Book Description
DO YOU:-+dream about writing the Great American Novel?-+regret not finishing your paintings, poems, or screenplays?-+want to start a business or charity?-+wish you could start dieting or exercising today?-+hope to run a marathon someday?If "yes," then you need#133;THE WAR OF ARTNow, in this powerful, straight-from-the-hip examination of the internal obstacles to success, bestselling author Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers to creativity. THE WAR OF ART is an inspirational, funny, well-aimed kick in the pants guaranteed to galvanize every would-be artist, visionary, or entrepreneur.Steven Pressfield enjoys great international success as a bestselling novelist.But in order to reach the top he had to do a lot of work to fight the inner demons that told him he couldn't make it.THE WAR OF ART is his challenge to creative block, and his succinct, straight-from-the-hip style will help every reader unleash their personal ambitions, be they literary, artistic, or business-minded.According to Pressfield, the internal obstacle to success is Resistance.Resistance is the difference between the life you lead and the life you want to lead, and can take many forms.Pressfield shows readers how to identify and defeat Resistance at every turn and challenges them to change their amateurish, unsuccessful habits into a professional attitude that can get the job done. Finally, Sun Tzu for the soul!Inspirational, funny, and a great kick in the pants, THE WAR OF ART is the perfect book for anybody who had a goal circumvented by life and circumstance:which is to say, you and everybody you've ever met.
Customer Reviews:
Exactly whats needed to move out of fear and doubt..........2007-10-03
The main theme in this book is we all have a talent, a gift, a purpose. To develop our unlimited potential requires awareness of the big R, resistance.
The author opens up and in short, concise, easy to read chapters shows us what stops us. Our excuses are all exposed for what they are in an instant. This book is in your face, no hold back, tells it like it is. Sure we are a work in progress, we all have unhealed, undervalued parts of ourselves but are we going to use that as an excuse to stop developing our potential?
Creating anything requires working with the good, the bad, and the ugly while moving forward. Die trying, taking action, and you will have lived a good life.
This book got me more determined to take action. I must do verses just think about what I want. Action takes me closer to my goal.
If doubt and fear stop you from becoming who you know you really are this book will be a great kick in the behind. He nails every excuse under the sun made for not following through. Excuses have no where to hide as you turn each page. In the end you will be recharged and ready to move forward.
The War of Art feeds your energy to make life happen. Procrastinate no more.
Resistance is so powerful! Read this to get through it in writing........2007-10-01
A friend of mine reccommended this book and I am glad he did. I am a writer at heart even though I never knew I was, this book gave me the courage to start writing and overcome the resistance he talks about. No matter what your resistance is you can get some great methods and insights from Pressfield. Put it this way, I am a note taker and highlighter with post-it flags, this book has dozens protruding through the edges!
More Guilt of the Right Kind.......2007-09-27
Pressfield's book has been extremely helpful in getting me to sit down at my table and write. It is too bad that the book seems so poorly and haphazardly written. The beginning, in which he defines resistance, was useful, but after that I wanted more depth and found many of the things he said contradicted one another. I found the sections on angels and muses especially didactic and opaque. He never answers the question of why we create resistance for ourselves. Is it because we are afraid of success? That seems a little simple to me, but he doesn't even offer that as an answer. Pressfield shows us a landscape and points out the mountains and lakes in great detail, but he doesn't give us any understanding of the glaciers and tectonic forces that shaped these landmarks, leaving us ultimately unsatisfied. Perhaps a good complement to this book would be Flow.
Like a cup of coffee - works but doesn't last.......2007-09-14
Nothing completely mindblowing or enlightening really, but definitely energizing and motivating for anyone in a lull, particularly creative folk. It's like a cup of coffee or popping a speed pill - gets you pumped for sure, but of short-lived effect.
Decent book.......2007-08-16
This was an enjoyable book to read. Seems the better self-help books have a simple premise: you have to actually put in the effort and do the work. Just being a couch potato reading self-help books doesn't really work. Its like reading Men's Health and expecting to get in shape without actually going to the gym. I didn't find the book to offer life-changing advice, but it was still a good read. Remember...it takes effort, not just the want of effort.
Book Description
Focusing on the teaching of thinking through writing, the sixth edition provides new high-interest readings, cartoons, and Internet research exercises.
Customer Reviews:
THINKING FOR YOURSELF... THE TEXTBOOK.......2005-02-15
I always find it amazing and ironic that there are textbooks teaching you how to think for yourself.
A bit ironic, don't you think?
