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- A very interesting approach
- A very interesting approach
- Unique Perspective on the Icons of UFO Culture
- The BEST and MOST COMPLETE reference on UFO
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Picturing Extraterrestrials: Alien Images in Modern Mass Culture
John F. Moffitt
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
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ASIN: 1573929905 |
Book Description
Using everything from alien-abduction stories, to well-known consumer product images, to art dating back to the ancient Greeks, art historian John F. Moffitt treats the reader to a fascinating exploration of extraterrestrial imagery in popular culture. In addition to considering these portraitures as symbolic of the individual cultures that spawned them, Moffitt also considers them as an overall historical phenomenon. Why is it that more people seem to be abducted by aliens during periods of unrest like the Cold War? Hoe does the entertainment industry influence our societal consciousness? What could Betty Crocker possibly have to do with aliens? Read this delightfully entertaining book to find out.
Customer Reviews:
A very interesting approach.......2005-11-30
It's more or less common knowledge these days to be able to describe the physical appearances of an alleged extraterrestrial. They're everywhere nowadays, with their large heads, black eyes, thin bodies, short stature, et cetera. We all "know" what it looks like.
Which is very odd, indeed. Because there are no real proofs of all the talked-about close encounters. And no one has even seen an extraterrestrial. Except for abductees and contactees. All we have are tales, pseudoscientific literature, stories; no real and physical evidence. Yet, "everybody" more or less "knows" that an extraterrestrial looks the way he, she, or it does.
And why is that? Well, that's the question asked (and answered) by art historian John F. Moffitt in his little more than 550 page long book Picturing Extraterrestrials.
But it's not a simple read. Quite the opposite. The language is difficult, very academic, often flavoured with long and extensive quotes, sentences in Latin, and terms basically only known to devoted art historians. But at the same time it's very personal; Moffitt has a unique style of writing which makes the reading experience something out of the ordinary. Sometimes it even feels as if one is having an oral conversation with him instead of actually reading his words. One gets the feeling that it is spoken language, but the academic touch never completely disappears, and the mix between strict scholarly language and down-to-Earth everyday language becomes a challenge while it at the same time becomes pure entertainment.
Moffitt is a skeptic, and unfortunately he - along with many other skeptics - uses the term "ufologist" in a somewhat derogatory manner. People such as the late John Mack, Whitley Strieber, David Jacobs, and Budd Hopkins - all representing the fringe side of ufology - get to represent more or less the entire discipline, which is highly unfortunate. Moffitt is completely ruthless in his criticism. He doesn't hesitate to call Betty Andreasson and other contactees "pathetic", and he uses strong evidence to disregard the usage of hypnosis in order to encounter regressed memories.
After all, Moffitt says, the postmodern idea regarding the traditional extraterrestrial is neither new nor very unexpected. Quite the opposite, it's a natural result from mankind's constant longing for the spiritual, the inconceivable, mystical, and occult. Large portions of the book do not deal exclusively with extraterrestrials or UFOs, but instead focus on the origin and need of such matters as the occult, mysticism, mass hysteria, divine iconography, Swedenborgian philosophy, the input infotainment has on people in general, and much, much more. However, at the end of the day he always returns to the contemporary belief in extraterrestrial life and presence on Earth, and one of his conclusions is that it's all imagination and wishful thinking, simply due to the fact that mankind has always believed in similar stories. The True Believer can say that this fact, on the other hand, only works to prove the opposite (that we indeed are being visited by those pesky little Grays), and Moffitt doesn't bother to prove that there are nothing new under the sun (or in space). Instead he, in a very entertaining and fascinating way, explains how what many Believers believe isn't very paranormal at all. It's an ancient belief, dressed in a modern outfit.
It's not a new theory, and it's not the first book about it either, but few authors manage to defend and propose it as skilfully, entertaining, and convincing as John F. Moffitt. Picturing Extraterrestrials really is a must.
A very interesting approach.......2005-11-23
It's more or less common knowledge these days to be able to describe the physical appearances of an alleged extraterrestrial. They're everywhere nowadays, with their large heads, black eyes, thin bodies, short stature, et cetera. We all "know" what it looks like.
