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A Way to Be Free, the Autobiography of Robert Lefevre: The Making of a Modern American Revolution
Robert Lefevre
Manufacturer: Pulpless.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1584451440 |
Customer Reviews:
A grand memoir!.......2001-03-30
Ideally, this book (and its companion volume) will someday have its typos cleaned up and be reissued in a beautiful hardcover edition. But in the meantime, this first edition will do just fine. A WAY TO BE FREE is a must for all devotees of the heroic Bob LeFevre, one of the grand founders of our modern libertarian movement. And it is a great reminder of the influence LeFevre's Freedom School had on so many of us--even those who were unable to ever attend--way back in the '60s. Buy this one, read it, then pass it on!
Customer Reviews:
A much needed book.......2003-10-25
It is refreshing to see at last a critical review of the philosophical thought of Ayn Rand, since her philosophy is sometimes described as "naive", and, perhaps just as troubling, as the greatest philosophy ever to appear in print. The author of this book has given the reader an honest and in-depth analysis of one of the most controversial figures in twentieth-century philosophical thought. Rand was not an academic philosopher, and this, coupled with her frequent vitriolic attacks against many philosophical schools of thought, induced many to speak out against her, and they typically did so with a degree of vituperation unmatched as yet in public debate. Fortunately the shouting and name-calling typically accompanying discussion of Randian philosophy is not included in this book. Also not included is any blind, uncritical allegiance to Randian philosophy, for this can also accompany discussions of it. Rand has made some interesting contributions to philosophical thought, and her theory of ethics is I believe unequaled, and one can find a very thorough discussion of just how she arrived at this theory throughout this book. However Rand, like every other philosopher, cannot remove herself from history and cultural influences, and view the world from a detached, apodictic point of view, for that is the nature of human learning. One builds on what has been done before, and with careful thought and unique insight, some original ideas can then be developed, which will hopefully extend what has been done before, and nontrivially. The author of this book clearly shows the historical origins of Randian thought, those origins have their place in the Russian university that Rand attended.
The author sees the problem for Randian scholarship as predominantly arising from her public persona, and thus scholars need to differentiate Rand's personality from her philosophy. Her intransigence, intolerance, and general mean-spiritedness must be ignored if one is not to collapse into psychologism, argues the author. Scholars must also he argues, attempt to find out what actually defines her philosophy and makes it distinctive. This has been a source of contention in recent years, with different "schools of thought" established, each claiming to represent exclusively her philosophy.
Another virtue of this book is the author's insistence on using a hermeneutical approach when analyzing Randian philosophy.The information content of an idea, he argues, includes myriads of unforeseeable non-trivial statements, this being similar to what happens in mathematics. It is well known to those who practice mathematics that a large number of problems and concepts can be generated from a particular area of it. These problems can go way beyond the intent of the mathematicians who created this particular area. Many advocates of Randian philosophy, as the author points out, like to think of her philosophy as a "closed system". Without actually defining it, one can only make educated guesses as to what this really means. If it means a deductive system where each statement can be derived from others within the system, and no further development is necessary, then this is problematic. The example of mathematics again shows that a deductive system can be extended greatly depending on the ingenuity of the researcher.
Rand herself was a poor scholar, only infrequently quoting works of philosophy that she deemed worthy of inclusion. Considering her confidence in the originality of her ideas this is not surprising. However every claim about another scholar's ideas should be given textual support. Indeed, Rand's criticism of Immanuel Kant is unrelenting, but her analysis of his philosophy lacks the depth needed to judge his philosophy from her vantage point. Luckily the author assists the reader in the understanding of just why Rand objected to Kant so vociferously.
Hopefully this book will be the first in many that will put Rand in the historical context of twentieth century philosophy. Rand is a fairly good example of what can be produced outside the academy if one has the cognitive discipline and the large amounts of time needed to develop systematic philosophical systems. The information age has brought publishing strategies that Rand did not have when she was alive. The doors are thus open for most anyone to express their ideas and have them accessible to a world-wide audience. Critical works of philosophy can thus be produced both inside and outside the academy.
