Customer Reviews:
Not the 'lost generation'.......2006-06-11
someone listed this as from the "poet" from a NEW generation
of poets........ actually he isfar from it!!!!He seems to be still from (and not too original) the 60's. And as far removed from RIMBAUD as I am from O.J. Simpson. He has never left that
novella of 'the basketball diaries' which seems to be page after
page of the same ole thing with absolutely nothing sought nor learned...altho he did seem to share it with us but after 160 pages of self-centered cosmology that continuously just rewriting the season and year that was boredom to me (who also was there) incident after incident, over and over!!!I am not even from N.Y. and have never been there..... The movie gave the author much more than he deserved and somehow made the whole thing interesting and that doesn't usually happen when you go from book to movie.
I have a friend who also expierenced this altho he does not have anti-gay asinine, neither clever or intelligent approach of jim carroll pronounced for his own reason to get occasional money.
for his desires. One thing is that the movie did accomplish this and get all reasoning many steps above of this 'poet" who is firmly continually living on his past while trying to create a sentence while omitting several words is unable to have the advanced, brillant, forseen cleverness of RIMBAUD....to classify overrated Mr. Carroll may I just add the following: bovine, thick, witless, ill-advised, ludicrous, mindless, unthinking and un-wise....I have no intention of listening to the Carroll band
because I can imagine very accurately which way they claim for the hopeful peneration!!!
The City Poet.......2002-07-30
Living at the Movies surely proves that Jim Carroll is one of the most creatve poets of our time. These collective peoms were written from his Basketball Diaries period (1960s), and from his Forced Entries period (1970s).
"Jim Carroll has the sure confidence of a true artist....He is steeped in his craft. He had worked as only a man of inspiration is capable of working...His beginning is a triumph."
-Gerard Malnga.
This book was originally published in 1973, and was the first aboveground publication of Jim Carroll's work in poetry. He shows uncanny virtuosity. His power and poison are reminisent to Arthur Rimbaud, and one of the strongest forfeiting books of poems in the New York period. In language he deals with his pains and pleasures: The city, love, hope, rebellion, menacing, and friendship. These poems emerge in the manical city, Jim Carroll is not afraid to push the edge, he has transformed from a New York street punk to a litural artist.
One of the best poet's of the new generation........1998-09-22
Jim caroll is one of the best poets of the new generation of poets. This collection named, "Living at the Movies" shows just how creative and visionary he is.
Book Description
We've all heard that, "you learn more from failure than you do from success." Which means that all those hours spent watching crappy movies wasn't a waste of your precious and ever-dwindling life span; it was an education! And Better Living Through Bad Movies can show you how to extract the profound, life-affirming lessons from films like Battlefield Earth, Coyote Ugly, and Indecent Proposal. In over 50 hilarious reviews, the authors show how you can use the worst movies ever made to improve your sex life (it involves cardboard cutouts and clog dancing), Apocalypse-proof your home (using the following materials: John Travolta, Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone and more Kevin Costner), and win omnipotence and a Happy Meal by solving Satan's Junior Jumble. You will also discover how to forge a love that will last a lifetime (by dating the moribund), use films like Batman and Robin and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as grief counseling, and conquer the world using common fruit bats and dry cleaning fluid. And most important of all, you'll learn Hollywood's Ultimate Secret: Why Beaches and Armageddon are actually the exact same movie.
Customer Reviews:
Chicken Soup for the B-movie lover's soul.......2007-09-14
If you're a fan of such obscure,lousy movies as "The Last Sacrifice","Ator the Fighting Eagle" and "Mitchell",this book is perfect for you! Authors Scott Clevenger&Sheri Zollinger show how to find the gold in the silt of bad movies. Instead of gushing about the American Film Institute's Top 100,Clevenger and Zollinger find insights in the infamous "Waterworld",relationship advice in "Coyote Ugly" and the grieving process in "The Phantom Menace."
