Book Description
Everything you could possibly know about Verdi and his operas, from the brilliant and humorous author of
Wagner Without Fear.
If you want to know why
La traviata was actually a flop at its premiere in 1853, it's in here. If you want to know why claiming to have heard Bjorling's Chicago performance of
Il trovatore is the classic opera fan faux pas, it's in here. Even if you just want to know how to pronounce Aida, or what the plot of
Rigoletto is all about, this is the place to look. From the composer's intense hatred of priests to synopses of the operas and a detailed discography of the best recordings to buy, it can all be found in
Verdi with a Vengeance. William Berger has given another improbable performance, serving up a book as thorough as it is funny and as original as it is astute, an utterly indispensable guide for novice and expert alike.
Customer Reviews:
Bravo Berger for a Viva Verdi literary treat!.......2003-02-11
Viva Verdi! William Berger provides a useful guide to all of the Verdi operas from the obscure "Oberto" to the classic comedic masterpiece "Falstaff" which closed the operatic master's oeuvre.
Berger's book is similar to the treatment he earlier applied to Richard Wagner in his " Wagner Without Fear." This means:
a. Succinct but on target plot summaries of all Verdi's operas including the Verdi Requium.
b. Brief chapters on the staging of Verdi's operas; Verdi's works on CD and outstanding books on the Busseto genius for anyone wanting to know more about the King of Italian lyrical opera.
Berger's work is worthwhile reading for the operatic novice or the veteran opera fan who wants to brush up on the labyrinthal plot of "Il Trovotore" or explore how Verdi's music has been used as soundtrack for motion pictures.
Berger's book on Verdi is a treat for everyone enjoying opera who also relishes good writing done with wit, charm and panache! I eagerly await a similar guide on Puccini which I have learned is in the works from the pen of Berger! Highly recommended!
Bravo Berger and Viva Verdi!.......2003-02-08
This short guide to Verdi's life and works is in indispensable gem for anyone wanting to learn more about Italy's greatest operatic composer! Berger gives a succincly informative sketch of the complex composer's life. He adds chapters on Verdi books, CD'S, Videos, staging of Verdi operas and a helpful glossary of operatic terms.
The most helpful and longest part of the book deals with a brief synopsis of each opera in the Verdian canon from the obscure "Oberto" to the Master's final comic masterpiece "Falstaff." Berger lists the characters of each opera, makes witty comments on the big arias and scenes in each opera and also provides historical information on the production of each opera.
I had earlier read Berger's excellent "Wagner Without Fear" and was so impressed with his writing that I eagerly turned to Berger's guide to Verdi. I understand he is now working on a similar guide to the life and operas of Puccini which will be received by this reviewer with gratitude.
If you are a novice to operatic enjoyment or a seasoned Verdian
this work will be a delight. I highly recommend it for your consideration!
All of Verdi's operas discussed in this little book.......2002-04-02
Unlike another reviewer, what I really like about "Verdi with a Vengeance" is that it discusses ALL of Verdi's operas, even the early and/or less frequently performed operas. I especially like the "what to listen for" aspects, and also that it is informal and personal. I also like his discussion of different recordings and what he likes about them. I am a real Verdi-phile, and I love this little book. Only four stars because it's little and the discussions are brief. I could read a BIG book about Verdi.
A Vivid and Genial Guide to Genius.......2001-02-12
William Beger's "Verdi with a Vengeance" is a triumph of music writing: accessible, informed and passionate. For the newcomer to the breadth of works by the great composer, this guide is a godsend, as Mr. Berger lays out the history of each opera, the story behind its plot and, most important, what makes each one special. He doesn't preach, but his enthusiasm makes a reader -- and a potential listener -- hungry to hear and see the works he so vividly describes. Mr. Berger is a master of the telling detail: he lets you know what to look and listen for in particular arias, and how these moments affect the drama. "Verdi with a Vengeance" should also delight Verdi aficionados, since Mr. Berger is so familiar with all aspects of the composer's art, his research is so deep, that he reveals new aspects of the operas (and the Requiem). His prose is free of musicological jargon, though conversant with the language of music. Mr. Berger can describe economically the emotion music can convey, and he can give a sense of the intellect behind the notes. He is a writer of wit and nuance, masterfully evoking a mise-en-scene within an opera or limning the characteristics of hammy singers. This is a book both to be savored at length and dipped into for fresh insights before attending any performance of Verdi. It is a rare book that manages to be learned as well as breezy, humorous and deeply felt.