A useful and serious interpretation.......2003-04-07
I found this book a very pleasant surprise, a serious and largely successful attempt to separate the philosophical system of Ayn Rand from her personality and from the cultishness often accurately attributed to many of her proponents. Sciabarra finds some depth to Objectivism as a serious defense of "libertarian" ideals, worthy of more consideration than has typically been afforded the popular novellist and political theorist.
Sciabarra has to work hard to accomplish this task, and in the process resorts self-consciously to describing Rand's work in terms very different than she or most of her proponents would use. The author clearly recognizes that this will quite predictably alienate Rand fans. The book isn't neccessarily written, or most useful, for them.
By opening up the terminology a bit, and finding reasonably hypothesized general influences on Rand's life and thought, Sciabarra is able to reveal aspects of Objectivist reasoning and assumptions that those more familiar with other philosophers can now appreciate. This is not a small matter, because the ideas are potentially very profound.
With Sciabarra's efforts, Objectivist ideas may begin to be placed more realistically in an intellectual and historical context, rather than being treated as an isolated phenomenon that began and ended with Ayn Rand. Her work can be appreciated for its good ideas, as well as criticized for its potential mistakes.
This book is most fascinating for its unique and accessible description of the currents of often difficult Russian philosophy, its exposition of dialectic method, and its potential to translate Rand's own idiom into a form that can be compared with other philosophers in a clarifying way. It is also, as far as I can tell, quite true to what I have always felt was the "spirit" of Objectivist thinking, the passionate and broadly inclusive defense of the individual mind.
At the same time, Sciabarra almost manages the extraordinarily difficult task of separating out Objectivism from the foundationalist tendency it instills in its most passionate adherents to certify itself as infallibly true. Without that aura of insufferably dogmatic adherence, the ideas take on a new life.
One of the things that has traditionally left Rand scholarship out in the cold has been its isolationism from academic philosophy, an attitude that seems to be mutual. Sciabarra makes a serious effort to bring Rand scholarship into academic respectability, and to me he does a very credible job.
This book has three sections dealing with (1) historical context in Russian and European philosophy showing what aspects of her Russian heritage she absorbed and what she vehemently rejected and giving some possible insight into why, (2) the structure and content of Objectivism in terms of realism, individualism, and libertarianism combined with a radical dialectical method, and (3) Rand's approach to social criticism, Rand as a "Russian radical for capitalism."
I think it could easily be argued by both Rand critics and Rand proponents that this book is reading far more into Objectivism than it actually contains, but to me that is what made it so interesting. It deals with the implications of the ideas themselves rather than the individuals involved and their own personal interpretations, and that is what makes for lasting philosophical significance.
I'd characterize this book as a thorough non-critical analysis by someone not specifically part of Objectivist thinking but interested in its potential value. It serves as a very good translation guide to understanding Rand's ideas and their implications, but in many places it does not examine them quite as critically as I personally would have preferred.
This book is Meta-Rand. It is applied Objectivism........2002-09-02
First let me say that this book is a difficult read. Having said that, it is a must read for any serious student of Ayn Rand's "project."
Chris Sciabarra makes a strong case for the dialectical nature of Rand's philosophy. He looks at how her work might have been informed by her Russian roots and the early experiences of her life and how she developed a philosophy that attempted to integrate all aspects of Objective Reality. Objective Reality as Rand saw it is not inherently fragmented. A philosophy based on Objective Reality would of necessity integrate all aspects into a cohesive whole.
Apparently, some who regard Rand as a mystical goddess, take offense at the sharp focus that Sciabarra puts on her work. This seems odd, given that this book demonstrates a profound respect for her intellectual accomplishments.
Rand often said in her own writing that each person had a right to act in his own rational self-interest, and with that right came a moral obligation to actively seek the truth (Objective Reality) as a prerequisite of rational choice. In essense, Sciabarra has used Rand's most fundamental principles to attempt an objective analysis of her analysis. This makes his effort a moral one. Yet to some he has committed the original sin by eating from the tree of knowledge and must be cast out of the Garden of Eden for it.
My only criticism was that this book does not critique her failures or attempt to explain her tyranny toward those closest to her. But that subject has been covered in other books by those who knew her personally and is well beyond the scope of this book.
Sciabarra's thoroughly researched RUSSIAN RADICAL will remain an important contribution to Rand scholarship for many years to come.
