Customer Reviews

The Spiritual Art of Dialogue: Mastering Communication for Personal Growth, Relationships, and the Workplace

5 star:		(1)
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3 star:		(1)
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After purchasing this book with high hopes I can't fully express the extreme dissapointment I felt during and after reading it. Finally finishing it was a relief. The book is sophmoric at best and seems best suited for a freshman college course. It's not at all what you'd expect from the title - it quickly devolves into the worst type of "self-help" literature one finds all too often today. I believe the author's Ph.D. is in philosophy NOT psychology (close but no cigar). There were some indications of what could have been a good philosophical treatise but references to "Star Trek-The Next Generation", light weight Zen philosophy, left wing PC ideology, and PAGES of direct quotes from Plato make this book one to avoid for the serious reader. Is a retelling of the tragedy of Oedipus really necessary ? Sorry, been there, done that - in high school. Where were the editors who were responsible for reining in the author's wild tangental rides into pop psychology, educational reform theory and relationship conseling? The best part - the writing concerning dialogue vs. debate and the pointers on how to establish and maintain a true dialogue earn this 2 stars. It's a pity that's all there was to it. I recommend a pass (unless this sort of light weight philosophy is your cup of tea).

Apatow's book is a sincere and successful effort to introduce the reader to a practical yet profound way for enhancing the quality of his/her life. The Spiritual Art of Dialogue is a very welcome addition for those whose interest is to learn and practice a way of communicating that ultimately makes human relationship a more meaningful and enjoyable experience. It's strength is that it does not conceal any pretensions behind technical and inaccessible language and argument. Instead, if offers a clear, accessible, and common-sensical picture of how the ancient art of dialog can add greatly to the beauty and profundity of one's life.

This short primer on Dialog and its historical and spiritual implications was informative and enjoyable. The points on how to maintain an honest, open, and inspired dialog where all members gain some life-improving benefits were intriguing. Unfortunately, I feel Apatow takes the merits of dialoging a little too far, as if it can solve all of societies problems. This book did give me a better appreciation for the historical context, and the similarities between the Greek conception of a spiritual dialog and some Zen religious concepts. The author also presents some fascinating suggestions for improving education, politics, and society. The discussion of an `inner dialog' and its effects on peoples' lives was also useful, as a therapist Apatow had some interesting insights into how to maintain a positive and productive inner dialog with the various aspects of our selves. His critique of skepticism, cultural relativism, prejudice, rhetoric and historical determinism were refreshing. But his fear of any kind of conflict or confrontation was a bit extreme. I believe in a healthy amount of competition for the purpose of bettering oneself and others around us, but not for personal greed or selfish glory of course. Apatow seemed also to get a little carried away with some rather nebulous connotations of meditation and inspired truth that detracted from his logical and analytical approach to the issues. In the end, it was a very interesting book and gave me a lot to think about. And it was a great primer for another larger and more academic book I plan to read on dialog next.