Average customer rating:
- The Simple Review
- A thriller!
- As always, a superb book!
- Typical Baldacci, typically pretty good!
- Great thriller!
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The Simple Truth
David Baldacci
Manufacturer: Hachette Audio
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Amazon.com
Rufus Harms is rotting in a Virginia military prison. As readers learn in the terse opening of The Simple Truth, he was convicted 25 years ago of the brutal killing of a young girl. Readers also learn that Rufus did not commit the crime; out of a haze of memories and with fragments of evidence, he has reconstructed the truth about the horrid event that ruined his life. He knows his discovery could cost him his life, so he breaks from prison after sending an appeal to the Supreme Court that details a massive conspiracy tied into the foundations of Washington.
The complex drama of Rufus Harms is only one of the interwoven threads in this massive, violent legal thriller that also draws from the vocabulary of hard-boiled crime fiction. Baldacci offers glimpses into the arcane politics of the high court, where Justice Elizabeth Knight wages war with the manipulative Chief Justice Harold Ramsay. And while Harms struggles to keep out of harm's way and the justices duke it out, Supreme Court law clerk Sara Evans toils with ex-cop John Fiske to discover the import of Harms's appeal (and, simultaneously, to uncover the murderer of Mike Fiske, John's law clerk-brother and the original holder of the appeal). Their interest in the document apparently draws the attention of the same deadly conspirators who manipulated Harms over two decades earlier. While the armed mayhem sometimes rises to the point of excess, Baldacci's novel continues to offer new surprises until the final pages. --Patrick O'Kelley
Book Description
Rufus Harms is rotting in a Virginia military prison. As readers learn in the terse opening of The Simple Truth, he was convicted 25 years ago of the brutal killing of a young girl. Readers also learn that Rufus did not commit the crime; out of a haze of memories and with fragments of evidence, he has reconstructed the truth about the horrid event that ruined his life. He knows his discovery could cost him his life, so he breaks from prison after sending an appeal to the Supreme Court that details a massive conspiracy tied into the foundations of Washington.The complex drama of Rufus Harms is only one of the interwoven threads in this massive, violent legal thriller that also draws from the vocabulary of hard-boiled crime fiction. Baldacci offers glimpses into the arcane politics of the high court, where Justice Elizabeth Knight wages war with the manipulative Chief Justice Harold Ramsay. And while Harms struggles to keep out of harm's way and the justices duke it out, Supreme Court law clerk Sara Evans toils with ex-cop John Fiske to discover the import of Harms's appeal (and, simultaneously, to uncover the murderer of Mike Fiske, John's lawclerk-brother and the original holder of the appeal). Their interest in the document apparently draws the attention of the same deadly conspirators who manipulated Harms over two decades earlier. While the armed mayhem sometimes rises to the point of excess, Baldacci's novel continues to offer new surprises until the final pages. --Patrick O'Kelley
Download Description
Twenty-five years ago, Rufus Harms was convicted of a murder he doesn't remember committing. When his memory is jogged by a letter from the army, he has a shocking realization: he never intended to kill anyone--he was coerced. From prison, Rufus files an appeal with the Supreme Court, unaware that the real killers are on to him. But the long-time convict knows he's running out of time when the Supreme Court clerk, who is the first to see Rufus's appeal, is murdered. Sprung from prison by his brother, Rufus must now elude capture long enough to expose a shocking cover-up and save his own life.
Customer Reviews:
The Simple Review.......2007-08-22
Quite a good story with interesting characters and a well-paced plot.
I did have a few nits with it, though. (Mainly because I've made the same mistakes in my own writing. ^_^) The main one was the constant subject-verb, subject-verb, subject-verb sentences. Quite a few times I noticed over half the sentences in any one paragraph beginning with "he," "she," and the like. And, of course, once I saw that, I couldn't un-see it, so it bothered me for the remainder of the book. In general, the writing is good, but a little more variety in sentence structure would have been wonderful.
