Humanities Books

I know nothing about music theory and have read five to six books on this subject. Most of them are written for seating in the ABRSM's examinations or just enough for playing one musical instrument. However, this book is tailor-made for layman, which is very detailed written in academic and professional style. To me and those who know nothing about music at all, it is very good "road signal" to get into it.

I picked up guitar about 3 year ago and wanted to understand music theory. This book started simple, used lots of examples and built to an advanced level. I have a solid grasp of musical concepts that used to mystify me. I've really enjoyed it and look forward to studying volume II!

I used this textbook (as well as Vol. II) when I was doing my Musicology and Composition studies. Since then, I have devoured several other Theory textbooks, but this set remains the greatest yet written. Were I teaching, I would swear by it.

I never played any musical instruments or even sang extensively using sheet music, and therefore knew nothing when I arrived at college to take my first music theory class. With this book, I went from knowing nothing to being at the top of my class! Turek is just phenomenal with how genius this book is! I now tutor kids in music theory who have had it all their lives, it is that great! Thanks Dr. Turek!

This is an excellent book for gaining a good fundamental knowledge of music theory. I picked the book up at a university bookstore where it is used in a formal music department instructional setting. However, the mature, disciplined musician who can set aside study time to work through this book for self instruction will enjoy it and greatly improve their musical ability. In particular, I found the selection of musical examples useful, enjoyable and fun. Overall a great book.

Book received in perfect condition. Payed for expedited delivery. Unfortunately, received on last day of expected shipping window. Wasn't worth the extra money. Seller should offer next day or 2nd day delvery.

The book is perfect. It is written in simple language, which is very important for undergraduate students. I found the review questions very helpful. It is like a textbook and study guide put together. This book is actually inspired me to go further into psychology studies. Thanks

The book is perfect. It is written in simple language, which is very important for undergraduate students. I found the review questions very helpful. It is like a textbook and study guide put together. This book is actually inspired me to go further into psychology studies. Thanks.

This most recent 4th edition of Essentials is excellent. Dr. Feldman is a wonderful writer with a conversational style and yet all of the information needed in an overview text is here. There are study guides built into the text and many student and professor "aids". My students learn a lot and enjoy this book.

I had gotten this book for my psych 101 class. If you go to Glendale CC don't even think of taking it with INGER THOMPSON!!! Horrible teacher and barely follows the book!!! Take someone else!!!

I know that i have, at different stages of my life, reached conclusions regarding issues of choice or philosopy, closed
that door, and moved on. So sure of what I had concluded, I
rarely re-visted issues i knew resolved. Professor Goldberg's
book re-opens those doors and forces you to re-think your positions on the critical issues like the death penalty, i.q., homosexuality,and race through the logic of time and fact. The importance of this book it opens my eyes to where i was wrong.

I really got a kick out of this book! It's as rigorously logical as it is amusing. Goldberg goes after all the hot button issues--abortion, differences between the sexes and among different racial or ethnic groups, the death penalty, intelligence testing. . . and in each case he just aims at uncovering the facts and what logical conclusions you can draw from them. The arguments are so clear and unpretentious that they put to shame what usualy passes for thought about these subjects. No special pleading or political hand-wringing, the book's a pleasure in the way it just pursues its subjects, come what may. All you need to enjoy it is an open mind and an appetite for the truth--damn subversive in today's world of left- and right-wing PC!
If you don't mind thinking without first deciding what you're Supposed to Think, or even what you maybe Want to Think, there's great fun in following Goldberg's often funny and always sharp accounts of the fads and fallacies of standard sociology.

By the way, I don't quite know how it got in the book, but as a bonus there's a really great piece on Bob Dylan's music--one of the best!

This book had me questioning many of my views on the "hot topics" presented and THAT is no easy task!
I found myself using every free moment to pick it up and find what "I KNEW to be the ONLY and correct opinions" on many of the issues needing additional thought and consideration on my part. This caught my husband's attention and he couldn't wait for me to put it down so he could read it. We've spent quite some time since discussing the issues therein.
Kudos to Professor Goldberg for an entertaining and thought provoking book!

