5 comments about ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table.

1. I read this book in about two hours because I couldn't stop reading it!! I have a seven year old son who has ADHD. Blake E.S. Taylor gave me a window into my son's life, my son's emotions, and my son's struggles with ADHD. This is a book that everyone who has ADHD and anyone who knows anyone with ADHD should read. It is an easy read -- the words of a boy who really is aware of his emotions. The only thing that I would have liked to learned more about from Mr. Taylor were his experiences with the medications in relation to his appetite, emotional ups and downs, and other side effects that he might have experienced. The information about the tics was great as my son has been "clearing his throat" (a typical tic seen in ADHDers) for months now and I didn't know it was likely a tic until I read Mr. Taylor's book. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Thank you, Kim (California)



2. It was really nice to read something that was written by someone who understands and has experienced everything that goes along with ADHD. It applies more so to teenagers than my son who is 7. Although it was very informative for me as parent to read. Each chapter addresses a certain characteristic of ADHD and ways to cope with it. Definitely recommend if you have a teenager.



3. This is the best book on ADHD I have read. I read it cover to cover in one day and felt that I really understood my son so much better after reading the perspective of a now young man who struggled through what my Son is going through now. I have a new appreciation and strength to make sure I am supporting what he needs in every way.



4. Thought this effort was a bit disappointing.......It was trying to be dramatic but fell short of holding my interest.



5. This is a great book! It is very down to earth and informative. I'm a clinical psychologist and also have ADHD, so I'm always on the lookout for books to give people who are trying to understand and deal with this disorder. I will definitely be recommending this one.

5 comments about The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World.

1. A very interesting book about a middle class family of six in Egypt who is forced to leave Egypt because they are Jewish and find a new home in a foreign country with $212 allotted to all six of them. It shows the stark contrast between Egypt pre-Nasser and post and the contrast between Egypt and the United States. It also shows the pschological impact of a change in cultures for one of the members at an advanced age with significant health problems.



2. 
   Lucette Lagnado's moving memoir is subtitled My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World. It is a story of a remarkable father and his family movingly told with the feel of a novel as you share the experiences of this family who traveled half way around the world to settle in America. Lucette Lagnado, who is a senior special writer and investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal, demonstrates both her skill as a writer and an investigator.
   
   The story begins with the marriage of her parents, Leon and Edith, in wartime Cairo. As the family establishes itself after the war, the position of the Jewish community gradually deteriorates until, in the early sixties they flee to Paris en route to their eventual destination. The strength of both parents and the details of the family's difficult journey is a story that this reader found intensely moving. The thought of being "stateless", as they were once they left Egypt, is hard to imagine. That they overcame this and survived is a tribute to their courage. This is a memoir that I will not soon forget.



3. I'd been meaning to read Lucette Lagnado's family memoir for awhile. Learning that the book had won the 2008 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature motivated me to actually pick it up. This past weekend, I finished reading the book. And it's an excellent read.
   
   Given what often seems an unending stream of memoir-related scandals, not to mention the primacy of what I'll charitably call the dysfunction narrative (and of course the interrelationship between the two), reading THE MAN IN THE WHITE SHARKSKIN SUIT is a gift. Not only does the author focus on a story that's truly fresh (in this case, the story of a Jewish family's history in Syria and Egypt and the massive dislocation it experienced in 1962 when emigrating from Egypt, first to France and then to the United States). Not only does she include authentic "evidence," including photographs, documents, and file citations from the social service agencies that worked with her immigrant family in Paris and New York. But she also presents rounded portraits of multiple "characters," especially her parents (her father, Leon, is the eponymous man in the white sharkskin suit) and grandparents (especially her two grandmothers). An exercise in navel-gazing, this is surely not. It's not until late in the book that the author's own life-threatening medical problems--which another writer, especially in this Age of the Misery Memoir, might have chosen to make the subject of an entire book, and which are artfully presaged in earlier chapters--take center stage. Even then, it's the effect of her illness on those around her rather than her own suffering that seems to matter more.
   
