Nonfiction Books - Page 2

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Michael Pollan

List Price: $29.95 By: Penguin Audio Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $20.15

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General AAS
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great book, distracting presentation in audio 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought the paper book and got halfway through it before buying the audio version -- after realizing I have more time to drive than to read. This is an excellent, concise and eminently sensible book about how the food scientists and food industry and even the government have sacrificed our natural and cultural history about food. Anyone who has ridden the swings of varying nutritional advice (carbs are bad; no, fats are bad!) will appreciate understanding how little scientific grounding these pronouncements actually have, and how they can be traced to politics, profit, and scientific one-upmanship.

I loved the book, but I thought that the common sense, down to earth tone of the book was belied by the overly dramatic tone of the reader in the audio version. It was less a book reading than a performance. Considering the point of the book (in part) is to refocus on what is simple (well, in other cultures), the exaggerated tone, over and over, sentence after sentence, was not only annoying but undercut the sensible, journalistic tone the paper book had. Five stars for content, 1 star for audio execution.... that's a four.

Editorial Review:

What to eat, what not to eat, and how to think about health: a manifesto for our times.

The Secret (Unabridged, 4-CD Set)

Rhonda Byrne

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Audio Amazon Marketplace: 87 new & used starting at $13.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2317 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS A GREAT SECRET.

It has been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost, stolen, and bought for vast sums of money. Fragments of this Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. It has been understood by some of the most prominent people in history: Plato, Galileo, Beethoven, Edison, Carnegie, and Einstein, along with other renowned inventors, theologians, scientists, and great thinkers.

For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life transforming for all who experience it.

In this audiobook you will discover The Secret . . . and you will learn how to have, do, or be anything you want. You will learn how to use The Secret in every single area of your life. You will hear from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used The Secret to achieve health, prosperity, relationships and happiness. They share their incredible stories of using The Secret to eradicate disease, acquire massive wealth, overcome obstacles, and achieve what many would regard as impossible. Through them, you will begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that is within you, and the true magnificence that awaits you in life.

Fleeced: How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, the Do-Nothing Congress, Companies ... Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It

Dick Morris, Eileen McGann

Amazon Price: $23.09 List Price: $34.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tantor Media Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $21.91

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> Practical Politics
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 196 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Pure Paranoid Drivel 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Fleeced was well written, but the content has an obvious agenda: to lay the initial groundwork to build a convincing case to blast the left. Morris does this by using established facts to lay his case and build rapport with the reader and then uses innuendo, rumor, and falsehood to stretch the truth into a typical neo-con paranoid delusion. There is little here that is new, but I am sure we will hear Morris's conclusions echoed on Limbaugh's and Fox's shows over the next several months until we hear them so much that we begin to mistake them for fact when in reality we are seeing the truth distorted through the lens of myopic paranoia.

Again, nothing new here... Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh perfected this drivel years ago. If there's going to be true critique of the new administration lets seem some true, unbiased review of the facts.

This book is crap.

Editorial Review:

In their New York Times bestseller Outrage, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann turned their spotlight on the American government's most egregious abuses. The authors return with a fresh list of government exploitation and corporate malfeasance just in time for the 2008 elections.

The Forever War

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Audio Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $17.79

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Subjects -> History -> Military -> United States -> Operation Desert Storm
Subjects -> History -> Military -> Iraq War
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Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the front lines of the battle against Islamic fundamentalism, a searing, unforgetable audiobook that captures the human essence of the greatest conflict of our time. Through the eyes of Dexter Filkins, the prize-winning New York Times correspondent, we witness the remarkable chain of events that began with the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, continued with the attacks of 9/11, and moved on to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Filkins’s narrative moves across a vast and various landscape of amazing characters and astonishing scenes: a public amputation performed by Taliban, children frolicking in minefields, skies streaked white by the contrails of B-52’s, a night’s sleep in the rubble of Ground Zero. We venture into a torture chamber run by Saddam Hussein. We go into the homes of suicide bombers, meet Iraqi insurgents, and an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days.

Like no other audiobook, The Forever War allows us a visceral understanding of today’s battlefields and of the experiences of the people on the ground, warriors and innocents alike. It is a brilliant, fearless work, not just about America’s wars after 9/11, but ultimately about the nature of war itself.