Major Virtue Overlooked.......2001-05-16
In my opinion, the other reviewers have neglected to mention the chief virtue of this work: its recontextualization of Rand's thought. I use this word, "recontextualization," not as a synonym for any of the species of vicious post-structuralist truth-twisting, but in its literal sense. Sciabarra shows that Rand should not be understood - historically, at least - as the woman who came to fix the systems of Locke and Bacon, the woman who came to answer Hume and Kant. Instead, she should be understood as a thinker at the intersection of two traditions: Russian literary-philosophy as practiced in the 'kruzhoks' of the late 19th Century, and American (emigre) libertarian thought of the early 20th Century. The method and content of Rand's philosophical work has much more in common with Tolstoy and Chernychevskij, Nock and Paterson, than it does with the various Greek and enlightenment thinkers who she so admired. I recommend this book to anyone interested in cultural history, Russian Studies, or the formal features of Rand's own system of philosophical analysis.
"Along Came a Spider..."'.......2000-08-30
"Little Ms. Rand
Took a bold stand,
By defining her morals and ways..."
For decades, philosophers have tried to dismiss the philosophy of Ayn Rand as being superficial and unworthy of attention. And for decades, philosophy professors have been continually consternated by students who insist that Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is unique and meaningful. Try as they might, "professional" philosophers just cannot convince the "common man philosopher" that Ayn Rand should be excluded from the pantheon of "serious" philosophers...
"But along came a spider..., (Oops, I meant Sciabarra!)
Who sat down beside her...
To trick her young fledglings away!"
The spider said, "Since we cannot extinguish Ms. Rand as a philosopher who stands OUT from the crowd, we will embrace and smother her as a philosopher who cannot be distinguished FROM the crowd."
And thus Sciabarra's book was born.
On the bad side, Sciabarra's book takes several hundred pages to "prove" nothing. This is several hundred pages of TEDIOUS details, side-issues, tangents, and irrelevancies...
On the good side, he uncovers some specific details about her life in Russia before she came to the United States. But these details are merely small curiosities, and do nothing to diminish the originality and value of her work.
Bottom line: this ponderous tome can be mind-numbing in its pretentious (and vain) complexity, but it does not succeed in diminishing the stature of Rand's works, except for those who disliked her already. If you have digested Objectivist philosophy for a few years, you might read this book to sharpen your critical reading "teeth." But unless you're a devoted "hater" of Rand, or a serious Objectivist with the time and money to wade through gratuitous and pretentious philosophical "muck," you shouldn't waste your money on "Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical." If your reading comprehension skills (and your emotional discipline) are above average, then by all means, take the time to sit down in a bookstore and spend a couple hours skimming through it.
But that's all it's worth. A good skim. Nothing more.
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Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical. (book reviews): An article from: Utopian Studies
Robert Shelton
Manufacturer: Society for Utopian Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B00097MM5K
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Utopian Studies, published by Society for Utopian Studies on January 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1638 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical. (book reviews)
Author: Robert Shelton
Publication:
Utopian Studies (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1997
Publisher: Society for Utopian Studies
Volume: v8
Issue: n1
Page: p225(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
In this now-classic, straightforward approach to childraising, Nancy Samalin shows parents how to set clear, concise guidelines to ensure positive and constructive discipline. Based on her extensive work with parents and children, she offers the most recent and invaluable advice on:
* Avoiding daily battles
* Using alternatives to punishment
* Dealing with anger
* Learning to let go
* Diminishing sibling rivalries and much, much more.
Filled with practical solutions to everyday problems and thoughtful, useful information on opening up communication between the generations, Loving Your Child Is Not Enough will help parents to truly enjoy their child's growing years.
* Nancy Samalin is a contributing editor to Parents magazine with a regular column on discipline.
* Available on audiocassette from Penguin*HighBridge Audio
Customer Reviews:
Helpful without making one feel like a bad parent.......2006-01-17
I highly recommend this book. This is the first book that did not make me feel like a bad parent, that gave actual responses that were helpful to my highly intelligent, sensitive and strong willed child.