Which is very odd, indeed. Because there are no real proofs of all the talked-about close encounters. And no one has even seen an extraterrestrial. Except for abductees and contactees. All we have are tales, pseudoscientific literature, stories; no real and physical evidence. Yet, "everybody" more or less "knows" that an extraterrestrial looks the way he, she, or it does.
And why is that? Well, that's the question asked (and answered) by art historian John F. Moffitt in his little more than 550 page long book Picturing Extraterrestrials.
But it's not a simple read. Quite the opposite. The language is difficult, very academic, often flavoured with long and extensive quotes, sentences in Latin, and terms basically only known to devoted art historians. But at the same time it's very personal; Moffitt has a unique style of writing which makes the reading experience something out of the ordinary. Sometimes it even feels as if one is having an oral conversation with him instead of actually reading his words. One gets the feeling that it is spoken language, but the academic touch never completely disappears, and the mix between strict scholarly language and down-to-Earth everyday language becomes a challenge while it at the same time becomes pure entertainment.
Moffitt is a skeptic, and unfortunately he - along with many other skeptics - uses the term "ufologist" in a somewhat derogatory manner. People such as the late John Mack, Whitley Strieber, David Jacobs, and Budd Hopkins - all representing the fringe side of ufology - get to represent more or less the entire discipline, which is highly unfortunate. Moffitt is completely ruthless in his criticism. He doesn't hesitate to call Betty Andreasson and other contactees "pathetic", and he uses strong evidence to disregard the usage of hypnosis in order to encounter regressed memories.
After all, Moffitt says, the postmodern idea regarding the traditional extraterrestrial is neither new nor very unexpected. Quite the opposite, it's a natural result from mankind's constant longing for the spiritual, the inconceivable, mystical, and occult. Large portions of the book do not deal exclusively with extraterrestrials or UFOs, but instead focus on the origin and need of such matters as the occult, mysticism, mass hysteria, divine iconography, Swedenborgian philosophy, the input infotainment has on people in general, and much, much more. However, at the end of the day he always returns to the contemporary belief in extraterrestrial life and presence on Earth, and one of his conclusions is that it's all imagination and wishful thinking, simply due to the fact that mankind has always believed in similar stories. The True Believer can say that this fact, on the other hand, only works to prove the opposite (that we indeed are being visited by those pesky little Grays), and Moffitt doesn't bother to prove that there are nothing new under the sun (or in space). Instead he, in a very entertaining and fascinating way, explains how what many Believers believe isn't very paranormal at all. It's an ancient belief, dressed in a modern outfit.
It's not a new theory, and it's not the first book about it either, but few authors manage to defend and propose it as skilfully, entertaining, and convincing as John F. Moffitt. Picturing Extraterrestrials really is a must.
Unique Perspective on the Icons of UFO Culture.......2003-12-24
John F. Moffitt's Picturing Extraterrestrials: Alien Images in Modern Culture is unique in the literature debunking the myths of alien abductions, visitations and encounters of all kinds. For anyone not already familiar with many prosaic explanations behind the fantasies of UFO phenomenon, Area 51, flying saucers, missing time, etc. this book serves as an excellent primer for the work done by investigators and skeptics all over the world. You'd have to read an entire shelf of individual exposés to cover all the ground that Moffitt includes in his comprehensive survey. But that's not the chief reason for owning this valuable work. Aided by a very dry wit and a wonderful sense of humor -- something that most authors, skeptic and believer alike seem to abandon as soon as they tackle this `controversial' subject -- it is Moffitt's detective work as an art scholar and historian that makes this fascinating study truly unique. Taking the current classic image of the alien visitor that we are all so familiar with, Moffitt examines the visual roots and history of this now universally accepted `face.' What he finds will startle and surprise you. He offers other examples of how mass culture has created iconic images for religious, commercial and artistic purposes and skillfully traces their development. From Santa Claus to Jesus to the grey-skinned, black-eyed alien head on your key ring, poster, video game or made-for-TV film, you'll learn how such images are created, developed and distributed. His art-historical approach could be used to examine other iconic images in contemporary culture to equal effect. Congratulations are due Moffitt's trail blazing work in this area. I hope that others may follow in his path, to continue and extend this type of investigation. I've read most of the scientific and rational examinations of the alleged `extraterrestrial' phenomenon, from Klass to Sagan and while those books certainly have their merits, if you want a single book to help `explain it all' you could not do better than this one. I enjoy sci-fi as much, if not more, than the next fellow but after reading Picturing Extraterrestrials you'll have to conclude that this is a very Earth-bound, `terrestrial' activity. Visiting entities from the Pleiades are not required to explain this.