A good but not great book on Verdi.......2001-01-23
This book is similar in format to the author's "Wagner Without Fear". Like the Wagner book, it provides a lot of information in terms of biography, plot summary, musical overview, and selected recordings. Although a very good book, it is not quite up to the Wagner book in that it discusses many more operas (27 including the Requiem) than the Wagner book did (10) in roughly the same space. The plot summaries are still very good, though often there is not quite the same level of detail and (especially) commentary there was in the Wagner book. As a result, the book is more a (very good) set of plot summaries than its predecessors. In fairness to the author, this may be approrpriate is that Verdi is a generally more accessible composer who often needs less in the way of commentary to be a appreciated. It definitely is a good resource, though a reader interested in Verdi may find himself or herself going outside of the book more than they would if they were reading the Wagner book.
Average customer rating:
|
Verdi's Aida: A Record of the Life of the Opera On and Off the Stage
Clyde T. McCants
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Verdi, Giuseppe
| Composers
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Opera
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0786423285 |
Product Description
Every opera tells a story, but sometimes the creation of an opera makes a pretty fascinating tale on its own. If Verdi's Aida is the quintessential opera, it is also an amazing piece of musical history. This work examines the origin, composition, premiere, recording history, and consistent popularity of one of Verdi's greatest works. In the late 1860s, Ismail Pasha, Khedive (viceroy) of Egypt, asked Verdi to compose a work to premiere in the Cairo Opera House. Although Verdi was uninterested in the project at first, persistence on the part of the Khedive as well as a tempting plot line written by Mariette Bey, one of the day's leading Egyptologists, drew him in. To this day, however, much mystery still surrounds the opera's inception. This book explores that mystery, highlights the genius of Aida's plot and characters, and traces the process through which Verdi and his librettist Ghislanzoni shaped the lyrics. It also considers Aida's spread from Cairo to the rest of the world, discussing aspects of its unique and interesting staging. Following this history, the book provides a critical survey of recordings of Aida, including 33 of the entire opera and three abridged versions. The final chapter discusses film and video presentations. Appendices offer a discography of complete recordings, a videography of versions generally available and an annotated guide to further sources.
Average customer rating:
|
Verdi: His Music, Life and Times
George Martin
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Verdi, Giuseppe
| Composers
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Opera
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Voice
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0879101601 |
Book Description
This book relates the life and experiences of composer Giuseppe Verdi, from his birth in 1813 to his death in 1901. Besides documenting Verdi's life and the music he created, it also goes further in discussing the times and culture in which he was living in 19th century Italy, both socially and politically. "A complete life-to-death biography, wonderfully comprehensive on both life and art, wonderfully sensible, and splendidly gotten up." - The Boston Herald
Average customer rating:
|
Verdi (Life & Times) (Life&Times series)
Barbara Meier
Manufacturer: Haus Publishers Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Opera
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Classical
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1904341055 |
Book Description
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), the popular genius behind Rigoletto, Aida and La Traviata, continues to enthrall audiences with his daring music and stories of love and death. Of his Requiem, his wife Giuseppina wrote: "Posterity will place it, with wings outspread, in domination of all the music of mourning ever conceived by the human brain." His life was as dramatic and passionate as his music. As this biography shows, he was always fighting: for Italy’s freedom and nationhood and for his own artistic freedom against the censors, opera impresarios and the authorities.