And I felt bad for John for losing his brother before being able to become friends with him again. There's quite a gulf between me and my own brother that I doubt will ever be bridged, but seeing it from an outsider's perspective is sad.
I would definitely read this author again.
A thriller!.......2007-06-29
David Baldacci gives us Rufus Harms, a man unjustly imprisioned for 25 years, and an ex-cop, John Fiske, turned lawyer turned investigator again when his brother, Michael Fiske, a Supreme Court clerk, is murdered after inquiring into an appeal that came to the Supreme Court from Rufus. Sara Evans, another SC clerk, who was good friends with Michael Fiske becomes emotionally involved with John Fiske and they team up to try to solve the mystery of who would murder Michael Fiske. Along the way they are searching out the truth about Rufus. There are twists and turns and surprises. David Baldacci gives an a behind the scenes look at the Supreme Court and the surprising power the clerks actually have. You will have a hard time putting this book down once you open it.
As always, a superb book!.......2007-03-06
If anyone has read Jack Olsen's book, THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF GERONIMO (ELMER)PRATT, you'll see the parallels in this fiction book to Jack Olsen's true crime story of Mr. Pratt. This was a fabulous book and should receive 5 stars from everyone that reads it. Spending 25 years in a prison for a crime you didn't commit is horrific. Can you imagine losing that many years of your life. Geronimo Pratt lost those many years, 26 to be exact. He is the only man that sued the FBI and the police and won and it was a long battle. "They" tried to kill him in prison to shut him up. You must read the book after you've read this fiction novel. I really have to wonder if David Baldacci read Jack Olsen's book before writing this novel. Excellent...superb!
Typical Baldacci, typically pretty good!.......2006-10-07
David Baldacci has a knack for writing fiction that sucks you in and holds you no matter what the story. Part of the talent is to introduce interesting characters. This book is no exception. Sara Evans is a clerk working for a Supreme Court justice. She is quite close to another clerk (Michael Fiske) who works for a different judge. Michael asks Sara to marry him but Sara really loves Michael's brother John, who Sara has only seen once and never officially met.
Michael comes across an appeal that intrigues him (to say exactly why would be a spoiler and it is only revealed very late in the book as to exactly what intrigued him) so much that he pulls it out before it is filed and goes to visit the requestor. That happens to be a Rufus Harms who is serving a life sentence in an Army prison for murdering a girl.
When Michael goes to see Harms, practically all Hell breaks loose and Harms realizes he is in danger himself and some mysterious evil guys from the prison murder Michael. Apparently there was some secrets in Harms appeal that some powerful unknown men do not want known.
Michael's murder is investigated by his brother John (an ex-cop who is now a defense lawyer for the lowest of the low criminals) and he enlists the aid of Sara who was close to Michael and knows some things about Michael. Sara is instantly in love with John and the more they start investigating the more they put their lives at risk from the unknown powerful men. Additionally, the police start to suspect John of the murder of his brother especially when he is named as the sole beneficiary of Michael's life insurance.
Meanwhile Rufus Harms has escaped prison from some of those men that tried to kill him.
So we have tension throughout to see if Rufus will survive as well as John and Sara before the evil guys get them.
There is a lot of good information about what goes on behind the scenes at the Supreme Court. A good read
Great thriller!.......2006-07-26
I loved this book. It had some historical references, which tends to bring a story to life as one can relate them to familiar or current events. It didn't have typical hollywood ending, but it was a good ending nonetheless. The main-character was a bit underdeveloped, mentally and emotionally; thus I couldn't really feel sorry or bad for him.
Book Description
This is a must have book for admirers of the Dalai Lama and is an ideal gift.
Customer Reviews:
Simple Path / Graduate Level Book.......2003-12-23
(3.75 Stars)
The cover of the book is so warm and inviting. His Holiness The Dalai Lama smiling at you with mouth and eyes. Every time I look at it I smile. I'm tempted to cut the cover off and frame it...
The book discusses in great detail the 4 Noble Truths.
