Profiles of Power and Success: Fourteen Geniuses Who Broke the Rules

Customer Reviews:

Immensely entertaining as well as informative .......2004-08-14

This is another in a series of "Profiles of...." volumes in each of which Landrum focuses on exceptional men and women who have achieved great success after having overcome all manner of barriers, obstacles, and adversities. I was especially interested in this book because of the diversity of the 14 subjects examined: Napoleon Bonaparte, Walt Disney, Isadora Duncan, Amelia Earhart, Adolph Hitler, Howard Hughes, Maria Montessori, Rupert Murdoch, Edith Piaf, Pablo Picasso, Helena Rubenstein, Marquis de Sade, Nikola Tesla (more about him in a moment), and Frank Lloyd Wright. Let's pretend. What if you were asked to compile a list of those to be invited to a private dinner and you came up with these 14. Let's assume that there would be no language barriers and each was in her or his prime. What a lively evening that would be! Hopefully all of the guests would survive it.

With regard to Tesla (1856-1943), frankly I knew nothing about him until reading this book. According to Landrum, Tesla was "arguably the greatest inventive genius who ever lived. Some called him mad, others a genius, but everyone agreed that he was an enigmatic superman." His achievements include AC induction motors, first wireless (radio) transmission, fluorescent lights, solar engine, Tesla coil, VTOL, and concepts which led to the electron microscope, cosmic rays, guided missiles, and radar. He also predicted (in 1915) the inevitability of television and space satellites, with one of countless benefits being television reception via satellite. Given Tesla's obsessive-compulsive and megalomaniac behavior, he was presumably not always a pleasant fellow to be associated with but none can deny his importance in so many fields of scientific inquiry.

This is a thoroughly entertaining as well as an immensely informative book. Landrum devotes a separate chapter to each of "the fourteen geniuses who broke the rules." I especially appreciate his inclusion of 25 "Figures" which range from "Manic Achievers and Power Brokers" to "Twelve Principles of Instilling Creativity in Children." Great stuff.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Landrum's Profiles of Genius, Profiles of Female Genius, and Entrepreneurial Genius as well as Howard Gardner's Leading Minds: An Anatomy Of Leadership and Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi.

Good read but..........2000-06-24

Good read but not necessarily accurate. Nikola Tesla was ripped off by Edison after Tesla created the AC system of power distribution. This contradicts the title and purpose of the book. Better titled "Profiles of Brilliance". Overall though a facinating book with insight into some very smart people.

Book Description

Sosa helped put the spotlight back on major league baseball in the summer of '98. His record-setting season made him a media magnet and charm has made him a celebrity. Clearing the Vines is a paperback biography that takes sports fans from the Dominican streets where Sosa grew up, to his days in Wrigley Field where he has developed into a national hero.

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A Critique of Postmodernism

pretty good

Truth Under Seige

Good Book Critiquing Postmodernism

great writing, but...

Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype, and Spin
Os Guinness
Manufacturer: Baker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Guinness, Os | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0801064031
Release Date: 2002-02-01

Book Description

In postmodern society, truth no longer exists in any objective or absolute sense. At best, truth is considered relative. At worst, it's a matter of human convention. But, as Os Guinness points out in this book, truth is a vital requirement for freedom and a good life. Time for Truth urges readers to seek the truth, speak the truth, and live the truth. Guinness shows that becoming free and truthful people is the deepest secret of integrity and the highest form of taking responsibility for ourselves and our lives. Now in paperback, this engaging book will interest Os Guinness fans, thoughtful readers, and those concerned with moral, political, and cultural issues.

Customer Reviews:

A Critique of Postmodernism.......2007-03-25

His analysis of Bill Clinton in this volume as the poster-child of postmodernism is riveting. This book balances philosophy and Scripture wonderfully. Read it!

pretty good.......2006-08-29

This is a very good book about truth even for people without any religious beliefs. It contains many quotes from Greek and Roman philosophers and recent literary and political writers.

It reviews the recent history of the decline in the belief in absolute truth. I suspect that people at the bottom end of the intellectual scale, such as those who watch television, including PBS and NPR, and those who think that journalists tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth will have their beliefs strongly challenged.

Truth Under Seige.......2005-04-01

Truth is truly under attack in our times. That is what the profound thinker/author Guinness thoughtfully writes about in this work.

