change Books

The US State Dept website's description of Perkins' previous book (Confessions of an Economic Hit Man) works here, as well: "an exciting, first-person, cloak-and-dagger tale that plays to popular images about alleged U.S. economic exploitation of Third World countries."

In an easy to read style, Perkins weaves his personal stories around generally established events from around the world that one can usually trace to sources other than Perkins. Although it certainly doesn't hurt to have such incidents brought to mind again, his inclusion of them end up leading the reader in a way that make his behind-the-scenes stories feel more plausible, seeming to simply fill in ground level details of US/corporate exploitation. Together it goes down more smoothly as narrative, a great format for popular consumption.

Yet, as other reviewers have already pointed out, the lack of verifiability really limits the book. The "secrets" Perkins is trying to reveal are, of course, based on personal or anonymous testimony. On the one hand, the circumstances he describes warrant such anonymity, and we should not dismiss singular personal testimony out of hand (especially when regarding such alleged clandestine incidents, where scattered personal testimony may be all there is). On the other hand, since readers' cannot cross-examine his evidence, many of his claims simply must remain unproven, which is unfortunate. Perkins' work would be a stronger contribution to informing the public if it could do so objectively.

At best, perhaps his stories (along with the more established incidents he mentions) should be kept in mind as what powerful corporations and countries are capable of, causing us to be all the more on our guard against corruption.

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!

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.

William Cronon's book Changes in the Land illuminates the relationship and impact the European colonial settlers had with their environment in New England. The main premise for this book is that different human cultures interact with their environment according to their cultural norms and subsequently have varying effects upon their surrounding environment as a result. Furthermore, Cronon illustrates that these effects created by humans on the environment have consequences which in turn affect the human population and its society. Ultimately he accomplishes the task of showing historically that Americans have the live it up now and pay for it later approach with the environment they live in and unfortunately most Americans still have not learned from previous mistakes with regards to the environment because they still think in terms of wastefulness instead of practical conservation. Even though the concept of Americans being wasteful with their natural resources is common knowledge today, this book truly shows the magnitude of wastefulness European colonial settlers had with their natural resources and the resulting negative consequences for the ecosystem and their own society. Changes in the Land does s superb job of highlighting the fact that this wasteful relationship that Americans have had with their environment has been ongoing since day one they set foot on the North American continent.

William Cronon definitely has the expert knowledge to write a book on the subject of environmental history. In a sense you can say his whole life has involved history and the environment. The afterword in Changes in the Land clearly shows that this book was not only a work that was initially started while he was at Yale as a graduate student, but also was influenced by his own interest of history and the environment even from his childhood. According to Cronon he was inspired as a youngster by his father who was a professor of American history at the University of Wisconsin and by growing up in an area that already had citizens aware and concerned about environmental issues. (pp. 171,173) Furthermore, Cronon's list of academic positions, writings on environmental history, and professional memberships are too numerous to account for in this small book review. Needless to say, after reading his list of lifetime accomplishments in this area on his website it is overwhelmingly clear he wrote this book from an authoritative viewpoint on the subject at hand.

Cronon accomplishes this authoritative viewpoint by juxtaposition of different perspectives and integrating evidence and information from other disciplines. Cronon initially uses the contrast of Henry Thoreau's account of the natural environment in1855 with an over two hundred years earlier account of the environment in New England by an English traveler named William Wood from 1633. Thoreau was obviously disenchanted with changes that had taken place in the environment since William Wood's day which was evident in his comment, "Is it not, a maimed and imperfect nature that I am conversant with?" (p. 4) Famous intellectuals, early naturalists, and traveler's documentation of the landscape were only some sources of evidence. Cronon also used a wide variety of other sources of information such as colonial town records from the courts and legislation, ecological data, and archeological records to build his case although he was wise enough to note that "caution is required in handling all these various forms of evidence (and nonevidence), together they provide a remarkably full portrait of ecological change in colonial New England." (p. 8) In chapters two through five he juxtaposes the European colonists' and Native Indians' society by comparing their relationship with and effect they respectively had on their environment. The general points Cronon makes, hopefully not oversimplifying too much, were firstly, Europeans viewed the natural resources of New England as commodities and the value they attached to them were based on whether or not the were valuable commodities in Europe. Secondly, Indians had a subsistence economy and moved to different locations depending on the season of the year which dictated where adequate food supplies could be found verses the Europeans who had fixed settlements in which they utilized agriculture and husbandry to generate food and eventually a profit for the excess that they cultivated. Thirdly, Indians' perspective of property was they owned the use of the resources on the land and shared the use of the resources with others where as Europeans perspective of owned property was that they owned a specific tract of land identified by clear boundaries in which the land and everything on it was owned by the individual. This comparison served to highlight the impact and consequences on the environment by European colonists due to the way the viewed land and natural resources of New England. The remainder of the book dealt with the consequences of the Europeans interaction with their environment.

