Hyrum

A Masterpiece on Virtue and Ethics

Revisado: 03-15-19

I began this book in 2018, and it is the most important book I read that year.

The author has a delightful style. Go to any location at random. Listen for five minutes, and you will find a sentence or insight that can only be described as delicious.

The book is simply and clearly organized, but it is dense. It is not a meal, but a cuisine that must be savored over time in many servings.The book reads as though the author has spent years lovingly and carefully collected index cards filled with insights and then carefully assembled them into a work of art. The works she cites are a reading list of the great, the good, and the wise.

Do not be confused by her advocacy of capitalism and free markets, powerful as that is. This is an introduction to ethics that is more complete, and more accessible than any other I have encountered. I could not listen without applying the virtues to my own life.

The audible version is the ideal introduction to this work as it's marvelous narrator turns a ponderous tome into a conversation with a friend.

I have many books on reading lists to be reread every year. This book is unique as I will be reading a chapter chosen at random every month. (Yes, I bought the print version as well).

The best analogy I can think of us to imagine a Michelangelo painted by a member of the Dutch school, where every brush stroke or sentence can be studied with a microscope. Your life will be richer. for having experienced this work of scholarship, art, and love.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Complete and Friendly - Recommended for everyone

Revisado: 01-23-19

I am retired from a career that involved education, psychology, sociology, and social work. I currently teach sociology part-time and do some counseling. This work describes recent research that is useful in all of these fields. It is also an excellent primer for anyone who is curious about Why we are who we are. (Change in pronoun intentional).
It is the most complete and yet friendly introduction to personality that I have encountered. It will be included in the bibliography for almost every course I teach, as well as being a reference for counseling.
The accompanying pdf. is an excellent companion to the audiobook. I will be looking for print as well as audio works by this author and talented teacher.
This audiobook is highly recommended for everyone interested in personality, regardless of their professional or educational background.
I would like to see this audiobook translated to Spanish.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The finest one volume history of America available

Revisado: 07-16-15

I have given copies to my children, my students, and my friends. His ability to use statistics in a way that is both interesting and illuminating is outstanding. He has strong opinions, but he substantiates them with facts. This book is ideal for sparking class discussion - and for being an example of scholarly debate should be conducted.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A Progressive view of American History

Revisado: 03-09-15

Well researched, written and performed. It's only serious flaw is the author's inability to present the other side of the great debate fairly. Nonetheless, there is no better presentation of a pre-Clinton or Obama Democrat view of American history available.

If Cicero were a Republican who wanted to understand Democrats, this is the book he would read.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

A life examined

Revisado: 06-02-13

What made the experience of listening to Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 the most enjoyable?

I lived my life in the second half of the twentieth century and remembered or experienced the events covered in this audiobook. Yet, after listening, I both remember and understand both them and myself better.

This is a work which gives meaning to life.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Magnificent

Revisado: 06-06-12

Any additional comments?

A detailed history not only of Senator Johnson, but of the Senate, its workings and history, as well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A slice of history

Revisado: 06-06-12

Would you be willing to try another book from the authors? Why or why not?

Yes

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A chance to hear not only their words but their personalities.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was very short.

Any additional comments?

The audio, though better than I expected, was still lacking modern quality. A translation of the the Russian would have been useful.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Solid history, weak discussion of issues

Revisado: 05-21-12

What made the experience of listening to Keynes Hayek the most enjoyable?

I was primarily interested in a discussion of the economic issues, where the economists agreed, where they disagreed, and how Hayek and Keynes changed their opinions over time.The book assumed more knowledge of the issues than I have, and while, making the positions of the economists clear, it did not help me understand the reasoning behind their conclusions. Nor did I get a clear understanding of how - and why- their positions changed over time.On the other hand, the biographies of not only Hayek and Keynes, but of their contemporaries - and the setting of their lives in the events of their times - were fascinating. I was especially impressed with the portrayal of Herbert Spencer, the Webbs, and Alfred Lord Marshall. The portrayal of the Austrian school was weaker but still made profitable listening.This work was both enjoyable and profitable. I expect to listen to it again.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

An history of the past with relevance to today

Revisado: 05-21-12

Where does The Proud Tower rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

An excellent demonstration of how individual decisions and historical trends can combine to produce radical, and unpredictable, social and political changes. The book is relevant to the current debate between those who on the one side believe in historical necessity and those who believe in the power of human will to produce "hope and change."

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Knowledge

Revisado: 04-23-11

This was originally produced for Knowledge Products on tape. I have listened to the economics series of which this is a part several times - and learn something each time. The production is excellent, the narration interesting and the topic fascinating -even when I disagree with the conclusions.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña