Good Advice, Questionable Politics
342946
Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the author. Now that that's out of the way...

This book is a necessary buy for anyone who finds themselves under attack for their politics. Two sections in particular stand out: the anatomy of a SJW attack and the response scripts. It will tell you exactly what to expect, what frame of mind to get in, and how to respond.

That said, I take exception with Vox's suggestion later in the book that the antidote to the thought police is an equal and opposite thought police for conservative organizations. I understand his argument that 'they started it, so it's fair game,' but it seems like the opposite of the ideal outcome: un-policed thought.

I will hasten to add that this is a mere academic consideration when you are under active attack from a group that wants to destroy your good name and livelihood for political reasons. Your first priority is to defend yourself, and this book will help you do just that.

TL;DR Version: Essential advice for dealing with organized slander, but take Vox's political rants with block of salt.
2270439
While the author made some good points and had some good suggestions,  quite of bit of what he says is misleading and some is flat out wrong, to the extent that relying on his advice could get you into trouble.

A contract is a legal agreement, taking an advice from a non-lawyer is like taking an advice from the guy who happens to be sitting next to you in the doctor's office as to whether you need a hip replacement.
3853626
In Find Your Strongest Life, Marcus Buckingham stresses that women should be pursuing their passions, not settling for doing what seems sensible. He says that in order to be strong, happy, and successful, women need to discover what their strengths are and then pursue those strengths, rather than focus on "fixing" their weaknesses.

I enjoyed this book--with a few reservations. Buckingham's writing style is clear and friendly, and he includes a "What to take away from this chapter" bulleted list at the end of each chapter, which clearly summarizes the main points. The final section of the book, "Strong Life Tactics," is especially helpful. Buckingham gives clear advice for building up your strengths in several areas of life.

I do wish Buckingham would have spoken specifically to single, childless women and stay-at-home moms--millions of women fit into one of those categories, yet this book focused exclusively on women who are trying to balance careers and families.

Also, if you're thinking about buying this book, you should know that, while it's published by Thomas Nelson, there's nothing particularly "Christian" about it. It does contain helpful advice, but the advice doesn't come from a biblical standpoint. I don't think that invalidates everything Buckingham says, but readers should be aware that this book basically approaches life from a humanistic standpoint, focusing on self and each person's "truth" for their life, while largely ignoring faith--an aspect of life that should be paramount to believers.

(I reviewed this book as a Thomas Nelson book review blogger.)
2082639
I have mixed feelings about this, which I listened to (once) as an audiobook. There is much fresh and useful information, and her reading style is animated and earnest, and all the CDs held my interest. The author is obviously committed and enthusiastic, and I think she's a great role model for her two daughters. I especially found her section on how personal identity is related to habit to be very thought-provoking. But I had to cringe at her casual descriptions of "the habit of drinking too much", with no mention of the complexity of the reality of alcoholism in a significant percentage of the population. I am not on the computer much, and haven't seen her blog, podcasts etc. so perhaps she has addressed this issue elsewhere. (Or in the hard copy of her book?) All in all, a good exploration of the topic, in my opinion. Mary Lee Moser
1373949
Too much politics. Book is good, but it could use more substance
2039434
I just finished "Is College Worth It?". It was an interesting book, and I agree with most of it wholeheartedly. It provides useful information on how to determine whether college is for you, and if so, how to determine which college(s) and major(s) might be for you. It also offers a good review of non-college options. When I started college, most of my fellow freshman didn't know what they wanted to major in. I went to a private university with a very good financial deal, but many of these students were burning $50+K/year on room, board, and tuition. In retrospect, being aware of burn rates and such, all I can think is, "What the hell are you doing here with the clock running at $50K/year without knowing what you're here for?". I don't blame them, though. It's what all of the trusted people in their lives told them they should do. This book is the antidote to that problem.

That said, it has a few sections that really stuck out like sore thumbs on religious schools and various socially-liberal topics. While I agree that paying tens of thousdands per year for a curriculum primarily of gender studies or queer anything is probably a bad investment, that's also true for sociology and a bunch of other stuff. The authors' personal conservative biases really come through, and are not well-integrated in the text.

