Very original book on developmental psychology from an evolutionary perspective. For an opposing viewpoint also from an evolutionary perspective check out Frank Sulloway's "Born to Rebel"

Wow. This really is THE book on birth order. This book is massivly researched and all the conclusions are fulled backed up. Take a look at the editorial reviews for yourself. It is widely acclaimed. If you have ever wondered why siblings raised in such similar ways turn out so different, than this is the book. You will find it especially enjoyable if you like scientific history and evolutionary psychology. This isn't necessarily easy reading. It is a book of research by an MIT scholar, not a silly book of theories by a bloated psychologist.

This book is a great tool for understanding why some people are religious and some not. It looks at things like socializaion, personality, benefits and costs of beliefs to mental health and happiness, and many more. The book is filled with statistics to back up the findings. Also included is much analysis of what portions of the population believe and what they believe in. All of the authors findings are not his alone but more a summary of what the study of the psychology of religion has come to find.

The bad part of this book is when the author tries to draw conclusions from the findings. He is constantly trying to be even-handed and never to say that the findings could ever be used to question the validity of religion. He even tries to give the views of those opposed to religion based on psychology and then show why they are wrong. When he does this, he give pathetic imcomplete explanations, uses terrible logic, and completely misrepresents these views he is trying to explain away. I recommend you read the book and skip the intro and conclusion.

I never paid enough attention to history in high school and got around most history classes in college. I wanted to catch up and get a basic understanding of world history. This was just right. It literally starts at the beginning with evolution and ends with the end of the cold war. I can see no western bias or concentration on any time period. Very evenly written.

What makes this book stand out is the authors attempts to explain why history happened the way it did and not just what happened. When important, he presents all of the current outstanding theories on a particular subject, and lets the reader decide which seems most plausible.

The perfect introduction to evolutionary psychology. Follows sound logic and the writing flows smoothly from section to section. I am a very skeptical person and was fully convinced. For an even more in-depth look, read Steven Pinker's "How the Mind Works".

I was hoping for a book that would help me understand why I am introverted. About the first quarter of the book did an ok job of doing this. It briefly delves into genetics, neurobiology, and the chemicals in our bodies that make introverts different from extroverts. This can help introverts see why we enjoy time alone so much.

The next three quarters of the book are a bit comical. It's full of self-help suggestions on how to adapt to the outside "extrovert world". Here are a few examples of what the author feels could help you to relax:

"Drink a cup of tea or a glass of water with a few drops of lemon juice in it"
"Look at a funny website"
"Break out of your routine and do something backward"
"Make cookies and take them to the office or give them to your child's class"

This is the general theme of the book for the last 200 pages! I don't need tips on how to help me deal with life. If you still haven't figured out how to live in the "extrovert world" at this point in your life then you have problems far beyond what this book can do for you.

Perhaps I should have done more research on what this book was really about before I bought it, and that is my fault. I'm just trying to warn those like me that may have been misled. Here's and easy way see if this book is or isn't for you:
Do you watch Oprah and Dr. Phil? - This book is for you.
Do you think watching Oprah and Dr. Phil is for weak-minded people who can't understand themselves well enough to find solutions to their problems on their own? - This book is not for you.

Great compilation of short essays from all the great minds in atheism and agnosticism including: Robert Ingersoll, Bertrand Russell, John Stuart Mill, David Hume, Friedrich Nietzsche, H.L. Mencken, Thomas Paine, Walter Kaufman, Benedict Spinoza, Gore Vidal, and many more.

If you're not very familiar with freethought/atheism/agnosticism, this book is the perfect place to begin your study and expand your mind.