Amazon.com
The world you live in is all in your mind, according to Wharton Business School Professors Yoram Wind and Colin Crook. The Power of Impossible Thinking is a witty and lucid translation of neuroscience research about "mental models"--the deeply ingrained assumptions and images that shape our reality and influence opportunities for success and failure. "Our models are gated communities," say Crook and Wind, who offer a superb crash course on the power and limit of mental models.
The key questions: How do you know when an old model is worn out? How do you avoid "cognitive lock," filtering out information that conflicts with your model? How do you know a new model will live up to its hype? Many of the answers lie in "Mind R&D"--developing an inventory of new and old models and refining your intuition to fit your current reality. These engaging ideas are detailed with portraits of three impossible thinkers (Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Intel's Andy Grove) and vivid examples (The music industry vs. Napster, a French fry cancer scare, O-rings on the Challenger). Wind and Crook make such a brilliant case for new ways of seeing that readers may wish for more coaching to recognize the obsolete models that keep us from changing our minds. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
This book is about getting better at making sense of the world...so you can make decisions that respond to reality, not some obsolete model of reality.
Drawing on the latest neuroscientific research and their experience with corporate transformations, Jerry Wind and Colin Crook explain how your mental models stand between you and reality, distorting all your perceptions...and how they create both limits and opportunities.
You'll learn how to develop new ways of seeing...how to keep your mental models fresh and relevant...when to change to a new model...how to build a portfolio of models...and improving your models through constant experimentation.
Better mental models = smarter decisions
How people get "stuck," and what to do about it
How obsolete mental models keep you from making changes
The neuroscience of mental models
What scientists can teach us about perception-and reality
Creating new models
Practical ways to see things in new ways-fast
"Wind and Crook have written a marvelous book that can teach you how to think more effectively in personal and business settings. Read it and learn!"
Drea Zigarmi Author of The Leader Inside: Learning Enough About Yourself To Lead Others and co-author of Leadership and the One Minute Manager
"We like to say, 'See it with your mind's eye.' Wind and Crook show us that our mind is our eye. What we think is what we see, and what we see directs how we act. Not only do the authors make this paradigm clear, but they offer concrete and practical ways to change our mind's eye and as a consequence change our actions and the results we get. The value of that is hard to top."
J. Stewart Black, Ph.D. co-author of Leading Strategic Change and Professor, University of Michigan Business School
"I have been trying to explain why Japan has fallen into a pitfall and cannot come out of even the simplest problems. One can call it an innovators dilemma, but that does not solve the problem. This book suggests we have to go back to the basics of reviewing our underlying 'mental models' now and then, and only then, have to construct a new model, perhaps plural, and move onto exploring the new terrain."
Kenichi Ohmae Author of the international bestseller, The Borderless World
"While most of us may recognize that the world we respond to is more in our mind than in any physical reality, often we don't have a clue why this is so. This very important book clearly explains how our mental models work to construct these distinct inner worlds. And more importantly it offers empowering advice on how we can use this knowledge to work for us rather than against us in creating a better outer world for ourselves, our organizations, and our societies."
Charles C. Manz Best-selling author of SuperLeadership, Fit to Lead, and Temporary Sanity
"This is an important book that 'makes sense of how we make sense.' The authors provide a thorough, fresh, and compelling exploration into the dimensions of mental models. All leaders who want to be more effective in their actions would be served well to leverage the principles in this book to learn about how they think and make sense of the world around them."
Nick Pudar Director of Strategic Initiatives, General Motors
Customer Reviews:
The only paradigm for problem solving is logic.......2007-06-09
This is an interesting book and might be implemented more effectively by readers who have also read "The logic of Failure," by Dietrich Doerner, which itself was a business bestseller in the 1990s.
Doerner's main thesis is that there are patterns of thought that make failure inevitable, and he runs through a number of entertaining case studies documenting how faulty problem-solving paradigms have resulted in disaster. Doerner also notes that cures for the inability to handle complex situations typically rely on facile theories about the human brain, and that the probability that there is a secret mental trick that at one stroke will enable the human mind to solve complex problems is practically zero.
The psychological determinants of failure go far deeper than faulty mental models or paradigms, and they develop gradually according to a predictable logic. A reader concerned about evaluating the effectiveness of mental models or paradigms will gain much from reading "The Logic of Failure."
A toolkit for shifting your paradigm.......2006-05-28
This book is a great combination of theoritical thinking as well as practical business problems. It examines the discussion on paradigms - which the authors prefer to call 'mental models' and how they constrain your perception of reality. So far, so good. Then they start outlining a practical methodology for changing your mental model, which should enable you to 'think impossible thoughts' meaning in this context, thinking thoughts that were impossible in your previous paradigm. I like the depth of research behind the concept and the academic structure given to the book on a subject that has been much discussed, but manages to give it a new perspective and some practical tools to take away with you.
I spoke with the author and have published extracts of the interview on the HyperThinker Experiment site, so please check it out if you want to hear more from the author himself: http://www.hyperthinker.com/Currentinterviews/tabid/693/Default.aspx.