Customer Reviews:
The Big D takes the mound one last time.......2006-09-08
Back in my teenage years, and mainly from 1962-67, I was a huge Los Angeles Dodgers fan, listening to every game that I could on my transistor radio. My chief heroes were hurlers Sandy Koufax and Don "The Big D" Drysdale, in that order. The most highly anticipated game day was one featuring a double-header in which both pitchers started. The ultimate delight was hearing both record a victory. Drysdale died in 1993 at age 56. His book, ONCE A BUM, ALWAYS A DODGER had been published 3 years before. For me, reading it only now, it represents The Big D's last walk to the mound.
This volume is Don's memoir of his time as a (Brooklyn) Dodger beginning in 1956 to his retirement from the (Los Angeles) Dodgers in 1969 and his subsequent career as a sportscaster.
Though California born and raised, Drysdale's biggest thrill in life was putting on the Brooklyn uniform, and that New York borough remained his sentimental professional home for the rest of his career. He remembers with fondness the Brooklyn greats with whom he first played, some of whom made the move to Los Angeles: Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Sal Maglie, Carl Furillo, Don Newcombe, and Duke Snider. Oddly, he has relatively little or nothing to say about the next generation of players whom I followed over the airwaves in Chavez Ravine: Maury Wills, Tommy and Willie Davis, Ron Fairly, Jim Brewer, Ron Perranoski, Claude Osteen, Johnny Roseboro, Jeff Torborg, Jim Lefebvre, Wes Parker, Dick Tracewski, and Lou Johnson. Sandy Koufax, of course, gets big mention inasmuch as it was Sandy and Don that joined forces for the infamous Great Holdout before the 1966 season. But, even then, I didn't sense that The Big D and Dandy Sandy were that close, not because either was overtly unfriendly, but because Koufax was (and is) a supremely private person. At one point Drysdale writes:
"I don't know if Sandy enjoyed watching me pitch, but I sure as hell enjoyed watching him do his thing. He was something."
The most useful personal insights, such as they are, are pretty much limited to Manager Walter Alston, General Manager Buzzie Bavasi, and Dodger owner Walter O'Malley during Drysdale's playing era, and to Vin Scully and Howard Cosell during his broadcasting years. But, even here, there's not much meat.
The book includes a 16-page section of photographs, but it lacks even a rudimentary section on Don's throwing statistics covering his 13-year major league career, though there is an entire chapter - "The Scoreless Streak" - dedicated to his most memorable achievement, the 58 2/3 innings of scoreless ball pitched in 1968.
The reader might be left with the impression that The Big D's life was without bumps. Therefore, I found refreshing his last chapter admission to and brief discussion about the failure of his 24-year marriage to his first wife Ginger. Indeed, it was only at this late point that I discovered the man to be human and his story retrospectively engaging. Nevertheless, Drysdale remains a larger-than-life figure in the endless summer of my adolescence.
Wonderful book for a true Drysdale fan........2003-09-01
As a 1960s era Dodger and Drysdale fan, I found this book very interesting and entertaining. You follow Drysdale's career from a boy to becoming one of the most successful and aggressive pitchers of all time.
The 1960 era Dodgers were a very special team. They won by every player giving over 100 percent. Drysdale was no exception, throwing hard and doing everything to win. The Koufax / Drysdale pitching combo was death to batting averages.
Drysdale shares many of his experiences with Dodger management and players. I often found myself laughing as he related humorous events. It was a grand time in baseball. It was a time when players roomed together and socialized together. They lived baseball in way that is foreign to the players of today. It was also nice to find out the inside on many events that I had been curious about.
I with a book like this you hope to read about many of the Dodger players. However, Drysdale's stories involve only his closest friends on the club and management. Even with that limitation, it was wonderful to read the stories about Gill Hodges, Duke Snider and others.
He did waste a chapter on Howard Cosell at the end of the book. He and Howard were friends and I think he wanted to present the other side of Cosell. Although Howard may have been a cool guy, he was never a good sports announcer.
If you liked Don Drysdale you should enjoy this book. After reading it, I wish I could have met him. This was a perfect title. Once a Bum (Brooklyn Dodger) Always a Dodger - and that he was for his whole career.
