Field Books

What a pleasure to finally read this classic book. I grew up loving Cousteau's television programs. Ultimately, I became a diver because of Cousteau.

This is adventure writing at its best. Cousteau was always a master storyteller. That was probably more instrumental to his success than his bravery, innovativeness, or his ability as a diver. This book is a collection of Cousteau's experiences with early scuba. He masterfully captures the awe, the fear, the struggles, and the sense of adventure of the first years of scuba.

I love adventure writing, but sometimes great adventurers are not great writers. Cousteau was both. If you have an interest in Cousteau or in scuba diving, this book is a must read.

As promised in the title, in this book Jacques Cousteau reveals a new world of unanticipated beauty, fittingly described in his charming, French-influenced English phraseology. C. Blickenstorfer has done a fine job explaining the contents of this book, particularly as it relates to divers or those interested in diving history. However, The Silent World, read as a frontier narrative, also has relevance for anyone interested in our current and historical treatment of the ocean.

Humans have interacted with the ocean for ages, but before divers like Cousteau it was a blind interaction, a grasp at resources based on guesses and historical results. Cousteau's underwater observations of trawl-net fishing make clear the change of ideology his "aqualung" opened to humans. Watching the net destroy grasses on the ocean floor, Cousteau reports "Man's method of undersea farming seemed to consist of blighting the acre while reaping a small part of the crop" (48). As opposed to a history of blind grabs at ocean creatures, Cousteau's aqualung gives him the capacity to see without touching, and his narrative provides a chance for our knowledge to begin catching up to our know-how.

Another epiphany facilitated by the aqualung is a completely new set of fears and a new evaluation of old "monsters." The killers of which Cousteau writes are nitrogen in his blood and clams with shells sharp enough to sever air pipes. On the contrary, the octopus, demonized by Victor Hugo as a monster who will suck out a man's innards, shows itself as harmless and shy. Cousteau concludes his chapter "Monsters We Have Met" with a jocularity that is persistent in the work: "If none have eaten us, it is perhaps because they have never read the instructions so generously provided in marine demonology" (222).

Cousteau's reinterpretation of the ocean brings readers to the fundamental questions of humans and their environment. How are we going to think of this new space? Should we sell it as new realty? Militarize it? Farm it? Should we simply Keep Out in a quest to guard some portion of the earth against ourselves? Those from my generation who have mythologized Cousteau as a heroic conservationist might struggle with Cousteau's narrative. This is not the work of a dolphin-hugger. Cousteau writes of his exploits kidnapping an endangered monk seal pup in his desire for an aquatic hunting dog (the seal almost dies and is given to a zoo) and bludgeoning most large sea creatures who get close enough. This includes wounding a captured porpoise to watch sharks eat it alive, an act which he justifies with "It was cruelty to an animal but we were involved in a serious study [. . .] and had to carry it out" (234).
In his conclusion, Cousteau asserts "Obviously man has to enter the sea. There is no choice in the matter. The human population is increasing so rapidly and land resources are being depleted at such a rate, that we must take sustenance from the great cornucopia" (266). Both those who would agree with this 1950s assumption and those who believe this "cornucopia" has been already overexploited can gain insight from this book as a well-written record of human reactions to the new world under the waves.

As a diver for long years, I remember the old b&w tv days, when we find happiness with Cousteau's documentary films. Now it's a mirracle to be able to purchase the whole collection in DVD format.

As great a read today as it must have been over 50 years ago. Being a modern day technical and recreational dive instructor I still find this book a fascinating read and would recommend it to all ages to divers and non divers alike.

What can be said about Jacques Cousteau and his groundbreaking book that hasn't been said a thousand times? He is undoubtedly the defining figure of modern scuba diving, his books, films, and documentaries known to millions or billions. Even the name of his ship, the Calypso, is known the world over. It's a small volume, this book, just 160 pages, yet it's absolutely mandatory reading for anyone interested in what Cousteau termed "the silent world" under the surface of the water that covers 71% of our planet. The Silent World is the bible of modern scuba diving.

