2 comments about History and Theory in Anthropology.

1. This bood represents a clear and concise treatment of anthropological theory. Alan Barnard traces its history from inception to postmordernism. The different schools of thought are linked to the corresponding figures set against a particular socio-political space and time. The dinamic evolution of the discipline is well represented for it provides an interconnected mesh of causality. Throughout the book flow charts and schematic representations proved to be very helpful. Although primary sources can not be dealt adequately through interpretative works, Barnard's book is a good reference to have at hand.



2. This book provides a clear, concise précis of the historical progression of social and cultural anthropological theories. There is a glossary of key terms at the end and also an extensive bibliography. For the curious, he provides an appendix of key theorists listed in the text as well. As noted in the preface, the book began as a series of lecture notes the author used for a Cambridge course in the history and theory of anthropology. The text reflects this but the chapters are all well developed and he guides you through each topic in a straightforward way.

   In general, I found the book to be very useful in explaining concepts in layman's terms and without the pretentiousness in language that often plagues the writings of social scientists. I would certainly recommend this book for anyone interested in the anthropological theories of human culture as well as the beginning undergraduate student in cultural anthropology. For graduate or more advanced students interested in a more intensive study of this topic, I would probably look elsewhere.

   I give this book only 4 stars instead of 5 because its style is rather perfunctory and fails to engage the reader into the subject since this was obviously not the author's intention.

5 comments about Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry (Colophon Books).

1. Glasser's Reality Therapy is one of the recognized modern approaches to psychotherapy. This was his seminal work on the subject with practical cases from his experience in an institution with troubled teenage girls. The development of his thinking in this book is a good introduction to his later books on the subject. Easy to read, very practical in outlook and a relief from the obscure Freudian approaches. not to take anything away from the breakthrough that Freud brought to the entire subject of mental state.



2. I read this book at a time when I was dealing with some very difficult people in my life. It helped me to see ways that I could change my own way of dealing with difficult people in constructive ways.

   In particular, the thing that stuck most with me was the importance of taking responsibility for my own actions, and holding others accountable in appropriate ways.

   And yes, his book helped A LOT in dealing with difficult people.

   I have since read another one of Glasser's books and plan to read as many as I can. HIS BOOK IS A CLASSIC.

   You won't be disappointed.




3. Great book!!!!!
   This book essentially changed my theoretical orientation, my view of psychological disorder and institutionalization!!
   If you are in the helping professions or are studying to be, this book should be part of your requisite reading. Furthermore, regardless of one's theoretical leaning (behavioralist, cognitive-behavioralist, person-cenetered, existential, structural, etc.), helping professionals can benefit greatly from this book. Try it!!!!



4. I was privileged, as part of Florida's modernization of its state programs to serve youngsters in trouble and especially those who were "in the correctional system", to have heard Dr. Glasser present and demonstrate the principles in this book, his previous work, "Mental Health and Mental Illness", and his third publication, "Schools Without Failure".
   
   I was further privileged to work with his resource team initiating a "Schools Without Failure" training to teachers in a public school system while I supervised a nearby camp for young delinquents.
   
   I have found his coaching and these principles to be of central importance to me over the last thirty years whether counseling troubled youth, consulting with professionals, or coaching Mainland Chinese students in the vagaries of English language. I have spent very few days without directly referring to at least one of the principles he taught. My favorite, from Reality Therapy, is "never give up".



5. In this book, Dr. William Glasser puts forward the claim that mental illness does not exist. He does not deny that the people whom we like to call 'mentally ill' have problems and are in need of help. He maintains, rather, that such people are not sick, but are instead irresponsible. The behaviour of so-called 'mentally ill' people is, on Glasser's view, an expression of those people's inability to fulfill two basic psychological needs without depriving others of the ability to fulfill their own basic psychological needs. The first need is the need to love and to be loved, the second is the need to feel a sense of being worthwhile to oneself and to others. Reality Therapy is the method of treatment that Glasser and his colleague have developed in an effort to help people to help themselves to fulfill these basic psychological needs and thereby to become more responsible.
   