A worthwhile read and a fascinating look at an issue that affects us all.
The power of viewing and molding your reality..........2006-04-16
It's often the case that our vision of reality is a product of our own mental biases. If you can change the way you look at something, the reality of it can undergo a dramatic shift. This whole subject is explored very well in the book The Power of Impossible Thinking: Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business by Jerry Wind, Colin Crook, and Robert Gunther. Very powerful stuff...
Contents:
Part 1 - Recognize The Power And Limits Of Mental Models: Our Models Define Our World; Running The Miracle Mile
Part 2 - Keeping Your Models Relevant: Should You Change Horses?; Paradigm Shifts Are A Two-Way Street; Seeing A New Way Of Seeing; Sift For Sense From Streams Of Complexity; Engage In R&D Of The Mind
Part 3 - Transform Your World: Dismantle The Old Order; Find Common Ground To Bridge Adaptive Disconnects
Part 4 - Act Quickly And Effectively: Develop The Intuition To Act Quickly; The Power To Do The Impossible; Challenging Your Own Thinking - Personal, Business, and Society; What You Think Is What You Do; The Neuroscience Behind Mental Models; Selected Bibliography; Acknowledgments; Index; On The Audio CD
This is one of those rare "business books" that can be applied effectively to both your business and your personal life. The authors examine how our mindsets of situations and events cause us to build our own "reality" about them. The opening example is about how you're walking along a dark street and you hear footsteps behind you. You know the neighborhood recently had a well-publizied crime happen. You're sure that you're about to be the next victim. Fight or Flight... Then you turn and find it's one of your co-workers. The reality of the situation never altered, but "your" reality of the situation has completely changed. These "mental models" are then explored in various realms of business and personal life. For instance, Howard Schultz viewed Starbucks through a completely different mental filter than those who were running the operation. Rather than seeing the company as a seller of coffee, he saw the potential for a complete experience surrounding the act of ordering and drinking coffee. He had to leave the company, start his own operation around that model, and then buy out Starbucks once his vision showed signs of success. The same business environment was open to both Schultz and the owners, but they saw the "reality" in completely different ways...
This is one of the better books I've read that deals with the subject of neuroscience. But rather than just giving examples and citing research, the authors show how this research can be applied to your life in ways that can make a dramatic difference. If you've never explored the "science of the mind", this is a great introduction anchored in practical use. And this might just be the spark that causes you to change the way you look at things, thereby changing your life in ways that seem completely impossible right now...
We Should Invest In Our Mind's R & D.......2006-04-13
"The Power of Impossible Thinking" is labelled as a "business book" and it's very hopeful for those in business, both big and small. But it has tremendous value to everyone, in every aspect of our lives. Our "mental models" determine where we'll go and what we'll do and accomplish, throughout our lives. And, our mental models can limit us in our lives as well. One of the focuses is on the thought process, as it should be. Our thought process is often what hinders us. This book reminded me many times of the perils of stagnation. Mental and attitudinal stagnation. This leads to the oft-times subtle downward spiral of complacency, and just plain getting too comfortable.
The "Power of Impossible Thinking" provides practical and do-able models for the contemporary times we live in. This book is divided into 4 sections: a) The importance of mental models and how they help and hurt us b) how to keep models current and know when to alter or change them, and continuously experiment c) obstacles and ways to over come them, and d) develop intuition and act, concluded by "What You Think Is What You Do."
Two chapters specifically help readers sharpen our mental models and use our perceptions to help us in our lives. What we perceive we can do, and what we actually do, depends on our attitude and perceptions: we bring our own baggage with us. Critical, is recognizing things that keep us in our old models and patterns. When we recognize this, we can change it (chapter 8). Professionally, we are constantly inundated by information. Competition is ever-present, 24 hours a day. Our mental ability to recognize and then act upon change seems more important than ever today. Obviously we are surrounded by constant changes in the interdependent global market place. As the world constantly alters and adapts, we must as well. Recognizing the trends and changes is what is needed to survive and prosper. Examples from the emergence and decline of the dot.coms were noted. So many companies jumped onto the dot.com bandwagon, but there was a purge, and the ones that survived and now prosper, are the ones that adapted and continued to alter their products and services: they recognized the change. Many did not, and went out of business. The Internet has highly become a "mail order" pathway, for viewing and ordering many products.
One way to deal with this among many in this book:
Zooming in and Zooming out:
As multi-tasking becomes more common-place and the market and lifestyle pace increases, the concept of "zooming in and zooming out" is one concept that can make our personal and professional lives easier, more-fulfilling, and more productive. "Zooming in and out" addresses the need to overcome obstacles that now make our our world difficult. These obstacles have always existed for humans. The ability to focus and address details - without letting them bog us down and/or cause us to lose sight of our over-all objectives.
Three contemporary case studies were conducted on people we are familiar with. Oprah Winfrey, Howard Schulz of Starbucks Coffee, and Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel. All of these people created a product(s). These were created from ideas. This may sound cliche, but it's the way it is. Starbucks: the unique coffee (consumer) experience. Who in the world would think this would work back in the early 1990s? I honestly didn't. Oprah: transforming the influence of the Talk Show by positivity, individuality, over-coming obstacles and awareness. Apple, moving to the ipod.
