Reviews (5)

Mercy maude, what a biography!
"This is funny, you might like it."
Single Mom, Eleven Children - WOW!
When you think of Lillian (Cheaper by the Dozen) Gilbreth you can help but think of her more as a mother than anything else. The movie presented a story of a wonderful mother, but none the less, just a mother. As is often the case reading the book gives one a much better, much more complete story of her life.
Carefully scrutinized, very well written
The work of the Gilbreth couple has been influencing the way people work both in industry and at home since the beginning of the last century; and this influence has been quite underestimated, mainly because of the lasting succes of the books "Cheaper By the Dozen" and "Belles on Their Toes". The time has come to write a both thorough and neutral review on this work and to show the driving forces behind it. I am very pleased to say that Jane Lancaster with her book "Making Time" wrote this perfect review, which is carefully researched from the scientific point of view and very well written for the reader's pleasure.
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Subjects:  1. 1878-1972    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. General    7. Gilbreth, Lillian Moller,    8. Scientists - Inventors    9. Social Scientists & Psychologists    10. United States    11. Women    12. Women industrial engineers    13. Women's Studies - General    14. Biography & Autobiography / General    15. Biography: general   

Subjects:  1. Behavior Therapy    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Cognitive Therapy    6. Social Scientists & Psychologists    7. Biography: general    8. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. (Erik Homburger),    2. 1902-    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Erikson, Erik H    8. History    9. Medical - General    10. Psychoanalysis    11. Psychoanalysts    12. Social Scientists & Psychologists    13. United States    14. Biography: general    15. Counselling    16. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    17. Psychotherapy    18. Self-Help / Substance Abuse   

Reviews (7)

The archictec who cracked the code
The Man who deciphered Linear B - the storyof Michael Ventris, by Andrew Robinson, is a book about the monumental task involved in the decoding and understanding what was written in the 1.200 BC clay tablets found by sir Arthur Evans in 1900 in the island of Crete, the home of the fabled character Minotaur. Many were the obstacles imposed on the many scholars who ventured to crack down the code, to no avail to the great majority of them. The most conspicuos hindrance was the fact that, contrary to what happened in the case of the deciphering of the Egyptian hieroglyphs by the French mathematician Jean-Fran�ois Champollion, there was not a handy Rosetta Stone with bilinguals, that is, with textsto be confuted both in the language to be decoded as in an already known language (Greek, in the case of the Rosetta Stone). To add to the difficulty, the discoverer of the first tablets, Mr.Arthru Evans, was not the team-work type of man, preferring to work alone and hiding from the others scholars almost all the pertinent tablets.

Subjects:  1. Archaeologists    2. Archaeology    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Great Britain    8. Greece    9. Historians    10. Inscriptions, Linear B    11. Social Scientists & Psychologists    12. Ventris, Michael    13. Ancient (Classical) Greek    14. Biography: general    15. Hellenic languages    16. Translation & interpretation   

Reviews (8)

Amazon doctor tells all
Linnea Smith's story captures you from the very beginning.Telling of her experiences as a physician in the Amazon jungle often keeps you on the edge of your seat.Taken directly from her journals, it discusses her experiences over a 7 year period of practicing medicine in the jungle without all the current medical technology.She also talks of the natives, their beliefs and some difficulties encountered because of the disparity of cultures.This book is an easy and enjoyable read.

An Amazing Amazonian from Wisconson
It wasn't so long ago that I had the privilege of meeting Linnea in Peru. She was just coming back from a fundraising journey to the States, whereshe received a prize of recognition for her selfless work in Amazonia. Iwas with a tour group that was to stay at several Amazonian jungle lodges.The Amazon was in it's annual flood stage and the only way any of us couldget around was by small boat. La doctora Linnea had her own dugout whichshe paddled to and from the clinic, the lodge and her patients all byherself, in a dress. She wore skirts almost entirely because of thehumidity and local custom. The only women who wear shorts or pants inAmazonia are tourists and scientists. Every evening Linnea would cometo the lodge for a bit of relaxation and conversation with whomever wasstaying there, but one couldn't help but notice how more comfortable shewas in the company of the locals and guides. The Ribiernos [local riverdwellers] didn't ask rude or probing questions. They were friendly withoutconpromising her privacy.This ingrained need to keep part of herself toherself comes through in the book she's written. She's happy to talk abouther work and her love of the people, but reveals little of her previouslife. I recommend this book for the incredible story, the sense ofplace, to learn about people we would otherwise never know. She may notspeak book-learned Spanish, but communicates fluently with her friends andpatients. As she writes, she arrived in Peru speaking no Spanish.

The Great Doctora Isn't Quite Gripping
This is somewhat of a minority viewpoint in comparison to the previous five customer reviews already written. I read this book because of the local publicity it received here in Wisconsin, the fact that I have been inPeru and in Amazon region (though not the same part as Dr. Linnea), aminterested in Latin American culture, and speak fluent Spanish. Read more

Subjects:  1. Amazon River Region    2. Anecdotes    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. General    8. Indians of South America    9. Medical care    10. Physicians    11. Smith, Linnea    12. Social Scientists & Psychologists    13. South America    14. Travel - Foreign    15. Tropical medicine    16. Biography: general    17. Medicine: General Issues    18. Psychology   

Reviews (3)

Transparent to Transcendence
The fire in Joseph Campbell's mind burned through the dross of a mundane existence and forged a character who was ultimately "transparent to transcendence" (his own remarkable phrase). Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind
Since Joseph Campell was such a prolific writer of journals, letters, essays and books, this book was able to capture, in such detail, not only his life events but also the evolution of his studies and thoughts about myth, art, religion and the world. I originally checked this book out at the library but I am buying it as a reference guide because it touches on so many fascinating points about religion and the most prominent spiritual leaders in the last century.

an original thinker
After viewing his lectures on video and watching the interviews with Bill Moyers I became increasing curious about Joseph Campbell, the man, not just the scholar and how onecould devote his life to his work.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1904-    2. 1904-1987    3. Anthropology - Cultural    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Campbell, Joseph,    7. Educators    8. Folklore & Mythology    9. Literary    10. Religion historians    11. Social Science    12. Social Scientists & Psychologists    13. Sociologists    14. Sociology    15. United States    16. Body, Mind & Spirit / Personal Transformation    17. Campbell, Joseph   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Movements - Psychoanalysis    3. Psychology    4. Social Scientists & Psychologists    5. Women    6. Biography: general    7. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory   

Reviews (5)

Saint Jones
A lot of good detail is presented in this biography, a lot of moral force worth bringing to our attention.
well done!
Elliott J. Gorn has written a well-researched biography of one of Labor's greatest spokesperson.Gorn writes a complete book on Mother Jones, Mary Jones, and even Mary Harris -- the person AND the persona.His objectivity allows him to correct Mother Jones' revisionist history of her own life and her achievements, even as he praises her deep committment and her probable rationale for exaggerating her achievements.One slight criticism is that Gorn on occasion follows one aspect of the Labor movement (or Mother's) struggle, then goes back in time to pick up another thread.In his great favor, though, Gorn details the incorrect details and unfair attacks of other authors, both of her day and later.If you read only one book on Mother Jones, this should be it.

A lively coverage
This biography recalls early American radicalism and the efforts of one Mary Jones, a force in the early labor movement. She traveled throughout the country lobbying for civil rights, labor laws and basic worker's rights: her career, life, and long-ranging effects on American labor are recounted in a lively coverage. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1843?-1930    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Historical - U.S.    6. History: American    7. Jones,    8. Mother,    9. Political    10. Social Scientists & Psychologists    11. United States    12. Women    13. Women labor leaders    14. Women labor union members    15. Working class women    16. History / United States / 20th Century   

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Aztecs    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Ethnologists    9. Historical - General    10. History    11. History Of Anthropological Thought    12. Latin America - Mexico    13. Mexico    14. Missionaries    15. Native American Anthropology    16. Sahagun, Bernardino de,    17. Social Scientists & Psychologists    18. d. 1590    19. Anthropology    20. Biography: general    21. North America   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Movements - Psychoanalysis    3. Psychology    4. Social Scientists & Psychologists    5. Biography: general    6. Cultural studies    7. First World War, 1914-1918    8. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    9. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Psychoanalysis    11. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (7)

Skidelsky fails to discuss Keynes's scientific contributions
This book is an excellent choice for a potential reader who is searching for a general overview of Keynes's early life.Like Moggridge's one volume study,Skidelsky's first volume(of three)has many interesting anecdotes and discussions of Keynes's interactions and involvement with a wide range of people.Unfortunately,Skidelsky drops the ball when he tries to evaluate the technical and intellectual contributions that Keynes made to applied probability,statistics and decision science in the period from 1904 to 1920.Keynesfinally published his pathbreaking work in 1921 in his A Treatise on Probability(TP).A specialistcan only come to the conclusion that Keynes made no breakthroughs in his TP after reading Skidelsky's bare bones treatment.This is most likely due to the fact that Skidelsky is a historian who has no training in the fields of mathematics, probability and statistics.It is true that Skidelsky limits his discussion of the TP in his first volume because he wanted to make an extended discussion of itin the second volume.Unfortunately,the treatment of the TP in volume II is badly marred by a number of mathematical errors.The interested potential book buyer is advised to read my review of volume II.Skidelsky fails to mention anywhere in Volume I that Keynes is the founder of the interval estimate approach to probability.In general,excluding the cases of symmetry and series or sequences composed of homogeneous frequency data,it takes two numbers,not one,to correctly specify an estimate of probability.A probability estimate is thus made up of a lower bound and an upper bound.Further,Keynes specified a clearcut approximation method based on the original work of George Boole in chapters 15 and 17 of the TP.The reader should note that all of this material is present in Keynes's 1907 and 1909 fellowship theses that he submitted to Cambridge University.Also present in these theses is an index created to measure the weight of the evidence,w.Keynes used different terms to describe weight,such as value,before settling for the term weight in the final published 1921 version.w measure the completeness of the relevant, potential evidence upon which a decision maker is going to base an estimate of probability.w is defined on the unit interval between 0 and 1,i.e.,0<=w<=1.Finally,Skidelsky ignores Keynes's conventional coefficient of risk and weight,c.Keynes presented this coefficient in both the 1907 thesis and the 1909 thesis ,which was accepted.This coefficient is the first time in history that a decision rule incorporated nonlinear probability preferences, as well as the weight of the evidence ,or what D.Ellsberg later called the ambiguity of the evidencein a 1961 Quarterly Journal of Economics article.

Love first, Philosophy second, Poetics third,Politics fourth
This profoundly researched and uncensored (sexually speaking) biography gives us a fascinating look into a highly privileged group of people in England when the British Empire was at its zenith. Half (sic) of the world's trade was financed by British credits in 1914. A would-be philosopher turned economist
John Maynard Keynes' life faithfully portrayed by Robert Skidelsky, is a life of a man grown up amidst the intelectual aristocracy of his time, which coincided with the beginning of the downfall of the Victorian age and was to culminate in the First World War. His father John Neville Keynes was a famous economist of his time and had many other intelectual atributes which he didn't want to put up to test in the academic arena, despite a lot of incentives by the famous economist Alfred Marshall, the most proeminent thinker of the neo-classics school of thought. Neville Keynes was determined instead to follow closely and have influence upon the professional careers of his most inteligent son. To anyone who whished to compare this situation to the education the philosopher James Mill gave to his son John Stuart Mill, I would warn he/she to be cautious cause the result is very much different than could be foresaw. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1883-1946    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Economic History    8. Economists    9. Great Britain    10. Historical - British    11. Keynes, John Maynard,    12. Keynesianism    13. Social Scientists & Psychologists    14. Biography & Autobiography / Social Scientists & Psychologists    15. Economics   

Reviews (9)