This is the perfect book to settle bets and arguments. There's no one who doesn't know exactly how he or she feels about every issue raised in this book, from capital punishment to homosexuality to abortion to intelligence tests. The problem is, almost everything we know about them turns out to be more about how we feel than about any objective reality. Goldberg doesn't tell you what to think, but he demands you be consistent and logical in whatever your position is. And reexamining those positions is both an education and, thanks to the humor in Goldberg's writing, enjoyable as well.

Steven Goldberg's tough no-nonsense intelligence takes on some of the pressing issues of the day, and we emerge with a new way of looking at them. You may not like his conclusions, but you will be stimulated and provoked. His highly accessible writing style is a pleasure to read. Do not read this book unless you are ready to be challenged by one of America's greatest debunkers of cant.

Elizabeth Mayers

In The Highest And The Best: A Gifted healer's Vision Of Third-Millennium Medicine And Humanity's Intuitive Evolution, private-practice, intuitive healer and counselor Sallie Christensen (with the assistance of professional writer and editor Gina Hillier) draws upon her more than 20 years of experience and expertise to reveal a new way of living in the 21st century as she explores why the use of intuition will become commonplace in the third millennium. She explains that men and women will evolve into "three-dimensional" beings with a balance of body, mind, and spirit. The Highest And The Best is thoughtful, through-provoking, as insightful as it is ground-breaking, and highly recommended reading for all students of alternative medicine and metaphysical philosophies.

"The Highest And The Best" is thorough, thought-provoking, as insightful as it is ground-breaking, and highly recommended reading for all students of alternative medicine and metaphysical philosophies.

Your book has just traveled with me through Havana, the beaches of southern Cuba, a hostel in Trinadad, and thru Quito, Ecuador. What a wondrous journey into better knowing your unique self and clues into the near future. Your thought-provoking and well researched book sends the reader on a path of hope, powered by faith, and built on love.

As an alternative practitioner (I'm an ethnopharmacist, a clinical and natural pharmacist, president/founder of the Student Rainforest Fund and pharmacy specialist for World Health Mission), always trying to be more intuitive, you gave me useful tools and plenty of food for thought. I particularly like your sentence at the end of page 66, "in short our greatest cures will come from honesty, compassion and love." Great words. I find them working wonders in my practice and in my life as I've tried to adopt them more. The great sage RUMI says on page 70, "so necessitious one, increase your need." How profound! but someday if mankind can tryly follow the 'path' to enlightenment then the "need" of doing anything will vanish, there will be no 'doing,' and all that remains will be the 'being.' Thanks for the lesson.

The Highest and The Best consists primarily of intuitive healer Christensen's personal story and vision for a future in which all human beings are balanced in mind, body and spirit. But it also lists valuable resources including "one-minute 'intuition-sharpening' tools" and a section titled "The New Language of Health," which defines and explains many complementary therapies.

The Highest and the Best is a fascinating book that takes you into the life of an extraordinary woman. The authors give factual information, but the best parts are stories of the actual people she has helped and the story of her life. Sallie offers insights into the world of medicine and spirituality. If you know a lot or just a little about intuitive healing, you will like this book.

It was delightful to tag along with these two intelligent men (an attorney and a priest) as they discussed their lives and its problems. They had a few entertaining and/or humorous 'adventures' walking along the atlantic shores of Cornwall and meeting the people who live there.

It was a charming, quick read. Just the book for an evening alone or to read on a trip.

There is a deeper meaning regarding Catholic Church problems, but that can be disregarded, if one wishes.

I liked it. It is well written.

Although it sounds like it was written by a man, this book lists the ideas behind Sister Joan Chittister's battle for women's rights in the Catholic Church. The book has a lot of humor to sugarcoat the message, but Catholics (especially Catholic women) around the world need to read this book.

'The Humanity of Their Disontent', is disguised as a novel and is pleasant reading, but underneath all the fine words and funny events there is a serious message for the Catholic Church in America..

I wish I had had this book to read on my lasr transatlantic flight instead of the movie.