"Better living through bad movies" is consistently hilarious. It's hard to read without laughing. "Megaforce" and "Gymkata" are shown as evidence that fey action heroes had their place in the '80s along with Rambo&the Terminator. "Attack of the Clones" is re-read as an Afterschool Special about the sulking teenager Anakin Skywalker. "Armageddon" is revealed to a chick flick like "Beaches",but with a great deal more homoeroticism. (Where's "Deep Impact"?That was a pretentious disaster movie too,but a lot less fun) "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" delightfully skewers Kenneth Branagh's current pretentiousness ("Hamlet" would fit right in).
"Better living through bad movies" is a gloriously funny book. Watch bad movies...and LEARN.
Nothing New Here.......2007-03-12
Just another book poking fun at Hollywood. Save your money and watch an episode of E!'s Talk Soup instead.
Made me laugh out loud so hard that I needed Poise pads!.......2007-02-13
I'll never forget the day last fall when this wonder of the written word, this pulp-based pulchritudinous prose, this book among books, arrived in the mail. It's been a long time (since Hunter Thompson, Lewis Grizzard, and Erma Bombeck died, anyway) since a book made me laugh out-loud, but this one did the trick.
I've always enjoyed Scott & S.Z.'s movie-reviews-as-geopolitical-discourse pieces at World O'Crap [...], but to have them in more-portable, curl-up-in-bed-and-laugh-yourself-silly, take-it-anywhere-and-annoy-the-people-in-the-waiting-room format was a great boon to my reading life. The title alone was enough to impress my former doctor, a barely-shaving young tot who specialized in "pain management." Hopefully he'll fork over some of his Medicare riches and buy a few copies.
This book is an ideal gift for anyone who's ever liked movies, political commentary, or who has a sense of humor. And even for those stick-in-the-mud in-laws who have less humor than a wet diaper, this book is still a winner --- they may not get ALL of the jokes, but they'll at least give themselves a migraine in the pursuit, so it's the gift that keeps on giving!
When I can, I plan to keep a case of Better Living Through Bad Movies by the front door, to help educate & enlighten wayward Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Amway salespeople. Also very useful for flogging the aforementioned people over the head when they JUST WON'T LISTEN.
If I could generate the interest and tax shelters, I believe that we could start a whole new cult based on Better Living Through Bad Movies --- as long as the critters at S.Z.'s house get to benefit from the fundraisers, and we can set up our own compound out in the undisclosed wilderness (but sure as hell not in WACO!!) --- Better Living Through Bad Movies could become a whole new way of life!
[...]
Need a laugh? Need a thousand or two?.......2007-01-15
Does life sometimes seem to be just one damned thing after another? Forget chicken soup, psychopharmaceuticals, and the tube- here is your remedy, without question the funniest book of 2006. Written by the lovely (and talented!) Sheri Zollinger and Scott Clevenger (proprietors of the indispensable, read-every-day-to-preserve-sanity weblog "World O'Crap) this book deconstructs, hilariously, some truly atrocious movies. If snark can lift your heart, if good writing about bad cinema can elevate your mood, you have to get this- and give copies to your friends, too.
HIlarious.......2006-11-10
Excellent book for short reading spurts. Hilarious and informative at the same time, the commentary by both writers is excellent and spot on. You'll never watch these movies the same way again!
Book Description
Can a movie feed your soul?
Stories. Be it a parable of Jesus, a C.S. Lewis fantasy, or a movie such as Saving Private Ryan, stories have been around since Creation, a means of both education and entertainment. By far, our favorite way to listen to a story today is at the movies, whether in a theater or a family room. Indeed, says Ken Gire, movies are the parables of our culture and #151;earthly stories that sometimes have heavenly meanings.
Can we discern God's voice in the modern parables of film? Yes, it is there, sometimes loud and crystal-clear, sometimes barely a whisper, sometimes even despite the filmmaker's intent. In Reflections on the Movies, Ken helps us:
and #149; sensitize our "eyes to hear and ears to hear" God speaking,
and #149; develop the skills to understand movies and their themes, and
and #149; learn to reflect on the medium as a form of spiritual enrichment.