A GOOD LOOK AT THE TWIN D'S.......2002-05-25
DON DRYSDALE DOES A NICE JOB OF TELLING HIS LIFE AND CAREER. HE REALLY DOESN'T GO INTO GREAT DEAL ABOUT HIS PRIVATE LIFE BUT THAT IS HIS RIGHT OF PRIVACY. HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SAL MAGLIE, SANDY KOUFAX, AND WALTER ALSTON ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS BOOK. I WISH HE WOULD HAVE GONE INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT HIS CAREER AND GAME SITUATIONS HE WAS IN. BUT OVERALL A GOOD READ FOR DODGER AND FANS OF THE TWIN D'S.
Good Book, Terrible Title.......2002-01-30
Despite its awkward title, Don Drysdale's autobiography is an enjoyable read, but even the first-person narrative doesn't save this memoir from blandness. Although Drysdale was both a fireballer and something of a fireball in personality (at least on the field), he comes across here pretty much as a generic athlete. Unlike Jim Bouton's "Ball Four," this book doesn't project a distinctive, personal voice. The memoir rambles along entertainingly enough, but there's not much that's particularly memorable about it.
An interesting aspect of the work is Drysdale's description of his close relationship with Sal Maglie, who came to the Dodgers in 1956. Drysdale, who seems to have been a very naive kid when he joined the Dodgers that same year (he was only 19), reports that he learned "a lot about pitching, a lot about baseball, a lot about life" from the "great and grizzled veteran" Maglie (who was all of 39 at that point!) His hero worship of Maglie when the latter was in the twilight of his career was touching, all the more so as it seems that Maglie didn't make many friends during his brief tenure with Brooklyn.
In the last chapter Drysdale sums up some relatively recent events in his personal life, including a nasty divorce, followed by a late remarriage to a much younger woman and the birth of two children when he was in his early 50s. He goes on about how happy he is, how great his health is, despite a "meat and potatoes" diet and a fair amount of drinking, and how he expects to live a good, long life, etc., but readers today know that this didn't happen. In 1990, when the book was published, Drysdale wasn't in the middle of his life--he was near the end of it. He died of a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 56.
For dyed-in-the-wool Dodger fans, the book is worth a trip to the library, but not to the used book store.
Good Book, Terrible Title.......2002-01-30
Despite its awkward title, Drysdale's autobiography is an enjoyable read, but even the first-person narrative doesn't save this memoir from blandness. Although Drysdale was both a fireballer and something of a fireball in personality (at least on the field), he comes across here pretty much as a generic athlete. Unlike Jim Bouton's "Ball Four," this book doesn't project a distinctive, personal voice. The memoir rambles along entertainingly enough, but there's not much that's particularly memorable about it.
An interesting aspect of the work is Drysdale's description of his close relationship with Sal Maglie, who came to the Dodgers in 1956. Drysdale, who seems to have been a very naive kid when he joined the Dodgers that same year (he was only 19), reports that he learned "a lot about pitching, a lot about baseball, a lot about life" from the "great and grizzled veteran" Maglie (who was all of 39 at that point!) His hero worship of Maglie when the latter was in the twilight of his career was touching, all the more so as it seems that Maglie didn't make many friends during his brief tenure with Brooklyn.
In the last chapter Drysdale sums up some relatively recent events in his personal life, including a nasty divorce, followed by a late remarriage to a much younger woman and the birth of two children when he was in his early 50s. He goes on about how happy he is, how great his health is, despite a "meat and potatoes" diet and a fair amount of drinking, and how he expects to live a good, long life, etc., but readers today know that this didn't happen. In 1990, when the book was published, Drysdale wasn't in the middle of his life--he was near the end of it. He died of a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 56.
For died-in-the-wool Dodger fans, the book is worth a trip to the library, but not to the used book store.
Average customer rating:
|
Verdi His Life and Times
Peter Southwell
Manufacturer: Paganiniana Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 087666639X |
Product Description
No actual date given of reproduction of original 1931 copy. Sticker reads American Bindery - East - 1991. Library edition.
