A review by outcolder
Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other Peoples Minds by Howard Gardner

1.0

I read this cover to cover. It is like a long psychology today article, or like an informal chat over a beer with a tenured professor who did enough in the past that no one is reviewing his research or his teaching anymore. The book is a loose collection of anecdotes, I imagine Gardner reading some biographies he thought were interesting and then suddenly realizing he had to publish something soon so he thought about what did these diverse people have in common and then he gave it some structure. In between he takes pot shots at Fellow Worker [a:Noam Chomsky|2476|Noam Chomsky|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206713478p2/2476.jpg] and Brother [a:Cornel West|6176|Cornel West|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1211318916p2/6176.jpg]. He manages to plug some of his other books, too.

If you want to huff and puff about university politics and Margaret Thatcher, this might be worthwhile, but if you are looking for a book that looks scientifically at persuasion, you will be as disappointed as I was.

Maybe Howard Gardner versus [a:Martin Gardner|7105|Martin Gardner|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1269645617p2/7105.jpg] would be a good celebrity death match or epic rap battle. At least for me. I'm rooting for Martin, though.