Worth Reading, but . . .
936495
This anthology was published in 1991 by the Chinese Literature Press of Beijing. It followed an earlier collection of women writers that had been published in 1982. In the 1991 collection were seven works by as many younger Chinese writers, published roughly between 1985 and 1989. They comprised one short novel and six short stories. The authors were Can Xue (1953-), Peng Xiaolian (1953-), Jiang Yun (1954-), Fang Fang (1955-), Liu Suola (1955-), Ding Xiaoqi (1959-) and Chi Zijian (1964-). Most of them had begun publishing in the 1980s, as liberalization accelerated before the 1989 crackdown.

Compared with earlier anthologies published in China in the late 1970s and earlier in the 80s that I've seen, the collection marked a departure in terms of styles and subjects. The work by Fang Fang, a short novel called Landscape, had an unusual narrator, the spirit of a dead baby boy hovering around the urban family apartment where it had died. It covered two decades or so in the life of the baby's squabbling family. Liu Suola's work was a new type of confessional story that jumped between the narrator's efforts to become a musician in the present and a remembrance of a shared past with a friend who'd died. (The story wasn't her first and famous confessional work, "You Have No Choice," but a later one.)

Peng Xiaolian's piece detailed a female narrator's anxieties about her age and family as she prepared to go to the US on a scholarship, unusual perhaps for its frankness and reference to a foreign land. Jiang Yun's work described an urban love affair that resulted in an unmarried pregnancy, but instead of reacting like the women in stories by earlier, older writers -- jumping into a lake or otherwise doing away with herself -- the heroine went on to have the baby and got on with her life. The stories by Ding Xiaoqi and Chi Zijian covered forced marriages in the far north; one was spoken to "you" -- an unusual narrative device -- the other was a description of the past, intercut with letters by the narrator. The story by Can Xue was her usual baffling, Kafkaesque piece that some have taken to express the disordered state of society. Ironically, she was the only author from this book to appear also in the Chinese Literature Press's 1989 anthology, Best Chinese Stories 1949-1989.

For its departures in styles and themes, this book seemed important. Unfortunately for this reader, most of the works themselves were very difficult to follow -- interminable, disordered, seemingly formless. Concision has rarely seemed to be a virtue in anthologies published by the Chinese Literature Press.

Since the book was published, Jiang Yun and Fang Fang have remained among China's more popular writers, joined by Chi Zijian. Can Xue continues to write unusual, hermetic stories. Peng Xiaolian lives in the US and is mainly a filmmaker. Liu Suola lives in the US and is also a singer and musician. Ding Xiaoqi lives in Australia and continues to write.
3458840
Did you know Dawkins' consciousness was raised by knowledge of Darwinism?  If not, he'll tell you once or twice per page.  He makes his dislike of those who share his opinions but object to his rhetoric clear (I guess if he can't dismiss their complaints with "you're just saying that because you're a theist" he's at a loss and that annoys him).

An autobiography would have been less about himself and his own wonderfulness (and his own raised consciousness). Bask in his reflected glow, peons.

Still, there are facts and arguments in the book that make it a worthwhile read.
532311
An interesting read, but the authors' debates can be irritating.
476476
This book is worthwhile in that it summarizes the basics of how to read "critically," considering text, context, cultural and historical context, authorship, and audience. There was a section that seemed to be about gratitude and the law of attraction that itself seemed out of place to the extent that I wondered if it belonged in another book and was accidently integrated into this one. Readers either need some transition to help them understand why this material is placed where it is in the book, or it needs to be edited out, as it does not seem to have anything to do with how to read the bible.

That said, it is a nice, concise primer on reading the bible for a deeper understanding and experience.
1015589
The book provides a good overview of "tells" (body language which provides insight into what a person really thinks/feels) from various areas of a persons's body (head, eyes, legs, etc).  However, the content would have been more valuable if some means of prioritizing what to look for from among the large number of "tells" discussed was provided.  Worth the read in my opinion nonetheless.
914200
I just finished Harris's short book, read on the recommendation of my atheist boyfriend.  I am not a fundamentalist anything, including a fundy atheist.  Overall, the book is a decent, thought-provoking read, but there are many flaws.

Harris paints with much too broad a brush, not allowing for the wide variations in beliefs within Christianity as well as within other religions.  Having personal friends who are Muslim, and who are peace-loving, compassionate people, his words about Muslims are particularly offensive if taken to heart.  One can hope, and I suspect, that like most authors he's also out to sell books.  The short, fast, extreme style is much more likely to get bought and read than a longer, more thoughtful treatise.

In science, there are sometimes shades of gray, where sometimes X happens and sometimes Y . . .but in Harris's book, it's all black and white.  Too bad, as I would liked to have seen a more thorough and thoughtful book on this topic.

Overall, though, it's worth reading.
3091617
This novel captured and held my attention well enough, though at times I found the plot line a bit confusing. Ultimately, at the end I found myself saying; "Wow, really?"
Definitely worth reading.
4418374
I have mixed feelings about this book.  The biggest issue is that I believe that while it's conclusions are sound, there are other important factors that are not adequately considered

Essentially, to simplify the premise, the authors demonstrate that  the difference between successful and failed nations boils down to governance. Whether the government is "inclusive" or "exclusive" in the sharing of power, wealth and opportunity.  This is pretty obviously a sound conclusion and I think the authors do a good job of making their case.

What I am concerned about though, is that most situations are not so clear cut. There is a continuum of governmental "styles" with the current trend moving toward being less inclusive regarding the opportunity to produce prosperity and more toward being "entitlement" oriented.  What happens to a nation when the governments takes on a Robin Hood role? Won't a nation also fail if there are fewer and fewer individuals producing prosperity and more and more who are consuming instead of producing?