   What will you get from reading this book? You'll get a sense of the culture of a Levantine Jewish community, one that I, for one, previously knew only superficially (mostly through stories about the in-laws of one of my mother's close friends). You'll get some history, of World War II and the Suez crisis. You'll get stories of Jewish immigrants in France and Israel and the United States. You'll get the texture of Brooklyn in the 1960s and 1970s. You'll get the almost unimaginably shocking story of what happened to one of Lagnado's maternal uncles at the hands of Lagnado's own grandfather. You'll get the triumphs and the tragedies of her family, and you'll get, in particular, a sense of the deep bond between Lagnado and that extraordinary man in the white sharkskin suit. Don't miss it.



4. This is a wonderful and tragic story of a Jewish family who lived in Egypt until the early 1960's when conditions made it very difficult for them to stay. The author tells the story of her grandparents and her parents in wonderful detail, and takes the reader with her on their exodus from Egypt to become refugees in France and then new immigrants to the United States. This book is a must for anyone who wants to learn about the story of Jewish life in Egypt in the 20th century, which came to a sad end as a result of the hostility of Egyptian government towards Israel. The author focuses on the personal story and avoids politics, and shows a graceful attitude without any bitterness towards the country which made her family leave.



5. This is one of the best books I have ever read! There are too few stories about Sephardic Jews from the Middle East. I had no idea about Cairo being so cosmopolitan in the 1920s to 1940s. As an Ashkenazi Jew the Jewish stories I'm familiar with are mostly of Jews from Europe and Russia. This is extremely well-written and compelling. The characters are intimately portrayed, and the story moves along quickly. I couldn't put it down. This is a book that I'm recommending to all my friends and family.

5 comments about Searching for God Knows What.

1. I borrowed this book from a friend. I think it has a great perspective on living a christian life. I took many ideas from this book. The biggest one is that we don't need to worry about what anybody thinks of us, because God is the only one who matters in the end. I think it would be a great book for a teen to read that may be struggling with peer pressure. He is a good author.
   JLB



2. This book has changed my perspective as a Christian and as a human being. Miller's universal quest for truth, however, is universal; this work is appropriate for ANYONE. I believe this book has the power to move people. Miller treats life and faith with humor and sincerity. He is earnest and insightful, yet refreshingly raw and thought provoking. Most importantly, one can easily relate to his experiences and writing. I recommend this poignant work to anyone.



3. What a great book... Miller is a mastermind with words when he talks of "religion", "spirituality" and God. So well written and very well thought out with his philosophy. I would call him a "C.S. Lewis contemporary". If you're a follower of Jesus, I would consider this a MUST READ for you. And for those of you who are searching for God knows what, give this one a try. Miller may just help you find what you've been searching for, after all.



4. I purchased this book because I was impressed with "Blue Like Jazz," Miller's preceding work. BLJ is meandering and not especially well organized, but as I read it, every 5 - 10 pages some incredible bit of wisdom and/or experience would explode off the page at me. (It's unusual for a young writer of contemporary Christian literature to "register" with a sixty-something person still trying to get a handle on God and spirituality.) Consequently, my copy of BLJ has MANY pages that have been dog-eared for future reference.
   
   However, as to "Searching For God..." no explosions at all, at least not for me. This one reads more like someone thinking aloud on paper, with no real focus or direction. "...for God Knows What" is a pretty descriptive title.



5. I loved the way Donald Miller thinks. He is good at laughing at himself and us in our ways of seaching for the divine.

5 comments about The Place to Be: Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television News.

