Nicholson Reviews

MUSSOLINI

Published in Paperback by WEIDENFELD NICHOLSON HISTORY (1994)

Author: DENIS MACK SMITH

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Historical, or historically biased?

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-26

I agree this book is definitely one sided and skewed. Mussolini was not a saint, however this book fails to mention any other aspect of his life, other than that of disturbed Hitler sidekick. The fact remains that Benito Mussolini was a leader in his own right. Many other biographies show his ability to make people have pride, and the 'mighty' Adolph Hitler twitch. look elsewhere for facts.

mussolini the fraud

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-04

The life of Mussolini was one that was filled with tragedy for the state of Italy. Mussolini is not lionized by Dennis Mack Smith but instead taken apart for the inadequacies in his rule during the World War 2 era. Mussolini never really had control of the situation in Italy and was most of the time a confused dictator. He believe his strength to be far greater than it was and considered Italy a great power in the world. He was quickly becoming a pawn of Hitler and his indecisiveness led Italy down a path of destruction. There is little to be proud of given the evidence posted in this book and it brings to light a perspective that should be analyzed. The book is very well written and is not bogged down in heavy detail. It highlights the salient points and provides a context for life in Italy under Mussolini. While Mussolini's thugs did terrorize the populace form time to time the country really ran as it did in the pre-fascist days. The security forces were police state at times but nominally Mussolini, especially as the war went on, quickly fell out of favor with the people. He lost his touch with reality and while no one wanted to challenge his perceptions it did not matter as Italy was driven back again and again over the course of the war. This is a must read for those who want to understand how Italy fit into world war 2 beyond simply a military context.

The Definitve Work

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-10

This is still the most comprehensive work on the life of Mussolini to date. The reveiwers who claim it has not been "well researched" must not have read past the third page, to say nothing of the bibliography, one of the most impressive and detailed I have ever seen in any work of non-fiction. In many ways, the history of il Duce tells itself and the horrible reality is not the result of someone's point of view as much as a detailed and faithful telling of the truth.

Hilarious, groundbreaking work on the life of Mussolini

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-02

This book is still the benchmark on the life of that despicable,culpable idiot and gangster politician, Mussolini. In the book, you will discover the real Mussolini, a lifelong coward, born slacker, hollow pedant, syphylitic philanderer, perfidous demagogue and complete moron.

No biographies after this work comes close to the insights that Mack Smith has on Mussolini and Fascist Italy, twin clowns in the world stage.

The Definitive Poltical Biography of Mussolini

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-13

Denis Mack Smith has written the definitive political biography of Bonito Mussolini. This work built upon a foundation of short, clear and concise paragraphs make for an enthralling read on the life of the fascist dictator known to millions as IL DUCE. Born in 1883, of humble beginnings on a small Italian village, Mussolini would possess a complex character throughout his life to become one of the three most infamous totalitarian dictators of the twentieth century. Mussolini changed his political ideology from socialist left to fascist right like an actor changes costume. As a result, he became one of the most loved and, ultimately, the most hated by his people. Although slated as a political narrative of fascism, it is the diverse character Mussolini that shines through in Mack Smith's work. As the author points out, "Italian fascism was more than just Mussolini. But the quirks of character in this one man were a crucial factor in both its successes and failures." Mack Smith organized his book in short thematic chapters and sub-headings with an ample supply of dates to guide his audience along. He begins by painting Mussolini's troubled youth as a knife wielding bully that led to numerous expulsions from local schools. Mussolini's father, a blacksmith and active member of the socialist party who had an affinity for drinking and womanizing, suggests Mack Smith, may have had a significant influence in Mussolini's early development and eventual socialist leanings. His mother, a devout catholic and schoolteacher tried her best to keep young Bonito in school. The cantankerous youth would go on to teach school himself, however, for the most part, he led the life of a young Bohemian sporting an unkempt appearance and writing mediocre poetry. Mack Smith is diligent to delve beneath the propaganda myth commonly associated with Bonito Mussolini. The author's favorite source of exposure are several autobiographies written by Mussolini as well as a host of other manuscripts penned by the dictator. Rather than attempting to psychoanalyze his subject, Mack Smith illustrates the true nature of Mussolini that just seems to make good historical sense. Even the many references to Mussolini's various sexual escapades are not included as a motive for sensationalistic journalism, but rather, to illustrate the dysfunctional complex character that was Mussolini. Unintentionally, or perhaps not, the author raises the question of gender in early twentieth century Italy. Was violence at the point of a knife and wanton sexual exploits inherent to the psychological make-up of the Italian male? Mack Smith does not elude to have the answer but the question arises nonetheless. A number of mistresses would play a prominent role even to the end of his life when "Clara Petacci stood by him to the last and insisted on dying with him." The weaknesses of this book are slight. Some have argued that Mack Smith remains to narrowly focused on his subject and fails to provide an adequate historical context. This is not too glaring a defect. The author prepares us early on that this is a political biography of Bonito Mussolini, not a history of fascist Italy in the 1920s and 30s. The author makes it clear, however, that "...the birth and development of fascism owe far more to this one man than anyone else." At times, Mack Smith is perhaps too concise. For example, the masterfully planned and flawlessly executed mission conducted by Otto Skorzeny, to rescue Mussolini at Badoglio, deserves more than the half paragraph Mack Smith devotes to it. Nevertheless, this book is the best treatment of the first fascist dictator. It serves both as a general introduction, and paves the way for further readings. All in all, the book is a significant addition to totalitarian literature.

Paper Wings

Published in Paperback by Weidenfeld & Nicholson (1997-03-10)

Author: Marly Swick

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incredably moving

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-17

this book is the most realistic book i've ever read.if you've ever had to live with a mother who was obsesive,you'd know exactly what the 1963 girl was talking about.

an elegy to the 60's

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-02

This is a beautifully written novel that evokes the zeitgeist of the times. I could picture the houses and the neighborhood exactly. The assassination of JFK was a pivotal moment in my life as it was in this book. The relationship between Suzanne and her mother, Helen, was well-defined. On the one hand I wanted to shake Helen to make her come to her senses, but on the other I empathized with her unhappiness. For once I wished a book had been longer--the ending seemed rushed and I had a lot of questions about the fate of the other characters. The detail about the Mustang bothered me too since my parents bought one of the first ones. It didn't come out until 1964.