Jacques Cousteau himself died in 1997 at the age of 87, but the legacy of his pioneering work with diving and diving physiology lives on. It is all well documented and disseminated worldwide, thanks to this French explorer's unique combination of instinctive understanding of the world under the surface and his equally unique knack of spellbinding the world with his words and images. A total master of public relations and getting the word out, Cousteau managed to grab attention and media coverage wherever he went. Critics went so far as suggesting his media talents exceeded his actual contributions to understanding the seas.

At first it's hard to figure out why this slim volume became such a success. It's not a textbook, it doesn't cover the history of diving or even much of Cousteau's own research, and it's not an adventure book. Though Cousteau was French, he wrote The Silent World in English as he had attended American schools in his youth, widely traveled the US, and, of course, extensively lectured in his enchanting French-accented English. Yet, The Silent World clearly reveals its author's non-English origin and decidedly "non-English" thinking. The writing, while precise, often suggests that Cousteau frequently described a word or concept that existed in his native French, but did not directly translate into English. As a result, the writing at times seems a bit flowery and, well, foreign, and you need to read a sentence or paragraph two or three times to figure out what it actually means. Cousteau's liberal use of metaphors, artistic nuances, poetic concepts and words that have since fallen out of currrent language only serve to make The Silent World even more unusual of a literary treat.

Anyone looking for technical explanations, precise history, a logical flow of events, or anything one might expect from a world-famous documentary maker and researcher will not find it in this book. The Silent World is a totally unique, very compressed tale flowing from Cousteau's mind. Read half a chapter and you know the man; he's a unique combination of inspired philosophical observer and gifted researcher with uncanny intuition. While others conducted their research methodically and ploddingly, Cousteau always just seemed to know what to expect, how to behave, and what to seek and avoid to make it all seem easy. He and his close associates and friends Phillipe Tailliez and Frederic Dumas used their "aqualung" to experient liberally in sort of a "Hmmm.... this is probably what will happen, let's go check it out!" approach.

Using this, Cousteau describes the difference between "helmet divers" and the newly liberated users of their "aqualung" -- what we now know as air tanks and regulators. The book casually touches on all the principles of diving physics and physiology, the stuff we learn in our PADI and NAUI classes. He describes sea life, how it reacts, where it lives, how it behaves, and what is dangerous and what is not. They see just how deep they can go. They check how colors change. What nitrogen does and why we need recompression chambers. He offers his views on treasure hunting (not worth it; if you find real treasure authorities and hordes of lawyers will soon apprehend it). He reports on atrocities he witnessed underwater, like the needless destruction of corals and cruel killing of fish. He debunks myths of sea monsters, seeks answers to geological phenomena such as the Fountain of Vaucluse near Avignon, one that almost cost him and Dumas their lives in a pioneering effort at extreme cave diving. He describes what fish do and how they react. And sea mammals and other sea critters. Sharks remain an enigma to Cousteau as his conclusion is that you simply cannot understand or predict them.

So The Silent World relates, in 14 fascinating self-contained chapters, pretty much everything we know about diving today, 60 years after Cousteau began researching as a "manfish," all the principles we know, and it's all neatly and attractively presented in tales that always mix research with adventure. Cousteau never preaches or lectures. He just explores, pushes, interprets, and reports. Maybe Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a showman as much as a researcher. If so, good for him as otherwise we may never have had the opportunity to learn from him and enjoy his remarkable insights. -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, scubadiverinfo.com

Dick Lee has done it again - distilled years of consulting experience into a practical guidebook that will assure the success of virtually any CRM project. Don't expect the usual consultant's mindless assortment of silver-bullet checklists though. These projects still take work. I will say that if you diligently follow the steps clearly outlined in Strategic CRM, Dick Lee's complete CRM implementation manual, your customers will be better off for it!