He is careful to contend continuously that he is not just making the case against the cognitive virus of postmodernism but against all systems and philosophies which seek to hijack the truth.

His conclusions are salient: the problem is the self. When self delegates truth to itself and self only, that is humanity's ultimate and only problem. It cannot start within us, but from outside from above.

While some including this reviewer appreciate and vibrate to his excellent illustrations from philosophy and literature (which would suggest five star review), many will be frustrated by this inclusions (thus three star or lower) resulting in my four star conclusion.

He does sprinkle in some current event type illustrations, e.g. Clinton but more of these would have helped the layperson to be more engaged with this excellent, penetrating delve into truth in the modern practice of it.

Good Book Critiquing Postmodernism.......2003-08-08

This is a short, pithy work on Postmodernism. Postmodernism is a detriment to society (at least most forms of it). Truth is no longer existent in our modern world. Guiness does a wonderful job showing the problems inherent of Postmodernism. I liked what he says about the Clinton scandal. It is not ironic that our first baby boomer president was our first Postmodern president.

I enjoyed most of this book, but I do think that it has some weaknesses. I wish he would have had more discussion in the Philosophical and Theological implications of Postmodernity, though. I enjoyed his emphasis on the socialogical implications, but I wish he would have gone more in depth into the other implications, as well. That is why I only gave the book 3 stars, but I do think Guiness accomplished every thing he meant to accomplish, namely a short pithy reponse to Postmodern America.

Since I originally revied this book, I have come to respect some Postmodern Philosophy (i.e. Heidegger). This book is more of a reaction to the negative aspects of Postmodernism, which would be relativity. This was a very good book, nevertheless.

great writing, but..........2003-07-20

Guinness has written a book that is quite uneven in its presentation. He uses many historical sources and quotations very effectively, and the first half of the book is amazingly lucid. The philosophical introduction to modernist and postmodernist thinking is excellent, and the book is worth reading for this alone.

Unfortunately, Guinness seems to believe that he can convince readers about the truth of Christianity, that God _is_ truth, in the final 60 pages. It ain't possible, at least for my agnostic tendencies. Guinness absolutely convinced me that many postmodern thoughts are dangerous, but the extension that a belief in the Bible is the cure...

I have to also say that the author couldn't resist running too far to the right, politically, in my opinion. I agree with just about everything Guinness says about former President Clinton, but what he doesn't say speaks volumes, to the detriment of this book. He is unequivocally negative about Clinton, never once relenting, even with regard to Clinton's own personal beliefs. (Always thought it was odd that Christians weren't more charitable about the Clintons.) Never once mentions Iran Contra, never once mentions Rush Limbaugh, never once... Well, you can probably figure out which side of center I sit on politically. With the rabid right-wing out there saying whatever they wish, and claiming that it is the _truth_ (based on the Bible, of course) without cessation, Guinness should have used more balance in his presentation of current events.

Even so, I very much enjoyed "Time for Truth." I learned a lot, and although it is clear that there is much more to learn after finishing it, that's likely to be very close to what Guinness intended.

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Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype & Spin
Os Guinness
Manufacturer: Baker Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Guinness, Os | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000PYF5UQ

Book Description

This BradyGames strategy guide has bios for each character, as well as their combos and move lists
Description of vehicles, including additional attributes and power-ups, give players the competitive advantage
Secrets, multi-player strategies, and detailed maps, complete with call-outs, are provided
Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense, the sequel to the very popular Vigilante 8, occurs after players time travel from the future back to the 70's. Players drive one of 18 vehicles, including an old tow truck, a stretch limo, and a garbage truck
Numerous modes of gameplay are available, such as Arcade mode, Quest mode, and two all new multi-player modes: Co-op mode and Grand Melee Deathmatch mode
Players are now able to upgrade their vehicles with an array of attributes that are earned by destroying other cars

Customer Reviews:

This guide is great!.......2000-07-03

I recently purchased this guide and it was invaluable in playing the game. The maps give exact locations and the pictures showing the objectives are clean and crisp. Well done!

Book Description

CMMI® (Capability Maturity Model® Integration) describes best practices for the development and maintenance of products and services across their entire lifecycle. By integrating essential bodies of knowledge, CMMI provides a single, comprehensive framework for organizations to assess their development and maintenance processes, implement improvements, and measure progress.

