The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart

Book Description

National icon Willie Nelson has evolved over the years from country music outlaw swimming against a Whiskey River to a Zen-like figure of wisdom and contentment. In this autobiographical collection of life advice, The Tao of Willie, one of America's truest hearts reveals the spiritual and practical lessons learned from decades of hard knocks and good bounces.

This inspiring and entertaining collection of "Willie wisdom" takes us from his days as a young boy in Texas where he learns to respect his elders, to his roadhouse days when he united redneck rockers, long-haired hippies and straight-laced country music fans, to the mega-sized benefit concerts and environmentalism that define his boundless heart. And there are plenty of his favorite jokes along the way.

With stories that will both make you laugh out loud and look deep inside yourself, he shows us how the Willie way — and the way of the Tao — can also be your way. Let Willie's common sense approach to life awaken you to the happiness that already exists in your own heart. With Willie as your guide, join the river of life and you'll be carried on an amazing journey.

Customer Reviews:

Backstage with Willie.......2007-09-11

I deployed to Afghanistan in May 2006. The morning of my departure, I received a phone call from both of the authors of this book. Willie and Turk wished me luck and a safe return on my journey. It was a memory that has been with me ever since. Just this past week, I had the fortune of getting to see Willie Nelson in concert (The Last of Breed Tour) for the first time in my 33 years. It was an amazing show and I also had the pleasure of meeting him backstage as he proceeded to the stage to perform with Merle Haggard and Ray Price. What an experience!
While on deployment I was able to read this book. There is little happiness in Afghanistan these days. But every night prior to lights out, I could always count on a smile and a reflection of my life through the words in this book. It was a pleasure to read.
To Willie and Turk...Thank you!

THE TAO OF WILLIE: A GUIDE TO THE HAPPINESS IN YOUR HEART.......2007-08-31

I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND AM AMAZED AT THE WISDOM OF WILLIE. HE HAS CAPTURED GREAT DEPTH IN HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE TAO AND OFFERS IT IN SUCH A WILLIE-READABLE MANNER. THIS BOOK IS A TRUE JOY. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED TO EVERYONE.

Product review.......2007-08-16

Book in pretty good condition but did have an inscription I was not aware of. Over all it was okay.

Fun to Read.......2007-02-13

This book is so much fun to read. Willie is such a wise man and has some great advice in this book. I would definitely recommend!

Delightful.......2007-01-06

I am a university professor and read many books, but I have not enjoyed a book this much for quite some time. It is a laugh out loud, down to earth book that brings one back to reality while having fun doing it. I put this book on my "read once a year" shelf, and sent copies to others. A quick read, and well worth it! Thanks for the good time, Willie.

Millionaire's Notebook: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success

Average customer rating:

A great book for infomercial marketing
But Wait There's More!
Brilliant marketing & copywriting book -- powerful tactics!
Fabulous book!
nice autobiography.... but little useful info

Millionaire's Notebook: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success
Steven K. Scott
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684803038

Book Description

Steve Scott held and lost nine jobs in his first six years after college. He was told more than once that he would never succeed. Yet this former corporate failure not only became a multimillionaire himself, more than forty others have become millionaires as a result of the efforts and advice of Steve and his partners. Ordinary people just like you, including a housewife, a makeup artist, a hair stylist, a salesman, a teacher, a convenience store clerk, a marriage counsellor, a carpenter, a doctor, a dog trainer, a former P.E. teacher, to name a few.

Not Simply a Book about Making Millions
A Book about Achieving Incredible Degrees of Success!

This book is not a guide to making millions, although its insights and advice could certainly result in that. It's not a book about theories. Instead, it's a step-by-step guide to success -- success in any field, at any age. It tracks Steve Scott's life from mediocre high school student to a corporate failure to number-one marketing entrepreneur in the United States. It shows how a "nobody" who couldn't even afford to pay for his first child's birth could create more than a dozen record-breaking companies in completely different industries, selling over one billion dollars in products.

Unlike Any Success or Business Book You've Ever Read!

This book doesn't stop with general principles or psychological motivation, but instead gives specific tasks you can instantly apply to your personal or business life.

Your Personal Notebook for Success

Each chapter ends with a section that leads the reader through a step-by-step process that can result in greater success than he or she has ever experienced. The Notebook for Success provides a guide that can be used by anyone from a high school student to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. You'll understand why Steve Scott firmly believes that ANYONE can significantly increase his or her "batting averages" in any area of life and break through the barriers that separate mediocrity from phenomenal success -- barriers imposed by others or even by ourselves.

If you want to achieve a higher degree of success than you've ever thought possible, this book will become the most important book on success you, your employees, and your children will ever read.

Customer Reviews:

A great book for infomercial marketing.......2007-07-17

As marketing director for my company, I read constantly read marketing and sales books. Occasionally a book comes along that really peaks my interest. A Millionaire's Notebook is such a book.

Many products have been marketed using infomercials, most fall flat on their faces. But some soar, making millions for the companies that sell them. Steven K. Scott has been around for a long time. He has marketed many products that you would recognize using both infomercials and 2-minute television spots. In his book, A Millionaire's Notebook, he outlines exactly what it takes to take a product to market and make a fortune.

He covers how to write a good television spot, how to write and engaging infomercial. He teaches how to pick or produce a great product with a fertile market. His writing is clean and his instruction is easy to understand.

If you hope to market using television, this book should be on your shelf.

Excellent job, Steven.

Hope this helps.

-Craig Nybo, co-author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System

But Wait There's More!.......2007-01-11

More than just a book about "How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success", Steven Scott has given us what I consider to be one of the best books on the subject of making infomercials. I've produced, written and directed over a hundred infomercials myself, so I feel qualified to make this endorsement. I thought Steven explained the business so well that I purchased and gave away over two dozen copies to my clients, colleagues and friends. If you want to learn what making infomercials is all about, while discovering secrets on how to vastly improve your business life, then order your copy now!

Joe Torina
TORINAMEDIA INC.

Brilliant marketing & copywriting book -- powerful tactics!.......2005-05-27

This is one of my top 3 favorite marketing/copywriting books of the year (also get Eugene Schwartz' Breakthrough Advertising, and Joe Sugarman's books, and Ron Popeil for infomercials).

As an internet marketer and producer of internet infomercials, I found the insights shared by Steven to be priceless. The checklist on page 194 has helped me make thousands in sales improvements on a single campaign, and the inclusion of actual scripts and objection-handling phrases and marketing perspective was absolutely stunning.

Scott's a brilliant man, and this is one book that I will refer to for years (especially all the later chapters where his best secrets are revealed -- crucial stuff for marketers and copywriters).

In addition to personally profiting from Scott's tips, I recommend it highly for all my students at the online copywriting university site. Wickedly brilliant. Also study Dan Kennedy's stuff, priceless.

Buy this book -- one of my all time favorites, and I've bought hundreds.

Fabulous book!.......2005-03-16

I've read this book about 5 times, starting from when I was 23 years old and floudering around in the business world trying to figure out what I could do for a living.... making about about 1/5 of what I do today, 8 years later.

Steven Scott meshes practical skills and advice with actual step by step activities to do to immediately put what he's saying into action in your own life. He's the genius behind such products as Richard Simmon's "Deal a Meal", Suzanne Sommer's "Thigh Master", and Christie Brinkley & Chuck Norris' "Total Gym".

Extremely easy reading by a man who has done it. It's like having a personal coach who is a multi-millionare at your side telling you how to do it. I recommend it to anyone of any age.

nice autobiography.... but little useful info.......2002-04-06

this guy writes a nice autobiography about how he did it in marketing... maybe interesting for some but not for me. I guess I was expecting something more than a horn blowing fanfare of an "I did it my way" brag-o-rama.

Check, Please!: Dating, Mating, and Extricating

Average customer rating:

A Fun Book
Outlandish, Outrageous Fun
Janice is NO lady, but she's VERY funny!
It's always fun chatting with Janice, but this isn't her best effort
more janice! less check please!

Check, Please!: Dating, Mating, and Extricating
Janice Dickinson
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060763914
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Book Description

The outrageous Janice Dickinson -- former star of TV's America's Next Top Model, bestselling author, and glam girl extra-ordinaire -- now brings her patented blend of hard-won romantic wisdom and diva chic to her first-ever dating guide. Loaded with uncensored dish on her romantic sagas -- and her stranger-than-fiction bedroom adventures -- Check, Please! unveils Janice's dating dos and don'ts, culled from her three decades at the top of the fast-track world of modeling, and a rich, racy life of dating, mating, and extricating.

With the same voracious charm that propelled her into the arms of some of America's most eligible bachelors, here Janice shares her secrets to landing men, loving them, and letting them go. From first dates and old flames to primping, cheating, and sizing things up, Check, Please! is a girl's guide to an irreverent, extravagant love life.

Some titillating tips from Check, Please!

Lesson #2: Wanna Get a Guy's Attention? Ignore Him!
Lesson #13: If He's Got His Eye on the Door, He's Already Halfway Through It
Lesson #28: Don't Do Anyone You Might Regret
Lesson #40: It's Okay to Want More, More, More
Lesson #47: Don't Follow Trends -- Start Them

From the unfettered hedonism of her modeling days -- spent in white-hot one night stands and steamy affairs -- to her crusade to find Mr. Right today and tomorrow, Check, Please! is a fun, over-the-top vicarious thrill ride as only Janice can deliver it -- with a core that's surprisingly real. Check, Please!

Customer Reviews:

A Fun Book.......2007-01-21

Janice Dickinson has a great sense of humor. While you may not agree with some of the things suggest, things she has done or the choices she has made, she doesn't brush them under the carpet. She's bold, she's honest and she tells stories with a twist of humor. A fun read.

Outlandish, Outrageous Fun.......2006-10-02

A FUN Read.

The sub-title says it's about Dating, Mating and Extricating. But I wouldn't take it too seriously. Sure, it's fine if you're a rich, six foot, supermodel with a body that's the very best example of what high priced plastic surgeons can build. Instead just read it for fun, in the same way we like to see the super houses of the rich and fameous.

And fun it is.

It's a description of a life where men are falling all over themselves to go out with her. It's the description of a girl getting ready to go on a skiing trip with a boy friend who goes out to buy $3,000 worth of clothes for the trip. It's probably not going to be of much practical help to the woman who finds herself single again, a few pounds overweight, with three kids to take care of. Instead, just read it for it's outlandish fun.

