was first published in 1933 it still holds relevance to a contemporary audience. One major theme running through several speeches is that many people seem to inherently want to believe in something spiritual, though this certainly does not necessarily imply mainstream religion such as Christianity. We only have to visit a new age bookshop packed with Buddhist and other Asian philosophic texts, not to mention esoteric volumes on spirits, magic and psychic phenomena, to realize that many people are 'looking for something in their lives.' Of course not all of us have spirituality as an issue or problem and Jung at one point goes to some trouble to point this out. Some are hung up on sex, other on power, etc. In these cases a psychology other than Jung's analytical psychology is recommended.
Still Timely and Timeless.......2007-01-05
Someone said in a review that this book isn't applicable for people alive today, that it was only relevant back when it was written a little over 60 years ago.
I can't disagree more. The book is just as relevant now, if not more so.
In one of the essays from this book, Jung accurately predicted today's raging "cultural battles" between proponents of so called "ID" theory and those who espouse Evolution, when he said, correctly, that natural science has for all practical purposes shot down the whole notion of anything "magical" or "supernatural" about the psyche. It's puzzling that in light of the overwhelming mountain of scientific evidence to the contrary, a vast majority of people in the U.S. still believe in "eternal life", and "heaven" and "hell".
Maybe if those who believe in whatever religion they think is the only true religion could loosen up a little, and realize that all religions are organized, but slightly different interpretations of our collective conscious handed down to us through the ages, we might not have problems like 9/11 and ongoing wars, not to mention the ugly politics in this country, all driven by the sentiment "My God is the only right God".
While indirectly discounting the ideas of "heaven" and "hell", as those terms, or their endless variations are commonly defined in most of the world's religions, Jung does point out that there is still a mysterious quality about thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. separate and apart from "reason". Maybe that "spot" is where the "soul" or "spirit" truly resides.
If there were a way for people to find this within themselves, they might just find "God" at last. And if this type of personal, inward looking belief system could be more widely developed, we, as humans, might find better ways to get along.
Not to rain on anyone's religious parade, but the religions "du jour" (or of the current times), will be no more relevant millenia from now (or sooner?) than the religions espoused by the Greeks, the Romans, the Zoroastrians, Druids, or the Pagans before us.
Having said that, we're damned if we have religion and damned if we don't (no pun intended), because one argument that Jung makes for religion being beneficial for society is that if we didn't have religion, God only knows whether we'd all kill each other or not (once again, no pun intended).
Jung's bottom line argument is that you're not going to find God in your local synagogue, church, temple, or mosque, in spite of our collective conscious efforts being channeled toward those places.
Insightful Analytical Psychology.......2004-10-19
A very insightful and meaningful book, 11 intriguing essays in 244 pages. Jung is a deeper thinker, and I think not reductive like Freud and Adler tended to be. He makes no claim to dogmatism or absolutes. Jung really hits on the psyche and transcends the borders of rational intelligence into areas of the unconscious expressions in symbolism and images.
I am going to argue against another reviewer here that gave this book 4 stars as being outdated. When I look at the present collective societal structure and current cultural pattern apart from the minority of advanced individuals, I can see the postmodern man has regressed far from the modern man of the 1930's in search of a soul. Of course there as been advances individually, but on a collective level; fundamentalism, religious literalism, nationalism, patriotism and one-sided thinking This has grown in major proportions as opposed to the other way around and it is far more serious than most even realize and patterns after historical events of very similiar nature.
The first essay on dream-analysis hits on the idea that dreams are very hard to interpret and suggests that understanding the circumstances and conditions of the conscious life is significant in relation to the dreams of the unconscious life.
On the problems of psychotherapy, Jung relates four stages of analytical psychology, the confessional, explanation, education and transformation
"The great decisions of human life have as a rule far more to do with the instincts and other mysterious unconscious factors than with conscious will and well-meaning reasonableness. The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases. Each of us carries his own life-form - an indeterminable form which cannot be superseded by any other." p. 61
The essay on the personality types is short, non-exhaustive and briefly relates Jung's ideas of the introvert, the extrovert and the 4 basic types consisting of those persons who are thinkers, feelers, sensory and intuitive.