The Operative Word is "developing" Thinking Skills.......2000-12-14
An excellent book that covers such diverse subjects as critical thinking, observation skills, word usage, communication, facts and reality, inferences, assumptions, opinions, viewpoints, arguments, fallacies, inductive and deductive reasoning, research skills and problem solving. And within each subject is a very well defined and easily understood definition of that subject along with examples of each. The chapter quiz found at the end of each chapter helps to ingrain and reinforce the lesson. The book is insightful and well written. Done with great skill as one is actually able to understand the premise and meaning of each topic/lesson.
Book Description
This classic work on critical thinking--now fully updated and revised--uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that "it takes one to know one," the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others--whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person.
Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc.), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument.
Whether you're preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others' arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible book,incredible review.......2005-06-08
Exactly as Dr. Schweinsberg said. This text was a magnificent accomplishment. Reading some of the reviews, I was dismayed. I of course believed that there was some sort of miscommunication, or perhaps that the readers knew nothing of the subject, or that they simply didn't know what they were getting when they purchased the book. Whatever the case, I would suggest to anybody to read Dr. Michel Schweinsberg's brilliant review. His comical yet serious review offers advice to the argumentation student in words I can't achieve. With a playful attitude, he has delivered valuable information in the same spirit with which one should "weild" the tools in the text; that is, as a serious weapon, but done mostly for enjoyment and clarity of thought. READ DR. SCHWEINSBERG'S REVIEW, AND FOLLOW HIS ADVICE!
Argue Well.......2005-05-25
If you have ever been told that your arguments lack facts, structure, or logic, then this book is for you. Learning the skills to challenge and defend anything and everything is an art indeed. Highly recommend it for partisan zealots.
PenetratingArmenian
A Self Certified Blogspot Blogger
Good idea poor execution.......2004-07-14
The book mainly promotes the use of deception over reason. I know you're thinking, duh. But this is contrary to what the author says in the introduction. The deception is supposed to be used as a device to aid in learning informal logic, not as a tool to crush others. The author has a very aggressive and pretentious tone. Capaldi, the author, encourages people to be stubborn and uncompromising rather than problem solving. This book is classic sophism. I think the most valuable part of this book is the appendix. The practice problems are nice to look over. This book is effective at being uncompromising, but that is incompatible with being a good communicator. I should have borrowed this one. Since, I want my money back. -laughs- Also, the references to the "Great Books" by the author were interesting, but extraneous in my opinion.
Good Weapon Against the Trogs.......2004-04-22
The techniques outlined in this book are good when you are arguing against yahoos and troglodytes. If taken to heart, this book can help you can vanquish almost everyone you encounter in day-to-day life. Do NOT use these techniques against more skillful opponents or against sincere, intelligent questioners seeking real answers to important questions. These are powerful debater's tricks, not tools for getting to the bottom of honest inquiries. Caveat emptor.
Good Intentions, Faulty Execution.......2004-03-19
I appreciate what the author was trying to do: teach logic and rhetoric in a fun how-to-succeed format. I don't think it works very well, though. It's too disjointed to be helpful to the beginner and too familiar to be interesting to more advanced students.
For the beginner: To learn logic, start out with David Kelley's "The Art of Reasoning" and Irving Copi's "Introduction to Logic". To learn rhetoric and argumentation, try David Zarefsky's audiotape course on "Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning" and his books on public speaking.
More advanced students will want to check out Chaim Perelman's books on rhetoric and Douglas N. Walton's studies of informal fallacies. An excellent but out-of-print book is William J. Brandt's "The Rhetoric of Argumentation" which gives detailed analyses of effective and ineffective rhetorical strategies in essay-writing.
Average customer rating:
- Great book.
- Dreadful
- This is a great introductory text!
- A good book with many examples; almost too many.
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Thinking Through Communication: An Introduction to the Study of Human Communication (4th Edition)
Sarah Trenholm
Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon
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ASIN: 0205417914 |
Book Description
Praised for its “teachability,” Thinking Through Communication provides an excellent, balanced introduction to basic theories and principles of communication, making sense of a complex field through a variety of approaches. Introduction to human communication, listening, verbal messages, nonverbal communication, interpersonal communication, group communication, organizational communication, public communication, mass media, and intercultural communication. Introductory Human Communication.
Customer Reviews:
Great book. .......2007-05-19
This book is very thorough but EASY to understand. Recommend it to anyone who needs an intro book to communication.
Dreadful.......2004-07-14
I found this book to be hypocritical and vacuous. Students will get little out of it that they don't already know. The author talks down to students and "dumbs down" the topics covered.
