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Answer to Job

0/0

34 stars

Profound and daring examination of the Christian God.

I have read this book twice in ten years and will probably read it again. I like this book because Jung is expressing his feelings whilst using his immense experience and accumulated knowledge. Although many references are made to other sources, I do not feel as if I need to know very much more than the average person brought up in a mild Christian society, to gain substantial benefit from the book. What seems intense to me is the underlying issues of how we (as humans) relate to our sense of reality and justice. For me, this is not so much an answer to Job as a comprehension of the inherent correctness of the dilemma that Job is faced with. I gave this book a rating of 4 on a scale of 5 because I still do not feel that I understand fully what Jung is saying. But I am not sure that he is sure either. It certainly elucidates, for me, the very real dynamics between the conscious and the subconscious. I gives me insight into the difference between children's immediacy which can be without sympathy for the effect of their actions on the outside world, and the same immediacy that adults can attain with complete responsibility for the effect of their actions. Immensely supportive book and an important aid to self improvement, which is our inherent right as human beings. Don't expect to get all the benefits of this book for months or even years after reading it.

5Book

Answer to Job

1/2

34 stars

A very dense yet interesting book

This short book took me a while to read it because the subject matter is fairly dense. He directly addresses the paradox between the wrathful Jehovah and loving Christ. It treats the subject more literally than I expected - I couldn't tell whether he was talking about an inner dynamic or literal historical events. This might turn some readers off.I come from a Christian background and it addressed some questions I still had from my childhood about the split personality between the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the New Testament Christ.

5Book

Answer to Job

6/10

45 stars

Answer to Job

Jung's life journey was an investigation into who and what we are as human. Like it or not, in discovering who we are, he had to confront God as part of that discovery process. I can understand why Answer to Job caused so much controversy. Don't shake the status quo after it has found an easy to accommodate understanding of God. Many have shaken that tree and were martyred. Or in one case, crucified.If you truly want to find out who and what you are, read this book. Other books that will help include /Edward Edinger's "Transformation of the God Image; The New Myth for our Species",and "Creation of Consciousness". The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran is also available through Amazon. Introducing yourself to these books will open you to the "Christ" within.

5Book

Answer to Job

9/17

45 stars

God bet with Satan on a human soul

God made a bet with Satan that Job would always love Him, no matter what God did to Job. After seeing that Job never stopped loving God, no matter what horrors God heaped on him, God realized that humans had something going that God did not. Plus, He realized He'd trivially made a bet on a man's soul. God needed to experience humanity first hand to find out why, and so became human in the form of Jesus.This explanation caused Christianity to make sense to me. Although it is certainly no part of any church I have ever heard of, it is the one idea that could make me part of a church, if such a one existed.

5Book

An examination of dispensationalism

0/0

45 stars

A BRIEF, READABLE CRITIQUE OF DISPENSATIONALISM,

William Cox is the author of other books such asAmillennialism TodayandBiblical Studies in Final Things. In the Introduction to this 1963 book, he states, "This book ... is written by one who for a number of years was a dispensationalist... It was only after much doubt and searching of the Scriptures that I was constrained to leave such a fascinating school of interpretation... It is hoped that the work will serve a useful purpose in view of the increased theological interest among laymen."He argues, "We can best criticize the literalists by saying that none really exist! Their greatest inconsistency lies in the fact that all of them at one time or another interpret some passages of the Bible in a figurative or spiritual manner." (Pg. 26)He makes the provocative suggestion, "Envision for a moment the marshalling together of the church fathers, all the great Reformers, most of the contemporaries of J.N. Darby, and all of the great theologians who labored to produce our Bible commentaries... all these we have mentioned would line up with Paul and all the other apostles in condemning any teaching which makes the church a mere parenthesis." (Pg. 50)He asserts, "Darbyism (dispensationalism) is an unproved inference, which will not stand up under a close scrutiny of the Scriptures. Like many other movements within the history of Christianity this theory met with a widespread response because it struck out against apostasy." (Pg. 51)There are certainly more extensive critiques of dispensationalism available, but this one is perhaps useful because of its brevity.

5Book

Burlington Route: A History of the Burlington Lines

7/7

45 stars

Comprehnsive History of the Burlington RR to about 1960

Burlington Route: A History of the Burlington Lines, by Richard C. Overton, 1st Edition, Hardcover, Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1965. This is the definitive history of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad from its earliest beginnings in 1847 to about 1960. Overton was given access to company records and relies heavily on its annual reports for a detailed presentation of the corporate history. The original was a three volume masterpiece, that now has been shortened to 588 pages. In many respects it is merely an overview, but even so it can be tedious at times. Still it is a remarkable summary of the railroad's history.The CB&Q; began as a Chicago railroad backed by Boston financiers and operated by experienced railroad executives. The initial segment was chartered as the Aurora (Ill) Branch Railroad on Feb 12, 1849. Eventually the main line stretched from Chicago across northern Illinois through Burlington, IA, to Omaha (for connection to the Transcontinental Railroad/Union Pacific as a participant in the Iowa Pool), and then on to Denver. Branches extended to Minneapolis from Chicago and to Billings, Montana. Early backing for the Hannibal and St. Joseph, the first railroad in Missouri, provided a parallel line to the south in the days when St. Joseph was the possible jumping off place for the Transcontinental Railroad. A branch line provided the first railroad into what became Kansas City. An acquisition brought the line south into St. Louis. The Colorado and Southern connected Denver with Galveston by way of Dallas and Houston.The Burlington is usually considered a granger road. Its territory included extensive farm lands. Hence, agricultural products were major freight items. The railroad also received land grants, and in most cases built pioneer railroads into largely unoccupied territory, where only subsistence farming was possible until transportation improvements were made. Burlington was effective in promoting settlement of these lands-offering low cost excursions to those considering land purchases. It also worked with agricultural extension services to help farmers develop more productive practices. Special trains brought experts and demonstrations of improved methods.Burlington was a conservatively managed railroad. New lines were usually built by creating a shell company with local investors putting up the capital. Then the Burlington agreed to reinvest any earnings by buying the bonds of the new railroad. In this way, the Burlington used its prestige to extend its reach while taking on little financial risk This approach served it well. The Burlington never defaulted on its bonds. James F. Joy was a key player in the early management of the railroad.Burlington regarded the cities of Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver and Minneapolis as gateways to its route system. It undertook efficient service between these cities. But St. Louis to Kansas City posed special problems. Their main line by way of Hannibal and then across the Hannibal and St. Joseph was round about. To correct his, in 1904 they built a line from Old Monroe, north of St. Louis, to Francis, MO near Mexico, MO. This allowed connection with the Chicago and Alton line to Kansas City. Apparently this failed and the rails were removed. Parts of the line now forms the Katy Trail in Western Missouri. A later line extension shortened the connection between Kansas City and the Hannibal and St. Joseph line.Competition was fierce in the railroad business. Robber Baron Jay Gould was active in the area, taking over most railroads in Missouri (especially the Missouri Pacific, the Wabash, the MKT, and the Terminal Railroad in St. Louis, Eads Bridge in St. Louis, as well as a major interest in the Frisco and a board seat on the Rock Island) and maneuvering, unsuccessfully, for admission to the Iowa Pool. Because of the loose association between Burlington and its branches, he was able to gain control of the Hannibal and St. Joseph from 1871 to 1883. This caused the Burlington considerable problems. Later all the branch lines were integrated under a master mortgage.James J. Hill is a key player in the Burlington story. He built the Great Northern railroad. In 1893, the Northern Pacific fell into receivership. As part of the reorganization, Hill was to take over management of the Northern Pacific. That effort failed, but none the less he became a major shareholder. In 1901, the Hill lines acquired the CB&Q; with backing from JP Morgan. The Northern lines wanted direct access to Chicago, and Burlington management thought the Northern lines were a better fit than the alternative to be acquired by Harriman's Union Pacific. (Interest in possible connection with Santa Fe waned after Santa Fe built its direct high speed connection between Kansas City and Chicago through Burlington territory.) Details of the Hill organization were overruled by the courts. But thereafter the three Hill railroads ran co-operatively. They exchanged managers and pursued common objectives.Hill interests soon realized their system was short of coal, an essential in the days of steam engines. An expert found high quality coal in southern Illinois. To reach these fields, Burlington acquired a line from E. St. Louis to Centralia, and then extended it southward to Metropolis, IL. After construction of a bridge over the Ohio River, the line reached Paducah, KY, in 1917.In the 30s, Burlington pioneered the use of diesel engines and the high speed, streamlined, Zephyr passenger trains. Primitive diesels had been used in switch engines from about 1925, but they were slow. In 1932, General Motors had perfected a light weight, 600 horse power, eight-cylinder diesel engine, Model 201A. At the time, Burlington had a 3-car self-powered, streamlined, high speed (to 120 mph) passenger train under construction at EG Budd Manufacturing in Philadelphia. The diesel was adopted to power it. It was named the Zephyr, selected as the last word in the dictionary, to signify the last word in passenger travel. The first unit was received in April, 1934. After touring the country to rave reviews and thousands of visitors, it was placed in service on the Omaha-Kansas City line on Nov 11, 1934. Additional Zephyrs were soon added throughout the Burlington system. They were followed by diesel passenger trains, beginning in 1936. Burlington also invented the domed passenger car. The first Vista-Dome car was introduced on Jul 23, 1945.In the area of technology, presumably Burlington arrived on the scene after telegraphy became the essential element of train control. Manually operated semaphores at stations along the line indicated the presence of traffic before the next station. Pneumatic signals were installed in 1887 between Chicago and Downers Grove. Installation of the printing telegraph, a primitive teletype machine, was begun in 1910; by 1912, 2589 miles of road was dispatching trains by phone. The first automatic block signals were installed in the 1920s. Automatic train control was installed from Creston to Pacific Junction in 1924, and extended to Lincoln in 1926. The first centralized traffic control was installed in 1928. Further installation was delayed by the financial difficulties of the 1930s, but began in earnest once wartime traffic began to grow. By 1946, either CTC or multi-tracks covered the entire route from Chicago to Denver and from Chicago to Minneapolis. In cab signals were installed beginning in 1951. Later in the decade, engines and cabooses were equipped with shortwave radios for communication with train dispatchers and way stations. Janney automatic couplers were installed in the 1880s. Heavy duty Westinghouse air brakes were perfected in Burlington tests by 1887.The Burlington enjoyed relatively favorable labor relations. In 1877, a major railroad strike resulted after railroads attempted to reduce wages by 10% in response to declining earnings caused by recession and rate cutting competition. Riots resulted in Pittsburgh on the Pennsylvania and in Baltimore on the B&O.; Burlington took a more moderate approach avoiding wage cuts to their already low wages. Strikers in Illinois and Iowa soon went back to work.This is a nicely done railroad history, with considerable detail of various aspects of operations. Many will find it fascinating.

5Book

Invisible Giant: Cargill and its Transnational Strategies

25.99

29/31

34 stars

A Gilmpse Inside the Giant

No other company epitomizes the global concentration in worldwide commodity trading and processing like Cargill. Although it's the largest privately-held company in the world, few people realize the scope of Cargill's activities or its influence on the food we eat and even the salt we put on our roads in the wintertime.Kneen's second edition of this book, published in early 2002, is timely and poignant. Even though at times it reads almost like a textbook, Kneen's work meticulously describes Cargill's business segments and its geographic reach. Cargill's classic approach is to enter a market in a modest way and establish a "beachhead." From there, it expands its ownership and influence, often becoming the dominant force in an industry. In addition, Cargill has the political muscle to affect public policy towards trade and agriculture, not only at the Federal level in the U. S., but also through state, provincial and local governments worldwide.Although no fan of Cargill or big agribusiness in general, Kneen nevertheless presents a fairly balanced, at times almost antiseptic analysis of this secretive and very powerful company.I recommend this book to anyone interested in the influence of large corporations on key economic sectors - especially agriculture.