In his essay on the stages of life, Jung ventures beyond childhood into early adulthood and the expansion of the self into sexual desires and masculine and feminine traits and how after somewhere in the 40's there begins a contraction of the self where men may acquire more feminine traits and women more masculine. In the second half of life less is needed to educate his conscious will but more aim towards the inner being, until old age where one leaves the rational self and retreats into the psyche as children yet in a different sense.
Jung acknowledges the validity of Freud and Adler and their valuable contributions, yet Jung sees Freud's sexual reduction to all neurosis as limiting, as well as Adler's will to power over inferiority as the sole cause. Both views have proven themselves as valid in many cases, yet Jung finds there is far much more levels in what he calls "value intensities," which underlie many complexes.
Jung also briefly goes into the archaic man's interpretation of all chance events having external meanings and causes, or as causal occurrences and the contrast of the modern man's ability to see the majority of chance and unexplainable events as the human imagination, as the perception of the human. Also the same ability of assumptions in the archaic man, can be seen in the modern who uses science as the foundation over the supernatural.
Jung's essay on psychology and literature is my favorite essay. It hits on something I both think of and am affected by almost every day. I found this entirely meaningful and very much profound. In this he writes of two types of writers; those that explain all they write of and those that have visions where their writing is obscure and needs the psychologist to read into. It is those visionaries that are the most inspiring. Here there exists those as in The Shepherd of Hermas, in Dante, in the second part of Faust, in Nietzsche's Dionysian exuberance, in Wagner's Nihelungenriing, in Spitteler's Olympischer Fruhling, in the poetry of William Blake, in the lpnerotomachia of the monk Francesco Colonna, and in Jacob Boehme's philosophic and poetic stammerings.
Jung speaks of the human intuition that points to things that are unknown and hidden, and by our very nature are secret and that throughout human history this unfathomable primordial source of creative experience been expressed in images, as in the sun-wheel, in attempting to point to this. The artist and poet will resort to mythology and images which only appear to occur in dreams, cases of insanity, narcotic states and eclipses of consciousness.
"A great work of art is like a dream; for all its apparent obviousness it does not explain itself and is never unequivocal. A dream never says; "you ought," or "this is the truth." It presents an image in much the same way as nature allows a plant to grow, and we must draw our own conclusions." p. 171
I really can't even begin to touch on all the vital, significant and soul inspiring information that is loaded in the pages of this book and I think as I try I am taking away from what's written far better than what I'll ever write. I recommend this book.
An excellent work, but one problem.......2004-05-25
This is an excellent introduction to Jungian psychology - it's well presented, clear, concise, and full of information. It proved in my case to be very stimulating, and I found myself pondering the ideas presented for some time.
Why then, do I award only four stars? Because the title is no longer appropriate. It is not a book exclusively about modern man, but rather, about man as he was seventy years ago. Some of the concepts seem to describe very accurately the state of mind that mankind was experiencing in Jung's time, but today they won't be observed with any great consistency - they are no longer appropriate. That being said, the book outlines the general principles in such a logical way that one may apply them to the world around them, seeing the similarities and differences between Jung's world and their own for themselves.
Worthwhile reading for anyone interested in psychology, or simply expanding their view of life - puts a wide range of life's issues in perspective.
A rich and filling anthology.......2003-10-18
The eleven chapters in this work are lectures (except for one) delivered by Jung prior to 1933 (date of publication of this book). For those of you who already own some or most of Jung's Collected Works (CW), it may be unnecessary to purchase this title. I found this out too late since in my haste I failed to check the table of contents graciously provided for by Amazon on this web page. So for the benefit of those who are intending to buy this title I have listed below all the chapters and the corresponding volume of the CW where these same essays can be found (note: translations in this work and those in the CW may differ slightly as exemplified by the change in the title of the first chapter).
Table of Contents
1. Dream Analysis in Its Practical Application
["The Practical Use of Dream Analysis", in CW 16]
2. Problems of Modern Psychotherapy
[in CW 16]
3. The Aims of Psychotherapy
[in CW 16]
4. A Psychological Theory of Types
[in CW 6 (one of the four essays in the appendix)]
5. The Stages of Life
[in CW 8]
6. Freud and Jung--Contrasts
[in CW 4]
7. Archaic Man
[in CW 10]
8. Psychology and Literature
[in CW 15]
9. The Basic Postulates of Analytical Psychology
[in CW 8]
10. The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man
[in CW 10]
11. Psychotherapists or the Clergy
[in CW 11]
Notwithstanding the fact that all chapters can be found in the CW, this anthology of Jung's essays is a rich and filling smorgasbord of his thoughts, ideas, theories, and opinions about the psyche around the time he was 50. Although I am disappointed that I purchased a title I practically don't need (having a good number of the CW already) I can hardly give this anthology less than five stars. Nearly all of Jung's works deserve nothing less.