Transcendental

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-19

I just finished this book and am still savoring its sweetness! Marly Swick is a new-found hero of mine.....she proves an incredible talent for letting you see through the eyes of a 12-year old child in this coming-of-age, touching and reminiscent novel. Her attention to detail is an important aspect of her writing and allowed me to relate entirely to this story of growing up in the 1960's. I found this book comforting and joyful, even in its "sadness", and that is a true testament to Ms. Swick's abilities!

when a marriage falls apart

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-02

12 year old Suzanne Keller thinks everything is finally going right when her family moves into their new home. Her mother isn't gulping down aspirin or immobile with a migraine. She seems to turn into the mother she has always wanted. That's until the news of JFK's assassination rocks her world.

Suzanne's mother, Helen was obsessed by him, his family and all he stood for. Once again, she is irrational, nervous, chain smoking and chain reading, looking for an answer to the question mark of her life.

The family disintergrates around Suzanne as her mother tries to deal with the demons of her past and get a grip on the future.

You may have read this sort of thing before, but...

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-11

Paper Wings manages to maintain a unique, sweet, clear voice and vision. Another "fictional memoir" about being a child during the Kennedy assassination? "Oh, spare me!", right? Swick's book has an excellent, easy flow, and, although it's not a "can't put it down" book, you certainly don't want to put it down. Worth ordering though it seems to be currently out of print.

The Author of Himself

Published in Paperback by Weidenfeld & Nicholson history (2002)

Author: Marcel Reich-Ranicki

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fascinating

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-15

Marcel Reich-Ranicki is like the Roger Ebert of German literature. He is also a Jew who barely managed to survive the Warsaw ghetto. An interesting combination, which makes for a fascinating autobiography.

I think that the first half of the book is the strongest. It describes how he went to school in Germany in the 1930's under deteriorating conditions, followed by deportation to the Warsaw ghetto. The book's depiction of life in the Warsaw ghetto is amazing, and the story of his escape and survival is like a thriller.

The second half of the book describes how he rose to become a leading German literary critic, and paints portraits of various eccentric literary personalities that he interacted with. This part of the book might be less exciting to those who do not have a particular interest in German literature, but the crazy characters are amusing regardless of whether one knows anything about their works.

Discover the book--it's worth it!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-10

It is interesting how often we see a person through his profession and work. You see an older man on television discussing books, you know that he is a literary critic writing reviews and books. Sure, they say that he is the one, that he is 'the Pope' of German letters, but if you are not interested in literature why would you care about a bookish man. What could be interesting about his life? If you are that person, reconsider. True, parts of the book are about literature and won't appeal to some (though try not to skip them either), but there is so much more. If not for the fact that author's early life happened in so tragic years of Nazi Germany, World War II, and the Holocaust, one could call the book a thriller, an adventure of an extraordinary height. The tragedy of these years makes the story real and sobering, but exciting nevertheless. Born in Poland of Polish Jewish parents, moved to Germany, deported by the Nazis back to Poland, survived Warsaw Ghetto and the war, served as Polish diplomat in England, wrote for Polish papers, returned to West Germany, became the leading literary critic in Germany. Read, read, and read one more time.

Marcel Reich-Ranicki: Selfmade Man Extraordinaire

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-06

Considering how little is translated and published here in the U.S. from the German, it is heartening that Marcel Reich-Ranicki's autobiography is among the chosen. It is a moving testimony of a life dislocated and reconstructed several times over, of a youth in Berlin, survival in the Warsaw Ghetto,life in post-War Poland, and a return to West Germany, where he rose to be the the most esteemed and, I suppose, also feared literary critic. His portrayal of the German literary scene from the sixties through the nineties by means of vignettes of its chief representatives is poignant and revealing. His assessment including that of his own role within it is likely to have provoked controversy.

Throughout the book emerges the self-portrait of a courageous,persevering, and also pained and sensitive man, who as a much-published author, radio and television personality seems to have been simultaneously at the center and at the margins of German cultural life for four decades.

I happened to be in the midst of reading the German version of the book when the events of September 11 threw our world out of kilter. Day after day I went back to Reich-Ranicki's "Mein Leben" with bated breath to escape from the present, not into an idyllic past, but to gain perspective on human suffering from a wise old man who describes his own lifelong anguish without sentimentality or moralizing. There may be other takes on his life story, but no one can deny his undying passion for the literature of the German language and his pursuit of it against all odds. To have an English translation to share with my friends is indeed something to write home about.

It is ironic, to say the least, that Reich-Ranicki, who was born in Poland, raised in Berlin, deported to Poland because of being a Jew, should be called "the Pope of German Letters." But then was he, whom the popes represent on Earth, not also a Jew? (with apologies to G.E.Lessing).

Warsaw ghetto

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-23

The most moving part of this book is its description of life in the Warsaw ghetto -- of how the Jews created a symphony orchestra and the Nazis' response to it, of the way that the Nazis chose which Jews were to be "resettled" and which would temporarily be allowed to live, and of Reich-Ranicki's and his wife's means of survival. I wish that Reich-Ranicki had been more introspective in the book, but one can't have everything -- it's a great book nonetheless.

The Author of Me-Me-Me, I-I-I

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-11

The concept of this work is both unique and intriguing while the execution was boring and trite. I'm certain that persons more familiar with German literature and authors will take great offense at my brief analysis but I learned more about everyone else in Germany than I did about Marcel Reich-Raniki. The first half of the book did keep me interested but always wanting for more, more about him & his wife and a lot less about Max Frisch et al. I was also put-off by his constant references to himself and how important he was. He was lucky to survive the holocost, lucky to have such a position in Germany after the war, but should have left the writing to those whom he reviewed.

Dreaming: Through the Gates of Horn & Ivory

Published in Paperback by Vertigo (1999-02-22)

Authors: Caitlin R. Kiernan, Peter Hogan, and Jeff Nicholson

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A vast disappointment

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-17

Comparing this book with Gaiman's Sandman is simply misleading. It has none of the light or spirit that characterizes his work.

