Reviews (2)

In a nation where cash is king, meet the royalty.
Dreams. Visions. Wealth and Power. Within the pages of this book you will learn about the lives of 100 extraordinary people and their amazing accomplishments. Coming from all walks of life, many were brought forth with very little to their name, and yet each one has possessed an overwhelming desire to be the best. In many cases, they pursued a vision and achieved unimaginable success. Their empires and ideas have revolutionized society and their names will forever be etched in stone with their legacies. If you have ever been inclined to command wealth, here is where you will find out how it was done by those before you.

--Taking Notes

100 highly readable vignettes on wealth-obsessed individuals
Let me start by saying that I would never have picked up a book on this topic were it not for the fact that one of its authors is my brother. I am so repelled by the "get rich" mentality that is exhibited by a certain segment of our population that I would have avoided the book for fear of being lumped in with them by anyone seeing it open in front of me. Before buying the book, I had prepared myself to dislike it, and had already fired off some ironic messages to my brother by electronic mail on the aspiring Rockefellers who I supposed would be flocking to buy it.

Finally, I got the book home, and, after drawing the shades and closing the blinds, furtively looked inside. A wealth, not of money, but of biographical detail, emerged immediately from the first few pages of text. It became immediately clear that, whatever its political slant, this was a profoundly well-written and researched work. What's more, it painted realistic and, in many cases, quite damning portraits of its 100 plutocratic subjects.

The book orders its collection of mini-biographies according to the wealth of their subjects. Still, the bite-sized pieces are too irresistable to be consumed in a linear manner, and so I found myself jumping from one disciple of mammon to another some chapters away, devouring several at a sitting over a period of many days. I remember the sense of mild surprise that I felt at the time that someone who I have known on a personal level for years had produced something that could truly be appreciated by the greater world (and evidently has been, from the reviews and interviews that have followed).

The reason that this book "only" gets a nine (for me, a 10 would be reserved for a great classic like Howard Zinn's "People's History of the United States," and maybe one or two other titles), is my perception that it pulls its punches slightly on some of its more contemporary subjects. The facts are all there, but there is a sense that the kid gloves are on when examining the negative consequences of more recent fortunes, such as Sam Walton's, on the broader community. Walton's Wal-Mart stores, for example, have been criticized as vacuum pumps that suck money out of small communities, destroying local shops that pay decent wages and recycle their earnings to local economies, while offering only low-paying jobs and marginally lower prices in return. The book brushes this aside as "protests from small rivals," and says nothing more on the subject.

Despite these issues, the book remains one of the most informative and interesting ones that I have read. And if the authors' point of view seems to favor, or at least accept, the system that created these Matterhorns of money, that view isn't imposed upon the reader, and there are plenty of facts and figures from which to derive a competing perspective.

--Carl Gunther ... Read more

Book Description

A New York Times bestseller in hardcover, this is the mosthighly regarded biography of Freud ever written. To read this book is toenter the world of Sigmund Freud as never before: his family, his city,his professional struggles, his long fruitful and embattled life. Drawingon a vast store of unpublished documents, including hundreds of hithertounknown or inaccessible letters, Peter Gay deals frankly with thecontroversies that have long swirled around Freud's impassionedfriendships, his love life, and his theoretical innovations which, asFreud himself put it, agitated the sleep of mankind. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent Work
Disagree with two of the reviewers below:Gay is not unbearly biased in favor of Freud, book is not too much for casual dabblers in the subject.

First, one could hardly expect a six hundred page biography of Freud to be authored by someone who hates the man.Important to be realistic about who writes books in the first place.

Second, Freud was a prolific writer, and the book doesn't shy away from in depth analysis, so really it's like two three hundred page books.Now, if that's too much Freud for you, you're probably not that interested in the first place.

I like to read biographies of thinkers who left behind copious amount of published work.That way, it's easier to get a sense of what you want to read (if anything) by the author.

Because much of Freud's work revolves around family life, his family life is more then usually interesting.It's impossible to appreciate the originality of Freud's thought without having a firm context for HIS everyday life.

This book provides a balanced reading of Freud's controverial life.I found the bad to be included as much as the good.Freud's influence on the 20th century has been so profound that even if you completely disagree with the man (over, say, his attitude towards women), it is still rewarding to learn about his thought.

Very complete biography
This biography on Sigmund Freud proves to be a total integration of all aspects of Freud's life. Everything from his psycho-analysis works to his family life, Jewish background to the political climate that surrounded his life were all integrated in this book in one massive volume. The book proves to be well written and relatively objective in outlook as the author maintain an even kneel toward his subject. I found the book to be quite informative and full of interesting insights on Freud's motives and actions.

