Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #463857 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 375 pages

Customer Reviews

Growing Knowledge, One Day at a Time
"The Intellectual Devotional" is an intriguing concept and fairly well executed. Each day of the week features a brief, one page article about a given subject, followed by a smattering of "additional facts"--Monday's topic is history, Tuesday's is literature, Wednesday's is the visual arts, Thursday's is science, Friday's is music, Saturday's is philosophy and Sunday's is religion. I've been reading the book for a couple of weeks now, and I've found the brief essays to be informative, up-to-date and (on topics with which I'm already familiar) accurate. I read each daily "devotional" at breakfast over a cup of coffee, and it's a pleasant way to start the day (and certainly less painful than the newspaper).

Several of the reviews on Amazon's US site have criticized the book's small type, and this is in fact something to be wary of if you have vision problems. The first paragraph on each page is in what appears to be a regular-sized font, but subsequent paragraphs are quite a bit smaller. The "Additional Facts" (which set out some of the most intriguing ideas on each page) are quite small indeed.

Food for Thought
I've read this book twice already, and I'm currently on my third run. It has 365 entries which cover seven different areas: Monday - history, Tuesday - literature, Wednesday - visual arts, Thursday - science, Friday - music, Saturday - philosophy, and Sunday - religion.

I love reading, and I liked the idea of opening my mind to things I might not ever come across on my own. Some of the music entries are so technical that my head hurts, and I struggle to understand the theories behind compositions, but it has taught me to appreciate what classical musicians have accomplished. Some parts, such as literature, philosophy and visual arts, I am familiar with, but the science entries have taught me a lot of interesting facts.

The religion entries have helped me relate to my friends of various faiths; it's easier to understand people's cultures if you understand the basis of their faith(s).

I enjoyed this book so much; I've bought extra copies, and sent them to my closest friends. I am looking forward to The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently with the Culturati.