...

Dick Lee's "Strategic CRM" is a cut above other CRM books for a simple reason: instead of grand theories, it offers practical, field-tested advice for making CRM really work. Dick does a great job boiling down years of experience into a useable planning guide. If you're serious about CRM, this book is a great investment that will help you avoid the obstacles that have derailed many CRM projects.

Dick Lee's latest editorial undertaking - Strategic CRM - is rich in personal experience and implementation strategies and rewarding in potential CRM results. A four-step process manual to be read with pen in hand, Lee makes you think - and think again. Exhaustingly exhilarating, Strategic CRM is a win-win opportunity for both you and your customers. You Betcha!

Carol Parenzan Smalley, CRMGuru.com

Leave it to Dick Lee to observe that the only result of down'n'dirty Customer Relationship Management implementations is to get down and dirty. His trademark common-sense approach which made the first version so indispensable is sharper than ever in 2.0.

Lee's distilled his earlier work here. The book completely updates his four-step method -- Developing Customer-Centric Strategies, Redesigning Workflow, Re-engineering Work Processes and Supporting With Technology -- and presents it between two covers for ease of use.

Lee's the ideal guide for companies already convinced of the need for CRM, but who need highly practical step-by-step guidance. He dispenses with high-flying jargon and theoretical musings in favor of showing what CRM looks like on the ground. How should you structure team leadership, identify the market cycle for each customer group or map current data flows? What size conference room should you book for a certain team meeting, how much time should it take and how many flip charts and markers will you need? Lee gives you the benefit of his vast experience in answering such questions which you probably didn't even think to ask. His painstaking visual representations of old vs. new sales proposal cycles, proposal resolutions, customer service flows, etc. are definitive, to make them any simpler he'd have had to do them in crayon.

Battle scars are all over the book. On "Change Management" he says "There are two aspects of change management critical to the success of CRM implementations: Leadership and firefighting. The more you have of #1, the less you'll need of #2." Here's a man who's seen more unnecessary firefighting than he cares to remember. He's learned that the best way to impart the information that needs to be imparted is to use the old threefold approach: Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, tell 'em, then tell 'em what you just told 'em. From setting a baseline to beta and launch he walks you step-by-step through what needs to happen when; a seeing-eye dog doesn't provide better guidance than this.

This is an implementation manual in the most literal sense of the term, a book to have open on the desk while you implement CRM.

David Sims, owner of business freelance and copywriting house David Sims Writing writes regularly for CRMGuru.com and CRM magazine among other publications.

Dick Lee rightfully points out that technology is a valuable tool, but it's only as good as the strategies, workflow and work processes it supports. This concise manual is a must read for anyone considering or already involved in CRM implementation. The advice he gives is immediately applicable.

The book clearly explains an observation and corrected an opinion. It explained the mentality of both the abused and abuser. And how their mental state controls their decisions and actions. My earlier opinion was that people in abusive conditions should attack it as agressively as possible or flee the environment at the first opportunity.

However, the book reveals how people in abusive conditions must balance that negative condition with the positive conditions of their life, such as, love for siblings, maintaining friendships, and holding on to their areas of control and freedom. Oh yes, the author showed how a person's history adds to the wisdom of today's decisions.

I read Strawberry Field while waiting for Hurricane Frances. And I finished it before the hurricane even made landfall! I thought the ending was excellent and the title perfect. I admire Susan Borges for writing this novel, which I believe is autobiographical at least to some degree. If it is not, she has a tremendous imagination. There are some similarities to my own childhood and to my memoir, which will be published in the next few months. This made me identify closely with Carolyn. While Susan Borges is a lawyer, I am a volunteer CASA/GAL child advocate. It was that experience that led me to write my story...to help children going through neglect and abuse now. Susan Borges' novel will help today's children. I applaude her for writing it. And I hope it is available in middle school and high school libraries and read by teachers, counselors, and court officials.