Average customer rating:
|
Giuseppe Verdi, His Life And Works
Francis Toye
Manufacturer: Reprint Services Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Biographies
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Business
| General
| History & Criticism
| Instruments & Performers
| Musical Genres
| Recording & Sound
| Reference
| Songbooks
| Theory, Composition & Performance
ASIN: 0781297192 |
Book Description
Matt Gaffney, who pleased word-loving fans of the links with his Golf Crosswords, now takes on the entire sports world. He's edited 50 all-new puzzles, so basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, tennis, skating, and even the Olympic Games come in for their share of crossword glory. Each puzzle has a clever heading, including Team Statistics, The Game of Love, Cooperstown Zoo, Poolside, Gridiron Grouping, A Pro's Conclusion, and You Make the Call. The clues will have collectors of sports trivia searching their memories for the answer to such questions as "Long-haired NBA guard Steve," "Melissa of Monday Night Football," and "Home to the USHL's Lancers."
Answers: Nash, Stark, and Omaha.
Customer Reviews:
Check The Compass.......2006-10-21
Based upon the current corporate and political climate in the USA,
many probably agree that books like these are important and
necessary. But is society any different today in certain respects
than it was say, 2000 years ago? Humans are human. Always have
been, always will be.
As for a "moral compass" discussed in this book, we can simply
look at the actions of individuals, corporations, and governments
dating back before Roman times, to today. The concept and discussion
of morality and ethics go back thousands of years. Yet it is of
course, no less important today. Currently, ethical concepts are
taught and discussed in business, MBA, and law programs. These
programs have to most dishonest students of all departments
at universities in the USA, in study after study. Some of
these students will become influential members of our society
in the future.
It must be noted that many parts of the world at times completely
lack a "moral compass." Corruption, dishonesty, and out-right theft
are the basic functional foundations in many nations of the world.
The United States has its flaws, but is way ahead of hundreds of
other nations when it comes to business moral and ethics.
(Admittedly, due in part by the existence of laws and regulations).
Yet a lack of this morality has a deleterious economic impact upon
many countries of the world. Another point that is central to the
concept of business morality is: thinking long-term. Not the myopic,
short-term business horizon where someone cheats or cuts corners to
gain a small amount in the short term, but loses potentially much
greater gains over the long term. South East Asia is notorious for
this short-sighted thinking and behaviour at all levels of society
and business.
This mentality can change. It will take time, education, awareness,
and the realization of the positives. Once those in business realize
the benefits of being honest and ethical, they often (but not always)
change their business practices. This is simply, Common Sense.
Author Doug Lennick and Fred Kiel categorize this book into three
portions: Overview, Developing Moral Skills, and Moral Leadership.
In addition there are four concepts noted for moral leadership:
Integrity, Responsibility, Compassion, and Forgiveness.
Several real-life examples are presented in this book.
Citing the innateness morality is mostly, idealism. Doing something
"because it's the right thing to do" does seem a bit idealistic. This
OK. But we must recognize it for what it is.
It takes an ethical upbringing *and* laws and regulations to keep
people and organizations in line.
History tells us the answer. Humans are humans. And no, I'm not a
Hobbesian. :)
Do The Right Thing Because It Is The Right Thing: Long-winded, Short on Substance.......2006-07-12
"Moral Intelligence: Enhancing Business Performance and Leadership Success" by Doug Lennick has a simple premise. Once you get that premise, the rest is about internalizing it, and living it out when the moral challenge presents itself.
Accepting the premise of the book is easy: Do the right thing because it is the right thing, and enjoy business benefits in the process. -- The premise is the entire book. There. I have blown in 17 words what takes the author 256 pages to say. Sorry about that.
If your sales manager gives you this book, you can flip through it, remember a few anecdotes, and you'll be set.
That's my primary difficulty with the book. I did not disagree with the premise, or feel that his anecdotes were inconsistent. It takes a very deep message and handles it lightly, without as much substance as such a book should have.
Very heavy on business anecdotes, it reads well, but has the tired tone of every business book on the planet, as if the writer went out of his way to quote as many people as possible, rather than looking into the questions more. Unfortunately, it is especially heavy in the financial planners/services sales people. Not much diversity of markets, business areas, or position.