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Dale Carnegie

Amazon Price: $32.97 List Price: $49.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Audio Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $24.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 649 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

One of the best books ever written. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

How to Win Friends and Influence People is an American classic that is still as relevant today as when first published decades ago. Dale Carnegie presents a basic approach to dealing with people that really works. Practical advice for achieving practical results. There is nothing superficial about what this book has to offer. I have begun using these methods in my own practice and have found the results astounding. The insights Mr. Carnegie offers may prove to be the best lifetime gift anyone can receive. My own twenty-something children will find this book under the tree this Christmas.

Editorial Review:

Simon & Schuster Audio is proud to present one of the best-selling books of all time, Dale Carnegie's perennial classic How to Win Friends and Influence People -- presented here in its entirety on 8 compact discs.

For over 60 years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this audiobook has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

With this truly phenomenal audiobook, learn:

* THE SIX WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU
* THE TWELVE WAYS TO WIN PEOPLE TO YOUR WAY OF THINKING
* THE NINE WAYS TO CHANGE PEOPLE WITHOUT AROUSING RESENTMENT

And much, much more!

There is room at the top, when you know...How to Win Friends and Influence People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Covey Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $16.00

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Business Life -> General
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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Management & Leadership -> Motivational

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 822 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Still Believing in Leadership! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book - would love to work for a company where the employees and the senior management team still believe in these basic principles. If you work for such a company and can use someone with 17 years of expertise as a Federal Agent with 5 of the most recent years in management, please send me an e-mail: smallwoodgirls@yahoo.com

Hands down one of the best personal development books you will ever read 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a book you will want to read all the way through and then go back and work on each of the 7 habits individually. Dr. Covey is able to share the information in a practical way that can be applied to our personal life as well as family, business or any other relationships. The first 3 habits are personal and are part of the private victory, the next 3 habits deal with relationships and are part of the public victory. The last habit is self-renewal, the sharpening of the saw. There are so many nuggets of information in this book that you will find useful in your life. The concept of P/PC productivity, interdependency, emotional bank accounts, effective delegation and time management among others are covered in detail here. All the concepts and ideas presented in the book are based on sound principles and you will find that many of them find precedence in wisdom from the Bible. This book is a must-read in personal development and is one of my favorite books.

Editorial Review:

The bestselling guide to personal fulfillment and professional success! Guided by Covey's remarkable step-by-step program, listeners will find more meaning and satisfaction in relationships, be better able to achieve personal and professional goals--and can look forward to lasting happiness and success. 3 CDs.

Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America

Mike Huckabee

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Penguin Audio Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $14.28

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General
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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Political Science -> Political Doctrines -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Book of Hit or Miss 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Aside: I think this book is 2.5 stars not 3.

Mike Huckabee is a man of integrity and principle. For this there is no doubt. As a libertarian I supported his primary run in 2008, but would I support him again? Tough question, but I would definitely give him strong consideration.

Do the Right Thing is an interesting political piece covering Mike Huckabee's run for the Republican Presidential nomination, his political beliefs, and the movement that is the title of his book. The book starts off rather slow and does not really grab the readers attention until the third chapter when he lays out his beliefs on being pro-life and stem cell research. Being a former pastor his beliefs are of no surprise.

He continues on to cover many topics from taxation to health care, the fighting in Washington, the inequitable coverage of the media amongst candidates who have minimal resources (something he calls Elections by eBay), and groups of people who have been estranged from both political parties. Perhaps the most important chapter in the book is his writings on the FairTax and how it will help remedy the current economic lull, the increasing number of outsourced jobs, inequitable taxation, and the punishment that is incurred for working harder or investing/saving in a fiscally responsible manner. He accurately describes how the current tax system rewards negative manners of individuals while penalizing positive actions. As a supporter of the FairTax I am happy to see a major party Presidential candidate endorse the issue.

A point of criticism I will offer is his understanding of libertarianism, which he labels as faux-conservatives. As a supporter of Ronald Regan I am perplexed that Huckabee fails to mention that Regan stated as I paraphrase here that libertarianism is at the heart of conservatism. He misguides readers to believe that libertarians live only for themselves and do not help others. Libertarians much like conservatives believe that charity is the duty of individuals and not government. Huckabee completely misses this point.

The truth is quite the contrary as a libertarian society recognizes the generosity of people as a necessary requirement for the reduction of government intrusion into individuals lives. Huckabee did hit on this point clearly and correctly titled his book "Doing the Right Thing." When people do the right thing government actions can be reduced. He main contention with libertarians is clearly more on social issues such as abortion, prostitution, the war on drugs, and marriage. Once again his history as a pastor is clearly displayed as he supports government regulation on what are moral issues. He is very much a social conservative.

