Reviews (2)

This Book is about a Genius
If there is a problem with this book, it is that its conclusion, "Redefining Genius" is still too vague to make any particular genius of much significance. Due to media influences, social thought now is largely a matter of public opinion, and I may have few companions in the belief that, of course, it was quite proper for Nietzsche to rise to an attack upon his own age, its public opinions, and all the ways in which people prefer to fool themselves. I am grateful to this book for its outlook; merely mentioning its title is often enough to convince others that I don't have to agree with them. The index doesn't have a listing for jokes, and the author seems to associate them quite closely with the scandalous life of the composer, Wagner. On page 120, we are told, "If that was not enough, there were Wagner's coarse jokes, which frequently involved Cosima." My own interest in developing the idea of a fetish involving Nietzsche's relationship with the Wagner family has relied on the information in this book, on that very page, that Isolde was born in April 1865, so she was four when Nietzsche first stepped into that family circle. Other sources indicate that Nietzsche stopped visiting the Wagners before Isolde turned twelve, when the composer began trying to teach Nietzsche something about religion. Things which may have been left out of this biography might not be helpful for understanding the nature of genius. Or maybe the worst idea of a genius would be someone who knew what all these people were thinking and wrote it down.

Not too bad
I read this book about two years ago in high school. It caught my eye because it was a completely black hardcover book with the title "Young Nietzsche" on the back (of course). Afterwards I had to skip a few classes to read the Hollingdale biography - so great was the inspiration this book provided. This was the first Nietzsche commentary/biography I read. I had struggled with the birth of tragedy and carried it around in an attempt to make myself look smart a few times but I was too lazy to do anything real, and only succeeded in impressing teachers, and I slowly realized that there was really no one to impress. Anyway, I remember the book as being fairly inspiring and very interesting from a purely biographical point of view (can I be more vague or ridiculous?). If you are perhaps a lowly high schooler living in the total darkness of American public education and would like to shine a little light onto you and your fellow prisoners, check this book out. I'm not sure I'd like it as much now that I have become less pretentious... but anyway it is worth reading and its not too long. I think the editorial above gives a good summary but is a bit harsh. The book develops what has become typical as far as hypotheses go, but it offers some sagacity for anyone who wants to learn or find out what it means to learn in that it provides the means - a step up from this is Monk's biography of Wittgenstein. The absolute worst thing about the book is that it leaves you hanging and so you had better buy the Hollingdale biography too (I don't work for amazon, BTW) and then read the real stuff. Well I hope you like the book if you buy it. I hadn't even thought of Harold Bloom until I read that editorial... You won't get a lot out of the book, but you might get a LITTLE, if you catch my meaning. It's the style the gets you out of the cave. The more scholarly person will turn a cold shoulder and avoid second hand ambition. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Don't miss it.
If you're interested in Jack Nicklaus, and in the way his life and family are interwoven with his golf career, you can't miss this book. One of the great sporting lives in history, a picture of the whole person, an uncommonly intelligent and balanced person who happened to become the greatest player of all time. Even the requisite chapters on instruction (standard among golf biographies) are terrific, reflecting Nicklaus' focus on a few fundamentals, his uncomplicated approach to the game. What you see in this book is an attitude, a mentality, that ought to be a standard for any great athlete, and one that reflects the nature of golf and golf competition at its best--and more than that, an aspiration to greatness that never got out of perspective, never overwhelmed Nicklaus' commitment to his own family and friends. The book was written when his pre-senior-tour career was not even a third finished yet, but it's an early look into the mind of perhaps the most focused, and yet balanced and unassuming, great athlete ever. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Sarasota Herald Tribune, published by Sarasota Herald-Tribune on February 3, 2002. The length of the article is 1134 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mind games; Schizophrenia and genius are the subjects of Sylvia Nasar's biography of Nobel Laureate John Forbes Nash Jr.(FLORIDA WEST) (book review)
Publication: Sarasota Herald Tribune (Newspaper)
Date: February 3, 2002
Publisher: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Page: E6