If you are considering college, it's well worth checking this out from the library for the change of perspective, but if you don't want to financially support thinly-veiled contempt for large swaths of the population, you may not want to purchase it.
3221061
When my wife and I first started dating, her mom (my now mother-in-law) lend me her copy of this book when she learned that I was in debt because I made the huge mistake of financially helping out one of my best friends who decided to take advantage of me and screw me over.  Anyways, this book does have practical good advice on how to budget your money, but it is generally good practical advice that needs to be approached with caution.  It's good for people who make $60,000 a year and are $80,000 in debt because they lived like they make $90,000 etc.  But if you're a working stiff like me who barely squeaks by in life making less than $40,000 a year and your only debts are a car payment and student loan, I would recommend speaking to a licensed financial advisor before going nuts over anything Dave Ramsey talks about in his book, otherwise some of his advice could hurt you more than help you (like it most likely would've in my unique circumstances).  I have listened to his radio show before many times, and I personally am not fond of him or his show because he seems very arrogant and full of himself.  He's also very opinionated and seems to think his way of budgeting money is THE way and all other ways are of the devil, etc. (Hence the title of my review).  He's also very harsh and insulting towards his callers which I personally don't find that to be Christ-like in any way.  I know he is very strong about his christian faith (as am I), but sadly, his arrogance helps reinforce the negative stereotype that society has against christians as being "holier than thou".  Unless Dave Ramsey changes his self-absorbed attitude, he's gonna have a hard time getting respect from me.
740106
Good information. Stories lead to politically biased conclusions.
4930742
Excellent common sense advice about the integrity of the individual in marriage, often ignored in unhealthy relationships. The book illustrates well how people attempt to control their partners, not respecting their right to be an individual, and how destructive this is to relationships.

Although I have no issue at all with the message of the book it is probably twice as long as it should be and not well written. There seems to be a compulsive need to quote Bible texts, most of which are completely not applicable or misquoted. Almost all seem unnecessary. Had the authors stayed away from trying to bring God into everything, this would have been a much better book.
87473
This book opens with a score of endorsements, which normally bodes quite well for the book in question. In this case, one must wonder if the author intentionally chose these individuals or if they were selected by the publisher, as some endorsements, such as Fox News and Ben Carson, really should not be found in any book that is a serious theological discussion. It does, however, help one realize that this is not so much a book of personal encouragement, as the cover and title would suggest, but rather a political entreaty in which the reader is led through the argument that America's moral base is failing and that spirituality needs to be restored in the American government. Many evangelicals will find this book works great with their worldview and add it to their queue. Robinson opens with discussing the healing America needs, then focusing on the spiritual awakening he presents in his thesis, and evaluates many evangelical issues with the current governmental system. He concludes that America needs to be great again, and that can only be accomplished via renewal and revival.

The author writes very clearly with a persuasive tone to argue for his approach, and many will be swayed by his ability to great a moving argument. He spins Scripture into the mix to argue his point home with evangelicals. However, his view is slanted and wrong. I am not getting into the politics of the issue, but specifically the view on wealth. Robinson argues that "prosperity teachers" have valid points with blessing children. As a covenantal Jew and a parent myself, I must correct this inaccuracy. The promises to Israel do not extend to the church (even progressive dispensationalists agree) and never will, and as a parent I do not "bless" my children with wealth, because that is bad parenting. Wealth does not build character or help a person. Money where needed does, but wealth does not. Health, family, and relationships are good, but wealth can be destructive. Robinson's early admission of arguing for Chrisitan prosperity is damning evidence against his theological base and ability to accurately interpret Scripture.

I cannot, in good faith or moral fiber, endorse this book. I didn't even read the whole thing, simply because I cannot trust a rich preacher to be accurate to the word of HaShem. While Robinson is correct about the change in America with increased violence, the argument to make America great again is unfounded, simply because it never was great in the first place - America is simply a modern nation with the same struggles as the rest of the world, and doomed to die not because of failure, but because that's how prophecy works: what is written will come to pass, and there is no "America" in Revelation.

Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post.
1812623
Overall the contents of this book are helpful, however, it's important to realize that this book may not resonate with the majority of young people because it is written by an older man who is not in touch with the younger generation. If I knew an 80 year-old getting married, I'd definitely buy the book for that person. I'm in my 60's looking for a gift for kids in their 20's. The first page contains a sentence that is socially taboo. "Marriage, between a man and woman, is the foundation of human societies." He could have said, "Marriage is the foundation of human society." or "Relationships are the foundation of human society" and not offended every couple who has a gay relative or a relative who is a single mother. During the time he was dating his wife, he refers to her as a "girl," something young women today find highly offensive as his wife was an adult, not a child. Parts of the book read like they were written by someone who lives below the Mason-Dixon line and in fact the author does. .

