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Psychiatry has come a long way since 1967. Even according to one of the final chapters of Girl, Interupted, Susanna isn't convinced that she had Borderline Personality Disorder. I'm not either. As someone who has Borderline Personality Disorder (or at least has been diagnosed in the 2000s as having it), I don't think she fits the bill. Perhaps they diagnosed her that way because they had nothing else to diagnose her with. Perhaps that is true because she may have simply been diagnosed as a spoiled brat. I think the only reason that she "couldn't" hold a job or do anything else that sane people do is because she didn't want to. And, moreover, she didn't have to. She got to be sent away when she was 18 to a nice mental hospital while being diagnosed with a fairly mild problem and having people take care of her. She didn't HAVE to become an adult until about 2 years later. Plus, she got to do research for a book that she banked on! She's misrepresenting people that are actually insane. In my opinion, there's a difference between being crazy and being a spoiled brat.

If this book was any longer, I would have had to put it down, I finished it in one day. It started out well, I was excited to hear what happens. Parts of it were really well written, then it just trailed off. You have no idea anything about her parents or her marriage which she summed up in a few sentences. It had a lot of potential, but it didn't really build up.

This book came across as a little too 'teen angst' to me, making it fashionable to be depressed. She sounds like she has a disorder, but thrives on it, almost like she's proud of it. Totally self indulgent. Don't waste your time.

It's actually one of the better memoirs of recent vintage (it came out in 1993 and became a bestseller in 2000, with the film's release). Not that SK is very insightful about her `borderline personality' disorder, nor capable of extended moments of insight nor poetry, but she compensates for her lack of great craftsmanship in wordplay and sentence/paragraph construction with a daring approach to the memoir.

The book, with larger than normal print, is not even 170 pages in the Vintage edition I read, and there's plenty of white space, as well as transcripts of SK's mental diagnoses within. In a sense, this sets up the piece to be quite poetic. In fact, this is where the poesy of the prose comes from, not the ability to craft gorgeous prose. Most of the few dozen `chapters' are brief- 3-4 pages is usual, and they are often dreamy or hazy recollections that sometimes briefly, violently come into focus, in describing a fellow patient's ill or death. In other chapters SK goes off rambling about mental ills, philosophy, her sexual precocity, and other things. While many of these individual reminiscences and airies fall flat, the way they are woven together and contrast with each other allow make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

This synergy got me to thinking of a poetic equivalent, and the manifest answer was the long Maximus poem series by Charles Olson- another Massachusetts resident. In that poem series, one of the few `experimental' works of poetry that actually coheres and is good, CO strings together many poems about his hometown, yet each poem/stanza is, in a sense, lacking- it fails as an individual work because it is incomplete. Yet, read one after the other the incomplete figurines each `poem' makes connect up. It's like looking at a single Matissean line on a piece of tissue paper. The individual curves and twists seem random until you lay each tissue paper over the next. Then, the full, intricate, and interesting picture emerges. Such it was in CO's poem sequence, and such it is in SK's memoir- each `chapter' a single line, sometimes non-chronological, that gives a better representation of her mindset than any straightforward prose could. Interestingly, in looking up reviews of the book, I was struck by how not a single published review (at least those online) ever mentioned this, even though the form of the book jumped out at me. This is evidence of piss poor criticism. It's akin to reviewing the first edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves Of Grass, dismissing it as smutty, and not even commenting on the breakthrough structure of the free verse.

There is little bitching, and poseur pity.... In short, Girl, Interrupted is a very good work, and what any memoirist should strive to achieve. The very fact that many critics criticized it for, when boiled down, not filling their conventional needs as a reader, and chose to review it against what what they wanted (expected) it to be, argues for its specialness, and I'd bet that it will be read long after Prozac Nation or A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius have gone out of print. Smile at that, Susanna.

On the first page of her novel(?), Susanna Kaysen says she had to live for two years in a "parallel universe" when she became a patient in a psychiatric hospital. In the chapter "Elementary Topography," she poses a question, how did I get to be in here?
The answer she gives, other than her being delusional, is that she was in a "state of contrariety." She goes on, "All of my integrity seemed to lie in saying No."
Two other chapters bear witness to the adversarial character of her illness, "Velocity vs. Viscosity," which deals with her obsessive thought patterns, and "Mind vs. Brain:"
"Whatever we call it--mind, character, soul--we like to think it possesses something that is greater than the sum of its neurons, and that 'animates' us."
In yet another chapter, Kaysen derides her former therapist, who was named "Melvin," and who was to become her analyst. She acts like she tolerated him as someone imposed on her, and says that she "felt sorry for him" on account of his funny name. In an internal memo, however, a nurse reported that she experienced extreme anxiety over her therapist being absent.
Part of Kaysen's "state of contrariety," then, must be seen in the light of an abject, back-against-the-wall helplessness caused by the mental illness. I pity Kaysen for her interrupted life. Her novel makes a compelling case for mental-illness research.
In the Charleston County Library, >Girl, Interrupted< is located in the "Young Adult Fiction" section, which is inappropriate for such a rough, lurid story.

