Book Description
This book contains 101 MCAT verbal passages in the form of 11 full length verbal exams formatted exactly like the New 2003 MCAT. Questions have complete explanations for correct and incorrect answer choices. There are 12 tear-out answer grids in MCAT form in the back of the book. Language, diction, passage length, question length, question difficulty, and even font have been carefully crafted to resemble an actual MCAT. You won’t find a more MCAT accurate set of verbal exams.
Customer Reviews:
Decent book.......2007-08-14
Decent book, decent responses to the questions. Sorry at work and shouldn't be typing this.
MCAT Verbal Prep........2007-07-27
MUST HAVE, if you are taking the MCAT. I prepared through a nationally known company last year that predicted my verbal reasoning score at 10, my actual verbal score was 6. I was dumbfounded. I asked my friends that got into Med School for advise and they suggested ExamKrackers.
Once again ExamKrackers cuts to the essentials of how to get a high score. The text focuses on the harder aspects of verbal reasoning section and cuts out the "soft ball" questions. The format is exactly as I remember it on the actual test and the score I got on the first passage was exactly the same as I had on the actual test. I have seen a continual increase with each successive full length test in this product. I anticipate the actual retake of the MCAT will mirror or exceed (as others have experienced) the ExamKrackers predicted scores!
Great practice.......2007-07-15
I have only done two of the exams so far, after just receiving the book last week, but already I have seen an improvement in how I approach passages and questions. My only suggestion would be to create a new version that is in-synch with the current MCAT--40 questions over 60 minutes rather than 60/85. Whoever is saying that the questions and answers are too ambiguous should bear in mind the true intent of MCAT verbal reasoning; for that reason, this book is a great way to prepare.
Waste of time, don't bother.......2007-07-15
Full of errors and ambiguities, not worth it at all. Other MCAT prep courses offer much more realistic VR passages and questions.
Great, but Very VERY VERY DIFFICULT.......2007-07-06
EK Verbal reasoning book is ONLY be purchased for SERIOUS STUDYING! This is not like those other verbal books where the passages are so easy that youre getting 12's or 13's..this book WILL bring you back to reality. My first practice test I scored a 7 and the second test I scored a 6. I usually score 10 on other exams. I think this book is HARDER than the actual MCAT but its worth every penniy. The choices really do suck and sum of tehm make ABSOLUTELY NOOOOOOO sense, but they make you think more like the MCAT writers. Do not be discouraged if you are not doing well on these exams. Just focus and you start to improve. By teh end of teh book I was getting 13's!
Book Description
This 17th edition, under Kaplan's splendid direction, contains over 20,000 quotations, representing 2,500 authors, 90 of whom are new to BARTLETT'S. Newcomers include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Tony Kushner, Tammy Wynette, Margaret Atwood, Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, Frank O'Hara, Martin Amis, Kingsley Amis, Mother Teresa, Jacques Cousteau, Rudolph Giuliani, Alfred Hitchcock, L. M. Montgomery, Eric Ambler, Jerry Seinfeld, J. K. Rowling, Katharine Graham, and Emma Goldman. With quotations presented in chronological order, in the famous BARTLETT'S tradition, BARTLETT'S gives the reader a vast panorama of the world, from the ancient Egyptians to the latest movie, from the inspirational and the beautiful to the sardonic and the downright funny.
Download Description
First published in 1855, BARTLETT'S FAMILIAR QUOTATIONS has been completely updated and revised for the seventeenth edition by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Justin Kaplan. This 17th edition, under Kaplan's splendid direction, contains over 20,000 quotations, representing 2,500 authors, 90 of whom are new to BARTLETT'S. New comers include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Tony Kushner, Tammy Wynette, Margaret Atwood, Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, Frank O'Hara, Martin Amis, Kingsley Amis, Mother Teresa, Jacques Cousteau, Rudolph Giuliani, Alfred Hitchcock, L. M. Montgomery, Eric Ambler, Jerry Seinfeld, J.K. Rowling, Katharine Graham, and Emma Goldman. With quotations presented in chronological order, in the famous BARTLETT'S tradition, BARTLETT'S gives the reader a vast panorama of the world, from the ancient Egyptians to the latest movie, from the inspirational and the beautiful to the sardonic and the downright funny.