Oprah Winfrey's case study was quite powerful and moving. She grew up in poor, rural Mississippi, without indoor water and electricity. Raised by her grandmother initially. Abused by male friends and family, and sent to a juvenile detention center at 13. At the start of her career as a co-anchor, she was told she didn't have the looks. The case study reinforces the idea that she became what she's become, not by following or conforming to the mold, but by breaking it. Her Book Club and talk show focus on themes of individuality, empowerment, and achievement.
The "Power of Impossible Thinking" is a contemporary and highly relevant book. It's neuro-science approach tells us how to identify our outdated models, recognize the limits of them, and the benefits and power of changing and utilizing new models. This is a great book that deserves more attention.
Awesome!.......2006-03-17
Excellent book! These guys have it together. This book provides new ways of thinking and troubleshooting problems. If you are in the decision making and problem solving arena, you need this read to help come up with a solution.
Larry
www.corpsdevelopment.net
Book Description
The Winds of Change places the horrifying carnage unleashed on New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama by Hurricane Katrina in context.
Climate has been humanity's constant, if moody, companion. At times benefactor or tormentor, climate nurtured the first stirrings of civilization and then repeatedly visited ruin on empires and peoples. Eugene Linden reveals a recurring pattern in which civilizations become prosperous and complacent during good weather, only to collapse when climate changes -- either through its direct effects, such as floods or drought, or indirect consequences, such
as disease, blight, and civil disorder.
The science of climate change is still young, and the interactions of climate with other historical forces are much debated, but the evidence mounts that
climate loomed over the fate of societies from arctic Greenland to the Fertile Crescent and from the lost cities of the Mayans in Central America to the rain forests of Central Africa. Taking into account the uncertainties in both science and the historical record, Linden explores the evidence indicating that climate has been a serial killer of civilizations. The Winds of Change looks at the present and then to the future to determine whether the accused killer is on the prowl, and what it will do in the future.
The tragedy of New Orleans is but the latest instance in which a region prepared for weather disasters experienced in the past finds itself helpless when nature ups the ante. In the closing chapters, Linden explores why warnings about the dangers of climate change have gone unheeded and what is happening with climate today, and he offers perhaps the most explicit look yet at what a haywire climate might do to us. He shows how even a society prepared to absorb such threshold-crossing events as Katrina, the killer heat wave in Europe in 2003, or the floods in the American Midwest in the 1990s can spiral into precipitous decline should such events intensify and become more frequent.
The Winds of Change places climate change, global warming, and the resulting instability in historical context and sounds an urgent warning for the future.
Customer Reviews:
Good overview of climate change.......2007-09-03
I thought it was a very good introduction to climate change. It covers:
1) The history of the young science of climate change;
2) Basic concepts in how energy from the sun is distributed by the world's oceans and atmosphere, and how this creates weather patterns and affects the earth's climate;
3) How scientists currently believe the earth's climate has changed through the ages;
4) Techniques that are used to determine how the earth's climate has changed over the past thousands of years;, and
5) Reasons why understanding climate change is so important.
The book's main theme is that a stable climate has been vital to the development and survival of civilization. If the climate had not been fairly stable for the past 4,000 years the human race would not be where it is today. But this stability cannot and should not be taken for granted. In fact, a very large body of evidence indicates that in the past the earth's climate has changed quickly and radically many times through the ages, and we may be on the verge of another radical shift. The effect of such a shift (or shifts, as the the climate 'flickers' back and forth between brief warmer and cooler periods before stabilizing again) would be calamities unprecedented since the dawn of civilzation.
This is not a book about green-house gasses. The first two-thirds of the book hardly mention C02 and methane at all. And in the final chapters the focuses on the evidence that the climate IS changing, and the consequences of that change, and doesn't spend much time on the debate about humankind's part in it, other than citing studies showing that of 700 peer-reviewed journal articles between 1993 and 2003 regarding modern climate change, "not one took issue with the consensus that humans are changing climate."
Minor criticisms: some sections of the book include technical explanations that were so complicated that I glossed over them; certain parts of the book emphasize that much of what we 'know' about what the climate was doing thousands of years ago are just theories, while in other places he states them as 'facts'; and many of the little charts at the start of each chapter look very technical and official, most label only one axis, so that they're essentially meaningless.
I learned a lot from this book, and recommend it to others. People should read it (or a similar book on the same topic) before becomping opinionated on the issue of global warming and climate change.
Quality material in a sea of junk-science.......2007-04-30
I was pleased, overall. The author has the credentials to discuss the topic with some authority (unlike some other books I've read recently...) The beginning is somewhat slow; it seemed to re-cover historical ground (i.e. the Norse experiment in Iceland and Greenland) that was already discussed at length by Jarred Diamond in "Collapse."
The best part of the book was the explanation of the mechanics of the oceans: how temperature and salinity work to create currents and climate.