There are a few charts gussying up "Moral Intelligence" but no substantive grids that will help the reader understand the way morality looks in real life. A few statistics are dripped in here and there, but it always boils down to "Do the right thing."
While no one expects a business ethics book to speak on the level of Aristotle or Augustine, it is reasonable that the author would present some grounding for morals. While he claims that relativism has been injurious to society in general, and to the workplace specifically, Lennick presents more of a generic understanding of morality. Touting a specific belief might get him into trouble, of course, yet by not doing so, he comes off bland and without a standard.
Somehow, in all the quotes from upper middle managers, Lennick misses William Pollard, former CEO of ServiceMaster. In fact, there is no discussion of ServiceMaster entirely. ServiceMaster, a massive Fortune 500 company, has been until recently, very outspoken that it was called such because of a Christian belief system, short for "Service for the Master." A look into how this philosophy works, and how ServiceMaster struggled to do the right thing, would have been instructive. Blown opportunity.
Lennick mentions the obvious criminals, like Ken Lay. He misses other law breakers, like PTL's Jim Bakker, and, in describing Lay's problems, provides nothing that has not been on the news. What Lennick could have done is outline the subtlties of business morality, and how we fall into breaking our own moral code.
There is little here that doesn't begin, "Joe was an Assistant VP of FinancialMegaCorp, and noticed something askew with the month's figures. He realized his friend and colleague, Rick, had absconded with thousands of dollars. Should Joe talk to Rick, or gather evidence to bring to the firm's legal team?"
Equally weak is the "Moral Competency Inventory" which has potential to reveal our true moral responses. With questions like, "When I agree to do something, I always follow through," I wonder if I just took a Cosmo quiz.
Wharton School Publishing dropped the ball on this one, diminishing the school's great reputation for a strong program. While an education there is still top notch, putting their stamp of approval on this one was not on par. There is nothing bold here, except that the book was published in the first place.
Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com
Superb.......2006-05-24
In business or financial circles, morality and ethics has frequently been thought of as weakness, as something that while noble will not assist in the generation of profits. Further, those who practice it can easily be taken advantage of by competitors. A business run by moral agents will not be able to survive the vicissitudes of the marketplace. It takes cunning and an instinct for the jugular, so the argument goes, to create and maintain a successful business. Another view is that a businessperson who claims to be moral or ethical is either posing as such in order to take advantage of someone or some situation. In this view, morality and ethics are then tools of manipulation and power, a view that is, ironically, not far from that of those political philosophers, such as Karl Marx, who criticize capitalism vociferously.
Until recently, business ethics, if taught at all, was presented from a pragmatic viewpoint. One is to practice or adhere to certain ethical principles only because regulations or circumstances dictate that not doing so would place one in legal jeopardy. Business ethics then becomes a collection of rules, to be followed only because it is part of the "process." These rules can be extensive, even contradictory, but their importance only arises because of legal constraints. They are usually viewed as more of an irritant, not as part of a natural process or necessity.
That morality is part of being human, much as eating, sleeping, and sex, is something that has not really been believed in scientific circles up until the last ten years or so, thanks to research in neuroscience. It is now believed by some researchers in neuroscience that some parts of the human neural system not only support moral reasoning but also have evolved to ensure its efficacy. This book draws on some of this research, and presents a conception of business morality that is very practical as well as efficacious in everyday business life. The authors are the first to admit that their ideas need further scientific and practical validation. The evidence they present is anecdotal, but it is a good start, for it gives an alternative to many of the stale platitudes that govern much of the contemporary thinking on moral systems.
As is of course readily apparent from the title, the central idea behind the authors' approach, and one that is very resonant in other approaches to morality based on neuroscience, is that of `moral intelligence.' They define this as a mental capacity that allows the determination of how "universal human principles" are to be applied to "values, goals, and actions." They do not really elaborate on what it means for principles to be "universal", but from the reading of the book one can deduce that these are the neuronal patterns that take place in every human being. They therefore appear as beliefs about human conduct that every culture in the entire world seems to hold. In fact in the foreword of the book, this is summarized in the notion that every human is "hard wired" to be moral. The reader should not however view this as a deterministic notion, since humans can often "stray from the path." They do not debate the notion of free will in the book, and this makes the book even more palatable to read, since such musings are better left to the philosophers.