It seem to the author that Freud's life really didn't start until he published his famous book, Interpretation of Dreams. Roughly a hundred pages covered his life prior to that and rest of 550 pages covered his life after that. There is another 150 pages of source materials and index just to let you know how thick this book can be. (Hardback)

It should be warned that due to an overwhelming amount of information provided in this book, most of the first time readers into Freud's life would probably suffer from information overload. Many of the technical terms used in Freud's work were not meant for casual readers. This biography is quite complex in nature and content. I would recommend reading couple of shorter and simpler biographies on Freud before moving up to this book. If not, you will just slog through this book like being stuck in a giant swamp of information.

Excellent writing
Peter Gay has given us yet another intelligent and stimulating work.The book was highly praised in a review and although I would have never thought it possible, the writing transported one back to the Europe of the early 20th century.In many aspects Freud was a typical bourgeois Jew - intellectual, deeply opinionated, haughty, wealthy, well-mannered and hard-working.

His group-breaking advances are explained in detail as well as his ideas on several modern practices he patented - therapy, the id, ego and superego, guilt, eroticism.It was the latter on which he rested his claim for in his exploration of sexuality he thinks he has discovered the core of each of us.We are, he states, sexual creatures and all our decisions and thought processes are geared around that fact.

The triune history - Freud's, psychotherapy, Europe - combine to form a dazzling work in which the author shows a real empathy for his subject.One of the best around.

Fine intro to the man who REALLY "gave birth to the 20th C."
Gay writes a biography that is carefully aware of its own limitations (Freud had this nasty habit of periodically burning all his notes and papers) and equally careful to be sympathetic to the man without idolizing him. This is probably the condensation of Freud's life and work that best balances the sheer volume and importance of it against the need for (relative) brevity.

Fan Fodder
I like to read good biographies of the most influential and interesting people of Western history( previous two biographies read were Desmond & Moore's great biography of Darwin, and Solomon's fine Mozart). I had never read a Freud biography and considered this book as a starting point. Since I bought the book with the hopes of reading a reasonably straightforward, unbiased biography of someone who has undoubtedly greatly influenced twentieth century thought, I found myself very disappointed. This 'biography' is

simply a fan book written by a Freud fan. From the very first chapter and throughout the book, Freud is admired and praised as
if the book had been written by Freud's doting mother instead of
an academic writer. In fact, Gay implies throughout that Freud's
"heroic" character had only one serious flaw-- that being self-criticism(!)-- and that anything questionable in Freud's character
was justified by his achievement and reknown in the development of psychoanalysis.Fine for avid Freudian types, but I suggest to anyone who is not a Freud cheerleader to avoid the rah-rah-rah
of this long fan letter. ... Read more

Book Description

A landmark book in the studies of Freud, H.D., modernism, gender, and sexuality. The poet H.D. (1886-1961) was in psychoanalysis with Sigmund Freud in Vienna during the spring of 1933 and again in the fall of 1934. She visited him daily at his study at 19 Berggasse, while outside Nazi thugs and militia bullied their way through the streets. Freud was old, and fragile. H.D. was forty-six and despairing of her writing life, which seemed to have reached a dead end, for all her success. Her sessions with Freud proved to be the point of transition, the funnel into which were poured her memories of the past and associations in the present—and from which she emerged reborn. H.D. came to Freud at the urging of her companion, the novelist Bryher (1884-1983), the daughter of a wealthy British shipping magnate. Freud welcomed H.D. as a creative spirit whose work he respected, but he did ask her not to prepare for their sessions, write about them in her journal, or talk about them with her friends, especially Bryher, who remained home in England. H.D.'s letters from Vienna filled the gap. Breezy, informal, irreverent, vibrant with detail, they revolve around her hours with Freud, making her correspondence unique in the spectrum of reminiscences, journals, memoirs, and biographies swirling around the legacy of the "Professor" and the movement he founded. The volume includes H.D. and Bryher's letters, as well as letters by Freud to H.D. and Bryher, most of them published for the first time. In addition, the book includes H.D. and Bryher's letters to and from Havelock Ellis, Kenneth MacPherson, Robert McAlmon, Ezra Pound, and Anna Freud, among others. Fully annotated with Index and Photographs ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Seminal addition to History Of Psychology reference shelves
Deftly compiled and edited by Susan Stanford Friedman (Virginia Woolf Professor of English and Women's Studies and Chair of the English Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison), Analyzing Freud: Letters of H. D., Bryher, And their Circle is a fascinating, informative primary source providing invaluable insights into the life and work of the famous father of modern psychoanalysis -- Sigmund Freud. The poet H. D. was one of Freud's patients in 1933 and 1934; her letters to her novelist companion Bryher (which often revolve around the hours she spent with Freud), offer a unique glimpse into the inception of psychoanalysis, the modern-day science of the mind. Analyzing Freud is a very highly recommended, essential, seminal addition to History Of Psychology reference shelves and supplemental reading lists. ... Read more

Book Description

New, Unabridged on 5 Cd’s; Shrinkwrapped. Narrated by Grover Gardner.

