An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
by Judy Jones, William Wilson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Judy Jones, William WilsonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-25
ISBN: 0345468902
Number of pages: 720
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
Book Review: A Sometimes Tongue in Cheek Review of a lot of the Knowledge we Should Know
Summary: 3 Stars
Although it is very uneven, it is never dull. This irreverent review of everything we thought we knew, but didn't, is worth the plunge. However, a word of warning is in order: Better to enter with questions in mind than to read it from cover to cover as I did. The first section, which is mostly an outline with snide commentary, I found rather worthless. Not so for many of the other sections which tended to lend themselves better to being summarized in outline form: For instance economics, which I continue to try to learn enough to stick to my brain. The authors here gave it to us in the proper dosage; not too much, not too little, and not force fed - although it is incomplete, as many common economic terms are missing.
The section on film was a bit too eclectic to be of much use to me. It lacked rhyme or reason (not that other section has any either). Art History is good as is philosophy, but owning to the earlier edict that they too appear more robust in summary and outline form.
Political science is just plain weird, as it takes a country-by-country approach. Or is it a region-by-region approach? Or is it just a pick any area and any topic approach? After a few paragraphs, on this section, I simply gave up on it all together. Psychology is just okay, as it hews closest to the Freudian tradition as viewed by "American Freudians."
The section on religion is excellent if you are either a "balanced religionists (Is there such a thing?), or a non-theist as I am. It gives a completely disinterested and dispassionate equal opportunity treatment of the tenets and the foibles of the various religions doctrines, but at times bleeds over into philosophy, which I suppose is as it should be. However, had I written the book I would have put some of the topics that appeared here under philosophy.
Science again is kind of a grab bag, biased in the direction of the exotic topics, which is just fine with me. Although a great deal of the more mundane stuff makes up the foundation and is needed for the exotic stuff to stick to the brain. World History too is a no brainer and could be good even if it were a dog's breakfast of a collection (as this collection is). It is avowedly Eurocentric, more about personalities than about events, or military conquests, and includes other oddities such as a discussion of Richard Hofstadter and Michel Foucault. Why here? (Go figure?) .
Anyway, on balance, it's a worthy read but mostly as a reference source. For instance on the first section, as well as on the section on literature, I got out my old cliff notes and read them in tandem. That was a much better experience than simply relying on the author's often very cute but also very sketchy entries. When you finish this book, as advertised, you will then truly have an incomplete education. A true three star effort.
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Summary of An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
When it was originally published in 1987, An Incomplete Education became a surprise bestseller. Now this instant classic has been completely updated, outfitted with a whole new arsenal of indispensable knowledge on global affairs, popular culture, economic trends, scientific principles, and modern arts. Here?s your chance to brush up on all those subjects you slept through in school, reacquaint yourself with all the facts you once knew (then promptly forgot), catch up on major developments in the world today, and become the Renaissance man or woman you always knew you could be!How do you tell the Balkans from the Caucasus? What?s the difference between fission and fusion? Whigs and Tories? Shiites and Sunnis? Deduction and induction? Why aren?t all Shakespearean comedies necessarily thigh-slappers? What are transcendental numbers and what are they good for? What really happened in Plato?s cave? Is postmodernism dead or just having a bad hair day? And for extra credit, when should you use the adjective continual and when should you use continuous?
An Incomplete Education answers these and thousands of other questions with incomparable wit, style, and clarity. American Studies, Art History, Economics, Film, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Science, and World History: Here?s the bottom line on each of these major disciplines, distilled to its essence and served up with consummate flair.
In this revised edition you?ll find a vitally expanded treatment of international issues, reflecting the seismic geopolitical upheavals of the past decade, from economic free-fall in South America to Central Africa?s world war, and from violent radicalization in the Muslim world to the crucial trade agreements that are defining globalization for the twenty-first century. And don?t forget to read the section A Nervous American?s Guide to Living and Loving on Five Continents before you answer a personal ad in the International Herald Tribune.
As delightful as it is illuminating, An Incomplete Education packs ten thousand years of culture into a single superbly readable volume. This is a book to celebrate, to share, to give and receive, to pore over and browse through, and to return to again and again.
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