1. Roger Mudd's fine book evokes a different and more comforting era. Like his friend Jim Lehrer who still delivers new this way, he writes in an even and measured cadence. His topical span is great and in some areas, such as the Kennedy family, the depth will also delight those devoted to the subject - not to say, however, that they will like everything they read about the political trio. If you've heard or seen Mudd's recent radio and television interviews the book delivers just what you'd expect. While the events he covers should be at least vaguely familiar to most adults, many of the political and journalistic characters (Long, Friendly, Sevareid, etc.) may be lost on those born after the Baby Boom years. Largely but not entirely free of angst, it is an altogether quick and pleasant retrospective read.



2. You need to move it up your priority list to MUST READ status.
   You'll understand the world of News and Media and appreciate
   what reporters and anchors of "Integrity" have to face to be "great"
   and to stay on the air!!!! I Never could figure out why he (Roger) didn't replace Cronkite; now I know! The "Black Rock" turned varing shades of "bean-pusher grey" after Mr. Paley died. Mr. & Mrs. Moonves' CBS pales by comparison to Mr. Paley's BLACK ROCK!



3. I purchased this book after having seen a live interview with Roger Mudd. Roger Mudd was a part of my growing up and I have always had a great deal of respect for him. Roger is a great human being and tells his story with a great deal of clarity and humor. It was wonderful to hear about the experiences he had during his career with Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, Martin Kalb,Robert Kennedy, etc. - it brought back such wonderful memories. Roger has had a very meaningful life and remains one of my favorites. The book is definitely worth reading and the pages turn very easily.



4. Roger Mudd certainly was in the right places at the right times. His accounts of the civil rights act filabuster and Watergate are intrguing. His strained relationship with Dan Rather might have used some more development in the book.



5. Roger Mudd brings incredible clarity to his start in the business and takes through an incredible period of time when the country was able to count on CBS News to give us all the stories from D.C.
   He adds insights into the internal rivalries that developed and festered, ultimately resulting in his departure to NBC.
   For someone who was also entering the media at that time (and remains in it today), it was absolutely fascinating.

5 comments about Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office.

1. Jen Lancaster is a RIOT! Her memoir is absolutely hilarious! A MUST buy for anyone with a sense of humor.



2. This was the best book I read last year (and I read pretty much every book in the same genre), so good I won't let anyone borrow my copy.
   
   Truth-be-told I almost didn't read past the first forty pages. The opening of the book highlights Ms. Lancaster's ability to belittle underlings and worry about her Prada bag and hair highlights. Don't let the opening fool you, this book is a smart treatment of the Post 9/11/Enron/Worldcom/Tyco unwinding of wealth. Any twenty/thirty-something sporting a good job with a nice paycheck and an optimistic future in 2000 was in for a shock during the recession. I and most of my friends worked in Tech and Finance, 70% of my friends were laid off and, while I was lucky to keep my job, I did lose all my bonuses. Ms. Lancaster's book is an intelligent treatment of how 9/11 affected a non-New Yorker's life. Ms. Lancaster is hilarious, brutally honest, a crisp writer and this is a great read.
   
   I highly recommend this book, this author's blog at www.jennysylvania.com, and this author's other books. I could also see this book being a classic one day and required reading at schools looking for a first-person treatment of early 2000's.



3. This is an excellent book. I would recommend it to anyone. I can't wait to read the others.



4. I have been reading this book for almost 3 weeks- I read a bit before I fall asleep. It is very humorous but moves very slowly. I am about midway thru and honestly there is nothing to really keep my attention except the funny lines thrown in here and there. Not bad but NOT a big page turner for me.



5. I read this book after being laid off from my job on the advice of a friend. It took me 24 hours because Jen is brilliant. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard that I almost was unable to direct my boyfriend what chores I wanted done while I read. If you have not done so, save yourself some time and buy all three books. I'm like a junkie looking for a fix I'm so psyched for Such A Pretty Fat to be arriving at my door.

5 comments about Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project.