Neil Gaiman it's not...

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-02

Well, I suppose that if every comic writer were going to be criticized for not being Neil Gaiman I'd have a very long night ahead of me indeed. But still, the fact that these are almost all characters that he created make the comparisons more obvious. While Ms. Kiernan does a workable job with the storylines and characters left hanging at the end of "The Wake," she just doesn't have the flair that Gaiman did. The biggest annoyance for me was that where Gaiman would hint at a million literary, mythological and pop culture references to be discovered like treasures on the third or fourth reading in his comics, with Kiernan the ones that aren't immediately obvious (which are most of them) are nearly always explained within the story. But for anyone who may have found Gaiman's writing too dense or obscure, they may prefer her method. I personally don't. Still, it was nice to have something left of the Dreaming, even if it's more like the Dreaming Lite.

Ms. Kiernan plays well with Mr. Gaiman's characters.

Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-17

Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN comics series is categorically a classic in the field. Certainly, a certain trepidation about other authors mucking about with his uniquely defined characters is not only understandable, but expected. Not to worry our continuity-riddled grey matter! In this, the second collected volume of THE DREAMING comic, Caitlin Kiernan proves more than apt to the task. Here we have Gaiman archetypes like Mervyn, Matthew the Raven, Eve (yes, THAT Eve, the first one!), the Corinthian (a very bizarre dream who here deals with his addiction to eyeballs --- no twelve-step program was ever like this!), and my personal favorite, Lucien the librarian of dreams. The stories are all handsomely sophisticated with even more than a touch of Gaimanesque erudition. Additionally, while Ms. Kiernan's style, even semantics and syntax, are mindful of Mr. Gaiman, much of her prose is solely her own. As with Gaiman's masterful oeuvre, this is comics in its finest form. A grand introduction to those who have either forgotten or ever known the pleasure of comics.

A superb comic!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-10

Since Caitlin Kiernan took over The Dreaming it's been almost as good as The Sandman, as this collection will demonstrate. She's definitely one of the best writers at Vertigo today.

I didn't expect it to be this good . . .

Helpful Votes: 37 out of 41 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-19

but it is. It's really, really good. No, not as good as Neil Gaiman, but you couldn't have expected that. It's excellent, though. It's also a huge improvement on the first "Dreaming" anthology, Beyond The Shores of Night. Caitlin Kiernan (who wrote two story arcs in this collection made up of 3 issues each) is a worthy successor to the Sandman universe--which is not an easy thing to be--and Peter Hogan (who wrote two short stories) is close.

I shall now discuss each story. The first is "Day's Work, Night's Rest" by someone whose name I don't remember. I didn't really like this one. It started out trying to be serious (as far as I can tell), but ended up with a sort of black comedy that didn't work. And the art was really ugly. Next!

"Ice" by Peter Hogan. Ah, much better. This is the one where the story of Cluracan and his nemesis is resolved. We also get to see Nuala working as a barmaid in New York; she gets a visit from Lucien. I very much enjoyed Hogan's characterization of the Cluracan, and the art is superior.

Next is a 3-part story arc by Caitlin R. Kiernan, called "Souvenirs". It's about the Corinthian, a character I have always found fascinating. And this story is fantastic. I honestly think it ranks up with some parts of Sandman; perhaps "Collectors", only more disturbing. (Yes, more disturbing than "Collectors". This story is not for the faint of heart.) Caitlin Kiernan has a lovely and unique style. She invents words ("cricketwhisper") and makes extensive use of the word "and" to join together phrases and thoughts you wouldn't normally join together, creating startling, unconventional-sounding prose which somehow captures the mood perfectly.

Then there's another Kiernan story arc: An Unkindness of One. I didn't like this one as much, but it was still pretty cool. It's about Matthew becoming a man again temporarily, as Lucien becomes a raven again temporarily. I didn't get some of what was going on, but I think I'd have enjoyed it a lot more if I kept up with "Swamp Thing". Kiernan's prose still shines. Something to note: The f-word is probably used ten times as much in this one book than it was during the entire run of Sandman. :)

Lastly, another Peter Hogan story: My Year As A Man. This concerns Dream's raven Aristeas of Marmora (remember, "the one who came back after he was a man again"). As you may have figured out from the title, Aristeas spends a year as a man, then goes back to being a raven. It's a moderately good story, but Peter Hogan really won me over by putting Thessaly in it--quite a bit younger, and now calling herself Hypata, but still Thessaly. I was thrilled to see her again.

This collection far surpassed my expectations--particularly "Souvenirs". If you were devastated when you had no more Sandman to read, definitely check this out!

The King's Gold

Published in Hardcover by Weidenfeld & Nicholson (2008-04-10)

Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte

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Average review score:

All Good!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-29

Quite an accomplishment. Reverte's follow-up to the saga of Altriste continues into the backdrop of 16th and 17th century Spain. Historically accurate and a splendidly good read.

Captain Alatriste returns

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-08

Captain Diego Alatriste and his Boswell, Inigo Balboa, return with another rousing adventure in 17th century Spain, this to protect the arrival of a treasure ship from the New World for the king. This fourth installment in the series also brings back some of the memorable secondary characters, among them the Italian assassin, Malatresta, and Inigo's heart's desire, Angelica de Alquezar. The author again exhibits his grasp of 17th century Spanish history and a feel for place as well. His writing and the translation are brisk and engaging. **** (of 4)

His Best To Date

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-04

Perez-Reverte has struck gold with his latest in the Captain Alatriste saga, "The King's Gold." Full of swordfights, double-dealing, suspense, the honor of rogues, and subtle hints of the future twists in to be completed books, this new novel is clearly the best so far - just barely edging out the first of the Captain Alatriste books.

This book continues Perez-Reverte's promise of an excellent story, for here the captain must recruit fellow swordmasters, duellists and ex-soldiers for a night's dirty work. We also see the continued development of the relationship of his page, Inigo, and his dangerous infatuation with Angelica.

Perez-Reverte paints a picture of Spain lost in the gaze of itself in the mirror while corruption, greed and fanaticsm slowly bring about its downfall.