The BEST and MOST COMPLETE reference on UFO.......2003-08-22
Doctor Moffitt has written an amazing and thorough study of the UFO phenomena. Before reading this wonderfully detailed study of contacts from space, I was unaware of so many references and publications deserving the insight provided by the author.
Rather than getting bound up in details that could easily be a ponderous effort to read, Dr. Moffitt adds a light touch of pervasive humor to his 600 pages. The book is divided nicely into reference chapters and may be read in random order. Each chapter is its own reward.
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Alienigenas / Picturing Extraterrestrials: Iconografia De Los Extraterrestres/Alien Images in Modern Mass Culture (La Biblioteca Azul / the Blue Library)
John F. Moffitt
Manufacturer: Siruela
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 8478449450 |
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Dyeing Originated in Okinawa: Bingata (Japanese Designs & Patterns)
Manufacturer: Books Nippan
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ASIN: 483810104X |
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Textile Art of Okinawa
Reiko M. Brandon
Manufacturer: Honolulu Academy of Arts
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ASIN: 0937426121 |
From the Publisher
Okinawa has produced some of the finest textiles in the world, documented in this important collection. Distributed by Woodstocker Books.
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International Real Estate Valuation, Investment and Development: A Select Bibliography (Bibliographies and Indexes in Economics and Economic History)
Valerie J. Nurcombe
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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ASIN: 0313260826 |
Book Description
This volume fills an important gap in publications for the real estate professional by providing, for the first time, a clearly organized, current bibliography to the literature of real estate valuation. International in scope, the bibliography includes journal articles and books that deal directly with the subject of property valuation or with factors that affect valuation. Primary emphasis is placed on materials written specifically for a professional audience although publications aimed at the popular market are included when they cover significant topics otherwise poorly documented. Throughout, the focus is on literature published from 1975 forward.
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Volker Schlondorff's Cinema: Adaptation, Politics, and the "Movie-Appropriate"
Hans Bernhard Moeller , and
George L Lellis
Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University
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ASIN: 0809324512 |
Book Description
Volker Schlöndorff’s Cinema: Adaptation, Politics and the “Movie-Appropriate”
examines the work of major postwar German director Volker Schlöndorff in historical, economic, and artistic contexts. Incorporating a film-by-film, twenty-eight chapter study, Hans-Bernhard Moeller & George Lellis reveal a complexity and formal ambitiousness of Schlöndorff that is comparable to that found in Wenders, Herzog, and Fassbinder. In spite of Schlöndorff’s successes with films like The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum and The Tin Drum, as well as his acclaimed work in the U.S. with Death of a Salesman, Gathering of Old Men and The Handmaid’s Tale, this is the first in-depth critical study of the filmmaker’s career.
In the context of film and television history, this book relates Schlöndorff’s oeuvre to the New German Cinema, to his formative years as a student and production assistant in France, and to his roots in the Weimar cinema’s tradition. It reveals how Schlöndorff entered into the German film production system in the 1960s, how he came to rely on German public television in the 1970s, and then moved to the international and American financing in the 1980s, attempting to redevelop the Babelsberg studios in a 1990s post-Wall Germany while continuing to make his own films into the 21st century. The book captures how Schlöndorff’s nearly half century of ongoing creativity and productivity ties together.
The authors analyze the artistry of each Schlöndorff movie arguing that his output as a whole embodies a provocative and sometimes contradictory set of balances. Schlöndorff combines commercial interest with significant artistic ambition, blends the kinesthetic pleasures of moving images with the seriousness of fine literature, links the intensity of individualized personal experience to an awareness of broader political issues, and represents a specifically German sensibility even as he reaches out to the international audiences.
