Oliver Books

This books presents detailed and well documented transcripts of clinical trials in the areas of neuroscience/ology. A few interesting experiments involved subduing a patients phantom limb pain, in this case the sensations of their own fingers clawing into their palm, by constructing a simple box paneled with mirrors that would provide the visual of having two hands to a hand amputee patient. Another case is in plasticity where the rubbing certain areas of a patients face with a Q-tip invoked sensations of the Q-tip rubbing along the now amputated hand. This is also the first book I have read that had so many interesting and insightful footnotes.

Reading this book gives one a foundation on which to build the complete picture. Yes, the book is not giving the reader the complete picture. But it does provide the foundation. Now what the reader needs to do is study the books on the Buddhist teachings of emptiness by Guy Newland or Jeffrey Hopkins. After having done this, now one is able to connect the dots, build the complete picture. What is very odd is how authors of this discipline, with all their studies, with all their research, have not yet arrived at this juncture. Hmmmm....it truly makes one wonder.

If you're reading this review, then you're wasting your time by not reading the book. A friend gave me his copy of the book and I literally could not put the book down. Later, I decided that I wanted a copy for myself.

The book is extremely well written; not only Ramachandran is one of the leading scientists, he also possesses an affinity for writing. It even gets better, you will be delighted by his sense of humor which adds to the joy of reading.

The most important aspect of the book is of course the science content. While one or two sections might seem a bit technical (I am fairly certain anyone can handle those sections), the science in general is well explained and is highly awe spiring. I will never forget my excitement and sense of wonder while I was reading through this book. If you want to have an idea of how we see, how we think, how our brains operate then this book is highly recommended.

I am a long-time admirer of Dr Ramachandran's work (and Sandra Blakeslee's writings).

Dr Ramachandran's work is frequently references in literature about neuroscience.

I found the book first in Islamabad, where it had been published in New Delhi and sold for P Rupess 295. The illustrations in that edition were slightly smudged.

I ordered it from the United States hoping that the illustrations would be clearer. However, in this paper back edition, they are not that much clearer than in the Indian edition.

The wonderful content is the same, of course. Perhaps a hard back edition would have better reproduction of the illustrations.

Guy B. Scandlen

While this book may not be for everyone, I believe that most people will have a hard time putting it down. Ramachandran's ability to explain absurdly complicated concepts with simple language and simple methods is just one of the facets of his genius. After readking Phantoms I burned through at least 4 other books he wrote, but still Phantoms is by far the best.

The Cd begins with the powerful witches scene-great music-definitely causing my students to sit-up and listen.

The Dover Thrift Edition is a good choice for a reading text because it presents the entire, unabridged play, and has enough notes to be helpful to inexperienced readers without overwhelming or distracting them. The omition of a scholarly apparatus makes the Dover Edition more flexible and keeps it from becoming outdated.

This product was great. It helped my students and I read and comprehend Macbeth so much better than us trying to read it and comprehend it. The actors voices are great! I think they do a great job being the characters on tape!

Virtually all editions of Macbeth will have at least some annotations. Rummaging through five different editions, I preferred the Yale University Press version, edited by Burton Raffel, as having the most comprehensive and comprehensible notes, as well as an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's play. Raffel not only explains the meanings of obscure words, but also gives brief notes pertaining to relevant history, geography, stage directions, etc, that are rarely addressed as fully by other editors. In addition, Raffel frequently gives the proper way to stress the syllables in a line when reading it aloud, which can be extremely helpful. (However, in most places these stresses need to be very subtle, so that you don't sound like "taDUM taDUM taDUM".) And Yale's page layout is among the clearest that I've seen.

(To find this edition: at Avanced Search, enter ISBN 0300106548; or, enter Macbeth as title, and either Raffel as author or Yale as publisher.)

As a bonus, this edition includes at the back a long essay on the play by Harold Bloom. This is not an uninteresting commentary, but Bloom desperately needs a good editor. His essay is not only at least three times longer than it should be, but is startlingly repetitious. Yale would have been wise to have asked Bloom for a rewrite.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a dramatist whose genius is universally acknowledged, with a reputation as an actor, playwright and poet. He lived in an age of vast and significant changes characterised by the rise of the middle class and of a centralised government and the disappearance of medieval religious beliefs. England was transforming into a modern state. This was a time when self-realisation, self-respect and boldness of thought and action was idealised. Shakespeare's drama merely reflected the dramatic times of the age.

