Mike Kirby

Have to give 5 stars, 4.9 stars is an option

Revisado: 01-24-22

This book will change my life, I have no doubt about that. I've always had decent memory, but wanted to improve it. All my life, I've never employed any "technique" to memory and would just use the "read through a list of things I want to remember a bunch of times and hope they stick" method. This book explained techniques and methods that I had no concept even existed. The very first technique & list of items given in the book... I still remember them days later, forward and backwards, vividly and perfectly! Mind blowing! I look forward to practicing and using these techniques in the months and years to come. This book has showed me how to turn my mind into a limitless information storage system and I can't wait to begin filling it with knowledge!

The one critique of the book is that the author spends a large amount of time at the beginning of the book trying to convince the reader that they CAN improve their memory and how important that belief is. It goes on and on about it. The whole time I was thinking 'I already believe that, that's why I bought the book'. It went on for a while about all the excuses people use for not improving themselves, implying that the reader is using those excuses. It was borderline insulting and almost turned me off to the book. Most people that buy self-improvement books do so because they already believe they can improve themselves and want to. The author could have said something like "anyone CAN improve their memory, and believing you can is the first and most important step. By buying this book and starting to read it, you've already taken the most important step in improving your memory!". Two sentences could replace the entire first quarter of the book.

In the end, I'm glad I pushed past the initial part of the book and made it to the actual material. It was worth it.

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A little slow at first, but worth the listen.

Revisado: 07-21-17

Took a bit of time to get to the interesting details and was a bit scattered, but all told there was some very good info and insights in the book. I applaud the author doing the audio reading herself, but unfortunately she does not have the best reading voice. Slightly lispy and a too soft at times, the performance was at times a distraction from the content.

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Every American must read this book

Revisado: 08-25-16

There are few amongst us who would not place Abraham Lincoln near, or at, the top of their list of greatest human beings to ever walk the face of the earth. It difficult to believe one man could possess such qualities. Industry, strength, philosophical reasoning, logic, understanding, compassion. If you want to learn how to be a better person, read this book. In addition, this book is a fantastic look inside the day to day life of an American president. The internal tensions, debates, and political maneuverings are laid out in great and fascinating detail. In the end this book will help you understand what it truly means to be an American.

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Unimaginable

Revisado: 03-31-16

The lives that many human beings inside North Korea are forced to live is unimaginable to anyone who was raised in even a moderately civilized country. Even after listening to this book I can barely wrap my head around the horror and inhumanity that is the daily companion of these people. Only with systematic empathy of people around the world will we be able to one day muster the moral courage to finally rid the planet of such human injustice. With that in mind, I recommend that you read this book and that you also recommend it to every person you can.

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Only a small fraction of the information is useful

Revisado: 11-18-15

The synopsis of the book claims it is geared towards helping regular civilians be able to survive any dangerous situation. However, about 80% of the book is about skills that are valuable only if you are actually a clandestine operative of some kind. While I like to imagine I am James Bond sometimes, I'm really just an average guy. Skill: learn how to jump out of a moving helicopter into water in order to gain access to a foreign county.... yeah, probably not going to do that next time I go on vacation. Skill: burn a body in a barrel of jet fuel.... ummmm. The book is a fun listen if you like learning about spy stuff, but there is not to much to be gained in terms of actual real world information for civilians looking to be prepared to survive an emergency situation.

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Must read for every human

Revisado: 10-07-15

Regardless of job, lifestyle, social status, age, gender, or race, we can all benefit from understanding how our minds influences the decisions we make. This book helps provide that understanding. A must read.

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Overall an interesting book

Revisado: 04-26-15

The book was well written and well performed. The 12 stories cover a wide range of topics, some that will inevitably be more interesting than others to any given person. Therefore, some parts of the book may seem boring, while others are gripping. All in all it is a good book and it gives a great overview of the inner workings of business, finance, and Wall Street.... at least as it was in the past.

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The author did great with a mundane subject

Revisado: 04-21-15

Cornelius Vanderbilt had an iron will, was aggressive and fearless in business, and was an extremely hard worker. Other than that he really had few redeeming qualities. His business ventures are more interesting than the man himself, and the author rightly focuses and that subject. It was Cornelius' son who actually created the vast bulk of the Vanderbilt wealth and built the massive railroad empire that Cornelius would come to be historically associated with. Nevertheless, this book is worth a listen. It does a great job showing the ruthless battleground of business that early American entrepreneurs battled in.

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Fascinating story, excellently told

Revisado: 03-19-15

The author does a great job with this book and it makes you feel as though you are listing a well told story as apposed to a biography. It's very clear, and much appreciated, that the author was not swayed by well over a century of negative press written about Gould, and that he really took a fresh, objective look at the life of the titan. The only downside to the book was the missing bits of audio throughout. It's like the audio file was cut up and pieced back together with small bits missing.

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Great reference book

Revisado: 03-12-15

This book is fantastic for the breadth of material it covers. It does not cover any one subject in enough detail that it could be used as a reference for that particular subject however. For example, if you were interested in learning how to invest in bonds, I have would not recommend buying this book and counting on its section on bonds to provide enough information to do so. However, if you are looking to begin learning about financial markets, this book is perfect. It gives clear, easy to follow introductory explanations of virtually all securities and markets around the world.

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