Chapter five more or less made the point that due to the impact of diseases on the Indian population and the subsequent restructuring of their social and political system they needed to find a way to survive. One way to survive was to trade with the Europeans and a commodity that was valuable to the Europeans was fur. Indians participated in the decimation of animals that provided these furs and hence they got sucked into the European mercantile trade economy in which eventually they ended up trading their way of life away and the environment suffered for it in the process by losing large populations of animals. Chapters six and seven clearly illustrated the wasteful practices of European colonists with the natural resources such as timber which lead to deforestation, hotter summers, colder winters, and more floods as a consequence. The wasteful shortsighted practices of European colonists were also pervasive by the use of their non-friendly environmental agriculture and husbandry practices which only resulted in a vicious cycle of destruction with the environment they lived in. Cronon used an eyewitness account of the colonial time period to conclude his book. A Swedish traveler Peter Kalm summarized nicely the shortsighted wasteful practices of the Europeans colonists by saying "the grain fields, the meadows, the forests, the cattle, etc. are treated with equal carelessness." (p. 168) Kalm concluded that "This kind of agriculture will do for a time, but it will afterwards have bad consequences, as everyone may clearly see." (p. 169)
With that being said, Cronon did a wonderful job a presenting his case and providing evidence which made this book a very interesting read. The only downside for a reader (which is no fault of Cronon's because he is only the messenger), was the disappointing feeling and thought that this is typical behavior of humans when interacting with their environment and why don't people in general learn from their past mistakes?

This is a very good piece of work. Cronon manages to keep all possible biases aside. He attributes ecological changes or problems to both natives and colonists. However, he argues that English Colonists were responsible for the greatest amount of damage. It was not a 200 page book on Europe ruined America but a well written analysis on European, in particular England, ways of life and how they dramatically altered the face of America. Natives and Europeans has two completely different ideas of property, life, etc. Without criticizing the English he shows how the English colonists ideas of agriculture changed the face of New England. It was not a thirst for destruction but a way of life or agriculture that Europeans worked with for 2-3000 years. Cronon does a good job showing how English recognized the problem, although little was done to fix it, and attempted to find solutions. It was a well balanced piece of work and narrated from a neutral perspective.

This text was assigned as part of a college history course. As part of my initial reading I found the text to be wordy, indirect and a little overly complicated. However, after reviewing the test for an essay it became far more easily to take meaningful information from. Cronon does an excellent job explaining the transition of Indian culture and society. He also does a very good job of explaining the complex interaction between Indians and European settlers and the American wilderness. In my opinion Cronon focuses on capitalism and the transitions towards capitialism and Indian society. Overall a good history read, very applicable to American history.

This is not so much a book about New England per se as on how ecology should mould our understanding of history. For too long historians have ignored the ecological/environmental dimension to history, especially colonial history; and Cronon's book is one among a number of path-breaking works that serves to redress the balance.

As Cronon convincingly argues, the strength of ecological analysis in writing history lies in its ability to uncover processes and long-term changes which might otherwise remain invisible. Indeed, ecological change is used throughout the book as a window through which to uncover the complex long-term changes wrought by the arrival of the puritans to New England since the seventeenth century. The full impact of European colonisation cannot be understood apart from the new relationship they established with the New England ecosystem though their commoditisation of resources and their involvement in the international capitalist economy, both of which greatly impacted the land and its previous inhabitants, the Indians. These changes were cultural as much as they were simply environmental or economic: the arrival of the pig, for one, was bound in a cultural relationship to, among other things, the fence, the dandelion, and a very special definition of property.

Of course, the book also offers up fascinating insights into the changing New England landscape from 1600 to 1800. It corrects misconceptions about an unchanging primeval forest before the arrival of the Europeans, or of Indians as passive agents in subsequent changes wrought. It also establishes the origins of the environmental problems in the region such as deforestation, soil erosion, and resultant climate changes - the legacy of which we still live with today.

If this book interests you, so should other landmark studies on ecological or environmental history, such as Alfred Crosby's `Ecological Imperialism' or Donald Worster's `Dust Bowl'.

William Cronon's book was a seminal effort in 1983 that established a new way of thinking about history. It has stood the test of time. The book describes the modes and manner of the ecological impacts that English settlers had on the New England landscape in the colonial era. Some impacts were intentional, others not so much. For example, by the time first permanent settlements were established beginning at Plymouth in 1620, many Indian villages had already been devastated by European diseases (Europeans, especially fishermen had been frequenting the New England fisheries for decades).