Shakespeare's genius can be reflected by the variety of his productions, where out of the 36 plays he has left, no two are alike and he managed to articulate the diverse subjects with exceptional expertise, handling both tragedies and comedies with ease.

Macbeth is a tragedy, intended to teach us a lesson about the human condition. The play is a tragedy about a wealthy Scottish noble called Macbeth who kills his king to gain the throne. During Shakespeare's time, this was a terrible thing to do, and from then on, Macbeth was doomed to die a tragic death.

The play starts with three witches confronting the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway. The witches predict that he will one day become king. They also predict that another General called Banquo will be the father of kings, although he will not ascend the throne himself. The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will confer the title of the traitorous Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth, with the urging of his evil and ambitious wife murder King Duncan and ascends to the throne of Scotland.

Macbeth and his evil wife begin to do strange things, partly because of what they have done and also because they never get a whole night's sleep. Macbeth thinks he has to kill two of his former friends because he believes that they threaten his new throne. His efforts fail and he is eventually killed.

This book is a shining example of how to make Roman history fun and easy to learn. Please, anyone teaching subject matter relating to Roman history, READ THIS BOOK!

"Imperium" is brilliant. Robert Harris produces a historical novel that zips through with high intensity while maintaining steady grip on reality. Its amazing the tension Harris builds during the political events in the novel. Normally such events are not the stuff of thrillers, but not so here. Also wonderful are the characterizations, especially Cicero himself. Another favorite for me is Julius Ceasar who enters the novel early in his career. The "insider perspective" the reader gets into how Ceasar begins to win space in Roman politics and into the character traits that lead to his future importance is a special treat. I definitely am looking forward to a continuation of this Cicero's saga

Educational and fast story line. I bought other books by this author as a result.

This is a novel about Cicero, told from the perspective of his amanuensis, Tiro. Starting in 79 BC and finishing in 64 BC, Mr Harris writes a powerful novel that portrays historical events and people in republican Rome while bringing both the times and the characters to life.

The life of Marcus Tullius Cicero (approximately 106 to 43 BC) essentially coincided with the decline and fall of the Roman Republic. Cicero was a lawyer, an orator, a politician and a philosopher. His writings continue to be a valuable source of information about these events. Cicero's political career was remarkable. At this time, high political offices in Rome, though technically achieved through winning elections, were almost exclusively controlled by a group of wealthy aristocratic families that had held them for many generations. While Cicero's family were aristocratic, they lacked the connections and the wealth to be part of the inner circle. And so, Cicero relies on his abilities to achieve his ambitions.

Court cases, intrigue, depictions of the politics of the time: all make for fascinating reading. By using Tiro as his narrator, Mr Harris provides a wonderful means of viewing Cicero slightly dispassionately both in terms of his actions and motivations.

I'd recommend this novel highly both to those interested in this period of history as well as to those interested in a great story.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Robert Harris (1957) is a successful English novelist. He started his writing career as a journalist, continued writing some non-fiction books till he wrote his first great success: "Fatherland" (1992) an alt-his novel exploring a world where Germany won WWII.
After writing some more noteworthy novels Harris has turned his attention to the fascinating world of Ancient Rome (one of my preferred themes) starting with "Pompeii" (2003) and more recently issuing the present "Imperium" (2006) the first volume of an intended trilogy about Cicero.

In order to write "Imperium", Harris has done a good historical research that reflects all over the novel. Details about daily life, social organization and politics amongst other items are blended seamlessly into the main argument.
Does this mean that the book is boring? By no means, Harris is able to show all these features and at the same time construct an engaging story that will trap the reader.

The story is as follows: Tiro, Cicero's slave & secretary tells his master life starting when Cicero was 27 years old.
The narration follows Cicero's initial learning with the most famous oratory Greek teachers; his marriage to Terentia a rich young woman in order to obtain enough wealth to be accepted as Roman Senator.
Cicero's first great accusations, as lawyer, against Verres corrupt Sicily's governor & his noble supporters.
The novel ends with Cicero being elected Consul and leaves the reader eagerly expecting the next promised volumes.