Krista Galli has written a direct, brief novel with a charming setting, 2 intelligent main chracters and interesting subcharacters. Underneath all this she gives us a serious message about the Catholic Church in the US. This book could be a rallying point for all concerned Catholics and may cause some bishops a few sleepless nights.

In thinking over my first line, with all the dialogue and the English setting this book it could be expanded into a "Ned Devine" or Saving Grace" type movie. The message is far more serious, however.

This book has enough dialogue to be turned into a "Waking Ned Devine" or "Saving Grace" type of movie, although the intention of the book is much more serious. Krista Galli has written a direct, brief novel in a charming setting (Lizard area of Cornwall England), with two intelligent main characters (an attorney and a Catholic priest) and several interesting subcharacters. Underneath all this she gives us a serious message about the Catholic Church in America. The book could serve as a rallying point for people seeking change in the Catholic Church. It could also cause a few bishops some sleepless nights.

I've been waiting for someone to speak my mind about the abuse of nature, the lip service of politicians regarding the environment, development run amok and other issues that seem beyond our control; Joy Williams does this with gusto, and one senses, a deeply passionate anger. "The Killing Game" especially runs true as I live in hunting country and hear the heart-sickening comments of hunters who can barely name a handful of the flora and fauna that surrounds them on their killing expeditions. "Wildebeest" is a poignant and sad tribute to that wonderful animal driven to survive and "The Case Against Babies" reminds us just out of control the human population is. You don't have to be a "liberal tree hugger" or nature mysticist to appreciate these essays: Ms. Williams speaks as a realist and she hits hard where it should hurt, which is to make us see our hypocritical ways. This is a fast-paced read and enjoyably sarcastic but beneath that lies a plea to speak out against man's selfish, selfish existence. She is also a fine writer. I will eagerly await her next book and hope more writers like her emerge into mainstream publishing.

Death and suffering are a big part of writing. A big part. (To paraphrase and turn upon the gifted Joy Williams; see page 49.) And you can't waste satire or pure hardcore ridicule on targets unworthy of the name. You've got to go after the people who kill animals, and you can't spare anybody. Sure it's duck soup to take aim at the National Rifle Association and the few Big Game Machos left in the world. Duck soup. And the sickie scientists who lobotomize chimps and torture rabbits just to see how long they can take it, their white coats starched and pressed, their nimble fingers taking copious notes. These targets are too easy. In the final analysis you gotta get the burger eaters, every one of them, not just the Super-Sized that waddle into the Burger King or the suburban Mommas sneaking out of the Krispy Kreme, bags of donuts like warm puppies under both arms, mouths stuffed. No, you've got to get the photo safari people who kill merely with their privileged, ignorant, dilettante PRESENCE in jungleland, a lily-livered affront to nature, over-tipping the guides and spilling martinis and overexposed film onto the purity of the veldt.

At any rate, this is the Joy Williams rant, and what I say is rant on, Voltaire!

This collection of magazine essays begins with "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp" in which Williams goes after the wishy-washy, faux lovers of nature, addressing them (in effect) as hey "you" with the "Big Gulp cups." Next is a short-short about rhesus monkeys being raised for laboratory research on an island charmingly called "Key Lois" (Laboratory Observing Island Simians). Williams follows this with "Safariland" in which she makes fun of the photo safari experience, reducing it to a kind of Disneyland with mosquito netting.

So far Joy Williams is just satirizing. Next comes a particularly brutal short-short on wildebeests, how they can't migrate to water during the dry season as they have for millions of years because there's a cattle fence that keeps them from the water they can smell. Williams is particularly vivid as she describes thousands of them up against the fence dying of thirst. But she's only warming up. In the next piece, "The Killing Game" and in a later piece, "The Animal People" we experience the full monty of Joy Williams unleashed. Now her writing becomes (as she describes it in the final essay entitled "Why I Write") "unelusive and strident and brashly one-sided." Her words are "meant to annoy and trouble and polarize, and they made readers...half nuts with rage and disdain." (pp. 209-210)

I believe it. I too love the animals, but I'd bet protozoa to primates that she'd find my efforts sadly lacking and my attitude wimpishly laissez faire.