1. StoryCorps started in 2003, at the earliest stage, founder Dave Isay and his fellow workers built a booth in Grand Central Terminal in New York City for recording. You want your stories recorded for future generations? No problem, you only need to spend 10 dollars. Each recording is about 40 minutes and two CDs will be made after the session. The cost of each recording is 205 dollars, so the budget became tighter and tighter and the project was almost ended, fortunately, some sponsors stepped in and saved the project as Dave related in the companion book: Listening is an act of Love.
   
   Over 10,000 stories have been recorded since the beginning, and a variety of people have participated, some stories are truly incredible, some stories are touching and inspirational: someone started his education with only 5 dollars, someone narrowly escaped the collapse of World Trade Center. In StoryCorps, we find people tell stories that they've never told anyone: a mother told his son she was once molested by his uncle, two firefighters retrieved how much they loved their lost colleague, a father told his friend how he was saved by a German sergeant during WWII, a lady told her twin sister how envious she once was of her.
   
   There's a remarkable story at the end of the book: a Brooklyn couple Annie and Danny routinely went to the StoryCorps booth to record their lives and marriage, they recorded their love letters every month. Later they became the unofficial speaker of StoryCorps. In January 2006, Danny was diagnosed with end-stage cancer. A week later, unable to walk to the booth, Danny invited Dave to make his final record at home with Annie, he ended the conversation by saying "In my mind and my heart there has never been, there is not now and never will be another Annie." Danny passed away two hours later and the StoryCorps booth was renamed in honor of the couple.
   
   Dave Isay was at loss when he was in medical school until he was attracted by a store with imaginatively decorated windows run by a couple Angel and Carmen, Carmen had been diagnosed with HIV and they decided to create a museum to addiction. Dave was moved by their spirit and courage, and thought they deserved attention. He called a local station for an interview, the news director at the time, Amy Goodman, now the host of Democracy Now, encouraged Dave to do the interview himself. The interview was later picked by NPR for its All things Considered and Dave sealed his future. Now, StoryCorps is one of the most loved programs in NPR and has developed into a nationwide project recording America's Oral History. Some mobile recording studios are travelling around the nation 24/7, and the project has been partnered with The Library of Congress for preserving the recordings, anyone can listen to the archives at any time, thanks to the Internet and podcast, these extraordinary stories from ordinary individuals are spreading worldwide.
   
   Alan Lomax once said, the essence of America lies not in the headlined heroes but in the everyday folks who live and die unknown, yet leave their dreams as legacies. History is always filled with heroic events rather than these dimming, untouched stories from ordinary people, not because we don't care about them but because we don't know what to do. StoryCorps is a great start to fill this vacuum, to connect people from others, to share stories which are extraordinary but unnoticed, to provide a collection of widely shared joy, sadness, courage and despair, and to remind people of what the world truly consists of.



2. Unfortunately, I have not received the product although I have been charged for it.
   
   I was on a streak there for a while with Amazon but that is gone.
   
   How can I get my money back or at a mimimum a like product at no extra cost?
   
   Thx



3. wonderful! can't wait for another to read! opens your eyes to the great people in the U.S.-their challenges, hopes, and happy times



4. These are great stories from everyday people. If our legacy is the stories of our lives that we share with others, then this CD is what we should all be recording for our family and friends. I only wish there were more than the 20 included.



5. StoryCorps is America's largest oral history project and was begun in 2003 by Dave Isay.
   
   I became aware of this book while listening to the StoryCorps excerpts that air on NPR Friday mornings. One morning in particular I heard the story of the unofficial spokes people for StoryCorps, Annie and Danny.
   
   Their love affair is told in the final pages of the book, the chapter entitled "The Story of StoryCorps." When my daughter and I heard their segment on NPR that morning on our way to the coffee shop, we were held mesmerized until it came to an end. It was one of those "transfixed in the parking lot" moments. We sat there, tears streaming down our faces until the end. We didn't go inside for our time of coffee and conversation until we could compose ourselves. That was the day I heard about and decided I had to have this book.
   
   There are two versions, one which comes with a CD and one without. I made the mistake of saving a buck and going without. I recommend getting the CD. I suspect it makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, the book is fabulous and full of stories that fill your heart with light and love.
   