The authors demonstrate the cyclical recurrence in his cinema of certain themes (individual and collective rebellion, fascist suppression, masochistic love), narrative patterns (the Western, the thriller, the subjective mood piece), and stylistic approaches (Brechtian Verfremdung, the creation of careful leitmotif structures, the use of the grotesque). In over thirty years of filmmaking, Schlöndorff has produced a remarkable unified body of work that deserves the attention of a book-length study. Authors Hans-Bernhard Moeller and George Lellis offer the first such study of its kind.
Volker Schlöndorff’s Cinema: Adaptation, Politics, and the “Movie-Appropriate” features forty-one illustrations.
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- The psychology of a family
- Better than most think
- Family context adds depth to the study of Mozart's life
- Myth perpetuating
- Was Wolfgang Really As Bad As All That?
|
The Mozart Family: Four Lives in a Social Context
Ruth Halliwell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Hardcover
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The family into which Mozart was born has never received a rigorous contextual study which does justice to the complexity of its relationships or to its interactions with colleagues, friends, and neighbours in Mozarts native city, Salzburg. Most biographies of Mozart have undervalued the many passages in the rich family correspondence which do not bear directly on him. This book draws on the neglected material, most of which has never been translated into English. At the heart of the work is a detailed examination of the letters, supplemented by little-known archival material from the papers of the Berchtold family, into which Mozarts sister Nannerl married. Additional information concerning Salzburg's local history, especially the working conditions at court and the provision for dependants of court employees, enables the hopes, expectations, and fears of the Mozarts to be located in the context of the social conditions there. As well as providing a sympathetic account of the other members of the family, all of whom were profoundly affected by the experience of sharing their lives with Mozart, this approach gives new significance to the events of Mozart's life; not only are they set against the background of his familys expectations of him, but the ways in which the source material has to be used for this purpose necessarily involves fundamental improvements in its interpretation. Ruth Halliwell challenges most previous views of the characters in Mozart's family (especially of his father, Leopold), and of the relationships within it. She also introduces a wealth of characters from the Mozarts's circle in Salzburg, from chambermaids to princes, and demonstrates the relevance of the gossip stories the Mozarts told about them to the larger outlook of the members of the family. In an important final section, Halliwell traces the roles of Nannerl and Mozart's wife Constanze in using, controlling, and handing on the biographical source material after Mozarts death. She discusses their dealings with publishers such as Breitkopf and Hartel, and with the authors of the earliest biographies of Mozart. This complex topic here receives an account which not only illuminates the characters of both women and the relations between them, but also addresses the question of how myths were able to creep into the Mozartian biography at so early a stage and take tenacious hold.
Customer Reviews:
The psychology of a family.......2005-09-06
Halliwell's book is a fascinating view into the dynamics of the Mozart family, not just Wolfgang, but his father, Leopold, and sister, Nannerl. It is a mesmerizing character study that delves into why they acted as they did, and thus, why history played out as it did. This book made the Mozarts real and made me empathize with the complications of their lives. How would I have reacted in the midst of such multi-faceted situations? This book is also a study of society and the effects of the 18th century's historical restrictions on a family unit. How would the Mozarts have reacted if they had lived in a time and place that had allowed them easier access to opportunities, communication, and the full attainment of their potential? The fact they survived and produced in spite of the daily limitations and crises they faced is a testament to their strength and fortitude. As far as other Mozart bios I have found interesting? "Mozart" by Robert W. Gutman is my second favorite.
Better than most think.......1999-12-31
Halliwell's scholarship is impeccable, and her written style firmly holds the reader for hours at a stretch (I was even thumbing through it at redlights while driving home from work). Much attention is given to the family as a unit as well as historical and biographical background on individuals. The ongoing debate of Mozart and Leopold's respective personalities and their relationship is something that no one book can accurately put to rest, Halliwell's input explores another side of the contemporary idea of Mozart, that can be at odds with traditional views. The reader should be prepared to balance her writing with the works of other Mozart scholars (particularly Knepler, Kuster, and Landons). Incidentally, cjarrard@mindspring.com's online review at Amazon.com is unjustly critical: from the very beginning Halliwell states that her purpose is to explore Mozart's family, and not the genius himself; this is clearly emphasized in the book's preface. And, while Solomon's "A Life" is a masterful read, there is no reason to grasp it as the Bible of Mozart scholarship (consider W. Stafford and N. Till as well as the previously mentioned authors).