I guess the best way to demonstrate the intent and style of this remarkable book is to just quote Joy Williams. Here's the opening lines of "The Case against Babies":

BABIES, BABIES, BABIES. There's a plague of babies. Too many rabbits or elephants or mustangs or swans brings out the myxomatosis, the culling guns, the sterility drugs, the scientific brigade of egg smashers. Other species can "strain their environments" or "overrun their range" or clash with their human "neighbors," but human babies are always welcome at life's banquet. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome--Live Long and Consume!

Joy Williams really is a kind of earthy Voltaire, a kind of meat cleaver (as opposed to rapier) Voltaire, a kind of take no prisoners master of satire, burlesque, ridicule and just plain old verbal assassination.

But she raises a profound and demoralizing question: what IS going to happen to all the animals that we claim to love so much? Both Joy Williams and I know. Only those fully compatible with humans (dogs, cats, aquarium fish) or those we can't do anything about (rats, mice, crows, sea gulls, sparrows) will survive. Joy knows this and she's angry. Her anger shows. But she's also resigned and that shows too. I know this not merely because of her tone but because of what she writes on page 209: "Nothing the writer can do is ever enough."

The denouement of the book (strangely it has one; Joy Williams is an artist) comes in the penultimate essay, "Hawk." Here we are stunned to learn that "Hawk," her German shepherd dog, whom she referred to as "my sweetie pie, my honey, my handsome boy, my love," whom she would kiss fondly on the nose, turned on her one day as she was leaving him at the vet and savagely bit into and ripped at her breast and then gnawed her arms, and had to be not destroyed, but given euthanasia and cremated.

I don't know what to say about this benumbing turn. Really I think Joy Williams is an artist whose inner artistic nature rises over and above her normal consciousness and tells us the truth in a way ordinary consciousness never could; and even here in a collection of non-fictional essays she has consciously or unconsciously employed the techniques of the master story teller that she is, and left us with a queasy sense of the madness of life while demonstrating that there is so much beyond our understanding.

This extraordinary book should be read not so much for the overpowering arguments against our misuse of animals, or for the undeniable demonstration of our "ill nature," but for the perfect power of her words. Anyone with any pretension toward mastery of language ought to read Joy Williams. In doing so we too might learn to write, as she does, in a manner that is "beautiful and menacing and slightly out of control." (p. 210)

Williams is the greatest writer we have in America at this moment!

Joy Williams takes a clear-eyed look at the greedy, short-sighted and uncompassionate ways of humans, particularly the gluttonous, over-consuming American horde, and what small-brained humanoids have done to the natural world and the creatures who share this water planet.

The truth may set you free, but first it will make you miserable --- if your heart has not been sanitized, plasticized, and chemicalized into stuporous numbness. Williams outlines the enormity of the forces arrayed against those who would preserve some of this beleaguered planet for the plants and animals and natural lifeforms.

With ironical humor, razor wit and passionate uncommon sense, Williams takes aim at industrial agriculture, federal Wildlife Services (which "manages" wildlife by killing it), fertility clinics which allows infertile women to birth litters of babies on this overtaxed planet, hunters and the whole panoply of unbridled growth-is-good ideologues.(Unbridled growth, Edward Abbey wrote, is the ideology of the cancer cell.)

What gourmands call veal and seafood are, in reality, the corpses of slaughtered animals. Williams opens the blinders to reveal the reality behind the modern consumerist lifestyle and while it is not pretty, there is a dark and twisted humor to it.

Williams puts her money where her mouth is. When she had to sell some land she owned in Florida, she insisted, over the bellowing of the realtors, on deed restrictions that would preserve the land's natural character. Eventually, a nature-loving buyer appeared. Good show. I have had similar thoughts about preserving the trees on my little land; thanks to this author for giving me hope that I can protect them. Keep writing, Joy Williams, words can make a difference.

Buy this book, take it to heart, hear the clarion call, get sane, change your life!

