This is a comprehensive survey of the anthropological study of human universals, human nature, culture vs. biology, etc. It's also a critique of the field of anthropology, and one given from a refreshing outside-looking-in perspective. Brown deals with several influential cases (such as Margaret Mead's study of Samoan adolescence) and shows where they erred. He discusses the processes of defining and demonstrating universals, takes us on a grand tour of the history of universals in anthropology, presents the basic gamut of how universals have been and can be explained. In the final chapters he lays out his position and leaves cultural relativism thoroughly stomped on. Cultural relativists, he demonstrates, have relied on universals even in their attempts to show cultural relativity. Among even the most dissimilar human languages, for example, the similarities (grammar, syntax, rhythm, content, etc.) still far outweigh the differences. Anthropologists have historically focused on the differences while remaining blind to the (often more fundamental and important) similarities. I'm a little leery of some of the traits Brown ends up calling universal; he does acknowledge the "working" nature of such a list. But what precisely shall be found to be universal is less important than simply the shift to an orientation that would seek to understand human nature in such terms. This is what Brown proposes. He understands the place of anthropology in the social sciences, the field's potential, where and how that potential has gone unrealized, and how anthropologists will need to alter their approach if they're to be fruitful in the future. I haven't even scraped the surface here; the book is a gold mine of interdisciplinary connections and it brims with insights. More than anything, it's a sensible, biologically-informed, (dare I say) reality-based account of human nature. The tone is of a genuine pursuit of truth, rather than the trend among some social scientists to search high and low for anything that supports established theory. This book is packed, and in many ways it only aims to lay the framework of a better approach to the subject.

This is a very welcome counterbalance to the many voices that stress differences among cultures at the cost of losing sight of what we humans share. With extensive use of anthropological studies, Brown alerts the reader to those almost innumerable and too easily taken-for-granted elements of humanity. We all smile when happy, mourn the loss of a child, negotiate a place in a social setting with specific traditional roles. We all eat, experience hunger, learn which foods are acceptable, connect eating with social occasions, use food-related activities as basic metaphors for aspects of life. (The annotated bibliography is especially good for its lists of shared human factors.) Those who stress differences among people now usually do so to promote tolerance of "the other." But a good basis for tolerance is to recognize the common humanness within all the differences. This book does that well. It is good but highly readable anthropology.

This is a pivotal text for any clinician utilizing hypnotherapy. It contains critical clinical and technical information and case reviews of the highest quality. The authors are gifted in conveying the skills and texture of complex clinical work. I highly recommend this work.

This is a seminal text for those clinicians truly wishing to begin to use hypnosis in their practices. It contains all the basic theory, techniques, research, clinical cases and dilemmas of a hypnotherapy practice. His seminars are equally wonderful, with ample theory, practice and case review. Although his style can be initially experienced as intellectual, having trained with him, I find him a brilliant and compassionate clinician. I highly recommend this book to the serious clinician. (Oops! I apologize for having written two reviews of this text, although both are true. I simply forgot I had already written one, due to delay in posting time. However, this is a terrific work, not to be missed. RCK-Psy.D.)

This book is best read as a reference and overview of the current state of scientific research on hypnosis. The bibliography is wonderful. However, it is written in the overly dense prose of academic/scientific journals (to prove that the subject matter and author are "serious"), so if you're looking for a pleasant reading, this book isn't for you. If you are a grad student or researcher in psychotherapy, neurology, anthropology or biopsychology, then you will find this book very useful. If you would simply like to learn how to hypnotize others or use hypnosis in therapy, this is not the book to buy.

This is a rare find in a book about hypnosis: thre is approachable information about nearly EVERY level or type of hypnotic function for both the lay reader AND the expert seeking details and models or theories of hypnotic process. Peter Brown matter-of-factly explodes the notion that hypnosis is some bizarre state and simultaneously give us interesting tidbits and detail about how nearly all brain function is related to what we loosely call "hypnosis."