The Littlejohn textbook is much better.
This is a great introductory text!.......1999-03-02
Sara Trenholm is a gifted writer. This is another in a series of well prepared communication texts by this author.
The healthy balance between theory and practical advice makes it both challenging and yet easy to digest. I have used this text as a resource since it first crossed my desk in its first edition.
My only criticism of this book is that it is not visually appealing. However, the person who wants information will find it to be highly pracital and usable.
A good book with many examples; almost too many........1998-10-19
This book is an excellent book for a communication's class. It presents many understandable and relatable examples. But its greatest fall back is the overwhelming amount of information, there is just too much to remember! Another weakness of the book is its lackluster in appearance; it is just an ugly book which can be a big turn off when you want to read it through.
Customer Reviews:
A great classroom resource..........2005-12-30
I use this book whenever I sit down to plan a new unit. The thought process Lattimer and the teachers she works with went through for their own planning always inspires me. The tables of questions to consider with students while studying each genre help a lot.
I love the way the chapters describe the way real teachers use Lattimer's guiding questions. I've replicated many of the sample lessons with great success because she describes them so clearly. I've also loaned it to the new teachers I mentor and they find it helpful as well.
Thinking Through Genre presents such a realistic approach to teaching a reading and writing workshop because the teachers in the book work in mostly urban schools and face the same challenges I do. I show the samples of student writing to my students and then they always want to try to write something even better.
The title really has a double meaning because it's about teachers and students thinking through the features of a genre and it is also about using genre studies to teach critical thinking.
I highly recommend this book to all English and Language Arts teachers.
Book Description
This is the second edition of the Michael Orloff’s successful practical introduction to TRIZ (Theory of Innovative Problem Solving) - a strategy and method for breaking out of rigid thought patterns to achieve truly creative engineering solutions. Gerry Altshuller, originator of TRIZ in the former Soviet Union, devoted his career to convincing engineers that TRIZ turns inventing into a controllable and systematic process. In this book, Michael Orloff , Altshuller’s former student, continues its algorithmic development and shows how to put TRIZ into action. Enabling readers to search for and find solutions efficiently, this book is of extreme practical importance to development engineers and planners in all areas of modern technology. Orloff not only explains the power and simplicity inherent in classical TRIZ, he further develops the methods with computer-aided innovations and Navigator refinements. The author's design firm is a rich source of the application of TRIZ in many technical fields.
Book Description
Over the last decade the philosophy of film has emerged as a distinctivefield within aesthetics, engaging with a variety of questions concerningthe relationship between film and art. One question in particularhas become very prominent in philosophical discussions of film: to what extent can film-or individual films-act as a vehicle of or forum for philosophy itself? This is the domain of "film as philosophy," which forms the focus of this volume. The collection brings together a wide range of contributors, including both philosophers and film scholars. All of them address the question of whether philosophy can take the form of, or be articulated through, film. The contributors canvas a wide variety of forms and periods of film as they present diverse answers to this question.
Customer Reviews:
Very Valuable If Used With Caution.......2006-04-07
I found this book so compelling that I read it through in practically one sitting. Why, then, three stars instead of more?
Because the *chess* advice is very general, and in fact at times so general as to be suspect ("always capture an enemy piece if it is safe to do so"); and as a *chess* book it is at a rather elementary level, spending a lot of time on the rules and basics of movement.
Comparing chess to martial arts is not new, but here it is done in a more comprehensive, appealing, and gripping manner. In terms of *chess* advice this translates to a handful of general principles, such as "seize the initiative," which the book does not illustrate very well with practical examples or "how-to" advice. This has disappointed many previous reviewers and will likely disappoint many readers.
Instead, to get the most from this book, you need to think in terms of changing your philosophy of play, and turn to other books to help you do that. If you are a passive player, as I was for a long time, take the "seize the initiative" principle for what it's worth and then go out and study other books on tactics and the art of attacking. In other words, use this book as a guideline for how you think about your approach to chess, and seek detailed knowledge elsewhere.
Especially useful is the wholistic approach this book espouses. Information on diet, physical conditioning, meditation, pre-game physical exercises (they recommend stretching before play, something I had never before considered) can all be found elsewhere but nowhere in a *chess* book; and though you might initialy be skeptical, it makes a great deal of sense.
Should you buy this book? I think so. It is relatively inexpensive on the used market, and if approached correctly, will teach you many things which apply to chess, even if it won't teach you a lot about chess itself.
