Visualize Your Vocabulary: Turn Any SAT Word into a Picture and Remember It Forever

I noticed the unanimous five star reviews for this book and, wishing to improve my vocabulary, decided it was easily worth the price. I can attest that the techniques used in the book are effective, but every other reviewer will tell you that and I therefore won't focus on that aspect.What no one else seems to mention is the author's inappropriate advancement of his politics in what should be a largely politically neutral book. Rather than rant at length, allow me to simply quote many parts of the book:Rhetoric: "Derek Kaczynski is a university professor, and a card-carrying member of the Communist Party... he constantly uses rhetoric to indoctrinate his students and turn them into little Communists."Utopia: "Mark Levin... explains how the progressive masterminds nearly succeeded in transforming America into their concept of utopia... His book... lays out a possible solution to counter the overreaching power grab of the disillusioned statists."Ratify: "It is my hope the Amendments, recommended by the luminary Mark Levin... will be ratified as the first step to restoring the American Republic."Bristle: "Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Glenn Beck educate and entertain millions of people."Factious: "There's a growing sentiment that our federal income tax system doesn't work... Picture a demonstration on the steps of the U.S. Capitol by groups such as the Fair Tax, Flat Tax, Vat Tax, 9-9-9 Tax, and others."Remunerative: "The transients and wanderers on Mill Avenue who prefer to beg for money consider a remunerative occupation as hostile and foreign."Spurious: "A news alert interrupts the show you're watching to air a militant Islamic terrorist group's video of the launch of a massive, spear-shaped, nuclear missile on its way to the United States."Resign: "Far too many people are resigned to an out-of-control federal government, and to politicians trampling on the Constitution. Not Mark Levin, the author of The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic. Read it and join the effort to restore the Constitution."Eugenic: "The Nazis are often associated with the eugenic movement, but what most people don't know is Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was also a dedicated proponent of the eugenic philosophy."Clandestine: "The Communist Clan holds one of their secret meetings in the dark of night."Invective: "It amazes me how much invective people throw at Mark Levin's The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic when they haven't even read it."Stagnate: "When the government raises taxes too high and overregulates commerce, the economy stagnates."Profound: "Mark Levin's understanding of the Constitution is profound."Incite: "A 'community organizer' develops a track record of whipping people up into a frenzy until they riot." [Recall that Barack Obama began his political career as a community organizer.]Beck: "Glenn Beck, a radio and television host, delivers a funny and entertaining program. However, it also has its solemn moments..."Engender: "The United Nations engenders optimism and respect, only to the world's dictators."Ponderous: "The Constitution calls for a small, unencumbered federal government, but what we have is a ponderous, bureaucratic nightmare."Avert: [A passage identical to my quote for "resign".] [Reading Mark Levin's book] “may be the only chance we have to avert disaster."Conditional: "Well, he picked the wrong house. The family is a bunch of heat pack'n, Second Amendment-cherishing, Ted Nugent loving, National Rifle Association members."Inure: "The prisoners quickly inure themselves to the harsh conditions in Sherriff Joe's Tent City jail." [This is a reference to Joe Arpaio, whose tent city was described as a concentration camp. On January 1st, 2005, Deborah Braillard was arrested on suspicion of drug possession. She was denied insulin, which she was dependent on as a diabetic, went into a coma after three days, and died eighteen days thereafter. At least four other inmates also died under the harsh conditions. To say that the inmates "inure" themselves is flippant at best.]By my count, that’s seven conspicuous mentions of Mark Levin. Further political allusions without a naked political bias but suspect in the context of the above examples include entries for "embody", "vacuous", "pompous", "incongruous", "charlatan", "iconoclast", "malaise", "mendacious", "Machiavellian", "extraneous", "juxtapose", "credulous", "feckless", "chimerical", "unprecedented", "bourgeois", "aggrandize", "venal", "scintilla", "indict", "obloquy", "plausible", "redoubtable", "nefarious", "rancorous", "circuitous", "kindle", and "lobbyist”. I will also note a handful of very modest concessions away from conservative politics, such as a statement that many consider Rush Limbaugh to be pompous, but these are few, mild, and overall vastly outweighed by the pro-conservative statements. Conservative pundits occasionally get just a small dose of skepticism, such as, "Some bristle at the sound of their voices," whereas liberal figures are treated with uniform scorn.This was a book I had hoped to share with my family. Ask yourself if a young person who only wishes to improve their vocabulary should take with it an irrelevant dose of political proselytization. If you are upset by my mediocre review, consider your opinion if the author instead had a profound liberal bias.Because the book is helpful in its goal, I am giving it a middling review. I decidedly will not recommend it to anyone who wants an apolitical vocabulary lesson, nor will I be purchasing the sequel book. Instead, I'll use a good ol' dictionary and write my own stories, as liberal as I see fit.

My 14 yo grandson is using this to prep for HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST for Catholic high school.( If you score over 92% you get reduced tution.) Reading and discussing it with him results in much higher retention than him "studying" alone.

I bought all books in the series because they are so valuable. These are a great tool to advance your success as you go forward in your continuing education. I love the concept and teaching style. This definitely works for me to assign a picture to a word, it just works.

It doesn't get any better than this. At my age anything that will help me to remember better is tops. Thank you.

A great way to learn vocabulary! We keep one by our dining table and learn a couple of words a night a dinner. It is a great way to interact with our teens and engage them in conversation with the descriptions and drawings. This is a great purchase!

Excellent book! My 8 year old loves it. He says is his favorite book. He takes it to school. Every day he arrives home from school and says he has learned one or two words. (This review is meant for Vocabulary Cartoons book)

This book is a gem. The illustrations are great. A fantastic way to learn. I want to share this with all my nieces and nephews.

What a great idea. I just love the illustrations. They are not only fun to look at, but help with learning the words!