5Book

Invisible Giant: Cargill and its Transnational Strategies

25.99

2/2

23 stars

Well researched but too much opinion

Invisible Giant gives a highly detailed look inside Cargill. The book covers the history of company and provides very specific information about Cargill's activities and business.However it's clear from the introduction that the author is arguing against Cargill and this becomes annoying very quickly. Rather than write a book against Cargill, or simply a book about them, he will provide a few pages of information with subtle attacks or vague insinuations.For instance on pg. 24 he points out that by working a single buyer of commodities, Cargill has an advantage in the market. Although this is obvious and happens in any other market, with any other company, Kneen finds it necessary to add "Pity those who believe in the propaganda of 'competition'. "Or when talking about exports to the USSR and grain subsidies Kneen writes "Cargill's sales (the figures include subsidies) went from $2 billion in 1971 to $29 billion in 1981. Figures are not available for the intervening years. Once has to draw one's own conclusions".Kneen tries to insinuate things like Cargill's bidding for commodities is manipulative and anti-competitive or that $27 billion in sales increases over a decade are purely from exploiting the taxpayer and subsidies. However he never will actually come out and say these things or provide any evidence.

5Book

Invisible Giant: Cargill and its Transnational Strategies

25.99

1/1

45 stars

Great Service

I ordered this with the "Merchants of Grain" as a gift for someone who just got a job with Cargill. They arrived on time and in great condition. If you are interested in Cargill or agricultural commodities, these are good books to read.

5Book

Invisible Giant: Cargill and its Transnational Strategies

25.99

0/0

01 star

Misleading advertising by Amazon

I purchased this book because of my interest in the the commodity business. I expected a current history of Cargill, not an ancient history. Everything has changed in the commodity markets in the last decade and I was very disappointed that Amazon would (I believe falsely) aggressively promote this book at a $25 price. I will be more careful in my future purchases. I realize that I could have returned it, but could not be bothered. It did glance through the book and did learn a few things I did not know about Cargill, such as its dominance in malted barley.

5Book

Invisible Giant: Cargill and its Transnational Strategies

25.99

0/0

34 stars

Great research and detail lacks a conceptual framework

A compilation of information on Cargill, the world's largest private company. Needs a better analytical framework but there is a lot of important information here about how global food production is organized. Cargill's ability to think of the world in terms of production basins, water-borne transportation routes and consumption centers is useful, shows why Cargill needs to be a transnational. The use of IP to mean 'identity preserved' is a good indication of the importance of provenance to the future of the food system. It was also interesting to think about how Cargill organizes its value web to manage risk, and frequently to off load risk to smaller players who are not in a position to say no.The author slips in the occasional value judgement, and I tend to agree with them, but he does not do the extra work to justify them. Five stars for research, two stars for organization and analysis, rounded up to four stars.

5Book

Among My Books

1/1

45 stars

Treasure trove for book lovers

Frederic Harrison (1831-1923) was an English jurist, and an ardent advocate of Logical Positivism. The final chapter of `Among My Books' concerns the "Logical Positivist Library," a recommended reading list compiled by the father of Positivism, Auguste Comte (see:Introduction to Positive Philosophy), and discussed and updated here by Harrison. The list -- and Harrison's other literary essays -- are full of metaphysical classics, no matter how much the Positivists reject the metaphysical. This chapter, entitled "The Positivist Library," can really be read as an outdated but enjoyable Great Books list.Harrison is at his most delightful when he takes us on journeys through his own library, which he lovingly describes -- the translations, the bindings, the boyhood editions he still loves and the newer and sometimes better editions he appreciates as well. Ancient literature was Harrison's true love and a lot of `Among My Books' is about Greek and Roman literature, with two chapters devoted to Homer."Poets That I Love" includes Dante, Bunyan. But also many prose writers: Cervantes, Rabelais, Carlyle.Drama chapters are heavy on Shakespeare but include Corneille, Goethe, many big names.Harrison loved Byzantine history and gave the Cambridge Rede Lecture of 1900 on "Byzantine History in the Early Middle Ages" which is included.THREE chapters are devoted to William Pitt (Lord Chatham), two of which review books about Chatham."The London Library Subject Index" is a little chapter about the 1909 publication of its first detailed, systematic subject catalog of its nonfiction holdings, and Harrison was quite impressed.One of several digressions from the topic of books comes as Harrison contrasts "Two Coronations." He witnessed Queen Victoria's coronation when he was seven years old and lived to see her great grandson, George V, crowned in 1911. The vast change in technology and the improvement of peoples' lives between the two coronations is lauded. It's quite amusing as Harrison gripes about London's garish coronation decorations, and the way that Westminster Abbey (he calls it "the most sacred Church in all Christendom." Seriously) was "plastered with side-shows" in a display of "wanton vulgarity."Much of `Among My Books' is outdated. Much is not! But more than this, a real book lover will be delighted by Harrison's bibliophilia.

5Book

Reveille for a Persian Village: The Story of a Village in Persia and Its First Tentative Steps Out of the Remote Past into the Present Century

1/1

45 stars

However -

I share the first reviewer's (Erika Mitchell) enthusiasm for this book, and her admiration for Najmeh Najafi. I have had the book on my shelf for longer than there has been an Amazon to buy it from.However, I would also point out to potential readers that the darker side of the events chronicled is as important as their inspirational aspect.Najafi met with hostility and ignorance that I never would have supposed possible in the 20th century just a few miles from a place like Tehran. Her descriptions of rural and village attitudes could well apply across a wide region from Iran to Afghanistan, and today's western policymakers might not have found themselves in so much trouble there if they had read Najafi's book carefully.She was a woman, so men would not listen to her. She was an outsider from the city, so the women would not listen to her.The villagers - almost unbelievably - resisted the idea that it might be a good idea not to wash diapers in the same stream that brought their drinking water, and especially not to wash them upstream from where they drank.To say that Najmeh 'met resistance' is too bloodless. She was actively ridiculed for suggesting that flies carry disease and should be kept away from food.Najmeh's real heroism was not in simply being a one-woman peace corps and a good teacher and organizer, nor in giving up years of what could have been a very privileged life to be a teacher living in primitive conditions. She deserves our wondering praise because she overcame active hostility rooted in the local religion and culture to do these things.I have spent decades being a teacher, and can testify that it is easy and fun when the students want to learn. It becomes a hero's task when they do not, but you succeed anyway.The opportunity to learn about the heroism and the actual social situation and attitudes away from the largest cities - that is I wanted to add to the first review.

5Book

Reveille for a Persian Village: The Story of a Village in Persia and Its First Tentative Steps Out of the Remote Past into the Present Century

1/1

45 stars

A One-Woman Peace Corps

This book relates the adventures of Najmeh Najafi, an Iranian woman who determined to do something concrete to combat poverty in her native country back in the 1950s. Najafi came from an elite family. While still a teenager, she opened a dress shop and marketed Paris fashions to her customers in Teheran. But she had higher ambitions for her life, so she closed the shop and went to the US to get a college degree. While studying in the US, she co-authored a book with Helen Hinckley about her homeland in Persia. The money from the sale of that book provided the funding she needed to start the development projects described in the present book.Upon graduation from college, Najafi returned to Iran with the dream of establishing leadership training schools for women that would provide a steady stream of women able to bring Iran's poverty-stricken rural villages into the Twentieth Century. She began by identifying a potential prototype village where she could test her methods. The village she chose was Sarbandan, which was not far from the main highway to Teheran, and had a population of a little over one thousand. In the next two years, Najafi convinced the defunct village council to re-assemble. She got them to approve and fund the building of a new bath house, a health clinic, and a girls' school. She introduced new standards for hygiene and virtually eradicated infant deaths due to summer diarrhea. She gradually earned the trust and respect of local women, and trained them in money-earning handicrafts as well as taught them to read. At the same time, she trained 3 adolescent orphans from a group home in Teheran to be community leaders following her methods, and dispersed them to several towns surrounding Sarbandan. As Najafi tells it, within two years, Sarbandan had gone from being a rural wasteland to a model village, a place where development officers came to witness how far a village could move when given a little direction and a gentle push.Najafi's accounts of her achievements make her sound like a superwoman. It's hard to believe that she was able to get so many results in so little time. There's no denying that she had heart. As she explains to her young trainees part of her motivation: "When you stand on a corner in Sarbandan, or Teheran, or New York, or London, and watch the people stream by it is hard to realize that under the chador, the cashmere coat, the ragged jacket, beat hearts that are all alike....We want to live long and be healthy, we want to belong, to love and be loved, to be secure, to feel that we are worth while, to have the commendation of our peers, to have something to look forward to. So do they." Najafi was deeply religious, drawing continuously on the tenets of her Muslim faith for strength and guidance. The time of service described in this book is about equal to that of a standard Peace Corps assignment, but Najafi was able to accomplish much more that the usual Peace Corps volunteer in her two years, in part because she had an independent source of funding to draw on, but also because she had the advantage of working in her own culture, in her own language. Overall, this is a fascinating story documenting both village life in mid-Twentieth Century Iran, but also the projects of this remarkable, heroic woman.

5Book

The Triumph of Truth: A Life of Martin Luther

11.33

21/21

45 stars

Excellent, readable, interesting like all D'Aubigne's works

I have read this book under separate title, and D'Aubigne presents in it a wonderful picture of Luther the man, from the perspective of an author who knows Luther's Lord. Much more readable than Bainton's work, and with a touch of the older style of writing that has now been lost.

5Book

The Triumph of Truth: A Life of Martin Luther

11.33

0/0

34 stars

pages missing

I loved the price and told others about it..it came quickly and in VERY good shape but I was STUNNED at about page 278 when it jumped to over 300 in page number and I was in a completely different chapter..later on in the book it repeated those same pages but the missing ones ???I will never know their story. I buy Amazon books off and on and have never had this poblem...Blondie

5Book

The Triumph of Truth: A Life of Martin Luther

11.33

0/0

45 stars

Still The Best Biography Of Luther

Though almost 200 years old, you will not find a more readable or accurate biography of the great reformer Martin Luther. I've read several. D'Aubigne brings Luther to life as no other author has without dry academics or modern prejudice. You will get to know Luther, his life, his conversion, his slow realization of the corruption of, and his final break with the church of Rome. His theology is explained in terms anyone can understand. Though D'Aubigne was a well educated theologian himself, he understood the importance of speaking plainly. Historical biography as it should be, covering the life of one of the most fascinating and influential men in European history. Highly recommended.If you enjoy this book try DiAubigne'sHistory of the Reformation of the 16th Century, and Martin Luther'sBondage of the Will (text only) by O. R. Johnston,M. Luther,J. I. Packer.

5Book

The Triumph of Truth: A Life of Martin Luther

11.33

0/0

45 stars

Excellent Book

This book is a gem.It is a very good biography, not too technical , yet comprehensive & easy to read.

5Book

The Triumph of Truth: A Life of Martin Luther

11.33

9/14

45 stars

More detail than I had ever known about Luther (pt 1)

This is a very good book about Martin Luther. Before I read this book, I did not know what he wrote his theses about, but now I know he wrote it to condemn the evil sale of indulgences.