Janice is NO lady, but she's VERY funny!.......2006-09-25

A lady? Are you kidding with all the f-bombs she drops in this books? Still, it's the very thing to shake folks up. In her book, this Zza Zza Gabor of the 21st Century gives us ordinary people a peek into her egocentric "fantastic plastic" world. Normally, that would just annoy me, but I had to laugh at some of the "meow" factor in this book...and let's face, it she does dispense good real-life advice when it comes to dating...stuff that people NEED to hear rather than what they want to hear...and from the voice of true experience rather than some smug but clueless married woman.

Dickerson's advice is brutally honest and is given with a healthy dose of sass...and I like how she doesn't believe in all that "Rules" crap, nor does she put all the blame on dating failure exclusively on the female of the species like so many advisors do. I especially LOVE her comment about the men who are fat "trolls" but still expect to have a supermodel on their arm...it's about damn time someone said that to those megalomaniacs LOL. Her comment about the Twinkies had me nearly rolling on the floor laughing...crude but hilarious!

Note I am not claiming this book is illuminating, socially redeeming or profound. If you want that then I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere, but just for a bit of shadenfreunde inspired laughter at her and other folk's expense, then this is where you want to be...

P.S. I love the forward by John Lovitz too...he's as nervy and funny as she is...so did she sleep with him or not, that's what I want to know! That info could probably fill an entire book, eh? LOL

It's always fun chatting with Janice, but this isn't her best effort.......2006-09-13

Dickinson is a larger-than-life talent at modeling, hosting, and writing funny tell-all memoirs. She dished about her long, hard climb to the top of the supermodel world in No Lifeguard on Duty, and then she updated American on her life as a sober, wisened, hard-working mom in Everything About Me is Fake...and I'm Perfect. She's already revealed the most shocking and titillating anecdotes from her super-life, so her third book is packaged as a dating guide featuring her "patented blend of hard-won romantic wisdom and diva chic." She even manageds to dredge up a few more dating and bedroom antics to throw in her advice chapters.

The tossed-off tell-all anecdotes which worked so well in Dickinson's first two memoirs fall flat in this format. The book meanders with advice that applies more to six-foot, size-zero supermodels than to the average American woman. Sure, there are fun moments listening to our unapologetic narrator, but it appear that the books was constructed from scraps of shocking tales rather than as a whole entity. Dickinson's other books succeeded because they had a structure, a message, and even life lessons (as subtle as they may have been.) This is a mish-mash of tales masquerading as an advice book, and since when does an advice book need a glossy, dozen-page photo shoot of the (very beautiful) narrator in glammed-out poses?

more janice! less check please!.......2006-09-11

OMG! i thought the book was just like the title says dating, mating, abd extricating but its just another janice story. i thought it will be funner, its just about her experience with men.

Singled Out: How Singles are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After

Average customer rating:

A great consciousness-raiser
Somewhat disappointing
"Don't worry, honey, your turn to divorce will come...."
Singe Edition
The Last Socially Accepted Prejudice

Singled Out: How Singles are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After
Bella DePaulo
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312340818
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Book Description

People who are single are changing the face of America. Did you know that:

* More than 40 percent of the nation’s adults---over 87 million people---are divorced, widowed, or have always been single.
* There are more households comprised of single people living alone than of married parents and their children.
* Americans now spend more of their adult years single than married.

Many of today’s single people have engaging jobs, homes that they own, and a network of friends. This is not the 1950s---singles can have sex without marrying, and they can raise smart, successful, and happy children. It should be a great time to be single. Yet too often single people are still asked to defend their single status by an onslaught of judgmental peers and fretful relatives.

Prominent people in politics, the popular press, and the intelligentsia have all taken turns peddling myths about marriage and singlehood. Marry, they promise, and you will live a long, happy, and healthy life, and you will never be lonely again.

Drawing from decades of scientific research and stacks of stories from the front lines of singlehood, Bella DePaulo debunks the myths of singledom---and shows that just about everything you’ve heard about the benefits of getting married and the perils of staying single are grossly exaggerated or just plain wrong. Although singles are singled out for unfair treatment by the workplace, the marketplace, and the federal tax structure, they are not simply victims of this singlism. Single people really are living happily ever after.

Filled with bracing bursts of truth and dazzling dashes of humor, Singled Out is a spirited and provocative read for the single, the married, and everyone in between.

You will never think about singlehood or marriage the same way again.

Singled Out debunks the Ten Myths of Singlehood, including:

Myth #1: The Wonder of Couples: Marrieds know best.

Myth #3: The Dark Aura of Singlehood: You are miserable and lonely and your life is tragic.

Myth #5: Attention, Single Women: Your work won’t love you back and your eggs will dry up. Also, you don’t get any and you’re promiscuous.

Myth #6: Attention, Single Men: You are horny, slovenly, and irresponsible, and you are the scary criminals. Or you are sexy, fastidious, frivolous, and gay.

Myth #7: Attention, Single Parents: Your kids are doomed.

Myth #9: Poor Soul: You will grow old alone and you will die in a room by yourself where no one will find you for weeks.

Myth #10: Family Values: Let’s give all of the perks, benefits, gifts, and cash to couples and call it family values.

“With elegant analysis, wonderfully detailed examples, and clear and witty prose, DePaulo lays out the many, often subtle denigrations and discriminations faced by single adults in the U.S. She addresses, too, the resilience of single women and men in the face of such singlism. A must-read for all single adults, their friends and families, as well as social scientists and policy advocates.”
---E. Kay Trimberger, author of The New Single Woman

Customer Reviews:

A great consciousness-raiser.......2007-10-05

I just finished this book (which I had checked out from the library) and will be purchasing a copy. A number of reviewers have provided good literary/scholarly coverage of this book, which allows me to present a more personal view. Recently and very unexpectedly divorced after nearly 30 years of marriage, this book came into my life at the perfect time. I (embarrassingly) recognized myself within the pages as one of those who had unknowingly had the cultural advantages and self-satisfied attitudes of couplehood/marriage. Now newly single and coping quite well under the circumstances, this book has taken me to a new level of understanding - for which I'm incredibly thankful. Ms. DePaulo's writing is clear, insightful, and humorous. (I found her humor wry or sly, not at all sarcastic or bitter.) She is right-on in her analysis of cultural views of both singlehood and coupledom. Aided by the perspective of this book, I am no longer simply accepting life as a single, but looking forward to creating a life as rich, fulfilling, and compassionate as possible. I now feel that my unexpected singlehood is a blessing that allows me to direct my love and energies into new avenues, including deepening my friendships and providing community service. This book has almost single-handedly redirected my outlook.

Somewhat disappointing.......2007-08-01

A friend sent me DePaulo's chapter headings and they are hilarious! I looked forward to reading her book as an interesting exploration of the devaluation of singlehood. The book's concept is thought provoking. The writing, however, is sarcastic (to the detriment of DePaulo's message), at times embittered, and sometimes tedious (e.g., she'll describe at length another writer's work and then pick it apart bit by bit; she could have instead made her point more clearly and persuasively if she wasn't just reacting to other material). All in all, I was disappointed.

"Don't worry, honey, your turn to divorce will come....".......2007-06-23

DePaulo's book is brilliant, but it made me so angry. Angry at how many couples (from here on, "marrieds") stereotype, stigmatize, and ignore singles, of course! I already knew that marrieds feel sorry for singles because they're "incomplete," "lonely," and "unfulfilled." But not everyone wants the same thing, not everyone wants the conventional, predictable married life. I enjoy solitute tremendously, and marriage has never been my life goal. I'd rather focus on my career, which is more fulfilling than any relationship I've had. I also enjoy traveling on the weekends whenever I want, spending my money how I want, hanging out with single friends (fortunately I still have several of them). Most marrieds don't plan a weekend to go visit a good college friend (well, maybe they will if it's a couple and not merely a single person) and spend money "selfishly" on food, entertainment, and going to take photographs of old nuclear power plants or other unique trips. Does this mean I'm not grown up? no! It means I know what I like to do, so I do it. It's that simple. I feel like I have to put so much energy into defending my contented state, while marrieds are assumed to be content (although I know that isn't always the case, especially since marriage ends in divorce half the time).

I am almost 26 so it's still "acceptable" for me to be single, but people still ask why I don't have a boyfriend. "Don't you want to get married one day?" "Are you dating anyone?" "Don't you want to have children?" "You're attractive, why aren't you with anyone?" (there must be something wrong with you!) I used to feel inferior when asked those kinds of questions, especially in college when people were frantically getting engaged, much like a Baskin Robbins gets raided on the day they sell ice cream for 31 cents per scoop. Better get some before it runs out, ya know. But gradually, I became confident in my singleness by my junior year. This book really reinforced my feelings and it was as if DePaulo was reading my mind for most of it. Especially the chapter about why anybody should CARE if we're single of not? Get a life, marrieds..perhaps you should worry about decreasing your divorce rate instead.

I also liked the part criticizing how society gives a hard time to singles who still live with their parents. I still live with mine but am not "mooching" off them. I pay rent, my car payments, my car insurance, my phone bill, my college loans, and other expenses. I am saving up for my own condo (not because it screams "Single person!" but because it's the only thing I can afford in my area). I have a good relationship with my parents and I give a lot back to the economy, much like the Japanese women. I know that I go out and have a social life more than a lot of marrieds I know. And I'm not going out just to look for a husband either, grrrrr!

I have a good male friend in his late 30s. Some people have asked me if he's ever been married. When I answer No, one of them remarked, "There must be something wrong with him." Actually, there isn't. He just doesn't believe that marriage would improve his life. It's overrated and not a "fix-all" solution. He likes being single! He's happy being single. Is that so difficult to understand? Apparently, it is.

Sure, sometimes I think it would be nice to be married, to have that one person who is supposed to be your best friend, lover, etc. But I'm not going to go around actively looking for it because it's not worth it. If it happens, it happens, but I know I wouldn't mind being single for the rest of my life. I don't need another person to make me feel complete. I'm not going to waste time obsessively searching for the right person (dating is much more of a waste than being contentedly single). Ooh, I must be bitter with this attitude! Sometimes I am, but usually I just think, why try to change my life when I love how it is right now? And marriage could also make my life much worse - you never know if it will work out or not, and you could end up devastated by infidelity, abuse, etc (also true in serious unmarried relationships, i know, but people generally have higher expectations of a fairytale perfect marriage, especially with all that commitment). I know a few married men at work who are cheating on their spouses. Obviously, not all marrieds even respect marriage. How then, can this type of person look down on singles as inferior?