I'm a declared fan of Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series and this novel is a very good complement to that series, as it focus on the same historical period but picking a different view point and inferring diverse explanations to some facts and relationships as for example Cicero's support to Pompey.

"Imperium" is a very commendable historical novel that will be fully enjoyed by history buffs and general public too. I eagerly await the next two promised volumes!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

John Kotter is a business professor at Harvard University who writes "Leading Change" as a guide to business leaders, helping them to transform their stagnant, ineffective, hierarchical companies into more effective, responsive, team-oriented ones. To help companies and leaders make this transition, he presents eight sequential steps that must be followed in order and done well.

These eight steps are:

1. Establish a sense of urgency (fight complacency)

2. Create a guiding coalition (both influential leaders and effective managers)

3. Develop a widely inspiring vision and strategy for achieving it

4. Communicate the vision, communicate the vision, and communicate the vision even more.

5. Give the employees authority to creatively experiment concerning how to best make the vision a reality

6. Make sure you point out things to celebrate as you make progress toward your goals; it rewards appropriate behavior and, besides, people need to celebrate once in a while.

7. Understand Bowen Family Systems Theory--that when you change one thing, everything else changes with it. Systemic change is difficult work that produces a whole lot of anxiety and unintended consequences.

8. Make sure that, once the changes are made, they become engrained in the new culture of he company; make them "the way we do things around here."

Kotter does get credit for being comprehensive and for being among the first to write a leadership book of this sort (copyright 1996). He appears correct in all of his arguments and this reader has difficulty finding flaws in his eight steps. He appropriately balances task-orientation and relationship-orientation and distinguishes between leading and managing. Furthermore, he is the only author I've come across that understands how Family Systems Theory plays out in an organization undergoing change.

However, the book is outdated. Newer authors like Jim Collins, John Maxwell, and Kouzes & Posner have refined Kotter's ideas and presented them in a more readable, more applicable, and more modern way (again, 1996 copyright).

Kotter limits his ideas and examples to the large, highly structured business world; other authors deliberately address leadership within smaller businesses, schools, non-profits, and other environments. Kotter writes before the internet was widely used; other books keep rapid communication advancements in mind. The obligatory quotes from people I've never heard of who praise the book say over and over again how highly readable Kotter's prose is; I found the prose dry and could cite many examples from this genre which are much more readable.

The ideas Kotter presents are not bad; in fact they're quite good and have blazed the trail for other leadership books. However, "Leading Change" could certainly use an updated edition. Other authors have taken many of Kotter's ideas, refined them, re-worked them, and present them in a manner much more helpful to a wider audience.

I neither recommend this book nor do I contest it. You would do well to read "Leading Change," but you would do better to read some of the authors listed above.

Very well written book and easy to read and follow. Since change is a modern requirement for any business, it simply makes sense to focus in on what it takes to provide the necessary leadership to do so.

This book is phenominal! An excellent guide for the leader experiencing change. If I had no other resource, this book would be enough for survival in the business world of change. Definitely worth the investment.

The book came right on time, and was delivered in the best of conditions. It is always very good doing business with you. I can trust that my books will arrive on time and the shipping is done with the urgency they deserve. Thanks once more. Teresa

The book I bought is a new copy.
It is in very good condition and also delivered in time, as mentioned.
When coming to the content of the book [It is a prescribed book for our course], It is good, worth reading once atleast.

Publisher and authors don't support this book. You can't find samples and web links don't work.

Even though this is out of print now, buy it if you can find it. I took a class on web design a couple of years ago, but had little direction. I picked up this book and taught myself how to create whole websites very rapidly and aced the class. It goes over the very basics for someone just starting, as well as covering many tips for advanced users. You can learn how to make web forms for visitors to fill out, how to have music play on your site, and how to make buttons light up when the cursor is on it. Very awesome book. I am now being hired to design websites for other people. ...

I searched high and low, paid gazillions of dollars on books and courses, they are all tough, expensive and difficult. Sams Teach Yourself Html 4 in 24 Hours is the best book I found.
It's easy to understand, gets you everywhere you want in HTML, gives you a free loaded practice web site, and it's inexpensive. The author has done a superb job.
If you are already acquainted with HTML and want to delve into it deeper, I would not recommend this book. If you're just about to learn html, get this book! You don't need anything else, trust me, it's the best!