I agree with those other reviewers who though the book could have used a bit more focus. Overall, however, WoC is a very informative read: scientific without being technical and boring. As a non-scientist, I thought this was very accessible. Quality material in a sea of rhetoric and junk-science.
Very educational. Recommended.
Interesting use of history with science.......2007-03-09
Using the known history of climate change, together with a discussion of the kinds of scientific evidence, provides the basis for conclusions regarding the human factor.
Dismissing all chnage as somehow normal (or ignoring it regarding policy) clearly is unacceptable and dangerous. As "practical" people report to the government (only to be edited, delayed, given scant attention) other practical folks like the insurance industry and some investors show increasing awareness.
Draw your own conclusions; to me immediate and meaningful action are required with real policy changes. It may force some settled business interests to change but seems critical, healthy, and could provide new industries and jobs in the process. Many of these jobs by their very nature could not be shipped overseas so pracical politicians and business people for even selfish motives may come around. Will it be soon enough?
The Pre-historical Perspective to Climate Change.......2007-02-18
Linden goes to great effort to describe climate changes in the past, such as the Little Ice Age. He relates fallen civilizations such as the Vikings of Greenland and the Mayans to climate change. Linden calls climate change the serial killer of civilizations. It is more of a flicker than a change.
Because global warming is a different kind of climate change than the climate changes described here (as those during the Ice Ages) there has to be a modest jump that is impossible to avoid. Linden's approach is important in that it shows how climate change inevitably will occur. It suggests that increasing carbon dioxide emissions, caused by humans, is like teasing the serial killer.
The book should not be considered a complete guide to global warming, but it looks at climate change through a unique perspective.
good topic, but i was hoping for more indepth info.......2006-12-17
the part about salinity of sea water is most interesting. after that the book become to easy to read for layman.
Average customer rating:
- Okay, nothing special
- Not as action-packed as other Lackey books
- It's better on the 2nd read
- Meh
- suspenseful, romantic
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Winds of Change (The Mage Winds, Book 2)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: DAW
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ASIN: 0886775639 |
Customer Reviews:
Okay, nothing special.......2007-08-03
Winds of Change is the second book in the Mage Winds trilogy and reads like a sequel. In this story Nyra (the catgirl) is prominently featured and the Elspeth/Darkwind romance is developed.
I found myself moderately interested in Darkwind/Elspeth's romance, mostly because I found myself annoyed by Darkwind's attitude. He objects to Elspeth acting like a princess when :gasp: that's what she is. Although I felt Elspeth explained herself pretty well, Darkwind's insistance that she change to be more 'likeable' irked this reader. His insistance on also dressing her seemed a little weird. Like he didn't love her the way she was... Only if she changed for him.
The whole Tayledras subplot I loved as a teen but found myself a bit impatient with as I get older. They seem to be Hollywood Indians with no apparent flaws. Long silvery hair, blue eyes and bohemian attitude. I was grateful for the introduction of Firesong. Before the character introduction I was beginning to think this was a race of Mary-Sues.
I also found the mindtalk between the various animals a bit tiresome. It was fun with the companions, but now there are also bondbirds, a talking sword and griffins who talk... The chatter was a little too much.
Overall, an average book but nothing that really made me want to read the third book, but since I own it, I probably will.
Not as action-packed as other Lackey books.......2005-12-24
Winds of Change is a necessary read for the fan of the "Winds" series or the Valdemar world in general. I enjoyed seeing Elspeth mature and develop as a character, and some of the developments were pleasantly unexpected. But as far as the action and story-flow of this book went, I often found myself impatient, and even tempted to skip a few pages here and there (gasp!). In this book, Lackey mostly advances the story by having characters TALK about what's happening, instead of SHOWING us what's happening. Characters discuss with one another the plans they are making, then discuss the plans with other characters, and then reveal the plans to even more characters. I've never seen so many Council meetings and planning meetings in one book! And I was frustrated by how much unneeded exposition was woven into the dialogue - characters explaining things to each other that we either already knew or would find out anyway. I found the climax at the end to be predictable and actually quite ANTI-climactic. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Lackey fan, and let's face it, the only people who are going to read this book are people who are following the series anyway... I'm NOT suggesting you should skip it. But this certainly could have been better, in my opinion.
It's better on the 2nd read.......2005-08-02
I needed to read this a 2nd time, after finishing all the other Valdemar books. It's even better.
Meh.......2004-08-25
OK, so it was better than the first book, which is not saying much. About a fifth of the book was worth reading, and that good stuff left me completely oblivious to the 'real world' as my parents call it. But, as with all of Mercedes Lackey's 'climaxes', her ending was horrible, except more so. This was the one and only time that I actually skipped to the ending, and the only reason I bothered was because, stupid me, I bought the third book.
All in all it was a mediocre book that seriously did damage to my regards of Mercedes Lackey.
suspenseful, romantic.......2004-04-30
This book posits a land of magic run amok, where magic and magical creatures are common and those without magic are disadvantaged and alienated. Those using magic seem to be as likely to be evil and sinister as they are to be good. The learning of magic has become a training routine, not unlike military bootcamp, except smaller in scale.