The English settlers brought the English methods of farming, new concepts of property, and a market economy that overwhelmed the tribes and transformed the landscape. Forests were cleared, beaver were over-hunted, fences erected, new and domesticated animals and plants were introduced.

An added bonus in this 20th anniversary edition is a delightful afterword by the author reflecting on the book and how it came to be only through repeated serendipity. An added bonus for Wisconsin readers are his reflections on growing up in Madison as the son of a UW history professor and how those experiences shaped his professional life.

Cronon sagely instructs us to asks 'how so Alien a Then could have become so familiar a Now'. Changes in the Land also wrought changes in the way we think.

The book was recommended to me by an executive seach company. I think it is a valuable tool in trying to sift through careers you might be best suited for. Another book, Career Match, is also very good.

This book did have useful information in it; however, I didn't use it as much as I thought I would for my class.

After learning how to type people using Rod Novichkov's method in his book How to Find Yourself and Your Best Match Socionics, I looked up my bosses and saw that one was ISTJ - perfectly suited for a career as a Veterinarian, the other was ESFJ - also great as a Veterinarian, I discovered that the book's personality type descriptions were very accurate and that recommendation of career were also good.

I read this book about ten year ago and found it had many good ideas that have been helpful.

Happily getting up in the morning to go to work is a key element for a rewarding life!

Do What You Are explores the sixteen different personality types of people (enhancing the work done by Myers Briggs) and what type of career we are best suited for.

Also, the book also addresses interpersonal relationships, understanding one's own personality better, and the personality of others. Like attracts like and gravitating towards a career that has others with similar interests helps provide a rewarding career.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Happily getting up in the morning to go to work is a key element for a rewarding life!

Do What You Are explores the sixteen different personality types of people (enhancing the work done by Myers Briggs) and what type of career we are best suited for.

Also, the book also addresses interpersonal relationships, understanding one's own personality better, and the personality of others. Like attracts like and gravitating towards a career that has others with similar interests helps provide a rewarding career.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

I had read the Rolling Stone article, and I was positively stoked to begin this book. During the first half, I was fascinated, but then, I am neither a geologist nor an engineer.

I was even willing to overlook Kunstler, in the early pages, defending fellow prophets of doom Thomas Malthus and Paul Erlich, and claiming that they were right after all, despite the fact that the predictions of either man never came to pass.

Then, during the second half of the book, Kunstler started discussing things I actually know quite a bit about, to wit, human disease and history. Oh, Holy Cats, how incorrect his facts were. In the words of another reviewer, he gets it Just Plain Wrong.

For example, he says that historians don't really know what the cause of WWI was. Huh. I guess the Army War College and every 20th Century History department need to talk to Kunstler, so they can be properly informed of their ignorance. Yeah, WWI's causes are complex, but just because Kunstler doesn't know what they are doesn't mean that nobody else does either.

He also claims that global warming will accelerate the spread of diseases that were previously confined to a specific geopgraphic area, which is probably true. However, we have already seen diseases migrate a good deal because of the volume and speed with which humans jet around the globe on a daily basis. Kunstler ignores the profound upside to this, being that, for the vast majority of us who are not immunocompromised, this challenges and boosts our immune systems.

Or how 'bout when he says that the 1918 flu jumped directly from birds to humans, without the usual influenza pit stop in pigs. If that's the case, why was the 1918 flu first noticed on a Kansas pig farm? Or when he claims that we still don't know why the 1918 flu proved fatal to so many young adults- uh, yeah we do. Because of cytokine storms, which turn your own immune sysstem against you- the stronger the immune system, the worse you're affected.

The worst offender, however, is when he claims that HIV (which he incorrectly calls AIDS) is on it's way toward mutating from a blood born pathogen into one that's carried on air. Give me a break. I have had five years of schooling training me to be an HIV educator, and I have never heard or read anything remotely like this from an even somewhat reputable source. Why did he make this claim of HIV, and not, say, hepititis B (another sexually transmitted blood born pathogen), which infects 1.7 billion more people than HIV does? Because "AIDS" sounds scarier, that's why.

All this JPW stuff in the second half of the book makes me doubt the veracity of the first half, and that was only reinforced when I made it to the very end and read Kunstler's racist rant against Mexicans and African Americans. He had already skewered every subset of white people that were remotely different from him, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I've checked "The End of Oil" out of the library, so we'll see how the first half of "The Long Emergency" holds up, fact wise. But if you're really interested in reading an Apocalypse Story, I'd suggest picking up Stephen King's "The Stand".