Invaluable Parental Guidance.......2005-12-09
This book was instrumental in making me a better and more confident parent. The guidance is practical, clear and sensible. Much of the guidance in this book is useful over many years of a child's life, just applied a bit differently. I still use tips from this book with my college-age son! The specific advice on disciplining a child without harming the child's self-esteem or harming the parent/child relationship was very useful to my husband and myself. This is the most worthwhile guidance we found anywhere on the subject of child rearing.
Very Helpful for Teachers of all grade levels.......2005-10-15
As a 25 year teacher who leads seminars in classroom management and community, this is the most helpful book I have ever read. It gives practical examples of how to use language to focus on results and outcomes. Students respond because they are not attacked and the teacher is not drawn into the constant little battles that bog the day down. I reread this book every two to three years to brush up and refine my skills.
A very passive approach..........2005-02-20
I was looking for a book about discipline that helps increase self-confidence rather than undermine it. I picked up this book, which turned out to be not at all practical for parenting my high-spirited and generally well-behaved daughter. The suggested responses to situations are very passive and assume the child gives up very easily. Samalin suggests replacing obviously abusive language ("Pick up that coat this minute! Why are you so sloppy? Didn't you ever hear of a coat hanger?") with oddly passive-aggressive language ("Coats belong in the closet, not on the floor.") (p. 16). Other conversatons in the book presume that as soon as a child's feelings are acknowledged, all battles will be over. But in my experience, pretending behavior problems don't exist doesn't make them go away, so I found this book to be impractical. If you want to take a direct rather than passive approach to parenting your kids, this is not the book for you.
Great! Readable, practical, helpful........2004-04-30
I highly recommend this book. The title may be a bit deceptive, since it's really about avoiding punishment and letting normal consequences and kids' own consciences steer them the right way. Many practical examples are given, that translate easily into daily use. Very readable, it helps both parents who have trouble setting limits, and also in a very sensitive and palatable way helps those who have fallen into an punitive and harsh pattern with their kids. Very helpful.
Customer Reviews:
Easy to make, Authentic Tasting Recipes.......2007-07-15
Betty Crocker's International Cookbook by Betty Crocker. This book has lots of great recipes in it, including a great Szechwan Chicken recipe and a simple Cream of Mushroom soup recipe that I love. I've tried many of the recipes in this book, and, in general, I like them. My edition is the 1980 hardcover edition, which is now out of print. My copy of this one is falling apart, and I have difficulty keeping all the pages in order in it.
Favorite Cookbook.......2006-04-26
I have also had this book since soon after its publication. I have never been disappointed with the results and refer to it often. The recipes create an authentic tasting international dish, with nice presentation. They may not be as authentic in source ingredients as the Time-Life Series of International Cookbooks, but, and this is a big deal, Betty Crocker makes these dishes accessible to every cook, much like Julia Child made French cooking accessible to the American home cook. My copy is full of sticky notes and bookmarks on the many pages I return to on a regular basis every year (Hot Cross Buns, St. Lucia Buns, Coulibiac, Steak Ezterhazy, Blueberry Crisp, Cheese-stuffed Mushrooms, Greek Cheese Puffs, Couscous, etc etc).
I am sad that I can't buy the original edition in new publication because I truly think it is one of the best in my collection and want my daughter to have a copy!
My all time favorite cookbook.......2003-08-08
Besides my mother's recipes, this is the cookbook I used the most (and I own about 150 cookbooks). By luck, I bought it not long after I got married. The content of this book is a solid foundation for a lifetime of good cooking for weekdays and holidays. I read with curiosity all the comments and tips. They provide good basic information that is necessary for international dishes. The recipes are very reliable, clear and precise. The pictures are great and very helpful. I tried almost all the recipes and we have numerous favorites.
The book is not outdated even 23 years after it was first published. A great selection from all over the world. I bought several copies to my friends and now I buy used ones for my daughters. I don't like Betty Crocker's New International Cookbook as much as this one.
Average customer rating:
- Well worth the purchase
- Best cookbook ever
- Get One While You Still Can..............
- Exelent Cookbook
- Buy a used copy!!
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Betty Crockers New International Cookbook
Betty Crocker
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Betty Crocker's International Cookbook
ASIN: 0671990047 |
Customer Reviews:
Well worth the purchase.......2005-11-03
I have made many of the recipes in this cookbook. Having lived in Europe for 8 years and parents from Germany, Poland, and the Ukraine, I found many of the recipes to be quite authentic and very flavorful. The selections are from most parts of the world with some being very simple to prepare while others required a little more time and expertise. Consider the use of this cookbook an adventure. You just might find some to be your favorites.