Family context adds depth to the study of Mozart's life.......1999-12-30
I found this volume to be well-researched, very well written, and extraordinarily interesting. The strength of this volume is not that it replaces other works concerning Mozart's life but that it richly supplements them. The author has chosen to focus on letters of members (primarily Mozart's father Leopold and his sister Nannerl) of Mozart's family, not just on the letters of Mozart. The author's hypothesis is that much can be learned about Mozart by learning about his family. This book strongly supports this hypothesis. Whereas Solomon (Mozart A Life) presents a rather grim, abusive, and almost criminal picture of Leopold Mozart, I believe that Halliwell's work more likely captures a truer flavor of his character: a very intelligent man concerned for his family, loving but autocratic, less creative than Mozart but still very arrogant, and very much concerned with finances - so much so that Leopold's actions likely adversely affected Mozart's ability to achieve court appointments. In many respects, Halliwell's interpretation of Leopold is similar to Solomon's, except that she suggests a less "criminal" motivation on Leopold's part. One thread that is woven throughout this book, moreso than in others, is the large role that the constant threat of illness and death played in the lives of the Mozart family. The authors hypothesis that this fear of leaving family unprovided for at death provided signficant motivtion for Leopold's actions is certainly plausible. I found, in particular, the chapters on Leopld and Nannerl to be very interesting. I also enjoyed the last several chapters of this book which dealt with the manner in which information was provided by Nannerl and Constanze to the various biographers of Mozart. All in all, I rate this work very highly. This work strengthens and adds family context to the works of Solomon (Mozart: A Life), Einstein (Mozrt: His character, his work), and Braunbehrens (Mozart in Vienna: 1781-1791).
Myth perpetuating.......1999-12-18
Biased toward the myth of the spoiled brat who *really" didn't deserve to accomplish what he did. Good for a giggle.
Was Wolfgang Really As Bad As All That?.......1998-05-28
Having just read the book "The Mozart Family: Four Lives in a Social Context", I think the subtitle should be changed to "Two Lives in a Social Context". The author lavishes a lot of attention and affection on the famous composer's father (Leopold) and his sister (Nannerl). Wolfgang Mozart is merely a shadowy presence in the background. The author has quite a different take on Leopold than that presented by Maynard Solomon in his book "Mozart: A Life". While Solomon was highly critical of the elder Mozart (Leopold had an extremely controlling nature, he was lying when he claimed to be in financial straits, he was overly critical of his son and he seemd to view Wolfgang as a "cash cow"), Halliwell is full of praise for Leopold (he was self-sacrificing, devoted, and justly worried about his son's irresponsible behavior). On the other hand, Halliwell hardly has one kind word for Wolfgang. He was thoughtless, deceitful, self-centered, and oblivious and uncaring about the problems of his father and sister. He thought the world revolved around him, and the expressions in his letters of love and tender concern for his father and sister were completely hollow.
Solomon makes you want to cry for Wolfgang Mozart, while Halliwell makes you want to cry for his father. Who is right ????
Customer Reviews:
Just to balance.......2002-04-23
I give one star to this book because I want to lower the five stars rating it had, a rating which pushed me to buy this book, to then be deceived.
When I read a book, I usually, after a few pages, start to have a glimpse of what the author is made of, and what he was thinking as he wrote that. I say usually, because good books, non-fiction that is, are not tainted by the author's personna, the subject is exposed in a clear, concise and timeless way.