All in all, an extremely worthy addition to the Captain Alatriste story and a wonderful novel. I wish I could read it again with the same sense of unfolding discovery as the adventure plays out....

Inigo Balboa Comes of Age

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-06

Inigo, now a well-developed adult-like 16, gets kissed, gets himself stabbed, and stands up to the Captain more than once. He also begins to see Alatriste for the man he really is - a sword-for-hire assassin. "The Boy," as most call him, the orphan son of Alatriste's dead companion Lope Balboa who Alatriste has been entrusted to raise, continues narrating this next episode, the fourth, of his and Diego Alatriste's adventures. We've been with them about 4 years now. "The Sun Over Breda" remains - far and away - the best of the series, though "King's Gold" comes in a strong second. There's actually some swash-buckling in this one - and no war, merely hired swords in an action-adventure tale.

The setting remains in the 1620's during Spain's rapid decline as a world plunderer and power. Arturo Perez-Reverte - through Inigo's mature, astute, articulate voice - also continues his rampages against and disparagement of everything Spanish (except the Army, swordsmanship and poetry). He condemns, repeatedly (and predictably now), the church, greed, Spanish contempt for human life, its obsession with gold and silver, its failed hegemony, its very strange customs, and its fundamental inhumanity. This anti-church, anti-Spain theme pervades every one of Perez-Reverte's novels (I've read them all). One would think that Perez-Reverte despises Spain. Not so, of course, but he -- as a novelist-historian -- shows a vast and boundless contempt for Spain's awful modern (1500-1800) history and its then-odd culture/ethos. I admire him for his unrelenting attacks on evil, the church and Spain's despicable moments in history.

Captain Alatriste, as it turns out, symbolizes everything that is wrong with Spain - even his defiant self-defense against all odds, his killer instincts, and his submission to outmoded customs. He certainly is not a likeable "hero!"

The relationship between Inigo and Diego remains obscure, intimate, loving and quite dark. Their mutual adoration defies description or rationality, and Inigo painstakingly chronicles the nearly inscrutable Captain in such absolute detail as to raise the reader's eyebrows from time to time. (Page 223) "I woke with Captain Alatriste's hand on my shoulder. `It's time,' he whispered, almost brushing my ear with his moustache." (Page 230) "Then I felt his hand squeeze my shoulder, firmly, briefly. I looked up and swallowed hard. The deck was some five or six cubits above our heads." (Page 254) Here the Captain has a quasi-psychotic episode apparently, and Inigo says, "... for an instant I was afraid he might kill me also."

All-in-all, the story is pretty good, with occasional hard-to-believe coincidental events, but it is slow-moving about half the time. The swordsmanship episodes are excellent, as well as the prison scene. There is a good build-up of tension and excitement in the final 80 pages, and the story ends without a big let-down, as is so often the case in recent Perez-Reverte novels.

The translation is good but suffers from an inclusion of too many very modern slangy Americanisms. I always increase my vocabulary, however, when reading Perez-Reverte. I could do without the poetry.

The narrator's voice continues to suffer dramatically from a fundamental flaw. Too often, Inigo, the narrator, does not, could not have and did not witness the events, people and activities which he describes in first person, as if he were or had been there. Perez-Reverte really needs to solve this problem - which exists in all the Alatriste tales. The narration problem detracts from an otherwise decent plot.

Except for Inigo's mostly fantasy "relationship" with the evil teen-age beauty Angelica de Alquezar, there is no woman in this story. Given Perez-Reverte's unique and brilliant ability to create strong female fictional characters, their absence here is astonishing and sad. Including a good and powerful woman in the Alatriste stories would be a godsend.

Finally, I grow tired of reading about the repeated appearances of the "series bad guy," Gualterio Malatesta, who, it seems, even sword-perfect Alatriste cannot finally dispatch once and for all. Malatesta is a gimmicky literary trick, a thorny reappearing character inserted into all the stories to keep some consistent danger to Alatriste and the boy. The other repeating characters create no problem. I do have the feeling that we will follow Inigo throughout his life in this fair-to-middling series. 10 more in the pipeline?

Perez-Reverte's early novels remain his best, but he retains his favorite-author status with me.

In the Footsteps of Dumas, Henty and Sabatini

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-21

The fourth volume in "The Adventures of Captain Alatriste" series is set in the port city of Sevilla. The annual treasure fleet is about to arrive and a powerful clique in the King's inner circle is planning to siphon off Royal Treasure for their own nefarious purposes. Another powerful group of noblemen want to stop them. This being Spain in its decadent Gold Age, hired blades will be needed. Who better to recruit and lead a party of mercenary swordsmen recruited from Sevilla's criminal underclass than the redoubtable Captain Alatriste and his loyal companion, Inigo Balboa?

For those of us who love the scwashbucklying genre of literature, we are fortunate that Arturo Perez Reverte is producing what will be the nine volume "Adventures of Captain Alatriste" series. Perez Reverte is a fine novelists who writes serious international best sellers. In between the more serious novels, he finds the time to publish further Alatriste adventures. Each volume is well written and filled with wonderful historical details from Spain's Golden Age.

I love the series and hope to one day read all nine volumes. However, the problem with the series is that each novel is essentially eposodic in nature. There is a lack of an over-arching story in each novel. One will have to read all nine novels to learn how the story turns out. I wish that Perez Reverte had sat down like Alexandre Dumas and wrote one really long novel. Perez Reverte will do in nine novels what Dumas did in one novel. I guess this is the difference between the great novels of the Nineteenth Century and the works that are produced today for our shorter attention spans.

Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies About Wildlife

Published in Hardcover by Harmony (2000-06-27)

Authors: Warner Shedd and Trudy Nicholson

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Average review score:

Excellent Book on North American Wildlife

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-07

You'd be hard pressed to find a book more packed with fascinating information that Warner Shedd's "Owls Aren't Wise And Bats Aren't Blind". Each chapter provides a concise description of the characteristics and habits of a particular animal (or family of animals), and, as the book's subtitle suggests, debunks some common myths about North American wildlife. Shedd's writing style is earnest and straightforward, and is perfectly suited for this type of book. Shedd deftly addresses controversial issues in a reasonable manner, and imparts a wealth of information about some common wildlife. A chapter on snakes would have been welcome, although I'm sure a discussion of the myths surrounding snakes would fill an entire book on it's own. This is an information packed book that has appeal for a wide age range.