This is such a moving portrait of the strength of the human spirit. What I found most amazing was not only the child's victorious survival of unspeakable neglect and abuse, but her stubborn refusal, then and now, to be sabotaged by the weight of self-pity. In the same way she recounts her material hardships (shelter, food and clothing that was sporadic and minimal at best), I interpret her acknowledgment of her entire situation as if to say, "Well, this is what I have to work with, so it'll just have to do ... FOR NOW." Her graceful acceptance of what WAS never clouded her expectations of what could and should be. I cannot imagine anyone who will not learn from this book, and be better for having read it.

I have read perhaps hundreds of books, and "Stawberry Field" is one of the best. It brings to life on the page a spirit that simply refused to be broken, and by the end of the book, one understands very well the way this brave little girl saved herself and her essential goodness. You see the many simple choices she made, instinctively and unfailingly, for the postive. It leaves you with a feeling of hope and affirmation.

I particularly liked the way Carolyn's sister was charactertized, how their everyday love and kindness for each other was able to counteract some of the hideousness of their father's degeneracy, and the great gift this was for Carolyn.

Another of this book's great strengths is its plain style. In the deftest simplicity of expresson, Ms. Borges depicts the forces that break families over years and generations. One sees all the ways people took their inherited character, and made it better, or worse by their choices. It renders this an excellent book for a teacher or counselor have on hand when one is on the receiving end of a "Nothing is wrong", as Miss Ruillet was. The child protection system in this society is worse than useless, and most abused children must find their own way. This book can be a light in the tunnel for them; as it offers simply stated ways to cope.

I hope Ms. Borges write a sequel. I would love to see the journey of Carolyn to being Judge Lowell, of her sisters, and of all the people she meets on the way, for that would be an inspiring story, too. I didn't want "Strawberry Field" to end.

With her debut novel, Susan Borges brings us center-stage to the trials of young Carolyn. Before experiencing 'Strawberry Field', you may be of the opinion that impeccable breeding, privilege or guidance are necessary for prosperity; you may have believed that youth with such advantages over their contemporaries have a better chance of success. After reading this book, I predict that you will look deeper into the eyes of every young girl you encounter. And deeper still into the faces of accomplished adults around you . . . what have they prevailed through?

This is the story of the human spirit seeking light where darkness is most evident, and insisting that this life is one of possibility & promise. It will forever change your ideas about hardship, persistence, and the power of determination. Recommended read!

I designed shopping carts for 5 years. After I left that company, I saw this book. I bought it as a gift for my former boss who was the owner of the company that made shopping carts. I thought that he would get a kick out of it. Before I gave it to him, I decided to glance at a few pages and ended up reading through the whole book before I gave it to him. I sort of felt bad since the book is now officially used. He loved it anyway. It was interesting and it has inspired me to do something similar.

When I first heard mention of this book (in The Believer magazine), I laughed out loud at the concept...

I laughed out loud when it showed up on my doorstep, too. The effort and thought put into the development of this silly book is tremendous. The result is an excellent play on the concept of field identification guides.

Whenever people see this book on my coffee table, it becomes a conversation piece. Funny, funny stuff.

Received the book last week- funny read and the pictures are amusing for a while...then the "field guide" aspect of the book may be a bit too complicated for a "fun read". It's quite a complicated work-up that the author had contrived, and while impressive- I was using too much brain power while reading something that should be entertaining. I don't think I have enough room left in my brain to store field guide info on shopping carts- even just to make it til the end of this book! But maybe YOU do! :)

As a certified straycartologist I applaud the effort to publicize this issue. I only hope we can convince those crumb bums in Washington that expanding our coverage to the rest of North America can only be achieved with copious federal spending.