And whether you're new to Jung or not, a must-read is his _Memories, Dreams, Reflections_, a work that he undertook during the last few years of his life, one which is definitely not to be found in the CW.
Average customer rating:
|
Modern Man in Search of a Soul
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace and World
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FJ7IZG |
Customer Reviews:
Problem of the soul.......2007-09-11
This book contains eleven lectures given to the general public on various occasions on a variety of topics. Taken together they sum up much of Jung's analytical psychology, covering the subjects:
dream analysis,
problems of psychotherapy,
aims of psychotherapy,
theory of types,
stages of life,
contrasts between Freud and Jung,
archaic man,
psychology and literature,
basic postulates (i.e. philosophic notions) of analytical psychology,
spiritual problem of modern man, and,
psychotherapists or the clergy.
Jung's professional writings can be a hard read being long and difficult to follow. There is none of that problem in this work. Here Jung is clear as a bell. The book is highly recommended for those beginning their inquiry into Jung.
Although
was first published in 1933 it still holds relevance to a contemporary audience. One major theme running through several speeches is that many people seem to inherently want to believe in something spiritual, though this certainly does not necessarily imply mainstream religion such as Christianity. We only have to visit a new age bookshop packed with Buddhist and other Asian philosophic texts, not to mention esoteric volumes on spirits, magic and psychic phenomena, to realize that many people are 'looking for something in their lives.' Of course not all of us have spirituality as an issue or problem and Jung at one point goes to some trouble to point this out. Some are hung up on sex, other on power, etc. In these cases a psychology other than Jung's analytical psychology is recommended.
Average customer rating:
|
America Uncensored - A Nation in Search of Its Soul
Michael A. Nichols
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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ASIN: 1412019907
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Book Description
Do you really think that those strange things happening to you are someone\'s idea of a joke? America Uncensored will reveal that your experiences are no joke.
Customer Reviews:
Problem of the soul.......2007-09-07
This book contains eleven lectures given to the general public on various occasions on a variety of topics. Taken together they sum up much of Jung's analytical psychology, covering the subjects:
dream analysis,
problems of psychotherapy,
aims of psychotherapy,
theory of types,
stages of life,
contrasts between Freud and Jung,
archaic man,
psychology and literature,
basic postulates (i.e. philosophic notions) of analytical psychology,
spiritual problem of modern man, and,
psychotherapists or the clergy.
Jung's professional writings can be a hard read being long and difficult to follow. There is none of that problem in this work. Here Jung is clear as a bell. The book is highly recommended for those beginning their inquiry into Jung.
Although
was first published in 1933 it still holds relevance to a contemporary audience. One major theme running through several speeches is that many people seem to inherently want to believe in something spiritual, though this certainly does not necessarily imply mainstream religion such as Christianity. We only have to visit a new age bookshop packed with Buddhist and other Asian philosophic texts, not to mention esoteric volumes on spirits, magic and psychic phenomena, to realize that many people are 'looking for something in their lives.' Of course not all of us have spirituality as an issue or problem and Jung at one point goes to some trouble to point this out. Some are hung up on sex, other on power, etc. In these cases a psychology other than Jung's analytical psychology is recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Problem of the soul.......2007-09-11
This book contains eleven lectures given to the general public on various occasions on a variety of topics. Taken together they sum up much of Jung's analytical psychology, covering the subjects:
dream analysis,
problems of psychotherapy,
aims of psychotherapy,
theory of types,
stages of life,
contrasts between Freud and Jung,
archaic man,
psychology and literature,
basic postulates (i.e. philosophic notions) of analytical psychology,
spiritual problem of modern man, and,
psychotherapists or the clergy.
Jung's professional writings can be a hard read being long and difficult to follow. There is none of that problem in this work. Here Jung is clear as a bell. The book is highly recommended for those beginning their inquiry into Jung.