Martial art of the mind.......2005-10-12
This is a fascinating book for the beginner in chess, and one that the more proficient in chess may find interesting, too. It not only covers the basics in chess, but also deals with some of the philosophical ideas that one might apply to chess playing. This is a creative synthesis by authors Michael Gelb and Raymond Keene of the teachings of Samurai warriors and the basic layout of chess - an intriguing idea, given the martial nature of chess playing.
Chess can be many things to different people. One legal scholar described chess as an exercise in petty larcency (taking or stealing pieces!); many military strategists have seen chess as a system whereby one sharpens skills for thinking ahead, well past the next move tactically. This would be more in the spirit of what Gelb and Keene are doing here.
As the authors state, 'We are not likely to wield a Samurai sword in a life-or-death situation. Samurai swordsmanship will always remain beyond our personal experience.' So, how does one get this kind of experience, if one wants it? For Gelb and Keene, this can come from chess. 'Chess offers the experience of real victory, without killing, and the parallel experience of real defeat, without having to die.' Thought and skill are key in both Samurai and chess practice.
Gelb and Keene develop the idea of martial arts mindset and the seven Samurai principles to be applied to chess, but this is in many ways designed for the beginning chess player (the more experienced player will be able to gloss over the second section, 'White Belt Chess', which develops basic movements and elementary middle-game and end-game ideas). The authors give a good brief synopsis of the history of the game of chess, from earliest history through to the tempestuous twentieth century, showing the transformation from a slow-moving game inspired by Indian and Islamic cultures to the rapid-fire pace of many master games today.
It is perhaps in the application of the Samurai principles that this book reaches its height. The Seven Samurai principles are really an extended analogy to the game, but one can see immediately, even as a chess novice, how the seven principles might be applied:
1) Take the Initiative: Attack
2) Follow Through: Go for the Knockout
3) Impenetrable Defense: No Openings
4) Timing: Control the Tempo
5) Distance: Control the Position
6) Master Surprise and Deception
7) Yield to Win: The Art of Sacrifice
There are many good insights, and this book is a fun one to read. If one is expecting a systematic tome on how to play better chess, this is not the book. However, if one loves the game of chess and is interested in a new perspective, this book is one that is fitting.
More than just a game.......2005-09-11
I've been dabbling at chess for nearly forty years, and this is the chess book I've been waiting for all my life. To me, chess is more than just a game; it can be a metaphor for life, and its principles apply indirectly to most everything else in life. This book focuses on seven Samurai principles, which are also seven chess principles, which are also seven principles of living life effectively.
If you don't care about life but just want to get good at chess, this may not be the book for you. If you do care about life but insist that chess has nothing to do with it, skip this title. But if you see--or want to see--a strong connection between chess and life, give this wonderful book a good read.
All levels can get something from this book.......2005-08-11
I have read a few of the reviews, and all seem to think this is a beginner book. Actually, there are better beginner books out there that will rapidly improve one's game (if you are among the beginners)- such as Seirawan's Microsoft Press series. The underlying idea of Eastern Philosophy's place in chess is quite revolutionary and has been accepted by Josh Waitzkin (the real "Searching for Bobby Fisher" kid) as taking his game to the next level. If one really uses the lessons from this book I think they will be pleased - I know I was. The system really challenges the player to throw away some tradition rules and gain new insight (especially in the middle game). The book does have its place in an overcrowded genre and is not too heavy for the beginner. I feel the fault of this book is that it does not delve quite deep enough - does not force the reader to apply the principles in practice.
An Interesting Book.......2003-01-16
Truly an interesting book to a person how does both Martial Arts and chess (As a side note a have been studying both now for a number of years). The theme was interesting because one of my Teachers actually talks like a chess person when going about how to get in an attack in sparring although he does not play chess, so I have seen this connection before.
As a straight chess book it would be on a beginner to an intermediate level. If you take into consideration the philosophies of the book though it becomes more profound. I have read most of the books they use as exerpts and found it to really help blend these two worlds together.
It has been said that If you read The Book of Five Rings once you will get something out of it. Twice, you will get something different again. Etc. These books (The Art of War, The Book of Five Rings) are also business books and found in this section if you go to Indigo. So not only is this book talking about chess, it discusses Martial Arts, Business and Life as a Whole (ie. "The Way").
If you can look at this book in this light then it becomes much more than "just a chess book", it becomes something of a reminder of how to live life.
Perhaps I lost a couple people there but it boils down to is there are some people who all they do is chess, this book could be an introduction to a new way of looking at things, and new philosophies. So Enjoy!
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