This was...senseless jibberjaw..Truly that is the only word that comes to mind. The movie was wonderful, but I can see now that it was very loosely based on this book.. It took a few characters and added on to their personalities.. the book was mostly just rambling and opinions. Half of the interesting things that occured in the movie were not in this book. Those that love the movie will be greatly disapointed in this. I would also like to add, you will have in completely read in one or two sittings.

Classic Nora Roberts tale that her fans will enjoy, although not her best work in terms of developing the romance between the central characters. Instead, the book really delves into a more complete picture of life in a small Alaskan town and explores the personalities and pasts of the residents. The writing, including the excerpts from the local newspaper's police coverage, makes you feel connected to the people and the town and hoping the murderer isn't someone you've grown attached to! Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I had trouble putting down.

The first time I read this, I didn't like it quite as well--mostly, I thought it was too long and too over-populated. I still think it's about 100 pages too long, but having read it once already, the multitude of characters wasn't as bothersome.

In brief, Northern Lights is about a burned-out city cop with issues who takes a job as chief of police in small town Lunacy, Alaska and ends up solving both a recent murder and one 20 years old, and falling in love with a prickly loner of a bush pilot.

At the moment, I'm remembering my initial, less favorable impressions from two years ago, when the first scene made me think the mayor was the heroine, and it seemed that there was an awful lot of crime for such a small town. Not to mention having a very difficult time warming up to the actual heroine.

But on this re-read, I focused more on Nate Burke's journey from near-suicidal depression to a healthier outlook, and Meg Galloway's prickly exterior made more sense considering her past--the disappearance of her father, and her mother's rejection of her and descent into slutdom. I even found Meg's mother Charlene more realistic/understandable than I did previously. Whether that's because of a different mood while I was reading, or if it's because, being familiar with the story, I could concentrate on different aspects, or if I'm looking for different things in books now, I'm not sure. Possibly a bit of all three.

Oh yeah. Lunacy, Alaska does bear a remarkable resemblance to Cicely, Alaska. But since I thoroughly enjoyed the latter, I'm not bothered by that. Well, maybe a smidge. I worry that, given the similarities, I'll start thinking that's what Alaska is really like. Maybe I ought to take a trip.

My favorite book from Nora Roberts! She details so well what its like to live in Alaska, you feel like you're there. Great book!

I have read many of her books.She is my favorite author.She can write on any subject.I have read all her J.D.ROBB books I lived in ALASKA so I reall enjoyed it. Irene

Every time I put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to the book. Loved the Alaska setting. Great characters, good mystery..what more can you ask for?

I've read and re-read the DUNE series including books done by Brian Herbert. I've read Frank's original DUNE series up to Heretics about 3 times or more. I've always wondered why I can't remember anything abpit Chapterhouse Dune until I started reading it again. It is booooooriiing - that's why. I don't think I ever finished it and I probably made 2 attempts. I finally found the audiobook for it just to force myself to listen to the book while driving - big mistake. The book was putting me to sleep. I have since been listening to the audiobook only when I take public transport - or sometimes when I want to fall asleep at bedtime. God Emperor of Dune was a tedious read for me the first time but I found myself able to read it again and enjoy it now. This book though just doesn't get me excited or interested. I'm only listening to it now so I can read Brian H's sequel - Sandworms and Hunters of Dune. I just wish I could find an abridged version of this book. I think it can be summed up in 2 or 3 chapters. There's just so much pages wasted on people's thoughts, musings, endless talking, etc. that doesn't capture my attention after the first paragraph of a page. I'm still plodding through this book and hopefully will be done with it. I would like to google and see if I can find a really really short version of this book someone hopefully posted online and save myself the misery.

As far as I am concerned, this is the last Dune book (besides the Encyclopedia) and should be considered the end. The disappointing tripe of Hunters and Sandworms of Dune by Brian and Kevin are nothing but poorly written fanfiction.

The consequences of Leto's Golden Path are made apparent in this and its predecessor, Heretics of Dune. Sheeana is a intriguing character and so is Murbella and Odrade, as well as the nth incarnation of Duncan Idaho.

Frank Herbert died before he could write Dune 7, so this book was never supposed to be the end of the Dune series. Unfortunately it is, for we have been denied Herbert's genius after his untimely death.

We can assume that with Leto's Golden Path, Siona's 'no-gene' and the Scattering that humans have spread across many galaxies and this would eventually give rise to myriad races and civilizations, which in itself is a more than intriguing thought.

Thank you for sharing this fantastic story with us, Frank Herbert, and may your legacy be always cherished (even if not from Brian and Kevin) We love you.

Probably the greatest series of SF ever written. And Chapterhouse lives up to the others and then some.

An alert reader may well ask, if I thought the last four books in this series were that bad, why did I read them all?

That's a darn good question.

Well, I read the original "Dune" in high school some 30 years ago, and I have re-read it a couple of times since, considering it to be a true masterpiece. The sequel, "Dune Messiah," is every bit as good, and I agree with some interpretations that this novel should be considered a companion novel or extension of the original "Dune," since it basically picks up soon after the conclusion of the first, and completes the story of the rise and fall of Paul Atreides. In other words, the first two books could be combined into one novel, and we would have one of the truly great works of science fiction on our hands.