Furthermore, the book contains ideas that are not necessarily the best. For example, the author recommends saving 10% of one's salary, spending 80% of one's salary and donating 10% of one's salary. Well, some young adults I'm familiar with make $100,000 to $1 million. It wouldn't be good advice to spend 80% of that. How much one makes is a factor in the percentage saved, spent, donated. A spouse who's a spender could point to those percentages and say that the saver is being a cheapskate and this experienced marriage counselor has the right idea. It's probably best for the marriage counselor to suggest that the couple come up with spending and saving percentages and maybe recommend these percentages for people with average starting salaries.

What would be helpful is a more generic book that would address all couples, straight and gay, religious and not. It would be wonderful if authors on this topic were inclusive and were able to recognize that all couples have a need for marital information.
1178821
This is an interesting, and newish, approach to the "relationships" field. I have some issues with this approach, though; first, I believe, merely from looking back at my own history, that our "attachment styles" are much more muddled and malleable than the authors concede. And this calls into question the rather single-minded thrust of advice ("This relationship is doomed; get out now") they are giving. Hmm, "effective communication" will get you out of many jams. I don't think I've EVER heard THAT one before (wink wink). This criticism aside, the analysis of "protest behaviour" is good, and the general notion that "attachment" issues are moulded by stress is compelling. So all in all, better than "Men are from Mars ...", certainly.
3192106
This book was an amusing read, and much easier to get through than most "business" books.  It had a lot of points that made a lot of sense (including referencing Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" - also a great read), but should be taken with a grain of salt, particularly given today's economy.  While the advice is good (being focused, paying attention to detail and making sure things are done properly, etc), I'm not sold on the "become ZEO/CEO in a year" methodology.  Sure, staging a coup in your business sounds like a great, fun, idea.  But in reality - I think it's probably not the best plan for those of us who would like to get A(head) of the game, but really DO need our jobs.  Overall, very informative, very enjoyable, but needs a lot of salt.
4341277
I believe it's important for men to read books for and about women's issues, and vice versa. This book really could have been called "Lies People Believe", because most of the topics addressed are not gender specific. DeMoss' book is a great example of the importance of using Scripture as the basis for all study, as she provides solid, Biblical reasoning in most of her answers to the lies she addresses. Unfortunately, in a few instances she seems to be writing more from her own opinions than from Scriptural authority -- primarily in her thoughts on marriage and parenting. This doesn't necessarily make her wrong, but it would have been nice to see some references for some of her assertions, such as the idea that the thought processes behind using birth control -- at any time, for any reason -- are tantamount to abortion. This and other similarly undocumented generalizations are difficult to take seriously from a woman who has never married or had children, yet calls "a woman's willingness to embrace... her God-given role and calling (childbearing)... a necessary fruit that will accompany genuine salvation." As a whole, though, this is a good study resource and springboard to discussion, but also a reminder that the wisdom of man is meaningless next to the wisdom of God contained in His Word! (Proverbs 21:30; Mark 13:31)
3366208
Bierce has composed a useful guide for writers, and it it remains a good resource.

However, you need to take a good deal of this with a grain of salt. Many of the decisions Bierce makes about certain words are rather questionable. The book is old, and Bierce was very much a traditionalist and a pedantic. He was resisting many trends in English that now have become defacto standards.  He makes a lot of good points, but sometimes we need to go with the flow, even if certain word choices, as Bierce points out, are quite silly.

This review itself is probably evidence that I haven't assimilated all of the lessons from Bierce, but I hope it causes me to think more about the words I use in the future and maybe integrate some of his advice.
3982631
This book is helpful; but one must always bear in mind that it is one man's opinion. His ideas about how to dress, etc. were without merit in Ireland as we saw the locals dressed in clothing similar to what he suggested would be in pour taste. His impressions of places was welcome, but opinion. His book is a great stepping off place when planning a trip, but remember there are other travelogues you should also reference.
1694926
Like a lot of people, I found this book to have quite a few good bits of advice.  When you put it all together, especially if you do the homework he assigns, you will become a better speaker.  Some of the advice is stuff one should know or find obvious, but they are only obvious in hindsight. Like telling stories about yourself instead of other people.  He's right--stories about yourself are more interesting that stories about someone other than the speaker.

While the advice is pretty good, the delivery is a (oddly) rather dry.  He keeps either getting onto tangents, or just prattling on about some story that is often not very amusing.  There was a bit too much rambling which detracted from the message of the book.  I suppose to make the book long enough to charge money for, and to keep it from being a dry how-to, the stories were needed.  Overall though for advice, I would give the book 5 stars.  For readability, I docked a star.