Works too hard on the "debunking"

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-20

The authors are too intent on "debunking". Sometimes they get facts wrong in their eagerness to debunk myths (e.g., one of their "myths" is "Polar bears are white". Which they are, at least approximately. The _hair_ of polar bears isn't white. It's transparent (think fiber optics). But polar bears themselves are not transparent. Crows can probably count, too - the brighter parrots can, and corvidae and psitacidae seem to be of roughly equivalent intelligence). And some of the myths seem to have been made up largely so they could be debunked.
Aside from that, it's not bad.

bats aren't blind, they just don't see too well

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-10

Warner Shedd reveals his wealth of knowledge about the outdoors in a style that is pure Vermonter. Although it seems as though at times he is refuting a so-called myth by re-stating the myth as fact, Shedd's enthusiasm for his subject and willingness to share personal anectdotes overcomes his sometimes pedantic style. The illustrations are a capable addition to the book, and anyone who comes to this well will go away knowing a bit more about their subject. My irrational exuberance is not all just because the author is my Mother's sister's husband! Good luck, Uncle Warner!

Warner Shedd offers a new pair of glasses

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-21

Warner Shedd's book has deepened my whole family's enjoyment of the animals in our midst. We have read it to the kids before bed and shared it with company. After reading a chapter I feel as refreshed as I would after a leisurely stroll through the woods.

I live surrounded by red squirrels, but it was not until I read Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind that I could really see them. Shedd articulated what my peripheral senses have been barraged with all these years, and brought these cute rascals into focus for the first time.

Likewise, my rodent-phobic mother has grown positively fond of the muskrat who visits her suburban yard (It better stay out of the house though.). Shedd helped her identify the animal and understand what a positive contribution it made to her environment.

My son recently found a dead porcupine in the woods. Shedd's book got us looking at its quills under the microscope and equipped us to make an educated guess about its demise.

Superior North American wildlife book

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-04

I didn't really think that owls were wise, but these things are relative. Owls are probably "wiser" than sparrows, but certainly not in the same IQ league as ravens and crows. And, although I didn't suppose that bats were completely blind (Shedd assures us that "most actually see quite well"), I knew they didn't depend on their eyes to catch prey. There is a lot of other "obvious" and generally well-known information here, but there is also a wealth of knowledge about thirty or so of the familiar animals of North America that I didn't know or even suspect. I didn't realize, for example, that there are "frequency modulation" (FM) bats as well as ones that use a "constant frequency" (CF), and a third group (CF-FM types) that use both methods of echolocation to zero in on prey. For another example, while I knew that grizzlies are bigger than black bears, I didn't know that Alaskan brown bears are the biggest bears of all, and are not just another name for grizzlies.

What makes this a superior book on the wildlife of North America is the wealth of experience that Shedd brings to the subject and his imminently readable style, combining lots of concrete fact with well-told anecdote. He does an especially good job of clearly defining each species. The chapter on bears is as vivid and memorable as a PBS special. The easy reading (and this is always the case) belies what I know was the very hard work that went into the construction of every sentence. Typical of Shedd's illustrative style (in the floral mode) is this description from page 68: "...a bat's flight is as unpredictable and indecipherable as the movements of a prestidigitator's hands."

Additionally there are a number of beautiful full-page black and white illustrations of the animals by Trudy Nicholson that delight the eye. She has the knack of not only accurate detail, as Shedd notes in the Acknowledgments, but of infusing the animals with a sense of an appropriate and pleasing emotional aspect.

Politically speaking, and every wildlife book in this day and age has its political position, this book steers a middle course. Shedd, himself a hunter and a conservationist, eschews both the tree-hugging sentimentality of the left and the purely commercial mentality of the right.

Attractive and popular, Owls Aren't Wise and Bats Aren't Blind, would make an ideal present for anyone interested in wildlife, from grandchildren to grandparents.

Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number

Published in Paperback by Weidenfeld & Nicholson (1993-07-15)

Author: Jacobo Timerman

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We aren't in 1970 decade

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-26

I read this book, here in Brazil, about 20 years ago.This book was writen by an argetinian and jew, about thirty years ago.This book is against Argetina's government, in late 1970 decade.This book isn't a communist's book, but a book against torture and other bad things.The main problem of this book is that we aren't in 1970 decade.Argentina's processo is over since 1983 and we must remember that in Argentina, there was less than 0.05% of murders that were did in "socialists paradises" such as China or former USSR.

Fantastic book

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-19

I used this book in my introduction to Latin America course as a supplementary text. The writing is moving and heartfelt while being historically and politically relevant. Most students read this book in one sitting finding it impossible to put down.

Harrowing

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-12

One of the most harrowing books I've ever read. An amazing entreaty against violence of both the left and the right, and a heartbreaking analysis of contemporary anti-Semitism. Comparable at some points perhaps to Koestler's Darkness at Noon, except that it deals with torture in a more direct (and horrifying, since it's nonfiction) way. I wish this were requiring reading in schools.

Siempre la misma pregunta

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-03

I won't give a synopsis of the book b/c everyone else has already done that for you. What I can say about this book is that it is an impetus. After you read it, you'll most likely be hungry for more information about this brutal time in a seemingly well-developed country. Questions to consider: Why the silence of the press, with the exception of Timerman's newspaper 'La Opinion' and the 'B.A. Herald?' How could someone treated so horribly come out of it okay? Why did this happen after Pinochet's regime and the Nazi regime? This is post WWII, so why? Where was the rest of the world? The book is splendid, the first chapter gut-wrenching and beautiful. You will love it as much as Elie Wiesel's 'Night.'

Que triste, Lo mismo ahora

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-17

Este libro es un resumen de un pais de tristeza. Anarchia, luchas, gobiernos coruptos, y la militaria- es lo mismo ahora en este pais bella y riqueza. Los maleducados hay un nivel de estupidez - ellos solo quieren el pavo, el dinero - la renta sin pensar de la gente.