I bought this book so that I could relate to a friend who is using it like his bible and guide for his future. I found it to be poorly organized and a long and rambling discourse on the evils and eventual failure of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, the food supply, and an eventual return to living in the stone age in our lifetimes. He passes opinion off as fact to build his case.

Mine's for sale used!

This is an important book that every thinking person should read. It will never be a musical.

Kunstler offers much vallid research and seems to make sense about the immediate future. Unfortunately, his credibility drops to 50% when he gives an obviously pro-Israeli view of the Middle East and Israel's problems. His view of it makes it clear that he is a Jew (as am I) and he is clouded by bias. That bias undermines the validity of his book, in my opinion.

An excellent argument that we are at or approaching the peak oil production plateau, and speculates on the drastic future we may expect. Well done. Provokes a lot of thought about how one should adapt to eventually intolerable circumstances!

In my life long search for the true meaning of life I have studied and investigated a lot of things. Ultimately I have become convinced that our truth purpose in life is enlightenment and now study and follow the so called non-dual religions of the east. Having found non-dual wisdom I abandoned all my previous spiritual / religious beliefs including the belief in channeled information as well as the new age idea's that we reincarnate to learn specific lessons. So initially I was resistant to revisit the concepts that are presented in this book as they seemingly are in direct conflict with the non-dual wisdom path. How could both be right? One believing that the personal self is an illusion and that there is only one true nature and the other believing that there is a spirit world and that we have individual immortal souls that reincarnate to learn lessons. However it proved well worth my while to put aside my reservations and read this book!

My review will not cover the `life plan' aspects of this book as so many other reviewers have already done that. If that is what you expect then it would be better to read one of the other reviews. If it interests you to read on then you will find a high level critical review of this book based of the highest level of spiritual truth that I know, the non-dual wisdom teachings of the east.

"If you always - and I mean always - take the higher road, the higher frequencies will lift you into more loving actions towards others." ~ Page 285, Courageous Souls. Non-dual wisdom says if you seek your true nature then the Self will begin to pull you in. What I discovered in reading this book was that it is far more inline with non-dual wisdom than I initially suspected. It now seems to me that reincarnation and life lessons are an intermediate stage (that we all go through) which will ultimately lead to the desire to seek enlightenment itself, which is where the non-dual teachings of the east begin. The channeled information in the book states quite clearly that the personality structure is an illusion created for learning; "The personality is the illusion that is required on Earth in this space-time to learn the lessons" ~ Page 222; "You must understand that the personality is a construct" ~ Page 230. Non-dual wisdom says something very similar that the personality is a construct / illusion and that enlightenment is seeing through the construct and knowing ones true Self, which is indescribable impersonal conscious non-duality (oneness).

I am university trained in logic and deductive reasoning and do not simply believe something because it sounds impressive or it is popular. I put everything I come across through rigorous logical analysis and cross checking and only embrace it when it stands up to thorough examination. Just because I have embraced spiritual teachings does not mean that I have thrown out logic and reason. Therefore the unscientific approach of this book grated on me and although I was pleased that the author validated the information by using several different sources for the same person the book is clearly written with no objectivity. I found the writing style too informal and loose for what I consider a serious subject. The author repeatedly inserts his own understanding of the material, his personal beliefs and common new age beliefs which requires some sorting through because of the different sources and levels of understanding mixed together. The reliability of the source of all information is of utmost important to all scientists.

Spiritual truth can only ever completely be trusted when spoken by someone who knows because they have been there experientially. Second hand truth may be true but there is no way to verify that it is not simply nice cozy concepts that we want to believe in because they make us feel better. Lastly I definitely do not trust channeled information, for the same reason, you have a completely unverifiable source of information. You have no idea what level of consciousness that `spirit' who is providing the information has reached, in fact you have no idea if information is even being channeled. A clever psychic or psychologist could simply be reading you and telling you what you expect to hear or giving you some spiritual information that they read in books especially after you have already provided them with a lot of information upfront. I am not saying that the information provided in this book is not true but rather that you can not verify the source of the information and therefore it is automatically less trust worthy. For these reasons the book lost one star. Despite my misgivings I still rated this book at four stars simply because of the inspiring and beneficial affect it had on me. And despite what I have said I have faith that the unverifiable `life plan' information is reasonably reliable because I crossed checked the other channeled information with my non-dual wisdom sources and these sources I have complete faith in since I have been validating them for years.