On the downside, I must say there is something remarkably unappealing about magic being so common place. The whole double meaning of magic in English is something that is supernatural and also special. In this book, magic becomes a natural underground phenomenon that people can tap into, sort of like drilling a well. Somehow well drilling doesn't seem very exciting.
On the upside, the book flows very nicely and really holds your attention. The characters are attractive, varied, and well-developed. The setting is interesting. This whole trilogy is a cliffhanger thing. Don't plan to buy only one of the books in the series. Just plan to buy all three.
The books in this trilogy are quite sexual, including gay theme material. Prudish people should not buy these, nor should you buy them for pre-pubescent children. Personally, though, I liked this aspect of the book.
This book is very feminist. The main women are warriors and mages. The men are somewhat de-emphasized, and all the villains seem to be men. Also on the downside for me (as a middle aged person), the middle aged people are also de-emphasized and weak, while the young people are strong and dominant.
Average customer rating:
- JOINING THE PARTY
- What Child Is This?
- Better than Old Wine Shades, but it helps if you have read others in the series
- Excellent
- Note to Ms. Grimes: Please End This Series
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The Winds of Change
Martha Grimes
Manufacturer: Signet
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ASIN: 0451216962 |
Book Description
Richard Jury embarks on the darkest investigation of his career when the dead body of a young London girl leads to the cold case of a missing girl in Launceston-an unsolved mystery that has haunted Police Officer Brian Macalvie for years.
Customer Reviews:
JOINING THE PARTY.......2007-05-26
This recent Inspector Jury novel by Martha Grimes will have readers in two categories, those who know the series already and newcomers to it like myself. I find that I take to the style, and I suppose the best commendation I can offer is that this story has interested me enough to go back to the start of the series and get to know Jury and his associates. The author does not do much to introduce them to first-time readers by this stage of the game, the cast of new characters is quite large and I was constantly having to flip back a few pages to remind myself who was who, and Grimes shows awareness of this matter on p217 with a quiet and wryly humorous reference to the 87th Precinct series in which readers are likely to experience the same problem.
Ms Grimes is apparently American, and her command of the idiom of British crime-writing is impressive. Slip-ups are few and minor. In Britain we write `ploughed' and not `plowed', we do not refer to a cell-phone but to a mobile, and it should hardly even have needed a glance at a map to tell one of her characters that Kirkcudbright (so spelt) is unsurprisingly in Kirkcudbrightshire and not in Dumfriesshire. The style of crime novels and TV detective series in Britain has come on a bit since the palmy days of Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey. I could not imagine Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and the rest of them going anywhere near the topic of paederasty that features strongly in The Winds of Change - even Chandler would never have touched such a theme - but I recall it from the TV series A Touch of Frost. Detective inspectors with cultivated tastes are also now familiar from Inspector Morse, Jury and his friends give a good deal of prominence to Henry James, and I will be surprised if both of these series have not influenced Ms Grimes to some extent. Influences are perfectly legitimate and to be expected, but Grimes has the first quality that I look for in any novelist, namely a distinctive tone of her own. This is rather understated, in what is sometimes thought to be a particularly British way. Two people are found murdered near the beginning of this story, but the scenes are described with detachment. Indeed even the more sordid aspects to the narrative are treated with that, and this way of doing it is definitely to my own liking.
There is not a lot of `action' in the ordinary sense (shooting and whatnot) until near the end. The main focus is on the detectives as people, and they spend most of their time talking, and not talking exclusively about their investigations. The actual plot-line is not, I must say, my idea of the strongest I ever came across. It depends heavily on not one case but two of mistaken or unperceived identity which seemed to me approximately as convincing as those in Cosi Fan Tutte or Twelfth Night. However I finished the book with a reasonably strong idea of the more important identities of Jury, Cody and the others who are presumably delineated clearly for beginners in the earlier novels. To that extent, Ms Grimes has got herself one genuinely interested new reader who is likely to pursue his new interest, and I don't suppose I can say fairer than that.
What Child Is This?.......2007-04-18
I've avoided the last few Richard Drury mysteries because Martha Grimes loves to finish on a depressing note and I haven't been much in the mood for that recently -- I think I'm getting soft. But, without doubt Grimes is one of the finest detective story writers working today, so it is inevitable that I would eventually put aside my finicky attitude and read another one. I chose the Winds of Charge to start off, and what a lucky choice it was.
The story starts with a child shot dead in a London street. The prose of this opening section, centered on the lonely body and Jury's conversation with the pathologist is unnervingly poetic and even when Grimes returns to her normal writing style the images of this opening scene stay with you throughout as each character enters, plays their part and displays their own haunting wounds. The second murder is at the mansion of Angel Gate in Cornwall, Brian McAlvie's territory, where a few years ago another child disappeared and her mother dies not long after. Now a nameless corpse follows and the two mysteries, the two unknown dead, seem related somehow.
Related in part by the dark shadow of a child abuser who, thanks to his wealth, has been able to operate just beyond the reach of Scotland Yard. Piece by piece, aided by Sergeant Wiggens, Jury assembles a story which yields glimpses of a tragedy that may very well surpass Jury's own abilities to cope. This is a very dark tale indeed, and underneath the set piece humor of Wiggens' strange health habits and Plant's inept efforts at being a consulting gardener are the people who think that children are a commodity and that what they do to them is a form of love.