5Book

Lean-ISD: Instructional systems design that makes a difference

1/2

45 stars

lean-ISD

"lean-ISD takes all of the theory, books, courses, and pseudo job aids that are currently on the market about Instructional Systems Design and blows them out of the water.Previous `systems' approach books showed a lot of big boxes and diagrams, which were supposed to help the reader become proficient in the design process. Here is a book that actually includes all of the information that fell through the cracks of other ISD training materials and shows you the way to actually get from one step to another. Guy adds all of the caveats and tips he has learned in more than 20 years of ISD practice and sprinkles them as job aids and stories throughout the book.However, the most critical part of the book for me was that Guy included the project and people management elements of ISD in the book. Too often, ISD models and materials forget that we are working with real people in getting the work done. This book helps explain and illustrate best practices in ensuring success in ISD projects."

5Book

Lean-ISD: Instructional systems design that makes a difference

1/3

45 stars

Practical Resource and Reference Tool

"I've found lean-ISD to be a very useful reference tool and resource. After having been involved with CADDI consultants on a large scale application of the methodology at my last firm, I've taken on several recent projects in my new company using many of the methods, tools and templates of CADDI's PACT Processes for Training & Development. The book is designed so that I was quickly able to access the information I needed to provide my clients practical, timely and quality approaches to tackling their business issues. I highly recommend this book as a guide for business professionals challenged by either training and development, learning, knowledge management, or human competence development projects."

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

26/26

34 stars

A valuable read

Forget about the spectre of "offshoring" for a second: this book is about what you need to do to be a better software professional. On the flip side, this book can also be used as a guide on how to _hire_ good programmers. Each chapter is about 2 to 3 pages long and presents anecdotal information about how to make yourself a better programmer _and_ business person.I would say that most of his advice really falls into one of these categories: constantly improve yourself, constantly seek to improve others, and be knowledgeable of your business and customers.There are valuable tidbits in here that are common sense to some, but I am amazed with how many people I know that don't follow them. Even if they are all common sense this book helps these ideas crystallize in your psyche. Here are some of my favorites:#7 Don't base your career on one technology: for example Java, Lotus Notes, etc.#8 Be the worst. Surrounding yourself with really good people is a lot better way to learn than being the best. I agree with this.#9 Love it or leave it. The people I like to work with the most are the people with passion for what they do. They are the ones that are constantly seeking to do things the right way. They are the ones who are innovating.The reason I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that towards the end I thought the last several chapters were kind of fluffy and didn't provide any concrete advise. But overall, I think this book is very good.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

10/10

45 stars

A Classic in the Making

Chad Fowler has written a gem of a book that is full of wisdom, and is deeply insightful in a way that only someone with Chad's experience (of working with a fortune 5 company in the U.S. and in India) could have.Written with compassion and empathy for it's intended audience, the book conveys a very important message -- that it's not about Americans beating Indians out of jobs or Indians beating Americans. It's about building things of value and making software developers better.I believe this book is going to be of as much value to the leaders of organizations that hire software developers across the globe as it will be to the employees of those organizations and will provide benefits to readers in unexpected ways. It provides a blueprint for continuous learning and self- improvement as well as a way to motivate oneself to always aspire to reach higher and achieve more and enjoy the journey along the way!This is a must-read book that has already found a permanent place on my bookshelf as it will in the bookshelves of all the others whom I plan to gift copies to.I HIGHLY recommend it.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

13/14

45 stars

Pragmatic Advice from the Pragmatic Programer: Adapt, Adapt, Adapt!

Chad Fowler shares his India outsourcing experience and insight and he provides simple truths about the importance of anticipating and adapting to change. Lessons learned in this book can be applied to any field, not just technology. The world is changing faster and faster and to stay on top means learning how to be champions of change, not resistors.Fowler offers readers excellent advice on how not to be left behind. Fifty-two ways to save your job, as the title suggests. None of us can afford to be complacent in our current successes, knowledge, or skillsets. Complacency breeds arrogance and laziness. These are very simple truths. The people who take the time to learn new things and adapt to changing business environments more quickly are the ones who are going to come out on top. Right now, we're seeing the tide shift and those diligent people in India are reaping the rewards of their hard work.Outsourcing or off-shoring...whatever you want to call it, it is not going away. And it is not the dirty word it was a couple of years ago. Outsourcing is old news! The epiphanies of "The World is Flat" is old news! Companies who have not yet shifted some of their operation to India or China or Western Europe are likely feeling a little panicked. And I think they rightfully concerned. As companies continue to expand outsourcing to India (Citrix, IBM, Microsoft, Siebel, et al), for any of us to keep our jobs, we need to continue to find new and BETTER ways to be provide value. For some, it means learning new technical and/or language skills. For others, it means changing careers altogether. Adapt, adapt, adapt.This book was excellent--it's well written, it's timely, and frankly, I found it very reassuring. I recommend "My Job Went to India" in particular to my fellow American friends and coworkers who run the gamut from being concerned to downright paranoid (whether they'll admit it aloud or not) about the prospect of "**INSERT COUNTRY NAME HERE** (India) taking precious jobs away from **INSERT NATIONALITY HERE** (Americans).If I can digress for just a moment, I want to tell you how I found this book. I stumbled across it in Barns & Noble--one of those mega stores with the multiple floors and separate coffee and lunch stands. You know, the ones that are the size of a mini mall? I went there to pick up some programming books. I decided I needed to brush up my programming skills and I was trying to determine the best way to get started and what language to focus on first. The store's tech selections were overwhelming. I was in the store for three hours pouring over books. The more I searched and read, the more lost and frustrated I felt. And, if I'm being honest, the more stupid and ill-prepared I felt. I picked up Foweler's book because the title caught my eye just as I was about to leave. I read the cover and laughed (okay, snorted) so loud the person next to me took a couple of steps away from me, out of concern that I was crazy or possessed. Or both. The book struck a chord because the company I had just left has begun recently outsourcing to India and many of the employees I knew are feeling a bit confused, frustrated, and some are outright disgusted. As if the strategy somehow implied the company had sold its soul. Which, of course, simply isn't true.At any rate, I read the first page and thought, yeah, this looks like it might be an interesting read some day, and I then flipped over to the page where Fowler starts talking about what the experience in India taught him, how the unfamiliar and strange had become totally familiar to him, how he changed his perspective, and how India became his new norm and how his return to the USA was a complete shock to his system.It was this section that made me sit up and take notice and it's what ultimately sold me on the book. It's like a trusted friend revealing a buried or forgotten truth. Fowler's words rang true to me. I read the whole thing in one sitting.What I appreciated most about his writing is that it is not radical technobable rantings of a professed expert. The writing is not arrogant and for the most part, it's written in simple terms. I got the sense he's just a guy who wants share his experience and the lessons learned to save us programmers and programmer wannabees (like me) the trouble and offer suggestions that might reassure us of the future. So much of what he says are just simple truths that deep down I already knew were true. And he writes it in such a way that the book could be relevant to all tech workers, not just programmers.So read it. I tell you, it's freaking brilliant and you will probably feel better about your future. I certainly do.Cheers!

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

8/8

45 stars

Great book about your IT career, not just the outsourcing threat

I think this book suffers from a poorly chosen title. It makes it seem much more of a niche book than it is."Take Charge of Your Career" would have been a better title. This book is for those of us who really want to be in this sector and are looking for what the right moves are. It is too easy to end up working in an IT job that you floated into rather than worked towards or deliberately chose.The last line of the book says it best:"Satisfaction, like our career choices, is something that should be sought after and *decided* upon *with intention*.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

8/8

45 stars

A manual for the care and growth of your programming career

This is a great compliment to The Pragmatic Programmer. That book presents short, sweet descriptions of successful habits for a programmer to follow while practicing their craft. My Job Went To India arms a programmer with habits and practices that will help enhance their career.I love books with short chapters, and this one has fifty-two of them. They read quickly and many end with exercises to apply the practice or skill recently discovered.Much of what a programmer must do to advance his craft these days is more closely related to business than software. Many programmers, myself included, are somewhat intimidated by the need to learn these skills. Fowler breaks it down and make this subject matter far easier to approach.The essence of this book is tons and tons of experience distilled into words. Sure, you could learn all of this stuff over a decade in the industry, but you might have some frightening, tight times in between. I feel like My Job Went To India has given me a leg up by focusing the topic of managing a programmer's career into fun-to-read, easily digestible chunks that are all highly actionable.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

8/8

34 stars

take the initiative

American programmers would do well to study this book. Indeed, any programmer anywhere in the world might do likewise. Fowler offers sage advice on how to manage your career. Perhaps the most cogent item is not to stick to a narrow focus on the pure programming aspects. Instead, you should cultivate an expertise in the business domain. This gives you valuable context about a coding task that you might be assigned, or one that you might develop on your own initiative.The latter is also stressed by Fowler. Instead of passively being a drone, which is what most people are, ask yourself if you truly desire to be a programmer. If so, then this can motivate you into producing excellent programs.And always try to scout out new programming languages and ideas to learn. The different aspects of each language are valuable different slants at looking at a problem and devising a solution.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

10/11

45 stars

Adapt And Prepare

'My Job Went To India (And All I Got Was This Lousy Book)' is a examination of the trend of the past decade or so of how jobs are traveling across the Atlantic Ocean at an artery-spurting pace. You might hear all the propaganda and assume that the good ol' United States is still #1 on this planet, but the simple facts are that the 2 countries that each have 1 billion+ people (India & China) are the future of this planet, and there is a reason why.Not only are Indian software professionals much cheaper to hire, costing American companies much less rupees than dollars, Indians have one thing in mass majority that the USA used to have.They are HUNGRY.India can only sit back and laugh as their country excels while the United States just sits back on their laurels, always assuming that they will at the top of the food chain, for little reason than they just are MEANT to be there.This book is a nice examination of this trend, and while it is very discouraging at times, it tries to help the reader by pushing the main point that in order to save your job and your career, you always have to adapt and learn. If you find yourself on the street one day (and usually it's a shock to most people who do), make sure that you are prepared and you can strike back at the market that put you on the street by having the skill set and determination to overcome any challenge put in front of you.This is an entertaining and important book that should be read (and followed) by all software developers who need to stay on the cutting edge of this competitive market.***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

10/11

23 stars

A good self-improvement manual for programmers... but please ignore the title

Like a lot of the other reviewers, I agreed with the contents of this book. The contents are well-organized and presented, and all of the points are hard to argue with. However, some caution is in order.This book is only tangentially about outsourcing. The title of the book implies this book is how one can thward the challenge of outsourcing. Now, the contents of the book are an ably-crafted, well-written set of tips on how to increase one's effectiveness as a programmer, which I would have no hesitation of recommending to programmers of just a few years' experience. So one might guess that the thrust of the book is: "If you are an able enough programmer, both from a technical and the business sense, you need not feel threatened by outsourcing." Unfortunately, the author didn't address this connection, at least not strongly enough to make an impression on me. And I bought the book because I wanted characterization specifically of outsourcing as a job threat, rather than just another force in a tighter labor market.In short, if you are an entry-level, or even intermediate-level programmer this book has a lot to recommend it. However, I have to dock this book by a point because it really do what it says it sets out to do. Had it been titled "How to improve your programming in 52 steps" I would've given it 4 or 5 starts. But as an old hand, I also wouldn't have bought it either.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

7/7

45 stars

Gave me a renewed interest in my career

I bought this book with only a quick scan at the book store for some reading material during a recent flight to Florida. During my quick scan I mistakenly thought the author was going to explain why outsourcing doesn't work for most company IT projects, which had been a fruitless crusade of mine with a couple of my recent clients where I witnessed mission-critical projects go out to India on a promise of a 70% project cost reduction - surely to the project's demise. But Fowler didn't get into that losing battle - he accepts outsourcing as a fact of IT.But while reading this book on the plane I encountered something much more valuable than the pro's and con's of outsourcing. I deeply felt a renewed interest in my profession as a software developer.Fowler is obviously a balanced and experienced IT professional and he seems to have mastered the ability to find value and reward in his work which he expresses very well. His writing made me remember why I got into this profession nearly twenty years ago. I like his Act On It! sections because he gave some very good advice about how to dig for the gold in my IT career. I question why I didn't think of (or act on) those action items myself.This is one of those rare books that, from under tons of technical books, emerges as one that addresses the human side of the IT profession. Despite off-shore code factories turning my passion into a cheap commodity, to which the CIO can't say no, I now have some solid ideas about how to re-capture the creative spirit of my work.There are only two things I wish; that I had had access to Fowler's wisdom years ago and that my flight to Florida was longer. Otherwise, Bravo and Thanks!

