positions passionately argued for. There is even a lot of truth. However, it does suffer from a typical New Age problem. In her optimism, the author paints a very rosy picture. Although she may not say it, the impression one is left with is that one can gain enlightenment on a weekend workshop, or on an acid trip.

Countless conspirators have ended up either becoming disillusioned with the pervasive New Age charlatanry, or have gone "off with the fairies" after too many unguided excursions into "alternative realities".

The book is intellectually either dishonest or naive. It promotes the philosophical relativism that makes the most absurd delusions merely different "realities". It really provides the popular culture in which the Post-Modernist lunatic fringe can be given some credence. In short, it is a recipe for escapism. One need only spend some time in New Age circles to see how far they are from the superior beings they tend to believe they are.

The constant invocation of Kuhn's magical mantra "paradigm shift", lulls the reader into thinking that there is something scientific about the alchemical transformation implied. She further abuses science by claiming that there are two kinds of science, old & new, linear & non-linear. She uses science to give credence to her ideas, while at the same time discrediting science as a vision of a dead mechanistic universe. Her treatment of science, apart from being hypocritical, paints a very inaccurate picture of what science is actually about.

As compelling and well written as this book is, it is seriously flawed. It does point out things that we could do better, but it has helped spawn an industry of self delusion. For anyone really interested in self development or spiritual exploration, I would strongly recommend Chogyam Trungpa's "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" as an antidote to the less healthy aspects of the Aquarian Conspiracy.

Sweyn
The Rune Primer

A quick word about the effects of the title to this fine book before the review. As can be seen by a few negative reviews amongst the mostly glowing ones, the title is misleading and there is no "conspiracy" within the pages of this most uplifting and informing book.

For those folks preoccupied with discovering where the devil lurks instead of seeking knowledge of God and truth, you will be disappointed because the devil ain't here. You would be well informed to ignore the title and dive in to the content.

If your concern for life is such that you seek answers to some of the most confounding problems facing humanity, however, you will be delighted. No offense to Ms Ferguson or her publisher, but the title was poorly chosen and does not fit the beautiful content, but that's water under the bridge now. The assessment of the human condition along with the positive answers for unification of the human family with the rest of life is inspiring!

That said, this beautiful book exploded on the scene in 1980 and described where humanity was at in it's perception of reality, social structure, economics, politics and environment. It also clearly delineated where we should be headed for a more inclusive, rewarding and healthy future and almost every chapter concludes with a comparison list to show where a "Paradigm Shift" or change, is needed in our collective perception of reality on a broad range of topics.

The information and resources are as relevant today as when the book was first published- only more urgent because a good number of the changes needed then have not occurred and time marches on waiting for no one. Written as a "Why" and "How-to" guide for personal and societal transformation, it has an appendix full of network groups that offer guidance for change- all that list needs now is e-mail and website updates not available in 1980.

To point out the relevancy of this work in today's world, we can take a look at a subject heading: "The Way Of Avoidance" (p 74). Consider all of the big ticket issues that are intentionally being swept aside and ignored by society and government alike such as global warming, population pressure, pollution, disparity of wealth, etc., and we have:

"At the level of ordinary consciousness, we deny pain and paradox. We doctor them with Valium, dull them with alcohol, or distract them with television. Denial is a way of life. More accurately, it is a way of diminishing life, of making it seem more manageable. Denial is the alternative to transformation."

"Personal denial, mutual denial, collective denial. Denial of facts and feelings. Denial of experience, a deliberate forgetting what we see and hear. Denial of our capacities. Politicians deny problems, parents deny their vulnerability, teachers deny their biases, children deny their intentions. Most of all, we deny what we know in our bones."

"We are caught between two different evolutionary mechanisms: denial and transformation." And this is the essence of this fine book: to point out the current states of denial and to offer realistic, immediate alternatives for a positive transformation to an existence that we would rather have and can obtain with a little effort.

This book is a predecessor and now a fine companion to Duane Elgin's books, "Awakening Earth" "Voluntary Simplicity" and "Promise Ahead" where the need for "Paradigm Shifts" in thinking and relating to our world are expertly and thoroughly expounded upon. I also recommend Theodore Roszak's, "The Voice of the Earth". These are potent books with immediate, practical answers to uplift humanity.

Thank God, someone actually suggesting - insisting! - on our actual capacity to heal the painful barbarism of the world. It may in places take too many flights of fancy but in the end, it is very simply pointing the way to a better world we can achieve in our lifetimes, with hard work, compassion, and increased awareness of ourselves. This IS God's work. Anyone who considers this sort of work to be satanic or demonic is, I humbly suggest, lost in the devil's grip.