In 1999, Ken was one of thirty Christians selected for a month-long study under some of the film industry's top talent in Hollywood. He has led numerous spiritual retreats where he has used movie clips to illustrate his messages.
Reflections on the Movies and Ken's previous books in this series and #151;The Reflective Live, Reflections on the Word, a devotional, and Reflections on Your Life, a journal and #151;are designed to help you become more spiritually sensitive to the everyday moments of life.
Customer Reviews:
Nice, but too light.......2001-05-12
This was an easy, upbeat read...a great way to justify going to the movies. I was disappointed that the book did not probe into the cultural impact of movies. I am also curious if Gire can hear God in the highly popular horror film.
Finding God in media.......2001-05-01
If you are interested in films, a true film buff, a historian or just a fan of well written films and film critiques, add this book to your library. I would like to say bravo to Mr. Gire for his work in such a medium. Films are not only a powerful form of influence for the society in which we live, they are a vehicle for social and personal change. His book gives delightful insights on many popular movies. Mr. Gire truly finds the Spirit of Christ in each detail that moved him as an audience member. Watching these films along side reading the book has opened my eyes as well. There are however, countless other films that have the same capability to show God's grace. It should be up to the readers of this book to find those references in other movies and build their lives upon the experiences they discover.
The overall impression of "Reflections on the Movies" was a positive one. There were times during the reading that I felt as if Mr. Gire was interpreting a scene or film to have a Christian oriented influence when, in reality, little of it existed. The problem with this book (albeit a very small problem) is the fact that every reflection is a personal experience. The author simply dares us as readers to focus our attention on the possiblities of seeing Christ in films. Mr. Gire may offer his opinion of the movies presented but he also gives enough creative writing for the individual reader to try and posses the same mindset the next time (or the first time) he/she views the films in the book. I enjoyed the book completely from start to finish. One thing that any reader should remember when buying this book is to use their own individual interpretation of the films in question. Mr. Gire gives great examples and suggestions about how to experience God in the media. That is the key to the success of this book. If more authors took the chance of including their faith in their reveiws, editorials, critiques and writing then the media world in gerneral may actually achieve a new morality. Thank you Mr. Gire.
All movie lovers should get this book.......2000-09-29
This is an excellent book that approaches movies from a Christian perspective, but it may not be what some expect. This is not a book that critiques movies by counting sex scenes, cuss words, and violent acts as some Christian reviewers do. In fact, this book doesn't review movies in a conventional manner at all. "Movies are made up of moments", to quote the author, and sometimes his meditations on particular movies zero in on moments that, for him, have particular spiritual resonance. He is also not afraid of unflinching reality. The truth is important, even life-changing, despite the fact that it can be offensive to some. The author states, "I would rather be told an R-rated truth than a G-rated lie." Therefore, movies that are bold and unsparing in their reality, such as "Saving Private Ryan", "Schindler's List" and "Amistad" have great impact because they tell the hard truth, distasteful as it may seem. Of course, spiritual truth may be gleaned from more lighthearted fare as well, such as "The Wizard of Oz".
When I finished this book, I immediately wanted to take a trip to the video rental store, even though I've seen most of the movies discussed here. But I can look at them somewhat differently now, and I can, I daresay, listen for the voice of God that comes through these films. I certainly hope Ken Gire writes a "Volume Two" on this subject.
Book Description
Movies are a staple of most teens' lives. Movie Nights for Teens: 25 More Movies to Spark Spiritual Discussions with Your Teen gives parents a fun way to connect with their teens. The 25 movies chosen cover a range of themes and story lines, and all of them will spark conversation. Each selection features a plot summary, engaging questions, Scripture applications, and more. From recent releases such as The Incredibles and The Lord of the Rings to vintage gems like Rocky and A Man for All Seasons, Movie Nights for Teens will bring families together to talk about movies, culture, and entertainment choices.