I discovered Tucson writer Joy Williams through her essay, "Hawk." About her "big black German shepherd" (p.184) she writes, Hawk "was my sweetie pie, my honey, my handsome boy, my love. On the following day he would attack me as though he wanted to kill me" (p.185).

Williams' collection of 19 no-nonsense "rants and reflections" is a confrontational wake-up call. Each year three million migratory songbirds slam into towers and their guy wires (p.20). Seven thousand acres are lost each day in this country to land developers.(p.129) We are overpopulating the planet with "babies, babies, babies," Williams observes, "those heirs, those hopes, those products of our species' selfishness, sentimentality and global death wish"(p. 105). Neither hunters nor animal rights' activists escape the rant that becomes a roar in these pages. "Honor non-human life," Williams writes. "Control yourself, become more authentic, live lightly upon the earth and treat it with respect. Redefine the word progress and dismiss the managers and masters. Grow inwardly and with knowledge become truly wiser. Think differently, behave differently"(p.21). I couldn't put this book of eye-opening essays down. And for another rant you'll remember, try Ferenc Mate's A REASONABLE LIFE (2000).

G. Merritt

The book is easy to read. The information is presented in an user friendly way at the end of every chapter are valuable resources. I would strongly recommend the text to anyone working with or caring for infants and toddlers.

The book and companion book were in great shape. Book was brand new and cheaper than it was in stores for being used (at the date of purchase). Shipment was quick and no problems.

Rarely...very rarely does a book approach this kind of perfection...every once in a while.

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Gonzalez-Mena, so I realize the depth of her wisdom on babies and toddlers. This book incapsulates all of her ideas with vivid color and comprehensive, but brief, chapters. She even includes tons of citations and research to solidify her points.

It's the natural companion for the WestED Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (PITC). The champion guidebook bar-none for infant/toddler caregivers.

I think anyone can learn a great deal from this book. I had to buy it for my college class child development and I learned alot from it.

Janet Gonzalez-Mena and Dianne Widmeyer Eyer have developed a precise method of working with groups of infants and toddlers based on the relationship principle. Their philosophy is one of respect for the child. I have recommended this book to many new educarers and they all have thanked me, saying it was the best guide they had come across. It is a "must read" for all who work with infants and toddlers in group care as well as for the parents of those children.

Tim Harrower's Inside Reporting is unlike any textbook I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them throughout my years and years of college.

It looks weird on the shelf because it's an inch taller and an inch wider than most typical textbooks. Open it up to any one of the first 186 pages and stunning graphics jump off the page. Sections are small and fit nicely on one sheet. It looks like a colorful newspaper. The following hundred pages (aka, "The Morgue") look like the typical textbook--large blocks of text. The Morgue is a section of reference articles and examples.

Inside Reporting is well organized. Each section is brief but packs a punch. Look to the bottom of most pages and you'll find directions to other page numbers with more material or references to the Morgue. Each chapter is also full of surveys, quotes from those in the industry, tests, and extra tidbits to help the budding journalist.

I'm not yet and established journalists and I don't teach the subject. In fact, I'm not even in a journalism class. I picked up Inside Reporting because I wanted a good survey of journalism. This grad student of a different study wants to learn more about journalism. I wanted a book with meat but was fearful that an introductory book would be too fluffy and lack the information I needed. This book was not the case.

Inside Reporting is a fantastic textbook. I couldn't have picked a better book, and I'm sure I'll be going back to it often as I move forward in the journalism arena.

I have purchased dozens of books on journalism over the past few months, but nothing matches the content, style or ease in finding information of this great book.

While there are many great books on journalism, most if not all of them are much the same as any other textbook, pages and pages of text which you must read and interpret to find what you want.

This book is visual in the most unique way I have ever seen in a textbook. Almost like a cross between a real newspaper and a comic book, all the information is presented in little snippets and pictures that are easy to understand and easy to digest.

As an example it has a page in the news writing section about writing a lead for a plane crash and gives examples of how different leads could be written highlighting the who, what, when, where and why. Most texts have something like this, but most would not go to the lengths that this author has done to enable the reader to understand the benefits and pitfalls of leading with a particular method.