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

6/6

34 stars

A call to arms

I think this book, is a brief and good overview. It should be required reading for anyone considering a job which involves a chair let alone a job in the software or engineering professions.Basically for most situations and for my money the book could have been titled "If you sit in a chair for a living, read this book!" The hard reality is that unless you are just "paid to be smart" (as the author notes), your job is already gone.While specifically concerned with the fairly competitive software engineer field, I think looking past the technical points makes this book invaluable for any professional and is a good primer for those concerned about the overall outsourcing trends and their effect. Reading nearly as a call to arms for the office workers of first world marketplaces, the general task of how workers can keep themselves current and relevant to the jobs available in today's international workplace.Some of the most relevant points in my opinion1. "Love it or Leave it" - A tragic observation that far far too many people don't love the field of software engineering/programming and if you are just clocking in and just collecting a paycheck, get a job somewhere else, save yourself the pain , do it now.2. Love of Learning - if you don't or aren't comfortable retooling your skillset every couple of years until your old and gray and beyond, find another gig.3. "Be A Generalist" - The best "Tip" or subject covered was something that is tragically not obvious to many programmers and other professionals, within the fields I've worked. The tip notes that as an individual worker, realizing that professional diversity in your skillset is vitally important to competetiveness, not in regard to not just outsourcing but to long term job survival in any marketplace.I've been involved in programming, systems administration or database design or any number of other "titles" for the last 25 years and I was happy to discover that I already do many BUT NOT ALL of these tips.Personally, I could not have continued for more the a few years had I not been willing and ready to learn entirely new things every few years and I think the author gives enough tips that its possible for many a seasoned worker to leave their "comfort zone".Doing this for as long as I have, I can say from experience, that many of the author's suggestions are spot-on.On the negative side, since each chapter is small (2-3 pages) it is unfortunately not as deep into particular areas as one might like.I would have been interested if the author reviewed some of the advantages US workers have in more depth and highlighted some of the overall concerns regarding oursourcing in more detail.From a more general perspective, I found this quick read wonderfully dovetailed and makes a fresh and good companion to the excellent and deepRise and Fall of the Great Powers(by Paul Kennedy)Overall, A huge thank you Chad!

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

45 stars

A fresh look on things

This book has changed the way I look at my business. There is not much to say about this book. It is short enough to read it in one weekend a I would strongly advise you to do so.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

34 stars

Helpful and very timely book

I am glad to run into this book. I like its comprehensible and friendly tone. It is like a wand. I believe it helped me greatly to reconsider many things I have been thinking about and reevaluate my priorities. I would frankly recommend the book to read thru and get back to its chapters on regular basis.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

45 stars

Honest/practical opinions and ideas

This is NOT an out-sourcing bashing book. Great!!! Instead it talks about your career as part of normal business competition. It helps you see why your company values you and how to improve that value. It is somewhat IT biased but the majority of the information is valid for all technical professionals.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

1/2

45 stars

Read it.

Keeping the Pragmatic Programmers good style, Chad Fowler just makes it. This book is a must if you're loosing an american/european guy your job for the thir world AND if you're a third-world citzen trying to place yourself in this market.It's technical but managers can understand it too.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

3/6

12 stars

generic repetitive advice

I regret the time spent reading this book.Only somebody with a very high opinion of himself could try to share such commonplace and generic ideas.You would do better by spending your time reading on of the following books which actually provide concrete advice on becoming better at our craft:-The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas-Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction by Steve McConnell-Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World by Venkat Subramaniam and Andy Hunt

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

5/5

45 stars

We are coding there so we dont have to code here.

Loosing a job may not be war but it still leaves its casualties. We are all too familiar with corporations finding a low-wage country and shifting all transferable jobs there.Fortunately there exists a silver lining and thankfully the book does a good job of revealing it, albeit indirectly. If your present situation doesn't mirror the book's title, now is the chance to heed to its timely advice.Depending on where you are in your software development career, you may have already discovered some of the lessons on your own. The remainder too, you would learn on your own but it may be too late by then. This book could be the one to provide you with a fresh perspective on your chosen field of work.Its not so much about jobs shifting to India as it is about striving to become a remarkable software developer. Maybe the book's title was just to catch attention. There a lot of avenues the book did well on:1. Short chapters with contrived aphorisms that actually help in retaining more after you are done with the book.2. As the author spent about 18 months working in India, he imparts first-hand information of what the low-wage countries are doing right and wrong. For instance, they are not on the bleeding edge cause they likely to play it safe and stick to proven technologies. In author's own words, you may compete and win in ability rather than wages.3. How we may be squandering our lead by getting stuck in a pattern and not making use of available resources. And how we in the west take infrastructure for granted. Some who have lost jobs may come to believe offshore developers are not playing on a level playing field. Obviously the west enjoyed an advantage for a long time but the field is being leveled as of now.4. Most importantly, solid advice on career advancement - make yourself known by contributing to open source projects, find a mentor, be a mentor, decouple your career from one technology or a language or a toolset, respect cultural difference, and rediscover enthusiasm.Caveat is some parts of the book become too preachy but thats a minor annoyance.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

4/4

45 stars

Practical and Very Useful Book on Software Profession as a Career

Businesses cannot exist without the IT and vice-versa. They are interdependent. IT systems automate the business processes and run 24 by 7. Therefore we cannot really view those who work at the "Business" level as above us. So, I disagree with the author on this point. However, he does sort of make a U turn later on in the book.This book will make you think. For instance: What is the supply demand for programmers in a particular Business domain? This would be a good question to research so that we can plan our career.He talks about how to survive layoffs by being knowledgeable in different areas. Not everyone wants to stay in one organization for a long time. Another thing is that it is almost impractical to learn everything in a particular technology (say, Java technology). Developers will have different intentions, for example they might have a backup plan in case of IT downturn, either by having a cash cushion or generating cash flow through software products.I agree about following your passion. It enables us to transcend limitations. It inspires us and makes us reach a level of performance that amazes us. This explains the previous paragraph (which sounds like excuses).Another principle that he explains - "Be the Worst" is very real. Two projects, one early in my career where I had the opportunity to work with a strong and talented team of developers and project manager. Recently when I found working for people who were not anywhere near my capabilities, they did affect my performance.This book helps to see and expect what the work environment could possibly bring us and what we can do to proactively handle these situations.Maintenance is seen as a menial work and recruiters downplay any experience on it. Oh, this is a developer job... Chad advises you to learn to love maintenance.He recommends having a mentor and I am glad I read his book. I know mentors can also come in the form of a book!!! You can have more than one mentor.I love the Eight-Hour Burn concept. This explains why I get very depressed and productivity drops during the last few weeks of the project. Now I know how to make the work stay in the office. No more nagging problems following me home!The concept of "Presence" is very realistic. I learned this by making mistakes in the workplace and the cost was high. I wish I had read this book early in my career. Lot of things that he explains has already happened to me in my career. Still I was able to learn how to handle those situations successfully next time around.Reading open source code really helps to solve recurring problems quickly. I have experienced this in my job. The cover of this book really needs to be improved. The content of the book is much better than the quality of cover image.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

13/17

45 stars

Not just recommended, but a *must read* (it's *that* good!)...

This may well be the most important career book you read this year (and possibly ever)... My Job Went To India (And All I Got Was This Lousy Book) - 52 Ways To Save Your Job by Chad Fowler.Contents: Choosing Your Market; Investing In Your Product; Executing; Marketing... Not Just for Suits; Maintaining Your Edge; If You Can't Beat 'Em; What I Learned In India; ResourcesAs a software professional, I'm as concerned about outsourcing and offshoring as the next guy. In a bottom-line economy, it's hard to compete against someone who can sling code at 10% to 20% of your wage. But where I start having major problems is with the knee-jerk "woe is me, it's not fair, we need protection" attitude that's all too common when this subject comes up. While it's possible to work towards those ends, the only thing you have firmly under your control is your own career. And there are things you can do to make yourself stand out in today's market, and to make sure you are always in demand.Fowler worked in India running an off-shore consulting firm, and he understands the culture on both sides of the pond. His book consists of 52 short chapters that get right to the point of what you need to be doing to ensure you're not expendable. "Coding Doesn't Cut It Anymore" shows how learning the business is essential to making sure you can contribute and add value. If you're "just a coder", you can be replaced. "Invest In Your Intelligence" drives home the fact that you can't wait to be "given the opportunity" to learn something new. *Take* the opportunity! "Remarkability" shows how marketing and "being noticed" is essential to making sure people *want* to engage your services. Keeping your head down and just thinking you're good means that you have a fan club of one (and that one isn't making the outsourcing decisions).There's absolutely no guarantee that you will have your job this time next year. Even if you do everything in this book, you might find yourself out of work. But if you choose to sit back and whine about the inequity of life, you'll probably be switching careers sooner than you'd like. But if you start taking the right steps now, you can take control of your career in a way that will minimize the risks to the highest possible degree. In my opinion, the information in this book is the *only* logical response that one can take in the face of offshoring/outsourcing.Buy the book. Now. Read it all the way through. Now. Pick one or two things to start doing. Now. Then start reading through the book again, a chapter a week. A year from now, you'll be more secure and employable than you thought possible in today's job market. This isn't a recommended read... It's a *must read*.It's that good.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