Although
was first published in 1933 it still holds relevance to a contemporary audience. One major theme running through several speeches is that many people seem to inherently want to believe in something spiritual, though this certainly does not necessarily imply mainstream religion such as Christianity. We only have to visit a new age bookshop packed with Buddhist and other Asian philosophic texts, not to mention esoteric volumes on spirits, magic and psychic phenomena, to realize that many people are 'looking for something in their lives.' Of course not all of us have spirituality as an issue or problem and Jung at one point goes to some trouble to point this out. Some are hung up on sex, other on power, etc. In these cases a psychology other than Jung's analytical psychology is recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Problem of the soul.......2007-09-11
This book contains eleven lectures given to the general public on various occasions on a variety of topics. Taken together they sum up much of Jung's analytical psychology, covering the subjects:
dream analysis,
problems of psychotherapy,
aims of psychotherapy,
theory of types,
stages of life,
contrasts between Freud and Jung,
archaic man,
psychology and literature,
basic postulates (i.e. philosophic notions) of analytical psychology,
spiritual problem of modern man, and,
psychotherapists or the clergy.
Jung's professional writings can be a hard read being long and difficult to follow. There is none of that problem in this work. Here Jung is clear as a bell. The book is highly recommended for those beginning their inquiry into Jung.
Although
was first published in 1933 it still holds relevance to a contemporary audience. One major theme running through several speeches is that many people seem to inherently want to believe in something spiritual, though this certainly does not necessarily imply mainstream religion such as Christianity. We only have to visit a new age bookshop packed with Buddhist and other Asian philosophic texts, not to mention esoteric volumes on spirits, magic and psychic phenomena, to realize that many people are 'looking for something in their lives.' Of course not all of us have spirituality as an issue or problem and Jung at one point goes to some trouble to point this out. Some are hung up on sex, other on power, etc. In these cases a psychology other than Jung's analytical psychology is recommended.
Average customer rating:
|
New Challenges in Recreation and Tourism Planning (Developments in Landscape Management and Urban Planning)
H. N., Ed. van Lier
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science Publishing Company
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0444898492 |
Book Description
This book puts forth new challenges and new methods for the planning of outdoor recreation and tourism. The first two chapters offer a description of the problems which the public and the private sectors are facing. Following chapters deal with several aspects of the problems, including trends and changes in outdoor recreation and tourism, previous policies of planning for recreation and tourism, shortcomings in policies and actions, and new approaches in several countries, such as the United States, France, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Finally, the book gives examples of new methods and approaches for the planning of outdoor recreation and tourism. These methods are demonstrated with specific areas or projects from the aforementioned countries.
This book will be invaluable to all those who bear the responsibility of providing human beings with possibilities and facilities to spend their free time in their own desired way, namely landscape and urban planners, conservationists, and landscape ecologists.
Book Description
This sequel to Dim-Mak: Death-Point Striking reveals more about training, points, revival and healing. Learn street survival techniques, including knife defense, using simple dim-mak methods, plus knockout and controlling points for law enforcement and dim-mak points for children. For information purposes only.
Customer Reviews:
An Interesting Read.......2006-09-16
The book followed the following general format. The author's explanation of his art, his opinions on being a martial artist, basis stances, illustrations of dim mark (or pressure point) strikes for control and potential death, his opinions on health and nutrition, and his philosophy on teaching children martial arts. There were less than 200 pages on dim mak (or pressure points) and the rest were focused on the author's opinions and philosophy.
I gave this book three stars primarily because the book focused too much on his philosophy and opinions instead of focusing on dim mak. Moreover, the illustrations and diagrams were not as detailed as I had expected.