The story of a remarkable scientist, statesman and diplomat, and one of the founding fathers of America. ... Read more

Book Description

Sigmund Freud's influence on modern psychology and scholarly thought is incalculable. Yet the greatest exposure most students have to Freud's work comes from parodies, caricatures, and misrepresentations. Sigmund Freud fills this gap, tracing Freud's methods, goals, and the development of his theories, from his early studies of neural structures to his work as a philosopher of human civilization. Highlights include Freud's work with hysterics, his "discovery" of the subconscious, and his theories of human sexuality. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The clearest Freud biography
This is a extraordinarily clear biography of Freud. The author Muckenhoupt was faced with a real challenge: how do you describe Freud's theories and the controversies surrounding them to an 8th grade readership? She handles this challenge perfectly. And I'm not just saying this because I'm a close personal friend of Muckenhoupt, and she gave me a copy of the book free for my 30th birthday, inscribed with inside jokes at the start of each chapter. I guarantee you she knows her subject too--riding on a subway with her I got to hear all the details about Freud's jaw operation and who his kids were named after. So in conclusion, this is a fact-filled book that deals straightforwardly and clearly with such controversial topics as penis envy, antisemitism, the Oedipus complex, etc., and I'm not just saying this cause I'm biased. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Left something to be desired
Although laced with facts it posed no new ideas and a majority of the reading was difficult due to confusion on which Franklin was being refered to. the Inclusion of the letters and speaches in the back was very informitive but if you are truly interested go to the library and just look up the such for yourself. All in all i found it to just be a sophisticated report and not anything particularly new or interesting, if you are interested in this subject get the Autobiographies.

It is for the history buffs!
Benjamin and William Franklin, Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist is a very informative book. This book shows how a father and son can go from loving one another to hating each other. This book goes threw the steps that Ben and Will took throughout their lives to make them become who they were. The author, Sheila L. Skemp, breaks down both individuals life to show you how they could have been in the opposite shoes in the out come.

The author starts out with a lot of facts about both men in their younger years. Showing how they grew up and became adults with really very different upbringings. Then she tells how the two men worked together throughout most of their lives up until the Revolutionary War. She shows how the held similar government jobs and liked similar past times. She then goes on to sum up the choices they made and how this persuaded each one to become either a patriot or a loyalist. Sheila L. Skemp uses many facts to back her writing decisions. She also includes a complete thirty-one pages of documents. These documents are anything from letters, to speeches, to articles from newspapers. She also tells, throughout the book, when to refer to these documents to be able to keep in mind what the actual reason for different events were. She also placed a time line in the back to allow you to keep the time of the events strait.

Although this is a very decent book about history, there were a few items I did not like about it. In some parts throughout the book telling which Franklin the author was talking about was difficult. The wording used in many places was confusing in telling the difference. This making the time spent reading a bit lengthy because of the time spent back reading to find out which Franklin she was talking about. Also due to all the facts some parts were a bit boring, but for the person who likes to read about history the facts are essential.

For the person liking history and wanting to understand the Revolutionary War a little better this is a must read. This gives a great example of the splitting between families when we cut our ties to England. This books shows how two different people lived in these times. It shows how life back then was not that easy and how these two important people in our history did what they needed to better themselves.

This was an interesting book, even for me, and I do not even like to read about history. It was very educational and helpful. ... Read more

Book Description

Millions of people throughout the world have read Anne Frank's unforgettable diary.But most readers don't know much about Anne's life before she went into hiding.This remarkable biography, written especially for young readers, chronicles Anne's life from her earliest days.The book includes remembrances from Anne's family and friends and features rare photos of Anne from infancy to adolescence.A powerful, moving tribute to an ordinary girl whose life has inspired milions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent!!
In this fantastic book, you learn everything about Anne Frank! There are pages with photographs, even a chart with pictures of her from 1935 to 1942!You could see how much she grew up,too. They show a picture of her as a toddler and an infant.In this book, your emotions change from happy to sad during her life ... Read more

Book Description

This isn't a tale of Ben Franklin the revolutionary -- the text comes to its end long years before that -- but it does give a fascinating portrait of the man who would become one of America's founding fathers. Oh, we see hints of the trouble developing in Britain's relations with "the colonies"; and Franklin surely had dealings with the British military; but here Franklin is just coming into his own as a political figure when the tale comes to its end. But there is a wisdom, here, and a charm; and certainly a fascinating look into the everyday life of our country's pre-Revolutionary era. Even if Franklin had died after completing this text he would have left behind a powerful legacy. ... Read more

Book Description

The candid, poignant, unforgettable writing of the young girl whose own life story has become an everlasting source of courage and inspiration.