My hat is off to Grimes for managing to do all this without getting lost in unnerving, gritty details. There is a time for that, as Andrew Vachss has demonstrated, but Grimes chooses a more urban style that gets the point across without destroying the nerves of the reader. This is an altogether satisfying read, with some hints that there may be more to follow. If there is, I'll be in line to read it.
Better than Old Wine Shades, but it helps if you have read others in the series.......2007-04-15
Richard Jury is definitely a too-good-to-be-true character, but no less likeable for that. There is great humor and dry wit scattered among the personal tragedies of various characters, including the investigating police and the victims/suspects in crimes. I liked this one better than her more recent Old Wine Shades because of Jury's introspection and Melrose's difficulties with gardening and children. I recommend this one to anyone who has read other books in the series, so that you're already familiar with the main characters and typical situations they find themselves in, and so that you can appreciate the references to characters who usually appear in the Jury novels but are met here only as 'off-camera' asides.
Excellent.......2006-04-16
I have to come to the defense of Martha Grimes on this book in view of the many detractors. Having read all of her Richard Jury mysteries I was glad to see a new one after what seemed like a long time. Jury is , of course up to his usual dark gloomy, melancholy ruminations, but, that is to be expected. It is for the excellent plots and characterization of others in the story that keeps me coming back and in this book, Grimes has not let me down. Tho a little short on the Long Pid menagerie's appearance (Plant excepted) her portrayal of the adult interactions with children is superb! Loved every line of it and as a Grandpa I can attest to it's accuracy and entertainment value.
Though dark in subject matter the outcome was especially satisfying and Jury's actions and "detecting" were again suberb. Contrary to some of Grime's Jury novels, this one left me feeling satisfied at the end
Note to Ms. Grimes: Please End This Series.......2006-03-26
I've read all the Richard Jury mysteries, and most of Martha Grimes other works. This despite the fact that, beginning about 10 years ago, the quality of the books declined steeply. Her large stable of regular characters seemed to be trotted out in each volume just to air them out, most adding little to the substance of the book. Worse, the plots became paper thin, often relying on very shaky devices. In "The Winds of Change" we have three crimes in play, two murders and a disappearance. Not to give the plot away, at the conclusion of the book one realizes that the connection between these crimes is tangential, and that two depend on assumed identities that are incredible.
Martha Grimes still writes well -- her descriptions are evocative, her dialogue crisp, and her regular characters amusing. But for the last decade they seem to be plodding along in very predictable ruts.
So, Ms. Grimes, if you read this, please hear my plea. You must be in your 70s by now, and you really ought to think about giving your stable of characters a proper ending. Have Jury bed the obviously willing Carole-anne (although, since he's a wartime child, meaning he's in his sixties, I don't understand the attraction). Have Melrose set the dogs on his aunt. Have Wiggins the hypochondriac actually get sick and have no one believe him. SOMETHING to bring a little drama to this little set piece. Agatha give a final curtain to her characters; you can too.
Book Description
Forced to become a normal citizen yet live in exile, Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah of Iran, attempts to provide direction, guidance, and a call for unity in this book.
Customer Reviews:
A Different Prespective on Iran.......2007-04-01
This is written by the son of the late Shah of Iran; even though the book is several years old it is still relevant for today. Highly recommended, it is a short read and give a different picture of Iran and its people; not all Iranians are anti-American and the impressions of what one sees in the media does not represent the majority of the Iranian people. This book was recommended to me by several of my Iranian friends.
This excellent book shows us the way.......2007-02-17
As an Iranian citizen, I have read both persian and english version of this book a few times and have sent the book as gift to many of my friends simply because this books shows us how to fight the good fight against the clerical regime of Iran and it also tells us why the struggle must continute.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is a good man with a good heart and intentions and I believe this book explains a lot about his highness's dream about a free and democratic Iran. I recommend this book to every citizen of this world who is fighting against tyranny and darkness.
Iran.......2006-03-23
According to Prince Reza PAHLAVI in his book, there was a bottom line message for Iranian people. You Iranian people go out, die, and overthrow the theology state. Once there was no threat of clergymen, I {Reza PAHLAVI} will become Iran's king. Of course, at the end of his book, he ran four scenarios that the Islamic Republic of Iran will collapse. Prince Reza PAHALVI is too optimistic in his view.
If you want to get this book for free, simply go to www.iran-3.com and download this book plus another book for free. So, you can save moeny.
Long Live The Shah.......2005-11-22
What a great book! The Islamic "revolution" of 1979 was one of the darkest periods in the history of iran and the world.....A country in which modernity, freedom, and equality all coalesced was brought back into the middle ages.....
To the mullah supporters who are insulting the prince, lets look at what your beloved revolution has done....
1. Khomeini sending little boys onto mines as target practice
2. Sharia law imposing girls can wed at age of 9
3. Women treated as second class citizens forced to cover even in 120 degree heat.
4. Women losing all rights to equal divorce laws
5. A safe haven for terrorists
6. MASSIVE! Unemployement
and the list goes on....