It's difficult to write a review on books regarding Buddhism. Everyone's experience will be different and everyone's understanding will be different and I don't want to discourage anyone from exploring The Path...
For myself I found this book difficult to follow. Someone else may take to it better and find it an easier to understand (I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer)
I felt like a freshmen walking in late to a lecture and the audience and class this was for was all graduate students. I felt like I missed the beginning of the talk and that the level of content was for more advanced students.
I do not recommend this to a newcomer to Buddhism, again I found the "level" to be more advanced, but that's your call and like I said you may take to it better than I did and hey - it's your path.
I did get things out of the book and did learn some things. I felt incredibly honored to be reading the words of HH The Dalai Lama and that's what kept me reading.
The photographs are absolutely beautiful! - and again - I love the cover!
A wonderful introduction.......2001-06-18
Although this book doesnt get into anything complex, it is a wonderful book for people new to Buddhism. Full of great pictures, and easy to read text, it introduces basics of Buddhism. It may favor with more Tibetan Buddhist information, but it does include other schools of Buddhism. Highly recommend
Simply beautiful.......2001-03-08
thorsons have done us a great service with the publication of this book. HH the dalai Lama gave a lecture on the 4 noble truths in england, and instead of merely publishing the text[good enough in and of itself},Thorsons has interspersed scores of color pictures of some of the finest photographs available,throughout the volume. Heavy bonded glossy photograhic paper is used,highlighting this amazing volume. The typeset is bold and clear,the pictures are breathtaking!Monasteries, monks praying, pilgrims outside the ptola palace,children playing...absolutely stunning photgraphs, perfectly compliment the text of His Holiness.And at this price?!?! What an exquisite book, and what a bargain. Absolutely magnificent! Highest recommendation.
A gorgeous volume with luscious photographs.......2000-10-27
I must confess, I picked up this book because it was just so lovely! It is nicely bound, on superb high quality glossy paper, with stunning photographs of Tibet. Everything about it just makes you want to cradle, or worship, it.
Then there's the text. They took a lecture that H. H. the Dalai Lama gave on the 4 Noble Truths and cut it (thank heavens) and put it in the book. The result is weird. The extremely philosophical treatise makes an odd accompaniment to scenes of Tibet. On the one hand, you're reading about how all the world is suffering and we are ignorant louts for getting so caught up in this illusion, and then we glance at the photograph (every pair of pages has one, so you're always looking at something wonderful). I thought, "Gee, if I'm not supposed to care about the world, or I'm not supposed to delight in its pleasures and glories, then what is all this color and visual drama? Illusion?" Thus, the book highlights in an unwitting way one of the paradoxes of Buddhism... we try to disentangle ourselves from the grosser life of merely sensate pleasure but we can and should still love the world. Who says Christianity has a corner on the market of paradox?!
Still, there are some real textual gems and pearls scattered in the pages, and it is quick reading because of all the pictures. Occasionally you'll have to slog through a passage on Tibetan cosmology and physics, which sounds pretty medieval, but then you come across a glorious section that makes your heart sing.
It's a fun ride!
Book Description
Seldom does a book come along that speaks to the core issues in life with the clarity and wisdom of Simple Truths. Drawing on the insights put forth in his widely praised book, Letters to My Son, award-winning author Kent Nerburn offers clear and gentle guidance on such central life experiences as love, work, possessions, strength, solitude, and death.
This is a profound book, deeply informed by the spiritual traditions of the West, the Far East, and Native Americans, with whom the author has worked for many years. Its honest authority and moral focus appeals to readers of such classics as The Prophet and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Its simple format and beautiful presentation make it ideal for the intelligent gift-giver looking for a small treasure.
Customer Reviews:
Guidence and inspiration.......2006-06-07
This book discusses many issues concerning the problems of everyday people which have been forgetten in this modern world.We get so caught up that we lose our true selves in the book helps to give you a calm sense of self worth.It explains in depth about education which is truly what you know, giving form your heart not worrying about the rewarding glory or praise to put forth extra time that is personal,love is internal and true love is accepted.