On the 300 pages or so this book has, a quarter of it is filled with critics and age old revelations like just how bad TV can be for your brain activity, and the poor state of the public school system, another quarter is filled by reference to the original authors who first brought those opinions to the public arena, another quarter is filled by "what this book is not" and "what this book could be" and the rest is filled by quotations and practical ways to impliment his techniques, techniques that he can't express clearly, other than "problem solving", a technique that can be found more clearly and concisely written in other books and filled with necessary exercises for you to grasp and impliment that technique, "How to solve it" by Polya is the best example. You get a few exercises at the end, typical brain teasers taken from other books, and a bibliography of the books he has used to build his system, but he warns you, "don't take these books as the last word on the subject", I think this phrase alone resume the overall shadow that floats over this book as you read it, here's more hints of why I found that book a desolation: He complains a few times about the low quantity of books on the subject of "thinking" he repeatedly wonders that it's maybe because there is no specific vocabulary attached to this "discipline" and he proceeds, you might have guessed, to create one, so that his book might one day become the reference of this "discipline" and be quoted by others in future generations, just like he quoted some from past generations.
This guy is sick, don't buy this book, unless you're looking for a friend to hold your hand.
Profoundly affected my life.......2001-11-03
I bought and read this book shortly after it was originally released nearly twenty years ago. After reading it, I referred to it as "My Bible". Yes, I was much younger, yet to this day, I feel it had greater impact on me than any other book I have read. And, the bibliography lead me to several more books that lead to an improvement in my thinking and my life. There are two reasons why I came to ... today and looked up this book. First, I was hoping that there might be a new edition of the book. Sadly, it doesn't appear so. Secondly, I am going to give this to my 21 year old niece as she begins her career and adult life.
Gives you meat. Enjoy the feast !.......2001-08-06
Reviewing this masterpiece is a challenge. The breadth of coverage, the depth of content and the time-tested durability of the ideas never cease to amaze me (I am still not able to find fault with or criticize any of the ideas presented in the book).
One reason why this book has not got the popularity it deserves might be the rather mudane and unimaginative title "Brain Power". When I first saw the unattractive cover and commomplace title, I almost ignored this as another pot-boiler promising impossible feats with the mind. It is my good fortune I bought it (and read it !).
Quoting from page 14, the six fuctional thinking skill categories covered by Albecht are:
1. Fact finding 2. Crap detecting 3. Thinking on your feet 4. Idea production 5. Problem solving and decision making 6. Happying.
This list encompasses almost everything you would wish to do well in the mental plane (at least in the everyday life of a well informed person, let us exclude scientists etc.). Facts form your knowledge, crap detecting helps you filter out the pseudo-facts, thinking on your feet helps you use your knowledge in day to day living, idea production equals creativity, problem solving and decision making is the utility that works on your knowledge in the most efficient manner to make choices with respect to objectives and finally happying spans the cerebral with the emotional. For a few dollars, that is quite a lot!
Other books cover similar ground (But I don't think they cover ALL of this). Albrecht's achievement is to bring together in one place the results of reserach and strong common sense thinking on each topic. Although the ideas may not be entirely original (thinking skills is an area where everyone might have said something correct), I found many of them for the first time here and didn't find them in so many other similar books I have read. Instead of just being a collector of ideas, Albrecht polishes the ideas and adds fertiliser with quotations, anecdotes, cross-references, puzzles and exercises, that eventually the dry core of the result of an academic study or a familiar common-sense approach becomes a powerful, high-horsepower thought vehicle which you can marshal the next time you have a problem. Also, you learn to recognise situations in terms of the categories discussed. This is invaluable in helping you apply the ideas on a regular basis.
Albrecht also takes the distinguishing approach that intelligence and emotions are NOT meant to be two water-tight compartments. All along he emphazises how good thinking skills can lead to a better quality life, better relationships with others, higher self-esteem and more happiness. In fact, he only discusses ideas that will be of use in the real world of a common man.
The book has a brief but very relevant bibliography and Recommended Reading List. I love the quotations before the start of each sub-topic (for example, "Wisdom is knowing what to do next", "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as you please"). You will want to read many of the recommended books.
So, if you want to get a grip on this thing called thinking, if you want to figure out what your mind is doing most of the time, and then do those things better, then this book is a great starting point.