I think this book is an interesting read and would complement such books as, "The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak" which the author of the book under review also appears to have recommended. The aforementioned book is one that I owe and I use as a reference.
the rewiew.......2004-05-16
This book is over 300 pages and has a lot of diagrams. The diadvantage of the book is it is very complicated to learn and the movements take a lot i mean alot of time to do. i have not seen a book with that much information and exercises.if you are new to dim-mak chances are when you see the blocks and stance of dimmak you would quit. Howewer the advantage is it does have chapters on very basic self defence easy to learn moves and does show you how to ko a person and how to revive them in more than ten ways. If your searching for a book on deadly strikes this is the book to buy and yes the moves do work. so deadly that you would have to think thrice before using them and in a physical fight chances are you would not use such effective moves AUTOMATICLY if you dont practice everyday it does also explain on how the moves work and includes also the st.9 point
Great follow-up book.......2003-12-20
This book is an excellent continuation of Mr. Montaigue's first book, "Dim-Mak: Death Point Striking". In this book, the author goes into footwork, and how to keep your ballance while moving (ignored by a lot of folks); how to handle a knife attack; different Qi-gong and other excersises; qi-related nutrition, and much more! I think a lot of what's in this volume could probably stand alone, but to truly begin to understand it's depth, the first book is needed. Once again, the author's style of writting is very laid-back and personable; I felt like he was right there, talking to me. As for the content, this book has so much that's missing from other books on the Chinese and/or internal martial arts. For those who don't know, a lot of Mr. Montaigue's system is based on T'ai Chi and Paqua; he's just put claws on those styles, and made them "martial" again. The chapter on how to bring up internal "animal" energy was very unique, and the chapter on knife defense seems very practical. A chapter on martial arts ethics is also included, which was nice, as well as a chapter discussing teaching martial arts to children. If you own "Death Point Striking", and wish to learn more on the subject, this should be your next book. I'd also recomend this to those who wish to learn about holistic health from a Chinese perspective, as well as martial artists who are searching for more than just the latest fad, who really want to refine themselves.
WOW ! ! ! !.......2002-06-27
I must say that Erle Montaigue just never seems to dissapoint!! He is without a doubt a true master of this fine art. His technique, and training is superb. Also his explanations of how, and why are great. I would recomend it to anyone with intrest in this art. Yet another must have.
very well defined.......2000-07-14
This is a very detailed book on Dim Mak. Having read other books from different authors and being disappointed. I must say that Erie has done a very good job. But don't read this one till you've read the first.
Average customer rating:
- collocations
- Insufficient words, maybe good for foreigners or beginners.
- oxford collocations
- Very helpful
- This is a gem!
|
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback
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The Bbi Dictionary of English Word Combinations
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English Collocations in Use Intermediate (Face2face S.)
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Ins and Outs of prepositions, The: A Guidebook for ESL Students
ASIN: 0194312437 |
Book Description
A completely new type of dictionary that will help students write and speak natural-sounding English.
Customer Reviews:
collocations.......2007-09-25
I'm an English teacher in Mexico. I've found this dictionary very helpful to teach vocabulary
Insufficient words, maybe good for foreigners or beginners........2006-03-24
First of all, I only had a vague idea what the book was about. Once, I got the book, my opionion of it was not so fantastic as other reviewers had put it. It does do what it says by showing example sentences of how to use the words with other words, mostly by adding adverbs or adjectives in front of the subject word. The 'dictionary' has very few definitions. Only when multiple meanings exist, it defines it, making it real cumbersome if you do not know the definition. But, that occurs only seldomly, because, there are only 9000 words in the book. So most of the words are familiar words. (Elementary level dictionary contains at least 50,000 words.)
I would presume this book would be ideal for foreign students who have learned english vocabularies, but, do not know how to use them due to lack of experience in usage. Or, it would be a possible companion for someone who is writing at a beginner's level.
oxford collocations.......2005-10-11
If you want to improve your english you have to buy this book.
Very helpful.......2005-08-21
I am in a written translation course and this book has been very helpful when translating from Spanish into English.
This is a gem!.......2004-08-23
As a librarian, I have looked for a good dictionary of English collocations for years. Unfortunately, there are few titles available on OCLC and the Internet. Moreover they are either prohibitively expensive or not very helpful. Unlike all other dictionaries of this kind, however, Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English is truly outstanding for its completeness of coverage, page layout, information on usage, and surprisingly low cost. I wish to say that in addition to its other great features, this dictionary does a great job of helping its readers improve writing. I believe my investment in this dictionary is an extremely rewarding one.
My sincere thanks to Editor Diana Lea for this much-needed dictionary.