Some further extracts; "Do not consider reuniting, for that betokens a separation. There is never any separation. What the personality feels after death, when it feels as one with God, is simply the brushing away of cobwebs that obscure its view" ~ Page 223. Non-dual wisdom says that the world appears as duality but in reality is non-dual. In other words there is no separation only a oneness, this applies to physical object as well as consciousness. Further it says that we can not see reality because our view is obscured. "we create the illusion in which we appear to be separate from one another and All That Is" ~ Page 203. "The realization and recognition that one is responsible for creating one's own sense of happiness and well-being" ~ Page 143. This is also a teaching from a high consciousness level and indeed similar to non-dual wisdom which states that we project all meaning out onto the world. All emotion states stem from our mental positioning towards objects. Therefore if we give up our constant mental positioning we can experience peace. "What other activities are you engaged in? We, too, server as guides and mention for others, and we seek our own melding with the absolute"; a question that is asked of channeled spirit ~ Page 74. This is saying that there are other beings in other realms also seeking enlightenment in their own way and this agrees with the non-dual teachings that say we are seeking enlightenment.

I have given some examples from the book that I have been able to verify with my non-dual wisdom sources. Some other concepts that are mentioned in the book that also correlate with non-dual wisdom are impermanence, non-judgment, compassion and love. One of my non-dual western master teachers often says how judgment is reserved for God alone and that we think is just a beggar on the street may actually be an enlightened master. This book really helped me embrace this teaching. I have found faith in what else is offered about life lessons and despite my continued weariness and tendency to distrust channeled information I have found this book of great interest and usefulness. It certainly helped me become less judgmental, more accepting, inspired greater hope and meaning, and resolved a long conflict I had between my past new age beliefs and current faith in non-dual wisdom. In essence both teachings are true and compatible but vary in approach and target audience. I highly recommend this book to those of you who embrace new age and also to those who study non-dual wisdom (as an interesting and useful adjunct to your primary teachings). I end with one more validation with the non-dual wisdom teachings.

"The hermit who sits alone on a mountaintop radiating a vibration of peace does more to bring harmony to the world than the angry peace marcher." ~ Page 270

If there is ever one word to describe this book, its powerful. What a concept...that suffering is never meaningless, but a vehicle of purposeful intent and that we, as eternal souls, planned to use certain challenges to foster growth not only for our own souls but for the sake of our soul group and the universe at large. Putting it into a context like this, suffering has a whole different meaning.

According to the book, those around us also plan our lives intertwined with ours and all decisions are made out of love, no exception. I now think about my own challenges and those who have played a key role in my own personal growth and look upon them with gratitude and not judgment, including the "villains" in my story, because they fostered the most growth out of me. I am only now beginning to see the perfection of life. Aside from clarity, this book will bring healing and infinite comfort to those going through extreme suffering in their lives by learning there are no victims in this world.

Part of me picked up this book to find comfort for my own inner wounds. I cried when I read the words "Only the courageous plan fear" for I knew, that was what I intended to heal and have been working on it for years, having them dissipate one by one.

It has been a long time since I closed a book and felt warm, comforted and knowledgeable. The author takes you by the hand and guides you through this information with compassion, grace and great wisdom. I just cannot fully express how wonderful this book is. It is absolute perfection and if I could, I'd give it more stars. If there is ever a book I'd recommend, it would be this one!

I absolutely love this book! I knew that we had pre-planned our lives before reading it, but it explains it so well with people's stories to show you examples. I really hope I can get my friend to read it as I think it will help her to understand the reasons for some of her challenges in her childhood and now. EXCELLENT BOOK!

Since the sketical part of me never really stands down, I loved that the author used a back-up channeler for every example. One channeler for initial information, and a second, independent one to give her own insights. Although I certainly can't claim that every reader will have this experience, I did find peace through understanding about a life-long hurt. There was no answer to the question I (thought) I was looking for, but then came an enormous, clear understanding of a question I didn't know to ask! And the writer's style is thoroughly enjoyable.

Linda Senn, author of The Many Faces of Journaling: Topics &: Techniques for Personal Journal Writing

Everything always makes sense when you can see the big picture. This book provides a glimpse into why events we perceive as "bad" happen, through a varied collection of individual cases.

Our lives in this "reality" are just learning experiences, to expand our awareness of ourselves, we agreed to before we arrived on the planet.

This book is an interesting and informative look at how activism is changing. It identifies tactics which have been used effectively (such as the use of the internet for fundraising), as well as those which have lost their effectiveness over time (for example, street protests). It lays out very distinctly actions to take and provides examples along the way of both successes and failures.

I found it very interesting that Moulitsos holds up the Heritage Foundation as an organization that really gets it, and which other organizations, both conservative and progressive, model themselves after. I wonder if some of the other reviewers have actually read the book - only one of the negative reviews seems to actually address the content of Taking on the System.

Taking on the System is filled with stories of victories and failures, and highlights how technology in general (and not just the blogosphere) has changed the playing field. Not all of the examples are related to politics. The book is about getting around gatekeepers, which exist everywhere. I found it to be a very valuable, interesting, and inspirational read.