This book is a definitive reference for the most current release of CMMI (version 1.2). In the new edition, the authors have added tips, hints, and cross-references in the margins (in color) throughout the process areas to help you better understand, apply, and find more information about the content of the process areas. The book also now includes brief, insightful perspectives on CMMI written by people influential in the model’s creation, development, and transition. A new case study from Raytheon illustrates a real-world application of the model to a services organization. Whether you are new to CMMI or familiar with an earlier version, if you need to know about, evaluate, or put the latest version of CMMI into practice, this book is an essential resource.

The book is divided into three parts.

Part I offers the broad view of CMMI, beginning with basic concepts of process improvement. It describes the process areas, their components, and their relationships to each other. It explains the model’s two representations as well as paths to the adoption and use of CMMI for process improvement and benchmarking.

Part II, the bulk of the book, details the generic goals and practices and the twenty-two process areas now comprising CMMI. The process areas are organized alphabetically by acronym for easy look-up. Each chapter includes goals, best practices, and examples for a particular process area. The two CMMI representations are described so that you will easily see their similarities and differences and thereby be better able to choose the right approach for your organization.

Part III contains several useful resources, including CMMI-related references, acronym definitions, a glossary of terms, and an index.

Customer Reviews:

exactly as mentioned in the product description.......2007-08-09

i bought this product and it was exactly as mentioned in the product description before buying this product. the shipping was fast too and care was taken to ship the product carefully.

all in all a good and a trustworthy deal.

A wonderful yet dangerous Model.......2007-07-20

Much like the King James Bible and the Anarchist's Cookbook this book is dangerous in the wrong hands. When used properly the Model is a highly effective tool for measuring organizational maturity and for developing an organizational maturity roadmap. In the wrong hands it can actually hurt an organization. Typically this harm is manifested either by process wonks who zealously accept the Model at face value rather than interpreting it for their organization or by senior management and sales reps who don't understand the model and see maturity levels only as a means for business winning. I think this is a great Model, just remember, if you are going to use it, make sure your organizational needs drive your interpretation of model and not the other way around. And for all that is good and Holy, please read the entire book (specifically the section on Process Components)!

excellent reading.......2007-05-12

Gives an overview of the CMMI in the beginning and followed by detailed discussions. Ideal read for people to new to CMMI

An invaluable reference........2007-02-03

CMMI translates to Capability Maturity Model Integration and describes a set of recommended practices for developing and maintaining products throughout their life cycle, not just at the beginning. Its components include a basic overview of structure and idea, then a survey of the goals and practices of the 22 process areas comprising CMMI. The authors are part of a team central to CMMI development, so their technical combined knowledge offers advanced college-level computer holdings an invaluable reference.

CMMI Second Edition.......2007-01-15

Much easier to use than the first edition. Should be more helpful to a beginner to the CMMI process.

Cmmi Guidelines for Process Integration And Product Improvement

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Cmmi Guidelines for Process Integration And Product Improvement
Mary Beth Chrissis
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7EKDI

Amazon.com

Conventional child rearing in the wake of the Civil War could be aptly described as "spare the rod and spoil the child." Like slaves in the previous era, children were considered property, with no more rights than horses or dogs. With luck they were cared for and loved. Orphaned and raised in devastating poverty, young Mary Ellen Wilson was not so lucky. Out of the Darkness vividly details Mary Ellen's life as a captive in her Hell's Kitchen tenement. Left alone during the day to find her own playthings--a few strings and a pet spider named "Timmy"--the situation only became worse when her mother returned home to administer shockingly brutal daily beatings. More than a chronicle of one child's abuse, however, Out of the Darkness also documents her rescue--including the key role of the newly created American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. By drawing parallels between animal rights, Mary Ellen's case, and the end of slavery, Out of the Darkness illustrates how the end of the Civil War ushered in a profound shift in attitude--an acceptance that all living beings are capable of suffering and therefore deserve protection. This is a riveting read about a fascinating period. --Ginger Dzerk

Book Description

Based on a true story, this book recounts the life of Mary Ellen Wilson, the first abused child in America to be removed from her home. In 1874, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took steps to save the child when no one else would. The landmark case changed the course of child protection in America.