Like the question burning in the loins of Lewis and Clark before us, what will the West reveal? My crotch is afire with this question: what will the West reveal about...ourselves? [For full effect, deliver that last word in a fervent whisper]

This book is easily one of the top four reference guides for shopping carts available on the market today. It does an excellent job of covering the following topics:

* Shopping carts

Overall, I heartily endorse this product.

This book is an excellent resource for students as well as others who want to know the ins and outs of the federal hiring process. From networking to resume writing, this comprehensive guide tells you all the steps you will need to know in order to obtain a federal job. If you want to gain valuable knowledge about government programs and become more effective in your job search, this book is for you! Learn from the real experts, Kathy and Emily Troutman!

Let's face it, the federal hiring process can be quite complicated and arduous. Even if you are highly qualified, obtaining a federal job can be extremely difficult if you are unfamiliar with the requirements of the government. As a graduate student of public administration, I was confident that I had suitable knowledge and skills to land a federal position, yet I was intimidated by the federal hiring process. I believe that The Student's Federal Career Guide was instrumental in guiding me through the process. By following the book's suggestions and tailoring my resume to the samples provided in the book, I landed a position with the agency of my choice.
The book is well organized as the chapters cover all the steps from how to locate opportunities to preparing for the interview. Much of the book is devoted purely to students who are seeking current or future employment with the federal government. There are a myriad of suggested resources for exploring student opportunities such as internships and part-time employment. The Student's Federal Career Guide will provide you with invaluable information on obtaining a position with the federal government.

Enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM offering case studies and samples, The Student's Federal Career Guide: 10 Steps To Find And Win Top Government Jobs and Internships shows students just how to utilize networking to discover the availability of federal jobs, how to identify and locate the relevant federal agency; what internships; federal pay scales; researching federal job listings on-line; writing a federal job oriented resume; writing cover letters showcasing knowledge, skills and abilities; the federal job application process; tracking and following-up job applications and interviews; and conducting oneself in the interview process. Of special note is the accompanying website at www.TenStepsForStudents.org offering samples, internships links, job prospect information, and tips from actual government agency recruiters. Specifically designed for college students and recent graduates entering the job market, The Student's Federal Career Guide is also very highly recommended for men and women of any age seeking a public service career with the federal government.

- Betsy L. Hogan

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! I cant stop reading it, there is so much good information. It gave me alot more incite on the direction I need to go in with my resume. Also, the sections on contacting HR and interviewing definitely will help in the job search. The Government is the nations largest employer, with this book you will get a great understanding of what you need to do to get hired. The writters of the book have years of experience, they know the process from start to finsih!! This is money well spent or should I say a great investment in yourself!!!

The authors website has great information too!!!!
www.resume-place.com

Enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM offering case studies and samples, The Student's Federal Career Guide: 10 Steps To Find And Win Top Government Jobs and Internships shows students just how to utilize networking to discover the availability of federal jobs, how to identify and locate the relevant federal agency; what internships; federal pay scales; researching federal job listings on-line; writing a federal job oriented resume; writing cover letters showcasing knowledge, skills and abilities; the federal job application process; tracking and following-up job applications and interviews; and conducting oneself in the interview process. Of special note is the accompanying website at www.TenStepsForStudents.org offering samples, internships links, job prospect information, and tips from actual government agency recruiters. Specifically designed for college students and recent graduates entering the job market, The Student's Federal Career Guide is also very highly recommended for men and women of any age seeking a public service career with the federal government.

This book is excellent. The book is easy reading and has easy to apply mental techniques to improve racing and training. Swimming in open water is my "weakest link". This book offers many mental training techniques that should be helpful.

I found this book to be good with many ideas. It did get a little redundant at times, which can probably be attibuted to emphasizing approaches to mental training. It definitely gets across the need for mental preparedness and ways to go about it. Reading it a couple times and and doing the exercises included in the various chapters is necessary to get the most from the book and approach.