The authors discuss various research that supports their notion of moral intelligence, and include many anecdotal stories that illustrate its practice in everyday life and in leadership roles in business. The emphasize that moral intelligence is a distinctive branch of intelligence, and that individuals who possess it in abundance will have a large measure of integrity, will take responsibility for their actions, will be compassionate, and be willing to exercise forgiveness. The authors point out that having these virtues will not of course imply perfection. The morally intelligent individual will make mistakes, but her `moral compass' will steer her to proper moral north.
This book is again, one of the few that have been written that attempt to put morality on both a sound scientific foundation and a practical one. It is honest in its claims and the authors express humility and respect for the reader between its covers. There is no attempt to intimidate the reader into ascribing to their ideas. They are intellectually honest without being condescending. The reader will finish the book with a deeper respect for the role of moral intelligence in business and everyday life, and be more convinced of its efficacy and power.
Good Concept, Treatment OK.......2006-02-12
Having read a number of books brought to us by Wharton Publishing, this one was a bit disappointing. Wharton has high standards for its business books, requiring them to be relevant, timely, empirically based, conceptually sound, and implementable in real decision settings. While this book does meet those criteria, I felt the concentration on the moral intelligence topic was diluted by what I perceived to be over-attention to emotional intelligence. I didn't feel the strength and focus I anticipated, particularly given my high expectations of Wharton books.
The book is organized into three parts: an overview, Developing Moral Skills, and Moral Leadership. We begin with an overview of Moral Intelligence with a look at being born to be moral and what the authors describe as one's moral compass. They introduce the four principles that are vital for moral leadership: integrity, responsibility, compassion, and forgiveness. In the second section of the book, each of these principles is addressed in a separate chapter-with an additional chapter on emotions. The section on moral leadership introduces the Moral Leader, talks about leading large organizations and entrepreneurial ventures, and becoming a global moral leader. The first appendix, Strengthening Your Moral Skills, offers advice on the how-to of developing the skills. This is important enough that it probably could have been a chapter, rather than an appendix. Appendices B, C, and D present the Moral Competency Inventory, its scoring and interpretation.
As I read this book, my attention was distracted by what I believe was over-use of one of the authors' previous employers as a setting to discuss various applications and observations about moral leadership. The text needed more balance with stories from other corporate environments. Anecdotal presentations are heavily used in the book-John said this, Mary did that. The use of first and last names with the parenthetical notation that the name is a pseudomym became annoying, causing me to wonder how many real people with moral intelligence were known by the authors-or even available to use as role models.
The theme of the book is welcome and valid. There is a lot of good material in these pages and you'll gain something from the reading. Perhaps this book will open the door for more work to be done in this important, value-based field.
Moral Intelligence.......2006-01-30
If your looking to increase your personal level of joy and harmony in life, implement the teachings of the 3 frames in this book.
Manny Padro Salt Lake City, Utah
Books:
- Amores Perros (BFI Modern Classics)
- Asia Shock: Horror And Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, And Thailand
- Attack of the 'B' Movie Posters (The Illustrated History of Moves Through Posters Series Vol. 14)
- Becoming Mae West
- Behold the Beauty of the Lord
- Black Film As a Signifying Practice: Cinema, Narration and the African American Aesthetic Tradition
- Blues Brothers: Private
- Bond Girls are Forever: The Women of James Bond
- Cagney
- Cine Mexicano: Poster Art from the Golden Age/Carteles de la Epoca de Oro 1936-1956
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Law Office Skills
- Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret Millennium 2000 Gold Record Recording
- The Reluctant Pornographer
- Tutankhamun: The Mysteries of the Boy King
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory & Technique
- Working Papers, Chapters 17-24 for Gilbertson/Lehman/Ross' Century 21 Accounting: Multicolumn Journa
- Turbo-Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy
- A Soldier's Return