I was especially disgusted with Chris Matthews' treatment of Nader. How dare he imply that because Nader did not consume as much as the marrieds (such as no house, no car), that he was less of a person, less responsible? He is really a thousand more times responsible than Newt Gingrich or Bill Clinton, who have made a mess of their marital relationships. Nader is responsible enough to never embarrass a wife (or any other woman, for that matter) on international television. HE never made a mockery of the all-important marriage as others have done. And he is environmentally responsible for not owning a car because, wow!, he doesn't need one, which makes perfect sense (although not to Matthews). Singles rarely get credit for their accomplishments. I admire him and politicians like Condi Rice all the more because of their singleness.

How are people more "grown up" just because they're married? Nineteen year olds get married and are no more grown up than 19 year old singles. In fact, I argue that 19 years old marrieds are much more stupid and insecure than singles their age.

Have to mention one more thing. Once I was invited on a weekend trip where I would be set up with some guy. But I immediately turned it down because I was buying my new car that weekend. An organizer of the trip then asked me, "Which would you rather have, a new boyfriend or a new car?"

"A new car." Of course. I needed a car, but I didn't need a boyfriend...and still don't.

Singe Edition.......2007-06-13

I had been anticipating the arrival of Bella DePaulo's book for months and read it within a day upon receiving it. Ms. Depaulo could not have said it better when she indicates that not all singles are desperately waiting to be rescued by a mate. In fact many are completely satisfied in their solo state while those who are married may not necessarily be fulfilled. Increasingly individuals are choosing to remain single and Ms. Depaulo helps shatter the stereotypical portrait that has been painted. Bookstores today are replete with kitschy chic lit tales, dating propaganda or stories that glorify mommies but Singled Out is a power piece that raises the individual to the positive and realistic rank they merit. I am thankful for the contribution Ms. Depaulo has made and applaud the sincere and courageous stance she has made in putting forth her writings.

Sherri Langburt

The Last Socially Accepted Prejudice.......2007-06-11

This book is about one of the last forms of prejudice that is still socially acceptable, the stigmatization of people who are single. Contrary to some of the comments made, the author makes it clear from the start that this is not a book about putting down people who are married. The criticism is of married people and others who portray marriage as the only valid lifestyle choice for a mature adult and stereotype single people in such a way that they are portrayed as lesser human beings. I have observed that often, pioneers in exposing stigma of an out group get personally attacked for their "tone", especially if they present compelling arguments that are difficult to reasonably refute.

This is not a book about victims, but rather, a book about the resiliency of single people who have managed to prosper in spite of the negative stereotypes and discrimmination. In each chapter, DePaulo exposes and systematically refutes myths about singles that many in our culture have taken for granted. One of the most prevalent myths is that singles don't "have anybody" when research shows that always single people, especially women have the strongest social support networks. She illustrates how our culture has belittled any relationships other than marriage as unimportant when in fact, friendships and relationships with siblings are just as important and often longer lasting.

The book also exposes how legitimate research can be misinterpreted in the popular media, especially when the data violate cherished beliefs and assumptions. The truth is that singles comprise a higher percentage of households than the traditional married couple with children. While the traditional household is a fulfulling choice for some people, when it comes to marriage, given the high divorce rate and the growing percentage of people who choose to be single and remain happy, clearly one size does not fit all. It is time to stop blaming and pathologizing people for failure to conform to the expectations of society that we all must marry and begin to recognize that differences in civil status are often due to normal, healthy differences in personality and temperament. I have written a lengthier review of this book on my blog:

[...]

Average customer rating:

Sheesh
A standard Dick work
Flow, My Tears.
Eclectic
Read it for fun; then bask in the philosophy of [...]

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Philip K. Dick
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 067974066X
Release Date: 1993-06-29

Book Description

>On October 11 the television star Jason Taverner is so famous that 30 million viewers eagerly watch his prime-time show. On October 12 Jason Taverner is not a has-been but a never-was -- a man who has lost not only his audience but all proof of his existence. And in the claustrophobic betrayal state of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, loss of proof is synonyms with loss of life.

Taverner races to solve the riddle of his disappearance", immerses us in a horribly plausible Philip K. Dick United States in which everyone -- from a waiflike forger of identity cards to a surgically altered pleasure -- informs on everyone else, a world in which omniscient police have something to hide. His bleakly beautiful novel bores into the deepest bedrock self and plants a stick of dynamite at its center.

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On October 11 the television star Jason Taverner is so famous that 30 million viewers eagerly watch his prime–time show. On October 12 Jason Taverner is not a has–been but a never–was—a man who has lost not only his audience but all proof of his existence. And in the claustrophobic betrayal state of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, loss of proof is synonyms with loss of life.

Customer Reviews:

Sheesh.......2007-07-29

I have to admit that it appears that Amazon reviews suffer from the same problem as performance appraisals - everyone is outstanding. Too often I find that a book has lots of five and four-star reviews, only to find that, once read, the book just wasn't very good. And this book is not just not very good, it's no good at all. The writing is just so amateurish, the plot, as one of the other reviews suggested, is way full of holes, the ending, trite and completely disappointing. The book is an interesting idea that died on the vine.

So we have to understand that Dick was a little nutso to appreciate his work? Sorry. This may be a good example of therapy for a sick mind, but that doesn't make it a good book. Sheesh...

To balance all of the five-star reviews that, I think, are way off base, I give it one star. Come to think of it, forget balancing the five-star reviews. This book deserves one star on the merits.

A standard Dick work.......2007-03-18

Owning almost all Dick books and a lot of short stories, i find this volume a standard one. It starts off alright but then lapses a bit, until halfway through the book it again becomes interesting. The plot is underexposed which is too bad because it's an interesting one (different worlds being perceived by our brain under the influence of some drug). I was hoping for some great ending but alas, a short epilogue is what we get. Read Ubik if you want really gripping stuff!

Flow, My Tears........2007-01-17

Flow, My Tears is an amazing novel. It stars off as a very interesting thriller about a man trying to regain his identity, and evolves into a surreal sexual odysee(though without much sex go figure lol).

But in the end, to me at least, the novel is about one thing. The corruption of government. About the horrible things the Government does. About the iggnorance and justifications behind these acts, and about the governments lack of responsibility.

And when it come down to the actual ending of the book I find myself still thinking about it, wondering if I liked how everything came together or not(I'm ignoring the epiloge). But theres one thing I know for sure, the fact that I'm still thinking about it says alot about it's power.

Eclectic.......2006-09-17

Phillip K. Dick was eclectic before it was cool.

I read this several years ago and for some reason the title stayed with me long after the storyline and the particulars. When I saw it here on Amazon I was more than happy to purchase it for my ever-growing collection of books that can be read, reread, and then read again.

Flow my tears is a frightening journey for the main character - his world is collapsing around him, and PKD takes us right along for the ride. We journey into an unknown world of illegal activities, crazy people, drugs and... well, you'll just have to read for yourself. Needless to say, this is a great buy for a fan of PKD's work... or someone who is looking to explore one of his less well-known novels.

And as a bit of a teaser, the end of this book freaked me out!! In a good way, of course.

Read it for fun; then bask in the philosophy of [...].......2006-05-20

FLOW MY TEARS, THE POLICEMAN SAID is a drug induced romp through a future that has already happened. Or is it?

[...] dope, he thought. You can always tell when it hits you but never when it unhits, if it ever does. It impairs you forever or so you think so; you can't be sure. Maybe it never leaves. And they say, Hey man, your brain's burned out, and you say, maybe so. You can't be sure and you can't be not sure."

I have read other Philip K. Dick works and FLOW MY TEARS had been on my "to be read" list for years. I finally bought it just prior to a business trip that would include a half-dozen airport hours. The main (anti-hero) character, Jason Taverner, is everyman and no-man. As anyone familiar with Dick knows, he was ahead of his time, in the company of Heinlein, Bradbury, and Asimov. This story, with its "Police State" setting, is suddenly current and relevant to 2006. A quick and easy read on the surface, if consumed cerebrally, the twists and machinations that Dick works into the "two" worlds, reveal a startlingly philosophical look at what constitutes identity and reality.

Average customer rating:

An Enlightening & Pure Portrayal
The worst book I have ever read-
Get me outta here
Fantastic, honest portrayal of severe depression.
Interminable, Sluggish, and Frustrating...

Prozac Nation (Movie Tie-In)
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1573229628
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Amazon.com

Elizabeth Wurtzel writes with her finger in the faint pulse of a generation whose ruling icons are Kurt Cobain, Xanax, and pierced tongues. A memoir of her bouts with depression and skirmishes with drugs, Prozac Nation still manages to be a witty and sharp account of the psychopharmacology of an era.

Customer Reviews:

An Enlightening & Pure Portrayal.......2007-08-06

I just finished reading this book and felt a pressing and overwhelming need to express how thankful I am for having read it. Elizabeth Wurtzel painted a completely pure portrayal of herself and her struggles with depression. While the pages were filled with endless internal monologues that some reviewers commented to be whiny and ranting, it was completely essential to understanding the twisted, irrational and often selfish thoughts that plague the minds of the depressed.

I agree that if you cannot relate to depression, it would be easy to dismiss this book and its validity immediately, but I urge you not to!! If you can have a little patience with Wurtzel, open your mind to the possibility that depression is a real disease, and take a second to get into the distorted mind of one of its sufferers, you will walk away with a better understanding for those who struggle with it.

One last point...I would like to thank Wurtzel for discussing how scary it is to go on anti-depressants. Depression becomes so engraved into who you think you are that it is scary to leave it behind. While the darkness of depression is not pleasant, it's familiar. It's terrifying to leave the comfort of the familiar behind. It can feel like you're leaving yourself behind, it can feel dishonest and fake, and it can feel like you failed by your own means and are resorting to chemicals. But if anti-depressants are your last option, don't be afraid. You'll soon realize that depression is like any other disease - it can't always be beat with a strong will. Take the help if you need it - you'll finally uncover your true, undistorted self. I know I did.