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Travel with Nietzsche
Although at first glance this book might appear to be simply a "coffee table" book, it actually presents a totally engaging, very personal view of Nietzsche by Krell and Bates. After I recently read various works by Nietzsche, and was somewhat astonished by the heart-on-the-sleeve baring of the soul that characterizes so much of Nietzsche's writing (e.g. Thus Spoke Zarathustra), I found it very interesting to read Mr. Krell's splendid prose as he shares with us highlights of the many journals, notes, and letters that document the inner life of Nietzsche. In particular, the wonderful way that Krell matches up Nietzsche's physical surroundings with the various images and metaphors of his published work provide a tremendous insight into both the meaning and the poetic beauty of Nietzsche's writings. I especially appreciated learning about the internal tension and ambivalence that Nietzsche experienced regarding whether his work would be interpreted as genuine philosophy or merely poetry. This is an excellent book to read from cover to cover as well as to browse.

Take a Hike with Fritz!
just got the expensive book 'The Good European' last night at berkeley's Black Oak bookstore, 55$, phew. great idea for a book, kind of book where you envy the writer all the travelling they got to do in the process of writing it. Ressentiment, get thee behind me! this book is the first time i have seen a picture of the famous 'Zarathustra rock' the pyramid rock where N. was struck with the realization of the eternal return. Just wish it was in color and full-page. The photos are a little awkwardly placed sometimes. Lots of photos of doors. Was this an obsession of N. or the photographer? funny that author Krell does not mention Nietzsche's encounter with the flogged horse as the precipitator of his god-realized-madness though, Krell seems to buy in totally to the syphilis hypothesis. Truly, the west is still so naive re the vagaries and risks of metanoia/spiritual transformation. It really amazes me sometimes how these academic Nietzscheans like Krell and Yalom can completely disregard the insights of Bataille into the epic significance of N.'s 'madness' and its implications for our own illusory collective consensual sanity. oh well. not even a picture of the Piazza Carlo-(something) in Turin, as far as I could see, but might be there, havent read it closely. lots of good stuff in the book though. have always wanted to go on a hike along some of N.'s favorite paths, and this book is the next best thing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Richard M. Nixon : Excellent political memoir
"Even Richard Nixon has got soul", wrote Neil Young in his song 'Campaigner'. This book chronicles Richard Nixon's rise and fall with candid honesty and demonstarates a warmth and human falibilty that does indeed afirm Young's lyric.
I was surprised at Mr. Nixon's book in that I was unsympathetic at the time with his handling of Vietnam and felt he was out of touch with the vast anti-war movement in the USA. I feel now that he was harshly judged and that he should be saluted for his untiring efforts to maintain freedom and democracy in Asia.
The best parts of the book are when he describes meetings with other world leaders and provide a fascinating insight into the process of diplomacy at the highest level of goverment.
The Watergate sections are complicated and one is left with the impression that he got into a hole and could'nt stop digging.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the machinations of high politics and anyone who wishes an insight into a turbulent period in American history.

Historically, a first rate book
Richard Nixon experienced a "comeback" in the late 70's and throughout the 80's, and it started with this excellent book. In it, he goes through all of the relevant things concerning his family experiences, and, of course, his politcal life, culminating in the Presidency and then complete disgrace. But this book isn't really a "downer," and it has wonderful Historical value. It is an excellent read as well as a terrific buy. ... Read more

Book Description

More than any other figure, Friedrich Nietzsche is cited as the philosopher who anticipates and previews the philosophical themes that have dominated French theory since structuralism.Informed by the latest developments in both contemporary French philosophy and Nietzsche scholarship, Alan Schrift's Nietzsche's French Legacy provides a detailed examination and analysis of the way the French have appropriated Nietzsche in developing their own critical projects.

Using Nietzsche's thought as a springboard, this study makes accessible the ideas of some of the most important and difficult of contemporary French poststructuralist theorists including Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault and Helene Cixous.Through a careful analysis and close reading of the texts of Nietzsche and French poststructuralism, Schrift illuminates the ways in which Nietzsche's thought prefigures certain poststructuralist motifs.He demonstrates how several dominant themes in contemporary French philosophy emerge out of Nietzsche's own thinking. As one of the first books to critically examine the work of the new French anti-Nietzschean's, Schrift defends the value of poststructuralism and Nietzsche as critical resources for confronting the present. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Incomplete
There are some things worth learning in this book. However, the characters reviewed are all postmodernists.Schrift is utterly tolerant of the lunacy most of them write.In fact, Schrift is one of the postmodernizers of Nietzsche.He wants Nietzsche to worship at the feet of Derrida along with himself.Schrift does not review, for example, Alain Finkielkraut, who is more popular in France than any of the PoMo big shots, and who does not share their opinion of Nietzsche.He ignores Julien Benda as well.And he never mentions Clement Rossett -- who had the temerity to point out that the entire movement claims to be Nietzschean, when nothing could be further from the truth.The book is selective, and suspect becasue of that. ... Read more

