A LIFE TEACHING THINKING: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Matthew Lipman

A Life Teaching Thinking: An Autobiography by Matthew Lipman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: This is a book for both believers and skeptics. True believers in the idea of philosophy for children will certainly want to learn the life story of Matthew Lipman, who is the modern father of that revolutionary idea. True skeptics may be curious to learn how a conventionally trained philosopher could leave a tenured professorship at Columbia to establish the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children. Both believers and skeptics are in for a good read. - Gareth B. Matthews, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

MY REVIEW: I was disappointed with this book. As an autobiography, it is average (at least for me). It is probably not until two-thirds of the way through that the author begins to develop a specific interest in philosophy and philosophy for children. Most of this period of his life story describes the various formalising strategies for the approach (eg, institutes, writing some books, media appearances, conference presentations, and academic work) with little in-depth discussion of the philosophy and his own personal engagement with the children that his approach was designed for (I'm not sure whether he taught children philosophy himself or merely developed the approach that others implemented). There's no doubt that this educational movement is important. I was just hoping for more narrative about Lipman himself worked with children in teaching philosophy himself.

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EYES OF THE DEAD by Adam Netherlund

Eyes of the Dead: A Crime and Suspense Thriller by Adam Netherlund
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Detective Joseph Berlin’s life is a mess. He drinks too much, he dreams of his dead wife, and he’s been off the job for the last three months. After receiving a transfer to the Gardens Police Department, they waste no time in assigning his first case: the murder of one of their own, Undercover officer Tim Scott.

There's just one problem. No one in the department is talking. Not even Tim Scott's so-called "buddies" in the department are willing to help out. When Berlin and his new partner are nearly run off the road, and a number of strange occurrences start developing, he knows he's getting closer to the truth.

But how far can one man go before he breaks? Before he loses control and begins to lose sight of what he was meant to do?

Someone is desperately trying to keep their secret buried and Berlin is a man with nothing to lose.

The clock is ticking and time is running out...

In a city fueled by greed, corruption and deceit, Berlin will come to face face with his greatest fear in this exhilarating first book in the police procedural series, The Gardens. -- GOODREADS

MY REVIEW: This is the first book in a crime series by Adam Netherlund which I probably won't continue to read. The writing is uneven. In some places I felt a degree of tension and the ending is a great cliffhanger. But, overall, it feels rather amateurish with the attempt at stream of conscious writing (every so often, we have italicised thoughts from the characters) is distracting and redundant. I found the occasional colloquialisms of language (eg, nothin', what yah doing?) to be unnecessary and inconsistent (not sure why they were used in some places and not others). It may be that a good editor is required to do something with this book (and subsequent books in the series) to meet its/their potential. The plot is pretty basic and, when compared to the best crime writing available, falls short in my opinion.

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Innovations in NLP for Challenging Times by L Michael Hall & Shelle Rose Carvet (eds)

Innovations in NLP for Challenging Times by L. Michael Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: This long awaited book brings together some of the most recent innovations and applications of the traditional NLP model. Each chapter describes a new model or application and contains step by step instructions or a case study on how and when to apply it. For NLP practitioners it provides an outstanding collection of new tools and ideas to take their practice forward.


The book also includes chapters on some of the most innovative IT projects and communities where developments and advances continue to be made, including the Clean Language community and the NLP Research and Recognition Project. More than anything, this book represents a collaboration of some of the best innovators in the field of NLP to push the boundaries of the traditional NLP model and create some solutions for the problems created by the increasingly troubled world in which we live.

MY REVIEW: Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) has been around since the '70s and has had its fair share of critics and supporters. One of its weaknesses has been the lack of peer reviewed research supporting its claims along with increasing factions developing (which is ironic given how focused the approach is on understanding others' maps of reality). This book is a welcome addition to the literature on NLP with its call to the NLP community to genuinely collaborate, more robust research and the description of some of the contemporary adaptations and applications of NLP to today's global problems. It is probably not suitable for those who are not familiar with NLP. But for those with a reasonable knowledge of the approach, it will be of great interest.

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RADICAL INTEGRITY: THE STORY OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER by Michael Van Dyke

Radical Integrity: The Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Michael Van Dyke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: You’ll be inspired by this story of a German pastor and theologian who gave his life to oppose Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. Born into a prominent German family, Dietrich Bonhoeffer died in a Nazi prison camp, hanged for his plot against the man who’d plunged the world into war. Find out what made Dietrich Bonhoeffer the man he was—compassionate minister, brilliant thinker, opponent of the heresies of Nazism and Aryan superiority. This easy-to-read biography details both Bonhoeffer’s life and his powerful theology—of “cheap” versus “costly” grace.