The worst book I have ever read-.......2007-07-15

and I have read a lot of books, so that's really saying something. Zero stars! Rambling, boring, self absorbed, obnoxious and almost impossible to get through. I couldn't have cared less what happened to the author-I just wanted this book to end. Trying to be deep and it's just the same old I hate life tripe. Elizabeth Wurtzel must be a painful person to know.

Get me outta here.......2007-05-28

Gutsy and confronting, yeah, but I hated it. Elizabeth Wurtzel revealed herself as stuck in depression but also whiny, attention-seeking and spoilt. This makes it a very unenjoyable read. Her mother gets assaulted and her immediate thought is something like I can't believe this is happening to me! And sure, taking a minor overdose is worrying, but don't call it a suicide attempt if you know it's not going to kill you. She does admit that she doesn't know how to be a grown-up and that was how I saw it too: it was hard for me to feel for her or her depression when she revealed herself in an unsympathetic way.
A good writer makes you feel things, good or bad, sure. But I read on WikiP that after her second book got poor reviews she became a drug addict ... so she could write another book about how hard things are. This gets little sympathy from me, which is a shame because these are topics we all need to be aware of and emotionally intouch with. 2 stars.

Fantastic, honest portrayal of severe depression. .......2007-05-10

A previous poster mentioned that if you cannot relate to Wurtzel that you will not enjoy the book. I agree with this only to an extent. I have by no means suffered severe depression (though I'd say that I've experienced a certain amount of non-severe depression), but I can most certainly relate to being a college girl with a "bright future," with next to nothing to be happy about. Whereas I do believe she wrote this book as a memior, and not a universal piece meant to speak to the world, I think she points out many aspects of society that lead to such a large-scale rate of depression in the US and the world. I'm happy there is someone out there that speaks to the "average achieving female." People believe that because a girl is not poor, or fat, or ugly, or gay (etc, etc, etc) that there are no "reasons" for her to be depressed. I think it is beautiful that Wurtzel was able to display depression for what it really is. It is contextual and inhibiting. It is a epidemic that is co-created by the societal attitudes and expectations infiltrating our own ideas of what it means to live. She makes no attempts at pleasing everyone, and writes straight from the heart-- as she said, like rock and roll. She gets a 5 from me.

Interminable, Sluggish, and Frustrating..........2007-04-22

When i finished Prozac Nation it felt as if i had been reading a book the size of a webster's dictionary and the excrutiating mental pain of it all was over, finally over. The day i finally got to close that book was nothing less than a sigh of relief.

This is what i thought:

1. I thought it took her an awfully long time to get to the action. She, in my opinion, spent forever going through her family structure. Her relationship with her mother, her relationship with her father. The drama and arguments and abadonment and pain, pain, pain. She elaborated on it to the point where it was whittled down to a trivial matter in which it seemed she was simply whining about, exaggerating and droning.

2. Her dialogue bothered me. Most people who write memoirs (marya hornbacher for instance) do not directly quote people since, especially since these books are written in retrospect, with only the author's memory as a source, it's almost impossible to remember every word of every person you have ever met. Thus, i wasn't convinced these interactions with other people were really genuine. Not only that, but the dialogue was dramatic and cliche and sappy so much so that you could almost hear the classical background music. It was actually pretty embarrassing.

3. She, like she did in Bitch, used far too many references.Some of what she alludes to are well-known movies and books but most of them aren't. She uses them toward the beginning incessantly, a sad attempt at comparing them to her depression as though it would make it any more vivid.It didn't. In fact, it required so much stopping and starting that i got a headache and mostly skipped those pages where i was sure she simply wanted to showcase her oh-so-overwhelming knowledge of art and literature and blah blah blah. I took it as a manifestation of the fact that she didnt have the ability to use vivid adjectives and prose to illustrate various situations, but that she was name-dropping for no reason...

4. It's frustrating as all hell. She drones on and on and on about how miserable she is, how she just wants to end it all, but how she "doesn't have the energy". She falls in and out and in and out of these "black wave" phases that simply make you think, rather calously, "here we go again" instead of sympathizing with her at all. You wait and wait for a culmination of a pseudo-suspensful build-up (a suicide attempt, a huge breakdown) that never really happens. When she does, i guess, get down to her ultimate low, she relieves us only with some random suicide attempt in the bathroom of her therapist's office that is, as horrible as it sounds, quite disappointing. The teeter-totter cycle of frustration that she puts the reader through is not at all worth would i would describe as an inept ending. But still, you maybe find yourself reading on, in hopes of some Great Big Finish Off that will never come.

5. Her character, quite frankly, makes you sick. It's not just that is a whiney,shallow, narcissistic brat--that is all very true--but it just seems like the entire book is a haughty manifestation of a woman who, despite all of the things she does to intentionally screw up her life, gets away with it all unscathed. She is a bitch to her mother and her friends but still they support and continue to love her in the end, she neevr does any of her work at Harvard but still she manages to graduate, she is supposedly so low-class, so poor, but still she can afford trips to Dallas and Rhode Island and London and NYC and back to Cambridge. It is almost impossible to feel sorry for, or relate to this woman.

6. While there are many problems with this book, i do still think that there are alot of profound lessons about life that this book brings to light: The fact that "when you feel everything intensely, you ultimately feel nothing at all, because everything registers at the same decibel." How the little, mundane things are what keep people wanting to live, how a nation can somehow come to accept the notion of a pill as an answer to every emotional adversity, how madness is "too glamorous a word to convey what happens to people who are loosing their mind"...all of these theories she posed in which i found very insightful and almost beautiful.

I also think Wurtzel is a good, solid writer who has the ability to create something brutally honest and eloquent. This book, unfortunately, was not one of them...

A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication (Lea's Communication Series)

Average customer rating:

A useful introduction to media psychology
A must for any mass communication scholar

A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication (Lea's Communication Series)
Richard Jackson Harris
Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805846603

Book Description

With this fourth edition of A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication, author Richard Jackson Harris continues his examination of how our experiences with media affect the way we acquire knowledge about the world, and how this knowledge creates consequences for attitudes and behavior. Presenting theories from psychology and communication along with reviews of the corresponding research, this text covers a wide variety of media and media issues, ranging from the commonly discussed topics--sex, violence, advertising--to less-studied topics, such as values, sports, and entertainment education. New chapters for the fourth edition cover:

*children and media, examining children's prosocial television, advertising to children, and media literacy;

*values and prosocial media, including family values, religion, social marketing, and entertainment-education programming; and

*emotional media, including the effects of sports and music.

New and updated material includes:

*today's popular television shows;

*the widespread use of the Internet;

*changes brought about by telecommunications technology;

*advertising on the Internet, in classrooms, and other unconventional places;

*press coverage of the 2000 U.S. Presidential election and its aftermath;

*stereotyping of mental illness and therapists;

*male body-image media issues;

*music, reflecting its increasing popularity and influence; and

*effects of playing violent video games.

An engaging, readable, and highly successful text, this classroom resource serves as an invaluable guide to the influences of media for courses on media and psychology, and media effects and processes.

Customer Reviews:

A useful introduction to media psychology.......2006-02-23

This is the 4th edition of this volume. Harris provides a nice overview to media psychology. I think the book is mistitled because it does not really deal with cognitive psychology (as a cognitive psychologist would define it). For example, there is limited discussion of factors influencing attention to TV or the cognitive representation of media stories or even how media stories are comprehended. Rather, the book really looks at social psychological approaches to the media (e.g., models of advertising effectiveness, motivations for watching TV, effects of TV violence etc). The volume is an excellent introduction to what is often referred to as media psychology, but I do think it is mistitled. Also, there are topics that are missing from the volume. For example, there is a growing research literature on factors influencing the entertainment value of a TV show or movie and that literature is not discussed in this book. I do use it as a textbook in a undergraduate seminar I teach and the students generally enjoy the book, but it is a textbook, but it does an excellent job at introducing readers to the psychological study of the media.

A must for any mass communication scholar.......1998-07-11

This is one of the best texts on the effects, either real or imagined, of mass communication on its consumers. Texts on research can be hard to get through. However, Richard Jackson Harris takes years of scholarly writings from the classic "Bobo Doll Study" to the latest in mass communication research and provides the reader with one of the most objective, comprehensive, witty and easy-to-read texts this subject.

Book Description

"Get a life," William Shatner told Star Trek fans. Yet, as Textual Poachers argues, fans already have a "life," a complex subculture which draws its resources from commercial culture while also reworking them to serve alternative interests. Rejecting stereotypes of fans as cultural dupes, social misfits, and mindless consumers, Jenkins represents media fans as active producers and skilled manipulators of program meanings, as nomadic poachers constructing their own culture from borrowed materials, as an alternative social community defined through its cultural preferences and consumption practices.

Written from an insider's perspective and providing vivid examples from fan artifacts, Textual Poachers offers an ethnographic account of the media fan community, its interpretive strategies, its social institutions and cultural practices, and its troubled relationship to the mass media and consumer capitalism. Drawing on the work of Michel de Ceteau, Jenkins shows how fans of Star Trek, Blake's 7, The Professionals, Beauty and the Beast, Starsky and Hutch, Alien Nation, Twin Peaks, and other popular programs exploit these cultural materials as the basis for their stories, songs, videos, and social interactions.

Addressing both academics and fans, Jenkins builds a powerful case for the richness of fan culture as a popular response to the mass media and as a challenge to the producers' attempts to regulate textual meanings. Textual Poachers guides readers through difficult questions about popular consumption, genre, gender, sexuality, and interpretation, documenting practices and processes which test and challenge basic assumptions of contemporary media theory.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Analysis of the Culture of Television Fandom.......2004-10-12

Culture studies has been one of the most provocative and controversial areas of investigation in the social sciences during the last score years or so. Using the tools of postmodern analysis of texts, and the deconstruction of ideas, institutions, and forms scholars have reshaped our understanding of everything from the mundane to subjects acknowledged by all as critical to our modern society. In this important book Henry Jenkins turns his considerable analytic skills on the role of television fans in adopting and making their own several important series and movies. Jenkins, on the faculty of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, writes both as a scholar and a fan fully immersed in the culture that produces conventions and a wide range of artistic products associated with television.

