Amazon.com
Despite its sensational title, David Bach's The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich is not a get-rich-quick guide. Rather, the book is a straightforward march through common-sense personal financial planning that suggests readers "automate" their contributions to retirement and investment vehicles. Bach, in fact, calls his model the "tortoise approach" to becoming wealthy by retirement age.
In the early part of the book Bach builds on ideas he established in Smart Women Finish Rich and other bestselling titles. His core principle is that, to succeed, you must "Pay Yourself First." In other words, he suggests using pre-tax retirement accounts (i.e. 401(k)s, IRAs, or Roth IRAs) to set aside a fixed, monthly sum of money before considering what is left for living expenses. The "automatic" part of the title comes from Bach's emphasis on using automated payroll deductions to avoid the temptation of using the money to pay today's bills.
Bach insists that "regardless of the size of your paycheck, you probably already make enough money to become rich." But his claims that his plan requires "no budget, no discipline," is a bit disingenuous. His discussion of the "The Latte Factor" shows that, to find money to start a retirement plan, a person with a modest income needs to make an up-front commitment to stop accruing debt and to reduce spending on such "wasteful" items as lattes and cigarettes.
In the end The Automatic Millionaire does not offer much that is new for readers already familiar with personal finance basics like accelerated mortgage payments, "the miracle of compound interest," and the setting up of emergency funds. But, for those just starting with financial planning, Bach provides a host of resources to put recommendations into action. He walks his readers through such fundamentals as shopping for interest rates, creating a balanced retirement portfolio, and consolidating debt. And Bach's conversational style will make this quick read highly palatable for those daunted by more detailed investment and personal finance titles. --Patrick O'Kelley
Book Description
What’s the secret to becoming a millionaire?
For years people have asked David Bach, the national bestselling author of Smart Women Finish Rich, Smart Couples Finish Rich, and The Finish Rich Workbook, what’s the real secret to getting rich? What’s the one thing I need to do?
Now, in The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach is sharing that secret.
The Automatic Millionaire starts with the powerful story of an average American
couple--he’s a low-level manager, she’s a beautician--whose joint income never exceeds $55,000 a year, yet who somehow manage to own two homes debt-free, put two kids through college, and retire at 55 with more than $1 million in savings. Through their story you’ll learn the surprising fact that you cannot get rich with a budget! You have to have a plan to pay yourself first that is totally automatic, a plan that will automatically secure your future and pay for your present.
What makes The Automatic Millionaire unique:
You don’t need a budget
You don’t need willpower
You don’t need to make a lot of money
You don’t need to be that interested in money
You can set up the plan in an hour
David Bach gives you a totally realistic system, based on timeless principles, with everything you need to know, including phone numbers and websites, so you can put the secret to becoming an Automatic Millionaire in place from the comfort of your own home.
This one little book has the power to secure your financial future. Do it once--the rest is automatic!
Download Description
Bestselling financial advisor David Bach brings us his proven, revolutionary system that in one hour will make readers -- even those not smart about money, not disciplined or budget-minded -- rich.
The Automatic Millionaire shows readers how to change financial practices and financial lives, beginning with a powerful story of an average American couple -- he's a low-level manager, she's a teacher -- whose joint income never exceeds $55,000 a year, yet who somehow manage to own two homes debt-free, put two kids through college, and retire at 55 with more than $1 million in savings. The incredible message Bach delivers is that the key to getting rich is by "automating" the way to wealth by "paying yourself first," using automatic funded retirement accounts and money market accounts to secure the future and pay for the present.
In a short book destined for bestseller lists, The Automatic Millionaire introduces readers to a system that is powerfully simple, and automatically effective, a life-changing system that delivers. Do it once, the rest is automatic.
"The Automatic Millionaire is an automatic winner. David Bach really cares about you: on every page you can hear him cheering you on to financial fitness. No matter who you are or what your income is, you can benefit from this easy-to-apply program. Do it now. You and your loved ones deserve big bucks!"
KEN BLANCHARD, CO-AUTHOR OF THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER
"The Automatic Millionaire gives you, step by step, everything you need to secure your financial future. When you do it David Bach's way, failure is not an option."
JEAN CHATZKY, FINANCIAL EDITOR, NBC'S TODAY
"David Bach's no spin financial advice is beautiful because it's so simple. If becoming self-sufficient is important to you then this book is a must."
BILL O'REILLY, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS, AND AUTHOR OF
WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?
Customer Reviews:
I wish my parents knew this.............2007-08-31
And then they could have taught me. This is so logical and easy, it is stupid that it isn't taught as "Post-Adult Survival, 101". This is the way to create your retirement without missing anything.
And about the time you are fifty, you will be able to look back and smile because you are able to retire, and young enough to enjoy it. It should be illegal to NOT make this book mandatory reading for high school seniors.
The Automatic Millionaire is One of the Greatest Eyeopeners Ever!.......2007-08-25
Life-Changing. This book is truly life-changing! When I first read it, I understood what has held 80% of all Americans back financially speaking which is not understanding the power of saving, the constructive used of compound interest and the total avoidance of credit card debt. Though I found it hard to believe when I read the title, I saw upon reading that it is indeed possible to to become an automatic millionaire through a very creative and powerful savings plan exercised over 10, 20 or 30 years.
This book is MUST reading along with these other classic in the field of personal success and money:
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth
TRANSFORMING DEBT INTO WEALTH
Rich Dad Poor Dad Classics - 3 Copy Boxed Set (Rich Dad)
David Bach's book should be required reading in every high school business class. Thank you Mr. Bach for opening our eyes to the path of financial independence.
The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich.......2007-08-10
This is a very good basic financial book. It will help not only those who are young, but those who are older. It is full of great ideas to teach us to save money. I liked it so well I ordered one for each of my children.
Usefulness depends on level of reader.......2007-08-03
I bought this book about a year ago and read it pretty quickly. I've read most of the classic personal investing books, so for me, this book is sort of an insult to my intelligence. I just read it again since it's a quick read and I'm still not impressed with it.
If you know little about investing (i.e. if you don't know how to calculate future value on a financial calculator) then I imagine this would be a good book to get a basic understanding of the importance of saving and the miracle of compound interest. I also imagine, as some reviewers have mentioned, that this book would be a good gift for a college grad (if not a business major) or a couple just starting out (if you feel they have no clue about money).
This is just "The Wealthy Barber" repackaged and even more elementary. I can sum this book up in one sentence: forgo the coffee and invest the money in mutual funds. The rest is just filler.
If you really want to read a book on investing, John Bogle's "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" is the best for the mutual fund investor. It will take a little more intellectual curiosity to get through, but the man (who started the Vanguard family of mutual funds) is a genius and you will have a much better understanding of the necessity, risks, and rewards of investing for having read it.
If You're in Junior High School...........2007-08-02
"The Auto-Matic Millionaire" is for neophytes starting out (regardless of age) but it could have gone farther. If this book has the information you need it can be helpful. But it barely scratches the surface.
In addition to the "pay yourself first" DCA (dollar-cost averaging), compound interest, and numerous financial website addresses, there is continuous advice of: "save something, and don't spend all your money." This has now become the too-late (attention Baby Boomers) national anthem of the United States. But nobody's really listening.