Best cookbook ever.......2004-10-19
I LOVE this cookbook. It's the only cookbook that I can honestly say that I haven't made a single bad dish from. The dishes are authentic as well. Just wish it was in print so I could give all my friends copies, then they wouldn't always be asking for the recipe. I have to admit that I didn't expect such a good, authentic international cookbook from Betty Crocker, but she sure delivered this time.
Get One While You Still Can.....................2002-02-05
...........My sister managed to get me a copy of this cookbook, her absolute favorite, as a Christmas gift. First let me say, grab one before they are no longer in print! This is one stellar cookbook.........filled with more than 450 best-loved recipes from around the world, many with tempting photos. My husband and I have made a batch of recipes from this cookbook in the short time we've had it and each has turned out wonderfully! From Hummus, to Hunan Lemon Chicken to Chicken Paprika with Dumplings to Hungarian Goulash and with desserts like Cardamom Fudge and Honey Cake, we've already fallen in love with this diverse, no fail cookbook. My sister and her husband have probably cooked at least half of the recipes in this cookbook and have really enriched and expanded their culinary experiences. There have been very few recipes that they haven't truly enjoyed! I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone intrigued at the thought of international cooking!
Exelent Cookbook.......2001-12-17
All recipes I have tryed has been weel tasting and easy to make.
It is a exelent Cookbook.
Buy a used copy!!.......2001-07-24
This cookbook is packed full of exotic but simple recipes and is a continuing source of culinary delight. The ingredients are readily available and the writing is very clear, with photographs for some of the dishes. Some of my favorite recipes are: - Sopa de Tortilla - Gazpacho (decrease the red wine vinegar to 1/4 cup) - Paella (open the clams and drain before cooking) - Coulibiac (use fresh dill weed only!) - Vatapa - Linguine con Vongole Bianco (al dente for linguine!!) - Chicken Curry - Coucous with Chicken - Gai Ding (the cashews should be raw) - Moui Nagden (steam green peppers and add them when the rest of the dish has cooked) - Carne Rellena - Feijoada - Cassoulet - Moussaka (use young eggplants) - Spanokopita - Irish Soda Bread
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Love of Dogs: The Ultimate Tribute to Our Best Friend (Petlife Library)
Todd R. Berger
Manufacturer: Voyageur Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0896584127 |
Book Description
Love of Dogs, in the tradition of the bestsellers Love of Labs and Love of Goldens, is the supreme tribute to our best friend. Combining the writing of well-known authors such as James Herriot, E. B. White, Walter D. Edmonds, John Taintor Foote, Albert Payson Terhune, and Jilly Cooper with spectacular color photography, comical black and white shots, and dog paintings, Love of Dogs will appeal to dog owners everywhere. This book consists of stories of incredible courage, unflinching loyalty, and unconditional love, illustrated with the best full-color photos of favorite breeds (as well as of lovable mutts). Love of Dogs makes it clear why we share our lives-and our hearts-with our canine pals. Also recommended: Love of German Shepherds, Love of Goldens, Love of Labs, Puppy Love. Celebrate the world's most popular pets with the PetLife Library from Voyageur Press. This acclaimed series brings you treasured stories and insights from noted authors, along with stunning color photographs of your favorite pets.
Customer Reviews:
Ideas worth SIX stars; specific examples worth TWO.......2007-04-23
The book was worth many times its price just for one chapter, "Thinking Outside the Box," which contains many ideas that are simple yet incredibly creative (timelines, "WANTED"-poster styles, blurbs, etc.)
However, if family holidays, babies, and engagements have somehow eluded you, it is possible to feel VERY alienated from your own life by the traditional examples given. (In this case, please check out "On Leaving a Trace" for inspiration on writing and any of Lynne Perella's books for help with artistic expression.)
I am just using this book to dip into for practical ideas (structures), of which it offers plenty. Then I quickly shut it and forget everthning else!