Tienes que leer este libro!

Upstaged: Making Theatre in the Media Age

Published in Hardcover by Theatre Arts Book (2005-10-27)

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fascinating book on theatre today

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-20

Theatre. Is it an age-old instutution which still freshly engages it's audience, or have new advances in media and home entertainment finally rendered the theatre redundant? After reading Anne Nicholson Weber's UPSTAGED: MAKING THEATRE IN THE MEDIA AGE, you'll get a clearer picture of how theatre has kept itself relevant (often against all odds) in an ever-changing world.

Ms Nicholson Weber interviewed 24 notable names from the world of theatre and collected them in this book. Producers, directors, critics and performers, all with different voices and opinions on the state of theatre today. Together, their comments create a fascinating cross-section which readers will no doubt find enthralling, humorous and illuminating.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (the pert and promising young star of "Secretary") talks about the alarming difference between Los Angeles and New York theatre audiences. Sir Peter Hall reveals his impression of Broadway today ("a tourist attraction with plastic musicals that run forever"). Adrian Lester ("Primary Colours") discusses the unspoken hierarchy which prevents talented theatre performers from breaking into major movie roles. And, in one of the most shocking--yet telling--essays, theatre/opera director Michael Kahn talks about talent agents who routinely prevent their clients from seeking roles in the theatre.

You're bound to find your own favourites in the mix. It might be called "The Fabulous Invalid", but Broadway isn't going anywhere in a hurry. The great art of theatre may change; it won't entirely disappear. UPSTAGED will be a valuable volume for those wanting to explore theatre's possibilities in a new age.

A Must Read for Theatre Buffs!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-16

If you are interested in theatre and film and have always wanted to have an intimate chat with the movers and shakers who are rooted in theatre but work regularly in film, buy this book. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tony Kushner, Julie Taymor, Simon Callow, Frank Rich, Anna Deavere Smith and Paul Scofield are only a few of the writers, directors, critics and actors you'll meet along the way. How has film and other media changed what would have been exclusively a life in the theatre? That's the focus of these short but revealing interviews--reminding us that live theattre has weathered many storms and will outlast or at least co-exist with films, tv, videogames, MySpace and any new technology that Western civilization has to offer.

Upstaged, for those who love and live by live performance

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-16

"The thrill of seeing a card trick is that a person has done it in front of your eyes - It's thrilling, amazing, you don't know how it's possible. If you see a card trick in a movie, it's just not that kind of feat: a card trick in a movie is almost meaningless." So conjectures Wallace Shawn in Anne Nicholson Weber's wonderful and inspiring collection of conversations entitled Upstaged: Making Theatre in the Media Age.

As a professional magician, I often wonder if live magic performances can survive the age of digital dominance. And so, Shawn's comment is heartening. In fact, Ms. Weber's book is filled with affirmations for those of us who love and live by live performance, but her book doesn't stop there. The two-dozen plus conversations with top theatre professionals managed to delineate for me the theatre's unique strengths. The discussions are intellectual and entertaining. The artists interviewed never theorize, but instead draw from real life examples involving major theatre productions and renowned actors.

Although the book was created over several years through phone conversations, taped face to face meetings, and written correspondence, I still felt like I was sitting in on an intimate group discussion, listening to candid views from the likes of Frank Rich, Julie Taymor, Peter Hall, and Paul Scofield. What gives this impression is the way the various artists use and reuse each others images and criss cross over common themes.

One theme of particular interest to me was the unique communal experience of theatre where audience and performer bond. Robert Falls refers to this as the "communal and spiritual" element of theatre, Julie Taymor in turn speaks of "sacred spaces" and Peter Hall goes all the way to assert that in the theatre we naturally engage in "collective sharing" because "we are a tribal animal". As a variety entertainer myself, I found that Simon Callow drives the message home when he quotes the great British music hall comedian Max Wall: "Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you very much. You have been half."

How did Ms. Weber asssemble such an impressive panel and get them to speak at length and so forthrightly? She must be a magician herself. I also suspect that the assembled artists must have been dying to talk on this subject - so passionate is their discourse. In any case, with the advent of the ipod movie player which renders cinema a pocket sized experiece for one, Upstaged is a timely book. And for anyone who is curious about what makes theatre a unique and essential human experience, Upstaged is a must read.

Breathless

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-25

I left the theatre ten years ago. Most of the time I don't look back. This book stopped me in my tracks. While reading Upstaged, I mourned the loss of my life in the theatre and rejoiced having ever been a part of it. It made me want to do theatre again. It made me want to go to the theatre more often. Upstaged made me celebrate the undefinable and rare moments when the fusion of actor and audience becomes something so extraordinary that it leaves you breathless.
Anne Nicholson Weber interviews an impressive collection of theatre artists, agents, and critics to look for an answer to the question, "How can theatre thrive in a culture dominated by film and television?" The answers she finds are refreshingly optimistic.

Who wouldn't be fascinated?

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-05

Having considered myself a reasonably thoughtful but casual viewer of film and theatre, I was curious to see what people actually in the field --directors, actors, playwrights--had to say about the relationship between screen and stage. I found this volume of reflections by luminaries in both fields quite fascinating. Ms. Weber clearly had wide-ranging conversations with her subjects, who include Tony Kushner, Simon Callow, Robert Brustein, Anna Deavere Smith, Frank Rich and many others. She compiled and edited (using helpful content sub-headings) the many remarkable observations by some very deep-thinking individuals. I came away from the book intellectually invigorated; many of the artists' ideas apply to all of the performing arts, and some of them have changed forever the way I will view human communication in 2- and 3-D.

Among the Bohemians

Published in Paperback by Penguin Books Ltd (2003-11-27)

Author: Virginia Nicholson

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Real life of an artistic community

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-25

For someone interested in the 1st. quarter of the past century's artistic and creative environment in Paris - this is a book not to be missed. In spite it's novelistic approach, it resembles the life almost every artist, painter, writer, etc. lived in those days.
I have a special interest, in the development of artistic evolution - particularly painting - of those days, and reading this book gave me an overall insight of what the 'bohemian' life was exposed to - and intelectually/socially influenced by, rather than a merely account of their somewhat called 'eccentric' lifes.
As an avid reader in the matter, I could also mention "Women of the Left Bank", "Bohemians in Paris", "Bohemians of the Latin Quarter", "Kiki's Paris: Artists and Lovers 1900-30", and books written by Gertrude Stein, to broaden the perspective of the early twentieth century's artistic generation.