This isn't a real review, I just wanted to respond to those zany reviews below which claim the symbol on the cover is a disguised 666. Actually, if you look up an introduction to the mathematical field of "knot theory" (a branch of topology) online, you'll find that it's a picture of the simplest non-trivial knot, known as the "trefoil knot" (the only simpler knot is the trivial case of the 'unknot', which is just an unknotted loop). Do an internet search using the terms "trefoil knot" and you'll see what I'm talking about (but maybe topologists are in league with Satan too, just like evolutionary biologists, geologists, astrophysicists, and other no-goods). The mathematically-inclined artist M.C. Escher drew a nicely rendered picture of three trefoil knots in 1965, titled "Knots" (the original Dutch title was 'Knopen'); the one on the cover of Aquarian Conspiracy looks a bit like a ripoff of Escher's version (which you can see at britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/escher/knots.jpg ).

Oh yeah, and don't listen to anything Ferguson says on the subject of science, it's pretty much all nonsense. Read the book for entertainment only!

This was the first book I read by Antonin Artaud.
I was really moved by this man and he helped me
realize that one could an outsider yet still
remain in centricity of culture. I don't know
alot of it went over my head I guess but the
man is extremely interesting and offers neat
challenges to his time and to the reader.

that's the best way to put it: like condensed Proust. De Nerval's stories of place, love, and memory have found a permanent place in my heart. As other reviewers have noted, these stories seem the very definition of romanticism-- an unexpected quality in a writer often remembered most for his madness, eccentricity, and ultimately, suicide.

this edition by Exact Change Press is also worth remarking upon: the paper feels great, the design is perfect... hmm, running out of synonyms for "good."

all in all, a great volume by a lesser-known master.

I love Nerval's voice and his lush dreamy nostalgia. Many of these pieces are like looking at a Rococo painting and there's many of the classic Romantic themes, love of nature, nostalgia for a lost idyllic past and lost youth. I love literary surrealism so Aurelia was right up my alley but it has a more spiritual vibe which seems lacking in more modern surrealist works. After reading Nerval I can see why the surrealists considered themselves the prehensile tail of Romanticism.

simultaneously one of the saddest and most hopeful books i have ever read, this is an account of gerard de nerval's descent into insanity and his frantic search for something beyond what the positivists offer, a "spirit world". nerval obsesses over an actress who barely knew he existed, idealizing her to a seriously nutty point--but during all this he visits funerals, graveyards other places, apparently believing he is in touch with something metaphysical. i read this book awhile ago but i do remember his reference to his rejection by the woman, aurelia:"one's only option after these kinds of events is whether to die or go on living." touching, mystical, and sad.

Because this book shows what a real romantic means beyond the common meaning of "being in love". Because De Narval is a Romantic, he behaves trying to be the center of everything, no matter the price or the pride. He loves as a tool to make women move around him. His dreams are an extension of his life, so he can live any dream as real because the memorie of the real is the same as the memorie of the dream.

As testament to its continuing usefulness, my aging copy of "Getting Unstuck" is full of highlighted passages, pencilled margin notes and post-its. I RARELY write in books. Although many (some more "popular") books have been written on the topic of "getting your life out of a rut," I have found Dr. Simon's book to be one of the best in the "Motivational" genre. I highly recommend it!

I found this book at a time when I was stuck in a dead-end relationship and a counselor had told me to "Get on with YOUR life." That was almost 10 years ago. What I continue to find particularly appealing about this book is its straightforwardness. Instead of a lot of "buzzwords," "song and dance routines" and "feel-good exercises," the author follows a simple approach of "Here's where you are, here's where you COULD be; here's what to think about to get from "here" to "there."

The early parts of the book provide an overview of the different ways in which people do get "stuck" in their lives; then-- with some simple exercises-- the author helps you identify some of the "whys" and "hows" associated with changing the direction of your life.

The bulk of the book identifies and addresses the different "obstacles" we deliberately put in our way, and the implications of changing your life in the face of them. Topics covered include Self-esteem, options in life, our values, "Letting Go" (of old ways), fear, and dealing with our needs for "Cooperation" and "Perfection." Each chapter includes simple exercises and tools for identifying your own personal "pitfalls," as well as real-life examples of how to apply the principles learned.

The final two chapters deal with the all-important concept that it's not enough to "know HOW" to get unstuck-- you also have to more forward and actually "do" it. If this book has a "flaw," it is perhaps that this section doesn't *quite* have as much "meat" on its bones as one could hope for.

The book is not specific, in terms of having to do with work, or relationships, or family or any other *particular* area. Rather, it helps people identify, deal with, and move on from, the FEELING of being "stuck" in some aspect of their lives.