Simple techniques for good scrapbook writing.......2003-02-14
Imagine looking 50 years into the future as your great grandchildren look through your scrapbook. There are plenty of great photos; there may even be notes on the dates and subjects. But beyond that, nothing. Eventually they close the album, having learned little about their ancestors in the early 21st Century.
It was precisely this imaginary scenario that finally prompted me to seek out help for my scrapbook journaling blocks in the form of Scrapbook Journaling Made Simple. This book addresses the importance of journaling the stories and vital information that should be a part of every page in your cherished albums. Even more to the point, SJMS tells you how to overcome these psychological impediments that we all face at one time or another. Among these issue are:
1. Fear of making a big mistake that will ruin the whole layout
2. You hate your handwriting
3. Lack of information about a photograph
4. Not knowing how to write "well"
5. Lack of time (my personal un-favorite)
SJMS guides you through all the excuses, countering them neatly in simple sections that break down the task of writing your personal stories into manageable steps. Much of the process is common sense, but you will also learn getting started, tricks to jog your memory, improving the look of your text, and more. In the process you will discover just what a wealth of lore you have within you to express on paper.
If I had one criticism about this book, it is that SJMS could feature more in-depth examples of outstanding journaling from the real-life examples. The samples they gave tended to be all too abbreviated, IMHO. It also would have been nice to explore the dimension that quotes and various font styles can give to a page.
This book is especially good for those of us who may be starting out new to the scrapbooking craft. SJMS has a very simple, encouraging style that puts the emphasis on the real reason we scrapbook - our heritage to the future - without overwhelming the reader with trends and product recommendations. Basically, it will inspire you to write again.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Learn to describe, not tell, the stories in your scrapbooks.......2003-02-13
If you find it difficult to "let go" when you are journaling in your scrapbooks - and by that, I mean using your senses while writing in order to feel the moment, rather than just telling the facts - then you will want to invest in a copy of SCRAPBOOK JOURNALING MADE SIMPLE.
In addition to simple methods of writing down your information (including: bullet, dictionary, timeline, recipe, poetic, and acrostic journaling, among others) you'll get a list of descriptive words that can really punch up your writing, questions to reflect on while deciding what to say about your pictures, interviewing techniques, and ways to overcome writer's block. Also included are ways to use journaling creatively in your pages, journaling without photos, and methods for adding journaling to crowded or finished pages.
Anyone can journal just as well as the artists who produce such amazing and touching pages in scrapbooking magazines. All it takes is the right tools and some practice!
Book Description
Exploring Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology, Second Edition, is a remarkably accessible and engaging introduction to philosophy. Steven M. Cahn brings together extraordinarily clear, recent essays by noted philosophers and supplements them with influential historical sources. Most importantly, the articles have been carefully edited to make them understandable to every reader. The topics are drawn from the major fields of philosophy and include knowledge and skepticism, freedom and determinism, mind and body, the existence of God, the problem of evil, cultural relativism, abortion, euthanasia, democracy, capital punishment, affirmative action, and the meaning of life. Exploring Philosophy, Second Edition, contains, in preeminent translations and with explanatory notes, the complete texts of Plato's Meno, Euthyphro, Defence of Socrates, and Crito as well as specially selected materials by Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Mill. The second edition has been expanded to present the material on knowledge and mind in two separate sections; the latter contains an essay on artificial intelligence by John Searle and updated selections on the mind-body problem by Thomas Nagel, Gilbert Ryle, and Richard Taylor. This edition also adds essays by Simon Blackburn, Martin Luther King, Jr., Norman Malcolm, and Robert McKim, and additional excerpts from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. An introduction to logic and scientific method and guiding commentary by the editor are also provided. Exploring Philosophy, Second Edition, is a landmark collection that enables all readers to appreciate for themselves the importance and fascination of philosophical inquiry.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty Darn Good.......2005-09-29
So it doesn't have anything spectacular about it. But! It does have alot of the great writtings in it and some new ones, so it's pretty good. I'm using it for a intro to Philosophy and am pleased with how it referances things you can't possible know. Like the old towns or slang terms they used back then, they are all referenced extremly well.