2/2

34 stars

Highly relevant practical advice

Wonderful, easy to read, and well written to boot.I was impressed with how well he walked the line regarding outsourcing - neither demonizing/denigrating the offshore programmer nor doing a Chicken Little impression of the "sky is falling". This is by far one of the most balanced treatises on offshoring that I've read.His assessment of the state of the industry, as well as the strengths/weaknesses of the offshore competition for an IT job is generally spot on.E.g., he notes that an offshore "specialist" is simply someone who has never worked on anything else (say 5 years doing nothing but Java), and does not indicate how well that individual knows the subject matter; and that paradoxically offshoring actually ends up creating a lot more jobs onshore - esp. for a "higher bracket of developers". He also notes the inability of most offshore developers to say "no" - the dreaded "just one more day" syndrome. Then there's the small matter of time lost due to communication issues between geographically distributed teams. And, I've been asked to sit in as an "English-to-English" translator on numerous occasions.In short, the phenomena he notes are all ones that I've observed in the past few years.Not that I agree completely with his cultural understanding of India though. Its difficult to see a culture that's literally thousands of years old and get a grasp of its underlying complexity in 18 months spent working primarily with IT workers. The professionals he works with are a product of a complex culture and its difficult to generalize based on such a specialized sample.For instance, in the chapter on Mentoring he states that in the West "Everything is competition". However, in his Introduction he talks about having to hire 25 people out of 30,000 applicants in India. Yes, you read that last number right. I'm not sure how he reconciles these two facts in his own mind - but let me assure you that there's nothing quite like competing academically/professionally in India. (I'm constantly dismayed by the focus in our public schools here, on fostering a "everybody's a winner" attitude in schools).However, to his credit his missteps are rare.Read as a workbook on how American developers should optimize their interactions with offshore teams, this book deserves 5 stars.* * * * * * * * * * * *This book's other objective - on keeping your toolset sharp and ready does not fare quite so well.My biggest issue is that there is not much by way of new advice. And unless you're asleep at your career's wheel, you're already doing much of what he suggests. Don't get me wrong - its not bad advice per se - though I did not agree with all the recommendations.For e.g., he derides people from calling themselves specialists because they don't understand how to make a JVM say uncle. But then he recommends that you don't specialize in a technology stack such as J2EE, because it is not platform neutral. Specifically vis a vis J2EE and .NET, he says "master one and get good at the other". Spoken like a true "manager".If you sit and think about the variety of software that comprises the J2EE pantheon in all its glory - I'd argue that you would find it difficult to be a specialist in every one of its areas, never mind also being "good at" the Microsoft stack. Not if you want to go home at the end of the day and have a life, that is.I think I am pretty passionate about my career - but it does not define me, and it would be a great loss to me, if it did.There are a few gems in here - like the Mind Reader chapter which talks about picking up 'water cooler conversational cues' from your coworkers about potential improvements and then making them happen in your down time, to seem like a miracle worker.For the most part, the ideas end up being pretty much recycled from the grand old classic that is the "Pragmatic Programmer" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas. That book is a must read - even though it is a bit dated in places today. In other words, this book is largely a retelling of that earlier work in a newer context.This part of the book rated 3 stars.* * * * * * * * * * * *The reason I highly recommend it, is that love it, hate it, or /dis/agree with it, you'll come away the richer for forming your own opinions. These are a practitioner's thoughts rather than a theoretical dissertation - and that is worth its weight in gold.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

2/2

45 stars

teriffic book for *any* employee - wish I'd had it when starting out

I love this book. It's full of great ideas on how to be a creative employee who significantly contributes to her organization. I really wish I'd had it 20 years ago when starting out. Note: The title is misleading; it's not about outsourcing so much as making yourself highly valuable. Highly recommended.More at: A few highlights from "My job went to India"http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2007/02/few-highlights-from-my-job-went-to.html

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

2/2

45 stars

A vital survey of how an employed computer person's active job can vanish overseas tomorrow

Any working in the computer industry knows outsourcing overseas is a big trend - and My Job Went To India (And All I Got Was This Lousy Book): 52 Ways To Save Your Job is a vital survey of how an employed computer person's active job can vanish overseas tomorrow. The company changes, technology changes, economy changes - and ways a computer professional can add value to his job has also changed. If you haven't adapted - My Job Went To India is for you: it's about making choices in skills levels which add value to a job which can't easily be duplicated for less, overseas - and it talks about both skills and marketing services. A top-rated pick, My Job Went To India is recommended beyond the computer industry for any observing the outsourcing trend in corporate American businesses.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

2/2

34 stars

A Way To Plan For Your IT Future That Works Better Than Astrology

The author doesn't brag about it but he is a big wheel in the Ruby community. He wrote the chapter on Gems in the Ruby "Pickaxe" manual by Dave Thomas, which is the standard Ruby reference.A few of the suggestions in this book are things I do anyway. Others, such as asking other people to critique me, I don't plan on doing.But the book helps me think about where I ought to be going for the next fifteen years. Some of his suggestions are similar to what motivational speakers in non-computer fields suggest.Anything that gets you to think about your future works. Even astrological career planning would work if it actually got you to think about your career and plan ahead.Some examples of generic advice that motivational speaker Anthony Robbins also gives is to keep a journal. Robbins calls it a success journal. Imitate the successful people in your field. In a somewhat different context Fowler calls it "doing the hang."One point that the author made was contradictory. He points out that people have worked in Cobol for a long time. It could be a good career move to find a legacy area of specialization that everyone else has forgotten about but for which there is still a demand that isn't going away.But Fowler also urges people to start studying the hot new field now.A person can't work full-time, have a family and a life and study everything. Which is it, Cobol or Ruby On Rails? Assembler or Django?I think that despite some lack of clarity the author would say to learn Ruby On Rails or Django. His remarks are really aimed at what is a meal ticket now but may not be soon, such as J2EE.He says be aware, and beware of developing a skill set which is commoditized and can be shipped abroad to lower wage areas, not just India but also Eastern Europe.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

6/8

12 stars

Unimpressive, general career advice.

This book has a bunch of generic advice along the lines of keep up with things and don't put all your eggs in one basket. Not exactly a revelation here.If you read the relevant blogs, web sites and talk to people in the industry you don't need this book.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

1/1

23 stars

good advice for programmers at any level

Really good book for programmers who don't want to be seen as 'expendable'. Apart from the self-development advice, which is probably obvious to most good programmers; he touches on subjects which aren't so obvious, like managing your perception to non-technical people, i.e. it's doesn't matter how good you are, if your boss, who may not be technical doesn't understand what value you're adding to the company, then you're expendable. Good advice for those of us who are hard core techies who don't want to play office politics to get ahead.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

1/1

45 stars

Funny name, Serious Book

"Pragmatic Bookshelf" has a solid reputation for publishing great books and this book is no exception. This one ranks right up there with books like "The Pragmatic Programmer" and "Code Complete". With small bite sized chapters with specific and pointed advice, you won't go wrong buying this book.In the era of globalization -- specifically with regard to software development, the book offers a complete list of techniques and approaches to not just survive but excel in the programming world. Having lived in India for a short while, he has some really astute observations about India including some great tips related to recruiting good programmers. There are a couple of chapters available for free off the publishers website. Read them and also take a look at the table of contents. Just the table of contents is probably worth the price of the book.It is unfortunate that the title "My job went to India ..." was chosen. Apparently, the author's propensity for cuteness overcame his wisdom. Looking at the cover makes it seem like some kind of a trashy joke book and it's possible that a lot of folks might have given it the go-by judging the book by its cover. The publishers might be doing the general public a great service by releasing a new edition with some updates and renaming it while not wearing their funny hats -- maybe something like "The Relevant Programmer".

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

1/1

45 stars

Recommended beyond the computer industry for any observing the outsourcing trend.

Any working in the computer industry knows outsourcing overseas is a big trend - and MY JOB WENT TO INDIA (AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY BOOK): 52 WAYS TO SAVE YOUR JOB is a vital survey of how an employed computer person's active job can vanish overseas tomorrow. The company changes, technology changes, economy changes - and ways a computer professional can add value to his job has also changed. If you haven't adapted - MY JOB WENT TO INDIA is for you: it's about making choices in skills levels which add value to a job which can't easily be duplicated for less, overseas - and it talks about both skills and marketing services. A top-rated pick, MY JOB WENT TO INDIA is recommended beyond the computer industry for any observing the outsourcing trend.Diane C. DonovanCalifornia Bookwatch

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

1/1

45 stars

or "How to pay attention and develop your career"

Excellent book. Well organised. Fast and easy to read. Very good pointers on managing your career that are relevant whether your job is threatened by outsourcing or not. Especially useful for quick review once a year to see if you're staying on track.Highly recommended.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

1/1

34 stars

Good book, practical advice for people in business not just programmers

I enjoyed the book, I thought it gave very good ideas on how to succeed. HIs motto is if you cant beat them join them. So, he developed a business that works and train workers that are outsourcing.I like the idea of becoming an expert,write a book, give lectures, teach a class, start a blog , anything to get your name out there.Also, I like the idea of learning one new thing for a month, and working like there are deadlines even if you put them on yourself.One concept that got my attention was how much money is your work contributing to the work area and does that match your salary.Overall , I like the book. I think we did add some fluff, but I really enjoyed the personal experiences , he described.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

3/4

34 stars

Self-help on career management for programmers

Years ago many companies, especially the large ones, seemed interested in the professional development and long-term relationship with technology-oriented employees. Now these times seem long gone (or maybe I have been working for the wrong employers?). When was the last time that your manager mentored you on achieving your long-term career goals?This book does a good job of explaining not just why it is important to manage your own career, but how to approach this difficult and ongoing process. The title seems a bit extravagant, although it probably sells well (after all, it got me hooked): the book explains the realities in the job arena that existed BEFORE massive off-shoring movement in the software industry. I think that exponential acceleration of technological progress, especially in the software industry, makes our professional skills out of date pretty fast, even when we are trying to anticipate the direction of the progress.I personally like this book. At the same time, like most of self-help texts, it may have no real-life impact on you if you have not been aware of the issues before reading it.The book is engaging and well written. Many points brought by the author are indisputable. It is unfortunate that in order to act on just a few of them one need to have a strong will and a lot of spare time. How can you do all 52 mentioned in the book? I guess all you can do is prioritize them, try one by one, monitor your progress, and see what works for you.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

2/3

45 stars

Help for Building a Pragmatic Career

This book is relevant in an era of off shore development. It would have been equally relevant during the dot com bust. It will be relevant regardless of circumstances, because it offers straight-forward advice on how technical staff can be RELEVANT to the businesses for which they work.It offers a large number of practical suggestions for how to make yourself more marketable and more valuable as an employee. It gives ideas on how to look at your employment situation from different points of view, and how to leverage those angles into personal growth (in career terms).I think this is a solid book with solid suggestions. Anyone working as a developer might find this a good read. If you are the type that does things already this book suggests, I'm positive you'll find some good ideas you hadn't thought of. If you're trying to build a career, you'll have solid ideas. If you are thinking about going into the software industry, it will give you ideas of what you might be looking at aside from the minute to minute work.Incidentally, I also recommend this book to Business Analysts. It helps to understand developers, and many of the suggestions are applicable to any technical career. Most importantly, I believe global competition is around the corner for this corner of the industry, and as competition increases the advice in this book will serve you well.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

45 stars

Jazz and programming

Hello, i just want to say that this book is great, this man talks about music and then shows you how jazz music is like programming. For example, he says that a musician is always practicing in order to have a good live presentation... but as programmers we often practice at work (a live concert). I just bought a book to know better about being a DBA, why we should just be an expert in coding and not knowing much about DBA? (be a generalist, great tip). It's short, to the point, I Just love it!

