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June 9, 2014
Toward the end of his study of analogy, Pollack (The Pun Also Rises) references the 19th-century physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s observation that “an analogy reveals one truth within two expressions.” Taking this idea even further, Pollack suggests that the analogy is the cornerstone of communication. Employing a diverse set of anecdotes that feature everything from sixth-century Irish monks to Reagan’s political ads to the Wright Brothers, the author outlines the analogy’s power to innovate, persuade, and even alter the course of human history. Pollack defines five criteria for a successful analogy; by applying these standards, one can determine its effectiveness and even separate those based in truth from those that are merely manipulative. Though sensible and straightforward, Pollack’s thesis, like most attempts to impose a rigid system onto a vast semiotic concept, occasionally feels forced. Perhaps the comparison drawn between a computer screen and a physical desktop democratized the computer, but such analysis downplays the inexplicable genius and vision of individuals in favor of a formulaic sense of analogy. Agent: Gillian MacKenzie, Gillian Mackenzie Agency.

September 15, 2014
Examination of how analogies are more than just a section on the SAT exam; they are powerfully relatable tools that shape how we communicate ideas and influence others. Analogies are everywhere we look, and some of the most exceptional people in history have relied on them to convey ideas that profoundly shifted culture, technology and society. At the most basic level, all of language is analogous. Individual letters represent phonetic sounds, which combine to form letter combinations that represent things or concepts. This innovation in language transformed what mankind was capable of by making communication accessible to everyone. Similarly, the idea that our computer screens are "desktops" is one of the key components of the transition from paper to microchip. By making the new technology relatable, Steve Jobs ensured that the digital revolution would be inclusive. Pollack (The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics, 2011, etc.), a presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton, relates analogies to an "abstract intellectual scaffolding" that plays a dynamic role in how we think and make decisions. But just as analogies can be constructed to reveal truths, they can also be used as a tool for misdirection. Think of political ads rife with clumsy comparisons intended to discredit an opponent or glorify a candidate-or the persistent idea that business is war or that terror is an enemy. These and other analogies have justified major spending and political decisions that profoundly affect the world by using analogy to camouflage unsavory truths about money and power. The author provides dozens of examples of how analogies guide decision-making and encourages critical thinking as a survival skill to uncover the deeper meanings behind them. Analogies, he writes, are models that can take limitless forms, and we all bear some responsibility in choosing which models influence our lives. A cogent look at one of the conceptual bedrocks of language.

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September 15, 2014

Analogies are everywhere. In this title, Pollack (The Pun Also Rises), a former presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton, takes readers far beyond the typical standardized-test sort of analogy and into a world where analogy is behind much of communication, thought, and creativity. His purpose, laid out in the introduction, is to help readers use and identify inferences of likenesses better. Pollack cites many stories throughout the book that touch on history, politics, and pop culture to support his idea that analogies have power--they can sway elections, sell products, affect the outcomes of trials, etc. Like any shortcut, analogical thinking can get us to our destination more quickly or lead us astray, and Pollack offers readers the tools they need to think critically about the analogies they encounter. He writes in engaging prose and the narratives he shares are quite fascinating. VERDICT Perhaps not all readers will be fully persuaded to the impact of analogies but most, especially those with an interest in language and psychology, will come away entertained and informed.--Mindy Rhiger, Minneapolis

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Considering the broad scope of its subjecthow analogies have shaped the history of science, technology, and commerce (among other things)this is a remarkably short book. That's due, for the most part, to the author's succinct writing style, which gets right to the point and doesn't waste our time with linguistic showing off. Initially, it might seem hard to accept that, for example, our familiarity with baseball led directly to society's acceptance of three strikes criminal laws. But Pollack makes it easy for us to see what he means, especially once he explains that analogy has a much broader definition than we might expect: an analogy, he clarifies, is simply a comparison that asserts a parallelexplicit or implicitbetween two distinct things, based on the perception of a shared property or relation. When you look at it that way, it's easy to see how Darwin could read a book about geology (which talked about how the landscape was formed by small, random changes over massively long periods of time) and make the intuitive leap toward the biological notion of natural selection. Surprisingly, given its subject, this is a thrilling book, intellectually exciting and engagingly written.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)