Especially because of the flurries of news about false memory syndrome and hypnosis in the not-so-distant-past, this book is both a delightful tour through the human brain, and a useful reference. A MUST read for the generally curious about hypnosis, the hypnotherapeutic practitioner, and anyone in the helping or healing professions

This is the twin to his "Going Local" -- local topical cartoons about San Francisco. Even though I live near SF rather than in it, I find them hilarious and read them every day at sfgate.com. Thank you, Mr Frank for so much relief from all the troubles of the world!

Phil Frank has been drawing a daily cartoon for the San Francisco Chronicle for about 10 years or so. While I lived there his strip had always been the first thing I read in the morning, and I am rather happy that finally there is a collection of selected strips from '90 - '96. I guess I must have seen most of them before, but aside from a lot of fond memories I also got a lot of laughs out of this collection. But it certainly isn't one of the "you-had-to-be-there-to-get-it" things - I have loaned my copy to a couple of people her in Germany, and they also were rather amused by it. There is a fair amount of local politics that serves as a background for the jokes, but there are also many stories about the affairs of the heart of the hero of the strip, Farley, and his on-going realtionship with Irene the metermaid who makes parking such sweet sorrow for him, about the four bears who run the Fog City Dumpster for the four-legged gourmets of San Francisco, and ab! out Orwell T. Cat's carreer as a fall-cat in the White House. So just go ahead and buy it - it's really, really funny, and it's a lot cheaper than going to San Francisco yourself.

I, RACHEL is a beautifully rendered poem with the rhythms, sensibilities and forms of ancient narratives. It evokes a long-ago time and place as well as timeless emotions -- the love of a woman for a man, the longing for harmony within a family and a tribe, the desire to preserve faith in God. We also see what gets in the way -- jealousies, deceptions, many human frailties. The story is compelling, skillfully plotted, aesthetically satisfying. A beautiful book. I think a broad audience of readers, of many ages, will find this a treasure.

I, Rachel: Beautiful poetry contemplating love and knowing.
Rachel is very perceptive, reflecting on all the loves in her life. I, Rachel is for everyone, reflecting the great measure of compassion, hope and JOY which comes from believing in the God of Jacob. I LOVE THIS BOOK!! You will want to share with your friends and family, save some time and get more than one copy.

this is a neat deal! I realized that Amazon's price works to about half that of Border's for this bundle.. The only downside is that the quicken book might be of no use to someone who does not use it (like me). But, hey if you get it for free, who's complaining!

Goo

This revised edition of an original 1991 publication in multicultural American fiction provides eleven new authors to join the others profiled in the prior anthology. Add a time line of historical events from 1900 to present times within the context of these short stories and you have a rich blend of multicultural history in fiction which is packed with important authors and works.

Excellent variety of multi-cultural American writing. Offers new materials for thinking about immigration, immigrants' experiences, etc. I've used it in an Introduction to Fiction class at a university with good success.

Doug Brown has changed the way I feel about being "productive". Brown shows the reader that humans havn't always been so obsessed with improvemement, and havn't always followed the cliche of "be all you can be". And eventually this obsession with being more leads to insatiability because you can always be more! There is no end to it!

Another thing that sticks in my mind after reading Insatiable Is Not Sustainable is a quote by Derrick Jensen: "This culture values production over life itself." This constant pressure to be productive, and emphasis on "growth" in this culture is channeled into our economy which is turning living trees into to two-by-fours, mountain tops into aluminum cans, and prairies into parking lots.

Anybody who is fed up with dominant/taker culture needs to read this book.

If humans are going to have a future on this planet, a blaze of change has to sweep the earth in the next few decades--a change in the way people think about the world and our place in it. One of the sparks that are going to kindle this blaze is Doug Brown's Insatiable Is Not Sustainable, a book that reaches deep into the mad recesses of our culture (while retaining a sense of humor and remaining delightfully readable).

I read this book because it was strongly recommended by a friend whose advice turned out to be invaluable. The approach that Ms. Brown takes is one of the most practical, straightforward I have come across. If followed it will reduce technical, cost and schedule risks that are rampant in application integrations, especially those to which this book targets: gluing together systems that have been separately developed by two organizations and now have to be merged into a coherent whole when one of the organizations acquires the other. The seven models proposed each address a unique requirement or situation based on a pattern. That Ms. Brown has managed to distill integration challenges into seven models is an impressive feat. It shows the level and depth of her experience, and from what I read in the book, combined with my own experience, she has completely thought this through.