Features:
- Christian perspective and analysis of 25 contemporary movies.
- Continuation of a popular series.
- Contains an essay "Why We Love Superheroes," along with two other appendixes.
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- Memoir and Memory
- Movie Memories and More!
- He loved The Wiz?
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Widescreen Dreams: Growing Up Gay at the Movies (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies, Joan Larkin and David Bergman, Series Editors)
Patrick E. Horrigan
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0299161641 |
Book Description
FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION
In 1973, a sweet-tempered, ferociously imaginative ten-year-old boy named Patrick Horrigan saw the TV premiere of the film version of Hello, Dolly! starring Barbra Streisand. His life would never be the same. Widescreen Dreams: Growing Up Gay at the Movies traces Horrigan's development from childhood to gay male adulthood through a series of visceral encounters with an unexpected handful of Hollywood movies from the 1960s and 1970s: Hello Dolly!, The Sound of Music, The Poseidon Adventure, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Wiz.
Customer Reviews:
Memoir and Memory.......2007-05-02
Horrigan, Patrick E, "Widescreen Dreams: Growing Up Gay at the Movies" University of Wisconsin Press,
1999.
Memoir and Memory
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
Patrick Horrigan experimented by bringing his autobiography and cultural studies together in "Widescreen Dreams". The result is a very successful and readable book. He uses his critical writings on film as a way to tell us the story of his life and his coming out as a gay male. In five chapters, each of which is centered on a movie, we learn about his family and his own personal maturation. It's a strange handful of movies but they obviously influenced his growth.
Horrigan was born in 1963 and as a child became a Barbra Streisand devotee which may explain why he devotes a chapter to "Hello Dolly", a major flop for Babs and her studio and career. The other movies that he uses in his memoir are "The Sound of Music" (of course), "The Poseidon Adventure" (Shelley Winters swims), "The Wiz" ("The Wiz"?), and "Dog Day Afternoon" (a classic). As he goes into great detail in describing scenes from the films, he interweaves stories from his own life as well as snippets of the fantasies these films inspired in him. We do not get a really good look at his life but we do get some interesting and fun reading. To him "The Poseidon Adventure" is a metaphor for gays to come out (or drown?) and he daydreams of how different his life might have been if he had become a movie star (not an actor but a star) instead of a college professor.
Although not very deep, the book is filled with memory and criticism of society and culture as well as family gossip. Horrigan's personal stories illustrate the closeness of film and the imagination--after all, movies are the stuff fantasies are made of and derived from.
As a boy, he was captured by the movies and he takes us down the yellow brick road of Hollywood, stopping along the way to bring his own life into the journey. We learn about his large Catholic family and how he accepts himself as a gay male and as I read his book I found myself thinking about my own life in terms of the movies I have seen. I also had several good laughs. The memories that "Widescreen Dreams" brought to me were those I had tucked away or simply forgotten.
As for the movies Horrigan chose, I am pretty sure I have better choices but this is his book and his life so who am I to argue? I loved the way Horrigan approached growing up and coming out gay. I wonder if Streisand knows how much she helped recruit members to our community.
You will not learn a lot from this book but you will have a touching and insightful reading experience as Horrigan brings light to the strong relationship between film and imagination.
Movie Memories and More!.......2000-12-19
This book gives enjoyable insight into the mind of a boy who was captured in the journey that cinema can take us on. He reveals quite well his child perspective and the impact films like The Sound of Music, Hello Dolly, The Wiz, and The Poseidon Adventure had on him. You get to travel through Patrick's recollections not only of film experiences but also of his large Catholic family, his self embrace of being gay and his dating interactions as a gay young man. I often found myself recalling my own childhood memories of cinematic impressions, relating to my early identity as a gay male, and I often found my self laughing out loud. Though it's a book of Patrick's history, it touches off sparks of memories that we all have in common and unknowingly share. It transports the reader to their own childhood memories which is a gift to any reader and the work of a skillful writer.