Customer Reviews:
Priceless for students, great for researchers and excellent for literature lovers........2007-07-26
This review is for the book, not the CD ROM or any other Bartlett's related electronic media.
If you consider yourself well read, it will not take you long to find out where "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations" fails and be somewhat disappointed. If you don't read a lot, and need the book for school or reference, it will probably be adequate.
Certainly no book of quotations can be exhaustive and Bartlett's never claims to be, their are; however, some vital literary idioms that are noticeably missing.
Having covered the book's shortcomings, I cannot point out that as a resource and reference this book can be not only helpful, but indispensable for college students.
"Bartlett's Familiar Quotations" is like the King of the Cliff's Notes research, and just like Cliff's Notes, His Majesty should never be used to replace the material it summarizes. A basic understanding of the context of the book's quotations is far more valuable then the quotes themselves.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ! OR AT LEAST REFERENCE REGULARLY.
BARTLETTS QUOTES.......2007-01-12
A really cool book that no one thinks of reading. Most of the phrase used in today's world can be located here, and their origins reviewed.
Bartlett's Quotes.......2007-01-09
A new way to look at where and how the quotes came to be.
Start Your Title Search Here.......2006-09-09
If you're looking for a title to your novel or original screenplay, start with this exhaustive compilation of the great quotations of the world. Another reason to use it is to find out whether it was Mark Twain or H. L. Mencken who first said dotty things about California!
BARTLETT'S QUOTATIONS DESIGNED FOR THE 21st CENTURY.......2006-08-16
At age 82, with a lifetime of writing, speaking, and using appropriate quotes, I have purchased and implemented timely quotations from each new Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. The new 17th Edition has kept pace with the passing years and persons without sacrificing the wisdom of the ages.
Joseph Taylor
Grafton, WI 53024
Amazon.com
John Lucht, an executive recruiter during the past three decades for some of America's top corporations, knows what it takes to snag a new six-figure job. Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+ is his newly revised guide to the ins and outs of a search for a job that ends in success. It promises a "comprehensive cram course in accelerating your career"--a contemporary corporate equivalent of the traditional initiation into adulthood from which it takes its title--updated for the cyber-age. And it delivers, with Lucht offering inside tips on the basic routes to a new executive-level position: personal contacts (i.e., "ask for a reference instead of a job"); networking ("never fail to get into the office of anyone whose name is mentioned to you, never depart with less than three new names"); executive recruiters ("understand their hidden financial arrangements"); direct mail ("write to the CEO or a person two levels above your target job"); and the Internet ("insert plenty of the right 'keywords' so that the computer will find your resume"). Extensive online references are also included throughout, and the material is presented in a way that's easy to understand and implement. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Unrevised since 1993, this #1 bestseller in its field is totally rewritten for a new era. The Internet is now a central theme!Every year since it first appeared in 1988, John Lucht's Rites of Passage at $100,000+ has been America's bestselling executive career guide. With the mushrooming importance of the Internet, Lucht rips apart his revered classic to bring it startlingly into the twenty-first century! Lucht's New Thinking merges his adroit handling of top executive recruiters (selected and honored in Rites for the past decade) with the incredible communicating power of the Internet. Add to the mix a brand-new $350,000 Internet site, RiteSite.com, which Lucht will open on the pub date of Rites to help readers use the principles in Rites, and you have a unique publishing event that befits a new technology and a new millennium. The last rewrite and relaunch of Rites in '93 attracted media attention and was a major sales success. Expect far more excitement and even bigger sales this time!
Customer Reviews:
Great seller!.......2007-09-09
The book was in good condition. It came in the condition that was described in the advertisement.
If you are a corporate executive, or if you want to be one, then you should purchase this book........2007-08-01
This week, I passed 300 connections on LinkedIn. Shortly thereafter, I received multiple unsolicited contacts from intellectual property recruiters. (I founded Clock Tower Law Group, which specializes in patent law and trademark law.) This is one of the downsides of LinkedIn: recruiter spam.
I have nothing against recruiters. In fact, a good retainer recruiter is worth his/her weight in gold. But a recruiter who works on contingency is a dime a dozen.
If you are a corporate executive, or if you want to be one, then you should purchase the book "Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+: Your Insider's Lifetime Guide to Executive Job-Changing and Faster Career Progress in the 21st Century" by John Lucht. "Rites of Passage" explains how the recruiting business works and why the difference between retainer recruiters and contingency recruiters matters.