Book Description

RICHARD NIXON Timeless history recorded live...Tom Wicker discusses the life and character of Richard Nixon

The bestselling author of One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream, novelist and veteran New York Times columnist Tom Wicker lends his unmistakable voice to the groundbreaking Character Above All audio series with an illuminating examination of one of America's most infamous Presidents.

Recorded live at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, Wicker continues a series of lectures delivered by a team of historians, biographers and journalists assembled by Robert Wilson to explore the Presidential character. Sharing their insight into the Presidents they have written about, these authors and scholars address the larger issue of the impact of the Presidential character on leadership and the creation of trust.

Wicker explains that Nixon was an ambiguous character -- talented, suspicious, and a loner, an anomaly in a successful politician. In the end, he was neither evil nor a victim -- except of himself.

Character Above All is incomparable audio, crackling with the energy and excitement of a great mind at work and the intellectual urgency befitting a topic of lasting national importance. ... Read more

Book Description

This brief text assists students in understanding Nietzsche's philosophy and thinking so that they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the "Wadsworth Philosophers Series," (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON NIETZSCHE is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher better enabling students to engage in the reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Personal and Analytical
Since the former president granted my request and sent me a personal autographed copy absolutely free I am biased about this book. I think it is well-written, insightful, personal, and philosophical all in one package. His approach to life was essentially life it to the hilt, have something to show for your existence, hence the title. He was not hesitant to enter "the arena." In fact, his life was lived in the arena. President Nixon was both a thinker and doer.

While he lived adventurously on two levels, the mental and physical, he was somewhat neglectful of the spiritual arena. He talks about his Christian parents, especially his mother, but he doesn't address spiritual matters in his personal life in any great detail. I know he was on friendly terms with both Billy Graham and Norman Vincent Peale. I'm sure they had some Christian influence on him.

In this book, the president looks back on life as an elder statesman. Some of the advice he gives is pertinent to any arena. When he talks about living with a purpose that transcends self, the focus is beyond political. He devotes time to the human condition, overcoming personal challenges, victories, defeats, and renewals. This is a well-thought out book. Any open minded reader would be stimulated by it.

Another Piano Recital at the Grand Ol' Opry
Presidential memoirs need to be judged under a different literary standard than other works of non-fiction, laden as they are with a tradition of wordiness, self-aggrandizement and exculpatory statements. This memoir is definitely better than Carter's (unintelligible), Ford's (would you buy it?), Johnson's (defensive), Bush's (which is only an edited letters collection) and Reagan's (totally ghosted).

And there are some passages in here that are vintage, vintage Nixon. E.g. the long panegyric for his sainted mother, the (fully deserved) tribute to the long-suffering wife and - piece de la resistance - the chapter on "Temperance." And RN's bitterest recollection, that when he resigned the press had the temerity to wheel out Alger Hiss to comment on the occasion.

There are also bits that make you wonder. E.g. his protest that Ferdinand Marcos probably did "the right thing" for his country by declaring martial law - even though RN had nothing to do with it.

Nixon buffs - lovers, haters, and the just plain curious - will do well to read this.

Nixon Looks Back at a Rich Life in the Arena
"Life is a roller coaster, exhilarating on the way up and breathtaking on the way down." -Richard Nixon, In the Arena

Richard Nixon spent most of his eighty-one years "in the arena," serving his country as Congressman, Senator, Vice President, President, and, finally, elder statesman and foreign policy mandarin. He was one of the most controversial figures in American public life; "Tricky Dick," the man you loved to hate. He started his career as a hero to conservatives, a dedicated anti-Communist, the vanquisher of Helen Gahagan Douglas and Alger Hiss. Later he enraged many those same supporters by imposing wage and price controls and opening China to the West. He was the leader of the Silent Majority, the ender of the Vietnam war. He was also crippled by disgrace; the only President forced to resign his office.

