Rob

Amazing book from cover to cover. I found myself laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of the outlandish rock and hard place situations depicted while simultaneously feeling a great deal of empathy for the characters' plights. This book is timeless because these themes, while exasperated in times of war, are still found all around us. These catches are inescapable and that's exactly what makes Heller's ability to make us laugh as we mull them over so powerful.

A bit on the nerdy side, but it was nothing but engaging. A bit of forcefed storyline near the end.

First book in a long time that's genuinely changed my thinking process. Highly recommended.

First thought: I know this already.
Stuck with it: Ok, there are plenty of times when I don't do this.
75% through: This is repetitive.
Ending: Solid, concise suggestions on actioning on principles.

I really took a while to get into this one, but it was entirely worth it. Roberts connects you to the heart of India with his (at times overly) descriptive and emotional first hand accounts. That connection magnifies the already engaging action that emerges in the second half of the book.

At times Roberts is a bit too flowery and definitive for my taste, but taken with a grain of salt the themes on theology, the meaning of life, and theories around why we interact with others in the way that we do are thought provoking and well woven into the story.

Concise and practical reminder of the social skills that you already exibit during the best of your conversations. There aren't a whole lot of new concepts in here, but this book really helps tease out successful conversational strategies out of the morass of crappy tactics that we use every day. How to stay cool and not burn bridges during even the most trying of conflicts? Talk about important.