And no, I'm not looking for a job, but thanks for asking.
Read this book before starting your job search.......2007-01-09
Read this book cover to cover before you begin to search for your next high-paying job. It will walk you through everything you need to do.
Belongs on your bookshelf.......2006-08-23
The Rites of Passage belongs on anyone's bookshelf who's interested in actively managing their careers and gain that extra edge. Even if you're not close to $100k, the book gives you valuable insight into that realm. Understanding your boss and your boss' boss will make you a more valuable employee and may advance your career more than you realize.
If you are at $100k+ I can't imagine successfully managing your career without Lucht's insight. His decades of experience will help you manage transitions properly and in a proactive manner.
My only minor gripes are (1) The typesetting. I have a nagging feeling he did this himself, it could definitely be done better (2)The minor section on usage of the Internet is dated and could be done better. I doubt John had someone appropriate look this over. Still, he earns top rating.
Thanks to manager-tools.com for recommending this book.
Truly useful advice that's hard to find elsewhere.......2006-02-09
In close to 600 pages that are much denser than most business and self-help books, John Lucht doles out a thorough treatment of every topic you'd expect to see, and then some.
Lucht's description of the executive recruitment business is espeicially illuminating - I would have distributed my resume far too freely if I hadn't read this book. Several chapters are dedicated to finding recruiters, separating the good from the bad, and recruiter interactions.
Of course, there is also plenty of networking, interviewing, and resume-writing advice. It seems that Lucht approached this book as if writing his own resume: it's jam-packed with facts, and doesn't mince words; it has a flowing narrative style punctuated by headlines for easy scanning; it touts his credibility, accomplishments, and recruiting services without inflated, ambiguous adjectives.
It's not perfect, though. Lucht overhypes the subscription services on his Web site, ritesite.com. He repeats certain points mind-numbingly often. He suggests that people include marital status, height, and weight on resumes; as a small, single woman, I doubted that. Some of his internet job search suggestions are already outdated, and his preference of old-fashioned direct mail is questionable for technology industry jobs. But given his vast experience, his opinions are certainly valid. And most of his suggestions are painstakingly justified by facts and examples.
I recommend buying the accompanying Executive Job-Changing Workbook. It provides additional resume and interview coaching, and its worksheets are useful tools for organizing thoughts.
Average customer rating:
- Entertaining mystery mixed with lots of sex
- Complex emotions
- Quite a satisfying read
- Average sex, bad book
- No, it's the Granta !
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The Back Passage
James Lear
Manufacturer: Cleis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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ASIN: 1573442437 |
Book Description
Agatha Christie, move over! Hard-core sex and scandal meet in this brilliantly funny whodunit.
A seaside village, an English country house, a family of wealthy eccentrics and their equally peculiar servants, a determined detective — all the ingredients are here for a cozy Agatha Christie-style whodunit. But wait — Edward “Mitch” Mitchell is no Hercule Poirot, and The Back Passage is no Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Mitch is a handsome, insatiable 22-year-old hunk who never lets a clue stand in the way of a steamy encounter, whether it’s with the local constabulary, the house secretary, or his school chum and fellow athlete Boy Morgan, who becomes his Watson when they’re not busy boffing each other. When Reg Walworth is found dead in a cabinet, Sir James Eagle has his servant Weeks immediately arrested as the killer. But Mitch’s observant eye pegs more plausible possibilities: polysexual chauffeur Hibbert, queenly pervert Leonard Eagle, missing scion Rex, sadistic copper Kennington, even Sir James Eagle himself. Blackmail, police corruption, a dizzying network of spyholes and secret passages, watersports, and a nonstop queer orgy backstairs and everyplace else mark this hilariously hard-core mystery by a major new talent.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining mystery mixed with lots of sex.......2007-09-26
This is a nicely written mystry with the horniest characters one can imagine. Somehow, it all works and makes for great reading.
Complex emotions.......2007-09-25
The main character in the book is constantly self evaluating himself throught the story. The reader must engage and become part of this evaluation and emotion so you will have work to do when reading this book. Not the casual entertainment but put in the effort and it is a very rewarding experience. Many will find links to their own self doubts, fears, desires.