   Every section of the book has heart-wrenching pieces. Stories that will define the American experience. The section entitled Fire and Water is particularly emotional as it deals with stories from the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 and Hurricane Katrina.
   
   I will recommend this book, and give it as gifts to my parents and others.

5 comments about When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa.

1. Peter Godwin's book is a must read for anyone visiting southern africa or just interested in african politics. It helped me understand how a targeted minority,dispite horrific risks, would refuse to leave their homeland. Truely an amazing and tragic Zimbabwean story written from his personal experience.
   Roger



2. Author Peter Goodwin grew up in Zimbabwe when it was Rhodesia. He returns to help his aging parents and finds a country that is collapsing under the brutal dictator, Robert Mugabe. Eloquently he describes the downward spiral of a once beautiful, thriving country.



3. This beautifully written story will remain in your heart and mind. It will be one of the more memorable books I have read.



4. As the second generation child of a prominent white Zimbabwean family and a highly respected international journalist, Peter Godwin does a marvelous job of intertwining the inevitable, tragic disintegration of a formerly prosperous country with the all too real consequences for a white family caught in the throes of horrendous social, political, and economic change. To read this book is to finally understand what it's like to have one's culture pulled from beneath one's very being...and what it's like to adjust to a terrible world where race means the difference between life and death.



5. A book so well-written that you are compelled to keep reading even as the story breaks your heart. Superbly descriptive. A first hand account of the utter moral bankruptcy of modern day Zimbabwe. A must read for the African leaders who seem clueless about their neighboring country.

5 comments about Kirby: King of Comics.

1. In a nutshell, there is very little in this book which hasn't already been covered in one fashion or another in Two Morrows' "Jack Kirby Collector."
   
   Certainly, Mark E's knowledge of all things Kirby is unbeatable and his insight in to the some of the more pivotal events in Jack's life gives us a rare glimpse of what the man was like on a personal level. However, most hardcore Kirby fans already have access to the above mentioned "Jack Kirby Collector" and I wondered if maybe that has kind of overstaturated the prospective audience for the book.
   
   You have to wonder if the few people who buy this that aren't already Kirby fans will make it a profitable enough venture for Mark to *finally* complete the Kirby bio he's been working on for like the last century or so.
   
   As for the included artwork, as I said, most of it has been published time and time and time again. The new stuff, on the other hand, is very nice to have. (Especially the Alex Ross fold out painting of a scene from New Gods #6.)
   
   All in all, it was worth the $30.00 I paid.



2. I was really moved by this book on a number of different levels. First off, the way Mark Evanier traces Kirby's career is an incredibly insightful look into the history of the medium, as well as a surprisingly in-depth look into the behind-the-scenes world of comics.
   
   Secondly, Evanier obviously feels deeply indebted to Kirby and this book is his way to pay him back, and he does it in the most meaningful way possible -- he tells the unvarnished truth. This gives the reader a sense of the reality of what drove Kirby and made his art so appealing, and it made the story of Kirby's relationship with the people he worked with (including Evanier) all the more touching.
   
   If only we could all be so lucky as to have a writer as gifted as Evanier to tell our story. All I can say is that when I finished reading this, Kirby's was not the only talent I was marveling at.
   
   Glenn Phillips



3. I enjoyed Mark Evanier's Kirby book. Truth to tell, it is neither an art book nor a biography. But Mark said as much elsewhere. Space restrictions forbade going into a discussion of Kirby's tools, how he composed the page, a comparison with his peers and those who influenced him and those he influenced, etc. Ditto for a thorough going-over of his family dynamics: the frequent financial crises that were alluded, the Kirby Treasury his son Neil published, the point that this son does not appear to be the spokesman or executor of the estate, etc. These family matters may not be significant in the whole, but I thought them to be intriguing points left uncovered.
   