Customer Reviews:

READ THIS BOOK!!!.......2007-09-20

This book is a book that anyone who is considering a career in any type of child services needs to read. I myself am going into social services and this book made me realize what I will be seeing on a daily basis. Mary Ellen was such a brave little girl and I applaud her for surviving her early life!

Amazing.......2006-05-13

The book Out Of The Darkness is an awesome book. It shows the hard time that a little girl named Mary Ellen had to go threw. She has such a hard life, but in the end everything work out. I recommend this book for everybody. This is an outstanding book, everybody should read it.

If you've read this book, share your thoughts with others!.......2006-05-03

I'm Eric Shelman, co-author of Out of the Darkness. I just wanted to ask that if you buy this book, come on back and write a review of it when you're done. I've never had anything but positive feedback about it, but others can use YOUR personal experience with it to better judge it prior to purchasing. I thank all of you who have read and commented on our book.

A must read for all Human Service Workers.......2005-11-05

The authors of this book have created a wonderful window of understanding how child abuse/neglect has evolved over the years. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the human service field. Through the heart-felt story of Mary Ellen, we can see why there is such a strong need to protect children and continue to evolve for many more years. Thank you to Shelman & Lazoritz for telling such an important story.

A must read for social workers.......2005-06-27

Review of Out of the Darkness: The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson by Eric A. Shelman and Stephen Lazoritz, M.D. Dolphin Moon Publishing, 2003

I chose to review this book because it explains the job of a social worker in the early days of the profession. The book appealed to me as an author and advocate. Set in New York City immediately after the Civil War, this book offers a powerful story in a historical context. Using an original style that combines journalism with fiction, the writers completed a work of art that is based on a true story. The protagonist, Mary Ellen Wilson, was a real orphaned child who experienced devastating cruelty at the hands of the first woman to be tried and convicted of child abuse, Mary Connolly. The story climaxes when Etta Wheeler, a social worker; Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and Elbridge Gerry, ASPCA attorney, come together to rescue Mary Ellen. It's nearly inconceivable that animals were awarded victims' rights before children.

Thomas Wilson was an immigrant from Ireland who fled the potato famine to shuck oysters at a New York City hotel. In 1861 he married Frances Connor, an English immigrant who he'd met while she was a laundress at the hotel. While he was on the front lines during the Civil War, she gave birth to their daughter, named Mary Ellen. The year the child was born was the same year that Tom Wilson died in battle, 1864.

Frances found it difficult to work and care for her child, so she sought the services of a woman named Martha Score. Childcare for the working poor in the tenements of New York City provided meager nutrition and crowded conditions with no sanitation. However, Miss Score took good care of the baby while Frances worked long hours at the hotel. Travel through the tenements was treacherous at night, so Frances could not visit her child as often as she wished. After her husband died during battle, Fanny turned to alcohol for solace, leading to the loss of her job. Eventually, Fanny died in an "inebriate's asylum." When the war ended, working women returned to housekeeping as their husbands went to work. This left Miss Score with no income, thereby having to abandon the then two-year old Mary Ellen to Blackwell Island almshouse. Mary Ellen was illegally adopted to the evil Mrs. Connolly, where she suffered for seven years.

Etta Wheeler worked for St. Luke's Mission; she cared for the "outdoor poor" and frail elderly in the slums of the city. When neighbors spoke about the cries of a child called Mary Ellen, Miss Wheeler used all available resources to rescue Mary Ellen. However, she was often told by pastors, police, and lawyers to not interfere in the family's business. Undaunted by the advice, Etta persisted in her rescue efforts, eventually aided by Henry Bergh of the ASPCA. In 1874, with police assist, Mary Ellen was carried out of the abusive home, covered with a horse blanket provided by the ASPCA. The court proceedings set a precedent: "There had never been a recognized way to remove a child from an unfit home." The jury trial resulted in felony assault charges against Mrs. Connolly.

Etta Wheeler's sister, who lived on a farm in upstate New York, legally adopted Mary Ellen. Etta continued her social work in the tenements of New York City, where she was needed most. Mary Ellen eventually married, and her daughters spoke of their mother's burns and cuts that never fully healed. However, Mary Ellen lived until the age of ninety-two, surviving her husband by thirty-one years. Meanwhile, Mr. Bergh founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Mr. Gerry was responsible for forming the initial laws pertaining to the rights of children.