One of the best books writtien about the bohemians

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-25

This book tells it like it is. Its so good I bought it twice!!

Squalid But Fascinating Lives

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-26

Virginia Nicholson's "Among the Bohemians" is an evocative account of the revolt against Victorian and Edwardian values engaged in by the artists and writers of the early 20th Century. The freedom from the constraints of convention that these bohemians fought for was won at a price - and the price was usually poverty, disease and, more often than not, a squalid and disquieting end.

Given the desperate nature of their lives, and their sometimes shocking deaths, the amazing thing is that the book is a fun read. Nicholson is an engaging prose stylist who knows how to pluck out that little detail that will interest her reader. It's not enough, for example, to point out that the artist Eric Gill engaged in incestuous relations with his daughters - he also refused to wear underwear. Dylan Thomas preferred to steal shirts from friends and acquaintances rather than launder the ones he had. The painter Augustus John leapt on just about every female in sight, and went about in his younger days like a bedraggled gypsy.

There are some omissions. I would have liked Nicholson to have included George Gissing's "The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft," simply because it includes so much of the essence of what these people thought and felt, and not to mention Quentin Crisp, the author of "The Naked Civil Servant," is a definite loss to the book.

"Among the Bohemians" is a bit too British and Bloomsbury-centric (understandable enough, given that Nicholson's grandmother was Vanessa Bell and her great-aunt Virginia Woolf), and the Americans who came over to Europe between the wars are practically ignored, but given the limits of what she's chosen to work with, it's a splendid job.

Like it or not, though, we live in the world that the rebels that Nicholson describes brought about. Our attitudes about just about everything are a lot more free-spirited and a lot less censorious than they would have been a century ago, and we owe those people who paid the price of their rebellion for the social freedoms that too many of us take for granted. That's reason enough, I think, to read this book.

The Bohemian spirit

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-19

Among the Bohemians is a fascinating and thorough excursion through the colorful streets, homes and cafes of bohemian England during the early 20th Century. Virginia Nicholson, who is related to both the painter Vanessa Bell (often mentioned in this book) and the writer Virginia Woolf, handles the subject in a rather scholarly manner, covering a range of topics chapter by chapter. This organized approach may seem out of tune with the book's subject, but it works well here, allowing the reader to meet the same cast of characters from different vantage points. Like a naturalist studying the behavior of animals in the wild, Nicholson examines almost every conceivable aspect of bohemian life. Using memoirs from that era, we learn all about the homes, love lives, dress, eating habits, parties and child-rearing practices of these flamboyant characters.

Some writers (e.g. Herbert Gold) have successfully examined Bohemia from the inside, using a poetic and meandering voice, but Nicholson prefers the more sociological/ anthropological method. The fact that she is writing about a past era also makes a certain distance inevitable. Despite this methodical approach, Nicholson is not detached from her subject in a coldly objective way. She is clearly sympathetic and admiring of the people she describes. Indeed, she credits bohemians with creating much of the freedom we take for granted today. As she states in the introduction, Nicholson does not confine her study to famous people, though the well known (e.g. Dylan Thomas, Carrington, Robert Graves), are certainly not neglected. As an American, I had always associated Bohemia with places like Paris (which, Nicholson confirms, has always been the Bohemian capital), Greenwich Village and North Beach, but never England. This book filled in some rather large gaps in my knowledge, illustrating the very significant role played by bohemian Brits.

Nicholson has a genuine appreciation for the bohemian spirit, and acknowledges the sacrifices made by many obscure artists, poets and others existing (often marginally) at society's fringes. For some, the idealistic decision to forsake conventional society for a life dedicated to art, romance, poetry or perhaps a vaguer idea such as beauty or authenticity was never rewarded with any kind of material success. Was there any compensation for those living such marginal lives? Nicholson makes the case that for many, a life dedicated to art, romance and freedom is its own reward. For those who embody the bohemian spirit, material comforts and security are not worth the price of suppressing one's creativity and individuality. Bohemia during this era was a radical negation of the conservative Victorian values that were dominant. Similar to the Beatniks of the 1950s and the hippies of the 60s, but to an even greater extent, these early rebels in many ways charted the course for what was to become the modern world. Nicholson presents them as revolutionaries who helped to create a freer and more creative world for everyone. Many of these people lived in abject poverty, and at those days there were few resources to help those who became destitute. There were virtually no government social programs, and relatives were seldom in a position (and often unwilling) to help those who fell between the cracks. The decision to "drop out" of mainstream society had potentially far more dire consequences than for, say, the mostly middle class hippies of the 60s who operated with a safety net of affluent parents, free or very inexpensive education and a growing economy (arguably, we may now be moving back towards a harsher economic climate similar to the Victorian times, at least for those outside the mainstream).

Among the Bohemians is a very readable, informative and enjoyable look at bohemians, who are always among the most interesting and creative members of any society.

a real history book

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-27

This book is a truly historical and sociologic analysis of the early 20th century movement known as Bohemianism. This movement and the individuals who comprised it are a frequently misrepresented group, and shallower attempts have been made to identify the impetus and driving force behind it and/or reproduce one's own simulacrum overnight. This book, unlike such endeavors, is clearly well-researched, thoughtful and well-articulated.

The reminder that the reader gets from this book is that if not for the artistic aspect that made these individuals remarkable and noteworthy, they would have been ordinary people who were living in or on the brink of poverty, and the reason that modern society remembers or cares is because of redemptive writing or art: something which is rather left out of the retrospective equation when we think of Bohemianism from a present-day point of view. Time, coupled with the artistic aspect, has twisted this somewhat into a romantic image. At the time, however, the "starving artists" themselves were not seeking a name for their lifestyle or trying to package their look or sensibility. They were muddling through quandries related to their work and linked to money issues: the idea of "I am an artist, therefore i despise wealth" (p.25), yet on the same page, "How I loathe poverty!" This paradox -- the clutching of the very chains that bind them -- is one of the analyses that really makes the book work. Other aspects of the lifestyle that are examined include concepts of value, aesthetics, sexuality and taste.