Final thoughts: Excellent book! (9.5 out of a possible 10 bookmarks). "Real" change is never easy, and often it can be quite painful. This book goes a long way towards easing that pain, and there is much to learn from its pages!

I read Dr. Simon's book several years ago and I still rave about it today. Dr. Simon identifies the barriers that can prevent us from achieving success in our life. Then he gives you the opportunity to do some activities to help you overcome those barriers. It can give you a new insight into getting things done and achieving your goals. I highly recommend this to anyone who is serious about breaking bad patterns, is tired of not getting anywhere, and wants to achieve success in their life.

This book is extremely well written, very easy to read, and full of advice that is sensible and doable. Sidney Simon does a great job of approaching that difficult subject, change. He offers examples, and solid alternatives and options, that all of us can use. I found it easy to read, the author was open and expressive and very real. In much of the book, it felt as though he was speaking right to you personally. The examples he provides are user friendly, and you can relate well to each. His in-depth probing of change and all of it's psychological barriers is astounding. The only parts I could have done without were the detailed step by step portions, but maybe that is because of one of my own psychological barriers to change! Much of what he had to say was so true in my own life, that I felt he wrote some of this book with me in mind. Regardless of whether you are contemplating a major life change, or simple changes to help you live better, or none at all, you will find this book useful and absorbing. I recommend you buy it and keep it on hand if you don't intend to follow it's advice right away, for all of us can use what is in this book at one time or another in our lives.

If you like to read books that help improve your life, than this is a book for your collection. Common themes of self help laid out in a manner that are non-threatening and acheivable. This book helped me remember I have options in my life and how best to review these options. You will read this book more than once.

Great Dan Fogelberg song. I have never been one of those people to go to self help books for help advice or support. I have been extremely fortunate throughout my life to meet large numbers of people and to make many friends some of whom are close enogh to tell me things I needed to know without fear or favour and without needing to endanger the relationship.

Fortune, favours the brave is the expression but I am not sure how true that is. I came to this book when an aquaintance confided in me about some problems that they were experiencing in daily life. As time went on and the depth of the problems as well as the breadth of them were becoming increasingly apparent, I realised that my friend was repeating the same mantras over and over again about the problems on both sides like the inability to communicate and the responses of each person involved. Our discussions came to suggestions but them in the domestic situation the same old stories were being repeated and replicated almost on a daily basis.

One day I came across this book whilst browsing through a book sale in the local library. A steal for 25c. As I read through it I firstly could not see why I might possibly need such a book but then began to recognise some of my own personal traits which I have accquired in recent years. I followed up with the exercises and persisted through to the end of the book. On reflection I saw that the main benefits I received were due to the recognition of certain behavioural routines I had sunk into which I carried on daily, not recognising that I was even in them. I resolved to change but did not find the book too helpful on that level and developed my own strategies.

But Eureka! It occurred to me that my confidant might be able to put the book to a better use given that the behaviours that were being talked about were exhibited on both sides of the divide. I purchased another copy and presented it to the person and requested that they at least looked at a few chapters before futher discussing the familial circumstances. A few weeks went by and nothing more was said or alluded to until about six weeks or so after I had made my admonition. The book had indeed, been useful. At first my friend had discarded the notion and had began to read from religious texts but after a particularly upsetting experience, despair caused her to pick it up again and read through. To cut a long story short, the book was read through once, the excercises were carried out during a second read and during a thirs read some of the strategies were brought into play. Although the book has not been shared with the other party the situation is now much improved and changes have been made.

In England, we say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating and in this case it is a clear case of digestion leading to satisfaction. On that basis I am happy to recommend this book to anyone over forty although it is just as applicable to the younger age group. Everyone can gain something from this book and because of that it is most useful.

Speaking as someone from an alcoholic family, this book helps you "detach, with love" as they say in AA. You realize you can live life for yourself and that you deserve to. The courage to change is needed because the old patterns are familiar and comfortable, but they no longer work. The book brings together wisdom from diverse sources, is divided into 365 short sections corresponding to days of the year, and encourages you truthfully, yet warmly, every step of the way. Read this, it's time to stop beating up on yourself!!

This little book is chocked full of inspiration

I've been in recovery for five years, and I use this book to start my day. It's full of helpful recovery reminders that make it a very special source of inspiration for me. My relationship with Jesus Christ, the Bible, and this little book make my recovery possible. I'd recommend it to anyone who struggles with issues of codependency.

Got the book in a very reasonable time and was in perfect condition. Would buy again from this seller!!

If you're buying this book, it's probably because it's a required textbook. As far as textbooks go this isn't bad. It's written in fairly easy to understand language and has a decent glossary at the end. It also has many color illustrations. That being said, it's still a paperback and a very expensive one at that. It was extremely frustrating as a relatively poor college student, being forced to pay so much for a book that the instructor barely used. My advice is to find a used copy if you can.