Author David Bach presents an occasional chart to illustrate the mathematical factual points. One basic chart on compound interest used 3 examples of three hypothetical people named "Billy, Susan and Kim" who start compounding at the ages of 15, 19, and 27. And yes, time is of the essence. The more of it the better. We know starting early provides enormous advantages down the road. But there is something missing in this chart on page 49. In the compound interest model, if managed mutual funds are used with 12b-1 fees, portfolio turnover costs and taxes, the returns are reduced drastically. Many of these fees are hidden. The total Expense Ratios must be carefully perused. They significantly eat into returns over time. Time not your friend anymore, and becomes your enemy.
Bach's note of the time and financial saving on paying a bi-weekly mortgage instead of once per month is helpful (page 181) but still widely known by just about anyone with, a mortgage.
Pay yourself first: old news here. We hope that we workin' folks would pay ourselves first. There is an outlined grid that can be xeroxed and filled out where one can list the money spent and/or wasted and tallied up at the end of the week. Want to know how to hire the right financial planner? This info, you won't find. You'll have to go to the author's website.
Again, this book doesn't go too deep. The information contained in it can be found on the web or via Bob Brinker for free. This isn't necessarily negative, because this small book contains lots of information in a portable paperback, that can benefit a junior high school student. But your tiny home calculator can compute compound interest just as well as this book.
Book Description
David Bach has a plan to help you live and finish rich—no matter where you start
So you feel like you’ve started late?
You are not alone.
What if I told you that right now as you flip through this book, 70% of the people in the store with you are living paycheck to paycheck?
What if I told you that the man browsing the aisle to your left owes more than $8,000 in credit card debt? And the woman on your right has less than $1,000 in savings?
See? You’re really not alone.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who’ve saved too little and borrowed too much will never catch up financially. Why? Because they don’t know how.
You can start late and finish rich—but you need a plan.
This book contains the plan. It’s inspiring, easy to follow, and is based on proven financial principles. Building a secure financial future for yourself isn’t something you can do overnight. It will take time and it will take work. But you can do it.
I know. I’ve helped millions of people get their financial lives together—and I can help you. Spend a few hours with me—and let me challenge you. Give me a chance to become your coach.
Just because you started late doesn’t mean you are doomed to an uncertain future. Whether you’re in your thirties, forties, fifties, or beyond, there is still time to turn things around. It’s never too late to live and finish rich. All it takes is the decision to start.
—David Bach
Is it too late for me to get rich?
Over and over, people share their fears with David Bach, America’s leading money coach and the number-one national best-selling author of The Automatic Millionaire. “If only I had started saving when I was younger!” they say. “Is there any hope for me?”
There IS hope, and help is here at last!
In Start Late, Finish Rich, David Bach takes the “Finish Rich” wisdom that has already helped millions of people and tailors it specifically to all of us who forgot to save, procrastinated, or got sidetracked by life’s unexpected challenges.
Whether you are in your thirties, forties, fifties, or even older, Bach shows that you really can start late and still live and finish rich – and you can get your plan in place fast. In a motivating, swift read you learn how to ramp up the road to financial security with the principles of spend less, save more, make more – and most important, LIVE MORE. And he gives you the time tested plan to do it.
The Start Late, Finish Rich promise is bold and clear:
Even if you are buried in debt – there is still hope.
You can get rich in real estate – by starting small.
Find your “Latte Factor” – and turbo charge it to save money you didn’t know you had.
You can start a business on the side – while you keep your old job and continue earning a paycheck.
You can spend less, save more and make more – and it doesn’t have to hurt.
David Bach gives you step-by-step instructions, worksheets, phone numbers and website addresses --everything you need to put your Start Late plan into place right away. And he shares the stories of ordinary Americans who have turned their lives around, at thirty, forty, fifty, even sixty years of age, and are now financially free. They did it, and now it’s your turn. With David Bach at your side, it’s never too late to change your financial destiny. It’s never too late to live your dreams. It’s never too late to be free.
Customer Reviews:
great for any age!.......2007-09-27
Everyone should read this book who is over 30! Bach gives a great blueprint for achieving financial independence. Read "The Instant Millionaire" also.
Great Advice.......2007-09-26
The book is well written and offers practical advice for anyone serious about getting their finances focused on their future. The book isn't enough to get you to the goal but is a fabulous starting point for the journey. I plan to by other books by David Bach.
Good First Push to Wealth.......2007-09-21
David Bach is a good, not great, financial advisor. That being said, this book could just as easily have been yellow and black and been named "Wealth for Dummies." That is NOT a condemnation! This is a perfect starting point for those that want to get on the way to financial freedom. He speaks the truth, easily understood. Further reading will be needed AFTER you put his concepts into ACTION!!!
BUY IT!
A Good Section on Real Estate.......2007-09-01
As someone who buys fix-up houses and rents them out, I read with interest Chapter 19 "Get Rich Investing in Real Estate ... On the Weekend." I think that the author describes, in a condensed form, exactly what anyone can do to be successful in real estate.
In my opinion, the two safest ways to get into real estate, and the author describes each technique, are: 1) buy a home, rent it, then do it again, and/or 2) buy a home, live in it 2 years, then sell it without paying any federal taxes using the "homeowner's tax break." Over the past six years, my wife and I have used both techniques. We have several properties that we keep as rental properties and provide us with cash flow. In addition, we also buy houses in need of repair with the intention of selling them and utilizing the "homeowners tax break" to pay no federal taxes.
My wife and I didn't sock away much money for retirement, but with our rental houses, we have a flow of income that will last as long as we keep the houses. Many people stay away from rental properties because they don't want to deal with renters. However, with practice anything is easy, including dealing with renters, and the rewards far outweigh the difficulties.
If you really don't want to deal with renters, just use technique #2, where you buy and sell every two years. I like to say that technique #2 is for people who wear both a belt and suspenders, they really like to play it safe.
Oveall, I thought the book was pretty good, and I especially recommend the sections on real estate investing.
Rah, Rah, Sis-Boom-Bah...... yuck........2007-08-28
This book is just a rewrite of Mr. Bach's other Finish Rich books. The book presents methods someone could use to save for a comfortable retirement. All the ideas discussed are common sense items which can be found in many other places. The ideas themselves, without the cheerleading style, could be discussed in a book half it's size.
If you need the cheerleading touchy-feely style to get you to consider the methods in the book, then you might consider buying ONE of Mr. Bach's books, the one that most applies to you. There is no need to waste money on the rest of his books... you'd just be reading about the same ideas all over again.
Average customer rating:
- Down the Rabbit Hole...
- Come one, come all
- Bound with the "braid"?
- Excellent book!
- "This sentence is false."
|
Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
Douglas R. Hofstadter
Manufacturer: Basic Books
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ASIN: 0465026567 |
Amazon.com
Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, Douglas R. Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is still something of a marvel. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of Bach, the artwork of Escher, and the mathematics of Gödel. It also looks at the prospects for computers and artificial intelligence (AI) for mimicking human thought. For the general reader and the computer techie alike, this book still sets a standard for thinking about the future of computers and their relation to the way we think.
Hofstadter's great achievement in Gödel, Escher, Bach was making abstruse mathematical topics (like undecidability, recursion, and 'strange loops') accessible and remarkably entertaining. Borrowing a page from Lewis Carroll (who might well have been a fan of this book), each chapter presents dialogue between the Tortoise and Achilles, as well as other characters who dramatize concepts discussed later in more detail. Allusions to Bach's music (centering on his Musical Offering) and Escher's continually paradoxical artwork are plentiful here. This more approachable material lets the author delve into serious number theory (concentrating on the ramifications of Gödel's Theorem of Incompleteness) while stopping along the way to ponder the work of a host of other mathematicians, artists, and thinkers.
The world has moved on since 1979, of course. The book predicted that computers probably won't ever beat humans in chess, though Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in 1997. And the vinyl record, which serves for some of Hofstadter's best analogies, is now left to collectors. Sections on recursion and the graphs of certain functions from physics look tantalizing, like the fractals of recent chaos theory. And AI has moved on, of course, with mixed results. Yet Gödel, Escher, Bach remains a remarkable achievement. Its intellectual range and ability to let us visualize difficult mathematical concepts help make it one of this century's best for anyone who's interested in computers and their potential for real intelligence. --Richard Dragan
Topics Covered: J.S. Bach, M.C. Escher, Kurt Gödel: biographical information and work, artificial intelligence (AI) history and theories, strange loops and tangled hierarchies, formal and informal systems, number theory, form in mathematics, figure and ground, consistency, completeness, Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry, recursive structures, theories of meaning, propositional calculus, typographical number theory, Zen and mathematics, levels of description and computers; theory of mind: neurons, minds and thoughts; undecidability; self-reference and self-representation; Turing test for machine intelligence.
Book Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this book applies Godel's seminal contribution to modern mathematics to the study of the human mind and the development of artificial intelligence.
Customer Reviews:
Down the Rabbit Hole..........2007-05-18
This is a difficult book.
Difficult to read. Difficult to understand. And, I'm finding, difficult to review. What's it about? Good question. The author, himself, isn't very clear on this point, describing it as "a metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll." I'm not sure I can do better than that. I will tell you this, however: if the book has a "point," it does seem to be that man's consciousness is ultimately mechanical and, therefore, that there is no reason that machines cannot finally be intelligent in the same sense that man is. (And, in fact, be as man in just about every internal way.)
While I take issue with this conclusion, and some of Hofstadter's reasoning along the way, I don't think that my debating his points is the basis on which a prospective reader should decide whether or not to pick up this book. Instead, the prospective reader should know: that this is a lengthy and deep work. It will take a *long* time to read properly, and most readers should not read more than a chapter a day. Many of the sections, and especially the various dialogues that preface the chapters, are quite clever. (These dialogues are usually between Achilles and the Tortoise, of Zeno's paradoxes, and their friends.) Some of the chapters grow incredibly technical. The subject matters vary, wildly and rapidly, and there will be points in reading where you will question your investment.
In the end, you will feel good for having pushed through the hard bits. It will coalesce, more or less, into a whole. Whether you finally agree with Hofstadter's conclusions or not, you'll have learned much and thought about important topics you might otherwise not have.
A good book, certainly not for everyone... but, if you're the "right" audience--someone deeply interested in questions of intelligence, mathematics, computer science and free will, and possessed of a bit of an ironic sense of humor--then this book cannot be recommended highly enough.
Five stars, for the work it represents, and the doors it opens to the reader.
Come one, come all.......2007-05-16
As you can see from other reviews, people tend to walk away from this book with a variety of different impressions. Math, Art, Logic, Philosophy, Human Perception and Thought, it has it all. This is second to the Bible in my collection as a book I've read multiple times and can still come back to a read again for even more insight and perspective.
Bound with the "braid"?.......2007-05-14
Can someone tell me, in plain English, what this book is about? On the little matter of determinism--is he for it or against it? He does not seem to have come to praise Godel, Escher, Bach for their strangeness but rather to bury strangeness and its resistance to materialism. He seems to be saying that strangeness is hardwired and can be programmed into a formal system by someone who sees it for what it is--in short, that computers will some day rise to the level of consiousness and self-reference. But wouldn't such a system be curved in upon itself and lack strangeness? If strangeness could be hard-wired into AI, would it still seem strange? Nothingness annihilates strangeness, but then the absense of strangeness is the actual limit of the theories of value seen in those who follow Heidegger. In order to eliminate the difference between soul and matter, they must give up the resistance of soul to the limitations of material existence; at which point "strangeness" becomes a matter of verbal virtuosity and conceptual sleight of hand. "Strangeness" becomes the same thing as cleverness. Or am I misreading this fascinating book?
Excellent book!.......2007-05-14
Hofstadter combines the awe in math, music, art, artificial intelligence, language and computers into one big book called GEB. Its takes the reader on an ecstatic journey with a clever use of parallels between the structure of math, music and finite but endless loops that appear in Escher's works. Dialogs between Achilles and Tortoise are very interesting.
"This sentence is false.".......2007-03-19
A simple example of recursiveness in music is the song "row, row, row your boat." The song becomes recursive as each new line is started when the original line makes it to "gently down the stream." In this way, we have a musical example of the artistic portrayals of Maurits Cornelius Escher whose paintings invariably fosuc on recursive visual themes such as two hands in the process of drawing each other.
In each case, the depiction challenges our ability to pidgeon hole the phenomenon we are examining. Which line is the harmony, which is the melody in "row, row, row your boat"? Which hand is drawing which in the Escher print?
Liguistically, the same effect occurs when we examine the statement "This sentence is false." Logically if we accept the statement at its face value being false then it becomes an accurate representation (in that it correctly asserts its falseness). On the other hand, we are also drawn to the conclusion that the statement is true (again because it is self referentially accurate).
Ultimately, we are forced to logically conclude that we can neither bracket the statement "This sentence is false" with either all true statements or all untrue statements. As indicated previously, like the song "row, row, row your boat" or an Escher painting, the sentence defies pidgeon holing owing to its recursive quality.
Back in 1931, Kurt Godel shocked the mathematics community with his assertion that mathematically consistent systems themselves necessarily produce formally undecideable propositions (the math equivalent of "This sentence is false"). At the time of presenting his paper, it was Godel's intent to demonstrate the unique nature of human intellect because if we can resolve undecideable propositions then there must be something unique to the process of human intellect.
While Godel certainly brought undeniable genius to the creation of his theorem, it doesn't follow that the theorem proves the uniqueness of human intellect. And the reason Godel's theorem doesn't prove the uniqueness of human intellect is because its logical limitations are our own.
Just as Godelian mathematics can't prove undecideable propositions, neither can we "prove" them.
However, we can "believe" undecideable propositions. (In this regard, two easy cases in point are Goldbach's conjecture -- that all even numbers are the sum of two primes -- and that parallel lines really are parallel.) In this way, Godel's theorem, in combination with modern research on artificial intelligence, shows that it is the emotive side of reason that defies the strict logical limitations of Godelian constructs.
These hard won discoveries have combined to make for some surprising findings.
Probably the first among these most observable to the general public through the misconception of science fiction is that emotion somehow stagnates the operation of intellect. In this way, it was HAL 9000's personality as much as the creepiness of that personality that was surprising to 1968 movie goers watching "2001: A Space Odessy." As demonstrated in the movie, it was the fact of HAL's emotive connections with the ongoing actions of his crew that prompted "him" to formulate and act on plans.
Second, modern research has shown that human intellect is not best characterized as being a "blank slate" but rather a delicate combination of various systems that survey reality in the own ways. An easy example is the human eye which uses a combination of three different light cones to measure redness, greenness and blueness. It is the relative comparisons of these cone findings that nudges your visual perception to observe the color of an object. At the intellectual level, one system is entirely devoted to our understanding of artifacts. How do they work? How can they be modified for use in a situation? Another system comprehends animate creatures. Yet another system recognizes faces. Still another system is devoted to language acquisition.