In the Arena is not a conventional memoir. Nixon already covered the essentials in his 1978 volume, "RN." Rather, this is more of an introduction to the man himself; a personal, intimate, conversational book about how he felt and thought, and what he believed. It is a reminiscence about the major points in his life, both high and low-the subtitle of the book is "A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal"-and a commentary on some of the events that have occurred since his earlier autobiography. This is by no means the definitive book on Nixon, but it does provide intriguing insights into the mind of a most intriguing man.

Some of the more interesting revelations in the book are Nixon's personal dealings with and reactions to the famous men he knew and met in his life. Herbert Hoover, MacArthur, Churchill, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and many others. He had their respect, if not their friendship, and he was able to deal with them as an equal, both before and after his presidency. He relates engaging impressions and revealing insights of these Titans of history. Gorbachev, he reveals, was better educated and more charismatic than Brezhnev so he came off as being a benign presence, but, in truth, he was no less ruthless. "[B]eneath the velvet glove he always wears, there is a steel fist." Mao told Nixon that he preferred "rightists" like him because "those on the right can do what those on the left can only talk about." Chou En-Lai was a ruthless negotiator with an all-encompassing understanding of international affairs. MacArthur was the most fascinating speaker he ever met, able to deliver, off the cuff, hours of brilliant, hypnotic rhetoric. The only leader Nixon ever met who could equal him was Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore.

Nixon also writes about Watergate, although, predictably, he makes no stunning confessions or apologies. He admits his responsibility for the cover-up, but denies having any role in the crime itself. He also continues to emphasize the political aspects of the scandal. He paraphrases Talleyrand: "Watergate was worse than a crime-it was a blunder." He reveals that even he did not know about all that was going on. He did not give the matter sufficient attention because he was preoccupied with his China initiatives and his efforts to end the war in Vietnam. He admits regret for considering options that were clearly illegal. Ironically, his order to kill the investigation, the famous "smoking gun" which ultimately led to his resignation, was disregarded. He also discusses his agonizing over accepting the pardon offered by President Ford. "Next to the resignation, accepting the pardon was the most painful decision of my political career." Ultimately, though, he concluded that the continuing obsession by the people with Watergate was crippling the nation. That and his own "desperate financial situation" left him with little choice.

Nixon also writes passionately about his role in the Vietnam War. "A day did not pass during my years in the White House that I did not hate the war in Vietnam." Nixon's mother, of course, was a Quaker and his upbringing had to influence the way he felt about such things. He especially loathed the tremendous human suffering caused by war. Still, he felt that the nation's course was a necessary one and that our goals in Indochina were "worthy and honorable." "I would have done anything to achieve them by peaceful means. But no such options were available." He believed that it was "imperative both morally and strategically" to help free the countries of Indochina, but that did not "lessen the burden [he] felt from leading our nation in war." As always, Nixon remained committed to the ideal of "real peace", that is, an end to war. We cannot achieve what he calls "perfect peace"-an end to conflict-because conflict is the natural state of affairs in the world. However, real peace is obtainable, if only we can take the profit out of war. He believes that this is possible because the destructiveness of nuclear weapons has made world war prohibitively expensive, and because increasing world prosperity has drastically reduced the desire of nations to increase their wealth by acquiring more territory and resources.

NIXON REFLECTS ON LIFE AND POLITICS
This is an excellent book. Well written and compact. No wasted words in this story.

It's vintage Nixon and he's at his best. It's full of fascinating stories and hard, tough insights into power politics. His core belief is that your life needs to be dedicated to some cause greater than yourself. It's an idea well worth pondering.

Probably the biggest weakness is the masterful spin on any of his problems. It's almost as if he's running a political campaign. Every controversial issue is turned into a positive reflection on his career. You know he's got to be lying at least a little bit, but you just can't figure out where. Oh well.

A book for everyone, not just political enthusiasts.
First, let me say that I rated this book at 4 stars. In my ranking system, a 4 is a very good score. I rarely ever give a 5, because it implies perfection.

With that said, I do believe that this book is worth reading for anyone interested in bettering themselves. Whilst the subject is about politics, many of the stories revolve around human nature and Richard Nixon gives some utterly insightful advice.

It is definitely worth reading. ... Read more