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

45 stars

Fantastic career advice

Really nice book about how to take charge of your IT career. Especially useful for junior programmers.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

45 stars

52 Ways to be the "Best of the Best"

This book was a much needed wakeup call with respect to the realities of software engineering and the international market for those skills. We all understand that international competition is driving businesses to reduce costs by outsourcing software engineering projects, but few U.S. software engineers have a plan for countering the effects of this outsourcing. Chad Fowler's first hand experience managing outsourcing teams in India allows him to provide a unique cultural and professional perspective with the survival techniques needed by U.S. software engineers. From the content of this book, it is apparent that Chad Fowler is experienced, current and knowledgeable in the magical and demanding art of software engineering management. This book provides 52 bullets of behaviors/practices for evolving into the "best of the best" in order to insulate yourself from the impacts of outsourcing - and he justifies each of these with real world examples. This book is a great companion to the masterpiece book "Pragmatic Programmer" by Hunt and Thomas, which addresses the craft of software engineering with equally convincing justifications and examples.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

45 stars

Insightful, great career advice for a beginner

I just graduated from college and started working as a developer for a software company. Life in college is very different from professional life. I felt a little lost and wasn't sure how to manage my time at work and outside of work. I wasn't sure about how the world works outside of college. This book gave me some good advice and guidance. It is also a fun read and contains some useful facts and moral lessons.

5Book

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

0/0

34 stars

Solid Book

As a North American software developer, I definitely got a lot out of this book. I don't really fear my job being outsourced to India but I wanted to understand what the issues were with outsourcing and can IT shops in India deliver the same value at North American ones.Outsourcing to India is just a part of this book and the general theme is how to stay more relevant to your organization when technology is constantly changing. There is a lot of useful advice about how to make yourself more valuable to your organization (and deliver more value to your organization).[...]

5Book

The Northern School and the Formation of Early Chan Buddhism (Studies in East Asian Buddhism)

46.00

13/16

45 stars

Outstanding scholarship again in print!

I don't know why it hasn't made it into Amazon's inventory yet, so I thought I'd mention that this much cited and excellent piece of scholarship by Indiana University's John McRae is again in print: available in cloth for 42 USD online from University of Hawaii Press. (Sorry, but Amazon does not permit URLs in reviews--just Google to the press's website.)McRae has a "Southern School" book in the works to look forward to--Zen Evangelist: Shenhui (684-758), Sudden Enlightenment, and the Southern School of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

5Book

The art of living long: a new and improved english version of the treatise by Luigi Cornaro with essays by Joseph Addison, Lord Bacon and Sir William Temple

10/11

45 stars

An example of calorie restriction

This is the earliest written book on the benefits of calorie restiction I have found. The author's observations and benefits of his personal lifestyle correlate with recent scientific fidnings which include enhanced resistance to disease, increased stress resistance, increased lifespan, and increased function into old age. However, the reader should be advised by a physician and I recommend reading a study in Spain by Valejo (PubMed) as well as literature by Masaro (serarch Amazon or PubMed) and DK Ingram (PubMed) on the effects of dietary/calorie restriction. - Bruce Jones, Scientific Researcher and Medical Student (2005)

5Book

The art of living long: a new and improved english version of the treatise by Luigi Cornaro with essays by Joseph Addison, Lord Bacon and Sir William Temple

3/3

45 stars

Enjoyable

An account of a man who promotes the values of temperance in regards to diet. A very refreshing point of view with regards to current temptations to indulge in the many wonderfully sweet foods created via technology.

5Book

The American Mother Goose

0/0

45 stars

Great nursery rhymes book

This is a great nursery rhymes book that whithstood the times! My daughter's grandma still has her own one!As the drawings are in black and white, as soon as my daughter grows older, we will be able to paint them!This American version of the Mother Goose is much nicer than the English one.Highly recommended.

5Book

Communication Skills for Conservation Professionals

60.00

9/9

45 stars

Should be Required Reading in Ecology/Natural Resources Management Curriculums

This is a book that every ecologist, botanist, conservation biologist, land manager and other environmental professional should read as they work to improve on the critical skills involved in conveying the importance of a healthy environment to "people" values that matter to Joe and Jane Public. For undergraduate and graduate students in environmental studies, ecology, environmental science, environmental policy, environmental management and other related majors, it should be required reading in at least one of their courses.Right now too many Americans think of environmentalism and conservation as a threat to our economy and quality of life. That is clearly a major communications failure, because the there are in fact abundant ways that conservation can SAVE money, protect the public health, reduce risk of floods, fires, and other such disasters, reduce cancer risk, improve our energy independence and thus national security, and much more while also protecting the health of our environment. Refer to www.ConservationValue.org for some outstanding examples.Conservationists just need to do a better job of getting their message out there in a way that will resound positively with the public, and this book is a great starting point for learning how to do so.

5Book

Communication Skills for Conservation Professionals

60.00

1/1

34 stars

Very Helpful for Those in Conservation

A great overview of how to get the word out about conservation issues, programs and campaigns. Thorough and in-depth. Recommended for anyone in conservation.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

A Victorian moon fantasy, a fine H G Wells novel

This is a wonderful Victorian moon fantasy, as good as the short stories, one of the essential works of the era. Like Dr Moreau it is beautifully crafted. I don't usually like novels (unless Evelyn Waugh does them) but this one certainly fulfills its length and justifies the form. H G Wells inspired science fiction with works like this, but he is a classic author and exceeds the genre.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

34 stars

A classic

A classic science fiction tale about a journey to moon and back. h.g. wells has more famous tales, but first men in the moon ranks right up there with the time machine and war of the worlds.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

23 stars

Very Imaginative

The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells is another classic book by the famous English author written in 1901. At the time the novel was ridiculed, however it stood the test of time for over more than a Century.Mr. Bedford lost his fortune and goes to Ken to write a play. By chance he meeds Dr. Cavor, a brilliant scientist who is developing an anti-gravity material. Soon after Cavor manages to create such a material and suggests to go on an adventure to the moon with his new friend.Cavor, motivated by science, and Bedford, motivated by money embark on their journey to moon where they find a harsh world of freezing nights, hot days and not-so-friendly aliens.Worst - it seems that the two explorers are trapped forever.The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells is a very imaginative book which, in the context of what we know now, is an amazing testament to Mr. Wells' imagination, logic and foresight. In this book objects float in space, weightlessness is applicable, humans are able to cover large distances on the moon due to low gravity and spaceships generate an immense amount of heat returning to earth.The story also has several philosophical tones. The two main characters, Cavor and Bedford are at odds with one another throughout. Cavor, the man of science, is a pacifist who works for the benefit of mankind. Bedford on the other hand is not a very nice guy, however practical, who is looking at science for pure financial gain.I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, the beginning was very slow and I actually only found the last part interesting where the emotional conflict becomes prominent. The moon dwellers, who are supposed to be the bad guys, aren't very interesting nor did I have any emotions vested in the adventures of our two protagonists.The last chapter I thought was the best, if you haven't read the book stop reading as I'm going to give the ending away. Even though it seems that the chapter is disconnected from the rest of the book, I felt it gave the book the emotional punch it needed.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

23 stars

The Classic Creativity of H.G. Wells is Worth Reading

In The First Men in the Moon, by H.G. Wells, a scientist named Cavor develops a substance named cavorite, which shields the force of gravity. He and a businessman friend, Bedford, construct a spherical structure using cavorite and travel to the Moon. They discover a Moon that has enough oxygen in its atmosphere for humans to breathe and a reduced gravity that enables them to travel quickly by taking extremely long jumps. They also discover an active biosphere with rapidly growing plants, and intelligent human-insect creatures called Selenites. The Selenites live inside the Moon, not on its surface. Cavor and Bedford are taken captive by the Selenites, but Bedford escapes from captivity and manages to fly the sphere back to Earth along with a quantity of gold that makes him a wealthy man. He tried to rescue Cavor before he left the moon, but could not find him. Instead he found a note from Cavor and some blood that made him believe Cavor was dead. However, it turns out that Cavor was not dead, and he eventually sends a series of radio messages to Earth, which are very descriptive of the Selenite society and life on the Moon. This is a classic work of science fiction and Wells includes very creative descriptions of the vessel that carries Cavor and Bedford to the Moon and brings Bedford back to Earth. He also provides detailed descriptions of the Moon and its environment. Wells created a very interesting habitat and society on the moon, which is remarkable for a book published in 1901. The last twenty-five percent of the book, consisting primarily of Cavor's messages describing the moon and the Selenite physiology and society, was the most interesting part of the book for me. I would probably categorize this book as a fantasy because today's scientific knowledge of the Moon negates most of Wells' descriptions. However, it still conveys his amazing creativity and I'm glad I finally read it.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Another great classic

Now that I am retired I have the time to read some of the classics that I didn't read before. This is a good one.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

A fantastic journey

As I now write this, it is a fact that we have actually journeyed to the moon and it's also a fact that since 1972 we've chosen not to return there.For these reasons, the idea of going to the moon has different emotional connotations than it did prior to 1969.Perhaps what I like best about this Wells work is the way in which it takes us back to that time before we actually went there and re kindles the spirit of just how awesome the concept of moon travel was.SPOILER ALERT: Since there's no way of discussing these stories without detailing them, new readers may want to avoid this paragraph through FINAL THOUGHTS. Written in 1901 First Men in the Moon tells the story of man's first voyage to the moon. A clever man, Wells came up with a clever way of defying gravity. He called it Cavortie after its inventor. As Wells explained Cavortite is opaque to gravity and once his space vessel was shrouded in it, his space explorers could venture past Earth free of it's gravitational pull. To land on the moon all they had to do was to arrange their Cavorite so it wouldn't bar the pull from the moon. On the moon, Wells introduced his space travelers to the Selenites or bug like moon people. Arranged in a type of colony the selenites had special castes of workers specifically bred for their various chores. Perhaps some of Wells greatest imagination was in connection with fleshing out the features of their society. As all too often happens here on Earth, inter special contact had its problems would in the end drove how the story was resolved.FINAL THOUGHTS: Like I said before I think what I like most about this work is the sense of proper wonder and hope it imparts. Wells' moon explorers had all the ambition and awe that one should have in connection with such a project. In this way, Wells manages not only to take us to the moon but back to a time when great men could do such great things.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Great Sci-Fi Classic

This review applies to the free Kindle version of the H.G. Wells book 'The First Men in the Moon'. This was a great read and like any quality sci-fi novel, it has a philosophical depth to it, both social and political in nature, in addition to being surprisingly sound in all of its scientific aspects. The scientific ideas are presented in such a logical way that one is actually able, with almost no effort, to set aside what we now know about nature and space, and believe in and enjoy the story in a way that is probably not that different from when it was first written. In addition, this book is simply a page turner, full of mystery and excitement.I would also like to add that for being a free kindle book, there are relatively few errors here. Now and then you'll find a typo or two, but nothing that will affect one's enjoyment. I highly recommend this kindle book!

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

A Great Twittering

Like Jules Verne (whom Wells references in this novel), H.G. Wells wrote with keen imagination and a prophetic eye. From his cautionary tale in "War of the Worlds" to his ethical explorations in "The Island of Dr. Moreau," Wells added a rich and controlled anger in his writing. He coupled imaginative storytelling with a readable style that endures over a century later."The First Men in the Moon" suffers from its now-known lack of accuracy in details regarding the moon, but that makes it no less enjoyable. In fact, this is one of the more carefree and adventurous of Wells' books. From the moment Mr. Bedford encounters an inventor named Cavor to the moment they leave earth's atmosphere to the scenes in which they battle Selenites in the craters of the moon, we are pulled along in this surprisingly fast-paced, funny, and creative tale. And, though some details are now outdated, there are quite a few that proved remarkable accurate, considering men did not land on the moon for nearly seven decades after this book was penned.I loved Wells' ideas with the fauna, mooncalves, and social systems within the Selenite colonies. He brings great energy and fun to this story. Near the end, he proves his prophetic abilities when he says, "All about me . . . a leathery noise like the rustling of beetle wings, and a great bleating and twittering." Seems he even predicted Twitter. Regarding a book as serious as "War of the Worlds," I would never make such a wisecrack, but "The First Men in the Moon" is a book worth a few hours of fun, adventure, and a few smiles along the way. Only in its final pages does Wells give us a characteristic caution, and one with a touch of sad irony.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

23 stars

Good look at the history of sci-fi

I find reading older stories so interesting - seeing how a great like Wells thought the future of exploration would turn out is so fun.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

34 stars

The First Men in the Moon

The story is entertaining. The story is about two men and their travels. The description prior to their trip and after the trip are the more entertaining part for me. HG Wells does a great job. I have read some of his other stories and this is right up there with the Island of Dr. Moreau. His underlying message is what sticks with me. The discussion between the one character and the moon leader is my favorite part. War never changes.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Audio Book is AWESOME!