   Glasser's book is divided into two main parts, one that describes the theory of Reality Therapy and one that describes its practice. The first two chapters of the book outline the main principles of Reality Therapy and explain how Reality Therapy differs from conventional therapy. The remaining four chapters of the book present a variety of case studies that illustrate both some of the techniques involved in the practice of Reality Therapy and its success at treating patients who appear to be suffering from very different kinds of 'mental illness'. It is noteworthy that Reality Therapy often succeeds where traditional therapy has failed. The principles of Reality Therapy are also very effective in public school classrooms, so this is a book that could be read profitably not only by mental health professionals, but also by teachers. More generally, this book is also suitable for people who are interested in mental hygiene for themselves and the people they care about. For anybody who is interested in further exploring some of the issues raised in this book, I highly recommend Eric Berne's _Games People Play_, R.D. Laing's _The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness_, and John Russon's _Human Experience: Philosophy, Neurosis, and the Elements of Everyday Life_.

1 comments about Beginning Behavioral Research: A Conceptual Primer (6th Edition).

1. An Expert Look at Love, Intimacy and Personal Growth
   
   Ralph Rosnow was my professor when I was a PhD student in the 1970's at Temple U. Most of what I learned in psychology then, now seems naive and useless. The exception is what I learned about what really is science and how research can be "scientific" and still be very wrong. I learned from Dr. Rosnow how to tell the difference between bad research and good research. Drs. Rosnow and Rosenthal saw past the smoke and mirrors, artifacts and biases, and proposed a better methodology and understanding. Recently, I had a question about my research design and analysis. I pulled "Beginning Behavior Research" off my shelf and found it valuable. it is a great book for the beginning and seasoned researcher.

No comments about Cases in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders of Children and Youth (2nd Edition).

1 comments about Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective.

1. McElroy and Townsend's medical anthropology text is one of the classics in its field. I personally find the going very slow; I don't think that academic texts necessarily need to be presented in so pedantic a format. However, the information contained in the studies is quite useful to the anthropology student's understanding of disease in a cultural and ecological context.

No comments about Contemporary Society: An Introduction to Social Science (11th Edition).

5 comments about Where Did I Leave My Glasses?: The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss.

1. This book is a rare treat. It is both informative and entertaining. Many of us "of a certain age" worry that our memory lapses are a sign of early Alzheimer's. What a relief to be told that it is normal to forget where I put my glasses as long as I still know what function eyeglasses serve. I purchased several copies of this book to give to my friends as birthday gifts.



2. Dear Martha: I hope you are reading your reviews. I'd like to get in contact with you to see if you remember something in particular. You were the first to use the term "second wave" in a 1968 NYT article. Do you remember how you learned of this term? I am researching the origins of the important and influential term. My email is edubois@ucla.edu. Thanks in advance.



3. Where did I leave my glasses? Where did I leave my keys? Why did I come into this room... what was I after? What was I talking about? Did I call you or did you call me? This witty, well researched, clearly written analysis of what happens to our memory as we get older is comforting in the sense that it suggests we aren't losing our mind... just our memory... and it's gonna happen to EVERYONE, in greater or lesser degrees. Every time I turned a page, I said to myself, "Yeah, that happens to me... Yeah, that happens to me." The author is not talking about serious medical conditions, Alzheimers and the like...just our everyday garden variety run of the mill forgetfulness. Age, and the little grey cells shrink too, but CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO AGING! This is a very KOOL book!



4. Excellent book. Easy to read with great sense of humor. If you are at the age of needing magnifying glasses, do read this. You will find the difference between losing it and normalcy explained. Made me feel much better to know I am not the only one with memory issues. I dont remember the title of the book, but it was great.



5. The reason I bought this book was its recommendation in the AARP magazine. I have been very impressed with the way it breaks up the memory processes and explains why some things stick in our memories and others are gone with in seconds. The book contains a great deal of medical technical information but is written in such away that it is easy to understand even for a non medical person. There are a great many examples that are quite humorous. As you read it, it is easy to say to yourself "Mmmm been there done that: or, Oh that is why I do that." I have already given this book as a gift to one person and plan to give to several others.

5 comments about Asylum Denied: A Refugee's Struggle for Safety in America.

