January 4th, 2009 admin
I absolutely love Malcolm Gladwell
. I don’t know how anyone would not. He’s smart, funny, and makes sense to a point where you can’t really argue anything with him. Plus, he offers little tidbits of information that are fascinating, stuff you’ve never heard before. You will no doubt learn quite a bit from this man. He’s tops in my book but let’s get on with this post. I wanted to recommend this particular book since it’s the beginning of a new year and reading it will inspire you to achieve whatever it is you need to achieve. You have practically a whole year and more to do it.
About the book
Amazon Best of the Month, November 2008: Now that he’s gotten us talking about the viral life of ideas and the power of gut reactions, Malcolm Gladwell poses a more provocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the “self-made man,” he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, “some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky.”
Outliers can be enjoyed for its bits of trivia, like why most pro hockey players were born in January, how many hours of practice it takes to master a skill, why the descendents of Jewish immigrant garment workers became the most powerful lawyers in New York, how a pilots’ culture impacts their crash record, how a centuries-old culture of rice farming helps Asian kids master math. But there’s more to it than that. Throughout all of these examples–and in more that delve into the social benefits of lighter skin color, and the reasons for school achievement gaps–Gladwell invites conversations about the complex ways privilege manifests in our culture. He leaves us pondering the gifts of our own history, and how the world could benefit if more of our kids were granted the opportunities to fulfill their remarkable potential.
Order now: Outliers: The Story of Success
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November 19th, 2008 admin
From amazon:
“Out of the thousands of new releases that came into our cubicles this year, we’ve chosen our 100 favorites, from an elegant pop-up alphabet and a deliciously dishy guide to fragance to an enthralling biography of an iconic leader and an encyclopedic history of a sport and the world that plays it. Here they are, so click below.”
Best Books of 2008
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August 7th, 2008 admin
America’s favorite pot-dealing soccer mom is more addictive than ever in the third season of Weeds, the highly acclaimed Showtime Original Series. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Mary Louise Parker stars as Nancy Botwin, a single mom who resorts to dealing pot after her husband dies suddenly. But when an off beat way to make ends meet grows into a mini-empire, the mother of all dealers finds she may be in over her head - and on the verge of taking everyone else with her. Hilarious and subversive, Weeds is the hit that put the herb in suburb.
Get Weeds Season 3
Not familiar with Weeds? Get Weeds Season 1 and while you’re at it, Get Weeds Season 2
I don’t think you’ll regret it. It’s perfect for when you have a free moment and want to escape the world to watch a wacky fun, comedy on television.
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July 26th, 2008 admin
Angels in my Hair is the autobiography of a modern day mystic, so she’s called, an Irish woman with powers of the saints of old.
People thought Lorna was retarded as a child because she did not focus on the world around her much like her peers. Consequently, Lorna remembers seeing not just the world around her but seeing equally vividly angels and spirits. For many years she assumed everyone saw the world like she did.
Reading the story of her life, growing up in a poor family, later working in Dublin, marrying and experiencing family tragedy, the reader meets, as she did, the creatures from the spirit worlds who also inhabit our own - mostly angels of an astonishing beauty and variety – including the prophet Elijah and an Archangel- but also the spirits of people who have died.
Today, it is not only the sick and troubled who come to visit Lorna, looking for healing and consolation, but theologians of different faiths and the head of a religious order in Rome are asking her for guidance too.
This remarkable book is the testimony of a woman who sees things at the other end of the dimension spectrum, beyond the range of most people’s every day experience.
More about Angels in my Hair
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