My first introduction to "Alien Voices" was the live showing of The Lost World. They had taken a forgotten art; Radio, and made it come to vivid life. Just their theme gets you in the mood with the gorgeous voice of John De Lancie saying "Alien Voices," lets you know you're in for something special. If you've read any of my other reviews, you know I love audio books. They pass the time when driving, help me chill during traffic, and really make me enjoy the walk with the dog! :)I bought this particular book for my mother when she had glaucoma surgery and knew she'd be entertained. Being in her 80's, she said it was like listening to an "old time radio show," having had the pleasure of hearing some of those (thanks to my parents), I totally agree.This particular book; "First Men in the Moon," is brilliant (and also has a guest "voice" of William Shatner). It's hard to imagine that H G Wells was so incredibly far ahead of his time. His stories (even though out-dated as far as actual facts for our modern minds) still envelopes you and takes you away to the wonderful worlds he creates."Alien Voices" has brought these brilliant stories to new life and hopefully are introducing them to new audiences who would leave the paperback on the shelf because it's just "some old book." Thank YOU John De Lancie and Leonard Nimoy for bringing these wonderful books to life. I only wish they were more affordable! :)Take my advice, try ANYTHING "Alien Voices," you'll be as hooked as I am.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

GREAT ADVENTURE!!!

AS IS USUALLY THE CASE WITH REVIEWS OF H.G. WELLS WORKS,A GOOD AMOUNT OF ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO MR. WELLS'S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL VIEWS AND HOW THEY INFLUENCED HIS BOOKS..THIS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE OR EVEN HIS INTENT..BEING A FAN OF WELLS SINCE CHILDHOOD I FIND IT EASY TO DISMISS THOSE VIEWS AND THE INEVITABLE "MISTAKES" IN THE SCIENCE OF THE LATE 1800'S AND EVEN WELL INTO THE 1900'S..(AND WHAT MISTAKES WILL THE FUTURE REVEAL ABOUT OUR SCIENCE)? ANY READER WHO IS LOOKING FOR AN INTERESTING PIECE OF SCIENCE FICTION, COMBINED WITH TWO MAJOR CHARACTERS WHO ARE EXTREMELY DIFFERENT IN THEIR WORLD VIEWS,COULD NOT DO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS STORY..MR. WELLS CREATED A COMPLEX LUNAR SOCIETY, A WAY TO REACH THAT LUNAR LANDSCAPE, AND RATHER THAN LEAVE US HANGING AND WONDERING ABOUT CAVOR--HE GAVE US A HINT OF HIS FINAL CICUMSTANCES. (unlike the Time Traveler in the 'TIME MACHINE')..FORGET ABOUT THE SUPPOSED VIEWS AND SOCIAL STATEMENTS-FORGET ABOUT THE FLAWED SCIENCE-AND THIS STORY WILL CARRY YOU AWAY FOR A TERRIFIC FEW HOURS--FIVE STARS -ALL THE WAY

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Sci Fi + Philosophy?

I picked this up for my [new] Kindle because it was free and sci fi. It sounded interesting and had some positive reviews.The story jumps right in and there isn't much time to get bored as the main characters begin their moon adventure. Certainly not something that modern technology or science would be okay with... but it's sci-fi... we're not to be concerned with that!Once on the moon, the story takes on a more action/suspense style before winding down for a chapter or so. But of course then we find out far more about a very interesting dystopian society and the real "thinking" part of the story comes in... and goes right to the last few words, which leave the story wide open to interpretation... a feature I love in my books!I highly recommend this one... and you sure can't beat that price! ;-)

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Great sci-fi

Since getting my kindle I have been checking out all these classic stories (i had never read them before) I have very much been enjoying H. G. Wells writing style. Yes the science in these old stories is laughable, but it in no way takes away from the story. Quite the opposite in fact it adds to it! The sense of wonder about the unknown at the time. I may read every Wells book I can find!

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Fun adventure

I had forgotten what a wonderful writer H. G. was; I haven't read one of his books in at least 30 years. I remembered liking this one especially when I read it way back when, and it holds up beautifully, as many a musty classic does not. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor, and a rascally hero (he briefly considers an offer to buy his cottage, despite the fact that he doesn't own it), along with the usual delightfully mad inventor. His descriptions of the flora and fauna of the moon, along with the social structure and lives of the Selenites, are so well done that you are carried along, even though Man has been to the moon and exploded the romance of it all.A highly recommended, entertaining read.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

34 stars

Good sci-fi reading

If you like science fiction you should download this copy of "The First Men in the Moon". While knowing what we know now about the moon makes parts of the story seem preposterous, I found it easy to suspend my disbelief for this story. Considering this was written before we could see the surface of the moon, I found it very inventive. The moon plants and other things they find are explained with reasoning and it is entertaining to follow. The main characters are entertaining, and the narrator character isn't the easiest character to like, but it is supposed to be this way. He's trying to tell the story so it puts him in the best light but I thought it made the story more entertaining. Overall a classic sci-fi story, if you call yourself a sci-fi fan you need to read H.G. Wells' "The First Men in the Moon".

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

The writer's imagination is beyond that of scientists

Although the book is dull sometimes, I am very surprised by the author's imagination, because it is really extremely hard to imagine the details in a place where no humans have seen. The most difficult is to create these details.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Starblaze Classics Edition

Bob Eggleton's wonderful illustrations are in the Starblaze Edition of The First Men in the Moon. Collectors of science fiction art and of Eggleton will want to buy this edition.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Good dramatization and interesting politics

Since most of the reviews here concern the BOOK of First Men in the Moon, I thought I would add a comment about the Alien Voices audio production of this story. This is a very well-crafted presentation of the Wells novel, well-acted and lively, and with a good script. The voices of the Selenites (Moon inhabitants) are very eerie and alien, the sound effects are realistic, and the music enhances the story too. I should note that I have not read the novel, so I can't really compare it to this audio adaptation, but this audio dramatization is a good one at any rate. It's much more detailed than the movie from the 1960s, especially concerning the political structure of the Selenite civilization. Since some other reviewers have gone into considerable detail about the story, I won't repeat that in mine, except to note that the political discussion in it is particularly interesting, and this is also a fun adventure story so it can be enjoyed in that way as well. I highly recommend this Alien Voices production.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

I loved the story and the characters

The science fiction aspect does show that back at the turn of the century,we still knew little about the moon.Yet the tale is still gripping because of it's observations about human nature.I especially liked when Bedford told Cavor,"You conducted researches because you had to.It's your twist.There isn't one man in a million that has that twist."Bedford and Cavor shared a special trust and friendship on the moon.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

40/41

45 stars

Sci-Fi Classic

The First Men in the MoonIt's great to see that one of H.G.'s enduring classics is now handily produced for your Kindle or iPhone. It is a "must read" for all fans of classic sci-fi. It's a quick read so it makes a good travel book. If you haven't read it before, it will seem outdated (or even a little cheesy in some places) by today's standards. However, it is an excellent starter story for younger readers, whereas "War of the Worlds" might be a little scary. A great addition to my "free" collection.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

21/21

34 stars

A Sci-fi classic

I decided to try reading this book in order to check out the Kindle reader for iPhone. It made sense since I've always been a big fan of H. G. Wells, and the book was free. In the end I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is quite good in its own right and makes for an engaging and gripping read. Even though the Moon does not hold the same fascination in our mind as to this day Mars does, and many of the "scientific" ideas presented in the book nowadays seem downright silly, the narrative is still very compelling and makes for a fascinating read. H. G. Wells is very good at developing an action-packed plot, and if we can somehow suspend over hundred years of new knowledge, the events and premises in the novel become very plausible. Another fascinating aspect of Wells' novels is the use of Sci-fi genre as a tool of social and political critique, and the last part of this book has a good dose of it as well. This may not be as good of a book as perhaps "The War of the Worlds" or "The Time Machine" are, but it still entertains and provokes thought after all this time has passed. I would strongly recommend it to all the classic Sci-fi fans out there.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

18/19

45 stars

A Memorable Adventure with Surprising Underpinnings

Born in Victorian England, H.G. Wells had very strong ideas about the advantages and disadvantages of a society built on fixed social classes and endless imperialism--and these ideas would inform virtually everything he wrote over his long and distinguished career. Even in the handful of science fiction novels for which he is chiefly recalled today, Wells would return to these issues again, combining them with then-emerging scientific concepts to remarkably provocative effect.In some respects THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON is likely his most accessible novel to modern readers, for it is lighter in tone than such Wells novels as THE TIME MACHINE and THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, and it reads like an exceptionally well-written pulp adventure of the era. But the underpinnings are the same: class, conquest, and--as in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS--Darwin's controversial theories on natural selection and evolution.In this novel Wells relies significantly on fantasy, presenting us with Professor Cavor, an eccentric (and quite comical) scientist determined to create a substance that is "opaque" to gravity, what we would today call an antigravity material. Cavor is interested in the work for the sake of knowledge pure and simple, but bankrupt businessman Bedford realizes the commercial implications and attaches himself to the project--and when the material is perfected the two men create a sphere that launches them to the moon!If this is clearly the stuff of fantasy (Jules Verne sneered at it), what the two men find on the moon is not, or at least was not considered so at the time. In 1901 little was known about the moon, and many notable scientists thought it might hold life. Upon their arrival, Cavor and Bedford find an atmosphere of sorts, a host of strange plants, and ultimately an insect-like race of beings that reside inside the moon itself, beings who practice forced evolution upon their own kind in order to create a rigid, hive-like social structure.As the nature of the "Selenite" society reflects Victorian concepts of fixed social classes taken to a logical and unpleasant extreme, so do the two humans reflect opposing points of sociopolitical view. Cavor is clearly an instrument of science, less interested in practicalities than in knowledge for its own sake--a point of view that Wells seems to hold in considerable sympathy. But for all this, Cavor is ineffectual; he must rely on Bedford's smash-and-grab imperialistic temperament to see them through. As in many Wells novels, the resulting clash of ideology is stalemate: both extremes need each other, but they are incapable of building compromise and neither is able to overcome the other to reach an outcome that will be satisfactory to any one concerned.All of this sounds terribly dry and dusty, but the book itself isn't. THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON is a remarkably lively novel, a fast-paced quick read that will appeal greatly to most readers as it balances its philosphical questions with great chunks of pulse-pounding adventure. And even though we know that Wells was off the mark re lunar atmosphere, flora, and fauna, it is easy to suspend our disbelief to enjoy the ride. Recommended.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

