This was out-of-print for a while, but I can see why it's considered the definitive biography of Hubbard. Other books deal more with the consequences This was out-of-print for a while, but I can see why it's considered the definitive biography of Hubbard. Other books deal more with the consequences of his life, but Miller focuses on the man himself.
Hubbard was a narcissist who only cared about himself. He started a self-help fad then turned it into a religion practiced around the world. And yet that was never enough for him: he chased more money, told increasingly ludicrous stories, and abandoned anyone who wasn't sufficiently devoted to the cause of making him happy.
Miller only gives his opinion at the beginning of the book, then gets out of the way to let the known facts about Hubbard speak for themselves. There are some parts of his life we may never know about (where/how did he learn hypnotism? how did he come up with the initial Dianetics theory?), due to Hubbard not letting on to many people, and the deaths of the few he may have confided in. And there will always be some mystery of human nature: how does a kid from a happy, pleasant family get to the point of starting a cult? But I think there's enough detail here to understand what kind of a man he was, and certainly enough to understand his motives for creating Scientology. Miller doesn't need to belabour the point, so he just tells it like it is.
A resource for people who've had to deal with someone who has a personality disorder such as anti-social, borderline or narcissistic. I was looking foA resource for people who've had to deal with someone who has a personality disorder such as anti-social, borderline or narcissistic. I was looking for more of a pop-science explanation of the research and history of empathy disorders, so it wasn't really what I was after.
However, it does match up with what I know about reputable therapies, and people who've had to use it as a resource rate it highly. If I ever encounter a psychopath, I'll be sure to come back to this book for useful advice....more
Why are people cruel to each other? This book is about the search for an answer, a fascinating pop-science take on the latest research into empathy. BWhy are people cruel to each other? This book is about the search for an answer, a fascinating pop-science take on the latest research into empathy. Baron-Cohen and his colleagues have been researching how empathy is created by the co-ordination of several areas in our brains, and how that system is affected by genetics, life experiences and damage via injury or strokes.
He's written previously about people on the autism spectrum whose empathy system works in a non-standard way. He's interested in how they might be helped to comprehend empathy in a way that works for them, which seems to have promising avenues of research ahead. I'd like to follow up on his writing on this topic.
But most of this book is about people with what he calls empathy disorders, such as psychopathy, narcissism and borderline personality disorder. He feels that a scientific explanation is more useful than simply labelling them 'evil' or 'mad'. It opens up avenues for prevention and cure, by repairing the empathy circuit or improved knowledge of the environmental factors which create healthy levels of empathy.
Mostly what I liked is that Baron-Cohen is very clear about the line between what's currently known about empathy and what's still speculation requiring further research. He's convinced me that it's the kind of problem that could lead to a happier world if we could crack it open and understand it better. ...more
Another enjoyable romp through the underworld with Locke and Jean. This time we finally get to meet Sabetha, and see more of the Bondsmages. The main Another enjoyable romp through the underworld with Locke and Jean. This time we finally get to meet Sabetha, and see more of the Bondsmages. The main plot was okay, I would have liked more politics but that probably would have been boring for other readers. The flashback plot to the acting troupe was lots of fun too, seeing the gang out of their usual setting but still putting their trade to good use.
Sabetha was a bit too Feminist 101 for my liking, especially when compared to the other women in this and previous books in the series. What she was trying to get Locke to understand was 100% accurate and believable. It's just that it was phrased clunkily, and used just to prevent Locke and Sabetha from getting it on. But now that Locke's proved that he gets it, hopefully their future will have more of the playful opposition that's the other part of their relationship. And honestly, it's nice to see a male author even consider this sort of thing, so I feel like I'm nitpicking here.
The Bondsmages were suitably cold and high-handed, and Moncraine's troupe were fun. I'm sure we'll see the former again, but I'd also love to know what happens to Jasper Moncraine too....more
Originally read this for high-school where all the style and symbols were explained, and thought it was technically interesting but didn't love it. BuOriginally read this for high-school where all the style and symbols were explained, and thought it was technically interesting but didn't love it. But re-reading it now, with more life experience and knowledge of that time and place in history, the story really drew me in and moved me.
The Bundrens are just as weird and self-involved as any other group of people. They're no heroes. But their struggle to find meaning and pleasure in a difficult life was real to me. The style isn't just a flourish or arty trick, it creates the structure of the story by splitting up the timeline; and it forces the reader to examine what is really going on instead of taking the author's or a character's ideas at face value.