"Textual Poachers" emphasizes how fans of various television shows and movies have embraced the characters and "universe" of the shows and made them their own. In most cases they participate in the continuing saga of the characters of the story by fashioning their own narratives based on the series. Be far the most famous of these participatory series is "Star Trek," which was the first series to attract this type of fan following, and still the largest of all of them. It has spawned not only multi and varied clubs for those interested in the ideals of the series, but also inspired a range of creative responses in art, literature, costume, engineering, erotica, music, and drama. In so doing, those that are a part of the fan culture of the series emphasize the interplay of the crew "family" aboard the Star Ship Enterprise, the ideals of the United Federation of Planets, and the challenges of moving beyond the humdrum of existence on Earth to a more exciting and rewarding life within the broader cosmos. The ranges of responses are almost as broad as the number of people involved, and Henry Jackson makes clear that all of those responses are legitimate in the "universe" of fandom.

Jenkins writes at length about the responses of fans to several television programs beyond the famous "Star Trek" phenomenon. These include "Alien Nation" (1989-1990), "Dr. Who," (1963- ), "Magnum, P.I." (1980-1988); "The Man from Uncle" (1964-1968), "Remington Steele" (1982-1987), "Simon and Simon" (1981-1988), "Twin Peaks" (1990-1991), and others. But the series fans that Jenkins spends the most time analyzing are those attracted to "Beauty and the Beast" (1987-1990). The romance between Catherine (Linda Hamilton) and Vincent (Ron Perlman) captured the imagination of a larger number of viewers and they used that on-screen relationship as the cultural materials from which they created a vast array of "stories, songs, videos, and social interactions." It proved a powerful inspiration for enormously romantic depictions.

Henry Jenkins also draws attention to the fact that the vast majority of those a part of this fandom, are white, middle-class women seeking something more than they experience in their everyday lives. They seem drawn to television series with compelling characters interacting in a sophisticated manner. They emphasize relationships and tend to soft-pedal action and adventure in their formulations. At sum they seem to be creating through their efforts a place of refuge, acceptance, and intimacy for themselves and their co-participants. This is captured well in a song, "In My Weekend-Only World," written by T.J. Burnside Clapp to express her love of the fan conventions that she attends:
"In an hour of make-believe
In these warm convention halls
My mind is free to think
And feels so deeply
An intimacy never found
Inside their silent walls
In a year or more
Of what they call reality.

In my weekend-only world,
That they call make-believe,
Are those who share
The visions that I see.
In their real-time life
That they tell me is real,
The things they care about
Aren't real to me." (p. 277)

Henry Jenkins' study is a superb analysis that will change the perspective all who read it about the fan culture and its place in modern society. It is difficult not to emerge from reading this book without a sense of wonder about the talented individuals who are a part of this fan culture and how they seek to live their lives on their own terms, in the process creating for themselves idealized "universes" more like those they glimpsed in the television fictions that they embrace.

Still the best account of fan culture and fan use of texts.......2001-07-07

This is a gem of a book. Jenkins combines an "insider's" understanding of media fandom with serious, well-grounded scholarship to provide one of the few scholarly works on this subject which is not riddled with unacknowledged biases or factual errors (you know, the sort of misrepresentations of series content which suggest that the scholar didn't think enough of the subject matter or their fan informants to bother to get it right). As someone who was practically raised by classic "Star Trek" re-runs and who continues to find inspiration and healing in many science fiction TV programs -- and who hopes to continue to do scholarly research in this field -- I would hold Jenkins up as a model to other scholars. The major drawback of this volume is that it is now almost ten years old. There have been many wonderful series with growing fan cultures of their own (including the rise of such female heroes as "Xena" and "Buffy") since TEXTUAL POACHERS was written, but Jenkins provides a methodology and a model which can still help to interpret these more recent phenomena. Read this, and enjoy.

Dining at the Television Buffet.......1999-12-05

Jenkins starts by dispelling the stereotype of the media fan as teenaged geek in Spock ears, and explores the very real and dynamic interactions between fans and their media. He has a clear understanding of the subject and a good relationship with the people whose culture he describes, as well as a readable and intelligent style of writing. The book is not only interesting but also fun to read.

Excellent resource for fan fiction authors and fans.......1999-10-28

While dated, and slightly insular, this text is an excellent introduction to the sub-culture of fanzines and fan fiction. While many of the current generation of fans seem to believe fan fiction was born online around 1994, they should be surprised and hopefully pleased to discover the rich (off-line) history of the phenomenon, dating all the way back to the pulp magazines of the 1930s.

BURNT TOAST: AND OTHER PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE

Average customer rating:

Relatable
LOVE IT!
Better then I thought
I'm probably the only guy to ever read this book
Fun, sweet, girlie, and touching!

BURNT TOAST: AND OTHER PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE
Teri Hatcher
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1401302629
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

Teri Hatcher secured her place in Americas heart when she stood up to accept her Golden Globe for Best Actress and declared herself a "has-been" on national television. That moment showcased her down-to-earth, self-deprecating style -- and her frank openness about the ups and downs shes experienced in life and work. But what the world might not have seen that night is that Teris self-acceptance is the hard-won effort of a single mother with all the same struggles most women have to juggle -- life, love, bake sale cookies, and dying cats. Now, in the hope that her foibles and insights might inspire and motivate other women, Teri opens up about the little moments that have sustained her through good times and bad. From the everyday (like the importance of letting your daughter spill her macaroni so she knows its okay to make mistakes) to the rare (a rendezvous with a humpback whale -- and no, he was not a suitor), the message at the heart of Burnt Toast -- that happiness and success are choices that we owe it to ourselves to make -- is sure to resonate with women everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Relatable.......2007-09-12

In her own words, this book is Teri Hatcher's, "attempt to do my part to bring us closer together. There is intimacy between strangers." I think she accomplishes just that. When I picked up the book, I honestly didn't know anything about her life, and I just assumed she had a gaudy unrealistic existence like anyone in Hollywood. Throughout the book, she is completely honest about her struggles and insecurities, and I was very surprised about how similiar some of her issues are to my own. I could relate to her feelings about ambition, being a stay-at-home mom, and being afraid to succeed. It's funny, insightful and overall a great read.

LOVE IT!.......2007-07-07

This book took me by surprise. It wasn't what I was expecting; however, it completely exceeded my expectations by a long shot. I thought it would be more of a light girly read...and while it is that, its also offers some unique philosophies on life and brought me into a deeper state of reflection. My favorite is the part about "death bed decisions". And although I read this book over a year ago, I still use some of her insight throughout many of my own personal experiences. I highly recommend this for women between the ages of thirty and fifty. It's a fun, easy read and there are hidden surprises throughout the book - some things really surprised me. I loved hearing about her seven-year-old daughter and their camping trips. There's so much good stuff in this book and it's a fast read. I can't imagine someone not enjoying it.

Better then I thought.......2007-05-07

It turned out great. I was alittle weary because I don't care to much for Teri Hatcher but this is a well written book and it actually showed that she was more down to earth then you think.

I'm probably the only guy to ever read this book.......2007-04-10

Teri, Teri - despite being a glamourous hollywood and TV actress, you seem so sheltered and alone and afraid to take your own advice. I thought the book was from the heart and had some inspiring thoughts...but,

I picked this book up at the library for only one reason - I have been completely in love/lust with Teri Hatcher since the I first saw her as Lois Lane. I never actually watched an episode of the show despite being a major consumer of Superman comic books as a young boy. I would generally have the sound off while doing other things and just watch when she was on. She was so gorgeous and had such a commanding presence on the screen. How could she not become a star?

I have never watched Desperate Housewives - I've heard its great and all, but I never seem to know when its on. But its not surprising to me at all that she is a star-attraction on it and nominated for awards...I spotted this years ago.

The book - its light and actually can get a little heavy too, she has some good insight into why people are so miserable - my take home message was mainly that its self-confidence issues. And it was interesting as a man, since while we all struggle with it, its not the central cause of our male 3am anxiety attacks.

But what I wanted from her book was not so much the stories of cats, baths, charities and motherhood, I wanted to know much more about her relationships with men. She doesn't say much about what is attractive to her in a man, she doesn't really say much about her husbands - like why she married them and why she divorced them. She said that Emerson's father was a great Dad, so then what was he not so great at? I got the distinct feeling that she was being very cagey and not letting on to the fact that maybe she was the source of the failed relationships, then again maybe not - she doesn't say. But from where I sit, periodic writhing in a mass of tears on the kichen floor screams "Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!", this chick has got some very deep rooted issues. Futhermore, other than the premature ejactulator and a few other zero dudes, she doesn't really say all that much about why she can't meet good men, sustain a relationship, etc. She must meet the handsome, wealthy cool dudes all the time. Is she to bound up in proper starlet behavior to let herself go? My sense is that she is really really picky about men..OK, OK, she is a beautiful Hollywood star, she should be picky right? - absolutely unless its the reason that you can't get laid anytime you want, (as I had always assumed most beautiful Hollywood types can.) So what's the real issue Teri?

And I agree with one of the other reviews - after hearing she turned 40 for the 10th time - I got it. And my only other nit-pick is the mostly annoying parenthetical comments dropped in as an attempt at humor or wit. They were neither.

I still love you Teri - thanks for writing the book, it did give me a much better sense of who you are - you are a very lovely, loving and healing person - I hope you find the love of your life someday. Give me a call anytime - would love to chat with you over a glass of fine wine.

Fun, sweet, girlie, and touching!.......2007-04-05

Definately a girls, girl book. Never really took even time to think about Teri Hatcher before one way or the other, but the cover caught my eye in teh book store.

I really, really enjoyed this book. As others have said not super deep, in a super deep way, but actually is in it's simplicity and honesty. I laughed a lot and cried a little even surprised at how honest she really was with her daughter in moments - - in a very good way!- - don't want to ruin the book.

Highly recommend reading. It inspired you to live you're day honestly and with hope, and, for those gosh darn bleak days, to not beat yourself up, but know you'll get through it and just look for the lessons.

You feel like you're talking to one of your very best girlfriends.

Thanks for writing it Teri!!

enjoy~

Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion

Average customer rating:

It's very informative
I can't recommend this book enough...
Propaganda exposed!
Securing Your Compliance = No Great Hurdle
Soft Insight

Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion
Anthony R. Pratkanis , and Elliot Aronson
Manufacturer: W H Freeman & Co (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0716722100

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Drawing on the history of propaganda and modern research in social psychology, this book reveals mass persuasion in action -- not just the tactics, but why they work so well, and how we can protect ourselves from manipulation.