Still, the seeds of stupidity had already been sown in the original "Dune," and brought out further in "Messiah" with the plot twists involving the Alia character. These were brought to the fore in "Children of Dune," which is Part III of the series. Basically, as anyone who hated the Wesley Crusher character in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" or the Anakin Skywalker kid in "Star Wars: the Phantom Menace" can tell you - NEVER portray little kids with superhuman powers that exceed the capabilities of the adults around them because no matter how you try to spin it, it will not be credible. It violates the rules of "internal consistency" or some such thing that every created fictional universe must follow. But Herbert didn't follow that rule and gave these little kids super powers and it was kind of like "Mighty Mouse in Outer Space," only dumber. Especially when one of the kids starts morphing into a baby sandworm. I am not making this up. So basically, after reading "Children of Dune" in the early 1980s, I gave up on the series for awhile and forgot about it.

Around 1990 I came across "God Emperor of Dune" in a bargain bin in a bookstore and decided just for yucks that I would give it a shot. I actually read the whole thing. It was weird, consisting basically of three hundred pages about the 3000 year old kid from "Children of Dune" who had turned into a mutant boy-worm with no testicles suddenly discovering after seeing a particularly hot space chick that he can't get laid and maybe regretting he had set the universe on a course that he called "the Golden Path." I never figured out what the "Golden Path" was supposed to be, he never got laid, and in the end he fell into a river and bad things happened to him, or maybe they weren't so bad because this is what he had planned all along for the past 3000 years, because, you know, he had prescient powers and all...

So Book IV was a let-down, which probably has anyone who is still with me here wondering why I kept going. Okay. Fast forward about ten years to the year 2000 or so. I am in the airport in Moscow, getting ready to fly back to the United States with nothing to read and a ten hour flight staring me in the face, and there, in front of me, next to the giant rack of porno mags, is a copy of "Heretics of Dune. This would be Part V of the series, for those of you keeping track. I would summarize this by saying that if I had bought a copy of this in Russian it would have made about as much sense. It is now about 8000 (or maybe 10,000?) years beyond the events of the original Dune, as if that matters, but there are still all these Bene Gesserit women around. Only they seem to be warring for control of the galaxy with another group of women with super powers called Honored Matres or some such thing. The Honored Matres appear to really good in bed and can somehow control men if they have sex with them. Must have good kegel muscles or something. Did I mention that the incidental Duncan Idaho character who was killed about halfway through the first "Dune" novel keeps showing up as some sort of resurrected zombie guy through all these novels, because some group of bio-engineering geniuses with an unpronounceable name like bene Tleilaxu or something can clone him from a single surviving cell? Anyway, it turns out that the climactic moment of this novel, no pun intended, is when this zombie Idaho guy has sex with an Honored Matre and he is so good at it that SHE falls under HIS control. And somehow his ability to be the greatest lover in the galaxy since Wilt Chamberlain becomes the key to the future of the universe, although after reading this I still have no idea what the hell the Golden Path is supposed to be or if all this sex has anything to do with it. And the worst part of it is that Herbert can't even write a decent sex scene, considering how much sex seems to be a factor to the plots of these stories. Where is Ken Follett when you need him?

Okay, so finally it is 2008. I know that Frank Herbert has passed away, and while his son is apparently busily and simultaneously writing several hundred sequels and prequels and sequels to prequels to the Dune series, all supposedly based on his father's notes, I know that this copy of Chapterhouse Dune I'm looking at on the library shelf in front of me represents the last thing Frank himself ever wrote. So I say to myself - okay - how bad could it be? And I've read all the other ones - maybe I should see how it all turns out.

Well - it was as bad as I imagined, only worse. The Bene Gesserit and Honored Matres are still at war. Another one of the Duncan Idaho zombie guys (or maybe it's the same one) is still having lots of sex. There are Jews running around, and apparently these are actual, bona-fide Jews, although Herbert never discloses whether they are still conducting bris ceremonies on their eight day old male infants, so maybe they're not so Jewish after all, oy vey. In the end, one of the Honored Matres turns into a Bene Gesserit of sorts, uses her martial arts skills like some futuroid version of Jacqueline Chan to dispatch some of the uber-bitch servants of the head Honored Matre, who is cleverly named "THE Honored Matre," and presumably peace breaks out all across the universe. And that is how it all turns out, 10,000 years later, and man I wish I could have had some of what this guy was smoking...

Now if any of you think I gave away any spoilers here, well I didn't, because NONE of this makes any sense. I suppose there is at least one fan boy out there somewhere who could explain all of this to me, but then this would probably be the same guy who would argue that there is actually some deep meaning to the Matrix movies or the Lost series on TV.

My advice to you is let me serve as a warning to you all. Stop reading Dune books after number two. No - they don't get any better. Just like Rocky movies or Alien movies they just get progressively dumber and dumber, in a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 kind of way, which is why I give this book two stars instead of one. It was so bad it was almost good, if only Saturday Night Live or MST3K could get a hold of it....

I enjoy everyone of the Dune books, and the sequels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. I always love to read any Dune books on my free time.

I never received this book. How complicated is it to put a paperback in an envelope, put that address and postage on it and put it in the mail. I won't use this system again or will purchase from Borders.