Other points of criticism include his foreign policy preferences in dealing with China as he supports a more hawkish policy to deal with trade imbalances and their undervalued currency. Though he stated little on this issue, he would be more aggressive with China diplomatically on economic issues and would strongly consider adding tariffs to Chinese goods, which would have a strong negative impact on a very fragile country. A China collapse would be possible leading to a large economic collapse.

One other theme Huckabee describes in detail is what he calls getting vertical instead of horizontal. He accurately portrays that the majority of Americans care less about political ideology and more about fixing the problems. Americans are tired of fighting between political factions and simply want solutions to be brought about. He gives a vivid example of this when as a governor Huckabee and the governor of Virginia brought forth a program of bipartisan support from all 50 governors to the Senate to reform Medicaid. The measure failed and he received lectures from Teddy Kennedy and others about the cruelty of poverty. Apparently this group of Senators failed to recognize that Huckabee grew up in poverty conditions. Instead of focusing on solutions leaders from both sides seem more concerned with left and right instead of going vertical (working to solve problems instead of the usual partisan divisions).

Huckabee's book is filled with stories and examples from his life. If you know little about him this book will clearly help. His anecdotes give an insight into his life, high moral character, and firm principles.

Do the Right Thing is really a hit or miss book. Parts are exceptional and others are downright bad.

Editorial Review:

Abridged CDs • 5 CDs, 6 hours

Part campaign memoir, part manifesto, this book lays out Mike Huckabee’s down-to-earth, optimistic vision for America’s future.

Alex & Me CD: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

Irene Pepperberg

Amazon Price: $21.27 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperAudio Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $16.95

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Animal Care & Pets -> Birds
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you."

What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds. Alex's brain was the size of a shelled walnut, and when Irene and Alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Yet, over the years, Alex proved many things. He could add. He could sound out words. He understood concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none. He was capable of thought and intention. Together, Alex and Irene uncovered a startling reality: We live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures.

The fame that resulted was extraordinary. Yet there was a side to their relationship that never made the papers. They were emotionally connected to one another. They shared a deep bond far beyond science. Alex missed Irene when she was away. He was jealous when she paid attention to other parrots, or even people. He liked to show her who was boss. He loved to dance. He sometimes became bored by the repetition of his tests, and played jokes on her. Sometimes they sniped at each other. Yet nearly every day, they each said, "I love you."

Alex and Irene stayed together through thick and thin—despite sneers from experts, extraordinary financial sacrifices, and a nomadic existence from one univer­sity to another. The story of their thirty-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond.

The Post-American World

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Total reviews: 174 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Prophetic Assessment of America's Changing Place in an Increasingly Global Age

For Fareed Zakaria, the great story of our times is not the decline of America but rather the rise of everyone else -- the growth of countries such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Kenya, and many, many more. This economic growth is generating a new global landscape where power is shifting and wealth and innovation are bubbling up in unexpected places. It's also producing political confidence and national pride. As these trends continue, the push of globalization will increasingly be joined by the pull of nationalism -- a tension that is likely to define the next decades.

With his customary lucidity, insight, and imagination, Zakaria draws on lessons from the two great power shifts of the past five hundred years -- the rise of the Western world and the rise of the United States -- to tell us what we can expect from the third shift, the "rise of the rest." Washington must begin a serious transformation of global strategy and seek to share power, create coalitions, build legitimacy, and define the global agenda. None of this will be easy for the greatest power the world has ever known -- the only power that for so long has really mattered. But all that is changing now. The future we face is the post-American world.

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Naomi Klein

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Economic Conditions
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Total reviews: 341 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In her ground-breaking reporting Naomi Klein introduced the term “disaster capitalism.” Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she witnessed something remarkably similar. People still reeling from catastrophe were being hit again, this time with economic “shock treatment”, losing their land and homes to rapid-fire corporate makeovers.
 
The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman’s free market economic revolution. In contrast to the popular myth of this movement’s peaceful global victory, Klein shows how it has exploited moments of shock and extreme violence in order to implement its economic policies in so many parts of the world from Latin America and Eastern Europe to South Africa, Russia and Iraq.
At the core of disaster capitalism is the use of cataclysmic events to advance radical privatization combined with the privatization of the disaster response itself. Klein argues that by capitalizing on crises, created by nature or war, the disaster capitalism complex now exists as a booming new economy, and is the violent culmination of a radical economic project that has been incubating for fifty years.