Book Description
A repeat bestseller for two decades, this child-rearing classic cuts to the heart of the anger and alienation that mar so many modern homes. In this ultimately practical book, Gary Smalley outlines effective steps for parents to open up a child that has shut them out. He describes family-tested ways for parents to set limits and enforce them, and he reveals the simple but powerful secret for achieving a close-knit family. Learn proven parenting methods that can spell the difference between an angry, rebellious, distant child and a happy, cooperative one.
Customer Reviews:
typical fundamentalist stuff.......2006-06-19
A standard guide to fundamentalist parenting: beat the heck out of your kid's hind end and then give him
a bible lecture while the sting is wearing off.
For those who insist on spankings, Dobson, Leman, and the early Sears are all at least reasonable. Smalley is on the level of Abu Grahib discipline.
Sad.......2005-04-10
I find it so sad that people can justify almost anythng under the name of god. The person writing this book is just that - a person. Because he's written a book, this seems to make it ok to beat our children. You can call it spanking or any other name but you are still hitting someone you supposedly love. To say nothing of the humiliation to our children. He holds court in his house, to make sure things remain fair. Will he except it when he's made a mistake and his children tell him to drop his pants, lay on his stomach and beat him with a paddle.
The Key to Your Child's Heart.......2004-09-15
I've often heard said that the key to a man's heart is through his stomach. So, I guess it follows that the key to a child's heart is via beating his/her backside?
If your Jesus would advocate hurting another human being for some greater good, I don't want to know your Jesus.
My parenting textbook.......2001-02-06
This is the book I turn to every time I have an issue with my kids that needs to be resolved, or even when I just need to be re-ignited with a passion for pouring my life into my kids. Besides his easy-flowing, excellent writing, the principles he teaches are unbeatable. Unlike the other reviewer who disliked the lists, I found them to actually be a helpful part of the book and I didn't skip over them as I tend to skip over lists in other books.
Yes, Gary is an advocate of spanking, which I will make no comment on here other than to say that I also believe in it. But throughout the whole book, including the parts about spanking, it is so easy to see the tender, loving parent that he was/is, as he encourages me to be as well. I was actually encouraged by the creative types of discipline that he suggested as well.
I've decided to read this book again every year as my children enter new phases of life so that I will be able to remind myself of these principles and apply them to my changing family. Thank you, Gary, for your encouraging wisdom!
Sharing Life together in the Family.......2000-08-12
Smalley's book on parenting, "The Key to your Child's Heart" invites parents to share life together with their kids, heart to heart, at the daily, emotional and spiritual level of life. His over-indulgence in lists (84 ways, 4 basic types, 2 factors, 3 powerful ways, 19 ways, 6 characteristics) cheapens the material in this book in my opinion. But Smalley had condensed into this volume a wise perspective on parenting and dozens of practical ideas for improving your family life.
Also recommended--THE FAMILY CLOISTER: BENEDICTINE WISDOM FOR THE HOME, by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000, 192pp., trade paperback).
Book Description
Best-selling author and relationship expert Gary Smalley presents three of his time-tested favorites in one quintessential volume. In Love is a Decision Smalley outlines practical techniques for keeping your marriage alive, and in Making Love Last Forever he reveals the proven secrets behind his love guarantee. In The Key to Your Child's Heart, Smalley offers simple principles and workable ideas for raising confident and responsible children while maintaining a close-knit family.
Customer Reviews:
Loads of good in there!.......2006-09-16
Garry Keeps you interested with his stories ,and this makes his books fun to keep picking back up.
I greatly value the understanding I gained from "Love is a decision".
Garry makes easy understanding of some of the most difficult relationship concepts.
This book will help couples avoid or recover from pitfalls or breakdowns.
His messages ARE ENHANCED by his religious conviction.
terrible advice.......2006-06-19
Standard paternalistic fluff from
a fundamentalist perspective.
Smalley is primarily a marriage counselor, and he may have a few good ideas. Overall, however, an extreme religious conservatism colors all of his thinking. Especially noxious is his endless carrying-on about "spanking" in his parenting materials.
Gary is an extreme example of authoritarian Christian parenting-he makes Dr. Dobson seem like Dr. Spock by comparison. If you need pop-psychology advice for relationships or parenting, I would recommend Dr. Phil McGraw by light-years over Gary Smalley.