This was my absolute favorite, Blue Dahlia and Red Lily were good reads to but Black Rose took the cake for me! It's a character that me being in my 30's now want to be like Roz when I'm her age. Love the paranormal books but this was just the perfect mix of the resident ghost, getting back at an ex, having girlfriends when you need them and finding a man at a time in your life you thought was lost! Loved it!!!!!

First of all Marvin isn't the one reading the Black Rose it is me Jackie and I am loving it. But you see I had already read the first and last in the Trilogy, so I am finding out things I didn't know about when I read the 3rd book. I had gotten the firs two in a used book shop and had to order this one. I love Nora Roberts books. I am also reading some of her books under the name J.D.Robb. This is probably more info than you wanted. Jackie in Cushing, OK.

THE BLACK ROSE is the second in the garden series. It mixes botanicals with southern culture and the paranormal.

The setting is a centuries-old mansion just outside of Memphis and comes with its very own ghost. And now love will blossom between Rosalind Harper and Dr. Mitchell Carnegie. I liked the twist and turns of this book.

Still...

Preference wise, I liked BLUE DAHLIA better. Both are great reads. It just Stella and her hunky babe are who I really fell in love with.

I'm finding this series to be delightful! I especially appreciate the lovely setting - the grand house, and the gardening center. The characters engage me in such a deep way that I invest myself emotionally into their stories, and I find their interactions with each other to be fascinating. It's very nice that while each book in this series centers around one of the main women, the others still have promenant roles throughout rather than being relegated to being merely in the background. I can't wait to read the next book!

This is NOT God's Word but a pathetic PARAPHRASE that waters down the gospel to appease men. I urge those who think this paraphrase is so great to hold it up to real scripture. This is just more humanistic attempts to redo God's Word. Stay away from these books. 2 Timothy 4:3,4 KJV or NASB!

The message can be very enjoyable as it puts the Scriptures into comtemporary spoken language. Sometimes it speaks the Word of God in a way that is much easier to understand. Sometimes it departs from the original intention.
I would recommend to never consider it a Study Bible. Read it second as a way to look for clarification.
A good thought for thought translation which is easy to understand and more faithful to the original language is the New Century Version.

I believe that the Bible can be very intimidating for a young person and that plain language Bibles are a great way to get acquainted with it. If you tend towards literalism then don't bother.

I love this bible. My priest recommended it to me and I don't regret it for a second. It's easy to read and understand and there are passages that I never got in a KJV bible that all the sudden click with this one. Only problem is that while they are numbered, it's by paragraph and sometimes you may need another bible to get a tidbit correct.

This translation of the Bible has been incredibly useful to me. I bought it to read Job after hearing a wonderful sermon one Sunday. Now I bring it with me to church every time I go. The Message is an up-to-date version of the Bible, written to help the reader understand the many message given by Scripture. I have found it helpful in understanding sermons, in helping with my own Bible study, and in regular prayer. I highly recommend it!

This story gets back to the basics of family and what people will do for one another. A good wholesome story that brings out the best of human nature despite unfortunate circumstances. A story of hope and goodness in often unpleasant situations. A most relaxing and enjoyable read that will leave you waiting for the next one Haruf writes. Eventide

Read this book slowly; settle into the steady rhythms of the storytelling, and savor the characters and their intersecting short stories. That's what this book is--a series of interrupted but interwoven short stories. They are sweet, sorrowful, hopeful, and plainspoken. Plainsong stayed with me long after I finished the book, and these characters and their environments embedded themselves even more complexly with Eventide. Lovely, lovely writing.

I read this book because the discussion group to which I belong had read Plainsong and voted to read Eventide also. I found it very disconcerting that the author did not use quotation marks and that he gave his readers so few clues as to when Plainsong took place.

At some place in Eventide I was able to put aside my irritation with the author for not using quotation marks and for not telling his readers when the story takes place.

I did find a few clues about the time period including cordless phones (since Betty took the phone to the couch, and another character took a phone to the bedroom). Page 6 tells us the McPherons were gassing up both the truck and the car so the Gas and Go must have been self-serve. The same page mentioned food stamps and pop in cans.

Didn't the author tell us the parents of the McPheron brothers had died in an auto accident when the brothers were young? So there were automobiles at that time.

I picture Tom Guthrie's old faded Dodge pickup truck as a 1953 model and wonder how long it will keep running.

The author still does not allow the characters to use microwaves, dishwashers, cell phones, Google, e-mail, etc. That makes me think the story took place quite a while ago - or Holt, Colorado doesn't allow such modern conveniences.

I did enjoy the character development and found most of the characters quite likeable with the exception, of course, of the abusive Hoyt Raines.

In light of today's litigious society, it seems hard to believe that Rose would go out of her way to provide as much help as she did to her clients.

While reading this book, I watched for specially colored leaves that had freshly fallen from my maple trees. I was drawn to those with the same colors as the cover of Eventide. They are still resting peacefully in my book.

I ordered Eventide before I finished reading Plainsong. I couldn't wait to see what the characters were doing next. I enjoy reading books about western small town life. I am always looking for new authors and Mark Spragg turned me on to Kent Haruf. They both remind me of Ivan Doig, my favorite. It is a real talent when the authors can bring laughter and tears in the same paragraph.