And significantly all these systems acquire information emotively. We see the face of a parent and emotively appreciate it (unless we suffer from a particular cognitive disorder that has disabled our ability to do so as for example discussed by Oliver Sacks in his great book "The man who mistook his wife for a hat"). We remember a concept learned and emotively evaluate it. In this way, freedom, communism, taxes are not just intellectual constructs but ideas that spark real feelings on our part.
In creating Godel, Escher, Bach, Douglas Hofstadter displayed true genius in linking three domains wherein recursiveness seems to play such a pivatol role. As he indicated, they are three shadows cast from the same source.
In re-concluding this book, however, I couldn't help but think of other possible titles that could be added to a Godel, Escher, Bach type encyclopedia: "Phi, Di Vinci, Bach" -- the story of the "golden ratio" of phi which plays a role in Di Vinci's art work and as it so happens also in the music of Bach; "Pascal, State Lotteries, Happy Birthday" -- the story of Pascal's wager and how an appreciation of statistics will make us understand why states will never lose money running a state lottery for reasons akin to why relatively small groupings of people will have at least two that share the same birthday; and "Klein, Carroll, Kubrick" -- the story of Oscar Klein's bottle which can resort to the fourth dimensionj to fill itself up and how speculations by the physicist J Richard Gott suggest that Alice and all of us may have originallyu gone down the rabbit hole for a real space odessy through time itself.
The point here is not that Hofstadter was incorrect but (no pun intended) merely incomplete in his survey when he said that Godel's proof, Escher's paintings and Bach's music were but three shadows cast from the same source. The point here is that -- properly examined -- those three shadows, together with the encyclopedia I've suggested, would direct us not only to the origins of consciousness but also the origin of origins itself.
Average customer rating:
- Good Intro to Leni
- Brilliant But Petty and Cruel -- Oh, Wait, That's The Author!
- Double standard
- Good book but, a little too long
- Leni survives all
|
Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl
Steven Bach
Manufacturer: Knopf
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Binding: Hardcover
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Book Description
The definitive biography of Leni Riefenstahl, the woman best known as “Hitler’s filmmaker,” one of the most fascinating and controversial personalities of the twentieth century. It is the story of huge talent and huger ambition, one that probes the sometimes blurred borders dividing art and beauty from truth and humanity.
Two of Riefenstahl’s films, Olympia and Triumph of the Will, are universally regarded as the greatest and most innovative documentaries ever made, but they are also insidious glorifications of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Now, in this masterful new biography, Steven Bach reveals the truths and lies behind this gifted woman’s lifelong self-vindication as an apolitical artist who claimed she knew nothing of the Holocaust and denied her complicity with the criminal regime she both used and sanctified.
The facts and her actions, many unknown until now, bear chilling witness: her passionate enthusiasm for Hitler from her first reading of Mein Kampf; her involvements with Nazi leaders Joseph Goebbels, Martin Bormann, Albert Speer, and Julius Streicher, who advanced her career, and with Hitler, who personally helped finance it; her role as silent eyewitness to wartime atrocities against Jews; and her use of slave labor in the form of concentration camp Gypsies destined for Auschwitz. We see her after the war trying to sell footage to Hollywood under an alias, manipulating a sham “discovery” of the Nuba tribes of Sudan into a career comeback, fighting to disinherit her closest living relatives, and—to the end—unable to express remorse for the millions murdered by the Nazi regime made mythic by her work.
Relying on new sources—including interviews with her colleagues and intimate friends, as well as on previously unknown recordings of Riefenstahl herself—Bach gives us an exceptional work of historical investigation that untangles the past and is also an objective but unsparing appraisal of a woman of spectacular gifts corrupted by ruthless personal ambition.
Customer Reviews:
Good Intro to Leni .......2007-08-29
After reading Jurgen Trimborn's admirable but somewhat inaccessible biography of Riefenstahl, I sought out this book in hopes that it would be friendlier to a Riefenstahl novice such as me. It certainly is an easier read and a much better starting place.
Steven Bach, of Final Cut fame, writes from the standpoint of a motion picture enthusiast. He also has a POV where Riefenstahl's Nazi associations are concerned and he doesn't hide it. For Bach Riefenstahl is the living version of Klaus Mann's Mephisto, a careerist willing to do anything and associate with anyone to advance her "art." He also makes the case (clearly building on Trimborn's work, among others) that Riefenstahl not only had no problem with anything Hitler did or said, she likely agreed with most if not all of it.
Bach's style is that of a gossipy Hollywood bio, which is fine by me, but he's no fan magazine hack. He knows the power of the snide observation and, best of all, how damning Leni's own words were. At times Riefenstahl comes across as downright delusional about her artistic abilities and men's lust for her. To hear her tell it no man so much as entered the same zipcode as Leni Riefenstahl without falling madly in love with her.
Some may have disagreements about Bach's assessment of Riefenstahl's artistic contributions. I've only seen clips of her work so my own opinion is somewhat limited. Bach does make a good case the Riefenstahl either stole the ideas of others or took credit for their work. Bach doesn't buy the argument that the art is more important than the character or actions of the artist. He also doesn't buy that Riefenstahl was much of an artist.
This is no love letter to Leni. It is an entertaining read. Gossipy, slightly bitchy (as one reviewer here has aptly noted), and full of telling details and quotes, this is a easy entry into the myths and controversy that make up Leni Riefenstahl.
Brilliant But Petty and Cruel -- Oh, Wait, That's The Author! .......2007-08-26
Not since Albert Goldman's ELVIS has a dense, full length biography of a sexy, glamorous larger than life legend been written with such sadistic relish, such delicious malicious bitchery and pure venomous guile.
There's no question that Leni Riefenstahl, the stunningly beautiful German woman who made hypnotic propaganda films for the Nazis, was guilty of moral cowardice and hypocrisy, if not during the war, then certainly afterwards. She persisted to the end of her life in wanting to have it both ways -- saying in effect "I didn't know," and at the same time "I was too scared to stop Hitler -- too scared that I would be next." She claimed to have legions of Jewish friends before the war, but she never tried to help them when things got bad, even though she had lots of Nazi influence and power. And she always seemed weirdly out of touch with the human results of Hitler's evil deeds.
The problem is, Steve Bach doesn't know when to quit. He sneers at Leni Riefenstahl not just for the big things -- not strangling Hitler with her bare hands, the way he seems to imagine he would have done -- but for the little things too. The book is full of catty little remarks like, "Leni was always conscious of her hypnotic effect on men" or "Leni didn't mind having handsome, powerful men buy her presents" or "Leni's fearless mountain climbing only made her feminine allure more overpowering to the distinguished male cinema artists who indulged her every creative whim."
It's hard to tell whether Bach hates Leni for being heartless and callous or for being beautiful, talented -- and very knowingly seductive.
There is a much more serious issue here than the hissy ALL ABOUT EVE style bitchery of a jaded Hollywood insider. Bach insists on judging a German film maker by a far more rigorous standard than he would ever apply to the film industry in Hollywood today -- or seventy years ago, for that matter. When Leni goes to Hollywood he brags that the left-leaning Hollywood of 1938 treated the lovely German visitor with scorn -- but how did they treat Margaret Mitchell when she came to town the very next year? Bach has nothing to say about why those same "leftists" failed to prevent the making of a racist epic like GONE WITH THE WIND.