Clear and Gentle Guidance.......2006-05-24
"Life is a creative experience," begins author Kent Nerburn in his slim little volume of basic truths on which to build a life of value for oneself and others. They are, as the title states, basic and simple truths, but it is these simple truths that have been lost in the muddle and busyness and confusion of modern life marked by an embarrassment at claiming a value system. Nerburn continues in explanation of why we must reconnect to these simple truths: "We are shaping ourselves at every moment by every decision we make."
And so we are. A moment taken to consider carefully the meanings and values of topics Nerburn has chosen here are moments well spent. To ponder these truths and to absorb them clears the path ahead and moves us forward with peace and conviction.
Short chapters illustrate in clean prose the values of education and learning ("without knowledge I could not play the violin. Without wisdom, I could not play the music"); work ("we are what we do, and the more we do it, the more we become it"); money ("be a giver and a sharer... in some unexpected and unforeseeable fashion, all else will take care of itself"); possessions ("possessions are as likely to make you unhappy as they are to make you happy, because they define the limits of your life and keep you from the freedom of choice that comes with traveling light"); giving ("you have the power to create joy and happiness by your simplest gestures of caring and compassion"); travel ("if we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder"); loneliness and solitude (the first is a void, the second a sense of self-fulfillment); love ("treat what love brings you with kindness"); marriage ("if you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience..."); parenthood ("in the bondage to a child you will find a freedom you never imagined, but neither should you seek parenthood as a way to fill an emptiness in your life. A child will hold a mirror to your life..."); strength ("true strength does not require an adversary and does not see itself as noble or heroic. It simply does what it must without praise or need of recognition... strength based in love is strength people crave"); tragedy and suffering ("they are the fire that burns you pure"); the spiritual journey ("spiritual understanding never becomes deep unless you subject yourself to the spiritual discipline of practicing your belief"); elders ("they were you and you will be them"); death ("it brings us to a judgment, so it is ours to control by the kind of life we live"); and concludes with an epilogue on embracing the mystery.
"If we have played our part well - offering love where it was needed, strength and caring where it was lacking; if we have tended the earth and its creatures with a sense of humble stewardship - we will have done enough."
Simple, yes, and shining with a timeless truth.
Great Reviews to One Who Honors the memory of Father.......2006-02-08
Not often among writers do you discover anything of these valued SIMPLE TRUTHS, "In honored memory of one's Father!" My first reading came from my good-reader Friend's excerpt of Kent's neat Chapter entitled, "The Spiritual Journey."
Kent's thoroughly organized headings, uniquely begin in Learning and Education, On Work, On Money, On Possessions, On Giving, On Travel, On Loneliness & Solitude, On Love/Marriage, Parenthood, with short but potent chapters, On Strength, On Tragedy and next Suffering! I am enamored with his depth of understanding of that spiritual "tradition that seems to give voice to the music of your Spirit...(to often being) afraid to follow!"
After this shortest of his diamond-emerald Jewels, all coming from four unique perspectives, I am more than ever an admiror! After three reviews I am finally into the midst of NEITHER WOLF Nor DOG. It promises to be his education and first-hand report of dealing with his own people, in the person of his Elder, Dan asking for help in writing a book of Native American Wisdom! Retired Chaplain, Fred W Hood "Barbara377" (Fayetteville,GA United States)
It you could only own a few books, this should be one of them!.......2005-10-08
I am nearly 50 years old and I can't remember any book I have read any more profound than this one! The writing clarity and depth of wisdom spoke directly to my soul. If I had to leave my home and could only take a few books with me, this book would definitely be one of them. Often times, I read a book and pass it on, but this one was so internally and externally thought provoking, it is one book I will keep with me always and read again and again. For each time it is read, a new truth unfolds that was, perhaps, unrecognized on a previous reading. If your heart is sincerely seeking truth in an incredibly mixed up world, this is the book you must read.