I saw the author at the Velo Swap in S.F. in December 2006. Gave a great presentation and his way of thinking fit my training regimen for my bicycling. The style and presentation fit my mindset and when it is rainy, snowy, blowing or just don't care. You realize you are not alone and gives the tools and techniques that get you going. Not your average mental training guide but new stuff and odd angles make you approach your workout and mind in a different way

Success in sports requires as much mental strength as it does physical, and this book will teach you how to approach your sport... and your life.

I was hesitant to buy this wondering if I could really learn something about mental training from a book. I decided to give it a try and I am very glad I did. This is one of the best Ironman prep books I've read. I highly recommend it.

I tried to write to you so many times... I hope you could read my letter... Once I was in Madrid, in a bookstore, and your book just jumped right to my hands. Since then, your book stays near my bed (and I am talking about 15 years...), and turn to be part of my life. Thank you so much for the strenght, hope, the lesson for life you gave with your (and Victor`s) words and life story. I hope you found peace and forgiveness. We will never forget.

It should be compulsory reading at US schools, perhaps enriched with some documents from the recently declassified CIA files. By the way, a new paperback edition is available in the UK, along with translations in various other countries ...

I read this for a class and planned on skimming it, but I could not put it down. The details of his kidnapping and death and the fear felt by his friends and family led me to tears as it is so far from any emotion I could imagine feeling. Not only does it offer personal insights into the life of one of Chile's most popular folk musicians, it also vividly shows the impact of the coup of 1973 on Nueva Cancion and popular culture in Chile. The biography is key in understanding this part of Chilean history, Nueva Cancion and other realms of popular culture. Joan Jara is an excellent writer as well.I highly recommend it...you won't be able to stop once you start reading and Victor Jara's music will mean so much more.

This is an incredible book about Victor Jara, the musician and activist in the Chilean struggle against fascism and imperialism, and his brutal murder by Pinochet and his forces. It is also a book about the people of Chile, and chronicles carefully their poverty as well as their amazing spirit. To the non-Chilean reader it provides an important account of the workings of imperialism. Joan Jara's book MUST be read as widely as possible. Why is it not available more easily in North America?! It is a very important book because of its relevance to modern day imperialism.

This is a well-written, highly personalized biography of Victor Jara, a great Chilean folksinger. However, in 1998 Joan Jara published an updated version of this book, which corrects a few minor errors and gives updates on Victor's legacy. This 1998 book can be found at various UK online booksellers, including amazon.co.uk.

I have always been interested in astronomy and just recently picked it up as a hobby. Terence Dickenson does a wonderful job conveying concepts to the average person. He has made it so easy to understand and so interesting it is difficult to put the book down. The pictures are perfect for those of us with little imagination. My ten year old is even reading it with me. Excellent!

I have never, and I mean never, had my mind blown as much as when I read (still reading, will never stop reading) this book. I can't believe the pictures in this book. You think you've seen everything insane and out of this world there is to see and then you open this up. Ever seen one galaxy side-swipe another galaxy? The images in this book will change you, you will never be the same. I feel so small yet I feel like I'm part of this insane monster of a grand scheme. The descriptions are fantastic, you need no prior astronomy/science education to totally immerse yourself in the cosmos. Starting from earth and reaching out to as far as we have gone this book reads as if you are the explorer aboard your space craft taking it all in for yourself. There isn't a dull second during this read. Every paragraph will make your mouth drop. Realize the creature around you that is your Universe.

A friend and I are taking an intro to astonomy course and this is one of the recommended texts. I can certainly see why. It's a very clearly written work with a heavy emphasis on planetary and solar astronomy and a lucid discussion of stellar objects visible with personal telescopes, subjects that the noviate astronomer is most likely to find of interest. The author also dedicates two chapters to the subject of theoretical astrophysics at the very basic level of cosmology, ie) the theory of the origin, the possible ultimate destiny of the universe, and the liklihood of the existance of coevil universes parallel to our own. Dickinson also throws his lot in with those who would believe in UFOs, to the extent that while he doesn't believe in the sightings people report--however well meaningly--he does believe that intelligent life is out there and may well already know of our existance. He gives a thorough and lucid outline of why he believes this to be the case. He also summarizes the SETI project and the ultimate change in position on this topic of high visibility astronomers like the late Carl Sagan, Iosif Shklovskii, and Ben Zuckerman. A very interesting book, and one that whets the appetite for further information.