How pathetic..........2004-06-18
As I read Reza's book I am reminded of an idealistic innocent generation who has been lost for the past 26 years since the dark Islamic revolution of Iran: My generation (to which Reza Pahlavi also belongs).
I then read the reviews of this book on Amazon and notice a couple who foolishly have mocked the book under different usernames and IDs forgetting to at the minimum change their writing styles, and then I am reminded of an evil selfish self-centered generation who brought the darkness to Iran: The so called Khomeini groupies who continue to ruin my country Iran (what is left of it).
And then I say, what is the use? Reza Pahlavi who in a way kind of represents my generation is as helpless as all who belong to that generation living in Iran and abroad. In a way we all are in exile despite living in Iran.
There will never be democracy in Iran, and there will never be justice, freedom and happiness in Iran. Why you may ask? Because of Islam! And because of the very same self-centered hypocrites like the few who have mocked Reza Pahlavi's book in here who continue to mock an entire nation, (my generation), and continue to destroy the little that is left of Iran.
It is sad, and truly pathetic... but there shall never be Democracy in Iran and Iran will never see happiness ever again. So long as its oil reserves are there, the country continues to barely surive. When that finishes, then that will be the end of Iran for ever and for good. Perhaps the only one good thing out of this sad finish would also mean the end of Islam and Shiet religion! Iran's oil reserves are predicted to last another 75-100 years. I will probably be not around to see that doomsday that Iran will be facing, but at least I can rest in peace that Islam will at that time be gone.
As for you Reza Pahlavi, all I can tell you is that your father was a great man, an idealistic man who lost his life over a bunch of ungreatful people - an ungreatful nation. Your grandfather Rezad Shah the great was a leader who took hard decisions with no hesitations. Your father however could not do so as he was an idealistic man with a pure heart. As for you my good friend Reza, you are a good man, you are an innocent man in its purest of themeaning with a pure heart -as so the rest of your generation (which is also my generation). But regretfully you are no Rezad Shah the great! What Iranians need now is someone like your grandfather.... much to say about that but little time to write about it or do about it - and perhaps that is the most pathetic part of the whole thing. Iran's complete destruction is inevitable and anyone who wants you to believe otherwise by statements such as "Iran can have democracy", etc., is as foolish as those who listen to them. It is truly sad but so true.
Product Description
In Vol. 3, The Winds of Change -- Join the families as they face a hurricane in Florida, travel to the Middle East to learn about the Tower of Babel, and form the Creation Response Team to help solve the disappearance of a well-known creationist. All this while facing many new changes in their own families!
Customer Reviews:
Radio drama...........2007-01-19
This is a wonderful christian radio drama that my children and I listened to on a long car trip. It held their attention and interested them so much that they wished our drive had been longer.
Book Description
This expansion on Battisti's The Twentieth Century American Wind Band/Ensemble includes discussions on the contribution of important wind band/ensemble personalities and organizations, and provides important information on hundreds of compositions for this medium. Challenges facing the 21st century wind band/ensemble conductor including training and development are also discussed.
Average customer rating:
- Insightful and Spiritual Diagnosis of the World's Pain
- Whispering Winds of Change
- Arrogant, dated, offensive...just plain HIDEOUS!
- Unique Perspectives
- A Celestial Perspective on Humanity's Evolution - Awesome!
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Whispering Winds of Change: Perceptions of a New World
Stuart Wilde
Manufacturer: Hay House
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ASIN: 1561701602 |
Book Description
Stuart shows that through quieting the ego and creating a rotation out of the three-dimensional world of external reality to the fourth dimension of the inner being, we can offer serenity and healing to ourselves and the rest of the world.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful and Spiritual Diagnosis of the World's Pain.......2006-04-13
Stuart Wilde is either a madman or he has it all together, in a way like no one else I have read, in his diagnosis of how we came to be where we are. I don't think he is mad. I think he is coming from a right-brain, artistic-spiritual perspective.
If you wonder, like I have, why there seems to be so much lack of real character and morality in the world today (particularly in the Western countries, which are supposedly Christian) then READ THIS BOOK! I think he explains it quite well.
His diagnosis fits.
Whispering Winds of Change.......2005-02-19
Wilde's stuff is pretty good, pretty inspiring and very imformative about the nature of human being. You simply have to know where to pick out the pearls and toss the stones.
Also, when I read Wilde's short biography about himself and I read his tongue in cheek style, I cant help but to think that alot of what he says may be bogus, and that the man is laughing all the way to the bank. However, he does inspire me to start my own "new age/self help" system, with all sorts of little books with scribblings off the top of my head and perhaps sell pictures of my feet so that the buyer can have something to meditate on whilst reading my books. Wilde is a clever man, I admire him for that.
Arrogant, dated, offensive...just plain HIDEOUS!.......2004-01-14
I have to agree with "Not Happy"...I could go through this book line by line, paragraph by paragraph and just tear it to shreds, it's so full of contradictions, half-truths, and misinformation. This is NOT meaningful spirituality, folks, but rather typical trendy, shallow New Age (dated) fare with a dash of right wing politics, if you can believe that.