The text has dozens of tips and information from working journalists and I liked the section in the back called the Morgue which contains examples of the stories used in the text.

The text has great background information on journalism which I would otherwise have ignored in other texts because of the way it is normally presented and overall I would rate this from a student's perspective as the single best investment I have made so far.

It is simply a gem of a book that is easily lost in Amazons catalogue. Decide for yourself if this book is for you but I would be surprised if anyone interested in journalism could not come away from reading this book and not have learned anything.

I am both a veteran journalist and a veteran college journalism teacher and "Inside Reporting" is the best introductory book ever. Interesting, accurate, visually pleasing and fun to read, it is the new "gold standard" of books with which to teach news writing and reporting. I am adopting it as the required text for the fall semester, and I keep my own copy handy to remind me of what I should be doing.

If you want to learn or teach journalism, this is the book.

Good night and good luck.

I've been a reporter and journalism instructor for 20 years and have used everything out there during that time. I've also used Tim's other text "The Newspaper Designer's Handbook" in my editing sections. This book is a joy to use --- last night I went over chapter 4 during a 6-9 p.m. class and as I added my anecdotes to the lecture, two hours flew by thanks to the slick structure of this text.
All instructors think they could do it better when assembling a textbook, but I can't say that any more. Tim has done it. This book covers everything I could ever think of and more. He discusses style. He includes tests and exercises and there is even an anthology he uses as a "morgue." Get a desk copy and require it for your students. It is a great book, one that will not be sold at the end of the semester, but kept on the shelf and used as a reference for years to come. He stresses convergence and the move from print to the web in a way that makes us old timers feel less of the pain. This is the new basic text for me. Wow what a book!

Newspaper editors bemoan the unpreparedness of the entry-level reporters they hire right out of college. You need only look at the typical college journalism texts to see part of the problem. These ancient tomes read and look as if they were prepared a century ago - and many of them were.

This is not the case with Tim Harrower's "Inside Reporting: A practical guide to the craft of journalism." This amazing book is chock-full of everything that motivated me to become an ink-stained wretch 30 years ago. It's relevant, compelling and interesting in ways you'd never expect from a textbook.

Harrower has written the book not just on reporting, but on how to produce a college textbook on any subject -- with an editing style and design that is absolutely captivating.

This book will do for newspaper reporting what "All the President's Men" did for journalism a generation ago - encourage a whole new generation of young people to take up today's digital tools and get the story.

Though I've been a middle school coach for the past 12 years, I still am interested in getting new ideas to get my young actors/ actresses more involved with the drama process. I also taught a 3 week long Creative Drama class this summer with 3rd-5th graders and the many sound ideas in this book gave me a wealth of activities to choose from.

Whether you're a first time Drama Coach or a long in the tooth coach like me, this book is a MUST BUY! I particularly like how the authors used "famous actor" quotes to help back up the many acting activities in this book. I love the chapter entitled "Rehearsals with Heart" because this idea of treating young actors as people with talents to share comes shining through in EACH chapter! The "Leader's Guide" (near the end of the book) lays out a 10 session "suggested" guide for the novice or the veteran drama person to follow (wonderful idea!)

In a nutshell, THIS BOOK ROCKS and I've now got even MORE ideas to use with my kids when the spring production rolls around this year!

Well Done!

Ralph :)

I read this book after receiving it at a conference that Lenka Peterson spoke at. In reading the book, I realized that she had put most of the information covered in an 8-hour session plus enough to fill another week of 8-hour sessions. The book truly takes actions and in-person teaching lessons and makes them readily available to anyone anywhere.

This is a magical book, full of exercises and anecdotes that teach children to celebrate what they have to offer as potential artists, but mainly as human beings. I recommend it to anyone who wants to introduce children to acting and the theater. It is joyful, rewarding, wise and a lot of fun to read. Bravo/Brava!