If Leni Riefenstahl shares any part of the guilt for Auschwitz -- and I agree that she does -- then David O. Selznick is equally responsible for the murder of Emmitt Till, the bombings in Birmingham, and all the other hate crimes perpetrated in the Jim Crow south. Bach is in a big hurry to compare Leni to the Stalinist film maker Eisenstein -- arguing in a feeble and half-hearted way that Eisenstein "probably" rebelled at what he was doing. But why not compare Leni Riefenstahl to D.W. Griffiths, or Margaret Mitchell, or David Selznick? All of them dealt in racial hate. They looked the other way while helpless people were tortured and murdered, too. But mentioning America's poisonous history of racial hate would reflect badly on Bach's own milieu. Bach's beloved Hollywood elite never questioned the racial status quo in the Jim Crow south -- at least, not until long after blacks had begun risking their lives to bring the horror of their situation to national attention.
What's really going on here is not genuine, humanistic outrage, but elitist hypocrisy. Bach hates Leni Riefenstahl because he knows that, for all their tiresome liberal cant, just about everyone in Hollywood (and the book world, and the world of leftist Manhattan politics) has the same rat-like survival instincts that Leni had. None of the liberals who demonstrate their courage by hating her guts now ever had to look Hitler in the eye. But they know who would have blinked first. And they know themselves too well to ever show mercy to someone just like them.
Double standard.......2007-08-22
Most of the facts and "facts" in this book cannot be disputed. Only one comment - there were many other people who "cooperated" with the Nazis, but who escape any oprobrium, Richard Strauss name comes to mind. In 1938 he composed "Festliches Praeludium" for the occassion of NSDAP Parteitag, he was the president of Reichsmusikkammer, directly working for Goebbels, he never lifted a finger to help his Jewish friends, etc. etc. Maybe Richard Strauss could be another topic for Steven Bach to delve into.
Good book but, a little too long.......2007-08-11
This was a very good book but, I think Bach gives us too much detail on Leni's life after WWII. I thought the book could have ended much sooner than it did. After all, did we really have to hear about Leni's search for a particular tribe in Africa? It would have suited me fine to hear about her various means of defending herself from various charges as a result of her association with Hitler and the Nazis. I don't see what benefit the inclusion of the African tribe info was to the reader. Still an interesting read.
Leni survives all.......2007-06-14
The author tries and fails to give an evenhanded account of this much reviled woman's life. All this proves once again that the winners write the history. In the meantime he does portray a fascinating and beautiful woman as the opportunist she was without detracting from her worth as a great artist. All in all the best effort so far reflecting an eventful life.
Book Description
Decades of software testing experience condensed into the most important lessons learned.
The world's leading software testing experts lend you their wisdom and years of experience to help you avoid the most common mistakes in testing software. Each lesson is an assertion related to software testing, followed by an explanation or example that shows you the how, when, and why of the testing lesson. More than just tips, tricks, and pitfalls to avoid, Lessons Learned in Software Testing speeds you through the critical testing phase of the software development project without the extensive trial and error it normally takes to do so. The ultimate resource for software testers and developers at every level of expertise, this guidebook features:
- Over 200 lessons gleaned from over 30 years of combined testing experience
- Tips, tricks, and common pitfalls to avoid by simply reading the book rather than finding out the hard way
- Lessons for all key topic areas, including test design, test management, testing strategies, and bug reporting
- Explanations and examples of each testing trouble spot help illustrate each lesson's assertion
Customer Reviews:
Learn from someone else's experience.......2007-08-13
Through a series of nearly 300 "lessons", the authors share their accumulated wisdom about how to test application systems - not so much which buttons to press but more how to establish and manage a test team, plan the work and dynamically adjust the testing process according to what is found and how much time is left.
The chapter titles ably illustrate the book's scope: 1. Role of the tester; 2. Thinking like a tester; 3. Testing techniques; 4. Bug advocacy; 5. Automating testing; 6. Documenting testing; 7. Interacting with programmers; 8. Managing the testing project; 9. Managing the testing group; 10. Your career in software testing; 11. Planning the testing strategy; [Appendix] The context driven approach to software testing.
I would definitely encourage anyone who thinks `test automation' is a great idea and is perhaps contemplating the purchase and use of automation tools, to read chapter 5 before they commit the budget and finalize the project plans. The authors eloquently explain the advantages and disadvantages of common automation techniques such as user input replay tools, providing a real-world counter to the tool vendors' optimistic sales pitches. They don't say "Forget it", rather "If you can live with these significant drawbacks, automated testing may be useful for a certain subset of testing activities". This is a good example of the pragmatism and wisdom found throughout the book.
The book is not an academic treatise full of theoretical constructs/models and testing methodologies. Nor is it a step-by-step manual on how to test a system. It is an excellent read for testing practitioners who are seeking or at least open to advice on how to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. "This book is for anyone who test software, anyone who manages testers, and anyone who has to deal with testers in their software development projects. That includes project managers and executives." The hints and tips plus career development advice are valuable for testers, especially if they have a few years testing under their belts already. The technical content is minimal and should be readily understood by any IT professional while the management advice should be appreciated by those with management experience or who aspire to become managers.
The book strongly encourages testers to work with developers and project managers, becoming an integral and valuable part of the team rather than an impediment to progress and a threat to delivery deadlines (lesson 12 is typically direct: "Never be the gatekeeper"!). The subtitle's reference to being `context driven' introduces a dynamic approach to testing, relating test activities to the development lifecycle and promoting those that will be of most help to the project at any point. The approach is described further in the appendix but is only subtly referenced elsewhere, unlike certain other books that insist on pushing their One Big Idea down the reader's throat at every possible opportunity.
All three authors clearly have solid testing experience, some 60 work-years between them. There are also numerous (but not intrusive) citations to other helpful resources, further demonstrating the authors' pedigree. Cem Kaner, a consultant and IT professor at Florida Institute of Technology, was the lead author of Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition, one of my all time favorite IT books. Cem also practices law. James Bach is the founder of a software testing and QA company with silicon valley experience. Bret Pettichord is an independent consultant who edits the Software Testing Hotlist and founded the Austin Workshop on Test Automation.
The "lessons" format leads to a somewhat disjointed flow in places although overall the book is well-structured. At times, successive lessons are directly contradictory, again emphasizing the need for readers to be both alert and open-minded. This is another example of being `context-driven'. Which lesson you choose to follow depends on the circumstances facing you, a form of contingency planning if you will.
Unusually for a published book, several critical comments from reviewers of the draft, as well as occasional differences of opinion or approach between the three authors, are included as footnotes or asides. The authors openly acknowledge the ambiguities and leave the reader to think about them and make the final decision - I like that. This is a book for grown-ups. There are valiant attempts to describe and promote `the tester's nose', that seemingly innate ability of experienced and successful testers to sniff-out aspects of the system that are likely to harbor serious bugs and to design targeted tests that will reveal them. The advice on unstructured `guerilla testing' is not quite so useful, in my opinion, but I'm impressed that the book even tackles such ephemeral concepts.
Even if you only learn something new from a few of the lessons, this book is well worth the purchase price. Testers relatively new to the profession will learn more than grey-beards but even they will probably find some of the suggestions make them re-think long-established ways of working (habits) and subconscious assumptions (prejudices). In the main, the lessons are pragmatic. Some are a bit contentious, perhaps deliberately, and most are both thought provoking and helpful.
Bottom line: recommended for any thinking person involved in application testing including development project managers and IT auditors.