MY REVIEW: Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of my heroes. Perhaps most famously known as a man of deep Christian faith involved in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he is also well known for the letters he wrote from prison until he was finally hung for his alleged role in undermining the Nazi regime. Van Dyke's book is brief and to the point mostly in a style of a novel. It's a great introduction to the man, his thought, his faith and his commitments that ended in his death. He left a great legacy worthy of consideration by anyone. An inspirational read.

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THE FAULT IN OUR PANTS by STEVE LOOKNER

The Fault in Our Pants by Steve Lookner
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
As I was approaching the mall exit, this cute
little girl with barretted braids appeared in front of me and said,
"What's that in your nose?"
"They're called cannula," I said. "These tubes give me oxygen, which helps me breathe."
"Would they help me breathe, too?" she asked.
"I dunno, wanna try?"
"Nah," she replied, "I don't wanna look like a weirdo."
"Wanna know a secret?" I asked.
"Yeah!"
I licked my finger and rubbed it on her arm. "I just gave you cancer," I whispered.

MY REVIEW: The fault with THE FAULT IN OUR PANTS is the fault of the author who has written what I consider to be a very weak parody of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green - at least, that is what I thought after reading about 30% of the book and giving up on it. I like a good parody. The best parodies are of those that are about things that, in reality, are pretty awful. The problem, of course, is that I liked the book THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. So parodying something that is good just doesn't work for me. Maybe if the parodying was clever it might have worked. But what I read of the FAULT IN OUR PANTS is quite pathetic humour which essentially follows the storyline of the book and inserts what might be called schoolboy jokes every few lines. Not worth reading.

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COMFORTING THOUGHTS ABOUT DEATH THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH GOD by Greta Christina

Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God by Greta Christina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: If you don't believe in God or an afterlife -- how do you cope with death? Accepting death is never easy. But we don't need religion to find peace, comfort, and solace in the face of death. In this mini-book collection of essays, prominent atheist author Greta Christina offers secular ways to handle your own mortality and the death of those you love. Blending intensely personal experience with compassionate, down-to-earth wisdom, Christina ("Coming Out Atheist" and "Why Are You Atheists So Angry?") explores a variety of natural philosophies of death. She shows how reality can be more comforting than illusion, shatters the myth that there are no atheists in foxholes -- and tells how humanism got her through one of the grimmest times of her life.

MY REVIEW: Despite the title, there is a good deal of talk about God in this book! One of the issues I have with a lot of atheist books is that they seem to continually define their perspective contra theism. So while there are quite a few interesting (and comforting, depending on who you are) thoughts about death in this book, too much of it is arguing against theistic ideas or criticising the way theists may communicate with atheists about death and grieving. What I'd like to see is a book that makes no reference to religion but provides a discussion about death, grieving and journeying through toward and/or through these experiences that is comforting. Having said that, the book is worth reading to get a sense of what options there may be for approaching death and grieving from a secular perspective. Christina rights with sensitivity and warmth and it is timely that a calm conversation begins amongst secularists about one of the great certainties of life -- death.

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PSYCHOANALYSIS AND ZEN BUDDHISM by Erich Fromm

Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism by Erich Fromm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: The essential point of this book is Fromm's opinion that psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism subscribe to the same aim. For the author, 'The aim of Zen is enlightenment: the immediate, unreflected grasp of reality, without affective contamination and intellectualization, the realization of the relation of myself to the Universe.' For Fromm, this is precisely what psychoanalysis aims to do.

I'm not completely convinced of the 1:1 relationship between the two systems of thought and practice. However, I am not an expert in either field. The book is brief and does not include any in-depth discussion of critiques of the ideas Fromm presents. The language of the author is often unnecessarily complex making it difficult to read at times.

If you have some knowledge of psychoanalysis or Zen Buddhism, you will probably find this book of interest. It's probably not a good place to start before a basic introduction to each.

MY REVIEW: The essential point of this book is Fromm's opinion that psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism subscribe to the same aim. For the author, 'The aim of Zen is enlightenment: the immediate, unreflected grasp of reality, without affective contamination and intellectualization, the realization of the relation of myself to the Universe.' For Fromm, this is precisely what psychoanalysis aims to do.

I'm not completely convinced of the 1:1 relationship between the two systems of thought and practice. However, I am not an expert in either field. The book is brief and does not include any in-depth discussion of critiques of the ideas Fromm presents. The language of the author is often unnecessarily complex making it difficult to read at times.

If you have some knowledge of psychoanalysis or Zen Buddhism, you will probably find this book of interest. It's probably not a good place to start before a basic introduction to each.

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