Book Description

We live in an age of propaganda. Americans consume 57% of the world's advertising while representing only 6% of the population, and half of our waking hours are spent with the mass media. Persuasion has always been integral to the democratic process - it's how we make decisions, elect governments, do business, and resolve disputes, but increasingly, thoughtful discussion is being replaced with simplistic sound bites, manipulative messages, and deceptive propaganda tactics.

An eye-opening analysis of the use and abuse of persuasion in daily life, Age of Propaganda reveals how persuasion influences our behavior, which propaganda strategies are most commonly used today, and why some techniques work better than others. Drawing on the history of propaganda and modern research in social psychology, the authors show how the tactics used by political campaigners, sales agents, advertisers, televangelists, demagogues, and others, often take advantage of our emotions by appealing to our deepest fears and most irrational hopes, creating a distorted vision of the world we live in.

Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition of Age of Propaganda includes coverage of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, recent election campaigns, the rise of talk radio, teen suicide, U.F.O abductions, the Columbine shootings, and novel propaganda tactics based on hypocrisy and false allegations. Also included is a completely new chapter on how to protect yourself from unwanted propaganda.

An invaluable guide to today's message-laden world, Age of Propaganda provides us with the knowledge we need to understand how manipulative messages work, how to deal with them sensibly, and how to use persuasion wisely and effectively.

Customer Reviews:

It's very informative .......2007-08-24

here are my notes

The successful persuasion tactic is one that directs and channels thoughts so that the target thinks in a manner agreeable to the communicator's point of view; the successful tactic disrupts any negative thoughts and promotes positive thoughts bout the proposed course of action.

Two routes to persuasion - peripheral and central
Peripheral - a message recipient devotes little attention and effort to processing a communication. Persuasion is determined by simple cues, such as the attractiveness of the communicator, whether or not the people around you agree with the position presented, the pleasure or pain associated with agreeing with the position, or whether a reason is given for complying with the request.
Central - a message recipient engages in a careful and thoughtful consideration of the true merits of the information presented. The person may actively argue against the message, may want to know the answer to additional questions, or may seek out new information. The persuasiveness of the message is determined by how well it can stand up to this scrutiny.
What determines which route to persuasion will be adopted? - the recipient's motivation to think about the message - the personal relevance of the issue. * we are cognitive misers, forever trying to conserve our cognitive energy, we adopt the strategies of the peripheral route for simplifying complex problems.

Rationalization trap = first intentionally arouse feelings of dissonance by threatening self esteem, for example, making the person feel guilty about something, by arousing feelings of shame or inadequacy, or by making the person look like a hypocrite or someone who does not honor his or her word. Next, offer a solution, one way of reducing this dissonance, by complying with whatever request the propagandist has in mind. The way to reduce that guilt, eliminate that shame, honor that commitment, and restore your feeling of adequacy is to give to that charity, buy that car, hate that enemy, or vote for that leader.

Almost every war in modern times has been accompanied by characterizations of the enemy as less than human. Dehumanization succeeds in resolving any dissonance that may be aroused by our cruelty toward our enemies. However, watch out; the more we justify our cruelty, the easier it becomes. The rationalization trap becomes an escalating spiral: "I committed an act of cruelty; I justified this act by believing that the victim deserved it. If the victim deserved that cruelty, well maybe they deserve more and maybe I am just the one to give it to them.

Four stratagems of influence
The first is to take control of the situation and establish a favorable climate for your message, a process we call pre-persuasion. Pre-persuasion refers to how the issue is structured and how the decision is framed. If fully successful, pre-persuasion establishes "what everyone knows" and "what everyone takes for granted" By cleverly establishing how an issue is defined and discussed, however, a communicator can influence cognitive responses and obtain consent without even appearing to be attempting to persuade us. Next, the communicator needs to establish a favorable image in the eyes of the audience. We call this stratagem source credibility. In other words, the communicator needs to appear likable or authoritative or trustworthy or possessed of any other attribute that would facilitate persuasion. The third stratagem is to construct and deliver a message that focuses the targets' attention and thoughts on exactly what the communicator wants them to think about - for example, by distracting the targets' attention on a vivid and powerful image, or even by inducing the target to persuade themselves. Finally, effective influence controls emotions of the target and follows a simple rule: Arouse an emotion that just happens to be the desired course of action. In such situations, the target becomes preoccupied with dealing with the emotion, complying with the request in hopes of escaping a negative emotion or maintaining a positive one.

The purpose of Newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the world view and mental habits proper to the reader, but to make all other modes of thought impossible. It was intended that when Newspeak have been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought - should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words.
Language, words, labels, categories organize our realities and serve to divide up the world into neat little packages and to imply the range of appropriate courses of action to take. Words have the power to pre-persuade. It defines our reality, our thoughts, our feelings, our imagination and thus influence our behavior.

Agenda setting is of great importance in maintaining power - by determining what issues will be discussed and when, what criteria will be used to resolve disputes, who will sit on what committees, and, which information will be widely disseminated and which will be selectively ignored.

Defining the issue as "losing something" was more persuasive than stating it in terms of a gain
Never ask a question for which you don't know the answer. Never ask a question that doesn't get the answer you want.

Card stacking - the order in which questions are asked and the order in which information is received can distort and bias the decision making process.
Question asking can be a powerful persuasion device because questions structure our decision making process. They do this by directing our thoughts about the issues at hand and by implicitly specifying the range of possible answers.

Context makes a difference, judgment is relative, not absolute. Depending on the context, objects and alternatives can be made to look better or worse. Often we do not pay much attention to the influence of context, must less question the validity of the alternatives presented.

One of the important tasks of media research is to keep tabs on the "reputation and credibility" of public figures. Advertisers want to know which figures are most believable, who is most liked by the public. The answers to such questions determine the figures value as a spokesperson for the advertiser's product. Credibility has become a commodity not only to be feigned but also to be bought and sold on the open market.

Advertisers know that we believe what we believe and buy what we buy in the service of self image. They imbue their products with a "personality". To claim the desired persona, all we need to do is to purchase and display the right products.

Communicators can make themselves seem trustworthy by apparently acting against their own self interest. If we are led to believe that communicators have nothing to gain and perhaps even something to lose by convincing us, we will trust them and they will be more effective.

When the message conflicted with their expectations, listeners perceived the communicator as being more sincere and they were more persuaded by his statement

Not only do we tend to take more notice to unexpected events, but we also attribute more credibility to speakers who appear to resist the pressures of their colleagues and who take stands in opposition to their backgrounds.

Another way of increasing the perception of credibility: The apparent trustworthiness of a person can be increased and the apparent bias of the message deceased if the audience is absolutely certain the person is not trying to influence them.

Specific advice for making yourself likable: say what the audience thinks (which you can find out through polling), make others feel comfortable, and control the atmosphere (the situation) for your best advantage.

For increasing credibility - set easy initial goals and then declare victory (this will create the perception that you are a strong leader); use setting to support image; choose the negatives that will be written about you; and understand how people see things, then appeal to what they prefer.
Float an idea without attribution (that is, circulate a rumor). If everyone likes the idea, then claim it as your own. If it gets shot down, then deny your campaign ever said it. In this manner, you can always be sure to say exactly what everyone wants to hear. Another piece of advice: make sure you appear consistent in the media. And the best way to do this? Just say a few things over and over again (that way, you don't contradict yourself)

Credibility is manufactured, not earned. Credibility is created by carefully managing the situation so that the communicator, looks just the way he or she is supposed to look - likeable, credible, strong, expert, or whatever image is needed at the time.

Models are effective for two primary reasons. First they teach new behavior. Second we behave like our model because we believe the rewards received by a model for a given behavior will also come to us. It serves as a cue to indicate that a certain behavior is legitimate and appropriate. It can shape and twist our understanding of what is right and wrong. A model is most effective when he or she is high in prestige, power, and status, is rewarded for performing the behavior to be learned, provides useful information on how to perform the behavior, and is personally attractive and competent in facing life's problems - the model is a credible and attractive source.

Confidence of the speaker - the more self assured and confident a communicator appears, the more likely that we well accept what is said - low rates of speech error, an authoritative tone of voice, and a steady body posture, are positively related to persuasion.

Load a speech with the "correct" symbols and buzzwords as a means of informing the recipient that the message is acceptable and worthwhile.

Heuristic - a simple cue or rule for solving a problem
Five conditions that are most likely to lead to heuristic rather than rational decision making
1 When we do not have time to think carefully about an issue
2 When we are overloaded with information that it becomes impossible to process fully
3 When we believe that the issues at stake are not very important
4 When we have little other knowledge or information on which to base a decision
5 When a given heuristic comes quickly to mind as we are confronted with a problem

Self generated persuasion - getting someone to role play an opponent's position, or by asking a person to imagine adopting a course of action - is one of the most effective persuasion tactics ever identified. It gains its power from providing subtle social cues and directions that ask the target of influence, in effect, to think up as many positive cognitive responses about the issue as you can and, if you do happen to come up with some counter arguments, to be ready to refute them. The resulting message will come from a source that you almost always consider credible, trustworthy, respected, and liked - yourself. The act of generating arguments is an act of commitment to the cause. After all, they're your ideas, aren't they?

Vivid messages affect our cognitive responses in at least four possible ways
Attracts attention - it helps the communication stand out in the message dense environment
It can make information more concrete and personal
Its appeal directs and focuses thought on the issues and arguments that the communicator feels are most important
It can make the material more memorable. This is especially important if we do not reach an immediate conclusion but base our later judgments on information that comes readily to mind.

Frequent repetition of an advertisement helps to meet multiple marketing objectives in a cost efficient manner. Repeatedly exposing consumers to an ad is a good way to introduce a new product or to remind customers of the value of an older brand. Often, repeat exposure is an unintended consequence of attempting to present an ad to multiple target audiences (the members of which may overlap). With the high cost of creating and producing new advertising ideas and slogans, its makes sense to stick with proven winners.

The rank and file are usually much more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious. In the long run only he will achieve basic results in influencing public opinion who is able to reduce problems to the simplest terms and who has the courage to keep forever repeating them in this simplified form despite the objections of intellectuals.