An easy computer text wrtitten for people who have no previous knoweldge about HTML. The book covers everything related to HTML 4 with an invaluable glossery. You can count on it to build your first home page after 24 hours of reading this book or perhaps less . Besides, it provides you with the secretes that you should know to evaluate web pages and good advice to build yours.

I read this book a few years ago when I knew nothing of HTML and it was an amazing experience. I read this book in the car on a 14 hour trip and on that 14th hour, I was already an intermediate HTML programmer. The book is broken down into 24 chapters that are each very detailed and smooth. Reading this book was almost like watching a good movie. After every chapter, I found myself wanting more. It was very hard to put this book down because it was exactly what I needed. My goal was to understand the concepts of HTML and to make very good and detailed websites. This book does it all. After I read this book, I immediately pulled up a plain text file and started typing in some code. Within a few minutes, I already had a full-blown webpage with images, tables,a centered header, and even an e-mail form (that did not include any CGI). After every chapter there are questions and answers about everything that was discussed. That helped me understand everything more and kept me from getting lost. In conclusion, if you want to be on your way with making awesome websites, this book is worth the price and worth 24 hours of your time.

Meg's family moves to a small house in the country so her father can finish his book - and Meg faces many changes: sharing a room with her older sister Molly, making new friends. Her new friendships with an elderly neighbor and a young couple are just introducing her to newfound photography skills when Molly falls ill, and Meg must confront developing her friendships and skills and saying goodbye to her sister. A poignant, warm story evolves.

I read this book in school than we moved and I lost it, it was like meeting an old friend again

Yes, this book was well-written. However, it wasn't believable that a 13 year old read it. This book was very bland in lacking. It was bland and lacking because Meg never grew. Nor did she ever bond with her sister. She didn't learn anything from her life. I kept wanting her to learn more about herself or learning something from her sister. But her sister was just more of a subplot. The book mainly focused on Meg's photography and friendship with the neighbors.

Even when she told Will she thought she was ugly, he made her promise that she would come back to a certain plant grow into its beauty. I thought that finally Meg would learn something from that plant and about her own beauty. When she came back, Will simply showed her the plant and how it pretty it was. He never connected her and the plant together.

The book never went into Molly's funeral or how Meg felt about losing her sister. All she cared about was returning to the house the next summer to visit the neighbors again! Then all of a sudden in the end, there's suddenly a picture of Meg that had been taken at the funeral! Where did that come from!?!? This book was lacking and boring. Nothing is learned from it. It's just about a selfish girl who likes to take photography with her old neighbor. Her parents also never really pay attention to her. Do they get closer at the end? NOPE!

Although having an older sister that's pretty and also can wear makeup and is attractive can be frustrating, sisters should try hard to like each other. In the beginning of Lois Lowry's fictional novel A Summer To Die Meg the youngest sister is a smart kid with the normal big glasses. Her older sister Molly is your normal popular teen that likes to ware makeup and all the boys like her she is messy and hates to clean up after herself. Meg is sick of this so she takes some chalk and draws a line In the middle of their room. She states this side is mine and I can do what I want with it and the other side is yours you can keep it as messy as you want.
Even though this book title sounds interesting at the beginning, it's very boring. More in the middle it is more interesting because the blood and death happens. The ages I would recommend for this book is eight and up because young boys like blood and like to read about girls dieing, I would think both boys and girls could read this book but more boys because boys are more interested to read about blood and death.
I know brothers and sisters can be annoying but you should appreciate them because you don't know if they will die or get sick. My opinion of Summer To Die is it is very boring at first then again so are all books but if you keep reading it gets sad and exiting and it teaches you to appreciate your family and annoying siblings. ENJOY!
Although having an older sister that's pretty and also can wear makeup and is attractive can be frustrating, sisters should try hard to like each other. In the beginning of Lois Lowry's fictional novel A Summer To Die Meg the youngest sister is a smart kid with the normal big glasses. Her older sister Molly is your normal popular teen that likes to ware makeup and all the boys like her she is messy and hates to clean up after herself. Meg is sick of this so she takes some chalk and draws a line In the middle of their room. She states this side is mine and I can do what I want with it and the other side is yours you can keep it as messy as you want.
Even though this book title sounds interesting at the beginning, it's very boring. More in the middle it is more interesting because the blood and death happens. The ages I would recommend for this book is eight and up because young boys like blood and like to read about girls dieing, I would think both boys and girls could read this book but more boys because boys are more interested to read about blood and death.
I know brothers and sisters can be annoying but you should appreciate them because you don't know if they will die or get sick. My opinion of Summer To Die is it is very boring at first then again so are all books but if you keep reading it gets sad and exiting and it teaches you to appreciate your family and annoying siblings. ENJOY!

A Summer to Die
"It is so good to have friends who understand how there is a time for crying and a time for laughing, and that sometimes the two are very close together," announced Lois Lowery in her fictional story, A Summer to Die. Throughout this story, Lois shows how important it is to always, at anytime, love and care for your family, because you never know when it could be the end. Could you ever imagine loosing a family member? As soon as Meg's family moved to a new house in the country, she knew nothing would be the same again. Meg went from having her own room, to having half of a room, divided by a thick white line of chalk, shared with her older sister Molly.
Meg and Molly couldn't of been more different. At times it was hard for Meg to hide her jealousy of Molly's beauty and popularity. There was Molly, beautiful with wavy blond hair. Then there was Meg, not quite as pretty with glasses, and what some kids called "different." Meg loved photography, and she was very good at it. She enjoyed all the colors, lightings, and facial expressions of the photos she took. Just as the girls adjust to their new home, Molly is diagnosed with a very rare disease. Meg, her family, and some very close friends don't know how much longer Molly will live. Meg now regrets her relationship with her sister, and wishes it as better.
This book is written for the teenage soul and older minds too. A Summer to Die is a great book for someone that enjoys happy friendships, twisting events, and sad endings. This book's intriguing events pull in the reader, and hook them like a fish. Now, I will always remember to love and care for my family, because I never know when it could be the end.

its very interesting and have lots of ideas.Very easy to prepare the food . no need to weight the ingredient.

Just the kind of book you'll love to give to your wife, fun, food written

jamie oliver is the best! he is funny, cute, and most inportantly passionate about food. i am currently in culinary school, and jamie's first book.... the naked chef, is the reason i am doing what i am doing. his book makes cooking look so fun and relaxed... exactly what it should be!!!! (i should know... i spend 7 hours in cooking class every day.) the pictures are colorful and artistically taken. give this book as a present to anyone, chef or not. i remember staying up way late at night reading his words and looking at pictures..... mmmmmmm its to bad hes married already!

Jamie Oliver's approach to cooking has reminded me that mealtimes shouldn't be stressful, but rather they should be opportunities to get together with family and friends and enjoy each other with some great food!

Usually when I cook I stick to the bulleted list of ingredients and exact steps to follow, which Jamie's cookbook lacks. My most useful tools in the kitchen are normally my measuring utensils. But cooking without exact steps to follow makes the whole process more enjoyable and really gives me a sense of ownership with the food I prepare.

I'm learning that cooking isn't about trying to do everything the same way each time; its about experimenting with the food and trying new kinds of food altogether...its all about being adventurous in the kitchen! The best chefs in the world didn't become the best by sticking word-for-word to bulleted instructions. Thanks to Jamie for giving me some confidence to do my own thing in the kitchen!

Looking at what Jamie has done with his restaurant Fifteen (see the DVD Jamie's Kitchen), he really has shown that it's not a formal culinary education that makes a chef great, but passion for the food.

So go get a Jamie Oliver cookbook or catch one of his shows on the telly, go out and meet your local butchers and farmers, buy some fresh veggies and meat and herbs and have some fun with them! Enjoy spending mealtimes having some fresh food in the enjoyable company of family and friends!

The book is really good. I love this so much I bought Happy Days with the Naked Chef too. The recipes I have tried out so far have worked every time and the instructions are clear. Although I loved cooking, I was not what anyone would call a professional in the kitchen. I would have balked at anything that sounded too complex. The mushroom risotto and the chickpea and leek soup are two of the recipes I make most often. I also tried the Roasted butternut squash in a risotto just as he suggests. It was brilliant and had to be one of the most economical meals I have made. Spotted Dick pudding, minestrone, Fruit crumble, marinated chickpeas, roast chicken have all turned out very well. Such an encouragement for me, the cook..

Don't read this book for in-depth knowledge of Christianity, Judaism or Islam. And you won't find spiritual enlightment between its pages either. But what you will find is a primer, a beginner's guide to understanding that these 3 faiths are not very much different from each other after all. Regardless of our own misconceptions and stereotypes, these faiths are joined by a common thread - love for God, and for each other. Everything else is (mis)interpreted through the lens of culture, society and one's personal reading of the Tanakh, Quran or Bible.

Suzanne, Ranya and Priscilla share their journey with all the painful, uncomfortable and sensitive parts laid bare for frank and open discussion. I was particularly interested in how Ranya introduced moderate Islam to her Jewish and Christian friends, and slowly changed their long standing misperceptions. If you're keen to find out more of each religion, The Faith Club is a good start. With tips at the end for starting your own faith club.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this book--- had read mixed reviews. Was pleasantly surprised to find a book detailing REAL women with REAL issues that most of us face today. This book gives humanity hope for compassion and understanding between people and their diverse faiths and beliefs. It is definitely a guidepost for the challenging but necessary path leading to understanding, acceptance,and, ultimately, peace between all people.

This book is written in a way that helps the reader relate to each woman as an individual, while they blow away stereotypes about their respective religious groups. It demonstrates that getting to know each other, one on one, one at a time, really is the way to spread peace in the world. One poignant quote in the book (from a rabi): "Tolerance is too negative a word." We must do more than tolerate each other, we must appreciate, celebrate, and care about one another. And this book is a step in the right direction.

I thought The Faith Club was one of the most important book I ever read. I thought the author's journey through their particular faiths was so inspiring to me because I am continually questioning my faith. I also felt that it is so important to try to understand other beliefs.

As Martin Luther King mentioned, religion is the most socially segregated dimension of our society. And after 9/11, three New York mothers of three different faiths worried that walls of silence between religious communities were a danger to their children's future. Hoping to promote some understanding by writing a book for children, these women introduced themselves and formed a committee. And near as I can tell, they never ended up writing the children's book. It's just that along the way they found something greater -- a live circle of friends where unstintingly open conversation became a process of self-discovery. As the Muslim woman of this trio, Ranya Idliby says,

"We were breaking an unspoken social rule. We were talking about God and religion at a time when the stakes were high ... Our relationship was turning into something sacred, something we called our "Faith Club". We signed no official pact, but we lived by a certain code: honesty was the first rule of the Faith Club, and with that tenet as a foundation, no topic was off limits."

I found this long running conversation surprisingly dramatic and seriously entertaining. I read it aloud with my wife, and it's better than TV. I came away suspecting that such networks of real friends are the most powerful force for security in the world. Not to mention what they can do for personal growth.

--author of "Different Visions of Love"

I am usually more into serious literature, but one of my team mates in an on-line course suggested that our group use this book for an educational leadership project. It was an excellent suggestion. Not only was the book "short and sweet", but within its pages, I could actually see myself and the role that I play within the structural system of my school. I am a die hard for doing things the "old way" and this little fable opened my eyes to seeing the importance of change. If we don't adapt, we won't survive. It is also very amusing to read about the plight of these little penguins and their cooperative effort to solve the crisis of their iceberg population. The illustrations are also well done and very entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book. It's great! It really brings the point home without becoming offensive.

It took me less than two hours to read this book, and it was truly worth the time. Presented in "fable" format about a group of penguins, the story contains a true test of how to deal with change...a change that will come whether you want it to or not.

I work in the media world, and would make this mandatory reading for anyone in that space. Most people in our world even see the iceberg melting, but are hesitant to do anything about it. This book throws out learning principles like Dr. Seuss, with style and effectiveness. Highly recommend.

This bok is a quick read, probably less than an hour. The book talks about how to recognize when change is needed, and how to manage a group through the process of change, but does it in a fun way. The book is a fable, the story of a group of penguins who discover that the iceberg they live on is melting, and have to figure out what (if anything) to do about it.

While it sounds silly, and does contain some humor, sometimes a simple story can convey many important lessons. This is one of those times. In reading the story, I kept thinking back to teams I'd worked on, and seeing similarities between particular colleagues and particular penguins.

As the authors point out at the end, much of the power of this story is in it's simplicity. By stripping it down to the essential details, it's much easier to follow the process. They also point out that if a group of people are all familiar with the story, it gives them a common language to use when dealing with these issues.

This book uses a fable to illustrate the importance of understanding change as a constant, and the need for us to embrace this fact through looking at the broader spectrum.

Although "Our Iceberg" is written in the style of an illustrated children's book, my first reaction to this fable was a bit of confusion. That was especially true of JK's first point, creating a sense of urgency. How does one identify when it's appropriate to do this? The fable conveniently is based on a life-and-death matter facing the penguin colony. But are all changes a company needs to make of the same priority? Isn't there a "cry wolf" effect if you don't modulate the volume on some matters? The book doesn't give any guidance about this.

But the more I thought about the book, the more surprised I was to find some parallels with, of all things, Communism. (NOTE: SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW.) For example:
@ the communal sharing of fish for the Scouts (@102-103);
@ the Heroes Day Celebration (like Heroes of the Revolution) (@102-109; attribution of this idea to a child is also a typical literary trope from Maoist propaganda);
@ the use of saturation propaganda, in the form of slogans and posters all over the iceberg and even underwater (@80-81);
@ the silencing of dissent (No-No, the dissenting penguin) in the form of constant harassment by a team member who followed him everywhere and jabbered at him (@90-91)-- like the techniques used against dissenters during the Cultural Revolution in China;
@ the glorified image of the team of five change leaders, especially the picture @ 55-56, where they have a kind of glow behind them -- very similar to all those Soviet-style pictures;
@ the way the the original Head Penguin becomes a "grandfather figure" for the whole colony (@122) -- much like propaganda posters showing Lenin and, later, Mao similing at children and dandling babies; and even
@ the threatened destruction of the iceberg "from within" due to its own internal weaknesses -- like the Communists said would happen to capitalism (@16-17, and elsewhere), and
@ the new nomadic way of life of the penguins, who would forever be expanding their territory (@117-119)-- like the Marxist-Leninist idea that the Revolution would spread all over the world.
Isn't it ironic then, that this book is being handed out in the hundreds by some CEOs, and even shared with children?

The quashing of dissent is one of the more troubling features of this tale. Thanks to the device of its being a story with an omniscient narrator, we are able to "know" in advance that the prognosis about the iceberg is probably right. Moreover, it's an event based on the laws of physics, and can be demonstrated using physical principles (with the shattered bottle). In real business, we seldom have such a priori knowledge of the rightness of our predictions, nor is that rightness often so neatly demonstrable. This book teaches that we shoud just trust the leader's "visionary" speeches regardless, and that those who don't should be marginalized.

If this comparison is apt, it wouldn't be the first time capitalists have handed out Communist literature within a company. In 1939, the scion of Standard Oil (and future US Vice President) Nelson A. Rockefeller made company executives in Venezuela read Marx's Das Kapital, in order to understand unrest among the company's oil field workers there. (See G. Colby & C. Dennett's "Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon - Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil" (1995) @90.) Unlike the case with "Our Iceberg", though, Rockefeller's goal wasn't to convert his staff to believe what was in the book.

I recognize this analysis might not persuade everyone. You might believe "Our Iceberg" is 100% capitalist all the way, without questioning whether capitalist and Communist glorifications of leadership might have more in common than we'd like to admit. If so, then when you're handed this simplistic fable and told to read it, you might at least pause to consider: why can't modern CEOs emulate Rockefeller's respect for his staff's intellectual level? Is it the respect or the intellectual level that has fallen farther? If you can figure that out, you're probably on your way to identifying some real problems in your organization.

We follow in young Oliver's footsteps as he discovers the evolution of science from its humble beginnings through a succession of remarkable and revolutionary leaps. Each time science takes its next step, it achieves another synthesis wherein so many previously poorly understood and seemingly disparate phenomena are joined together as part of a single framework.

Uncle Tungsten is an eloquent and romantic vision that articulates the poetry of science. As we follow Lavoisier, Davies, Faraday, Maxwell Mendeleev, Rutherford, Bohr, and many others, each time along with Sacks himself we see the world anew, aflame with a fresh and more complete understanding of the underpinnings of our universe.

It is an extraordinary achievement to combine such clarity with a sense of emotional involvement, to help the reader understand both the principles being explained as well as their aesthetic beauty and deeper significance in such a human way.

For me each chapter that described science is as beautiful as anything else I've read and at the same time the book creates such powerful connections that it helped me to understand many important principles of science that I didn't even realize I was ignorant of! I am very grateful for this wonderful book.

My only criticism is that the personal details of Oliver Sacks' own life are few and far between, and seem almost tacked on in between the chapters that are strictly about science and its practitioners themselves. I was fine more or less ignoring these chapters as they provide little real insight into Oliver's life, but if you expect this book to be a true autobiography you will perhaps come away disappointed.
Never the less, I have not read a more beautiful book about science and I urge whomever is reading this review to give it a chance.

This book has many wonderful aspects. One of them is Sacks' somewhat nonchalant description of what was a truly traumatic boarding-school experience. It is remarkable that he emerged as well as he did from the routine sadism of those four years in the countryside. It was only his fascination with chemistry and his capacity for detachment and introspection that permitted him to survive.

Another memorable quality of the book is his immediate and personal understanding of the key question of science: Why? I never gave it much thought, but it wasn't until well into the twentieth century that scientists understood why the sun is so hot and will remain so hot more-or-less permanently. Until nuclear reactions were understood, this was a mystery. Sacks, paralleling centuries of investigators before him, is always asking why. This was great training for his ultimate and successful career as a neurologist.

Finally, the portrayal of upper-middle-class London before and after World War II was very memorable. From a European viewpoint, America was pretty much untouched by the war; it had not been annexed or bombed by Hitler. England, on the other hand, was forever changed by the experience.

This is the second copy of Uncle Tungsten for me. I bought it when it was first released, loved it, and, unfortunately, loaned it to one too many friends. Now I have one to browse my favorite bits in, revisit the very different childhood of a man my age. Oliver Sachs treats his younger self with the same wide-eyed curiosity as he affords his patients.

The relationship between uncle and nephew is the most precious. Why? Because nephews confide in uncles like they don't confide in a father or mother. And uncles are sort of pseudo fathers to nephews. The responsibility of an uncle is not less than a father: to inspire and stimulate the child wherever he resists parental influence. I would imagine the rapport between an aunt and a niece is the same way, looking up to the corresponding role model and same sex mentor.

Although Dr. Sacks paints a portrait of his extended family in this book, his Uncle Dave "Tungsten" is highlighted as an important source of inspiration. His retelling of his childhood and adolescence is fascinating. This is a beautiful book, sometimes overwhelming when scientific lingo becomes predominant but very warm and engaging. Even with a poor knowledge in chemistry -- my case -- it's immensely enjoyable. Dr. Sacks' childhood memories are colorful, jam-packed, very serious at times but also humorous, a bit like John Boorman's movie "Hope and Glory".

There are some surprises here: first of all, I honestly thought Sacks is a normal American, probably family immigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. No, he grew up in London as the youngest boy in a huge family of Jewish scientists, physicians, and industrialists. 100 cousins! Some family branches in South Africa, Palestine, Germany and elsewhere.
Also, I expected a normal autobiography, despite the ominous subtitle 'memories of a chemical boyhood'. I thought I would find out how the man got where he was to be much later. No, we don't. We only learn about his first 14 years. And we learn a lot about the history of chemistry, probably more than most readers would have opted for.
But we also learn the following:
A boy grows up in a huge house in London with a huge family, everything is paradise, there is emotion (from Ma) and stimulation (from all) and whatever a little boy needs.
Then there is WW2 and the boy and his elder brother get evacuated to a boarding school, which is the prototype of all horrors. Bullying drives the brother into paranoia and the hero into closing the shutters with science and chemistry inside and the rest of the world outside.
He is liberated after 4 years and moves back home, but things are not what they were. He remains in his insulation. He ignores the events of the world. Politics incl. Zionism is bullying. He dislikes the punitive God of the orthodox. He is only a chemist.
With puberty and the end of WW2 the infatuation ends, or rather goes subterranean/subcutanean. Sacks learns new things, among others he discovers marine biology, and he reads Cannery Row, which makes him long for America. (previous mentioning of literature is sparse, there is some interest in Wells' science fiction, and there is a fascination with 1984, but that is obviously ahead of itself)
I give it only 4 stars, because I do not like chemistry quite as much (as I worked for a chemical company for 20 years.)