Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision

by George Lakoff
Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision
book data
49 ratings, 4.14 average rating, 11 reviews (more data...)
edit

published
October 3rd 2006 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

binding
Paperback, 176 pages

isbn
0374530904   (isbn13: 9780374530907)

description
Two years ago George Lakoff published the bestselling Don’t Think of an Elephant! Its account of the conservative monopoly on effective f...more






Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.







There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 87)




Jeffrey
Jeffrey rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/19/07

Read in September, 2007
I've read most of Lakoff's other books (that's my reason for the 3 stars... not too much new material)... if you have read those, you can probably skip this and just check out the Rockridge Institute's website: www.rockridgeinstitute.org/

If you haven't read any Lakoff and are curious, I would recommend this or Don't Think of an Elephant. If you've read t...more
Like this review?   yes   (2 people liked it)
  add a comment

Kemaki45
Kemaki45 rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/23/08

Read in September, 2008
recommends it for: progressive political activists
Taking our country back from the ultra-right wing conservatives who have dominated it for far too long isn't going to be easy. We've actually got to start communicating on a whole different level, abandoning our "just the facts" approach to persuading voters. Lakoff explains why it isn't enough to simply present strong evidence of a failing economy, a disastrous foreign policy, or an unjust social system. He helps make sense of the seeming paradox of voters who vote against their own s...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Jaky
Jaky rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
12/07/08

Starts out strong but gets a little repetitive toward the end. I definitely agree with a lot of Lakoff's views and logic. This book (along with Lakoff's other works) is a must for those who think capitalism is the save-all form of social operandi. On the other hand, applying all of the progressive values entailed within this short work might just destroy the very concept of the individual (you decide whether that is good or bad).
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Missy
Missy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/28/07

Read in March, 2007
recommends it for: Progressives
An excellent book on political framing and a must read for any Progressive looking for way's to effectively communicate our ideas. and intelligently and effectively dispel conservative myths.

The Rockridge Institute's ( which funded this book) website is an excellent resource for additional information.






George Lakoff is married to Robin Tolmach Lakoff, feminist liguist and author of Language and a Woman's Place, one of the original sociolinguistic pieces on how women's speech d...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Kristy
Kristy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/09/08

This was a great find about how progressives can identify and communicate our values and morals. Conservatives essentially have the "market" on being the party associated with morals and values, so how do progressives take it back? I found this to be not only helpful (to help me communicate those values in an intelligent way to conservative friends), but also eye-opening about some of the core differences between the parties, and solidified why I am progressive.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Chris
Chris rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/24/07

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: Progressives
I'm still working on this one. It's very similar to his other books on framing, Think of An Elephant and Moral Politics. As a student of linguistics, I like and agree with his analysis of framing. His organization's blog, Rockridge Nation, has a long running conversation on the book which is good to read after you've been through a chapter or two.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Rebecca
Rebecca rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/08/08

Read in April, 2007
This is a very important book for understanding the reasons why politicians have difficult creating counterargument. For anyone who is frustrated with why the Democratic Party has been unable to come up with a response, read this!
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Ash
Ash rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/04/07

bookshelves: non-fiction, politics
Read in January, 2007
An exceptional text on political framing. The text is concise and easy to read while not skimping on details. Lakoff's work will be shown in the future to be one of the central reasons why the progressive movement didn't die.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Patrick\
Patrick\ rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/21/08

bookshelves: politcs
Read in January, 2008
Replacement of Liberal with Progressive. Patriarchal paternalism vs messy community decision making. Liberals will always be on the defensive regardless of name.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Annette
Annette rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/15/08

Read in January, 2007
For someone interesting in the power of words, it has a compelling look at political speech relating to the most crucial issues of today.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Mark
Mark rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/30/08

Read in January, 2007
recommends it for: Democrats and Progressives
This is the book every progressive activist or Democratic candidate should read in order to understand how to frame their message.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Keli
Keli added it
12/18/08


Annique
Annique rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/04/08


Carlos
Carlos is currently reading it
11/25/08

bookshelves: currently-reading

Tyler
Tyler rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/24/08


Michelle
Michelle rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/24/08


Christopher
Christopher rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
11/08/08


T.
T. marked it as to-read
10/24/08

bookshelves: to-read

Jennifer
Jennifer marked it as to-read
10/09/08

bookshelves: communication, to-read

David
David rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/09/08

Has a copy to sell/swap


« previous 1 3 4 5