Quite a satisfying read.......2007-09-17
Back Passage's tongue-in-cheek, irreverent humor and hot man to man encounters definitely makes it a worthwhile read. I have been recently inundated with very dull and predictable gay fiction so I wasn't exactly expecting too much when I purchased this book. Imagine to my surprise that I really liked it and am actually looking forward to more sleuthing (mis)adventures with Mitch.
The book deed indeed deliver on its promise of "hardcore mystery...and nonstop queer orgy...." Great job!
Average sex, bad book.......2007-08-31
This is the first time I buy a book that is kindda like a softcore porn movie, in book; and I can say I will never do it again. The book promised to have a "detective story" that would keep the plot move, but such story is so unbelievably sloppy and unrealistic that the you cannot take the book seriously. Of course, maybe this book is not supposed to be taken seriously, so if you just want some sex scenes, I guess you could find better books out there. I always want a good story in my books, and unfortunately The Back Passage was not a good choice for that.
No, it's the Granta !.......2007-08-27
Yes, it's entertaining and yes it's arousing and thus fulfils its own brief. But ... oh dear Mr Lear, on page TWO you identify the river that flows through Cambridge as the Isis. It isn't. The Isis flows through Oxford. The "old" name of Cambridge's river Cam is the Granta (like the literary magazine). In a confecton such as "Back Passage", it's these details (easily checked on Wikipedia, for God's sake), that make the difference between a genre-subverting delight and a ho-hum "well ... it's sort of OK and ... sort of fun ..."
Book Description
The universe has its secrets. It may even hide extra dimensions, different from anything ever imagined. A whole raft of remarkable concepts now rides atop the scientific firmament, including parallel universes, warped geometry, and threedimensional sink-holes. We understand far more about the world than we did just a few short years ago -- and yet we are more uncertain about the true nature of the universe than ever before. Have we reached a point of scientific discovery so advanced that the laws of physics as we know them are simply not sufficient? Will we all soon have to accept explanations that previously remained in the realm of science fiction?
Lisa Randall is herself making these extraordinary breakthroughs, pushing back the boundaries of science in her research to answer some of the most fundamental questions posed by Nature. For example, why is the gravitational field from the entire Earth so defenseless against the small tug of a tiny magnet? Searching for answers to such seemingly irresolvable questions has led physicists to postulate extra dimensions, the presence of which may lead to unimaginable gains in scientific understanding. Randall takes us into the incredible world of warped, hidden dimensions that underpin the universe we live in, describing how we might prove their existence, while examining the questions that they still leave unanswered.
Warped Passages provides an exhilarating overview that tracks the arc of discovery from early twentieth-century physics to the razor's edge of today's particle physics and string theory, unweaving the current debates about relativity, quantum mechanics, and gravity. In a highly readable style sure to entertain and elucidate, Lisa Randall demystifies the science and beguilingly unravels the mysteries of the myriad worlds that may exist just beyond the one we are only now beginning to know.
Customer Reviews:
AMERICA'S GOT TALENT!!!.......2007-09-28
You really don't need my opinion because there are already over 100 reviews. I don't have a serious review to offer because the serious ones have already been done. I will agree with the best of them because this lady author has many great talents in putting such an amazing book together with such STYLE!!!! Many points of praise. I got this book in hardcover and decided I needed another one so I got two.
You go scientists!!!! Please continue writing books like this one that are so so delicious to read and well put together in SO many ways. Keep them (books) real long like this one (or even longer) and packed with lots of goodies. Brian Greene, I still LOVE your work also--ESPECIALLY The Fabric of the Cosmos, so Lisa Randall, Briane Greene and other talented scientists--keep on dishing out books like these that keep us wanting more more more!!!
SOME speculation is HEALTHY SCIENCE. Always know that there is A BEYOND EVERYTHING! Be certain of that. You scientists have now acquired an audience of the MASSES. We will be there to hail you or boo you like the jury of Q in Star Trek The Next Generation. We want more and better and more and better. Ha Ha Ha. Great work!
The Problem With Math.......2007-09-26
Randall, along with many other, such as Susskind The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design makes a serious mistake in leaping to the conclusion that reality corresponds to her mathematical models. Along with other string theorists, they assume that if the math they use to build their models contains some number of additional dimensions, then the real world must contain those dimensions. I see this in much of the literature, including, for example Woit Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory And the Search for Unity in Physical Law who debunks string theory, but nevertheless seems to accept the idea that if the math contains extra dimensions, reality must also contain those extra dimensions.
