Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

7 reviews

mbaroque's review against another edition

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DNF

I found the first chapter quite interesting, but honestly could not get past this bit of casual racism in chapter 2:

Soon, he had hundreds of vials containing fabrics that smelled like wet dogs, cigars, sweaty socks, Chinese food, musty shirts, and dirty towels.

Please let me know a) how "Chinese food" is an offensive smell, and b) how one can capture an entire culture's cuisine into a smell that fits into a vial.
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idesofmarch's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.25

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brisco's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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ressicajicks's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I liked this book overall but the last chapter about the woman’s gambling addiction didn’t sit right with me. I understand the correlation between addiction and habit, but the emphasis on “personal responsibility” towards the end felt like it was missing the forest for the trees. It is very easy to attribute overcoming any addiction to “personal responsibility” and “simply adjusting your habits” but this ignores the sociological factors that tend to play into addictions (not to mention genetic or environmental). I realize this was a book about habits and not addiction specifically, but perhaps then an example other than addiction could have been more appropriate to compare to the man who killed his wife in his sleep. Overall I appreciated the research that went into the book and I learned a lot about how our brains tend to function - let’s see if I can implement it!
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marlihe's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

I checked this audio book out from the library thinking that it would be some standard, mushy self help. I just wanted something to inspire me to make changes in my routine. I was so pleasantly surprised that it was much more than that! The book goes into so many interesting case studies and is very well researched, with lots of evidence to back up all of the information provided. Listening to it felt like listening to that one really interesting episode of a podcast that you want to tell someone about later, but for hours and hours. It had both items for personal reflection, as well as stories that put the behaviors of our society in perspective. Plus the corporate section has some very interesting discussions of data analysis, which I found fascinating. Beyond just being interesting, it did provide me with the inspiration I was looking for - and even better, the context in which to think of my habits as I try to adjust them. The book was interesting and informative, and I’m sure everyone would be able to relate to at least some of the stories told in it.
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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

This was a really interesting read, and I'll definitely be going back to it for curriculum-writing. There were some places where I felt like the author was trying to push "habit" a little too far, but it all made sense. I am wondering how the author feels about Starbucks now that they're completely anti-labor.
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mayr3adsab00k's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

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