This was one of my very favorite books. I like to read books that are relaxing that dont have hundreds of characters. This book doesnt have alot of dreary descriptions of characters, but the author develops his characters by their conversations, and believe me, you get to know the characters well! Its almost as if you know them personally. I LOVED it.

Any layman in my opinion can benefit from reading this fairly complete work. I highly recommend it.

A pretty good book for someone that has exposure and experience with systematic theology. Erickson does a good job of presenting the antagonist to the biblical viewpoint, but unless you are a student of theology, many of the names and arguments will get you lost . I also found that I needed to keep a dictionary at hand. This man is very educated and the book is not for the faint of heart, but you will learn some good things if you stay with it, speaking as a layman.

My book was received timely in excellent condition. Iam satisfied with it.

I am using it for a class. This book is a little more difficult to read, and I find it's not always distinct on the different views of topics. It does cover the main topics and share more than one view on it.

There are two primary systematic theologies used by conservative Evangelicals today. One is written by Wayne Grudem and the other by Millard Erickson. In my opinion, Erickson is quite superior.

Erickson is much more thorough in his treament of the philosophical landscape, both in presenting crucial background information and in his use of philosophical materials in crafting his theology. Therfore he offers a more subtle and critical evaluation of certain theological problems than Wayne Grudem does. Grudem, on the other hand, many times ignores difficulties and is satisfied simply to quote biblical proof texts to support his positions.

An example of the difference in their approach is their presentation of the doctrine of the inerrancy of scripture. Erickson deals head on with tough examples from critics of inerrancy that might undermine his view of this doctrine. After fully considering opposing arguments, he offers 5 or 6 nuanced versions of inerrancy that could be acceptable to an Evangelical. Grudem, however, flatly denies that he is aware of even one contradiction in scripture. Thus he expends no ink in offering solutions to difficult biblical problems. This is somewhat typical.

If you are interested in a good summary of conservative Christian theology based almost soley on biblical exegesis, then Grudem may be for you. But if you want a systematic theology that truly wrestles with serious objections to Evangelical doctrines by using not only excellent exegesis but also philosophical tools in a highly competent manner, then buy Erickson.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3C6Q9D3NOCS94 Excellent textbook encouraged of all Christians to buy.

This book helps me explain to others who don't know anything about SSS (even though they may have it and not know it), what it is, when I flip to the colored pages in the book, and have them try to read text on those colored pages, which makes it hard for them to read! There's also other cute self-tests in the book that are very helpful too.

If you want to get an idea of how hard it is for anyone to read who has SSS, flip to the colored pages in the book, and see which colors are easier and harder for you to read. Even though one might have terribly strong reading skills, as one gets older, and muscles become strained, one could be helped by the information in this book. After all, don't we change the fonts and color backgrounds on our computers so that we can see them better?

I was 38 years old, recovering from an auto accident, when I was referred to the author's clinic, to see if I could find any help for transposing numbers when I took telephone messages working as a secretary so that I wouldn't have to spend time on the job reading back phone numbers to the phone caller to make sure that I'd got the phone number correct. It was so surprising to find that I a very fast and strong reader (and very intelligent too) was diagnosed with SSS, and that I'd had it all my life without knowing it! During the exam I was shown that for my eyes, words were actually not lying flat on the page, and this was why I was having to take extra time on the job with those phone numbers! My reading skills were so strong they were overcoming the SSS issue, to a large degree. But because I was recovering from an auto accident, my muscles became fatigued earlier, thus the SSS diagnosis.

Irlen's original hypothesis was interesting. It has been proven to be outdated, and this book (and the whole Irlen approach) ought to disappear from the helping-the-dyslexic shelf.

Dyslexia is not a visual problem, it is a neurological processing problem. Glasses or colored overlays won't raise a kid's reading level--getting the brain to recognize sounds and the relation to symbols is the answer. The International Dyslexia Association has reliable information.

I am sure there are people who are bothered by lights and so on who feel better when they wear dark glasses or whatever. It is just not a cure for specific language disabilities.

I see the Irlen Screeners as desperately needing more "sufferers" to justify the cost of their training. "But it worked for MEEee!" is not an acceptable answer to "where is the research?"

If I'm giving 3 stars rating to this book it is for all the great information and description it contains and for providing a better understanding of this condition I have called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome. But to me the book seems too much sale-oriented and was turned-off by that.

Before even knowing about this book, I had noticed on my own that different color background had an effect on the perceived text on a page and I had begun experiencing with different background and text colors - Needless to say that when I found out about "Reading by the colors" and what it was about, I was very curious and eager to read it. The idea of using color overlays and lens suggested by Helen Irlen through this book didn't sound ridiculous to me at all. It's a smart idea however, there is one detail witch seems to have escaped the author... While I know it is true that one can reduce perceptual distortions caused by contrast on a page of text with the use of color overlays or lens, I've also noticed and know for a fact that lighting condition have an effect on how colors are perceived - We all know that. Impressionist artist Van Goth among others has demonstrated that very well - Therefore if lighting affects how colors are perceived and that colors can be used to reduce distortions caused by SSS, a specific color overlay and/or lens will only be the most efficient if the same lighting conditions there were during the SSS screening are reproduced exactly - That may not be a problem for someone who wishes to read always at the same place, it is easy to accommodate the lighting condition and work with color overlays - But for the person who travels and thus reads in various places, or for the person with a more severe case of SSS and has to wear lens all the time, no need to explain how complicated that become.

