The Art of Being Human

by Richard Paul Janaro

The Art of Being Human:
The Humanities as a Technique for Living Ninth Edition

Richard Paul Janaro and Thelma C. Altshuler

There is an Art to Being Human.

The Art of Being Human, Ninth Edition, introduces you to the ways in which the humanities can broaden your perspective, help you think creatively and critically, and enhance your life every single day. Praised for its unique topical organization and captivating writing style, this book provides an exceptional balance between coverage of traditional masterpieces and examples from today’s global culture. The Art of Being Human, Ninth Edition, will help you move beyond a mere appreciation of the arts and truly embrace “the humanities as a technique for living.”

Why You Need This Book!

A new chapter on critical thinking will help you develop the skills you need to understand, evaluate, and appreciate the arts, and to understand the importance of the arts in the context of daily life. Updated examples throughout provide more coverage of contemporary works than any other text available, offering a bridge between the arts of today and the great works of the past. Over 60 new visuals offer images not only of well-known classics, but also of forgotten masterpieces and the work of emerging artists. An extended discussion of architecture ties this important art to the other humanities. And as always, The Art of Being Human includes a wealth of examples by non-Western, minority, and women artists–and demonstrates the worldwide reach and universal appeal of the arts.

Genres: Art, Reference, Nonfiction, Textbooks

704 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

My one-star rating is based on the half dozen chapters of "The Art of Being Human" I had to read -- including the chapters on religion, morality, happiness and death -- and, based on those chapters, I can't tell you how relieved I am I wasn't assigned to read more. The book is simplistic, prone to cliches, has the occasional factual error, and uses terrible examples to make its points -- examples chosen, I suspect, not because they were the best but because they were the most recent, giving the authors an excuse to update their book and force students to buy a new edition instead of used copies.

As just one example, in a chapter on romantic love, authors Richard Janaro and Thelma Altshuler illustrated a point with the movie "No Reservations." Doesn't sound familiar? That's because no one saw it, and those who did don't remember it. It's a shame there have been only hundreds if not thousands of other romantic comedies made over the history of film-making, many of which people have actually heard of and perhaps even seen, or the authors wouldn't have had to use some shitty movie that even Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart have forgotten they were in.

If you're in a course that uses this textbook, consider dropping the class. Seriously.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading this as an Advance Reader Copy which was sent to a professor for his consideration. It's intended as a text for a college course. I picked it up at a book sale at Geneva College's homecoming. The English Club at my alma mater has a book sale in the library.
Geneva College has a fairly unique core curriculum requirement for Humanities courses. Back in the early 1980s, the program was fairly rigorous. We used multiple textbooks, including _Art in Perspective_ by Dorra.
I like the title and the general premise for this text, but I did not feel as engaged as the author(s) probably intended. Rather than motivating me to seek more on topics, I was relieved to be finished with each section I completed. I do not think I would choose this as a college text.

[Alexanna Padilla Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am long out of college but I read sections of this book regularly to remember the knowledge that is so central to my passion for the Humanities. I thoroughly enjoy this book and agree, now more than ever, that our awareness and enjoyment of the Humanities keep us connected to OUR humanity.

[Thương Hoa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hope I never have to take a humanities class again

[Mike Haluszczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book in college.

[Melissa Landers · Rating 1 out of 5]

First college class I've taken. God, I despise this book. If all college text books are like this, I'm going to stab them repeatedly with a pen until the book is ruined beyond recognition. And that's saying something, because I'd NEVER do that to a book unless it just genuinely sucked, 110%. Yes, I learned, but I felt like I was being tortured throughout the process of learning and I don't like feeling like that...

Save me from college! Ah!

[Leisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook for my Giants of the Arts class. Not a bad book, but not the best choice for the class.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

still reading. this book is processed in small bites, very small bites!