Outstanding Book.......2007-07-12
Lessons Learned in Software Testing
As a new QA tester I have found that books written by Cem Kaner and associates are extremely helpful. This book in particular (Lessons Learned...) has been a wonderful help to me. I was able to be on guard before I had to learn the lessons the hard way. This book is easy to read and to the point. It is written in a way that the layman can easily uderstand it. This book is extremely insightful and is a good buy for anyone new to the field or not.
Experienced with testing........2007-06-14
My opinion about this book is that this is very useful in order to learn about the facts that happens when you need to lead a group of testers, basically. To read this book you need a previous experience as a tester, in order to understand very clear the ideas. If you have this experience , great!!!!! The book is very very graphic about the facts that happens when you do your job as a testing leader.
Great Book.......2007-04-28
I like the style of this book of short statements and blurbs. I find it easy to go back and look up something when needed.
Book contains a lot of useful tips and information, i recommend buying this book, really one of my favorite testing books.
If you're a tester or developer, this book is a must-have........2006-07-28
Cem's book is a full chest of software testing's practical jewels. I found myself saying "wish I'd known that before I learned it the hard way". After a few years in software testing, I only wish such advice and clear-cut ideas were made available to newcomers and even experienced software QA and testing professionals. The format is inviting, concise and economical. It is truly an enjoyable read.
Amazon.com
Like many savvy business people of the 21st century, David Bach offered his first pearls of financial wisdom to women, in his bestselling book Smart Women Finish Rich. Recognizing that these women are often accompanied by significant others and that money arguments are the number one cause of divorce in America, Bach has now broadened his scope. Presumably intended to help change this depressing statistic, Smart Couples Finish Rich is a well-written financial planning tool, packed with useful charts and information, inspiring examples, and practical advice.
For people who've been disappointed by the shallowness of some of the "quick tips" self-help books out there, the subtitle of this book is a little misleading. Bach's nine steps are not instant change techniques or chirpy little quips to recite to yourself whenever you go to balance your checkbook. Instead, the first few steps include a series of exercises that will help you determine what you know (and don't know, or understand) about saving and investing, what role money should play in your life (which includes understanding your values), and how to work together toward a common financial goal. From there, Bach teaches his readers how to account for "disappearing" money, how to build retirement, security, and dream baskets of wealth (providing detailed options for all three), and how to avoid the most common financial mistakes most couples make. Though the focus of the book is predominantly on working with your existing income, Bach includes a final chapter entitled "Increase Your Income by 10 Percent in Nine Weeks."
Bach's writing style is engaging and his advice is user-friendly. A successful financial planner, he obviously believes passionately in all the "fringe" benefits of being financially responsible but employs a no-nonsense approach that makes financial smarts available to everyone. So whether you're 25 and just starting out on the earning, saving, and spending road or you plan to retire next year; whether you've recently got hitched for the first time or you've just entered your fourth marriage; and whether financial planning comes first or last on your list of fun things to do, the advice in Smart Couples Finish Rich is worth heeding. It's not about becoming a money-obsessed bore, it's about getting smart... and rich. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
From first-time newlyweds to people on their second or third marriage, couples face an overwhelming task when it comes to money management. Nationally renowned financial advisor and bestselling author David Bach knows that it doesn’t have to be this way. In Smart Couples Finish Rich, he provides couples with easy-to-use tools that cover everything from credit card management, to investment advice, to long-term care. You and your partner will learn how to work together as a team to identify your core values and dreams, creating a financial plan that will allow you to achieve security, provide for your family’s future financial needs, and increase your income. Together, you’ll learn why couples that plan their finances together, stay together!
Download Description
Fighting about money is the number-one reason for divorce in America. David Bach knows that it does not need to be this way. In Smart Couples Finish Rich, David Bach makes his tips available for everyone trying to navigate the complex joint-finance waters.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful for all couples planning a future.......2007-09-04
Much of this information can be found elsewhere. I like his idea of dividing savings into the retirement, security, and dream 'baskets'. Many people do not understand that there are different types of savings and that they are all needed to live a happy and healthy life. He even gives advice on the types of investments for each 'basket'. Most of his advice is invaluable and the book is well worth it.
Self Help Finance.......2007-08-25
If found this book very helpfulas a new married couple. It is an easy read without all the financial jargon and is something you can read and actually put into use. Great resource!
Time Waits For No One..............2007-07-12
I originally purchased this book for my son and his wife, but after a month went by and I discovered that it was still laying near the computer where he left it, I picked it up and read it in one day. The information contained is concise, relevant, on-time and indispensable for any couple at any stage of their relationship, hey, as indicated by a scenario by the author, it might even save their relationship. My son and his wife are young, she budgets and is a spend-thrift but he is Houdini with his money, it just diappears: he can never account for his spending and he has not disciplined himself to save. I take the blame for this lack of discipline because I did not always actively encourage him to save his money. The book even addresses this issue, advising parents how to actively involve their children in financial matters. I wholeheartedly agree with David that financial issues should be taught in school. There should be a curriculum designed to address this deficiency in the American educational system. I just wish that I had had this book when I was married. It would have given me a head start, a tremendous guideline, a map, a light in the tunnel to the financial issues that have confronted me over the years. Young couples, married or not married, sit down and read this, it's practical and it is doable and you will not regret it, believe me...time waits for no one.
get control of your finances.........2007-06-27
This is the book which helped me priortize and organize my financial records and life. The information is organized into 3 baskets(retirement, security & dream) based on their priority. It has helped me immensely to
have discipline and control in my financial life. I followed the steps, plan to maximize my retirement contibution this year, now have a security fund, bought life & disability insurance to secure my family and organized my financial records using inventory planner.
Informative.......2007-06-10
I read this book aloud with my husband and we discussed it all along the way. It brings some common-sense ideals together in a well-explained, organized fashion and sells them well. We've all heard "pay yourself first," but this book explains how best to achieve that adage in today's financial environment.
The book is not just about cutting out gourmet coffee-- in fact it doesn't suggest that at all. The author illustrates how people typically fail to prioritize their savings by showing how easily they would spend $3 a day on a latte, but say they cannot afford to put away more money in their 401(k).
The author's idea of "baskets" gives couples a game plan for their retirement, security and recreation. The worksheets provided in the book are helpful by helping couples articulate their dreams and goals both individually and jointly. Couples may also be surprised when they sit down to analyze their current financial picture during one exercise in this book!
If you are ready for advice on a financial game plan, then this is a great book for you and your significant other. (See Bach's other books if the "couple" factor does not apply or appeal to you but you want to understand his philosophies.)
Customer Reviews:
Definitive guide for UNIX internals.......2007-07-01
This book is for anyone who wants to know what happens "under the hood" in a UNIX based operating system. I especially like the pseudocode given for various system calls and other important kernel functions. The exercises given at the end of chapters are thought provoking. This book is not about how to learn/work in UNIX. Some of the topics such as streams may not be relevant in some of the current implementations of UNIX (or clones of UNIX), but most of the book is still relevant.