I agree with the author when she says that SSS is part of the puzzle for dyslexia and other LDs as they often co-exist together, but I was turned-down by her tenaciousness to stress that SSS and dyslexia are two very different conditions, yet the author fails to explain clearly what the difference is - It doesn't date from yesterday that many dyslexics have reported seeing distortions within printed text. These reported distortions are not the result of a visual problem but rather the result of a perceptual problem (just like what the author claims SSS to be) - It is as if the author wishes to justify her discovering of SSS to give credibility to the suggested remediation of using color lens/overlays and her persistent claim that SSS can only be screened/diagnosed by an Irlen centre specialist and that only Irlen lenses and overlay work - Fact: Colorimetry is a science that doesn't date from yesterday either and colored lens have been used/prescribed by opticians since the 1940's

The cost of the overlays or lens, but first the cost of the screening and then the cost of the exam to determinate the right color is absolutely outrageous. I have been living 30 years with SSS not knowing what it was. Although I would really wish to find a cure, there is no way that I will spend that much money (nor that I can afford) for a solution that may help a little only under a specific lighting conditions.

There are more research that need yet to be done on the subject of SSS, Dyslexia and other LDs. If there is one good thing which this book provides is awareness but it is certainly no excuse for making a business out of it.

After 9 years of searching for all the answers to my daughter's learning disorders, I came across the Irlen method. It's not a cure-all for every disorder but it does explain why my daughter can read in near-dark and the Irlen lenses work beautifully for her. I'm very pleased with the results as they relate to visual processing/perceptual disorder and dyslexia. There is a caution, however. We asked our school district to test for Irlen Syndrome; my feeling is that if there's even a 5% chance something will work, I'm willing to try it. The district said they had the appropriate testing measures so I put my faith in them. What I found out (nearly two and a half years later when I found this book) was that the district 'expert' was a screener, not a diagnostician. In order to find out the exact Irlen color, one must see a diagnostician which we were not told at the time. Plus, the color of the overlay is not necessarily the color of the lenses. Irlen lenses are a specific type of lens, not just a colored lens. So, we ended up purchasing the wrong color on the wrong lens. While it's my understanding that no harm was probably done, her progress was probably delayed. You can go to www.irleninstitute.com for a list of local diagnosticians and other important information. Be aware that Irlen syndrome is controversial but there is no denying the many, many people who have been helped by Helen Irlen.

I have absolutely no expertise in the areas related to this book and make no judgment about the validity of this method of reading improvement for certain types of dyslexic individuals. However, this book was given to me by a friend whom I respect a great deal. He is a pharmacist and has told me several times how much this method and his colored lenses have improved his life. I know that in science personal testimony has no weight, but I do know that if a person finds real help that persists over time, it is worth considering. Personally, I don't have any reading difficulties except that I might do too much of it. I know that my ability to read very quickly with retention is a gift and a blessing for which I am very grateful. The suffering of people who struggle with reading is very real and can damage confidence and progress in life.

Let me share another example. I personally have no use for chiropractic. However, my mother was nearly killed by a drunk driver in a car accident and had severe neck pain. She was called a malingerer by the insurance company and medical doctors wanted to perform certain kinds of fusing surgeries that did guarantee certain decreases in quality of life without the guarantee of fixing the pain. So, with nothing left to lose, she tried a chiropractor recommended by a friend. It worked for her. We were so happy to have her pain removed and her restored ability to work. I don't know what the injury was or how the chiropractor helped her. But I loved the change and improvement in my mother's life.

It is the same with my friend and the others who use this method and find real improvement in their reading. In the final analysis, that others say this doesn't help them or doesn't map out in this or that study isn't really the point. And I am not qualified to judge any of the studies pro or con. What is the point is that people who couldn't read before can now. And it is more than a few.

So, if you or your child is suffering from reading difficulties that appear to be vision related, here is something to consider that doesn't seem to be too costly and might offer some hope.

Like most great things, I found this book by coincidence, looking for the next great thing to add to my sales skills.

It's an XLNT book about the buyers decisions and not your attempts to sell product, and it gave me a new perspective of sales - the buyer's perspective.

I also have had the pleasure to train with the author Ms Morgen. She has been very supportive both during training and after. I'm greatful for the time she has taken to personally coach me, and helped me learn new skills, and also "unlearn" some old sales patterns that used to get in the way.

Let me know how it works out, and good luck helping buyers to buy!

As I read, "Selling With Integrity," I felt that it was indeed a book for anyone who is struggling to make the conceptual switch from using manipulation to using honesty to sell. Throughout the book, using many religious undertones, Ms. Morgan places an emphasis on doing what's right, thinking of the prospect's problems first, putting your needs second and generally collaborating to identify whether a reason to do business exists. (These are all ideals with which I agree.)

My single biggest reservation comes not from the book itself, but from the response I got when I contacted Ms. Morgan with a question.