Amazon.com
Those of us who love New York tend to love the city passionately, for its past as well as its present. Daniel Okrent's Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center is a book for New Yorkers from Ashtabula to Zimbabwe: a study of ambition, audacity, and deal-making on a grand scale that led to the construction of some of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. The cast of characters includes not only the many and diverse members of the Rockefeller family, but other powerful New York institutions such as Columbia University, the Metropolitan Opera, the Museum of Modern Art, and The New York Times--not to mention the radical Mexican artist Diego Rivera, the New Yorker cartoonist William Steig, the Marx Brothers, and a bevy of "Rockettes." Okrent's narrative neatly balances the epic and the intimate; he offers both authoritative pronouncements on modern architecture and reams of good gossip. Like New York itself, Great Fortune contains multitudes: densely packed, it remains surprisingly--and welcomingly--commodious. --Tim Page
Book Description
In this hugely appealing book, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, acclaimed author and journalist Daniel Okrent weaves together themes of money, politics, art, architecture, business, and society to tell the story of the majestic suite of buildings that came to dominate the heart of midtown Manhattan and with it, for a time, the heart of the world. At the center of Okrent's riveting story are four remarkable individuals—tycoon John D. Rockefeller, his ambitious son Nelson Rockefeller, real estate genius John R. Todd, and visionary skyscraper architect Raymond Hood. In the tradition of David McCullough's The Great Bridge, Ron Chernow's Titan, and Robert Caro's The Power Broker, Great Fortune is a stunning tribute to an American landmark that captures the heart and spirit of New York at its apotheosis.
Customer Reviews:
A Page Turner Full of Fascinating Characters and Stories.......2006-06-15
This lively narrative history is full of fascinating characters and stories. The humbly powerful John D., Jr. (who financed it), the Victorian president of Columbia (who leased the land), Nelson Rockefeller (who took over command of it), and the extraordinary team of builders and architects who designed and built it--they and many others truly come to life. How do you build a vast commercial center in the depths of the Depression? How do you rent out the space? How does it become more than a collection of office buildings and turn in one of the world's great tourist attractions, and a symbol of NYC as the world's modern commercial capital? Okrent tells us with wit, with sympathy and admiration, but without sparing some of the gory details. A great choice for anyone who enjoys reading about business enterprise, architecture and design , the Rockefellers--or about the central character in the tale, the city of New York.
A great, sweeping saga.......2006-05-04
I read this book just after reading "Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City," having found them both steeply discounted at a local bookstore.
I love both books and find them a natural pairing.
"Higher" has been ably reviewed by others and I do not feel the need to add to what has been said about that book. However, I do feel compelled to come to the defense of this book.
Mr. Okrent weaves many stories together to tell the tale of Rockefeller Center: those of the Rockefeller family, architect Raymond Hood, impresario and movie theater innovator S. L. "Roxy" Rothafel, as well as a brief history of midtown New York (you might want to have a map handy) and the Depression. There's even a cameo by Diego Rivera.
For anyone interested in architecture, property development, New York, the Depression, the Rockefellers or the building itself, this is great reading. As one seeking entry into architecture, I particularly appreciated the anecdote about an unknown interior designer named Donald Deskey who gambled his life savings, outpitched the better-known designers to win the contract for the Music Hall job.
I had no issue with Okrent's writing. I was a newspaper copy editor for 14 years and can barely pick up a newspaper or listen to an NPR news broadcast without finding some nit to pick. It did take me longer to read "Great Fortune" than it did "Higher," but then the book is twice as long and when I finished, I thought it an even better book. Perhaps it's with the books as it is with the buildings: It's not the height; it's the breadth.
disappointing.......2006-01-25
I read this book on the basis of a favorable review in the New Yorker. I found, though, that the book was rather dry and predictable. The one star review may seem harsh, but this book simply did not live up to my expectations. Mr. Okrent should probably stick to rotisserie baseball.
Great reading.......2005-08-24
Great Fortune is a fascinating look at the building of Rockefeller Center and how it was a reflection of the time. Okrent paints a unique picture of the 1930's and the social impact on New York.
Workmanlike Take on Fascinating Subject.......2005-07-06
Okrent's writing isn't up to the standards of his research, but those standards are very, very high indeed. He (or his researchers) have tracked down an enormous number of utterly fascinating facts, placed them in social and historical context and, in essence, have let the story tell itself. The book could have been longer, particularly the last section, which brings the story up to date, though.
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