It's also interesting to me as a pre-feminist look at how women of the time were trapped and reacted to that in different ways. Addie becomes bitter, Dewey Dell accepts her lot (sort of), Cora longs for the afterlife. Faulkner records the damage faithfully even though he wasn't able to imagine a way out of the trap. For me the silence in the text is around contraception: it's not rejected or wished for, it's just not present at all in the minds of the women and the medical guys. I'd love to know if that's due to Faulkner himself or the people/time/place he's writing about.
If stream-of-consciousness or playing with the boundaries of a realistic style are not your cup of tea, this is not the book that will change your mind. Otherwise, you should definitely give this story a try....more
Sweeney tells the story of his investigations into Scientology for a BBC show. His self-deprecating British style is fun to read, and it's a good lookSweeney tells the story of his investigations into Scientology for a BBC show. His self-deprecating British style is fun to read, and it's a good look at how the cult/scam handles their public relations. No revelations you couldn't read elsewhere, if you're looking for juicy gossip.
I most enjoyed his insistence that America's IRS is not the true arbiter of whether something is a religion or not, and that it's up to all of us to question Scientology's (or any group's) claims to respect. Respect is earned, not dished out by the IRS....more
After bingeing on a bunch of Scientology books, I came across this one which was recommended by several ex-members. It explains how cults gain and maiAfter bingeing on a bunch of Scientology books, I came across this one which was recommended by several ex-members. It explains how cults gain and maintain control of people, and what you can do to help your loved ones who have joined one.
It reads a bit like a text-book, because Hassan explains the methodology and provides case studies and examples. He lays out a process you can use to gradually gain or regain someone's trust, create dissonance in their thinking about the cult, and then provide support for them if they decide to leave. As he explains, you can't force someone to leave a cult, and arguing won't budge them either. You can only encourage them to re-evaluate their needs and wants, and attempt to show them that they would be better off outside the cult than in it.
What I particularly like is that Hassan acknowledges the truth that no-one is perfect and there are often serious problems between families and friends. Those problems or personality traits can create the opening for a cult to attract someone, or hinder the recovery process. But Hassan gives ideas for dealing with those issues in a way that is honest and can even be helpful in communicating with people who are stuck in a cult and are ready to leave.
There's no sugar-coating here: people are weird and messy and difficult, and even when we love someone that isn't always enough for a good relationship. But Hassan has seen people overcome that and help each other to become stronger, and those stories are among the best parts of this book....more
A complete history of Scientology from Hubbard's sources of inspiration up to the takeover by Miscavige. This is the updated edition with a few extra A complete history of Scientology from Hubbard's sources of inspiration up to the takeover by Miscavige. This is the updated edition with a few extra bits which are now legally allowed to be included.
It starts with an account of the author's experience with the group, which gives you a basis to judge how biased or otherwise he is, and his reasons for writing the rest of the book. Then he goes through Hubbard's life and the development of the group (such a generic term; but it's not a religion, parts of it are a scam, other parts are a cult). I think he's made a huge effort to find the truth and be even-handed, it's just that there's not a lot of nice things to say about Hubbard and Scientology. It's interesting to see how such a hybrid group began and grew, how people were convinced to join and the difficulty in making them stay.
I liked the extensive explanations of where he got his information from. Other people might find it too much arse-covering and skim those bits. I particularly liked the sections describing the intelligence-gathering of the Guardian's Office, since that's not something I knew a lot about before.
It's interesting to see that right from the beginning there have been splinter groups and offshoots. Anyone who thinks Hubbard was fine and Miscavige ruined the group should probably read this book to get the full history....more
While this is not a well-written book, I found it interesting to hear from someone trapped in Scientology's Sea Org without having a strong belief in While this is not a well-written book, I found it interesting to hear from someone trapped in Scientology's Sea Org without having a strong belief in it. But it won't answer any questions you might have about how people justify staying or what makes them leave, because Headley recaps the facts but doesn't always include his thoughts or emotions about those facts.
For example, he gets married, and then 13 years later when he wants to leave he's desperate to contact his wife. But we never hear about his wife in between those mentions. I assume he loved her very much because he helped her escape and they are still together, but you wouldn't know it from the book. What was happening to her? Was she happy, sad, supportive, in the RPF, etc etc? He mentions wanting to leave several times but not what made him stay: lack of resources, changed his mind, persuaded to stay?