I have yet to recieve my book and I ordered it back in July. My class starts this Monday on August 25th and I am going without a book to class. I have never had any problems getting my books through amazon except now.

I get my college textbooks at a fraction of the cost than buying them on campus. I get my books quickly, in good condition, and just as promised. This book was no exception. It came 5 days after my order was placeed, it was in great condition, and just the text I needed.

This book is full of unfortunate truths, but things people should know if they wish to know the truth about the world around them. The statistics came in handy for subsequent paper writing, references and for fast fact information to spout to others.

Maybe I should have known better because the audio book is only two CD's but I was disappointed that it's not the entire book on CD. These two CD's contain a fraction of information from the book. I think the book is so full of essential information that the audio CD's only contain a small piece of the author's subject.

It's not that the information insn't correct, but it certainly isn't insightful. This seems like a mental exercise for a professor who just wants to get his name in print. Right away you're in trouble becuase he has you go through an exercise and then rate your optimism to see if this book could help you. if you are low on optimism, you need this book, if you are balanced, you need this book and if you are very optimistic, you still need this book.

My view, try to see things from others perspective and find out what your unique service and contribution is to a given situation and ulitmaley your whole life. The rest will fall into place.

If you are interested in how optimism can be learned, Seligman's book/CD is a great resource.

I received this book about a year ago and I think it is the best self help book on the market. It has been fantastic and has helped me so much by giving me scientifically proven techniques to change the way I look at events or situations.

I use to read a few self help books to stay positive and ended up giving them up as I found they never gave me any help and where filled with 'take care of your self, your precious' and `say these nice things to yourself and you will have a better life'. I suppose that is all well and good but at the end of the day it never really helped me or changed anything. They could never snap me out of a downward spiral however the techniques in this book can. This book gave me concrete ways to help myself in situations where I get emotional or upset and it is something that will always need to be worked on but if you do it then it gets easier and you are in more control and you are a more rational and effective person.

The book is easily understood even though alot of it is scientific and best of all the principals are backed up by studies so the book has validation. All of the principals are pretty basic and leave you feeling `well of course' however they really do help and like most books it brings your attention to things you may already know, but may not apply. If you enjoy going to psychologists and raking up all the bad events of your life and leave with no way to help yourself in these emotional times when you are alone, then you may not appreciate this book. While it is great to get help, it is important to get the right help and understand why something may not be helping you. Cognitive therapy seems to put the responsibility back on the individual, while you may not have chosen the way you choose to perceive your life (usually from parents) it is your responsibility to change this and to make the long term commitment to change.

I have also read 2 other books by Martin Seligman and I also found these great. It is not essential to read all of these books but I found Learned Optimism so interesting, and that I got so much out of reading it and using the techniques that I wanted to see what was included in the other two books. The other books hold similar material however go into greater detail in other ways like talking about the angry person and why they are like that etc... I would recommend any of these books to everyone as there is something there for all, it would probably be best though to start with Learned Optimism.

I haven't gotten all the way through it, because there are alot of assignments, where you have to stop the CD. I usually listen in my car, so it's taking me a while to finish. I'd recommend buying the book too, which I haven't purchased yet.

For some reason not everyone finds facts and narratives on outlandish weather interesting. If you do, however, this book is the pinnacle. Burt could have made it 8 times longer and I would have never gotten bored. Full of fantastical information about places you'll never go and weather you'll never see - I eat that stuff up. If you are at all interested in anything weather related, you'll be hooked on this book.

Is the climate really changing radically? To answer this a record of past weather extremes and norms needs to be reviewed, and there's no better place to do this than with Extreme Weather: A Guide and Record Book. Here are U.S. weather trends going back to the 19th century in a revised, updated guide which includes historical examples of strange weather. Divided into chapters by type of weather - strange snowstorms, thunderstorms and hail, etc. - each chapter pairs color photos and illustrations with maps, lively overviews, and more. An excellent choice not just for science libraries, but for any general interest lending library.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book (like the last edition) is a sight for sore eyes and should be a staple item for weather enthusiasts and meteorologists; Chris' painstaking research presents us all with an up-to-date book of extremes (including maps) which challenge the out-of-date governmental and Internet resources that have attempted, in the past, to document record weather worldwide. Chris has published additional charts, tables and maps that you just can't find anywhere else in this latest edition. I really am not a big paper book fan becuase there is a lot of inaccurate stuff out there by amateur authors but this one is on my shelf at both work and home, and I frequently refer to it when meteorological extremes are challenged worldwide.