A mathematical model is just that - a model. It is the best math we can construct at this point in time to describe the reality we are trying to model. It is not the reality itself. If the string theorists are successful in constructing a model that includes six or seven tiny dimensions, that does not mean that those dimensions actually exist. All it means is that the best model we can currently construct has to include those dimensions in the math. Susskind really goes off the deep end with this. We must remember that much more math will come along. Someday, we may have a math that describes the same reality without the additional dimensions.
That said, if the string theorists can make a prediction that absolutely, positively depends upon those extra dimensions and if that prediction is confirmed by experimental results, then they may have a case. So far, the string theorists have failed utterly to make such a prediction. Even here, a different math may come along. The night is young.
Readable!.......2007-09-24
In order to keep this short and sweet, this is a very readable book about string, superstring theory, and branes! An excellent job by the author! Also contains references to nice music lyrics and quotes! Fantastic book, highly recommended!
Randall re where we are........2007-08-24
Superb summary of contemporary cosmological crucial questions. Not not for the novice, but she writes so clearly--who knows?
Interesting, the idea is similar to the experiences left by some Buddists and Taoists.......2007-08-10
1.
Why not use any possible monitoring system to collect the local variatons in space as beings dying, being born and fertilizing? We may find something come from and go to some other dimensions or layers.
2.
According to some old chinese books of Buddhism and Taoism,(a) some Buddhists and Taoists could see the future, but they could not change the future, (b) the space is layered, (c) there is something called "the singular door and the invisible armour" in Taoism.
3.
The results of some experiments, such as experiments described in the book authored by "SHE DING MING", in hypnosis are seemly relevant to this dimensional idea.
Book Description
Abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is only the beginning of sobriety. It's the ticket to get into the theater, not the movie we are going to see." -- Passages through Recovery One of the most important things we learn in recovery is that there really is a way out of all the misery -- if we know which way to go. But abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is just the beginning of our journey, not our destination. And, that journey can be a rough one if we don't know what lies ahead. Based on the experiences of thousands of recovering men and women, Passages through Recovery presents an action plan for preventing relapse, on that can help us understand how recovery works and what is needed to move from active addiction to sobriety. Gorski's pioneering work describes six stages of recovery from chemical dependency and offers sound advice for working through the challenges of each stage -- challenges that can create frustration and lead to relapse. Passages through Recovery clearly demonstrates that sobriety is more than just healing the damage. "It's a way of thinking, acting, and relating to others, "Gorky writes, "That promotes continued physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health. The skills necessary for long-term sobriety are all directed at finding meaning and purpose in life." Use this book as a compass in your recovery to help you stay on course. About the Author: Terence T. Gorky, M.A., C.A.C., is a nationally recognized lecturer, an acknowledged leader in the chemical dependency and codependency fields, and a workshop facilitator specializing in relapse prevention, intimacy in recovery, and treating chemically dependent adult children of alcoholics. From his more than 25 years of clinical experience and research, Gorski has developed a comprehensive approach to recovery that is revolutionizing the field of relapse prevention.
Customer Reviews:
By far the best!.......2006-08-31
If you work in the field of addiction run out and get every book Terry has written. He is simply the best. I would recommend his work to lay people who have substance abuse or recovery issues also. this book, as are all of his books, is indispensable if you run chemical dependency, family, PC 100 or CDIOP groups. There is a wealth of practical usable information. Also, this is the first book of it's kind that I have found that deals with the specific issues common to long term sobriety. Most books I come across deal with the first 2 years which is understandable. But how wonderful to find a book that specifically has a section on double digit (those with decades) sobriety. I can't recommend it enough.
Good .......2005-09-23
I recieved this book in a timely fashion and in good conditon.
I would purchase from this seller again.
Sobriety is More than just Healing the Damage.......1999-09-24
Abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is only the beginning of sobriety. It's the ticket to get into the theater, not the movie we are going to see." -- Passages through Recovery
One of the most important things we learn in recovery is that there really is a way out of all the misery -- if we know which way to go. But abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is just the beginning of our journey, not our destination. And, that journey can be a rough one if we don't know what lies ahead.
Passages through Recovery clearly demonstrates that sobriety is more than just healing the damage. "It's a way of thinking, acting, and relating to others, "Gorski writes, "That promotes continued physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health. The skills necessary for long-term sobriety are all directed at finding meaning and purpose in life."