The most interesting part to me was how he got involved in the first place, lacking other choices as a teenager because of his irresponsible parents. After that though, we don't hear much about his beliefs or lack of them. The incident that makes him decide to leave doesn't seem better or worse than other incidents of mistreatment he describes, so why leave then? I would have liked to know more about his thought processes, since any book can tell us the history of the group but only ex-members can give us any insight about what people think about it during their time there or with the benefit of hindsight afterwards....more
A quick read which gives an interesting perspective from someone raised within Scientology. Focuses on her personal journey and relationships, rather A quick read which gives an interesting perspective from someone raised within Scientology. Focuses on her personal journey and relationships, rather than the group as a whole. I'm glad she was able to leave and hope her story will help other kids brought up by Scientologists....more
Microinteractions is one of my favourite type of design books: one that avoids the extremes of dogma and fuzzy platitudes to find a practical middle gMicrointeractions is one of my favourite type of design books: one that avoids the extremes of dogma and fuzzy platitudes to find a practical middle ground.
There's no hard and fast rules for designing the little mini-interactions that we deal with each day, like volume controls or star ratings. But there are best practices, and doing it wrong can lead to worse consequences than just annoying a few customers.
Saffer provides a process you can use to make sure you've thought of everything, backed up with a fair bit of research. I'll definitely be following it next time I've got a few microinteractions to work on. I particularly liked the advice on microcopy, which has previously been a problem for me.
Visual and interaction designers should definitely give this book some attention. ...more
A fun exploration of current and past research into why we see what isn't there, with experiments you can try at home and links to online videos. WiseA fun exploration of current and past research into why we see what isn't there, with experiments you can try at home and links to online videos. Wiseman believes that the human tendency to experience paranormal things is the side-effect of amazing survival tactics our brains use every day but we take for granted - like figuring out where we are, if there is a lurking threat, or preparing for rapid action when necessary.
He's got a lighthearted and amusing style - no lectures or finger-wagging here, just interesting stories. If you're curious about why so many people say they've seen ghosts or been accurately read by a psychic even though science has proved they don't exist, this is a great introduction. The notes at the back will lead you to all sorts of other books on the subject too....more
What a great book, a must for everyone with a dog in their family. McConnell explores how dogs and humans have a lot in common but are separated by ouWhat a great book, a must for everyone with a dog in their family. McConnell explores how dogs and humans have a lot in common but are separated by our different languages. She explains how you can communicate in a way that any canine can understand, and put that to practical use with your pet.
I like her down-to-earth admissions that even the best dog-trainers sometimes repeat commands and raise their voices, even though they know it doesn't work. It's just a very natural behaviour for primates! Her stories about her own dogs and families she's worked with are great too. And I appreciated her nuanced discussion of 'the concept formerly known as dominance', which I know is a loaded topic.
I've already started using blocking with my pup and he responds to it much better than my previous paw-waving. That makes me confident that McConnell's other recommendations will work well too. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a family companion with good manners, and has an interest in how dogs see the world....more
Highly recommended for new web developers and those changing their workflow to a mobile-first process. The first part is a primer/refresher on good seHighly recommended for new web developers and those changing their workflow to a mobile-first process. The first part is a primer/refresher on good semantic HTML and CSS, with an explanation of how Filament handles their JavaScript. The second part is a collection of useful recipes for progressively-enhancing commonly used interactive widgets.
I disagree with a few of their points: please don't put titles on your anchor links. And I'm not sure why they prefer canvas or Flash to the really well-supported method of using images of text with alts, since they don't explain that one - maybe there's a good reason I should switch!
Although their all-or-nothing Javascript approach isn't suited to the work I do, I think it's a great solution for a web-app style site and would be happy to use it in the right situation. It seems similar to the BBC's "cut the mustard" approach, which is a good recommendation.
Apart from those nitpicks, overall I'm really glad I read this. I picked up some useful tips and will be using their recipes in future projects....more
For when you're ready to level up from beginner to intermediate. I started it ages ago and couldn't quite get it, then retried recently and it was so For when you're ready to level up from beginner to intermediate. I started it ages ago and couldn't quite get it, then retried recently and it was so useful....more
Loading...