This story will cause the reader to wince at the cruelty and rejoice at the rescue. Perhaps the most poignant message in the book comes with the ending: "Perhaps we should see Mary Ellen not as the victim of abuse, but as the survivor, and as a persistent reminder that the efforts of a few people on behalf of one child can make a real difference." As a social worker, that is my hope.

Book Description

With its radical ideology and effective tactics, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was the cutting edge of the civil rights movement during the 1960s. This sympathetic yet even-handed book records for the first time the complete story of SNCC's evolution, of its successes and its difficulties in the ongoing struggle to end white repression.

At its birth, SNCC was composed of black college students who shared an ideology of moral radicalism. This ideology, with its emphasis on nonviolence, challenged Southern segregation. SNCC students were the earliest civil rights fighters of the Second Reconstruction. They conducted sit-ins at lunch counters, spearheaded the freedom rides, and organized voter registration, which shook white complacency and awakened black political consciousness. In the process, Carson shows, SNCC changed from a group that endorsed white middle-class values to one that questioned the basic assumptions of liberal ideology and raised the fist for black power. Indeed, SNCC's radical and penetrating analysis of the American power structure reached beyond the black community to help spark wider social protests of the 1960s, such as the anti-Vietnam War movement.

Carson's history of SNCC goes behind the scene to determine why the group's ideological evolution was accompanied by bitter power struggles within the organization. Using interviews, transcripts of meetings, unpublished position papers, and recently released FBI documents, he reveals how a radical group is subject to enormous, often divisive pressures as it fights the difficult battle for social change.

Customer Reviews:

What would the US be like without them?.......2002-11-16

This book is a great account of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, which was started in 1960 in regard to Segregation on Americas buses and in the Woolworth dining room. This book leaves out no account, and anyone who had anything to do with the movement and SNCC is mentioned in this book. Carson went all out, and I think this book should be required reading in every Civil Rights History course.

Great analysis of black empowerment.......2001-01-19

This book traces the rise and fall of SNCC:the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. At the time Carson wrote it, it was one of the few books on the Civil Rights Movement that didn't focus on Martin Luther King and SCLC, and as such provided a welcome addition, even corrective, to the mainstream narrative of the movement. It is also a brilliant analysis of the dynamics of a reform movement and the tensions between leader centered and group centered styles of leadership. The analysis of Bob Moses and his approach to grass roots empowerment is right on target and provides a whole new way for thinking about Freedom Summer and organizing in Mississippi. This book is not for the fainthearted--its academic prose is dense at times and details can be a little confusing for those unfamiliar with SNCC personnel, hence four stars and not five. Nonetheless, it's worth taking time with, and I assign this book regularly for upper level directed studies and recommend it to students for research papers. Whether or not SNCC's achievements were compromised by the antics of former members in the 80s and 90s, Carson's book is a great analysis of its formation, tactics, and dissolution.

SNCC Comes Full Circle.......1999-04-26

In Struggle recounts the progression of the SNCC from its early days of assimilationism and conventional middle class values, through its radical and militant period, its separatist and provocative period, and then back again into conventionalism and low-level activism. Many SNCC members during its radical period, debated whether the victim should become the executioner. Instead, the victim becomes part of the system, such as Marion Barry's accession to the mayor's office in Washington, D.C. And the idealism of the movement went out the window as well, when in the 1990s much more mundane pursuits took over Barry's life, including crack cocaine and prostitutes. One reason for the winding-down of the SNCC may stem from the conditions that spawned it. Under an oppressive system of the Jim Crow South, the SNCC had a common enemy to fight, and clear goals to achieve. Once the 1964 Civil Rights Act had been passed, and subsequent advances were made at the legislative level, the goals and mission became less clear and less defined. Now that so much had been achieved, the SNCC began to fight amongst itself as each faction attempted to secure ever smaller slices of the revolutionary pie. The cautious liberalism of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations proved fatal to the more ambitious fervor of the SNCC; the legislation acted almost as a safety valve, relieving the pressure that had encouraged the formation of the SNCC. SNCC students were, in their heyday, overcompensating for all the resentment they had from being historically marginalized and held down. SNCC members had discovered their voice and used it passionately, but once people started listening to them, SNCC found itself in the position of not knowing what to say.

Average customer rating:

A book that will bring you closer to your mind.

Metaphors vs. knowledge

Alchemical magic and delight

Great book to stimulate the imagination, but some errors and other problems

A portrait of the mind

An Alchemy of Mind: The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain
Diane Ackerman
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Neuropsychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0743246748

Book Description

Does the mind reflect or dictate what the body sees and feels? What is the language of emotion? Is memory a function of our imaginations? Are we all just out of our minds?

In this ambitious and enlightening work, Diane Ackerman combines an artist's eye with a scientist's erudition to illuminate the magic and mysteries of the human brain. With An Alchemy of Mind, she offers an unprecedented exploration of the mental fantasia in which we spend our days. In addition to explaining memory, thought, emotion, dreams, and language acquisition, Ackerman reports on the latest discoveries in neuroscience and addresses such controversial subjects as the effects of trauma, nature versus nurture, and male versus female brains. In prose that is not simply accessible but also beautiful and electric, Ackerman distills the hard, objective truths of science in order to yield vivid, anecdotal explanations about a range of existential questions regarding consciousness and the nature of identity.

Customer Reviews:

A book that will bring you closer to your mind........2007-03-23

This is not a typical book on the brain, or on the hammer and anvil of neuroscience. It is a blend of prose, poetry, and fact; the writer's imagination weaving it with the science and the human aspect of being both inside as well as outside the brain. This is clear at the very first glance at the contents: For example the first 5 chapters are grouped under "Miracle Waters", which she explains in the next line, is about "Evolution". The chapters are similarly clothed. For example the title of chapter 5 is "Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines", which is explained to be about "The unconscious; how it collaborates with the conscious mind".

Very few people have the golden ink with which Diane Ackerman is gifted. If you are picking this up for a casual read, you won't be disappointed. If you take the ideas home and she makes you think, I won't be surprised. Sometimes the dollar tag on objects can hardly define the value, and in this case, whatever the value you pay, you will be paid back many times over.

The science of the mind and the brain is still in its infancy, and I would not pick on the veracity of some of the facts as a detractor to recommending this book. The target audience are not subject matter experts. The technical treatment has been intentionally hidden beneath the accessible prose, and some readers who may have expected more details in a more transparent manner, as most are accustomed to, may feel misled. To these readers I must say, let variety replace the monotony we are all used to. If you must need the dry gritty sands go look for it in the desert, if you are looking for an oasis, you have arrived.

Metaphors vs. knowledge.......2007-02-05

Reading Diane Ackerman is always like entering a high octane bubble of some kind, being transported into a new and rarified atmosphere. It is astonishing how her imagination can fuse at every turn these hard gems of metaphor, can leap across the chasms that keep our more pedestrian meanings apart. One has presented to him/her in her writing not only new and interesting facts (often about animals and other beings that inhabit the natural world) but new and unaccustomed ways of thinking about things. Her work is testimony to the power of imagination and its ability, not only to delight, but to advance new perspectives and understanding.

But the subject she has chosen in this book - - mind, consciousness - -shows the limitation of metaphor, I think, as no other subject can. At the end of all this magic, we are still faced with the "hard" problem of how brain doings can get transformed into mind doings. The reductionists she relies on - - Dennett, Damasio, Searle - - have no clue. So perhaps it's time to turn to the other approach: instead of believing that "the mind is in the brain" (leading straightaway into physicalistic reduction), posit that "the brain is in the mind" (in the sense that "brain" is always either percept or concept, and these are mental entities). A phenomenological approach devolves from this direction, and I believe that we can gain from it not only a much healthier respect for mind and its phenomena, but genuine understanding as well.

Alchemical magic and delight.......2007-01-14

As the alchemists from a time past, Ackerman observes, concocts, and maybe even lets herself mislead in her attempt to turning brain science research to poetry. Today, those alchemists are often characterized as liars, charlatans, and poseurs - though many of our greatest thinkers and observers of nature, such as Isaac Newton, Roger Bacon and Saint Thomas Aquinas, sought its quest. Many hard scientists may view Ackerman's alchemy with the same suspicions. Still, there is more than enough insight and informed science in her piece to lead the uninitiated to go off on his and her own to contemplate and search deeper into the workings of the human brain. For those new to neuroscience, and for many of you who are not, you may find yourself tingling with sheer delight to the interweaving of science and poetry.