The conclusion of this book is good. It just doesn't go far enough to be of any help in today's society.  It does explain the problems in many third world nations but does not address the industrialized world. As such it is a very interesting academic exercise with insufficient relevance to today's most pressing issues.
1713375
Awesome book.  If you can look past the some aspects of it.  Worth reading.
4562295
This book is an interesting read and I don't regret having read it. However, in my opinion, some of the characters could have been developed stronger to help the story be stronger. I'm not taking the subject matter lightly, by no means. The book carries a serious message. The main character, Fran, is in a no-win situation and is controlled both physically and emotionally by her husband. When she finally does leave, I believe the new life she enters could've been more indepth for the reader. The reader sees Fran (or later, Beth, as she becomes known) inside out. We read what she does and what's on the inside of her by her thought revelation. But the other characters, whether it's her son, her best friend, or Mike, I felt were just revealed "on the surface." The reader is led to believe that Mike is on her side from the start, and to the end he is the patient and helpful one, at her side. However, not enough description was given as to what Mike was really thinking - not much was written as to what the two shared, even how they were at the end - the author simply states that Beth is "getting used to Mike" - making one feel like he's just there. Mike was not developed enough to stand as the strong character he is supposed to be. Certain events (without revealing the whole story) were not presented with enough depth. It felt like the story glided from start to finish rather on the surface, skimming through the process of start to conclusion. Each part of the story was approached and stated but not dealth with deeply enough for the reader to connect with the characters. Except Fran/Beth - the reader does get to see inside her mind, which is important. However, she too doesn't act strongly enough after she flees, to convince the reader just how difficult things are. Also, at times it got confusing within the book because the author jumps around a lot when dealing with Fran/Beth - once she's in the present, and within the same paragraph/s, she's also going back into the past.

Overall, the book is interesting but the characters could've been written with more intensity because the book, after all, is about a very intense subject.
3713663
English is this author's third language, behind German and Spanish, and it shows in his narrative. An interesting life, to be sure, but written by an amatuer who thinks he is a professional writer. Also, several mistakes in the text that may go unnoticed by the casual reader. Some of his earlier escapades border on being fiction, and one comes away with the conviction that he does exaggerate. Still, a book worth reading, of course.
2443856
An interesting and informative read, and ultimately I'm glad I read it, but it was, in my opinion, quite repetitive. Every chapter, it seemed, she had to retell how miserable this whole situation was. Yes, we got that the first time. At times the story dragged as if the writer had run out of things to say and was just trying to fill pages. This was a good story and worthy of telling, but I think it would have been better served as a long form journalistic article in a place like The New Yorker.
2514404
I'm not going go into an exhaustive review of this book; many have done so already and frankly I wouldn't be able to do so due to the nature of the book.  Nonetheless, the following are some of my random - unorganized thoughts (I read the book years ago when it first came out and recently listened to the 25th anniversary version via audible):

a:  The main point is that this is a book worth reading.  Yes, it can and will at times be... obtuse and will definitely come across as dated in that Dr Peck is coming from a background of being trained "traditionally" in psychodynamic psychotherapy (ie Freud  et al). This is not a judgmental statement but rather simply a observational one.  Furthermore, to all non-Christians, this book may not only be difficult to understand but it also may perhaps drive you somewhat nuts in that the author devotes a significant part of the book and his philosophy of life / the mind related to some form of Christian thought / philosophy.
b:  Although the author never presents this book as one based on empirical research (as many similar books today do), one may assume that since he is a MD, that the information in the book is, as such, based on scientific data; it is not.  Rather, I view this book as the author's personal manifesto, based on his many years of clinical work as well as basic personal growth /living;  ie his valuable wisdom on humanity and life.
c:  Lastly, the book can be... frankly boring at times and difficult to understand at times.  Nonetheless, if one can wade through the above and just go with the flow and take in whatever one is capable of absorbing at the time, one will come away with some important and insightful nuggets of probable truth.  Highly recommended.
3363394
Interesting point of view, but still a good read.
2501336
This book has some good ideas, useful information, and broad scope, but the middle chapters are unnecessarily redundant, and it reads a bit too much as a polemic (as opposed to analysis).  The final chapter, which I read first, is a bit naive.  Still, I wouldn't have missed the book, because it provides a useful structure for assessing future information and a context for thinking about where we are going as a species and a society.

Rifkin needs a good editor.

Unfortunately, the book appears to have been written just a bit before the tea party movement, and, thus, may be a bit more sanguine than it would have been had the author confronted the impact of that movement on the trend toward an "empathic civiization."
3104218
Worth reading.
The story is perhaps a little weak, but the discussions about different authors and their writing are of gerat interest, I think.
2101920
Bottom line is that Lescroart's not-quite-the-best book is still pretty darn good and worth reading. Is has interesting characters, and the author has developed a number of characters very well.  Most of the situations seem realistic enough to be believed. But there were at least two literary devices that were hard for me to buy. The first, and key to the story, is can a normal person with no previous obsessions have a one-time obsession blip and then return to having no obsessions at all. Hard to believe. The second was the terriorist attack out of the blue. Yes, it is possible, but in this case it seemed contrived. It seems to me that the author could have added plausibility by somehow foretelling  the possibility.

Beyond that it it took 88 pages for the story really start. No, unfortunately, you can't skip to page 88 and begin. Some of the intro is necessary.  Maybe the author had to front-load the story to come up with a manuscript to fill 304 pages.