The pinacle of OS books.......2007-03-09
I'm something of an OS freak (not an expert though) and I collect OS books. I've read many of the classics of the field but I think this book is the crowning achievement of OS literature. Here are the arguments to support my claim:
a) It does not go into explaining general OS theory, thus all space can be dedicated to explaining the details of one operating system (Unix System V Release 2). This of course makes it unsuitable for begginers as it assumes you have a good understanding of basic concepts like race conditions, mutual exclusion, data structures, etc. If you're a begginer don't buy this book yet; get "Operating Systems - Design and Implementation" by Tanenbaum & Woodhull or "Operating System Concepts" by Silberschatz, Galvin and Baer.
b) It details EVERY algorithm with C-like pseudocode and adds verbal explanations exemplifying operations running through the algorithms. This is unlike other OS books which sometimes just give general descriptions of algorithms with no examples.
c) Explanations are complemented by many diagrams of data structures in various states of manipulation by the algorithms. This is possibly the most valuable feature of the book as it does wonders to help you understand what the kernel is doing; you get to 'see' how the algorithms work. This sets it apart from practically all other OS books I've read that just mention in passing "... then function 'x' manipulates data structure 'y'" and leave you to find out the implications of these manipulations. Diagrams also make the book superior to mere code listings.
d) Each chapter 'uses' the algorithms explained in the previous chapter to explain higher level functionality. This is much unlike other OS books which are just unstructured and make you loose the big picture of how the various pieces fit together. Chapters also start with an introductory overall view of the current topic.
So, what is not to like about this book? The only thing I can think of is that it deals with a 'dead' OS. Unix System V only runs in a handful of computer installations these days (if any), while its derivatives have changed too much to serve as a reference while reading the book. Still, System V binaries and source are available on the internet, legally of course. Search for The Unix Heritage Society archives. If you want to get really hardcore you can even get a PDP-11 emulator and set up Sys V in it. There are, of course, other books that delve into present day operating systems; "Solaris Internals" , for instance.
Also, Unix-haters might point out this is just another book on Unix. Well, unfortunately there are no books that explain, say MS Windows, at this level of detail; blaim MS. But still, while dealing with the specifics of one single OS, you do get a general understanding of how other OS's might work.
In my humble opinion this book is the 'King of the Hill' of OS literature; it has helped me finally understand things like context switching and memory mapping. An absolute feast to read, particularly if you like Unix.
magnificent discussion of internal architecture of UNIX.......2006-06-03
While there may be more detail to be found in "The Magic Garden," or more up-to-date coverage in the likes of Vahalia or Schimmel, Bach's opus is, in the view of this twenty-plus-year UNIX guru, unmatched. I say this because only while reading Bach's book do I experience the sense of philsophic structural perfection, of tool-orientation, of practicality-versus-theoretic-efficiency tradeoff, that characterizes the earliest UNIX monographs (Ritchie, Kernighan, Bourne, Lycklama, Ossana; that sort of thing) that busied me as a freshman. Bach imparts to the reader a glorious--and gloriously holistic--depiction of the structure of the UNIX kernel as a unit. Algorithmic details are provided where appropriate. Exceptionally well thought-out exercises stimulate the reader to extend the textual material where meet. The material is assuredly out of date, but I dare you to critize, say, Lions as being "out of date" (whether or not it describes a 25-year-old, 9K-LOC kernel, it is a scripture of paramount importance, a cornerstone of my computer engineering [n.b.: I didn't say "computer science"] library).
For those who are wont to compare Leffler and Bach--if for no other reason than that they are coevals--I heartily endorse Bach over its competitor. It's nice. It's clean. It's precise. You just couldn't ask for more. And, BTW, stay away from "The Magic Garden." I'm not sure that five hundred pages worth of out-of-context code excerpts, inundating the reader with thousands of kernel variables, accomplishes much by way of imparting conceptual understanding.
(I'm reminded: a customer of mine--an older gentleman with a Ph.D. in physics--once asked me for a concise description of the workings of UNIX, something that introduced the basic concepts at a scholarly but not overweight level. I told him I had a recommendation in mind. "You're going to give me 'The Magic Garden'," John complained; "Don't bother. It stinks!" Was John ever surprised when I pointed him to the third entry in Tanenbaum's Modern Operating Systems series. It has concise thirty or forty-page entries on UNIX, MS-DOS, and a handful of others. For those who want to know--from a scientist's viewpoint--what the fundamentals of the UNIX OS and superjacent environment are, what it can do, how one navigates within it, etc., at a _conceptual_ level that trucks not with the details of Bach or Leffler, seek ye Tanenbaum II.)
Awesome book on UNIX Internals.......2004-11-02
It is one of the greatest books that I have ever read on UNIX. It is a comprhensive yet simple depiction of Unix Operating System. This book is a MUST READ for UNIX / UNIX LIKE Operating System Engineers. It is worth possesing a copy as it can come handy quite regularly. I give it a full go go!
A model for how technical books should be written.......2004-10-21
Maurice Bach's The Design of the Unix Operating System still holds the place of honor on my technical reference bookshelf. After almost 20 years, it provides a clear overview of basic Unix organization and operations and is a model for how technical books should be written. Readers who complain that the text is dated evidently did not bother to notice the 1986 copyright date. Its age, however, has not diminished its clarity of content or usefulness in understanding the Unix operating system. Bach deserves an award for excellence in technical writing.
Average customer rating:
- Bach crosses Adventure with Belief...
- A great fable
- Great
- Fun Book, Great Proverbs, Easy Reading [98]
- Like to think?
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Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
Richard Bach
Manufacturer: Dell
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ASIN: 0440204887
Release Date: 1989-10-10 |
Book Description
In the cloud-washed airspace between the cornfields of Illinois and blue infinity, a man puts his faith in the propeller of his biplane. For disillusioned writer and itinerant barnstormer Richard Bach, belief is as real as a full tank of gas and sparks firing in the cylinders...until he meets Donald Shimoda--former mechanic and self-described messiah who can make wrenches fly and Richard's imagination soar....
In Illusions, the unforgettable follow-up to his phenomenal bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach takes to the air to discover the ageless truths that give our souls wings: that people don't need airplanes to soar...that even the darkest clouds have meaning once we lift ourselves above them... and that messiahs can be found in the unlikeliest places--like hay fields, one-traffic-light midwestern towns, and most of all, deep within ourselves.
Customer Reviews:
Bach crosses Adventure with Belief..........2007-09-29
Richard Bach shares insight into his life and beliefs in Illusions. This book has been a great source of hope and belief for me as I venture through my own life. Bach crosses adventure with belief and demonstrates that without either life can be incredibly boring. With both, life can be much more than many care to handle.
Life is a fact, living is a choice. We all have a connection to a higher calling. It is up to each of us to transcend our limitations and grow. Enjoy learning to believe again...
A great fable.......2007-09-14
A friend got me to read this in college and I've re-read it many times over the years since, passing it on to other friends that have enjoyed it!
It has a wonderful magic about it and while I still have to clean my windshield I like to think that maybe there are fewer bugs these days.
Great.......2007-09-14
This book was in very nice condition when I received it and for only .01 plus shipping, it was very much worth it! Thank you!!
Fun Book, Great Proverbs, Easy Reading [98].......2007-09-03
"Illusions" is one of those books which means very different things to very different readers.
To the Christian, it may be nothing more than a revisiting, a modernization of the ageless and ultimate truisms espoused in the New Testament. To a Hindu, this book recites their mantra that all of creation is divine. And, an existentialist may find this book to recite his/her belief that creation is meaningless or even evil.
And, all may have read exactly what the author sought for them to read.
In this book, two barnstorming pilots of antique biplanes meet. Richard, the narrator, is mesmerized by Donald Shimoda - the unwilling messiah. Don is always moving to avoid the throngs who follow him when he is revealed. If he just brushes a cripple or cancer patient, they are cured. He bears a great cross.
And, he is full of wisdom. Like so many wise old men of literature - Melchizedeck of Coehlo's "The Alchemist" or Conchi of Fowles "The Magus" - many questions of the narrator are answered with questions by the wise man.
This entire story may be a parable, or parts of the story make many parables. But, each is laced with proverbs or aphorisms which delight the reader. Some of my favorites were: "Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.""You teach best what you most need to learn." "Argue for your limitations and sure enough they are yours."
"We are all free to do whatever we want to do. . . " Don teaches Richard. And, in these lessons, Don tells Richard that most everything he has learned is not the truth.
"This world? And everything in it? Illusions, Richard! Every bit of it illusions!" And, so like a child, Richard must learn to walk again. Must learn to learn again. Must live all over again.
In fact, being all knowing is common - not the impossible. Don knows everything. Richard admits he does not. Why? Don says to Richard, "You do (know everything) too, of course. I just know that I know all things." Richard has to learn to bring down the walls. He has to learn to unhinge doors. In logic, the inverse is as valid as the verse. If one says: all people who think they know nothing, know nothing. Then the valid inverse would be - all people who think they know everything, know everything. That is the difference between Richard and Don.
When the wise man leaves, he leaves in style. One person tells him, "You know mister, I think you're a fake." And he answers, "Of course I'm a fake! We're all fakes on the whole world, we're pretending to be something we are not. . . we are unkillable undestroyable ideas of the Is, no matter how much we believe otherwise."
Philosophical, religious and thought provoking. This is a fun novel to open one's eyes. Hope to see you in the next world Richard Bach.
Like to think?.......2007-09-02
This book by Richard Bach, will if anything, make you THINK! A lost art in a dumbed down world that is spoon fed everything that it believes. I really liked the book and suspect I will be rereading it on occasion.
Amazon.com
Finish rich in real estate! Bestselling author David Bach is back with The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner, another user-friendly, motivational book designed to help you "build wealth through homeownership" and "finish rich in any market." Whether you already own your home or are renting, Bach gives you a long-term strategy with step-by-step instructions--making the process almost automatic!
More from David Bach
The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich |
The Automatic Millionaire Workbook: A Personalized Plan to Live and Finish Rich...Automatically |
Smart Women Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Achieving Financial Security and Funding Your Dreams |
Start Late, Finish Rich: A No-Fail Plan for Achieving Financial Freedom at Any Age |
Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner |
The Finish Rich Workbook: Creating a Personalized Plan for a Richer Future |
Book Description
Imagine this. You buy a home, live in it, then buy another. You build your wealth through real estate—and then retire rich. It may sound too good to be true. But it’s not. It has happened, it’s happening now and it will continue to happen for millions of people over the next few decades. The question is, will it happen for you?
If you want the answer to be “yes,” then stop what you are doing and open this book. Read a few pages. Bach’s simple strategies make you rich where you sleep. All you have to do is follow his easy program to go from renter to owner, and from owner to Automatic Millionaire Homeowner. The rest is automatic!
What’s the secret to becoming a millionaire in real estate?
Since the runaway success of David Bach’s #1 New York Times bestseller The Automatic Millionaire, people all over the world have asked David the same question—is it really possible for me to get rich in real estate?
Now, in The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner, David Bach reveals why buying a home and investment properties is not only possible, it is the surest way to reach your seven-figures dreams on an ordinary income.
The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner starts with the powerful story of an average American couple with a modest income who stretch to buy their first house for $30,000 and retire 35 years later owning a home on a golf course and rental properties worth over three million dollars. Through their story you will learn the surprising fact that even if you have cheap rent you can’t get rich renting! You must first own a home, and make it the foundation on which you build your financial security.
What Makes The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner Essential:
You don’t need a big down payment to buy a home.
You don’t need great credit.
You should buy even if you have credit card debt.
You can buy a second home even if you’re still paying off the first.
You can get started in any market–boom or bust.
It’s easier to be a landlord than you think.
Whether you are a renter or already own a home, David Bach gives you a lifelong strategy for real estate based on timeless wisdom that is tried and true. He includes everything you need to know, with step-by-step instructions, including phone numbers and websites so you can get started right away. His road map to ownership is easy to follow and, best of all, it makes the process totally automatic.
As long as you’re alive, you have to live somewhere. Why not let where you live make you rich? David Bach will show you how.
Customer Reviews:
Enthusiastic Primer on Initial Home Ownership.......2007-07-30
The title of this book may be a bit over-reaching but this is a good primer for those who are looking to leave renting behind and embark on home ownership. Author Bach offers a thorough primer into the wisdom of getting into the real estate market and buying a home. This is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme, but rather an approach for a patient person.
One caveat is that many of Bach's principles work better in a rising real estate market. In some markets, this advice could render you An Automatic Bankruptcy Case.
Since the book's publication, the residential real estate market has cooled or tanked in many areas. This may make it tougher in the short run to recoup on some of Bach's advice. In fairness, he recognizes in the book the cyclical nature of real estate markets and recommends a long term discipline in holding real estate in up markets and down cycles.
Knowledgable.......2007-07-30
This product is well worth it's money. It has many pointers, directions, and links to better your knowledge. Remember, knowledge is power.
Great New First Home Buyer Advice!.......2007-05-14
I bought the book not knowing what to expect , however it had so many good tips that are relevant to buying a home for the first time. It also extends great advice about real estate as an investment. I recommend it to anyone looking for good sound, structured advice about investing in a home.
What better way to help.......2007-05-01
David Bach couldn't be more right on with the "Automatic" part of his book. I am a real estate agent and for years when someone bought a house from me I would give them a fruit basket or gift card. Now I send them something of great value. I send them this book and only this book. They look a little strange at me at first but after they've read it they become excited and can't wait to begin their journey to be millionaires as homeowners and I got to be a part of it. The return to them will be great. The return to me will be great too.
Renters:Read this book.......2007-04-12
This book is a 5 star book if you are looking for a book to inspire you to be a first time home owner. 80% of this book explains the entire process of how to become a homeowner, it would have been very helpful to me before I bought my first home 16 years ago. He explains mortgages and how they work, what kind of real estate agent to use and what to look for in making your choices. 20% of this book explains why it is important financially to own your own home. For example: Homes rise in value on average 6% a year. So if your home is valued at $100,000 it will grow in value by $6,000 a year. This can add up quickly in equity and will turn out to be one of the greatest investments you have ever made. David Bach believes that home ownership is essential to becoming an automatic millionaire. This book briefly discusses how wealthy you can become by keeping your homes as rental properties as you trade up to larger homes. This book is not about "flipping" properties it is about owning them for the long term. I would highly recommend a beginner in real estate or personal finance to read this book it will be very useful, however this is not for current home owners or real estate investors. I will be giving this book as a gift to my children when they turn 18. Owning a home is essential to financial success, even though I am uncomfortable with Mr. Bach's advice to leverage debt for multiple houses.My first starter home made me $40,000 in 10 years when I sold it.
Start Late, Finish Rich: A No-Fail Plan for Achieving Financial Freedom at Any Age (Finish Rich Book Series)
Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner
The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner: A Powerful Plan to Finish Rich in Real Estate
The Automatic Millionaire Workbook: A Personalized Plan to Live and Finish Rich. . . Automatically
Smart Women Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Achieving Financial Security and Funding Your Dreams (Revised Edition)