Delve into new ground within the realm of pscyhology
As a Master's candidate studying psychology, I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this book! Finally, some of the "darker" areas of the field have been illuminated by a first-hand expert. Mind expanding and soul healing
Let me try this again. The Secret Chief is a fantastically written, conversational and often warm and humorous overview of a real pioneer in the field of psychology. Few researchers or clinicians are willing to boldly sidestep well-known but mostly unfounded restrictions on their practice. Makes a trilogy with 'Acid Dreams' and 'Storming Heaven'
This book reveals some of the true promise of psychedelic therapy that is obscured in other popular histories of the era that focus on the (albeit fascinating) aftermath of Dr. Leary et. al. ('Acid Dreams' and 'Storming Heaven').Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Biography & Autobiography / Social Scientists & Psychologists    3. Body, Mind & Spirit / Mental & Spiritual Healing    4. Popular Culture - Counter Culture    5. Psychology    6. Sociology    7. Biographies & Memoirs    8. Mental & Spiritual Healing    9. New Age    10. Professionals & Academics    11. Psychedelic Drugs    12. Social Scientists & Psychologists    13. Therapy   

Reviews (2)

Laing's writing style is easy & colloquial.
I read this about 10 years ago & have recently read it again. Laing's writing is easy & colloquial, more like conversation than some exercise with a thesaurus. Laing reviews the state of psychiatry today (1985) &reviews the events in his life that helped shape his iconoclastic views ofmedicine & society. He eschews the term "anti-psychiatry,"seemingly preferring not to name or "institutionalize" hisprocess & praxis for psychiatry. By the end of this book, Laing &his views seem incredibly human & humane, & one wonders, Why aren'tall psychiatrists like Laing? Early on, Laing cites the changingpsychiatric view in Italy; the new edition of WM&F coincides with the20th anniversary of Italy's law 180, which pretty much altered the waypsychiatric services are dispensed & which was promoted by both doctors& patients, proving that the camaraderie among patient & staff thatLaing longed for was possible.

A readable account of a complex man.
I first read this more than 10 years ago & found it a pleasant diversion from his more polemical writing. Laing is witty & honest: he cites but doesn't dwell on the cliches & sloganry that have fairlyengulfed descriptions of his profession. Laing is incisive & wasteslittle time with exposition: he's on to another topic before you realizehe's just alluded to rabid anti-Semitism in Great Britain during WWII! Hisdescriptions of patients are heart-rending, especially the elderly womenwith whom he worked after his stint in the Army. Laing was & still ismaligned by the psychiatric professional community in the U.S., but inItaly this year, it's the 20th anniversary of the "Basaglia Act,"which was promoted by doctors & virtually altered the way "mentaldisorder" is viewed & treated. Laing made no small contributionhere, & his easy style & good humor are evident in WM&F &just two reasons why he remains influential. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Social Scientists & Psychologists    5. Biography: general    6. Psychiatry    7. Scotland   

Reviews (5)

A great Gift Book
This is a wonderful gift book.I have already given it to several friends who share my pleasure.Alice Miller, who is a psychotherapist, combines spirituality and love of the earth with humor and wisdom.

Highly Recommend it!
I have beeb a professional landscape and garden designer for over 30 years.And this author really gets it.It's difficult to mesh inspiration with good garden design.To be able to mix whimsy, classic beauty, and good garden design is not something many people can do.Her humour and wisdom come through on every page.She really understands the dynamic process of creation when it comes to establishing a sustainable garden.Her wit kept me intertained and felt like I grew through the read.I highly recommend this book

A great read
This book really tugs at the heartstrings. Dr. Miller has a unique writing style, combining poignant observations with a quirky but delightful sense of humor.I will be gifting several friends with their own copies - this is a book to enjoy more than once. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Essays    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Naturalists, Gardeners, Environmentalists    7. Social Scientists & Psychologists    8. Biography & Autobiography-Social Scientists & Psychologists    9. Garden design & planning    10. Gardening-Essays    11. Spirituality   

Reviews (3)