For the layman who is often intimidated by the scope of astronomy and science in general, this book is the ideal place to get started. I've been fascinated by the universe and outer space for as long as I can remember. There is nothing that is quite as majestic and beautiful in the physical world we observe as the unimaginable grandeur of the universe.

The book starts out with a good general overview and then starts out from home (Earth) and then gradually moves out towards other objects in the Solar System, the nearby starts, our Milky Way galaxy, and ultimately out to the farthest reaches of the universe (quasars, galaxies out in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field), examining the deepest cosmological questions.

The writing is non-technical and is easy for the uninitiated to understand. There are plenty of the latest breathtaking photos from the Hubble Telescope as well as clear illustrations. I bought a copy for my mother who has never delved into astronomy and she advised me that the book has been most enjoyable and that it opened her eyes to the wonders of space that she had never known about.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in astronomy but never had the chance to really dig in for whatever reasons. I also recommend this book to the experts who want to encourage their loved ones and friends to appreciate the universe as well. It makes a great gift to high school students, parents, and friends as well. It's one of those books that people will refer to over and over again and contemplate our place in this amazing structure we know of as the universe.

Well laid-out book with awesome pics and logical flow. Definitely a professional work. It does not get very deep in explanations but there is enough material for a novice to get started. Overall: VERY GOOD!

My dad bought me this book after hearing about it on National Public Radio and, at first, I was a bit skeptical.
I mean, who really wants to waste time reading another boring 'How to' book on how to get a cool job?

But really, this book isn't like that at all.
It's factual of course, so you don't have to worry about how much of it is just hot air.
But it's also very comical, interesting, and respectfully realistic.
Not a candy-coater, but in no ways a dream crusher.

What more could you ask for <3?

I don't like bad language but like what this book has to offer. I purchased it for my daughter who is embarking on her new career after college. This is a good read.

Most career books I've read try to herd us into the same jobs without thinking out of the box. There are tons of other interesting, fun and well paying jobs out there that rarely seem to get mentioned. This book lists quite a few examples. It was a blast to read. It really helps expand your thinking and it makes the thought of a career change actually exciting!! And the income figures given are realistic too. Most other career books are way too low for whatever reason.

A great book and a great read!!

David Rosen's book, "What's That Job and How the Hell Do I Get It?", features TONS of useful information about professional and creative careers, and is written in a funny, down-to-earth voice that will have you laughing the entire way through. It's a must-read for those looking for a career, and also for people curious about the "day-to-day" of a ton of interesting (and sometimes quirky) jobs. Highly recommended!

This book is great! It really opened my eyes to a lot of careers I never would have even heard of.

Whether this work perfectly parallels the expoits of the character's real lives, should not be of concern. This book is beautifully written, with a literary gem on almost every page. It is one, if not the best book I have read in 10 years. What a shame it has not gotten more attention.

I have had no interest in literary interpretations of the world until I read this book. Here I found other lives struggling with the same staleness of mathematics and logic and their implications that I could not escape. I found lives exemplifying the difficulties of pitting one's factual evidence against human assumptions. I found, that is, that my own life is not so different as it's felt.

Well done, Duffy.

I bought this book in 1988. It then got buried under tons of other books until I unearthed it this weekend. What a great find. Rich characters, engaging prose...a thoroughly satisfying read. At 500+ pages, I'll admit it's a bit overwritten, but once you get going it's difficult to put down. Ranks up there with "In the Memory of the Forest" as gripping and memorable. Go work out really hard, take a hot shower, then grab an herbal tea and melt into its pages.

