Customer Reviews

The Secret Language of Birthdays (reissue)

5 star:		(169)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I really have no idea who Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers are, but somehow, they've managed to find out every little thng about every person I know and placed that information on the pages of this book.

Whenever people come over and want to get a quick thumbnail sketch about someone, they just find that person's birthday and turn to the corresponding page. There, in a concise but surprisingly in-depth essay, is a bit about the standards and practices of whatever birthdate you're looking at! Included are celebrities who were also born on that day throughout history and a few other interesting tid bits.

It makes for a fascinating party game, to find out just how "true" you think these comments are for you. So far, everyone I know has said they've been nailed to a tee by this book. I ask you... can everyone be wrong?

Highly recommended (for entertainment purposes only).

I'm not big on horoscopes, and hold a long-held belief that horoscopes are self-fulfilling once you read them. If you are looking for a "major romantic disaster" you will find one...whether or not you would normally classify it as major... but I'm digressing a tad.

I glanced through this book, looking up my birthday. AHH! Howly cow (and stronger, sensored words)! It pegged me perfectly. Even down to my chosen profession as an applied pedgagogical specialist dealing with underdeveloped, high-spirited, curious young people (I'm a teacher). Seesh.

This book, while it hasn't convinced me that astology and birthday personalities exists per se...has thoroughly convinced me that I'm being followed and closely watched by someone. Or that there is some truth in this "horoscopic" idea that has lasted for thousands of year.

READ THIS BOOK! Even us skeptics need to get something tossed into our faces once and awhile.

My boyfriend and I gave this book to everyone we know at Christmas. At a recent family gathering we read the profiles of each family member without mentioning the date and each person was guessed right away just by the characteristics in the profile. Another example, my neighbor came over to read his profile and it was him exactly. Then he gave me his wife's birthdate and it was nothing at all like her. After he went home, he calls me up with her correct birthday (ouch!) and the description was uncanny. The first line indicated that she "bridges the gap between troubled families" - this woman is a social worker. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. Bring it to your next party.

I am too much of a skeptic to believe in astrology, but despite that I found THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRTHDAYS to be a fun read that provides literally years worth of entertainment.

What intrigued me most about this dictionary-sized book is that instead of dividing mankind into 12 groups based upon astrological signs, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRTHDAYS devotes a two page spread to those born on each of the 365 days of the year and February 29th, too.

To some this may not seem interesting, but having grown up in a large family of six kids -- five of whom are Aquariuses -- I could never relate to astrology because none of my brothers and sisters has anything in common, yet we are all left to read the same paragraph in the newspaper horoscope.

There are three reasons you may want to check out the SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRTHDYAS either for yourself or as a gift for a friend:

1. In many cases, if you look up your birthday, you will be shocked to find how accurately a complete stranger describes you. In my case, and in the case of many people I know, this book described us to a tee, including the good, the bad and the ugly;

2. When having friends over, this book can be enormously entertaining. Old, young, fat, thin, black, white, Puerto Rican, everyone loves to read about him or herself. Hearing these birthday-related personality profiles has provided hours of conversation as my friends and I debate whether we are accurately described in this book. Most people agree they are. Even funnier is looking up the birthdays of famous people. It is truly shocking what you will find here. Reading about Bill Clinton's and Monica Lewinsky's birthdays will amaze you because in both cases the profiles were written before the scandal; and finally

3. When giving a birthday present to someone, I like to Xerox his or her two page spread and make it into a card. I have found that often they like it more than the gift itself.

- Regina McMenamin

Don't think that a person's personality is influenced by his date of birth? Then check out the profile for Oct. 9, the birthday of John Lennon.

Those born on this day, the authors claim, are multi-talented, have a strong magnetism and the ability to see into the lives events of those around them with an accurate, critical eye. There's lots more, including the fact they can be swept away by their emotions for one person. Hmmmm....

Authors Gary Goldenschneider and Joost Elffers delve into astrological and mystical teachings -- including numerology and Tarot card readings -- to profile the personality characteristics of those born on every single day of the year.

Each birthday has its own two-page spread chock full of fascinating facts. And, there's a list of famous (and infamous) people born on that day. Do you share a birthday with your favorite movie star? A notorious criminal?

You can cross reference to other sections of the book that detail the astrological influences at play on a particular date.

This is a nice, thick coffee table book, amply illustrated, that will provide fun and fascinating reading. And, yes, it would make a great birthday gift!

Well,A friend got this book for me 4 years ago. I have given it to others who love it . I have everyone sign their name on their Birthday. What fun . Most people say that is exactly them! the day prior or later no. great party conversation piece! Everyone loves to Read their day! one of my favorite all time books. (I collect many) bravo!