5 Golden Shining Stars !
- Muthukumar
Rare book of its kind!!!.......1999-06-15
This book provides comprehensive thinking skills by effectively using your common sense and also teaches techniques how to avoid falling your self victim to manipulation and exploitation based on scientific approach.. Read And Implement ..see the difference..
If you are interested in how to think read this book!.......1999-05-24
The absolute best book I have ever read concerning thinking techniques. It gives concrete examples along with practical suggestions as to how you can put these techniques to work for you.
Book Description
Once more the "unconventional" Peters stimulates corporate thought processes. Along with the best of his columns, Peters includes questions and rebuttals that come from readers and listeners, as well as his own candid responses. A "must" read for every business person.
Customer Reviews:
SAVE THE ONE CENT YOU CAN BUY IT FOR ON AMAZON USED.......2007-08-08
Save your time and the one cent and read Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance
and prepare for the 21st Century global economy with solid sanity.
WOW!.......2007-05-14
I can't put it down! I love his honesty, his say it like you see it and his human approach. Not sure what else to say. It's on my top 10 list.
Okay -- But more like tips.........2007-01-21
This book is okay to read, but while I started reading this book seriously to read it all at once, I just oculdn't do it at once. It took me lot longer to finish this book than most others -- compared to the size of the book, not because the content is bad, but the way it has been written.
Don't get me wrong this book is not a waste of time or money, and in fact, points delivered out of this book are well stuck to my brain that I use it regularly, but when you are reading a "Tips" book, it is hard to remember continuously everything thing and use it, so you have to stop and read some other time -- more like reading Gita/Bible/Qaran -- Absolutely fantastic words of wisdom, but can't swallow it all at once and by the time your each the end, it is lot longer..
I was thinking between a 4 star and 5 star for this book, but it ended up with 4 star, because, I didn't intend this book to be written this way -- better set of examples/anectodes would have made the book more interesting to read and remmeber the points easier, forever.
Amazing how current this book still is -- WOW is right!.......2006-06-26
You may know Peters from his classic book IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE...business visionary and seminar leader. This book moves him and you into the cyberstage era. As it says on the back cover -- getting to excellence is not enuf --you have to leap and leap again and then catapault their imagaination-- blow their mindsets (hmm that's a 90's word) and knock off their Nikes...It's the wowers who will win in this brazen world. Women will love his milk, cookies and managing people chapter-- after all isn't that a stereotype-- the woman boss who brings in the goodies for the staff meeting....He covers hundreds of ideas here and disperses praise generously from Mary Kay for her MLM incentive program to the guy who keeps a clean bathroom at his gas station...Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way-- says Ted Turner and quoted by Peters...What Peters got right and remember this book was written back in 1994 is the irreverance to the corporate store....and the flattening of the pyramid...and the importance of small biz-- he talks to 11 entrepreneurs. Buy it used ...it's great to have on your shelf when you can't figure out what to do next as the boss of them or the boss of YOU!...Enjoy....fun airport reading....especially after a difficult meeting or maybe even before one.....
Tom Peters The Pursuit of Wow! A Life-Changing Book that Catalyzes "Think Different"..........2006-03-11
I read this as I was both deeply immersed in running two companies, and looking for a way to quickly inspire myself, and my teams.
Tom does a great job at that... and not just milliseconds of inspiration, a la the typical business guru "Fad of the Month Club", but if you look beneath the surface there are some phenomenal epiphanies that can be magically applied to any business.
Sure, Tom makes a lot of noise... but take it as simply an extension of his introspection (no excuses for ego here... just a reflection on the process). What may appear as self absorbtion to a few, is most likely just a natural flow of his ability to see and feel and share everything around him. It's that insight that makes him a great teacher: his head-heart connection is there, and the ability to communicate those things is a great gift.
At a client of mine, PRWeb.com, you'll find this book in action in every corner of the business. And if you visit, you'll see an exceptional fast-growth business that is a model for Web 2.0 firms everywhere. So Tom Peter's Pursuit of WOW DNA extends past the page and into the minds and workstyles of this great business.
By the by: this is exceptional bathroom reading. The short, pity but inspiring reads are great for getting you off the pot and into action...
best of success!
Mark Alan Effinger
RichContent.com
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