Surprisingly readable, given the subject matter, and from an author who obviously loves to write. This quality seems less than apparent in many books, but Duffy, I felt, took great time and applied careful skill in making his characters emerge on the page as recognizably full-fledged people. Whether the clumsy and appealing, if fanatic and mysterious Max; Ottoline's bony limbs; Wittgenstein's trench nemesis Grundfeldt; Russell's liberated flapper DD and her dentist father from the Illinois prairies the philosopher visits in a wonderful chapter; DH Lawrence's fulminations about blood knowledge; Moore's gustatory enthusiasm when dining at Hall; or Russell's attempts to write an article for Parents' Magazine on "Are Parents Bad for Children" while trying to seduce yet another lissome lass and take care of his failing marriage, faltering children, and chaotic progressive school--this book's most engrossing.

Especially noteworthy are Duffy's depictions of trench warfare as Wittgenstein might have experienced it in WW1. I didn't expect that the relatively brief part of the philosopher's life would be so much a part of this novel. It serves, once you finish and can see the whole work completed, as the titular centerpiece and the fulcrum for so much of his subsequent reactions to the middle of the 20c. I had recently read Sebastian Barry's Booker Prize-nominated novel "A Long Long Way From Home," and while Duffy spends less than his whole novel on the hell endured on the Western Front, he gives a variety of vividly rendered scenes that match Barry at his best--no mean feat for Duffy's not a professional full-time writer, apparently, and this was his first novel. The depictions of war are simply and terrifyingly superb.

While I had difficulty even with the simplified explanations of Wittgenstein's thought, I confess, full comprehension of them may well be beyond any of us. W's own battles with his homosexuality, his family history of suicide, and his Christian ideals vs. his Jewish heritage make for engrossing material that eases the challenge of keeping up with W's ratiocinations. Duffy shows dramatically W's refusal to start a circle of fawning disciples or imitators of his notoriously challenging thought-experiments and investigations into what does and does not underly logic. Perhaps even Moore and Russell, as shown when they conduct the viva voce doctoral exam of W., cannot understand their candidate either.

The novel is not perfect; the latter chapters especially after WW2 appear rushed and the author seems winded by so much previous exertion on behalf of his complicated characters. The first section takes place around 1912; the wartime is largely early in WW1, and the latter part is around 1938 for the most part. Appended to this are detours back and forward in time that expand W's family history. It may sound cumbersome, yet it gives you enough of a context for each period to feel that you can find your way around.

Somehow over so many thousands of sentences, Duffy manages to avoid cliche, to write fresh and efficient prose, and to take the reader into a series of realms that would have seemed the least likely areas that a novelist would want to explore, let alone re-create over 500 densely printed pages. It took me most of a week's free time to read this, and it flows best when you have a few hours straight to immerse yourself in it. It's a novel that works by association, accruing patiently the rewards that pay off for the thinkers if not always their long-suffering supporting casts of lovers, relations, colleagues, and spouses.

The reason for so much reasoning gradually grows as the novel continues; you will begin to understand at least a bit how everyday life impinges upon and stimulates rarified speculation. This happens subtly, as it does in reality, and may take the space of hundreds of pages to connect, but it will cohere--for the most part, which is quite an accomplishment for a book that aspires to not only enlightenment but sophisticated entertainment. The novel does take its slow time to warm up; get beyond the first hundred pages, and know that with the middle section, part two, "The World as I Found It" will start to deepen its spell.

I certainly wasn't hampered in my enjoyment of this book by a lack of familiarity with (or, until now, interest in) twentieth-century philosophy. "The World as I Found It" taught me what makes a great fictional characters: such compassion and detail that I feel I know them as I know myself. Duffy's Wittgenstein, Russell, and Moore are forged from such different materials and live such different lives. But their struggles and motivations are painted in such rich detail that I intimately recognized the humanity in each of them. Great writing.