Advertisers know that repeated exposure can leas to what is known as "wear out" - when an ad loses its effectiveness because consumers find repeated exposures to be tedious and annoying. Wear-out effects are most likely to occur with ads that attract much attention, such as humorous ads and informational messages. Advertisers attempt to eliminate wear-out by using a technique known as "repetition with variation". In this technique, the same information or theme is repeated many times, but the presentation format is varied.

If you don't have anything to say, sing it. In other words, a mild distraction can disrupt counter arguing and increase the effectiveness of a persuasive message. A lively song can make us happy and thus help use think happy thoughts about a product. At other times the song may get stuck in our head, reminding us of the brand name. At still other times a catchy song or a big production number can attract our attention to the ad so that we don't change the channel or go to the bathroom and we at least hear the advertisers message.
The trick for the advertiser is to provide just enough of a distraction to disrupt counter arguing but not so much that it eliminates the reception of the message.
Distraction increases the effectiveness of weak arguments (because it disrupted counter arguing) but decreases the impact of strong arguments (because it disrupted the ability to pay close attention to the cogent argument being made).

People are less able to develop counter arguments to a time compressed message and that time compressing a message consisting of strong arguments reduced persuasion whereas it increases the persuasive impact of a message containing weak arguments.

Most of us have a strong desire to be correct - to have "the right" opinions and to perform reasonable actions. When someone disagrees with us, it makes us feel uncomfortable because it suggests our opinions or actions may be wrong or based on misinformation. The greater the disagreement, the greater the discomfort.
But this does not necessarily mean the members of an audience will change their opinion.
There are at least four ways in which the members of an audience can reduce their discomfort:
1 Change their opinion
2 Induce the communicator to change his or her opinion
3 Seek support for their original opinion by finding other people who share their views, in spite of what the communicator says
4 Derogate the communicator - convince themselves the communicator is stupid or immoral - and thereby invalidate that person's position.

One sided or two sided argument
If a communicator mentions the opposition's arguments, it might indicate that he or she is an objective, fair minded person; this could enhance the speaker's trustworthiness and thus increase his or her effectiveness. On the other hand, if a communicator so much as mentions the arguments on the other side of the issue, it might suggest to the audience that the issue is a controversial one; this could confuse members of the audience, make them vacillate, induce them to search for counter arguments, and ultimately reduce the persuasiveness of the communication.
It depends to some extend on how well informed the audience is and on the audience's initial opinions on the issue. The more informed the members of the audience are, the less likely they are to be persuaded by an argument that brings out the important opposing arguments and then attempts to refute them. This makes sense: a well informed person is more likely to know some of the counter arguments; when the communicator avoids mentioning these, the knowledgeable members of the audience are likely to conclude that the communicator is either unfair or unable to refute such arguments. On the other hand, an uninformed person is less apt to know of the existence of opposing arguments. If the counter argument is ignored, the less informed members of the audience are persuaded; if the counter argument is presented, they might get confused.
Another factor is the partisanship of the audience. If a member of the audience is already predisposed to believe the communicator's argument, a one sided presentation has a greater impact on his or her opinion than a two sided presentation. If, however, a member of the audience is leaning in the opposite direction, then a two sided refutation argument is more persuasive.
The more frightened a person is by a communication, the more likely he or she is to take positive preventive action. Fear can be a powerful motivating psychological force, channeling all our thoughts and energies toward removing the threat so that we don't think about much else.

People who had a reasonably good opinion of themselves were the ones most likely to be moved by high degrees of fear arousal. People with low opinions of themselves were the least likely to take immediate action when confronted with a communication arousing a great deal of fear - but after a delay, they behaved very much like the subjects with high self esteem. People who have a low opinion of themselves may have difficulty coping with threats to themselves. A high fear communication overwhelms them and makes them feel like crawling into bed and pulling the covers up over their heads. Low or moderate fear is something they can more easily deal with at the moment they experience it. But, given time - that is, if it is not essential they act immediately - they will be more likely to act if the message truly scared the hell out of them.

If the recipients of fear appeal perceive that there is no way to cope effectively with the threat, they are not likely to respond to the appeal but will just bury their heads in the stand.

In sum, a fear appeal is more effective when
It scares the hell out of people
It offers a specific recommendation for overcoming the fear arousing threat
The recommended action is perceived as effective for reducing the threat
The message recipient believes that he or she can perform the recommended action
The recipient's attention is first focused on the painful fear. In such a frightened state it is difficult to think about anything other than getting rid of the fear. Next, the propagandist offers a way to get rid of that fear - a simple, doable response that just happens to be what the propagandist wanted you to do all along.

Creating granfalloons - proud and meaningless association of human beings.
People acted as if those who shared their meaningless label were their good friends and close kin. They indicated that they liked those who shared their label. They allocated more money and reward to those group members who shared their label and did so in a competitive manner.
What makes a granfalloon tick - two psychological processes, one cognitive and one motivational. The knowledge that "I'm in this group" is used to divide up and make sense of the world. Differences between groups are exaggerated, whereas similarities among members of the granfalloon are emphasized in the secure knowledge that "this is what our type does." One serious consequence is that out group members are dehumanized; they are represented in our mind by a simple, often derogatory label, as opposed to unique individuals. It is a lot easier to abuse an abstraction. Second, social groups are a source of self esteem and pride. To obtain the self esteem the group has to offer, members come to defend the group and adopt its symbols, rituals, and beliefs.
Herein lies the secret to the persuasiveness of the granfalloon. If the professional persuader can get us to accept his or her granfalloon, then we have a ready made way to make sense of our lives - the propagandist's way - and as our self esteem becomes increasingly linked to these groups, we have a strong motivation to defend the group and to go to great lengths proudly to adopt its customs. What the propagandist is really saying is: "You are on my side (never mind that I created the teams); now act like it and do what we say."
Sometimes granfalloons come ready made. Each group is associated with a certain self image and lifestyle. Products are given a "personality" that fits the image of the target market; this advertising then goes on to create further the image of each granfalloon by specifying what needs to be done to maintain a certain image.
Shared emotion and feeling can also create a granfalloon. A sense of oneness with others can be produced by sharing a fun time, a sad situation, or a harrowing experience.

Co option tactic - subtly to change a person's granfalloon - corporation gives active critic a new position, often highly visible but without real power within the organization. Gradually, the critic becomes increasingly isolated from old "activist" friends and increasingly dependent on the corporation for material resources and a sense of identity. The opposition is defused as ties with the old granfalloon are dissolved.

Guilt - the feeling that we are responsible for something wrong whether real or imaginary - leads to compliance
Why it works
Sympathy, or feeling sorry for the victim
Restitution, or feeling the need to compensate for the wrongdoing
Generalized guilt, or the desire to repair a self image tarnished by a transgression
When we feel guilty we typically pay little attention to the cogency of an argument, to the merits of a suggested course of action. Instead, our thoughts and actions are directed to removing the feeling of guilt - to somehow making thing right or doing the right thing. We fall into the rationalization trap.

Commitment can be self perpetuating, resulting in an escalating commitment to an often failing course of action. Once a small commitment is made, it sets the stage for ever increasing commitments. The original behavior needs to be justified, so attitudes are changed; this change in attitudes influences future decisions and behavior. The result is a seemingly irrational commitment to a poor business plan, a purchase that makes no sense, a war that has no realistic objectives, or an arms race gone out of control.

When made to feel like a hypocrite, these people found the one sure way to restore their feelings of integrity: to begin to practice what they were preaching. If we are not made starkly aware of our hypocrisy, we all share the tendency to push the hypocritical behavior out of sight and do nothing about it.

When we discover that a commodity is scarce or may be unavailable, one of first inferences is that is must also be desirable. Why else would it be so rare? We tend to use a simple rule, or heuristic: If it is rare, if it is unavailable, then it must be valuable.
Scarcity and unavailability can do more than just make an object appear more desirable. When a phantom alternative is present, it can also result in a change in the perception, evaluation, and ultimate choice of the available options.
The presence of an attractive phantom made the other options look less attractive - a contrast effect similar in nature to, but opposite in direction from, that found with decoys. Second a phantom changed the relative importance given to the criteria for making a decision. Specifically, the attribute on which the phantom was superior was rated as most important for making the decision.
Owning an object that is scarce for or unavailable to everyone else is a means of defining one's self: "I am unique and special because I won something that no one else (or at least not many) has been able to obtain." Just hearing about a phantom may induce worry and concern: "If they bring out a better product, I'll be stuck with this thing. Maybe I should wait."
Phantom trap - fixation - focus attention on the scarce or unavailable item By concentrating on the scarce or unavailable, we may forget or overlook the possible. The presence of an attractive but currently unavailable object can focus our attention and resources on obtaining the desired prize. Settling for less than the phantom becomes a conflict that can only be resolved by "strength of willpower," a test that many of us often fail.
In many cases, phantom fixation can be a waste of time and energy, especially when the phantom is really a "red herring" of sorts - a truly unavailable option.
Consumer catch 22 carousel - obtaining a scarce and rare product adds to one's self image as a unique and special person. Manufacturers know this and design and market their products accordingly. If the marketer does a good job of creating a perception of the product as unique, then you desire and acquire it. But the catch is, so does everyone else; suddenly you are no longer an original. Instead of acquiring a product that makes you unique, you have obtained one that makes you just like everyone else. This further heightens the need for uniqueness, and off we go in an endless pursuit of the next faddish phantom. Once we begin using material goods to define ourselves, we are doomed to be on an endless treadmill of dissatisfaction.

Selectivity of news - without some form of censorship, propaganda is impossible. In order to conduct propaganda there must be some barrier between the public and the event. Access to the real environment must be limited, before anyone can create a pseudo environment that he thinks wise or desirable. For while people who have direct access can misconceive what they see, no one else can decide how they shall misconceive it, unless he can decide where they shall look, and at what.