Wilde takes fundamental (largely accurate) observations about people's growing alienation from the dominant culture ("fringe dwellers"), the fiction of the boob tube, oppressive governments and religion, etc. -- stuff that could have made for a unique (i.e. intelligent) New Age read -- and twists, distorts, and warps them into explanations and conclusions that are just mind-bending, and NOT in a good way. Worse, he seems to have some kind of hidden right-wing political agenda. He doesn't believe in global warming, despite the overwhelming evidence (guess he doesn't "buy the science"...now who does that sound like?), he doesn't support taxing the wealthy to help the less fortunate (a point he hits at several times) -- again, doesn't this sound familiar?... of course, he also says we should be less materialistic, so why he's so concerned with defending the rich heaven only knows...oh, and he doesn't seem to care much for the homeless either. What a surprise.
Wilde also has little to no respect for aboriginal people's wisdom (too "tribal"), earth religions, goddess worship, etc. He repeatedly implies that Western New Age spirituality is far more evolved than the spirituality of people from less materially developed societies. He talks about our spiritual evolution as requiring a break with our mother (mother earth, the earth religions) -- very Freudian, very patriarchal, very lame. (Like the song says, "we've got to get ourselves BACK to the garden"...of course, Wilde also says the earth isn't a victim. Has he not left the house in 20 or 30 years?)
The author is correct about one thing -- the New Age has really hit a wall of sorts, for over a decade now, if sales of New Age merchandise are any indication. Books like "Whispering Winds" tell me this may be a good thing.
Unique Perspectives.......2002-04-09
Wilde is one of my favorite authors and this book was again an engaging read. I doubt, however, is this title is of the same quality as his classics like Affirmations and The Force. This book was published in 1993 and I suspect he might already have been proven wrong in some of his political predictions. Also, sometimes his thoughts meander and it becomes difficult to make out exactly what he wants to say. Nevertheless, there are brilliant passages and his dissident and unorthodox views of stuff like global warming are excellent. His analysis of government misrule, especially in the manipulation of money, is also very valid. His explanation of historical events based on the wave/particle duality is original and interesting. So yes, a thought-provoking book and a good read, but not his best.
A Celestial Perspective on Humanity's Evolution - Awesome!.......2001-07-11
Powerhouse authors like Noam Chompsky, Michael Parenti, and Paul Hawken illuminate WHAT is occurring politically, socially, and economically on earth right now. In "Whispering Winds" Stuart Wilde astutely provides a cosmic perspective on the WHY of humanity's current plight. With compassion, wit, and humor Stuart offers profound insight into our ego-based trajectory and the unfoldment of our evolution on this planet. This is one of the most influential and life-changing books I've ever read.
Customer Reviews:
A young man's struggle to be true to himself and his faith........1999-09-27
I found this book to be humorous, touching, and insightful as it introduces the reader to a wealth of colorful personalities in the small Montana town that Tyler Hochreiter calls home. The cultural realities that existed in the 1940's, and the very real dilemma's of choosing one's own road in life are artfully presented in a way that held my imagination with vivid imagery and touching familiarity. I enjoyed this book very much.
Customer Reviews:
Tremendous book.......2005-03-05
To my understanding, this is the softcover edition of Twelve Steps to Mastering the Winds of Change.
In either edition, this is one of the ten best books I've ever read. I'm CEO of a medium sized company, and this is our bible for dealing with change. We had Erik Olesen come to our company and give a seminar based on the book, and I've never heard so much positive feedback about a workshop from the folks who work here.
I've also found the book helpful in my personal life. I've given away many copies, and everyone who reads the book loves the book. I recommend it very highly.
This book really helped me handle change better. Excellent........1996-11-09
This is the best self-help book I've read in years. The first section addresses scores of different types of change that people may deal with, and provides tips for handling them. Then Mastering the Winds of Change covers twelve concrete, effective strategies for coping effectively with change and stress. What's particularly interesting and helpful are the real-life stories and tips from the forty peak performers the author interviewed. They include Walter Cronkite, Nobel prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lillian Vernon, and many others. I've given the book to over 20 friends, and most of them liked it as much as I did. Reading this book really changed my life. Highly recommended
Books:
- The Private Life of the Cat Who ...: Tales of Koko and Yum Yum (from the Journals of James Mackintosh Qwilleran)
- The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Awakening, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND: 10 Keys for Unlocking Your Personal Potential, Achieving Spiritual Awakening, ... of Humanity's Ultimate Cosmic Destiny
- The Winner-Take-All Society: Why the Few at the Top Get So Much More Than the Rest of Us
- The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead
- Thinking with Things: Toward a New Vision of Art
- Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
- Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
- Uncle Bubba's Savannah Seafood: More than 100 Down-Home Southern Recipes for Good Food and Good Times
- Vamps and the City (Love at Stake, Book 2)
- Victims: THE LDS CHURCH AND THE MARK HOFMANN CASE
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