1. My copy arrived yesterday; I may not get to read it until our beach vacation this summer. But the photo of the two authors on the inside back flap of the dust jacket may be the funniest author photo ever! It will be hard to wait until this summer to read it.



2. For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.



3. This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.



4. 
   This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.



5. I couldn't set this book down. He literally goes through every possibility, facing years of uncertainty, and still keeps trying - and graduates college and law school in the meantime. I cannot imagine going through what he went through in Kenya, then coming to the US as a safe haven, and facing such a drawn-out, uphill battle simply to stay.
   
   His story is not always easy to read but it is very engaging, even if, like me, you are not a lawyer or law student. David Kenney Ngaruri and his friends and colleagues in this book are very inspirational.

No comments about Biopsychology with Beyond the Brain and Behavior CD-ROM and with MyPsychKit (6th Edition).

5 comments about The Art of Memory.

1. If you are fascinated by history or by scholarship throughout recorded time, you should enjoy this book. Francis Yates has created a detailed examination of memory techniques and their evolution over the course of generations. Beginning in ancient Greece and continuing through the Middle Ages, Yates shows how the art of remembering began as a sort of parlor trick and developed into an important skill in both religion and the occult. The influence from both individuals and cultures is described in a scholarly (yet not annoyingly so) way. While this book is not for everyone, its intended audience should be delighted.
   NOTE: This book is not a "how-to" manual for memory. It provides only a very general description of memory methods and is instead an exploration of the history of the art.
   An excellent companion piece to this book is _The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci_. Both books were listed in the acknowledgements of Thomas Harris' _Hannibal_.



2. I bought the book because recently I have been into the personal mastery thing like increasing your memory, reading better, and so on. Before I bought the book, I read the preface, and the the promises in it did not deliver. Before I go on I assure you that unlike some reviewers I read this 390 some pages of this book. This is definitely one of those books that Mortimor Adler in their book "How to Read a Book" describes as books that should challege you. And quite a challenge it is. Frances Yates assumes that the reader have knowledge of many things. Like foriegn languages such as Latin, Italian, this book is rife with it and most of it untranslated. Frances Yates also assumes that the reader know of various philosophical idiosycrasies of the known history of man.
   The title of the book suggest that it is a book about the history of the art of memory and it is not. I agree with the earlier review of hglee of Avoldone Estates in GA. Definitely pass on this one and move on and forget the title of the book.



3. Quite simply one of the dozen or so most amazing books of history ever written. It will change your idea of history, art and even your own memory. It is a decisive work on the Renaissance and goes along way to explaining the development of perspective in painting and of the Elizabethan theater. But more than anything else this book reveals, as never before to this reader, the power and glory of the human imagination. It reawakens an ancient secret. Memory itself had been forgotten until Yates recalled it out of history's unconscious. This book is one for the ages.



4. The author states more than a few times that "I myself have never applied these methods for remembering. I am only a historian of the art."
   
   I believe that sentence sums up the entire book. If you are looking to improve your memory, look for other titles that provide exercises and concrete methods for doing so. This book will give you an exhausting list of people who had wonderfully trained memories with incredibly vague descriptions of how they achieved them.



5. I consider this one of the most important books I have ever read. It changed my views on ancient and medieval architecture, memory, and the mind. Specifically, this book is the history of the art of memory. It is about how in the age before books or wide-spread literacy, human beings were able to memorize massive amounts of information. For example, the traveling poets in Greece, Cicero in Rome, etc. It also details some architecture was actually designed to facility memorization. The book also discusses the hermetic tradition, some aspects of alchemy and the zodiac, and other related matters. All within the context of the human mind and the human ability to utilize "mental structures," "pictures," and other "devices" -as well as "architecture" to assist in memory and thinking. This book is a scholarly work. It is excellent, but it is not a simple or easy book. It is wide-ranging. You will learn history and some aspects of memorization techniques. But it is not a book on memorization techniques (but you will understand the most important ones from reading this book). It is much better than a how-to-book and it is not a how-to-book. Again, this is one of the most important books I have read and I encourage the serious reader interested in human memory, thinking, architecture, history, etc. to read this book. Excellent.