Hiding from the Nazis in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building in Amsterdam, a thirteen-year-old girl named Anne Frank became a writer. The now famous diary of her private life and thoughts reveals only part of Anne’s story, however. This book rounds out the portrait of this remarkable and talented young author.

Newly translated, complete, and restored to the original order in which Anne herself wrote them in her notebook, Tales from the Secret Annex is a collection of Anne Frank’s lesser-known writings: short stories, fables, personal reminiscences, and an unfinished novel, Cady’s Life. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Good companion book for the famous diary
Had this been a collection of stories and essays by anybody else, I would have thought it was nothing special. But having read the Diary of Anne Frank first, the stories and essays make so much more sense. You can just see her whiling away the dull moments of the life in the secret annex, honing her writing skills. It is easy to see her skills as a writer increase from story to story. But even more interesting is to read the messages contained within her works. The writing skills she displays are obviously that of a teenager, although much better than most people her age. But the real value of these pieces are the insights which she brings to them; her life experiences and her approach to life's big questions. The last essay in the collection is entitled, "Why" and seems to sum up her short life. Read this book, but only after you read the Diary so the essays will be meaningful.

Unforgettable stories for young and old alike.
In her now famous Diary, Anne Frank said "I want to go on living even after my death". As of 1998, The Diary of Anne Frank had reached sales of 25 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages. (source: TIME, October 5, 1998). It has been required classroom reading for half a century now! In a way, her wish has come to pass.
This subsequent publication "Tales From The Secret Annex" combines short stories, reminiscences/vignettes, and even an unfinished novel to show us yet another dimension to this remarkable person. Reading these stories and little essays confirmed my personal opinion that Anne Frank was a childhood genius with unlimited potential to achieve anything she would have set her mind to. It's hard to imagine this thirteen year old girl writing with such depth and perception, while living in seclusion, terror and fear for her life. She was writing from her heart, not with an expectation of being published. And yet these stories shine with a polished brilliance, and a certain unforgettable quality. I read this book for the first time 8 years ago, and have returned to it now, remembering the stories as though I had read them just last week. My favorite is entitled "Kathy". In three short pages, Anne captures every emotion experienced by a kid who is misunderstood by her mother, assaulted by schoolyard bullies who mock and rob her and cause her to lose the gift she was bringing home to her mother.

Here is how she ends her essay entitled "Give":
"If only our country and then Europe and finally the whole world would realize that people were really kindly disposed toward one another, that they are all equal and everything else is transitory!
Open your eyes... give of yourself, give as much as you can! And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness! No one has ever become poor from giving! If you do this, then in a few generations no one will need to pity the beggar children anymore, because they will not exist!
There is plenty of room for everyone in the world, enough money, riches, and beauty for all to share! God has made enough for everyone. Let us all begin by sharing it fairly." (written March 26, 1944).

Anne was sent to Bergen-Belsen, where some time during March 1945, she, her sister Margot and hundreds of other prisoners were stricken with typhus. Their captors, preoccupied with the advancing Allies, left them to die.
World... read her book!

Great stories and reminicenses from a talented young girl.
I truly enjoyed Anne Frank's Diary, now I have had the privilege to read her tales. A talent in it's purest form. I believe it was Anne Frank who said she wanted to be famous and/or to live on after her death, and of course she has in so many ways. Her diary has sold millions upon millions of copies around the world, her story told in a broadway play, countless films and documentary's.To me it looks like Anne has gotten her wish, she has lived on, more than she'll ever know. I like so many other's have wondered what kind of person Anne Frank would have been if she had survived, of course we will never know, but her diary and her story's were left behind to be discovered and to be told to everyone around the world, what a good person we could have a had on this planet, a great and talented young girl who was taken away but not forgotten.

Something other then the diary
Ok, so Anne's diary will almost always out shadow other stories shes written, and with good reason, but the stories here are rather well written. The 1st half of the book contains actuall stories she was writting, some short, some long, and part of an unfinished novel. The 2nd half of the story is memories of events that happend to her in her life that she wrote down.
Anyone who likes her diary should really give her stories a read.

Very Challenging and Fun!
This book was great. So are the rest of the books in the series. They are challenging and require scrutinization of both the exhibits and the court case. Unlike many othe 'Choose your own adventure' books this one is actually a challenge. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very well written and understandable
This book really helps the reader to understand who Henry Ford was and how is life took place. Very nice illustrations to help intepret the book even easier

very insightful
I thought the book was very well written and a favorable portrait of the Ford Family

clear, interesting biography of Henry Ford
This book is very well written and would be of interest to kids from 4 to 14! I love the design - large photographs, and the little interesting details of Henry's life. For any child who prefers machines to marbles... ... Read more