Unless you own a bird, buy a different book. This is just recycled Marxist agiprop. I can't see how even fellow travelors can get past page 8. Only because I am truly dedicated did I make it to chapter two. I deserve a medal.

Skimming the rest of this commisar's handbook, just to make sure I wasn't missing the good page, I have to say, "Save yourself the time and money and just reread the Communist Manifesto online."

Don't waste your time with this. Kos might have been relevant as a well-known blogger a few years ago, but now his site is dedicated to letting every like-minded liberal loon publish garbage for public consumption. As evidenced by the low approval ratings for Congress, the strategies in this text for "taking on the system" haven't done much of anything, and they haven't helped Obama gain a substantial lead over McCain despite this being a very winnable election for the so-called "progressive".

This seemed like an interesting book on how to play digital culture to the advantage of those seeking to make changes in the political, scientific or social landscape.

The book did have a few quirks the author may not have realized, such as talking about enforcing the status quo vs. being the little guy trying to make a point, then going on to say that global warming is "settled science" and that anyone who makes a legitimate point contrary to the scientific consensus is just a troublemaker. Does the author not realize how hypocritical this sounds? Arguing for the inclusion of the little guy's voice in discussions, and then acting like the authoritarian brute and trying to exclude the legitimate opinion of the "little guy" in the global warming debate.

Aside from a few foibles of that sort, the book was a pretty interesting read, drawing lots of specific examples from various newspapers, TV shows, liberal blogs, etc.

The book itself has a very liberal slant, so anyone who's a die-hard conservative may roll their eyes at some of the discussions. But, political points aside, it seems like a decent enough manual for trying to get one's point across in whatever field there are "gatekeepers" trying to suppress your point of view, etc.

While I'm not much into the political sphere, there seems to be a lot of politicking in science, and very similar tactics may be useful in effecting change in scientific circles.

The book's probably not for everyone, but it kept my attention and made some interesting points.

Moulitsas' second book is less about blogging and more about the tools and techniques at our disposal in this digital era. If you're looking to get a message out what is the most effective way? Hint: it isn't the street protest any longer. The book stays true to the tried and true formula for Salinski's original and is a great update for the digital era.

The information and techniques presented in this book changed my life in a profound way. Not only have I become a FAR less anxious individual in general, but I have the tools to combat every type of mood swing imaginable. My self esteem is at heights I could have never imagined. Whether you panic left and right, have mild anxiety, or are simply a human being, I GUARANTEE this book is worth your time. This is the real stuff: researched based and tested over and over again.

Also, while I agree that a lot of this information is the same that has appeared in Burns' older classics "Feeling Good" and the "Feeling Good Handbook" I do find that it is presented in a more organized, easy to digest format that is focused on anxiety instead of depression. Despite containing the same underlying theories, it has expansions, re-organizations, and specifics that I feel easily make it a worthwhile addition to the Burns catalog.

I, obviously, wholeheartedly and passionately recommend this book for ANYONE.

I found the book to be very helpful. It provided useful tools and skills that one could apply to reducing anxiety. It also gave good history and information about the positives of drug free anxiety therapy. I strongly recommend.

Of all the books and therapy that I tried for my growing anxiaty attacks this was the best help: I definetely recommend this book for anybody with this kind of issues; it will give you a truly way to cure your panic drug free!

Very practical method to cope with panic attack. I want to incorporate this method in my current work as crisis worker.

Self-help books are usually very hard to read, I can't seem to get through them. This book is a very easy read. I find myself not wanting to put it down. It has practical examples and easy to interpret instructions that are helping me get control of my thoughts. I would recommend it to anyone with anxiety or panic problems.

This is a must read for anyone who wishes to learn more about Kingdom Building in a Covenantal sense...

Jesus says they will know us by how we love one another.... This book tells us exactly how to do just that.

I received my books in great shape and in a very timely fashion. Would order from this place again...Thanks so much!!

Just started book ,but am truly amazed at simplicity yet depth of information to live and serve as a Christian in this life. Am anxious to finish and apply.

I was given this book by a mentor of mine and told that it would be extremely helpful. The problem is that I saw it was deemed a "counseling" book on the back, so I moved on for a while before I picked it up and read it. I continued to see the book on the "Best Seller's" list at many sites that I admire, so I finally picked the book up and started to read. I have to be honest, if I were to try and write all that I learned this review would turn into a novel itself.

Paul David Tripp really unpacks a three part effort.