Use this book as a compass in your recovery to help you stay on course.
Average customer rating:
- Salvatore strikes again
- Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: The Legend Of Drizzt
- Great Author
- Wow
- Very predictable, but pulls in some interesting new characters
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Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book X)
R.A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Salvatore, R.A.
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ASIN: 0786942576
Release Date: 2007-03-13 |
Book Description
Passage to Dawn
Six years. Not so long in the lifespan of a drow. And yet -- in counting the months, the weeks, the days, the hours -- it seemed to me as if I had been away from Mithral Hall a hundred times that number. The place was another lifetime, another way of life, a mere stepping stone to. . .
To what? To where?
I ride the waves along the Sword Coast now, the wind and spray in my face. My ceiling is the rush of clouds and the canopy of stars; my floor, the creaking boards of a swift, well-weathered ship. Beyond that lies the azure blanket, flat and still, heaving and rolling, hissing in the rain and exploding under the fall of a breaching whale.
Is this, then, my home?
Customer Reviews:
Salvatore strikes again.......2007-08-26
I am loving this entire series and have been completely enthralled with this world he has created. Can't wait until I receive the next one.
Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: The Legend Of Drizzt.......2007-06-29
The story flowed nicely. Full of action and personal glimpses of the characters struggles. Ending I hoped for more. Look forward to the next book.
Great Author.......2007-06-09
As always, R.A. Salvatore continues his great series going deeper into the Dark Elf city with lots of action writing. With just enough detail to spark your imagination in the way every fight spans out it makes you want to read every novel Salvatore has ever written. I HIGHLY suggest this series of books to anyone with even a slight interest in Science Fiction.
Wow.......2007-05-24
This really is a fantastic series. I fell in love with Drizzt from the first book and have been following the journeys of him and his companions. This is one of the best D&D based series I have ever read and would recomend this to anyone interested in such a genre.
Very predictable, but pulls in some interesting new characters.......2007-04-15
After ten books (three in the dark eld trilogy, three in the icewind dale trilogy and four in the legacy of the drow series), the characters are becoming familiar and the interaction and culture of the races are known quantities. Unfortunately, the plots are becoming pretty familiar as well.
Salvatore delivers as always with his battle sequences, where his writing is always well done (makes me wonder if he physically steps through the fighting himself so as to better write it). This book also contains time on the ship Sea Sprite, and battles with pirate ships, which are well done. I also enjoyed the new characters of the wizard Cadderly and his wife Danica, although their appearance was short.
But bringing back the Crystal Shard, Ertuu (who we knew from the previous few books was going to have to make a return appearance) and the bringing of a main character back from the dead makes for a fairly predictable plotline.
I know people who have read the entire series (which at this point is seven more books), but I have to question what additional events and devices can be brought into this series to make it interesting and enjoyable. If characters die, except on soap operas they should stay dead.
Customer Reviews:
Non Formal Reading Assessment.......2007-08-04
This assessment is non formal, so do not use it in place of a formal diagnostic for reading. It is however able to be used from k-10 for literacy assessment. If your student reaches higher than a 10, well then he/she is most likely for pre-college reading.
Book Description
Author James Hollis's eloquent reading provides the listener with an accessible and yet profound understanding of a universal condition—or what is commonly referred to as the Mid-life crisis. The book shows how we may travel this Middle Passage consciously, thereby rendering our lives more meaningful and the second half of life immeasurably richer.
Customer Reviews:
Transformations at Mid-Life.......2007-09-24
This book was recommended by a friend who read it when she was going through her own mid-life passage. I found it extremely helpful and continue to use it as a reminder to myself when I am feeling like I 'm floating in outer space. James Hollis writes very succinctly, in Jungian terms, what takes place in the psyche of a person in the second half of life. I found it comforting, useful, and true for me. I highly reommend it to anyone who needs a light of hope and a map through the terrain of mid-life transformations.
Hollis Does A Helluva Job With This One.......2007-06-17
I have had the priviledge of sitting through hours of James Hollis' lectures at Houston's Jung Center. His writing style is very compact but pacts a punch (Hemingway for Jungian Wanderers, if you will). He takes the notion of the "mid-life crisis" to the appropriate realm of "mid-life transformation" by illustrating the WHY of the formerly named "crisis". Taking his words (and always keeping in mind TS Eliot's "The Wasteland") will help any reader better understand why they feel "unfullfilled". His book will also give them tools to direct them back to that path of command/control of their own lives. Additionally arming them with the notion that there will be plenty more goofy (read unconscious) activities with which to deal in the future.