Simple Truths by Kent Nerburn.......2005-09-23
This book changed my life. I connected with every word and thought on a deep level, realizing that these were truths in which I have always strongly believed but never seen articulated in such profoundly simple and elegant prose. Seeing these concepts and "truths" presented so beautifully and artfully-- and yet so logically--caused me to re-commit to them and examine my life around them. I realized that in many ways I hadn't been living one of my own credos, Be True to Yourself, and I was inspired to make some very positive and freeing changes in my life. Over the past year since reading the book, have read other books to expand on the thoughts to the point that I now know myself better and have more inner peace than ever before (The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle was a major contributor). I keep a stock of "Simple Truths" to give as gifts. Nerburn's book "Small Graces" made me want to crawl into the pages and live there. Instead I applied the principals to my life and am now enjoying living there even more. I've ordered "Neither Wolf nor Dog" and "Wisdom of the Native American's," both by Nerburn, and am eagerly awaiting their arrival.
Book Description
Using examples drawn from businesses of all types and sizes, Simple Truth explains the straightforward techniques that can lead to lasting success-and profits.
Customer Reviews:
Common Business Sense, Southern Style.......2005-01-25
Much like the author, I have all of the standard business and management books in my collection. The Simple Truth summarizes the relevant principles of them all in a concise and well-organized fashion. It is very easy to read and provides some excellent food for thought (pardon the pun). I'm in the IT business and I find the Simple Truth is just as applicable for technology as it is for hospitality. This book is now the most referenced title in my collection. Great job Alex!
The Simple Ingredient.......2004-05-29
I've read or listened to many books Covey, Robbins, Rohn, and many others. "The Simple Truth" really sums them all up in a nice package that's an easy read. It gives you so many thoughts and inspirations on how you can improve your own business, and the quotes break the monotony. These Authors have wrote it just like the title "Simple". I've now come up with simple idea's that I think really matter to my staff and customers most and put it to work. I recommend to "Let the Simple Truth Set You Free" to grow your business. Thanks from a Customer Relations Manager.
The Simple Truth for Your Business.......2004-03-19
Relevant,easy to read, insightful and thought provoking. Great writing style. I've already seen results in my business.
Plodd is in the Details!.......2004-02-10
This is a great book no matter what business you are in. It makes you think about the things you do every day in a new light. Stories like the waiter who saw the client's view by sitting at a table remind the reader that things are not always what they appear.
In the post dot com age, it is nice to see a back to basics business cook book by two gentlemen who certainly know their way around the commerce kitchen.
Customer Reviews:
Good Book.......2006-11-06
This is a great book for coahes, counselors, and therapists working with individuals that are grieving or dealing with past issues. I found the book to be helpful in explaining why so many of the people I coach seem to have denied or repressed very emotionally traumatic incidents. The human mind is amazing and complex. This book helps unmask some of that complexity.
My one criticism of the book is that it is difficult to read at times. The tone is a bit academic and challenging to read. If you can wade through some of the language it is definately worth reading.
Challenging, but worth the effort........2005-07-01
After reviewing some of the research and modern theory around narcissism, I was drawn to finding something of substance that explained more about grandiose thinking, or delusion. Luckily, the only decent looking book I found - Goleman's - turned out to be just as useful on the inside. Combining his information on the effects of pain, and how it dims awareness, was magical for me because of my experience with narcissists who also have alcohol and drug addictions.
I like the way Goleman touches on perception (see also Dr. Bruce Lipton's The Biology of Belief), self-esteem, projection, rationalisation, sublimation etc. On a collective level it becomes quite challenging when viewing the mirage realism or deception that some multi-national corporate and government leaders create. Perhaps a book who's subject matter is more applicable to world affairs than most of us realise.
Personally I would have liked more information about the links between the psychic numbing of awareness and the addiction to materialism as an opiate, but other than that I highly recommend it. It dovetails nicely into the findings from quantum science which shows its our consciousness which creates the filters through which we transform our reality.