   One reviewer here at Amazon said that if you have been a fan of the King and read what has already been written about him, then this tome does not cover much that is new. That is true, but, nonetheless, it is a great package that brings much of his wonderful art and life story together.
   
   Unfortunately, I do not care for the book's cover. The dustjacket is a pastiche of the worst of the POW and WHAM motifs that the mass media uses to stereotype comics and does not hint at Kirby's artistic mastery. It even fails as an homage to Kirby's collages. Was designer Chip Kidd unavailable?
   
   I am optimistic that Mark's thorough Kirby biography will eventually see realization in some sort of media. ((Would it not be apropos if this in-depth treatment appeared in comic book or graphic novel format?)) However, it has been fourteen years since the King became one with the Source and this passage of time and the publication of a few books, including this one, might prove to be impediments to that happening.
   
   So, remember that old adage: "Kirby says, Don't ask, buy!"



4. fantastic book but more mr. evanier if youre listening: please do more with kirby's dark side. he's a genius, without question, but his genius would benefit with less hagiography and more humanity. otherwise spectacular. damn you evanier! you have foiled us again with your inspiration and attention to detail!



5. An excellent book on Jack "King' Kirby's life. Despite it's size it was a quick read. Informative, funny, and sad to see the struggles that even a giant in the field had to contend with in order to pursue his dream.

5 comments about Why Women Should Rule the World.

1. Whether you're a stay-at-home-mom or a corporate CEO, you will be nodding your head in agreement and laughing out loud throughout this insightful look at women and their place in every aspect of our world. Though the title is attention-grabbing yet tongue-in-cheek, the content provides a multitude of real-life examples and scientific evidence to support Ms. Myers' theory that when women are involved, whatever the endeavor, everyone benefits. I can't wait for our college bound daughter to read the book too; it lends itself to great discussion. Young women will see that the goal is not to replace men (although we can think of a few that should be replaced) but to work in equal partnership with men, using our feminine perspective and judgment to make the world more peaceful and productive. The reader also gets a first time look at the author's experiences in the Clinton White House as well as her life now as she successfully balances a more flexible a career and young family.



2. Ms. Myers' book is terrific; especially considering this is her first effort. She must love excelling at being the "first." It is packed with fascinating research and interviews, yet is a breezy, fun read. But more importantly than the brilliant way she weaves the reader in and out of stories of her family, suburbia childhood, splendid insights into her early political campaigns, fly-on-the-wall peeks into the real "West Wing," the Clinton White House and her current gigs, it is the cover picture of Dee Dee that is worth the price of the book! She looks beautiful with perfect hair, clothing, make-up and lighting. Okay, if you've read the book, you know what I really mean. It is truly the substance, not the style (even though she does look hot) that has made me recommend the book to everyone I know - male, female, young, old, blue state, red state.
   
   As Myers writes on page 90, "It's not that women are so much smarter (though sometimes they are). It's just that they provide an enormous and, too often, untapped source of talent and bring a different perspective - which by definition creates opportunity."
   Myers is not saying the sexes are same nor does she discount the male accomplishments in history. She repeatedly pushes the same message: the sexes are different and we should as a society acknowledge, embrace, appreciate and value those differences. Moreover, we should use these differences rather than ignore, to make the world a better and more peaceful place. This means value women as much as men. Then imagine the possibilities.
   
   I learned so much in this book, yet this isn't a textbook although should be a mandatory read in schools. The fact that almost all medical research studied only men up until 1990 is mind-boggling! The interviews with the who's who of women pioneers - Feinstein, Ride, Lansing, Goodall, McHale, Mitchell, Herman, Lee, Hutchinson, Roddick, are astounding. Plus I learned a fancy new word: verisimilitude and to be careful of a man named Panetta.
   
   As a man, I don't remember many of my male friends ever worrying about how to balance marriage, parenting and a career. For most of us men, we only focus on one thing (well, maybe two things); the career. Speaking of careers, Myers points out that college enrollment usually has more females yet what happens to them in the work-force when only small percentages end up in those studied fields from medicine to radio management.
   
