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Religious Book Store > Religious books beginning with T
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Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose, and Live with Acceptable Risk |
Author: M.D., Ben Carson
Published: 2008-01-01 |
List price: $19.99
Our price: $14.59
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As of: December 03rd, 2008 08:34:16 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 simple-minded drivel
I have no doubt that Ben Carson is an excellent neurosurgeon, but what comes across in this book is little more than opportunism, self-promotion, and bone-headed conservative ideology gussied up in a feel-good self-help package. His vaunted best/worst method of assessing risk might sound good on paper, but you need only read through his own real-world applications to discover just how ridiculous and useless it is. In omitting the far more important factor of likelihood from his risk assessment analyses, he betrays a simple-minded black-and-white worldview more befitting a fundamentalist crackpot than a scientist worthy of attention and respect. Do not buy into this garbage.
 Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose and Live with Acceptable Risk
This is an insightful, engaging, life changing book that is both easy and fun to read. I recommend this book for anyone stuck in a rut wondering what's next and especially for those who have spent a life time playing it safe for no other reason than fear.
 Operated by brain power
You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know life is an uninterrupted sequence of guaranteed risks. Ben Carson, in Take the Risk takes his role as a neurosurgeon up a notch as he reveals how operating in sync with your grey matter will draw you toward diving into the risks that are worth taking and passing on the ones that take you on a downward spiral.
He acknowledges that everything is risky. Even to resolve to do nothing can be a hazardous choice. Tied to real life stories as concrete proof, he proposes we apply what he calls Best/Worst Analysis to the options we face. Simple enough that a child can easily adopt, it asks these 4 questions: What is the BEST thing that can happen if I DO this, what is the WORST thing that can happen if I DO this, what is the BEST thing that can happen if I DON'T do this, and what is the WORST thing that can happen if I DON'T do this. For those more complex questions, he recommends we consider who, what, where, when, why and how in the context of the Best/Worst Analysis application. He advocates that removing our egos from the equation often leads to the best answer by replacing emotional investment with logical thinking. What works every time with this model is that it causes you to pause and think before you make your move...or choose to stay put.
Take the Risk uncovers the evidence that by using your brain to bring risk factors into sharp focus, fear and foolishness drift out of the picture. The result is a vibrant illustration of an exciting life made possible by the brush of intelligent risk taking. Ben Carson makes the point that when we zoom into what defines success, we find that it involves risks taken and overcome. So get yourself into the picture, read Take the Risk, and imagine using your insight to capture your wisest decisions.
 could have been shorter, but still worth the read
ben carson, in case you haven't heard of him (i'd only vaguely heard of him), is a world renowned neurosurgeon. i mean, world-renowned, like, he's one of the top pediatric neurosurgeons in the world. and, he's probably the number one neuro-dude when it comes to separating conjoined twins, joined at the skull. oh, and he grew up in a poor, single mom, household, on the tough streets of detroit.
so it's fair to say the guy knows a thing or two about considering risk.
this book is a story-rich explanation of how to consider risk, and how to make risky decisions. it's especially worth the read for anyone struggling to make a tough decision, and i've already recommended it to a couple people.
there are a few places where i felt the book wandered a bit -- i didn't think it was helpful to hear the long-ish excursions into the author's politics (deep into the book, and neither helpful nor necessary) as examples of risk.
BUT, the book has two significant strengths:
1. it is full of wonderful stories. seriously. rarely have i read a book with a single propositional or methodological point that has so many engaging stories. we see carson's risk-consideration formula played out in dozens and dozens of examples -- from his own life, and in the world around us. examples from his childhood, and lots of examples from the risk-filled world of pediatric neurosurgery. carson's a good storyteller (honed, i'm guessing, over years of speaking to teenagers -- nothing hones storytelling skill like speaking to audiences who aren't impressed by your resume), and effectively wields this throughout the entire book.
2. carson unveils a simple, yet very helpful, process for considering and deciding on risk. he calls it the bwa, or best-worst-analysis. many of us, i'm sure, when attempting to make a difficult decision, have made lists of pros and cons. carson's bwa approach is similar, but takes things a bit further. simply put, the bwa is:
- what's the best that can happen if i do this?
- what's the worst that can happen if i do this?
- what's the best that can happen if i don't do this?
- what's the worst that can happen if i don't do this?
of course, he gives chapters full of nuance to this. but i have actually found myself using this little memorable (the fact that it is simple and memorable is part of its strength) approach since i've been reading the book, a bit at a time, over the past month or so.
carson also ties all of this in with his christian faith. he doesn't overdo this point (i assume carson has gone into this in more detail in some of his earlier books), which is good. but it is very interesting to hear some of his story (again, great examples of considering risk, in stories like the one where he considers whether or not to be a part of a panel on science and faith at a prestigious gathering of minds), especially given his scientific cred.
anyhow, take the risk is a helpful book. it's not a "you must rush out and read this now" book. but it's helpful, and an enjoyable read thanks to the stories. it's one i'll continue to recommend to people who are struggling to make a decision.
Are we really called to take risks?
Dr. Ben Carson helps his readers take a fresh and balanced approach to understanding risk - real risk, perceived risk, risks that we all take (and avoid) as part of normal everyday life. As enlightening as that was, I found myself being surprised as I discovered another message in the book. This surprise began as disappointment. Part way through the book I was disappointed because nearly all of the examples Dr. Carson used resulted in moving forward, following through with the action, taking the risk. I felt he was being unrealistic - where were the real life examples that resulting in the considered action or risk not being taken? But as I read further I started realizing that more often than not, God is probably calling us to action, calling us to move ahead, calling us to wisely and carefully work against our cautious nature and clearly take some risks in life.
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