Perhaps the most fascinating investigation involves the evolution of the Bohemian world, which just can't be reproduced with an after-the-fact "how-to". This exploration is the genuine article: the history of an era as it evolved, versus an exaggerated mock-up after the fact (you don't have to look far to find an example of the latter).

This can all be distilled down into one quote, from Arthur Ransome: "A Man does not set out saying 'I am a Bohemian'..."; this is the fundamental difference between the thoughtful and intelligent research of this work and the comparatively parodic, pop-culture leanings of other sources on the subject. If you're looking for something of substance on the subject, here it is.

Executive Instinct : Managing the Human Animal in the Information Age

Published in Hardcover by Crown Business (2000-11-07)

Author: Nigel Nicholson

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Every Manager Should Read This!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-30

Many managers excel at the minutiae of their technical disciplines but don't understand what motivates or how to manage people. This book would help them do so if they are willing to listen.

Nicholson takes the now-familiar idea of the Stone-Age mind in a modern world and shows its implications for social (group and organizational) behavior. The book resonates with what I have felt and seen in large corporations. It explains well the collision between the corporate desire for economy and messy human nature, the mistakes that many corporate leaders make and why people behave as they do in groups.

A smart manager will use this information to see and act upon the interactions between himself, his people, his colleagues and his bosses differently. This well-written, well-reasoned book is a refreshing change from the vogue of manuals of cold methods for managerial efficiency. I recommend it highly.

Change with the Change!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-25

The evolution of mankind, nevertheless had been a `Stone Age' with an animal behavior, which has been a hard fact and Nigel Nicholsan just reminds that. The book's eight-fold plan suggest getting the most out of it instead of building up individuals to polish their behavioral patterns. The brief sum up of human relationship and personality development go hand to hand to jumpstart the leadership qualities optimistically and psychologically get the human nature work in favor to get the positive plus. Nigel gives an insight to wisdom ways of behavioral patterns as to why humans drive out 100 plus with just one bad happening. Evolutionary psychology (EP) is the current debate where human nature varies from genetics to genetic and organizations today need not act on instincts but go ahead with nature attributes. Being an Instructor in Business segment, Nigel has ways and suggestions for Organizations to scratch off the negatives, block off the darker sides. The book says much on Leadership communication and organization as one big community keeping in tune to balancing sex differences, nature barriers and positively focusing on rumors and gossips as lifeblood of communication at work place. Nigel suggest ways to rule off tough times at workplace n avoid disasters. The book is on programming the mind with Executive Instincts to manage with human nature which is quite natural n head way to tolerance to manage erroneous zones which would rather than create a block for learning abilities. I recommend this book especially very necessary to enhance Leadership qualities and adopt the IQ, EQ, SQ and win a `win chance' with EP - A must follow up of the plans of Nigel Nicholsan, Indeed! Sure Pick.

A Good Read!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-18

If you've ever thought that your boss is a Neanderthal (or you've been accused of being one), take heart - it's perfectly natural. Nigel Nicholson reminds us that we are, after all, only animals working with the same Stone Age minds we've had for millions of years. Once you accept this premise, you're ready to incorporate evolutionary psychology into your management techniques and get human nature to work for you, rather than against you. Despite the fact that some sections fail to dig beneath the superficial, we from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone in search of a fresh perspective on management.

Communities of 150, Stone Age Minds, and Other Tid-Bits

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-26

I liked this book because it flies in the face of conventional wisdom about human relations and organization, and because it provides an alternative perspective on leadership: recognizing that humans have an "animal" nature that is "hard-wired", and that if we accept that rather than trying to "program" individuals, we will be more likely to create a vibrant organization.

The author's "eight point plan" for capitalizing on creative spirit while minimizing irrationality could not be further from the current practices of most government and corporate activities:

1) Watch how you manage errors and mistakes. Zero-tolerance cultures drive out exploration and prevent learning.

2) Train your managers to create a climate of psychological freedom in which curiosity is valued.

3) Give people space to express their emotions and time for reflection.

4) In areas of high information flow and complex decisions, don't trust your instincts. Use decision-making aids and statistics...

5) Make sure that the climate is one in which diverse expertise and opinions get a real open airing.

6) Question your own assumptions and conventional reasoning before making any important decision.

The entire book is valuable, and the above is but a glimpse of some its value. Especially interesting to me was the author's conclusion that the reason most organizational communications programs fail is because they are trying to control behavior rather than create community--like many of the more intelligent writings on military doctrine being more important that military communications, the author makes a compelling case for using communications to create informal shared standards and expectations rather than to micro-manage individual behavior.

The footnotes are especially worthwhile, and serve as a tour of various relevant literatures, all very pleasantly up to date.

The Consilience of Evolutionary Psychology and Management

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-29

E. O. Wilson (1998) promoted the notion of a necessary consilience between academic disciplines. Consilience was described as the "unity of knowledge" or the "snapping together" of ideas. The book "Executive Instinct: Managing the Human Animal in the Information Age" is the consilience point between the fields of Evolutionary Psychology and Management from the Industrial/Organizational Psychological perspective. This lucid interface between these fields lends itself to just that--an interface. It does not contain a sufficiently detailed background of evolutionary theory, nor does it contain a sufficiently detailed review of management theories. What it does contain is an applied theory of management towards "managing instinct with insight." The thesis of the book is immersed in the idea that many of our societal inefficiencies and distresses are derrived from the fact our Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA) is different in many aspects from our current environment. It is the irony of evolution that has prepared us for an environment that has long since past (a phenomenon called evolutionary lag). This book is an effective interface of academic disciplines. It provides a unique perspective that has been conspiciously lacking from previous literature. This perspective on the management of humans in the modern world is grounded in the consideration of our species' evolutionary past and how we can reconcile the differences. Management must take into account the "genetic leash" (Wilson, 1978) to which humans are tethered in order to maximize employee satisfaction and ultimately the stockholder benefits that drive an industrial society.

Nicholson Books