   With her refreshing and educational style of writing, I can't wait for Myers' second book.



3. I will say at the outset, this book was required reading, and as such I was offended, but have grown to expect misandry on campuses being the perpetuated norm. Despite the overt misandry which I find wholly unacceptable, the book does address two areas that I think are valid. One, more equality in numbers between men and women in government, and two, that men and women do work at problem solving differently. I think she makes valid cases for this assertion. Ms. Meyers also spoke at our campus regarding the book and lamented the title and said she meant it tongue and cheek and blamed the publisher; that said, I would have expected her to apologize to the male students and not resort to some victimization at the hands of the publisher excuse, I hold her accountable. Plus I did not realize that she considered a sexist title humorous as in tongue and cheek, so that level of misandry is inexcusable to me. Also, another flaw in this book is that it overlooks, that most of the legislation and programs for the last 50 years have been directed for the benefit of women in education, health, reproduction and social services. So a question she did not address was would women in power be willing to address the inequalities in society that men face in the same manner that male legislators have done for women. Sadly, based on the anecdotal examples and interesting stories from her her book and her campus visit, I would say the answer is no. Lastly, I feel sorry for her son, what a role model as a mom, one that thinks a title disparaging men is tongue and cheek. Sorry Dee Dee, the writing is fine, and the memoirs aspect is decent, and yes you make some valid points, but sadly I cannot excuse the misandry and sexism- those are unforgiveable. I feel badly for your son.



4. "Why women should rule the world" is a book where men get made fun at, poked, insulted, challenged and disrespected. In the beginning I had high hopes with this book, having heard NPR reviews and even on the Colbert Report, where Dee Dee pushed forward the argument of shared responsibility (both men and women ruling the world), but after reading the first 15 pages disillusionment set in.
   
   While exhalting women's different virtues, which includes the ability to read people's emotions and levels of comfort, she seems to have forgo that same rule herself when applying to the "other" gender that might read her book and instead launched forward a series of deep-end attacks on the male constituency, doing very little to remedy what Dee Dee is trying to fix. At others I don't think Dee Dee delves enough into her arguments to convince certain readers, her conclusions, while not quite invalid are so far-removed from the premises that it needs more explanation than one sentence.
   
   At other parts, her reading feels confused. On one end (pg 69) Dee Dee creates the premise that there isn't that much difference in intelligence between men and women, but by the end of the chapter she's quoting Brizendine which says that women have "outstanding verbal agility, the ability to connect depply in friendship, and nearly psychic capacity to read faces and tone of voice for emotions and states of mind, the ability to defuse conflict..."
   
   At other her book shows a nice cautionary tale of what is to be the First Women Press Secretary. The book feels is carrying a developing story on her memoirs as press secretary that need to be nurtured out.
   
   In all, after reading Dee Dee's book as a "man" , is a wonder that I can walk straight, read, be socially adept, and actually attract someone from the opposite sex. My main issue is that even though her intentions are good, and she is definitively right in that there is a lot of injustice being done to women, her tone and prose leaves the "male" readership alienated. My guess is that Dee Dee's tone encourages women to stand together, but that same tone deepens the divisions she's trying to overcome.
   



5. Both men and women are capable of unspeakable atrocities and unconditional love. Not one is better than the other. It's not ok for a man to ridicule a woman or for a woman to make fun of a man. This book has male-bashing in the guise of humor. Feminists would be all over this if a man wrote this book with the title "Why Men Should Rule The World".
   The marketing world is predominantly women. Male-bashing has become chic in commercials. The trojan comm. with the pigs at a bar full of women. Commercials that potray fathers as inept morons with mothers swooping in to save the day. Undermining men much! Men have done horrible things to women in the past, but that doesn't mean we're not making up for it.

5 comments about There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.