At times I did find the reading tough going and would not recommend this for those people who might be embarking on a first tour of duty of psychological modelling.
Regards,
Daniel John Hancock
An eyeopening experience!.......2003-09-25
Daniel Goleman is one of the most insightful experts on the mind in recent times. This book provides us with an excellent account of the nature of consciousness, attention, and arousal and how they all interact with one another. Like many great writers, he presents this material in a storylike manner to retain our interest and attention. I have learned more things about how the mind works from this book than I have in any Psychology textbook I have read. The only exception to this would be the book called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. This book by Sato is perhaps the most insightful and accessible book on consciousness ever written. In any case, Goleman's book is still top notch.
A Vital Book With Simple Truths.......2001-03-04
Goleman states his thesis using three premises in the early pages of his book: (1) The mind can protect itself against anxiety by dimming awareness. (2) This mechanism creates a blind spot: a zone of blocked attention and self-deception. (3) Such blind spots occur at each major level of behavior from the psychological to the social. (p. 22)
With these principles as his map, Goleman writes an excellent study of human psychological behavior that, whether the reader approaches it as a journal of self-discovery (like me) or as a explanation for social "groupthink" (like me, again), it proved to be very helpful. I enjoyed how Goleman supported his ideas with recent research and how he used quotes and references to support his ideas. Mapping out why we cover our anxieties with delusional behaviors, well, I think it is fascinating and the applications are immense.
A Tool for Sharpening Critical Thinking Skills.......1998-02-18
Have you ever been burnt in a business deal by someone you thought you knew well? How many times have you taken action only later to find out you ignored key facts that were right in front of you?
An early book by the author of the best-seller Emotional Intelligence, this work focuses on the many ways in which our minds play tricks on us. Goleman uses a series of short vignettes, from business, political and family scenarios, to illustrate his arguments. For example, he shows us how Nixon aide John Dean seemed to drive from his awareness the fact that he was not as important to the President as he asserted in his Watergate testimony.
The chapter, "The Intelligent Filter", gives us a clear concept on how we so often screen out ideas and information that do not fit our assumptions. Reading this section can help us understand why innovative ideas get rejected without consideration, as we filter out new pieces of information even before they reach our awareness.
From the perspective of Executive Community, applying what Goleman sees can help us untie the knots that develop in our business communications and block understanding and collaboration. Even more importantly, careful study of these concepts can help you be a better critical business thinker and a more effective leader.
For those who want to delve deeper than the latest management fad book, Vital Lies, Simple Truths will give you several hours of intellectual challenge. This is a good tool for "sharpening the saw", as Stephen Covey might say.
Average customer rating:
- Always an uplifting break
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The Simple Truth About Love
Bradley Trevor Greive
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
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Book Description
What more can you possibly say about love? Leave it to Bradley Trevor Greive to cut through centuries of words that examine this universal emotion to present both the sum and substance of love in a way that will touch readers' hearts. As he's done in 10 previous titles with us-from The Blue Day Book to Dear Dad-Bradley combines his uncomplicated wording and unique viewpoint in a way that appeals to readers everywhere.
The Incredible Truth About Love explores this driving sentiment throughout its many nuances, while recognizing the elements that make it such an incredibly wonderful part of our lives. Helping along the way, of course, are the individually selected animal photographs that perfectly convey the ideas that Bradley presents. From the chick sheltered beneath his mother's wing to the cubs locked in joyous embrace, the images make this book a delight on their own.
"Complex in their simplicity," "Satisfying and fulfilling," and "Just right . . . every time" are common and oft-repeated responses. The Incredible Truth About Love now promises the same praise.
Customer Reviews:
Always an uplifting break.......2007-06-27
I own all of Bradley Trevor Grieve's "picture" books. I discovered "The Blue Day Book" when a friend of mine really needed some encouragement so I bought one for her and one for myself. Since then I have given many of his books as gifts and have collected them all for myself. My grandchildren love to look at the pictures and it always brightens my day to read just a page or two. Gives me a whole new outlook on life at times.