He loved The Wiz?.......2000-06-11
I enjoyed this book despite myself. The author just LOVED some really wretched movies - The Wiz shaped his life? However, his tales of growing up gay in a Catholic family in Reading, PA are interesting and evocative. A fun little diversion for those of us who grew up more into theatre, movies, and glamor than sports and girls.
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Dreams: Mind Movies Of Night
Mary Herd Tull
Manufacturer: Millbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 0761315128 |
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It's Not Like in the Movies
Manufacturer: April House, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ESBDMC |
Product Description
Dimensions: 5.75 X 7.50 X 0.60 Inches
Hardcover with Dustjacket
Color Illustrated
Condition: Very good, Minor DJ wear, Clean text, Tight Binding
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Voice Onstage and Off
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Thomson Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0155130099 |
Customer Reviews:
I have read this book and also being trained by Rocco.......2000-04-18
This is an excellent book for every actor, performer, singer, theme park actor, or anyone doing outdoor stock! The book easly explains all aspects of the voice, problems , fixes and fundimentals of english language. Also the book does an excellent job teaching Phonetics. Rocco is now currently teaching at Unversity of Cincinnati College Conservitory of Music. He is a valuable addition to the OMDA division , and his pro active thinking is changing the department to make a more educated and hirable actor. If you dont have the chance to work with rocco this book is the next best thing !
Book Description
For more than a decade, gardeners have been turning to a beautiful little hardcover book called Gardener's Latin, by Bill Neal. Neal understood that as Latin terms began appearing with increasing frequency on nursery tags and gardening catalogs, gardeners would need help. So he weeded through the Latin words that describe and distinguish among plants and flowers and compiled a volume of select, brief, clear definitions.
Gardener's Latin leads us down the path from abbreviatus to zonatus, turning aside here and there along the way for little-known horticultural facts and fables and the wisdom of
gardeners from Virgil to Vita Sackville-West.
<
Customer Reviews:
Botanical Pleasure.......2004-02-14
For lovers of plants, language, and beautiful books, this is a perfect book. The translation of botanical latin is helpful to anyone interested in the origin of plant names. The sketches, marginal notes and quotations, layout and size of the book make it a pleasure to use. The task of memorizing hundreds of plant names, which is my burden as a horticulture student, is enjoyable because I have this little book as my interpreter and companion. I've convinced all of my gardening friends to buy this book.
Neat companion in the garden.......2003-11-29
When I got into gardening and especially with planting with native plants I started to pay a lot of attention to the latin names - but I didn't really understand what they meant. Hanging out with an older, very wise friend and his wife, we got talking about ceratin plants and they were rattling off the latin names and their meanings. It was amazing and so poetic that I wanted to learn more so I found this book. Its really been a great asset. Its set up alphabetically by latin name, and for each word, its less of a definition, more of a translation, e.g. palliflavens = pale yellow, squamosus = full of scales. Its a neat book - not as poetic in the translations as I had hoped but interesting nonetheless.
Great for any Gardener!.......2000-08-25
I teach gardening classes with titles such as "Seed Catalogs are Seductive" and "Saving Seeds" and have recommended this book to my students. It is fun, and informative. Let's face it, you can't get far with gardening for fun, hobby or business if you don't learn some latin. Gardener's Latin makes it easy and explains all those things you've been wondering about. This is a fresh and enjoyable book and I think one that will be enjoyed by most gardeners. Add it to your wish list - the weeding season will soon be over and the reading season will begin.
For Latin lovers and wordsmiths..........2000-08-05
Well, I'm a gardener and a wordsmith, and I think you must be both to really enjoy this book--and I don't recommend it to folks who like to garden but hate to worry about details. I can't picture someone who dislikes Latin, or questions why Linnaeus (they won't even know who he is) insisted on using Latin to develop his taxonomies, finding this book useful.