One: To show me who I am
Two: Who others are
Three: How to practically minister to them, and accept their ministering to me

This book gets to the root of the issues and he even starts with the theological impact of understanding who God is and then who we are, namely: we aren't perfect, we need change, and we need help in that changing process from Christ and others.

This book not only unfolds what we are to do in daily ministering opportunities, but he unpacks the practical ways to do them. One of my favorite quotes in the book is that:

"We often say we need to preach the Word, but we also need to counsel the Word."

That is what this book is all about. It is how to counsel the Word of God to those in everyday life that need change just like you and I. What will hinder this book is that some will think it is only for the pastor or counselor, but it's intention is for all believers and it is written that way and is desperately needed for today's church.

I have already used the book and will continue to go back to it to try and unpack my shortcomings and also to help others do the same when they are in need of ministering. I know this is not the "hot topic" of discussion around the water cooler, but this book is much more needed in today's world that wants to only deal with actions instead of the root of those actions, namely, our darkened heart in need of the power of Christ. You will learn how to effectively and biblically (synonymous terms) counsel another as they ask a simple question or are having everyday life problems, instead of giving a "pat" answer or reciting Scripture and telling them to pray about it. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

I was only about ten pages into this book before I realized that it was very, very good. And it kept getting better. It is not only theologically sound in the sense of not containing noticeable errors, but also deals with its subject matter in a theologically astute way. And in addition to being theologically sound, it is pastoral and practical. I have no doubt that I will return to it again and again in pastoral ministry.

The main idea of the book is that all believers should be doing what Tripp calls "personal ministry," helping people to see themselves and their situations in a biblical light, and work to be conformed more to the image of Christ. Most of his stories and application have to do with pastoral ministry or professional Christian counseling, but the principles could apply just as well to a small group leader, or any Christian who wishes to be used by God to minister to others. In examining our lives, we (and the people we counsel) need to understand the fundamental teachings of the Bible on God and humanity. We have to understand that we are fallen, that sin has pervaded every aspect of our lives. As a result we sin, we suffer from the effects of others' sin, and we respond sinfully to that suffering. Sin is not an occasional mix-up in an otherwise well-functioning system; it is a constant reality that is at play in every situation we deal with. We must also understand, though, that as believers we have been fundamentally changed by the gospel. We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we really are able to fight against the power of sin ad walk in increasing obedience to God's commands. In short, all of us are "people in need of change," God gives us the means by which to change, and we are called to help each other change.

This book is a great introduction to personal ministry, especially for a pastor. The examples were a little dramatic, and it could be discouraging for someone who isn't dealing with marriages that are falling apart or people who were abused as children. But Tripp's principles are a great paradigm for any Christian who desires to minister to others and build deeper relationships within the body of Christ.

This is one of the best books I have ever read about the work environment. It opened my eyes to how I manager my employees and what I can do to improve the work environment along with getter more out of my staff. It is an easy read and very interesting.

In short, this book offers a review of how the authors instituted a meritocracy at Best Buy - no small feat, to be certain, and their accomplishments are praiseworthy. In my opinion, the book spends a little too much time restating the benefits to the employee, and only occasionally reference the flip side of the coin - what the employee is signing up for.

It would be easy to draft a version of this same text, without the superfluous curse words and with a bit more attention to punctuation, that is targeted toward managers and executives. For example, I'd argue that this book should be required reading for aspiring CIO's - you cannot get where these ladies are heading without good technology and good systems. If you combine the operational aspects of their model, with a sound technology platform designed to enable it, you can address a lot of very important and timely issues that have nothing to do with why work "sucks".

Think about the ramifications of location independence from the standpoint of "going green", for a minute. When location doesn't matter, why drive in to the office unless you have to? Why do commutes take so long to begin with?

Until the advent of information technology, proximity to work and shopping centers was mandatory. In a knowledge based economy with ubiquitous internet access, location is irrelevant. Imagine what traffic and "cities" would look like, if you designed them under the premise that people work out of their homes, or away from a centralized office 80% of the time.

The practical application of a true meritocracy in corporate America will probably require another couple of decades to gain mind share and widespread acceptance; excepting of course that the benefits to the environment and to companies are emphasized over the nearly selfish employee-centric tone of the book, which despite itself, remains a fascinating subject for consideration by everyone who works for a living.

You could sell ANY idea on how to fix work using this title, description, and the heavy emphasis on mid-day movie going and golfing. Replace even half the paragraphs of that embarrassingly simple and repetitive cheerleading with more meat for people above the first rung on the ladder, and you'd have a winner.

It's not often that I have written a review for one of the books I have purchased on Amazon, but I felt compelled to write one for this book.

This books take the old adage that everyone must work 40 hours a week and stands it on its head. Why work 40 hours a week?