This book is a tool and a useful tool indeed.
Vancouver in midlife ? ..........2005-09-30
An amazing number of people in Vancouver are reviewing midlife crisis books ... is that city going through it's own midlife crisis ?
This book is perhaps the best one out there. The reasons are many as others have pointed out, but in my estimation is this: Hollis does not jump into the mechanics of the midlife period, in fact this is not the main emphasis at all. He starts with an in-depth retrospective on childhood and does a thourough analysis of our early years, then guides us into our present state and our future.
Highly recommended, yes.
Recommended Challenge for Greater consciousness & Individuation at Midlife.......2005-08-14
The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts; 59 by James Hollis, PhD was published in 1993 and is his first contribution to the series.
The "Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts" is a wonderful series published by Inner City Books with Daryl Sharp as founder and chief editor (himself an accomplished Jungian Analyst and writer). Marie-Louise von Franz is their Honorary Patron with 9 of her classic titles in the offerings. The publisher's charter was "...founded in 1980 to promote the understanding and practical application of the work of C.G. Jung. " Since then they've published over 110 titles in this series with other prolific Jungian authors such as Barbara Hannah, Edward Edinger, and Marion Woodman to name a few. Hollis is a Zurich-trained Jungian analyst practicing out of Texas where he is also the Executive Director of the Jung Educational Center of Houston. He's contributed 8 titles to the Studies in Jungian Psychology series himself. His most recent book (from a different publisher) titled: "Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life - How to Finally, Really Grow Up" is receiving critical acclaim as well. Incidentally, the author and I recently shared some correspondence and I found him to be warm, helpful, responsive and thoughtful.
The audio version of The Middle Passage is unabridged on 4 CD's with the author narrating in a calm, clear, and agreeable tone of voice with an elegant economy and effectiveness of words. I own a treasured, well-worn print copy of the 128-page book that is liberally underlined, dog-eared, and grossly highlighted.
Whether reading the book or listening to the author narrate, I am nearly overwhelmed at the compactness of meaning in his tightly composed sentences. This sense of being overwhelmed is most assuredly not a bad thing - it's a welcome invitation for re-listening to the audio book during my daily commute (a 95 mile round trip to work and home in southern California traffic gives nearly two hours of listening time!). Plus I get opportunities to reread the printed book as time permits as I have a new addition to the family - this equates to sleepless nights with our newborn baby boy...
Anyhow, it's a real pleasure opening this book and unpacking the riches within - and treasures they are! I reach into the bag and there are the gems, the gold in the content - but it's packed so tightly as to need diligent & mindful mining. I unpack the words, the sentences, and paragraphs and air them out, taking the concepts down different avenues of thought to glean new insights into the character of my self. I can't tell you the number times I've had "AHA!" moments - or the sublime experience where some subtle material gestated over time, gelling into meaningful mini-epiphanies. I can't tell you because it won't stop! A most gratifying experience!
I have only one minor criticism of this great contribution to Jungian analysis/literature. I can imagine some people possibly being turned off by the author's complex wording which might appear a bit pedantic on the surface. Some of the arguably abstract/esoteric language is not common to a layman's lexis yet they pose a rewarding challenge for the diligent reader. Here's a sample of random rarified words & phrases for example: existential angst, imagos, ineluctable dialectic, the modern Zeitgeist, politic real, portmanteau and (ready?) Jung's awesome word Auseinandersetzung. I've had to grant myself a little time adjusting to his rich vocabulary. Nevertheless it is a cogent, logical and lucid narrative where Hollis carefully defines his terms in the context of recognized Jungian terminology.
Hollis uses an abundance of prominent literary and historical figures including Christ, Dante, Stephen Dunn, T.S. Eliot, Nikos Kazantzakis, Nietzsche, Rainer Maria Rilke, Dylan Thomas, St. Thomas, Thoreau, Yeats, and C.G. Jung is well deployed throughout the text.