One of the most important aspects of this book is that it's balanced between both business and technical considerations, and also embodies the best project management practices. As someone who takes applications into production and provides support I think that the overall approach set forth in this book also strikes a good balance between integration activities and post-integration support. It's refreshing to find a book that accomplishes this.

This is an important book that serves two purposes: it is a solid collection of application integration models that should be in the toolbox of all IT/IS professionals whose job entails enterprise architectures or application integration, and it is a clear roadmap for those folks who have just been told that their company just acquired another and the systems need to be integrated into a coherent whole without disruption the business operations of either organizational unit. It serves both purposes exceptionally well. Bravo Ms. Brown!

Ms. Brown has given us a gift: a book that thoroughly describes the challenges of implementing integrated enterprise applications, and how to overcome those challenges using proven methods that address both business and technical issues. This book is divided into four parts: (I) Techniques, (II) Catalog of Integration Models, (III) Applying Integration Models and (IV) Appendices.

The three chapters that comprise Part I sets the context for EAI, introduces integration models (which are, in essence, patterns) and discusses the environment for integration modeling. I liked this part for the following reasons: it focuses on business imperatives, and includes risk factors from a company and industry perspective; it bridges both business and technical views, and provides a frank discussion of the challenges faced by the implementation team. One of the highlights of part I is the approach to selecting a project approach and advice on placing project deliverables in context.

Part II is a catalog of integration models that contains seven chapters, each devoted to a specific model template. The templates are provided in a fixed format is closely aligned to Design Patterns (by Gamma, et al), making selection of the appropriate model for your organization or project straightforward. The format is: Description, Discussion, When the Template Applies, Examples, Benefits and Consequences, Realization, EAI Applications to which it applies, and Templates that work well with the one discussed. The seven integration models for which templates are provided are: Cycle, Seed, Web, Flow, Wave, Ring, Cell and Tree. I thought it was interesting how the templates themselves could be classified by geometric shape, but as you read through them it makes sense. Moreover, you begin to look at the integration models in a different way, which in turn, triggers creative thoughts.

The author intersperses case studies and technical discussions in Part III, Applying Integration Models. The case studies are: Chapter 12-Enterprise Resource Planning and Chapter 15 - Integration in Telecommunications; technical discussions include: Chapter 13-Using Integration Models to Synthesize Industry Models and Chapter 14-Data Strategy, Warehousing, and Architecture with Integration Models. The case studies and technical discussions not only added a dimension of credibility to Parts I and II, but reinforced one another.

Sample artifacts included in Appendix B are valuable. I especially like the checklist of factors that indicate an increased need for integration, but the sample letters, and other documents are also useful.

This book is to implementing enterprise applications what David Linthicum's Enterprise Application Integration is to EAI architecture. As a side note, if you decide to check out Mr. Linthicum's book, get B2B Application Integration, which is a more updated version of his Enterprise Application Integration. I not only give it a solid five stars, I also recommend it as one of the most important books available on EAI.

I have looked long for books that can be used to teach leadership to young people (middle school and up). Susan Fritz is an ass't prof in the department of ag leadership at Univ. Nebraska-Lincoln, and she has pulled together 17 excellent chapters about leadership, in exercises that can be used with young people. Her writing is clear, the chapters and exercises well organized, and you can use these with your classes.

This is by far the best I have seen so far. I especially liked Ch 7, Creating the Vision and Establishing Goals, and Ch 14, Responding With Empathy.

As a college instructor, I have read many books similar to these--present a skill, provide an activity, etc., but then no application is given. However, this text is excellent because not only are the discussions on communication/leadership skills quite interesting & thorough, but the exercises provided are practical & ones that I will actually use when I teach. (Many similar texts have the silliest activities). But the very best part is the REFERENCES--sources cited are mostly up-to-date & always include some of the classic works in communication. This book is very impressive--practical, credible, and USEFUL!!!!