Jeremy

Good overall message, quirky (heretical) theology

Revisado: 02-27-17

Rohr can be both wonderful and extremely frustrating at times.

On the frustrating side, he will make a comment like, "this was Jesus' teaching in such and such passage" to support an argument he is making, Yet, if you are even halfway familiar with the biblical literature, you will often note throughout this book that the passage he quotes does not support his argument. What is more, Rohr offers no explanation of this discrepancy and just moves on to his next point.

Perhaps this overall approach is appealing to people who don't really know much about the Bible, but I personally found it very distracting and unnecessary - even to the point where it starts undermining his credibility.

For those interested in such things, he also feels the need to explain where he deviates from Christian orthodoxy on topics such as Heaven, Hell and Salvation, (Heaven and Hell, for him, are positive or negative present realities and not any sort of afterlife. Salvation is in essence self-actualization and moving into "non-dual thinking".)

On the wonderful side, this book is rich with thought-provoking imagery and has a good message about how approaches to living at the beginning of life are not necessarily appropriate as you grow and mature.

It's just a shame he feels the need to wrap his message in ill-fitting Christian clothing to get an audience.

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Great descriptions of Canada, all politics at end

Revisado: 12-01-16

Mike Myers does an excellent job of presenting rather nuanced views of Canadians and Canadian accents in the first half of the book. Then in the later half he goes on lengthy diatribes about how the Trudeaus (Daddy and Junior) embody all that is right with Canada and that Canada should embrace their brand of progressive politics as Canada's mission statement. He even makes actual policy prescriptions at the end.(!)

Still, the first half of the book is so strong, the book is worth a listen.

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esto le resultó útil a 22 personas

Instant classic, does not shy away from big topics

Revisado: 01-26-16

This is the boldest French novel I have heard/read in a while. I can see why it earned the author - an unknown biology teacher from Lyon - not only a book deal with Gallimard, but also the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2011.

First and foremost, the novel holds no punches in examining crucial questions of French identity. This includes an exploration of the relationship between French citizens and the military, racism and de Gaulle.

More specifically, it tells the story of a soldier, Victorien Salagnon, who fights in wars for a twenty-year period (in WWII, Indochina and Algeria) between 1942 to 1962. At the same time, it follows the narrator of the story in modern France as he grapples with the effects of these years (and the lack of open discussion about them) on his own life and France in general.

Though the narrative can sometimes drag (or maybe that was just my French listening skills that made it seem so), the book really comes alive as the narrator presents his often brilliant and thought-provoking analyses of modern France in various asides throughout the novel.

The audiobook is abridged, but not significantly. For every 100 pages of text maybe 5 are skipped.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Flawed ending, but top-notch description & detail

Revisado: 01-19-16

Any additional comments?

The author does a great job of making the various worlds in and around the Jewish area of Johannesburg (Doornfontein) collide. His dialogue captures the language of the different groups really well and, what is more, the narrator does a great job capturing the accents, too.

Still, despite the great description, the pace of the novel and the importance of the subject matter (life in Jewish ghettos and the oncoming Shoah), the climax of the book seemed completely unbelievable to me.

Nevertheless, the audiobook is worth a listen and a high grade for the description and language.

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Summarizes the great works w/ biographical asides

Revisado: 11-04-15

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

While I found the explanation of the music interesting, Greenberg's explanation of the plots of the various operas can get annoying in his way of telling it - especially if you already know the basic story.

If you’ve listened to books by The Great Courses before, how does this one compare?

Not Greenberg's best course. He should have toned down a bit of his humor and discussed the music more. Still, if you find opera inaccessible, this course may be for you.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The man cannot pronounce anything in German to save his life.

Any additional comments?

Can we get some music courses NOT taught by Mr. Greenberg?

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esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

Great background for Latin American developments

Revisado: 06-02-15

Any additional comments?

Prof. Ruiz does a great job of explaining how diverse Spain was at the time that Ferdinand and Isabella united the Iberian peninsula (he discusses regional and religious differences) and how that diversity continued and shaped "Spanish" policy. In particular, he does an excellent job explaining the policy differences pursued in Castille and Aragon.

I also have to say that Prof. Ruiz's lectures were first time I have really heard the history behind the development of the latifundio system and the office of the corregidor (two key concepts for understanding Latin American history). Usually, books about Latin America give these concepts short shrift and simply note "they came from Spain". Hearing why they were developed and what their function was in various parts of Spain was very enriching.

¡Ha hecho usted un excelente trabajo, profe!

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esto le resultó útil a 10 personas

Great, sweeping overview of Eastern thought

Revisado: 11-24-14

Would you listen to Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition again? Why?

Definitely. There is so much Information packed into each lecture that you pretty much have to listen to it again to retain most of it. But I got a lot more out of them the second time around - particularly when I took the time to read the texts Professor Hardy is lecturing on (i.e. the Gita, the Analects, the Dao De Jing, Seami's plays, etc.)

What did you like best about this story?

Professor Hardy includes interesting anecdotes and clearly knows his stuff (though in most lectures he can only really skim the surface).

Still, I came away with a new appreciation for Indian philosophy and learned some new tidbits about topics I already knew pretty well.

Any additional comments?

This is a great introduction for further study. I wanted a general overview of Eastern thought so that I could then investigate people who caught my interest. This gave me exactly that.

1 credit well spent.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Good content, questionable narration

Revisado: 11-07-14

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. It should be pointed out, however, that this is a book about the evolution of the de Gaulle myth rather than a historical account of de Gaulle's years in power. You end up getting a good, general overview of his life through the book, but that is not the main thrust by any means.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator seems to know French well enough, but he tends to overuse his French accent throughout the audiobook. What's more, his accent often sounds more like someone making fun of a French accent that an actual French accent (particularly when he reads direct quotes from de Gaulle).

Once you put that aside, Mr. Patry often mispronounces basic English words by placing the emphasis on the wrong syllable. (For example, he says "Mi-li-TA-ry" instead of "MI-li-ta-ry") After a while, I got use to his odd cadence, but if you are one who can't stand that kind of thing, I do not recommend this audiobook.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Great history of early Peru

Revisado: 10-24-14

What did you love best about Lost Worlds of South America?

Really great lectures on northwestern South America (i.e. Peru with excursions into Bolivia and Ecuador). I really learned a lot.

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For the love of God, wait for the movies!!!

Revisado: 10-24-14

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I really liked the first two movies, but didn't want to wait for two more to come out in order to know how it ends.

I should have waited.

This is teen fiction at its finest, but it has too many rough edges that just annoy adult readers. Listening to this really makes me appreciated how they turned some of this drivel into a blockbuster hit.

Patience is a virtue. Wait for the movie releases.

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