Everyday news - selection of news
News reporters typically work beats - they are assigned a group of institutions to cover. This immediately injects one source of bias into news coverage - something that happens off or between beats has a lower chance of being covered unless it is a major disaster or other spectacular event. Off beat stories rarely are covered and aren't considered news.
Most reporters are on a deadline; they must prepare a given number of stories by a certain time regardless of what is happening. In order to meet their deadlines, reporters place a premium on sources that can be easily contacted and trusted. This also creates bias in at least two ways. First, the reporter develops a routine for covering a story - ignoring potentially relevant avenues of investigation. Second, the reporter's routine results in the same type of people appearing on the news repeatedly.
Increasingly, reporters work for a corporation. This concentration of ownership results pressure on the reporter; certain stories are encouraged or not encouraged depending on their implications for the parent corporation. More subtly, however, corporate ownership biases programming and coverage.
As difficult as these pressures may seen, the journalist faces one more pressure that may mean her or his livelihood - the ability of the news story to hold the audience's attention. All television programming, including the evening news, must strive for profits - and that translates into securing ratings and viewers that will attract advertising dollars. And what induces people to watch the news concludes that most viewers want to be amused and diverted; being informed is only a secondary motive for watching. To guarantee high ratings and revenues, mass media content tends to be agreeable and to require little effort on the part of consumers, while still being arousing, emotionally engaging, and above all entertaining.
What makes a great news story? Stories that
Are new and timely
Involve conflict or scandal
Concern strange and unusual happenings
Happen to familiar or famous people
Are capable of being made dramatic and personal
Are simple to convey in a short space or time
Contain visual elements
Fit a theme that is currently prominent in the news or society
The result of this itch for entertainment is sound bite and photo op news - a montage of brief visual images that play to the crowd. Each event and every idea must be part of a dramatic story amply illustrated with visual displays. Stories that are easily dramatized and visualized are readily covered. More complex issues receive little attention unless they can be made concrete and visual.

As one's confidence is weakened, a person becomes less prone to listen to arguments against his or her beliefs. Thus the very people you most want to convince and whose opinion might be the most susceptible to being changed are the ones least likely to continue to expose themselves to a communication designed for that purpose.

People tend to acquire information mostly about things that they find of interest and tend to avoid information that does not agree with their beliefs. Should someone find that they have been unavoidably exposed to uninteresting and disagreeable information, a common response is to distort and reinterpret that information, thus ignoring its implications for updating beliefs and attitudes.

The use of entertaining programs to disseminate a point of view has been successful in achieving high audience ratings and in changing people's attitudes and behaviors. Not appearing to be explicit attempts at persuasion, they should arouse little resistance, inhibiting the formation of counter arguments by distracting the audience. Most importantly, people will probably watch them without switching channels.

Information campaigns can succeed if they follow these simple rules:
Make the program entertaining
Do not directly attack a viewer's attitude and beliefs

Effective propaganda relies on heuristics and appeals to the emotions.
Its propaganda's effect for the most part must be aimed at the emotions and to a very limited degree at the so called intellect. We must avoid excessive intellectual demands on our public. The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, by their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan.

AND much more. Its very informative. I highly recommend this book.

I can't recommend this book enough..........2006-12-16

I am writing a thesis for a my master's on myths, and relating that to propaganda, which led me to this book.
I can't say enough great things about this book. I relates all of the ideas to everyday occurances common to the "layman".
This book is great for research, and also just to learn how the world is really ran.
Get it.

Propaganda exposed!.......2006-05-06

I agree with the critics that this book is not all that scientific in its study of propaganda. That aside the book illustrates a 'real world' approach. The authors reveal everyday propaganda by contrasting debunked stats and figures(+ satire). There are a lot of opinionated theories which should be taken with a pinch of salt. Keep in mind that you won't get any reasons for why people react the way they do to propaganda, you'll only find demonstrations of propaganda at large. This is in part due to the authors dissection of the pop-cultural and not the psychological aspect of propaganda.

Securing Your Compliance = No Great Hurdle.......2005-12-06

"Age of Propaganda" spells out in plain terms [contrary to another reviewer's finding of the book as being too "wordy"] how mass media is as a leveraging tool used by those in positions of power to coerce "decision by persuasion."

To quote the authors, "the goal of modern propaganda is not to inform and enlighten but rather to move the masses toward a desired position or point of view...these appeals persuade not through the give-and-take of argument and debate but through the manipulation of symbols and of our most basic human emotions...[and that]...the most important determinant is the thoughts running through one's head as a persuasive communication is seen and heard[and]in general, we humans seek to conserve our cognitive energy by taking mental short-cuts whenever we can, and we attempt to rationalize our thoughts and behavior so that they appear reasonable to ourselves and others. Most propaganda appeals attempt to take advantage of these two human tendencies."

Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson really put together a humdinger here. I'd like to offer a personal thanks to them as their book had a profound influence on me. In the early 90s I was working as a janitor at a college and found a stack of "free for all" books, and, being a reader, rummaged through and came up this dandy heavy hitter. Although, say, much like Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick's in depth documentary on dissident Noam Chomsky and media propaganda, "Manufacturing Consent," also from that era, some of the info has in a short time span become not so much obsolete as it's become more dire and omnipresent in governmental/corporate policy and application.

For instance, if I recall, at the time when "Manufacturing Consent" was released, there were some forty parent corporate giants controlling mass media worldwide, as where now power has been consolidated, and that number is around five or six. That in itself should deeply concern everyone, yet most people probably aren't aware of it, and would only give you a blank stare if you brought it to their attention. And that's precisely why "Age of Propaganda" is such a useful book; it simplistically lays out the historical foundation of propaganda, and how and why it's used against us. The statistics presented to show how many mass media messages are consumed annually by the average person alone is quite disturbing and offers a clear example - hopefully to those who refuse to acknowledge the magnitude of the process - of how the power of persuasion works.

As of 1992, the U.S. spent four-hundred million per year on propaganda {imagine what it must be now!}. 1-4 headings are taken from the book, the explanations aren't.

1)"The message must attract the recipient's attention."

Often this is the classic Problem/Reaction/Solution ruse: government *creates* the dilemma, misdirects and places blame elsewhere, uses the media to exploit the public's fears over the dilemma, and as the public demands resolution, even if they're truly in the dark as to how/why the dilemma came about, then government can implement draconian measures to "solve" the problem, when in reality, their "fix" is merely Big Brother's way of further stacking the odds in power's favor over democratic interference.

2)"The arguments in the message must be understood and comprehended."

This one's a no-brainer, just play off of the public's general ignorance and lack of knowledge and awareness. Dumb the message down and exploit the public's fears while simultaneously making the them feel better, stronger, for believing the lies. If you have a whole bunch of idiots all believing the same lies, the collective ignorance and adhered-to unreality is in turn reinforced. ...*pssst,* this is truly a BAD, SCARY thing, k?

3)"The recipient must learn the arguments contained in the message and come to accept them as true."

People have been culturally trained to watch TV. They generally believe what TV instructs them to believe, even though such psychological gymnastics aren't cast in stone, and most people would voice the opinion that TV lies. So, in order to get around that, the powers that be, through media "de-regulation" policies {go look it up yourself!} forged a stronghold within mainline media over the past twenty years in order to help shift public opinion to their Rightist, lunatic position. This explains the "need" for 24/7 cable "news," talk radio, and even the allowance of an illusory "lefty" democratic party which works to establish the Right's agenda by calling itself "moderate." The repetition of lies and propaganda leads to mass acceptance of lies and propaganda as "truth." Plus, a handful of scoundrel's make big money from the chaos, misery and war profiteeering.

Which in turn leads to 4)"We act on this learned knowledge and beliefs when there is incentive to do so."

The incentive is obvious: IT MUST BE REAL IF IT'S ON TV! Strength in numbers, that is, United We FALL. So, people give up civil liberties for the illusion of security.

Security from whom, exactly? Those who ordered NORAD and the FAA to stand down for ninety minutes during the attacks of 9/11?

And that, unfortunately, is the dark heart of the matter.
In an illusory democracy, if Big Daddy Boss Goliath wants to further decimate poor little David, then Goliath will need to justify doing so, right? Which, given the grotesque military and economic discrepencies between the two, which should be an obvious elementary truth, is going to require A LOT of persuasion on Goliath's part to convince everybody that David does indeed pose a terminal threat.
And if, say, Goliath doesn't just have his deadly sights set on David, but on many other people too, well then, the "justification" and deceptive staging of David and Co. as 'Hitler's' and 'Satan's' is going to have to be utmost convincing. Repetition of lies, right? And since the factual reality of the situation could easily be picked apart, then the agenda-setting media need be tucked securely in Goliath's pocket to shut out reality, and a violent, devestating, emotional shock would certainly be helpful in clouding everyone's instincts and moral judgement ...wouldn't it?

"One of the most important determinants of learning is incentive; a persuasive message is learned and accepted if it is rewarding to so." ~ from "Age of Propaganda"

In this age of unprecedented social change and cultural and political upheavals, of mind boggling numbers of unwary, uninformed people who have bought into our government's phony "war on terror," who've ignored the perilous, unconstitutional, 'Orwellian' surveilance system which has permeated our world like a bad rash, now more than ever do people need to educate themselves as to how propaganda works and why those in positions of power use it against us.

The primary dilemma people have with discerning and acknowledging propaganda is that Establishment Power has naturally adopted the refutation of it as one of its main talking points. The socio/political fabric of America's environment is so utterly dense with Right wing propaganda that many can't see beyond mainstream media's criterion, although, as an institution that cannot afford to completely ignore the rising tide of dissenting voices, it's collectively been forced to "allow" various "framed" criticisms. However, these criticisms, framed as such, only serve as further misdirection while making cosmetic attempts at democratic appeasement by setting up the straw man to be torn apart by the Right.

Psychologically, the Right's agenda is rooted in imputing to all opponents of its unconstitutional, theocratic state-bound, treasonous, war-profiteering agenda, that which it collectively is most guilty of itself. What's happened here is actually far worse than any mere "conspiracy;" we exist in an age where most of us have unprecedented access to oodles of information, yet, according to our actions, or more revealing, our lack-of-proper-reaction-to, this country is laboring under a heavy toll of a spiritual and mental illness that has enabled millions to believe Goliath's monumental B.S. ...and not just to believe it, but for many to actually cheer on the debauchery. Wowzer bowzer.

In my copy of "Age," I count twenty-one reference pages, so to answer the reviewer, "sportsguy," who boasted that this book isn't sourced and that its authors used it as a vehicle to smear republicans, the reviewer, if he even read the book, should note that it was written on the tail end of twelve years of shady republican rule, and that just because the book doesn't reflect the reviewer's version of "reality," that in itself doesn't in any way invalidate the numerous sources that the authors *did* reference.

Soft Insight.......2005-08-19

Well written, interesting and worth reading, but a bit dated and fluffy in content

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