- Isn't what you get DONE during that time more important than how many hours you put in?
- How much time do you spent WASTING time?
- If you could work from home would you?
- How about working from ANYWHERE?

This book shows how working when you want, going to movies in the middle of the day, taking vacations without asking, and doing just about ANYTHING you want IS possible.

Best of all, the authors don't just TALK about how you can do this they SHOW you were it is already working. Besy Buy's corporate headquarters where 3,000 people are doing exactly this!

BUY THIS BOOK!

I am a recent college graduate who has been a full time employee now for 11 months. I find that my experience in my office relates in an almost uncanny way to many of the testimonials from other employees appearing in this book.

In college I was free to complete my assignments on my own time as long as they got done by a particular deadline. I was also free to attend only the classes I felt would better help me understand, assimilate, and interact with the subject matter of those classes. When I had to complete assignments, I produced some of my best work on a couch, in the English department building, at two in the morning (those were the essays that received A's). This wasn't because I procrastinated or didn't want to do the work, it's because that was the time and place where I was at my best. And nobody judged me on how I got the work done, just by what I produced as a final product. Entering the work force took me out of my element, and forced me to work in an environment in which I was unaccustomed and uncomfortable: between the hours of 9-5, in an office with millions of distractions, and not on a couch! Why wouldn't my employer want me to work when and where I'm at my best? One of the metrics they undoubtedly used to measure my worth and make the decision to hire me was my GPA. I achieved my 4.0 GPA, by working at 2 a.m. on a couch! This is just one example of how the workforce by its current nature, limits my ability to produce great work.

This book reveals what so many of us haven't been able to put our finger for as long as we've been full time employed: that we all (many of us at least) are working in a system that is out of date and holding us back from realizing our true potential as employees. What really concerns me, is that there aren't companies lining up around the corner to begin to implement this new way of working. Any generation Y'er who reads this book is going to be hunting for companies that have embraced a ROWE. If I had a choice between a company whose employees worked in a ROWE, and another company that forced me to conform in ways that limited my potential and overall handicapped my life inside and outside the company, there's no question which company I would work for.

As soon as this catches on, my generation is going to start fighting for jobs much like the baby boomers did. Only we won't be fighting for just any job, we'll be fighting to secure our spot with companies embracing ROWE's, and thinking twice about job offers with companies living and working with the paradigm!


Employers beware! If you want Gen Y's cooperation; if you want our loyalty; if you want us to give you the best we can possibly give you, then it's time to let go of the old, and embrace the new. ROWE is going to become the status quo, so get with it!

I've seen a number of reviews that say, in a nutshell, "The book doesn't tell me HOW to do this". This book was not meant to tell you how -- it was meant to get you thinking, talking, sharing and collaborating with your co-workers and management to take action in your workplace. The authors are giving you ideas; it is up to you to get the dialog flowing with co-workers and management. ROWE is not something that happens overnight, it is something that develops. ROWE is a perfect example of "bottom-up" change; time has shown again and again some of the worst, most ineffective change, comes from the top-down.

Having said all that, after reading the book (and visiting their blog) I ended up ordering 8 additional copies of the book. I'm lending them to co-workers, and even upper management, for them to read. I'm not influencing them whatsoever, but simply state they are free to read the book and form their own opinions.

Guess what? So far, the ideas and discussions are flowing non-stop!

A good deal of us work in jobs where we put in "face time". We all know people who got promoted because of face time and not because of results. We are entering a period where the global economy and the fast pace of change in the world are not going to let companies get by with this. Why? Because the new generation of workers (Gen X and Gen Y) aren't going to put up with it. They will simply leave for greener grounds.

As a company, you can either be scared of what is happening and do nothing and go out of business, or you can adapt to the change and not only survive -- but THRIVE. ROWE is one of those changes. It won't be easy, and some of the "good ol' boys" will no doubt be the first ones out of the door -- but in the end it will make your company better, and your employees dedicated and productive like you wouldn't believe.

As an employee, you can see how good things can be. You can see why you don't need to BEG for an hour off to see your kid's soccer game. You don't have to feel guilty for staying home with your spouse and having a relaxing day off. You don't have to make up excuses for being 1 minute late and getting talked-to by the boss, despite the fact you added more to the bottom line than anyone else.

In short -- ROWE rewards the employee for producing and it rewards the company for giving their employees the freedom to work!

This book will walk you through examples from Best Buy; introduce you to actual people who are enjoying the environment; and tell you about the good and bade side of ROWE -- yes, some people will be terminated, because, quite frankly, they shouldn't be in the company to begin with.

It's a wonderful book that will open your mind to what can happen when you trust your employees. I have high hopes it becomes the new "Employee Manual" of the 21st century.