9/10

45 stars

H.G. Wells at his best

The title seems a little strange, but the Moon as imagined by Wells is inhabited by creatures living underground--thus, the title. The plot is typical of the author--a seemingly normal man happens to meet a man with strange scientific ideas, and he quickly finds himself an active participant in the grand designs of his new acquaintance. Mr. Bedford, our narrator, escapes to as quiet and isolated a space as he can find in order to write a play. His hideaway is visited every night by a strange little man with a penchant for humming. Accosting the man for his nightly interruptions, he learns that the man, Dr. Cavor, is a scientist working to find a means by which to nullify gravity. Seeing the possibility of great profit from such a discovery, the narrator quickly enlists as a scientific assistant. The serendipitous discovery of Cavorite results in the scientist's home being destroyed and the surrounding countryside buffeted and damaged by powerful winds. With the discovery now made, Cavor embarks on a monumental quest to reach the moon by creating a huge sphere--a coating of Cavorite provides the means of locomotion, and a complex system of blinds serves as the means for controlling the thing. With the blinds closed, all gravitational forces are blocked from the sphere; with one or more blinds open, the sphere is once again subject to the gravitational pull of the nearest large object. In this fashion, the intrepid explorers make their way to the moon.The moon they discover is not barren; in daylight, a bevy of plants emerge from the ground only to wither and die as the lunar night returns. When the explorers lose their way, they are captured and taken underground. While Cavor wants to communicate with the Selenites, as he immediately dubs the lunar inhabitants, Bedford is more concerned with escape and eventually effects just that, having found the moon dwellers easy prey to his strong, earthgrown muscles. The two men search for the sphere, but Bedford is forced to escape the moon alone after learning that Cavor has been captured and presumably killed. Bedford returns to earth, tells his story to some incredulous beach dwellers, and then finds the sphere hijacked by a young boy (who flies off and is never heard from again). Thus, he has no way of returning to the moon, nor does he have the knowledge required to make more Cavorite. A short time later, Bedford is amazed to learn that Cavor is not dead and is in fact sending radio signals from the moon to the earth. The rest of the novel relates the story of Cavor's stay on the moon, culminating in a description of his interview with the Grand Lunar. In lunar society, each individual is assigned a certain job and is trained and even surgically altered to do that job and nothing else. Cavor's description of earthly society is a revelation to the lunar inhabitants; through his words, Wells seems to point out some of the follies of mankind, particularly war. Thus, the book ends on sort of a philosophical note, and one has to imagine that Cavor's speech reflects some of Wells' own views about humankind.All in all, the book is interesting, well-paced, and enjoyable. The originality of Wells' idea is striking--rather than propel man to the moon by huge cannon or the like, he employs antigravity as a free, highly effective means to, in essence, repel the sphere from the earth. Of course, Wells' moon is a far cry from the moon as we now know it, but it does seem to fit well into the framework of thinking at the time, at least insomuch as Wells describes those contemporary scientific ideas. Though not the most recognized of his books, The First Men in the Moon may be the most original and visionary science fiction novel penned by this pioneering author.

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The First Men in the Moon

5/5

45 stars

Cavor meets the Big Kahuna, oops Grand Lunar

Everybody knows HG Wells is a popular science-fiction writer. Most people know of him through a few of his stories that have been produced as popular movies such as "The Time Machine", and "The War of the Worlds." However HG Wells was really more of a philosopher and a quasi-scientist than he was a writer.This is one of his lesser known science fiction stories published in 1901. However as with most science fiction the story is only a vehicle to carry HG's philosophy and commentary on his Victorian Society to the reader. The story has many false starts and stops but takes the time to comment on such subjects as can a person actually be satisfied with a one-dimensional job?Knowing that this was pre-Einstein it may be possible to believe in the technology and theories of the time. And then again as with many science-fiction or fantasy stories HG may have just been taking liberalities with realities.One cute touch in this story is that the characters comment on Jules Vern's story of the man in the moon.--------Bedford bankrupt businessman who is making a comeback by writing a play, through a series of circumstances, teams up with Professor Cavor a recluse scientist who does not realize his own potential. Together they build a contraption, sphere, that can cut off gravity waves. What can they do with such a device? You guessed it! Let's all traveled to the moon.Once on the moon Bedford and Cavor find that they are not alone. After a few adventures they are detained by the Moonies referred to mostly in this story as Selenites. The daring duo is restrained with chains of gold. Cavor looks at this is a reasonable precaution and also looks forward to communicating with the strange creatures. Bedford is more practical and knows what chains mean. This means it's time to escape an escape they do.Will they be able to make it back to Earth and warn the people of the strange creatures? Or will they be caught and who knows what may happen to them in the long run.Keep reading and learn of the society and nature of the Selenites.The Future in America: A Search After Realities

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

4/4

45 stars

Great development of characters

The book starts at the end. A very unique, yet often used form of writing. The man who lands from the moon immediately is picked up by a small fishing boat. He then is transfered over to a man who has a "wireless" and is picking up signals from the moon. The man who landed tells his journey from the start all the way to the end when he recalls when he lands in the ocean. It kept me at the edge of my seat. The actors did a great job of describing and acting the characters.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

6/7

45 stars

Maybe my favorite sci-fi book of all

What always gets me with Wells is the forcefulness of his imagination -- his ability to construct powerful, symbolically resonant setpieces based upon the scientific ideas of his time. In the final pages of "The Time Machine" he gave us one of the great apocalyptic visions in all of literature. In "The First Men in the Moon," he gives us a magnificently alien setting, full of bizarre moments -- jumping about the lunar surface in 1/6 G; the Giddy Bridge and the Fight in the Cave of the Moon-Butchers; the bizarre lunar ecology, in which all the plants die every night and are reborn each dawn.Scientifically, much of this stuff doesn't hold up after a hundred years. And the device he comes up with to get his characters to the moon -- Cavorite -- is without basis, an arbitrary magical tool not unlike the time machine. Even when Wells' science is iffy, though, he presents it in such a clear, convincing fashion that you are only too glad to suspend disbelief while the story unfolds.In the Selenites we have a metaphor for a different type of society -- rigidly hierarchical, with the needs of the individual sublimated to the whole. The metaphor obviously comes from social insects; though it became a sci-fi cliche, it was still fresh circa 1901. In the remarkable last section of the book (Cavor's communications from the moon), Wells describes the Selenite society with delightful attention to detail. He ends with a haunting, unforgettable image, and probably the best closing sentence of any sci-fi novel.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

3/3

45 stars

Two men left for the moon...but only one will come back...

Cavor, a genius, invents a material that allows him to build a Gravity-Defying Sphere. Soon he and a young, and very greedy, businessman use it to go to the moon. They find not only life, but the Selenites, a culture who can change their shape to fit their jobs. In other words, form is designed for the function of their class or in this case their caste. Over them rules the Grand Lunar, a being whose large brain gives him awesome power and foresight beyond even the businessman who tells us the story. Both characters show their human merits and their very human flaws. Not science fiction as much as a book on society.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

2/2

34 stars

Social commentary and great adventure!

Mr Bedford, a recently bankrupt Victorian gentleman has retired to the English countryside to recover his spirit and write a play. He meets Dr Cavor, an eccentric, quaintly comical scientific genius researching the preparation of a compound he calls "Cavorite" that will be opaque to all radiation including gravity. When a laboratory error results in the wildly successful early completion of the Cavorite project, Bedord and Cavor use it to create a sphere that is capable of travel to the moon.The science in HG Wells' "First Men in the Moon" is now known to be wildly off the mark - anti-gravity; a lunar atmosphere that freezes during the frigid lunar night and sublimates into a rarified but breathable air during the warmer day; an extraordinarily fecund flora that seeds itself, germinates, grows, blooms and completes its life cycle during the brief sunlight hours; and a civilized but strictly class structured lunar insect-like people living under the moon's surface that Bedord and Cavor called "Selenites".Despite its failings in the light of current scientific knowledge, "First Men in the Moon" is still an enjoyable adventure written in typical late Victorian style that gives us an early taste of 20th century science fiction space opera to follow. Just as he did in his better known novel "The Time Machine", Wells successfully uses his protagonists, Bedord and Cavor, as tools to discuss, satirize and critique deeply and dearly held British notions of class and imperialism.Suspending your belief and accepting the science in terms of what was known and understood at the turn of the century will allow you to whisk yourself away on a space-faring adventure for an enlightening, enjoyable few hours. Recommended.Paul Weiss

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

2/2

45 stars

A great production from Alien Voices

I was introduced to Alien Voices with their 1997 TV special in which they performed a live production of this story on the Sci-Fi Channel (back when it was cool). It was a lot of fun to watch and, more importantly, to listen. Having been a fan of "radio" theater for many years I decided to check into Alien Voices and purchase their audioplays. This is a studio-polished and extended version of the play they had on TV in '97, and is just as much fun to listen to. Nimoy, DeLancie and company are clearly having the time of their lives with this, and so will you. Definitely worth the money.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

1/1

45 stars

A book ahead of it's time

The First Men in The Moon is a book that can be enjoyed at a number of levels. On the face of it, the book can be seen simply as a quaint old piece of fun science fiction that in hindsight got some pretty fundamental things about the moon terribly wrong. However, the phisical aspects of the moon and life upon the moon aside, Wells has captured superbly the inner thoughts of man while engaged in space travel. It is well documented that asronaughts are often overcome by a deeply moving, almost religious, introspection while confronted by the enorminty and wonder of viewing the earth from space. A passage from the book describing the character, Mr Bedford's, iner thoughts while returning home to earth alone after losing his companion and believing him to be dead is quite remarkable:"Over me, around me, closing in on me, embracing me, ever nearer, was the eternal; that which was before the beginning, and that which triumphs over the end; that enormous void in which all light and life and being is but the thin and vanishing slendour of a falling star, the cold, the stillness, the silence - the infinite and final Night of space."Considering that this book was written in 1901 (68 years before man first set foot on the moon)this example demonstrates that Wells not only had a great talent for creating exciting new concepts but also had a deep understanding of the nature of man and the uncanny ability to accurately imagine how one might feel in an environment and situation never before experienced by man at that time.A wonderful read.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

1/1

34 stars

Wells' imaginative tale of a Victorian lunar expedition

While the work is sadly dated by modern sensibilities(the moon has an atmosphere, among other problems) "Fromthe Earth to the Moon" remains one his more imaginativeworks, mostly in his clever depictions of the Selenitesand their culture, which differs markedly from the movieadaption by George Pal. Prof. Cavor and Mr.Bedford findthemselves deep in the bowels of the moon attempting toelude the Selenites and launch their sphere to return toEarth once again. Wonderful appendix on Selenite civilization.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

2/3

45 stars

H.G Wells

This book was quite extrodinary and a delight to read. The discription was very in depth to give you a vivid picture of the setting in your mind! I believe that anyone who picks up this book will not put it down!

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

01 star

Kind of slow

Sorry, this book was just not my style, it seemed rather slow to me. To each his own. I have read some of his other books and really liked them.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

fascinating

This is not exactly a great story. However, what makes it interesting is to see Wells' view of space travel--what he thought the needs of the travelers would be, what he thought the moon would be like, methods of propulsion, and so on.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

34 stars

Man on the moon

I would recommend this book to people whom want too get into British science fiction with Verne , Wells . Nineteen century fiction at its best.

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

34 stars

first men in the moon

Another one of his good reading books. Some times its hard to stop and do any of the honey do list

5Book

The First Men in the Moon

0/0

45 stars

Must read for sci-fi fans

H.G. Wells is a great writer, this is one of the best classic sci-fi novels. The story is fast paced and entertaining.

5Book