Good Reading for Ericksonian Hypnotherapists
Kay Thompson was one of the great hypnotherapists of the 20th century and one of Milton H. Erickson's most gifted prot�g�s. She was a trainer of international renown and a brilliant hypnotherapist whose artistry with language patterns amazed her pupils and colleagues. The Art of Therapeutic Communication chronicles her professional life through her papers and presentations, transcripts of seminars, commentary on her life and work, and tributes by contemporaries.The CD that accompanies the book records ten of Thompson's "live" presentations. Thompson's collected works cover hypnosis, hypnotic language patterns, trance, pain management, hypnosis in dentistry, metaphor, utilization, and ethics.
Pattie Heyman, LICSW
This fascinating book is an inspiration, and an outstanding learning tool for therapists and those interested in hypnosis,and this extraordinarily profound woman.

A love story you need to read
BOOK REVIEWS
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Subjects:  1. Hypnotism    2. Interpersonal communication    3. Psychology    4. Psychotherapy - General    5. Social Scientists & Psychologists    6. Therapeutic use    7. Hypnosis    8. Hypnotherapy (suggestion therapy)    9. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Correspondence    2. History    3. Psychologists    4. Psychology    5. Social Scientists & Psychologists    6. Biography: general    7. History of ideas, intellectual history   

Reviews (2)

The Biography Box
This is the best biography I've read. I certainly find Skinner interesting, but what's impressive is how well this book flows, and I expect that's due to Bjork's writing skills and understanding of Skinner. Insight to Skinner
This is a good primer of Skinner's life. It provides clarification regarding the origin of Skinner's ideas and charts the course of his personal and intellectual development through his career. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (Burrhus Frederic),    2. 1904-    3. 20th century    4. Behaviorism    5. Behaviorism (Psychology)    6. Biography    7. Biography & Autobiography    8. Biography / Autobiography    9. Biography/Autobiography    10. History    11. Mental Health    12. Psychologists    13. Skinner, B. F    14. Social Scientists & Psychologists    15. United States    16. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    17. Biography: general   

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Psychoanalysts    3. Psychology    4. Social Scientists & Psychologists   

Reviews (2)

fun read!
This book pulls you in from the beginning. It's not a dry history but a witty and sharp look at the Bloomsbury Group and issues about sex and gender in England. She can be critical of Strachey's misogyny and class elitism while at the same time she makes her readers feel strongly about the plight of the gay man during a repressive era. The book is loaded with fascinating stories about his relationships with Virginia Woolf, Dora Carrington, and John Maynard Keynes. Sodomy, war, complicated love affairs--what more could a reader ask for?!

Wow!A great read!
I had never really known much about Lytton Strachey before reading Taddeo's book.I ordered this on a whim and loved it---I've just ordered Strachey's Eminent Victorians after reading this.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1880-1932    2. 20th century    3. Authors, English    4. Biographers    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. General    10. Great Britain    11. History    12. Homosexuality    13. Social Scientists & Psychologists    14. Strachey, Lytton,    15. Biography: general    16. Psychology    17. Strachey, Lytton   

Reviews (3)

Really well done, insightful, no "dumbing-down"
I found this book after I had already read quite a significant amount of Jung's work. I was amazed at how peceptive and witty this treatment really is. It makes a great review for the already knowledgeable, and I can see where it would also be an excellent first introduction. A Quick Look at Jung
Introducing Jung Excellent Study Guide
Introducing Jung is not the only book I have from totem's "Introducing" series, but it is one of my favorites.It clearly presents many of the ideas that may be glossed over in your intro to psych class. Like all the "Introducing" books, it is not too muddled with details but rather serves as an excellent jumping off point for research in a subject you may be unfamiliar with.The drawings are also helpful and humorous, especially to those more visual learners.These books make great inexpensive gifts for college students, and they are much apreciated when recieved. They are an overall easy read on not so easy subjects and can be referenced over and over again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Comic books, strips, etc    4. Jungian Psychology    5. Psychoanalysis    6. Social Scientists & Psychologists    7. Jung, C. G    8. Popular psychology    9. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory