Rating: 
Summary: Fun and Motivating to Read, but Nothing Earth-Shattering
Review: This book is a lot like a diet book -- everyone knows that to lose weight you have to eat better and exercise more. It takes hard work and there are no shortcuts to a healthier body.In the same way, there are no true shortcuts to learning a language -- you must be exposed to the language as much as possible, you must learn grammar, and you have to make plenty of mistakes. Farber acknowledges the need for all of these, and gives a handy "cheat sheet" for grammar terms you'll need to know. Outside of that, anyone who is truly committed to learning a language is probably already doing most of what Farber recommends, so there are no earth-shattering secrets in this book. Yet, it is a fun read. If you're thinking about learning a language, or are already trying to do so, Farber's anecdotes help remind you that it CAN be done. I loved reading about how he learned Chinese to spite his Latin teacher, and how he learned Hungarian out of necessity. In short, buy this book for a quick, fun read, but don't expect miracles.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: This is a book about some guys exploits at learning languages. But don't blame the author, this book is written in that unmistakable "ghost writer" style. It includes such awe-inspiring topics as flash cards, talk with the natives, and word associations, rudimentary steps every language learner already knows. Maybe, before the internet, this was a useful book but in this day and age my own poor Japanese Language learning skills are leaps beyond his.
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