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The Key to Your Child's Heart
Gary Smalley
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Smalley, Gary
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ASIN: B000UV72NM |
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The Key to Your Child's Heart
Gary Smalley
Manufacturer: Word Books
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Binding: Paperback
Smalley, Gary
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ASIN: B000PJVLOU |
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North American Sketches
R.B.Cunninghame Graham
Manufacturer: Scottish Academic Press Ltd
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0707304814 |
Average customer rating:
- Savagery and humanity in the Texas-Mexico borderlands
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The North American Sketches of R. B. Cunninghame Graham
Manufacturer: University Alabama Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0817303553 |
Customer Reviews:
Savagery and humanity in the Texas-Mexico borderlands.......2001-04-10
R.B. Cunninghame Graham's books are the sort of non-fiction that can almost be passed off as fiction. Desolate but fascinating wastelands, journeys over the silent terrain of the Americas, encounters with the bare edges of existence -- all make his works so engaging that I can't think of any writers to compare with him except his friends Joseph Conrad and W.H. Hudson.
Culled from his thirty or more books, Graham's "North American Sketches" were written between 1880 and 1925. They form the companion volume to his stunning South American and Scottish sketches also edited by John Walker. Here, we travel with the eccentric Scottish gaucho and radical MP for Menteith to the Mexican frontier and the Texas borderlands.
It is a savage world oscillating between barbarity and loneliness Graham describes for us. Time is punctuated with bloodshed, pointless cruelty, man's inhumanity to man, but also with hope and awe of this still wild land. "A Hegira," perhaps the most powerful sketch, depicts Graham's repeated encounters with six fugitive Mexican Apaches escaping from "the law" as he and his wife head north from Mexico City to their San Antonio ranch. "Silent and stoical the warriors sat," he describes them in the first encounter, before their flight, "not speaking once in a whole day, communicating but by signs; naked except the breech-clout; their eyes apparently opaque, and looking at you without sight, but seeing everything." These figures from two worlds meet up again. "Days followed days as in a ship at sea; the waggons rolling on across the plains" as Graham's party continually spies traces of the Apaches fleeing to their homes in the north, pursued by Mexican Indian hunters who, over a week, track down and kill them all. Nothing during his journey inspires in him so much fascination as those "stoical," silent "indios bravos": "I wondered what they thought, how they looked upon the world."
There is in these sketches a profound sense of disenchantment with civilization as practised, with "progress" as conceived. The American and Mexican public, he writes, doubtless believe in the problematical "Uncle Sam's Justice [sic]," the "poetical justice" of slaughtering Indians. Nevertheless, Graham does not completely scorn "civilization"; far from it. "We might have taught [the Indians] something, they might have taught us much, but soon they will all be forgotten, and the lying telegrams will speak of 'glorious victories by our troops.' " Some sketches, in fact, exhibit Graham's great admiration for the Anglo and Mexican societies he in other places condemns. "A Chihuahueño" is a wonderful portrait of Miguel Sáenz, a mestizo from Chihuahua. Full of Sáenz's witty proverbs, the sketch shows Graham's fascination with folk sayings. "Trust not a mule nor a wench", Sáenz quips; and "Among soldiers and prostitutes all compliments stand excused."
Graham's portraits of Mexico and Texas are every bit as fascinating as his awesome South American Sketches. If you like W.H. Hudson and Joseph Conrad, you'll love R.B. Cunninghame Graham.
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The life of Lord Carson,
Edward Marjoribanks
Manufacturer: V. Gollancz ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006ALVO8 |
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Edward, Lord Carson
Ronald Anderson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0002571552 |
Books:
- Above All Else: In the Beginning November 1966: 1st Cavalry Division's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
- Aircraft Down!: Evading Capture in WWII Europe (Potomac Books' History of War series)
- American POWs in Korea : Sixteen Personal Accounts
- Army life;: A private's reminiscences of the Civil War,
- Belle Boyd: Siren of the South
- Blackrobe in Blue: The Naval Chaplaincy of John P. Foley, S.J. 1942
- Breathes There a Soldier: The World War II Memoir of Robert F. Heatley Stateside Training and Pacific Theater Combat 1942-1946
- Busted: A Vietnam Veteran in Nixon's America
- BUT NOT FOR THE FUEHRER
- Conversations With a Steam Pipe
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