I've known quite a few "garden artists" who call plants by their local colloquial names, and when you carry on a conversation with them they persist in calling Digitalus "Foxgloves" when we who know Latin know that Digitalus refers to digits as in parts of hands over which gloves fit--that foxes would undoubtedly wear if they wore gloves.
I learned to forego showing off my Latin when I was asking serious questions of fabulous "old-time" gardeners. Latin terms are useful if you're trying to converse with horticulturists, gardening friends in other localities, or folks who have migrated from to your growing zone. Latin is also useful if you're looking up a name in a good garden book since all of them use Latin. "Gardener's Latin" contains a simple listing of Latin terms (135 small pages) and seems to have most of the more common terms.
If your a poet, you'll still want to use "Foxgloves", "Bouncing Bet" and "Queen Anne's Lace in your discourse.
Excaliber.......1999-06-20
If you've always wanted the key to the botanical universe to follow Raman's Incandescene of flowers, in coalescing knowledge always careful to leave four (4) plants unmolested and untrampled (Hester Reagan), and dovetail the Harvard botanist Grey (Gray?)'s _Manual of Botany);.. then this is your ticket to heaven
As Francis Chapman Pellett quotes in _American Honey Plants_, Whether to Heaven or Gehenna; he that goes fastest, goeth alone.
Hester Reagan her picture is in _Cherokee Plants: their uses - a 400 year history_, (C)1975 by Hamel and Chiltosky, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 75-27776
Amazon.com
If the prescriptions for getting rich that are outlined in books such as The Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad are successful enough to make the books bestsellers, then one must ask, Why aren't there more millionaires? In Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a professional trader and mathematics professor, examines what randomness means in business and in life and why human beings are so prone to mistake dumb luck for consummate skill. This eccentric and highly personal exploration of the nature of randomness meanders from the court of Croesus and trading rooms in New York and London to Russian roulette, Monte Carlo engines, and the philosophy of Karl Popper. Part of what makes this book so good is Taleb's ability to make seemingly arcane mathematical concepts (at least to this reviewer) entirely relevant in evaluating and understanding everything from the stock market to the success of those millionaires cited in the aforementioned bestsellers. Here's an articulate, wise, and humorous meditation on the nature of success and failure that anyone who wants a little more of the former would do well to consider. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
“[Taleb is] Wall Street’s principal dissident. . . . [Fooled By Randomness] is to conventional Wall Street wisdom approximately what Martin Luther’s ninety-nine theses were to the Catholic Church.”
–
Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker
Finally in paperback, the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about the markets and the world.This book is about luck: more precisely how we perceive luck in our personal and professional experiences.
Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill–the world of business–
Fooled by Randomness is an irreverent, iconoclastic, eye-opening, and endlessly entertaining exploration of one of the least understood forces in all of our lives.
Customer Reviews:
Not as good as the Black Swan.......2007-10-01
I read the Black Swan and I loved it. So, of course, I had to read this book too. It turned out to be a rehash of the same material, but not told with the same conviction. In the Black Swan he pulls no punches. Here he has not quite gotten all his material together and you can feel it. If I had not read the Black Swan I would have liked this book. But, since he wrote a better one, I would recommend the Black Swan and not this one.
A MUST read.......2007-09-29
A great book that everyone can read and understand. Wonderful insight into the ramdomness of life.
Fallacies of inductive reasoning.......2007-09-02
If you ever felt a little queasy about that article in the paper - the one that connected all the dots and claims to have explained yesterdays news - then this is a book you must read. Taleb covers a lot of ground, at times in seemingly sporadic jumps, but each chapter is a mini research library in itself. The reviews for this book span the whole gamut, and I will not try to add to the noise short of saying that if you are interested in probability, in how it affects our lives, and how it skews our perception of the world, then you should judge the book for yourself - I happened to have read it twice.
It's a book - breath deep.......2007-08-31
A good read and many valuable insights that will keep you thinking long after you've moved on.
Attacking this author is besides the point; frankly, why should anyone care if he is or isn't a arrogant, ivy league brat, a walking contradiction that doesn't appreciate the "businessman"? The book is either worth the read or it isn't. My opinion - it has something important to add and does so in a fun, refreshing style to boot.