An Alchemy of Mind was one of the first books I'd read in neuroscience. Ackerman's textured language and metaphors inspired in me a more thorough search not only into neuroscience, but also genetics, human prehistory, and cognitive neuroscience. True scientists and researchers like Robert Sapolsky, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, and Brian Fagan are now prominent in my studies, in large part due to Ackerman's brilliance in sweet-talking me to a place of comfort with the words, language, mechanisms, and concepts of brain science.

Yes, when I return to her work, I can now see the errors, the omissions, and sometimes over-stretched metaphors. Still, when I do come back to An Alchemy of Mind, which I find myself doing quite often, it's like sitting in front of a favorite magician and asking her to dazzle me with her slight-of-hand yet one more time simply for the love of how she churns my thoughts while contemplating the wonder of it all.

Great book to stimulate the imagination, but some errors and other problems.......2006-09-13

In AN ALCHEMY OF MIND, Diane Ackerman takes on the mystery of the brain and she is successful in captivating the imagination and provoking the right kind of questions about its mysteries.

The other reviewers are correct to point out that there are some errors and bad science. However, there is also much good science and the book accomplishes its goal of sparking us to appreciate our brains in a different way.

Diane Ackerman has an excellent command of words and a very lyrical style that engages the emotions. Her explanations and examples are clear and poignant.

While this might not be the best book for understanding the brain at the deepest levels, it is certainly a worthwhile read for the average person. It is a relatively light read and it will certainly prompt more curiosity.

Despite some errors and bad science, I recommend this book for its ability to deepen understanding of this very difficult to approach topic. While it is not perfect, there is much excellent and accurate content. Think of it as a novel about the brain, which is mostly accurate, but there is some poetic license in play. If you are a hard core scientist or scientific type, there are other books which you would enjoy much more.

Another book about the brain that I recently read was the FEMALE BRAIN. I highly recommend this to anyone, but it's a deeper exploration and although it's fairly light, it's not as light or readable as this. It also contains a lot of information on males despite the title.

A portrait of the mind.......2006-02-24

I really enjoyed reading "Alchemy of the Mind" and found it enlightening. Reading the previous reviews it seems that a number of people were expecting something different -a hard-science overview. While this book is based on both science and experience it's purpose is not to teach you the biological basis or behavior - if that is what you are after, I highly recommend Sapolsky's course by the Teaching Company.
What is valuable about this book is that it is an artist's view - Diane melds her own life experiences with what we know about the mind to paint a picture as she sees it, and in doing so she makes you think.
The most cogent criticisms are leveled at her accuracy and sources, but to me this is nitpicking in view of the aims of the book. For example Paul Pomeroy says: She makes references to theories that are not at all widely accepted (from ESP to...). Either Paul or I misread her book because when she wrote about telepathy, my understanding was that she by no means was invoking ESP as an explanation, but referred instead to highly sharpened reading of bodily and facial cues. Other criticisms including things like inaccurate quotes. Even if correct, none of these in any way alter the view we are being offered, or the value of its insights.
In many ways we are really similar to our closest animal relatives, something Diane portrays well. In this book at least, she touches on, but does not explore in very great depth the huge gap that also exists, which I would think is because we are actually part of a human super-organism which has become way more powerful at processing information than anything that has existed before. This is very hard to accept because our feelings of individuality are so strong.
We live in an amazing age. Science is beginning to do what religion has failed to do miserably for thousands of years - give us a true sense of ourselves and our place in the cosmos, and to let us know just who we are and why we are here. Far from making our lives "meaningless" as one religious reviewer said, it is giving many of us a wonderful sense of satisfaction and awe. Diane's book is a clear illustration of this.

An Alchemy of Mind: the Marvel and Mystery of the Brain

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An Alchemy of Mind: the Marvel and Mystery of the Brain
Diane Ackerman
Manufacturer: Scribner Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N74AJW

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Offers new insights into the study of social organisation and its effect on the environment. This groundbreaking volume is an essential resource for students and researchers of IR, Environmental studies and Political Economy.

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