1. This is an odd book. Here are the three points addressed in the book that are worth addressing: (1) The universe is run by laws which haven't been explained, (2) first cause, first cause, first cause, and (3) evolution is really hard to understand.
   
   Flew (or more accurately Varghese) spends many pages debating the origins of the "fine tuned" universe idea verses the "multiverse" idea verses the "self contained universe" idea. Throughout this chapter, he seems to be god-of-the-gaps-ing on the reader. None of the ideas on the origin of the universe presented by the scientific community preclude the existence of God, therefore God exist. The logic falls victim to the fallacy of false dichotomies.
   
   The author(s) also spend many pages on the idea of First Cause. There's nothing here that couldn't also be read on the Wikipedia entry for "First Cause". The idea of First Cause is centuries old, so I'm puzzled why this would do anything to convince Flew. It must have meant something or he wouldn't have devoted so much effort to the idea. I kept shaking my head: "First Cause? Really?"
   
   Finally, the author(s) fail to grasp basic concepts of evolution. The author(s) take a straw man tactic by which they build up a clumsy definition of evolution and knock it down. It's kinda embarrassing to read that section.
   
   The most puzzling aspect of this book is Appendix B, which is an interview with N. T. Wright. The scope of the entire book is about Anthony Flew's philosophical change from "atheism" to "deism". There is no reason to make mention of specific aspects of Christianity, let alone provide a 30 page defense of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the debate between atheism and deism, the individual views of different religions are not relevant. Flew also makes references to Christianity as the religion "to beat," which is a truly idiotic statement to make. Why talk about Christianity as if it is better than all the other religions if you are not going to endorse it?
   
   The book will convince some people of God and give all others a good laugh. Look at the marketing that went into the title of the book. World's Most Notorious Atheist? The title makes it sounds like atheists are notoriously bad and Anthony Flew was the worst. Flew likes to leave his shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot and squeezed his toothpaste tube from the middle. Atheism is a philosophical position that does not necessitate one to be "notorious," but it does require that atheists be grouchy for at least 7 hours of the day.



2. This book sure stirred things up. I,for myself, really enjoyed the book and thought it was both accurate and clear. So much of what is published as philosophy is sheer obsfucation. This book is easy to read and understand. Maybe that is why the intelligencia don't like it so much. It isn't patronizing nor obscure.



3. This was a very interesting book, depicting the journey of a confirmed atheist as he searched for evidence of the existence of God. He doesn't confess to having become a Christian, but finding evidence which he believes proves there is a God.
   
   Highly philosophical this book is sometimes a bit hard to understand, but it worth the effort. It is a great book to share with other atheists as they will often take time to consider the musings of a peer.



4. This is a great little book.
   
   Tough going for one not involved the details of the controversy though - Flew hits the high points of the various arguments but I think I'm going to have to read a few of the materials he references to really get a handle on his point of view.
   
   In any case, the controversy seems a tad amusing to me from afar. Flew simply changed his mind on the existance of god after many years of thought. This is just his short, interesting and well considered view of matters. The tone of some of the reviews is awfully strident. On the subject of god's existance no one's got a lock; as Randy Newman sang, "there ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy, there's only you and me and we just disagree."



5. I read this book with the idea that Antony Flew really had something new to add to things. I was wrong. And disappointed. The cosmological arguments for a deity - and not even a deity really but just some kind of intelligence that brought the universe into being, some kind of extraterrestrial something about which nothing else specific can really be said, are not, to me, compelling. And Flew's book does not make them any more compelling. I think the Deists were in a much better position in the old days before it was understood that organic chemistry did not involve some "vital essence" and there was really nothing other than some kind of supernatural/spooky basis for life and living things. But with that gone, explaining the fine structure constant and such is an exercise in "what ifs." One might as well believe in Star Trek's "Q" and that such beings made our universe for sheer boredom relief. Flew does OK rehashing the usual cosmological stuff but there's nothing really new here.