A two-part bibliography gives a listing of select publications segregated by major categories such as: On Midlife, On Women, On Men, On Relationship, Typology, and Inner Work. The other half is a General Bibliography providing a comprehensive list of his sources cited. It also has a pretty good index. Generous footnotes throughout the pages helpfully clarify certain points and direct the reader to relevant sources.
Characteristic of Hollis' Socratic bent, "Who am I apart from the roles I have played?" (from the preface) is the first of many questions posed in Middle Passage. The following passages from the preface effectively capture critical sentiment worth reflection: "Many of us pass through life as if it were a novel. We pass from page to page passively, assuming the author will tell us on the last page what it was all about...on the last page we die, with or without illumination." Hollis tells us "The invitation of the Middle passage is to become conscious, accept responsibility for the rest of the pages and risk the largeness of life to which we are summoned."
In the first chapter, "The Provisional Personality", he uses the language of Jungian principles to reveal the genesis and evolution of childhood wounding resulting from internalized interpretations of adult conflict (particularly with respect to parental and cultural influences) and the subsequent development of unconscious complexes. He tells us "...the person one has been is to be replaced by the person to be...One is summoned, psychologically, to die unto the old self so that the new might be born." He concludes the chapter with "...the Middle Passage represents a summons from within to move from the provisional life to true adulthood, from the false self to authenticity."
Making a comprehensive review of the rest of the book would prove too lengthy; however I've listed the remaining chapters below and will conclude with a review of one last chapter after the list:
Chapter 2 - The Advent of the Middle Passage
Tectonic Pressures and Seismic Intimations
A New Kind of Thinking
Changes in Identity
Withdrawal of Projections
Changes in the Body and Sense of Time
The Diminution of Hope
The Experience of Neurosis
Chapter 3: The Turn Within
The Persona-Shadow Dialogue
Relationship Problems
Midlife Affairs
From Child to Parent to Child
The World of Work: Job Versus Vocation
Emergence of the Inferior Function
Shadow Invasions
Chapter 4: Case Studies in Literature (see below)
Chapter 5: Individuation: Jung's Myth for Our Time
Chapter 6: On the High Seas and Alone
From Loneliness to Solitude
Connecting with the Lost Child
The Passionate Life
The Swamplands of the Soul
The Great Dialectic
Momento Mori
This Luminous Pause
One chapter in particular has grown on me: in Case Studies in Literature Hollis explores and illuminates new perspectives into the shadow with fascinating analysis of some classic, well recognized literary works. In Goethe's Faust, "Mephistopheles describes the shadow as that part of the whole, neglected and suppressed, which is necessary for the dialectic that ultimately brings wholeness." And for our protagonist, "The central encounter which Faust suffers is the overdue meeting with his anima..." Next, we're treated to obvious projections Flaubert's Madame Bovary. The resulting sense of urgency from Faust and Emma's unlived lives causes them to make bad tragically bad choices. "They project their inner contrasexual onto an outer person, not realizing that what they seek is ultimately within."
Dostoevsky's Underground Man "...takes us into the belly of the beast." and "...represents a profoundly searing encounter with the shadow." making conscious "...what all of us do in the first adulthood, namely, react to life's wounds. We build a set of wound-based behaviors and live out our handicapped version with rationalizations and self-justification."
Works from three American poets, Hugo Richard, Theodore Roethke, and Diane Wakoski are shared representing "...self-conscious efforts to rework one's personal myth." and identify our biographies as "...traps, deceptive enticements that freeze us in the seemingly facticity of the past, wound-identified and creatures of fate."
I end this quote-labored review with an invitation Hollis gives at the end of the same chapter, "In the secret club of the Middle Passage, there is an invitation for greater consciousness and an enlarged capacity for choice. With greater consciousness comes a greater opportunity for forgiveness of others and of ourselves, and, with forgiveness, release from the past." Finally, a grand imperative: "We must address the making of our myths more consciously or we shall never be more than the sum of what has happened to us."
I highly recommended this book for the challenge it offers the welcoming soul.
IndiAndy
Excellent!.......2005-08-09
I found this book while ordering the recently-released "Finding Meaning in the Second-Half of Life" (which I haven't read yet). I turned 50 in June, and find it (being 50) more difficult than I ever anticipated. "The Middle Passage" describes everything I've been feeling, explains why mid-life can be difficult, and offers excellent insight into coping with a "mid-life crisis." I highly recommend this book for anyone who is struggling to find a sense of meaning as they move into and past their 40's.
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