In this wonderful new book, Lenka Peterson and Dan O'Connor draw on more that 30 years of experience to reveal how to teach and direct plays with children. Their sophisticated yet accessible guide covers everything form the basics of acting to mounting and staging a production. It includes plenty of child-friendly sample scenes and relaxation techniques for kids. Perfect for established children's theater groups as well as churches, schools and camps, Kids Take the Stage shows how we can help kids realize their creative potential...and, in the process, create a new generation of theater lovers.

In this wonderful new book, Lenka Peterson and Dan O'Connor draw on more that 30 years of experience to reveal how to teach and direct plays with children. Their sophisticated yet accessible guide covers everything form the basics of acting to mounting and staging a production. It includes plenty of child-friendly sample scenes and relaxation techniques for kids. Perfect for established children's theater groups as well as churches, schools and camps, Kids Take the Stage shows how we can help kids realize their creative potential...and, in the process, create a new generation of theater lovers.

- Stage and Screen, bookclub of the performing arts

I encountered this book in the University of Massachusetts library. I usually don't go in for books that deal with "Western" philosophy in-depth, but something about it made me check it out. I'm so glad I did.

It's a fantastic book. Loy contrasts the Buddhist outlook to the outlooks of some Western thinkers (Freud, Nietzsche, Heidegger, etc) . It was a good feeling to see sketched out the relationship between my religion and modern philosophy, that they were motivated by the same questions but have come to different responses. This was one of the few books that have given me an "aha!" experience, where lots of disparate things fall into place and start to make sense.

You don't need to have a lot of background in philosophy, either Western or Buddhist, to appreciate this book; the author goes into enough detail about each field to bring a novice up to speed. If you're an American or European Buddhist and/or you have ever wondered how Buddhism relates to mainstream Western thought, you should definitely read this book.

Although David Loy's touchstones in Western thought are Nietzche, Freud, and Heidegger, this book does not require any extensive familiarity with these figures (as a person trained in Anglo-American analytic philosophy, I wouldn't know a Heidegger if fell over one!). In any case, Loy investigates the idea that the basis for much of our unease and dysfunctional behavior is not so much fear of future death, as Freud thought, but rather a sneaking suspicion that we have no substantial self, that we are not really real, but rather, as the Buddhists teach, a kind of convenient fiction. It is a treat to follow Loy as he follows up on the implications of this possibility, and I think that even those without an interest in Buddhism will find themselves reflecting deeply on their own lives and on some of the institutionalized forms of craziness that affect modern society. This book has stimulated my thinking like very few others, and I strongly recommend it.

This is a truly amazing book, and I certainly hope that there are eventually some new developments in psychotherapy that come from this text. I think some are already brewing. First, I won't spoil it, but the author finds our ultimate fear--and it's not death, although death is a close second. This ultimate fear drives all of our ego-machinations and makes the ego want to keep itself around--and part of that process is finding something, anything, more concrete and 'real' to fear and defend against. However, from a Buddhist perspective, there is really 'no one' there, so by implication the target of intervention, at least eventually, is to make the ego more translucent and/or dissolve it. It helped me to think of the so-called 'ego' as some very ingrained, well-learned mental processes that have gotten good at cooperating and 'feeling like' a 'self.' I think those who will like this book are already starting to the get the idea...and should read it--twice!

I am a psychotherapist with a long history of involvement in phenomenology (mostly interested in the worksk of Heidegger). I was attracted to Buddhism though a couple of years ago and stumbled onto David Loy's work. David has a number of books out, one on non-duality, a couple extending his notions of "Lack" to the socio-political arena. All are innovative, interesting, accessible and for my money, extreemly important. I highly recommend this book, though people intersted in philosophy and/or psychology are probably going to warm to it the most quickly. Or... if you are interested in Buddhist thinking (especially those interested in Zen), this is an invaluable book. I have found that I have to read maybe 6 or 8 books about Zen to find one that really stands out. Over the past couple of years, my bookshevles have bowed under the wieght of new Zen books. But Loy's works stand out like few others. I hope this book provides you with the same kind of psychological "glue" it did me. Buy it, and happy reading.

Contrary to the 'out of print' notice, this book is now available in paperback (since December 2000) from Humanity Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books.

I rate this book a 5, but then I'm biased -- I'm the author!