I have had my b-day #s read once before. I "stumbled" onto this book while I was "killing time" at a school library. When I read the pages relating to my birthday; it "nailed" me to a tee, and it also paralleled, identically, to the reading I'd done in the past. I read the birth dates which related to my child, friends and family and the accuracy was uncanny. I'd say the accuracy would be in the range of 85% to 100% on a person's b-day. I was so impressed with the accuracy, I ordered the book. My friends and neighbors love the book and borrow it whenever they have company. It is a book that is accurate and fun!!

In Holland (where Goldschneider lives) I have seen much of Goldschneider on TV, talkshows and stuff where he had a computer by wich he could predict a persons near future and the results were stunning. People in the audiences were vey impressed with his accurate predictions. Mind you, however, this is not a book about predictions, it's a book concerning your personality based on your birthday. The interesting thing is that Goldschneiders method doesn't consist solely of astrology, he mixes in a little thing wich he call personology. Personology is rather vaguely described in here but it boils down to the fact that Goldschneider has interviewed and known many, many people concerning their character and made together with astrolgy his conclusions. I find this to be a very honest and rather unbiased method (unlike many other astrologers).

I myself gained tremendous understanding about who I am. The other special thing about this book is that Goldschneider splices the signs in fve parts, like: Capricorn/Sagittarius-cusp, Capricorn I, Capricorn II, Capricorn III and Capricorn/Aquarius-cusp. I am born on DECEMEBER 23rd (Festivus!)this could be considered the first day of Capricorn, but it is cusp, meaning It is Capricorn mixed together with a bit of Sagittarius. So unlike most other Capricorns I lose my temper a lot quicker but I tend to be more philosophical at times. It also means I mix "the Philosophical" with the "the Ruling", thus coming out at "Prophetic". So this is the theme of my astrological episode and every sign has five diffrent themes. If you are a Taurus born after 11 May, you may often wonder why you aren't as static as the Taurus is described in general. This is because you are heading toward Gemini, wich is a very diffrent sign than the Taurus and also hence explains your often contradictory characteristics.

Besides being an astrologer, Goldschneider is also a practising composer and concertpianist. Being a freelance composer myself I often get the idea that Goldschneider has looked at other composers. Is it a coincidence that Burt Bacherach is born on the same day as Gabriel Faure? Or that Olivier Messiaen is born on the same day as Cesar Frank? Bach and Prokovief? Marcel Dupr? and Virgil Fox? Or how about this: John Cage and Freddy Mercury? Certainly, I strongly believe Goldschneider also looked at this.

Regarding myself, a lot of things became and I have to say....
I like comparing myself with Joseph Smith, James Stockdale, Wesley Clark, Robert Bly, the queen of Sweden, Susan Lucci and of course.... Estella Warren! :-)

Read this book; it's astounding! Each day literally describes the qualities of the person born on it, famous or not. It's amazing how every time I reference this book to read up on a friend, family member, or acquaintance when I discover their birthdate, I find that their description REALLY SEEMS like it was written ABOUT THEM! It never fails. Did the authors KNOW my friends?! "Personology" is yet another system I use for determining traits and other aspects of people. This book is yet another reason I'm an astrologer.

Take my one friend, a September 26 person. I read her description and lo and behold, it was like a biography of her! This is no coincidence! She's a coffee-a-holic, right? So the books says: "September 26 people are particularly prone to overindulging in caffiene." The girl is caffeine-obsessed. It's unreal. She's asked to pick words to describe herself, and one of them is "persistent." Guess which word the book uses to describe September 26 people?! And not just that. It goes on and on about their work habits, their senses of humor, their other characteristics. I'm sitting there laughing in disbelief and saying "Oh my god!" because I can't believe how dead-on accurate the book is! Then there's my September 29 teacher, right? You WOULDN'T believe what I read about HIM! Only the EXACT same thing I said when I was sitting there analyzing his personality for no reason at all, just because I'm an analytic person. It's completely insane. Read this book, it's fun, it's helpful, it's extraordinary! (And a bit scary, especially if you don't believe.) ^_~

A friend of mine loves this kind of stuff, and, as a skeptic, I've always been dead-set against it (this makes for some heated arguments!) But she convinced me to take a look at my own birthday, and I was astonished! Then she showed me my sister's, and I was even more astonished! Well, this sort of activity becomes pretty addictive, and I must have looked up at least 25 birthdays in that one sitting. All were dead-on accurate. Then I borrowed the book and went through the birthdays of everyone whose birthday I know, convinced that somewhere, somehow, this book had to be wrong. It wasn't! The ONLY reason I'm not giving it five stars is because I'm still a skeptic. But so far, this book hasn't given my skepticism any leeway....