Book Description
The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.
Customer Reviews:
Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22
After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.
I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."
The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.
"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.
As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."
I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.
This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.
True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09
Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.
All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.
And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15
This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.
Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10
This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.
While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.
If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13
I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.
I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:
From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"
Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.
If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."
And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.
One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.
Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.
From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."
And later in the same chapter:
"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."
For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."
Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.
The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.
Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.
This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:
· World oil supplies are running out.
· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.
· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.
· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.
· Time is running out..."
Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.
Now that's a meme worth feeding.
Book Description
Larry Swedroe has long maintained that investors and fund managers have had no sustainable success when chasing hot individual stocks, andthat it is much wiser to buy baskets of stocks from prominent indexesalways selected from a variety of major well-run companies.Inevitable market rises (and dips) and the miracle of compounding will build, over a minimum two decades, real wealth. This book brings together fourteen truths for investing anddiscusses how careful investing can capture many of todays big-company stock valuations that will be seen in time to have been tremendous buys.
Customer Reviews:
The simple way to invest.......2007-07-08
Larry's books are about "passive" investing, which if you are going to put your life savings to work is the ONLY way to do it. The biggest benefits of passive investing is the reduction of volatility and increased non-correlated diversification. It also removes the "noise" of the Wall Street hawkers.
Larry has strong feelings about his subject, so if you're not doing his way, he will tell you about the "loser's game" you're playing. Hopefully you'll get it.
More people should tune in passive investing.
Take the Gambling out of Investing.......2007-07-02
Excellent book on the unpredictability of investments and investors.
It essentially says investing in individual stocks is speculating (gambling), not investing. Over the long haul, individual investors (event the top fund managers) don't beat the overall market.
Invest in the S&P 500 or other major index and you will build a fine nest egg for retirement, according to the book.
This is not a book for someone who wants to double their money in 2 years. It is for the person who wants to turn $100,000 into $800,000 in 21 years (assuming 7% returns that double your money every seven years). Not a bad end for an extremely diversified and responsible investment plan.
So if you are 44 years old, and you have $200,000 to invest, you could safely build it to $1.6 million when you turn 65, if this book is correct. I think it is.
Easily one of the Top 10 Investment books of all time..........2007-03-06
I am a big fan of Larry Swedroe's writings - his books, his posts on the Vanguard Diehards Forum, his articles. I've read all of his books, and I have to rate this as his best book.
He distills and presents a lot of Finance research in this book in a very very readable form. The advice in this book is timeless. Among many other things, this book has the best discussion of the equity value premium.
For around 10 bucks, the price of 2 (maybe three lattes), the average (even advanced) investor can get an education that will serve him/her well for the rest of their investing lifetime.
Looking forward to Larry's next book.
Another Swedroe Classic.......2006-05-29
I was very impressed with this book and give it an A. Swedroe's investment advice is excellent and the writing style is very easy and fun to read.
I read all 4 of Larry Swedroe's stock investing books in the last few weeks, and although they are excellent books and I agree with most of his recommendations, he tends to re-use the same information in each book. To keep this book straight in my mind, compared with the other 3 books, this review is structured along his Outline of the book.
Truth 1: Active Investing Is a Loser's Game: It Must Be So
Larry lays out the case why active investing always loses to passive investing.
Truth 2: The Past Performance of an Actively Managed Fund Is a Very Poor Predictor of Its Future Performance
He does a good job of citing many studies demonstrating that past performance is not a good predictor of future performance.
Truth 3: If Skilled Professionals Don't Succeed, It Is Unlikely That Individual Investors Will
Truth 4: The Interests of Wall Street and the Financial Media Are Not Aligned with Those of Investors
He points out why passive investing is not promoted by Wall Street and the financial media.
Truth 5: Risk and Reward Are Related: Great Companies Provide Low Expected Returns
Truth 6: The Price You Pay Matters
Truth 7: The Most Likely Way to Achieve Above Average Returns Is to Stop Trying to Beat the Market
Truth 8: Buying Individual Stocks and Sector Funds Is Speculating, Not Investing
Truth 9: Reversion to the Mean of Earnings Growth Rates Is One of the Most Powerful Forces in the Universe
Truth 10: The Forecasts of Market Strategists and Analysts Have No Value, Except as Entertainment
Truth 11: Taxes Are Often the Largest Expense Investors Incur
Truth 12: Knowledge of Financial History Is Critical to Successful Investing
Truth 13: Adding International Assets to a Portfolio Reduces Risk
Although I agree with the author's claim that foreign stocks help reduce portfolio risk, I do have trouble believing or following his recommendation of 20 to 40% asset allocation in foreign stocks. I feel more comfortable with a 10 to 20% allocation to foreign stocks.
Truth 14: There Is No One Right Portfolio, but There Is One That Is Right for You
He points out that investing is not an exact science, and the optimum portfolio is difficult to achieve. Each person must get comfortable with the risks and complexity of their allocations. He also gives a convincing argument for skipping mid-cap stocks in favor of only small and large cap stocks.
Conclusion
A: The Enron. Debacle: Lessons to Be Learned
It was interesting to see how some of the supposedly smartest brains in the investing world loaded up on Enron stock, including the Janus funds.
Appendix B: More Investment Truths You. Must Know to Be a Successful Investor
Appendix C: Investment Vehicle Recommendations
Great list of investment choices to implement you asset allocation plan.
D: The Home Financing Decision:To Borrow or Not
Nice analysis of an issue than many investors struggle with. He combines a nice financial analysis with the "able to sleep at night" test.
All-in-all, a great book for serious investors who manage their own portfolios. To me, his four books are very similar. If you choose one of the four books to read, I think you will get 90% of his message versus spending the time to read all 4 books.
I would suggest companion books to supplement this book including The Richest Man in Babylon, Bogle on Mutual Funds, The Millionaire Next Door, The 4 Pillars of Investing, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Life and Beat the Pros, the Coffeehouse Investor, and the Bogleheads Guide to Investing.
The best investment approach may also be the simplest........2004-02-02
The investing approach espoused by Swedroe is actually among the simplest and least time consuming approaches available - that of passive index investing with occasional portfolio rebalancing. Yet he doesn't recommend it because it is simple, but because the research supports it as the best approach to yield the highest actual returns over time. The caveat "over time" is the key, which is what most people are interested in - not short term run-ups followed by disappointing losses. And "actual returns" since many people fail to consider trading costs, taxes, and other considerations that reduce their returns. One interesting study alluded to in this book and expounded on in his other books relates to the Value Line survey, which demonstrates market-beating returns and is highly rated in the Hulbert newsletter. Yet after considering trading and other costs, the returns underperform the market. Reality often stands in stark contrast to what we want to believe.
Book Description
Yes! You can love your kids in amazing ways you may have never even thought of! And one of America's top advocates for the family will help you do it.
In 50 Ways to Really Love Your Kids, Tim Kimmel offers moms and dads simple, how-to ways to express love to their children. His thought-provoking ideas include: "Have a love that works overtime to simplify your children's lives," "Model a love that always wants to give more than is asked of it," "Show your kids how to love life and live it in an adventurous way," "Love your kids so much that you'll not allow excuses to cover their moral infractions," "Start loving your kids' future spouses now," and "Don't force God to discipline your kids…you do it."
Each of the 50 ways fits neatly onto an attractive, two-page reading to challenge and inspire parents, ages 25-55.
Books:
- The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less
- The Street Lawyer
- The Successor: A Novel
- The Transit of Venus
- The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1)
- The Underdogs
- Things Fall Apart: A Novel
- Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, Eleventh Edition (Times Atlas of the World Comprehensive Edition)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
- Visions in Death (In Death)
Books Index
Books Home
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