Great book that goes through the history and social context ...
924030
Great book that goes through the history and social context during the development of nuclear physics. The details about the rise of Hitler were particularly interesting to me. I never knew that the Japanese looked into an atomic bomb.
441293
About half way through the book currently and I find it to be a great read for two kinds of people:

1. If you're looking to get background for business purposes.  It's great and detailing what to expect and small details that can impress people you work for or actual people in Asia.

2. If you're genuinely interested in the cultural aspects of many Asian countries, without the business.  It hits on popular cultural influencers, which many business books fail to do, but it also does it in a way that doesn't feel like I'm reading case studies for an MBA class.

Overall, interesting read that serves it's reader in many different ways.
4030795
This book by Dr. Ocampo was a great read. It reads easy and Ocampo does a great job tying in the history of Filipino Americans with the everyday experiences of them today through interviews. I would not just recommend this book to Filipinos or Latinos but I would recommend this to anyone interested in race and how immigrants do whatever is needed to adapt to the society around them just to fit in. This book is awesome!
3755278
This is a wonderful book for the costume historian and designer. So many times when one is researching, one gets a full length look at the costume, but none of the details that make the costume historically accurate. This book fills in the blanks beautifully. I highly recommend it.
4724033
Great book if you want to understand Irish culture and history without slogging through dull social science books.  I have had a number of Irish friends, and have always enjoyed their company greatly, and this books helps explain why -- good conversation, music, dancing, and yes, drinking, are basic parts of the culture.  Education and initiative too (I guess out of necessity!).  Was interesting to read through the number of influential americans who were Irish, who knew?  Also love that there's an official Irish Dancing Commission.  Any country with a Dancing Commission is OK with me!
933918
If your are an academic or just a socially aware citizen, this book has something for you. Each chapter has a well written synopsis that provides the average reader with all of the information necessary to understand the political and economic conditions as they impacted the poor for specific time periods in American history. The solutions that are implemented and the results are also included, along with edititorials and similar papers from the time period being discussed. The summaries are easy to follow and the background information provides much more insight into areas the reader might wish to delve deeper into. The result is combination book, which should be of interest to the socially conscious and the academic. I definately left with a better understanding of just how complex the issue of poverty is.
2815758
I was assigned a couple of chapters as reading for my seminar class and I figured I'd buy the book as well to add to my library. Ross and Nisbett do a great job explaining the background of social psychology research. I've found myself going back to it several times already to check concepts and can definitely see myself doing this over my academic career. Buy if you are going into psychology, any human factors work, or if you are just interested in the social world and human behaviour.
1394075
One of the best books we have read covering the early years of our great country.  Rich in text, graphics and pictures we keep this book as one of our "coffee table" books that is picked up more often than any other.  A great conversation piece as well, that starts interesting discussions about our history.  We highly recommend this great book!
1133085
Great book of the history of the sit ins, bus boycott and the history of the people that organized it.
1001887
This is an engaging narrative about the history of social media, from the beginnings in ancient Mesopotamia to the modern era.  While there was a lot that I already knew about how the Romans sent messages, what I did enjoy was the added research author Tom Standage added from a sociological perspective, such as Robert Dunbar's studies of the correlation between the neocortex ratio and group size in primates.

The Reformation of 1523 and his Edict of Worms written by Martin Luther is also well-known, and in fact the earlier chapters may be a rehash of old social studies books from several decades ago.  This makes for an interesting compare-and-contrast study of mass communications over the centuries.  Which proves that humans have always had some form of social media and only the tools have changed since then.  From clay tablets and chariot-driven messengers,  smoke signals and village criers to our modern day internet social media forums, we are a social animal that like to announce our latest events and want some kind of attention for it.

While the focus here in this book is about mass communications, Standage's study of social media and its transformation is an interesting read.  Chapter 9, "The Rise of Mass Media: the Centralization Begins" and Chapter 10, "The Opposite of Social Media: Media in the Broadcast Era" are a good prelude to the final chapter, "The Rebirth of Social Media: From Arpanet to Facebook."  Interesting is also credit that Standage gives to the near instant and constant news updates during the Arab Spring uprisings that began in 2010, proof that the fast and far-reaching social media forums today can help foment change in countries still on the glocal watch list, like China, North Korea, Russia and a few others.

Anyone who uses social media today can relate to the last chapter and agree that social media as we know it today is here to change.  A highly-recommended read.
2999353
Great book with lots of setails regarding individuals (Dutch, English, Indians, etc.).  A great start for a historian investigating the relationships between the first Europeans to visit the Hudson valley and the Native Indians.  It's hard to keep track of the numerous Indian ndames due to a lack of familiarity.  Keep a log of the names of tribes and sachems for reference purposes.  I used a library copy but decided to buy a copy for future reference.

Shuld be of interest to historians interested in Indian tribes living in NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, etc. during the early days of European colonization.
3530190
Great conversational reading book about the background of American Christmas traditions and Christmas Carols;  how it all happened in America.  Wonderful weaving of facts, history, etc..  I will use this book for my stocking stuffers,  Thoroughly enjoyable !
1585323
This book gives an in-depth examination of both ancient and modern societies reviewing how the societies started, developed, and ultimately either succeeded or failed.  Knowing what the earlier societies faced and how they dealt with them demonstrates that some problems are universal and do not always have a set response.

A very eye-opening part of the narrative is when he speaks of the Norse settlements on the coast of Greenland and how he shows that societies can be motivated by other causes than self-preservation which can lead to the society failing for reasons that it did not need to.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to look beyond the history books (for ancient societies) or the newspaper headlines (for current societies) for understanding the underlying causes and effects of these societies.
3700623
I took a Modern Chinese History course with Professor Yeh at UC Berkeley. A large portion of her class is based around this book.  The book does a wonderful job of explaining the timeline of modern Chinese history and all the major events. It describes and analyzes all the big major events such as end of the Ming Dynasty, Opium Wars, The Boxer Uprising, arrival of communism in China and Soviet influence.  I especially liked the later chapters about the Cultural Revolution, the behind the curtain workings of the Mao regime and the rise of the free market economy with the resurrection of Deng Xiaoping. I definitely learned a lot from this book and will not be reselling my copy.
3788426
Currently about halfway through this book. IF you don't enjoy reading about other periods in history and/or ethnic groups it might not be for you.
I like reading about turn of the 1900 century history and European cultural and industrial  integration to social change. This shows a whole world impact not just to the U.S.
4446281
Interesting book, great background facts to read
3564467
This is a great book for Minneapolis historians. The author did her research and other historians will benefit. The story is a bit disjointed and not always chronological, but she gives us great details and much insight into these women's lives. She illuminates the  political, moral and ethical struggles between the New Englanders, who were the city founders, and the more liberal-minded later immigrants and the role these struggles played in the treatment of prostitution. It is fascinating. There are maps and many newspaper reports from the time that add great color to the book. There is the infamous Doc Ames who, as Mayor, hired his brother and other cronies with the goal of corruptly filling his pockets as quickly as possible. One method was by collecting fines from the madams. It is a rich resource for anyone interested in researching Minneapolis during this time period, roughly 1850 to 1900. I recommend it highly.