I had noticed that every example in the book ended in a positive outcome. For instance, the book conveys that, to get a great conversation with a prospect, all you have to do is call and say, "This is a sales call." So I actually tried doing exactly what the book said, and I tracked my results:

* I dialed the phone 150 times.
* I reached a gatekeeper 31 times and my prospect 21 times. (The remainder were busy signals, no-answers, auto attendants, voice-mails, etc.)
* I introduced myself and said, "This is a sales call."
* Every gatekeeper responded with some form of: "[Mr. Jones] doesn't take sales calls."
* Every prospect responded with some form of: "I don't take sales calls."

After my lack of success, I decided to contact Ms. Morgan and ask, "How many phone calls do you actually have to make before you get one of those great conversations you describe in your book?"

After dodging the question by telling me "I don't track such things," I forced the issue once more, and she finally said, "If you insist on questioning the process, then you clearly aren't committed to making it work." (These "quotes" are from memory, so while they convey her attitude, they are probably not exact wording.)

Frankly, I expected to speak with someone who would interview me and help me decide whether her course was for me. What I got instead was more like what I'd expect from a cult leader who wanted to indoctrinate me, and who expected me to accept everything on blind faith.

I believe in a lot of what the book conveys, but the author's actions cost her a ton of credibility with me.

Gill

Most buyer and seller relationships are typically adversarial. Sharon Drew Morgen suggests the reason for this complex relationship is that sellers have historically focused on controlling the buying process and using all necessary means to convince buyers to buy their products.

In Selling with Integrity, Morgen offers an alternative approach. She has designed a sales methodology called Buying Facilitation. This approach instructs the seller to "guide" the buyer through the buying process while maintaining personal principles and values.

The book jacket promises a completely new way to look at sales, and that's what you'll get, since Morgen puts helping the buyer far ahead of making the sale.

Sharon Drew Morgen asserts in Selling with Integrity that the major problem in the traditional buy/sell relationship is that the seller arrives believing that he or she has the answer the buyer needs. It follows, then, that the traditional seller's task is to convince the buyer - or help the buyer realize - that the solution the seller is offering is the right one for the buyer.

It really doesn't matter why the seller has this attitude, whether it's because of training, corporate culture, personality, or the basic need to make some money and put food on the table. In every case, according to Morgen, it puts the relationship between the buyer and seller on false ground, introduces stress, and produces undesirable behaviors, including dishonesty.

You may be inclined to dispute the idea that seller attitudes are bad for the buy/sell relationship, but consider a fictional example that Morgen presents early in the book. It involves a waiter in a Chinese restaurant, whose job it is to sell you food, and you, the diner. In the example, the waiter comes to your table and immediately says, "So, you'll have spareribs and chow mein."

You, of course, aren't so sure, and you say, "No. Hello. I'd like to see a menu, please. I'm not sure what I want."
But the waiter has his own idea: "You don't need a menu. I know what you want. It's our special tonight. It's priced fairly and it's delicious. It'll be spareribs and chow mein. Believe me, I can tell that's what you'd like."

Here is Morgen's comment on this - "You wouldn't let a waiter do that. But as sellers you do it all the time: I know what you need, and what you need is my product."

For Morgen, this example illustrates the point that sales as it is practiced in American industry today is based on disrespect of the buyer, the buyer's knowledge, and the buyer's ability to make an informed and effective choice on behalf of his or her employer. Morgen asks why it is appropriate to base a salesperson's monetary compensation on a system that at its foundation encourages disrespect.

Adopting Buying Facilitation may require a difficult leap of faith for many sellers, because in Selling with Integrity Sharon Drew Morgen redefines the very goal of sales:
"As I see it, the new goal of the seller is to support a buyer's ability to solve her own problems with existent resources where possible, or external resources where necessary."

Take note: By "existent resources," she means those that already exist within the buyer's firm. And "external resources" refers to any and all resources, not just those you are trying to sell.

But consider this idea, too:
"It is okay for people not to need our product. We can't sell to everyone we speak with. Our job is to find those who do need our product, not create a buyer from an unqualified prospect."
If this statement speaks to you, if it addresses some of the tension or stress that you feel while you do your job, then you may find great value in Selling with Integrity.

There is much that is practical here, and much that is well-explained and easily understood. However, to fully understand Buying Facilitation, you must be prepared to delve into the theory that supports it.

Robert Reed
President
TrustBuild

When my job started to involve selling as well as technology, I read a half dozen sales books. This one stood out. It didn't make me feel sleazy. It helped me understand my role as a participant in a decision process that is confusing and frustrating for the buyer, too. It gave me a general-purpose framework ("the funnel") for helping a customer (and me!) figure out what is going on in the buying process. It helped me not take things so personally when we didn't get a project. And when we did, the approach didn't leave us with a bunch of expectations that we couldn't meet. It embodies Covey's advice to "begin with the end in mind," where the end is a successful project and a good relationship and not just an accepted proposal. We've been basically successful (and able to sleep at night) while using the overall approach.

Still, I used to be more enthusiastic about the book and Sharon Drew Morgen than I am now. It's not nearly as simple as SDM makes it sound, and it's no substitute for products and services that are actually worth owning or using. As an antidote, you should read "Good to Great" by Jim Collins.