Risk Management 404.......2007-08-31
Hard to rate this book too highly. It is not without flaws and even the author describes is as something along the lines of a self-indulgent and eccentric essay (my words). That is of nonetheless part of its charm. This is an unorthodox look at a very important topic for our world.
It would be a mistake to come to this book as your first introduction to risk management, life, philosophy, probability or derivatives trading. It covers all of those topics and much, much more but this book is not written as an introductory read. You need to have some life experience and at least a working knowledge of risk management (in whatever field of endeavour you pursue). The joy of this book is it's ability to stretch your mind with new ways of thinking.
Taleb's fundamental premise is that we underestimate the role of luck (or Lady Fortuna) in our lives and he argues compellingly to that end with a range of interesting examples. The survivorship bias of 'successful' people is well illustrated using a number of examples to show how (for example) derivatives traders start and fail on a regular basis, eventually leaving only the ones who have been continuously successful. That although skill and experience are important, many wealthy trader have basically thrown 'heads' 20 times in a row (ie. survived 20 years trading). We then back-test their methods to find the 'secret of their success' assuming that it is more than luck which of course it usually (but not always is) but that we for the most part a) underestimate the role of luck and b) assume that what has worked in the past will continue to work in the future. He uses the black swan example (all swans were white until the discovery of black swans in Australia in the 17th century) to illustrate the point that even if the processes that trader has used in the past worked out, we need to keep challenging our thinking and continually learn anew. In a complementary but very different vein, have a look at 'Managing the Unexpected' by Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe. They give new meaning to the concept of mindfulness and how 'high reliability organisations' such as nuclear aircraft carriers use a 'Pre-occupation with Failure' to sustain mindfulness and avoid Black Swans.
Some reviewers seem to have found Taleb's style challenging (and yes he can be sarcastic) but overall I loved it and found it a compelling read. I have a Masters in Risk Management, trade options, help clients with risk management and international security solutions and am a better practitioner now for having read this shotgun blast of scattered but linked ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed the places that it took and continues to take my thinking and am just grateful that he took the time to share his thought with the rest of us.
Mandatory reading for anyone who manages risk (which is after all just about everyone). When you think you understand something about risk management, then it is time to read this.
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Fooled by Randomness Revision (Not Available in US): The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and Life
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Manufacturer: Texere
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1587991845 |
Book Description
Selected by Amazon.com and The Financial Times as one of the best business books of the year, Fooled by Randomness is an instant classic. Already published in 14 languages, the book?s title has entered our vocabulary. After reading the excitement expressed below for Fooled by Randomness one realizes that its world-wide bestseller status is no random event. This book is about luck ? or more precisely how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. It is already a landmark work and its title has entered our vocabulary. In its second edition, Fooled by Randomness is now a cornerstone for anyone interested in random outcomes. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill ? the world of trading ? Fooled by Randomness is a captivating insight into one of the least understood factors of all our lives. Writting in an entertaining and narrative style, the author succeeds in tackling three major intellectual issues: the problem of induction, the survivorship biases, and our genetic unfitness to the modern word. In this second edition, Taleb manages to use stories and anecdotes to illustrate our overestimation of causality and the heuristics that make us view the world as far more explainable than it actually is. But no one can replicate what is obtained by chance. Are we capable of distinguishing the fortunate charlatan from the genuine visionary? Must we always try to uncover nonexistent messages in random events? It may be impossible to guard ourselves against the vagaries of the Goddess Fortuna, but after reading Fooled by Randomness we can be a little better prepared.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Futurist, published by World Future Society on May 1, 2002. The length of the article is 748 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Smart or Lucky? (Books in Brief).(Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life) (book review)
Publication:
The Futurist (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2002
Publisher: World Future Society
Volume: 36
Issue: 3
Page: 62(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Fooled by Randomness: the Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life
Taleb
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0471511447 |
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