I wavered between three and four stars, and gave it four because it really did influence me more than anything else I read when I started out, and I find myself still referring to it. Read it, absorb the principles, and then pay attention to what's really going on.

I have first hand experience dealing with Ms. Morgen. I paid for and attended one of her 3 day courses. I even did some work for her. I was really excited to work with her at first, until I found out what kind of person she truly is. I totally agree with Gill's comments. Although many of her concepts have validity, I've seen her *not* use the same type of "we" space she advocates. I won't be specific, but I can say with certainty that I've never had a more unpleasant client experience. Ms. Morgen can be very rude, abusive and confrontational. Her opinion is if you don't agree with what she says then there must be something wrong with you. I would recommend this book for some helpful cold-calling tips, but I would not adopt Buying Faciliatation as my primary selling technique.

I've found this book fascinating!

It covers 8 archetypes in relation to branding. There's a summary section and what's almost a "cheat sheet" for each archetype, with loads of examples.

It is lacking the "archetype story" eg Cinderella for each archetype which would be useful when you're writing copy. However, there are enough examples that you can more or less work it out.

The "cheat sheet" with the stages for each archetype is extremely useful and helps you see quickly what people are looking for in products and services that you're branding with that archetype.

One of the best books on this topic I've found so far...

Well there isn't much new info in here. I really enjoyed pearson's first book on Archetypes - this one however lacks, as another reviewer put it "rigorous thinking"- for Jungian Branding Tactics I prefer Mythmaking on Madison Avenue. I forget who wrote it - but it's a remarkable work.

Alright, I'll be the first to admit it; this book is not an easy read. In fact, I'd call it a slog (and I'm a readaholic who can't put down the back of a cereal box!). But, the concepts presented are worth the work. The authors explain what's so darn compelling about Apple's logo, what type of client you want to speak to, and what they need you to say to make a connection with them. Plus much, much more.

So if you're trying to get a handle on branding and figure out what will work for you, grab this book. Thankfully, although it is dry as bone, it's fairly skim-friendly. So do what I did and skip the parts that don't apply or get too boring, and just look at the handy call-out boxes of bulleted info. You'll get the meat of the book without having to work so hard.

Amazing... discover some (partial) new knowledge of psychology for the sole purpose of manipulating and profiting from others!
While this is standard for advertising types, it would only be fair of Pearson to discuss the other core archtypes at work here: the Crook, the Scam Artist, the Amoral Profiteer. These are real archetypes, that most readers of this book are living. Make money Peason, ok, but face your shadow and dont be part of the human problem; be part of the solution.

I was disappointed by the lack of rigorous thinking in this book.

Sure, different companies have different personalities and personality is part of the brand. We could even create our own set of Jungian archetypical brand personalities, and go about attaching them to different brands.

But now for a test. Is Coca Cola a Creator -- helping inspire its users to do great bubbly things? Is it a Caregiver -- showing care for others? Maybe it's a Ruler -- a tough competitor and long the top dog in Cola Wars? How about a Jester -- always at the center of a good time? Or just it's just the drink for Regular Guys and Gals? Look at the ads -- maybe its a Lover or at least a drink for Lovers sharing a soda with two straws? Or, how about an almost Heroic presence, again from ads? Sometimes, it has a sort of Outlaw feel (with folks like Mean Joe Greene playing Robin Hood handing a Coke to a kid). In the old days Coca Cola ads praised it both for giving energy and a calming effect -- though there's no archetype for either of those. So, maybe it is more a Magician -- think of some of those magical ads past and animated present and its ability to give both energy and calm the soul. Given Coca Cola's global ubiquity and appeal, it might well be the drink of Explorers. It might even be (given the caffeine) the energy drink for yuppie Sages? Well, it turns out (according to the authors), that Coke is clearly so successful because it's an "Innocent." The toughest competitor in the Cola Wars, a mixture of caffeine, water, and sugar, almost wizened from a century of success -- yeah, it's clearly an Innocent and that explains everything.

My point is that the book lacks any sense of rigor, proof, or science-like basis in fact. The authors do a clever job of retrofitting achetypes to brands, and several of the cases are interesting, but the whole thing appears to work better in hindsight than proven principles for brand success. One could equally well, in this reviewers opinion, talk about aligning your brand with top-rated TV shows, Tarot cards, signs of the Zodiac, or (with at least a tiny bit of science) Myers-Briggs personality types --- "proving" the case with stories about how GE, Toyota, Google, etc. etc. all fit some stellar or personality pattern.

The kernel of truth in the book is that people like their brands, products, and companies to have a predicatable, attractive, and aspirational subtext. Creating an enduring and attractive personality makes sense, at least as long as the personality remains relevant.

Speaking of personalities, what's the Jungian archetype for the Maytag repair man? Is he a Regular Guy, sidekick to a Hero, or a Jester? Is the Ultimate Driving Machine (BMW) a Hero or an Explorer . . . with maybe the 3 Series for Regular Guys and Gals with higher aspirations than Honda and Toyota owners? No doubt the authors could tell us, though I doubt their hindsight would be of much value in predicting past or future business success.

What might be of value to some readers, especially those who think Jung had the last meaningful words on human decision making, is that some structure (almost any structure, even the Yellow Pages or TV guide) can be useful in brainstorming product and brand alternatives.