Rating: 
Summary: THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOK ON MY LIFE
Review: I'm prompted to write this quick review because only 3 have been posted at this point and I expected there'd be over 100 by now. What can I possibly say? After reading this book over 10 times, I realize that it has shaped many of my thoughts and attitudes to life. It shook me out of a lassitude that threatened to stunt my growth, and gave me a massive wake-up call, much in the manner of having a bucket of cold water tipped on your head first thing in the morning. But a bucket of cold, hard common sense! It forced me to confront my own laziness, my habit of whining, of not taking responsibility for my life. Am I a perfect person as a result? No, but what a difference this book can make in your life. Quite literally, it can take you as far as you're prepared to go. And it's taken me very far -- to the point where I'm undertaking great burdens, making enormous sacrifices, and enduring great pain. BUT ALSO ENORMOUS JOY. MORE JOY THAN I THOUGHT POSSIBLE. yes, life is not easy, friends. and peck will drum that into your head a million different ways. and he will give you a hint what the path is all about. but ultimately it's a long, hard climb. but the view is beautiful. and you WILL keep climbing if you keep plumbing the depths of this book. and you will make sense of some of the craziness of this world, and you will be a better human being for it. (also read harold kushner's works). good luck.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Inspiring but...
Review: This is a very inspiring book for those who need answers about self discipline, love, faith and spiritual growth. Psychology professors have recommended this book from some time and I understand why. It takes the reader into a deeper look at what love is and the author spends quite some time explaining what it is not. I agree on some of his proposals but the only problem I find with his insights is that they are too simplistic. His definition of love is way to general and although he painstakingly emphasized that, all and all, love is the basic act of a couple's boundaries collapsing, I still feel that this does not apply in all situations. And I really didn't agree with his idea that falling in love is as a "trap" into marriage. Again too simplistic and not to mention cynical and sarcastic. There are a lot of things that disturb me about this book. I feel the author is a little rough on the parents and should read Louise L Hayes books and give parents some credit. No one is perfect!! Remember: one should understand how parents work with their children. They are doing the best they can from what they have learned themselves from their own parents. This is how they've been conditioned. Come on..I know there are some really BAD parents out there. But for those who do not live up to their child's EVERY need, one can not equate that with evil (yes, he equates laziness with evil.. again too simplistic and false, but that's another book). Toward the end of the book... Peck practically gives us his testimony.. It was very inspirational for those seeking to reach their higher self.. but if you are not a Christian you will feel left out i would have given this book fewer stars but there ARE a look of good insights in this books.. especially the chapters on self-discipline.. can't blame the world for your troubles.. you got to get up and work to achieve you main goals in life... eventually into spiritual growth. I also agreed with his view on changing and how he equated it with maturity. Peck's a very stern, no-nonsense speaker and a good thinker. I would recommend this book for those looking for answers to why their life is going no where, but at the same time I would recommend they disregard some of his theories to achieve the maximum effect of this book (and also prevent them from getting upset and throwing the book). Remember it's ok to disagree with what you read in this book. Peck has a way of making things seem so definite and written in stone just because he says so. I've read plenty of his books so I know!
Rating: 
Summary: Travelling On the Road
Review: The philosophy of this book adjusts itself to mine in many ways, and I am sure of many other people, especially those who had a religious upbringing, without saying it bends toward the religious. The view that one has to face the pain in life is indeed a road less traveled in this world that sometimes overemphasizes the easy way out. I think his definition of love attempts to grasp the concept of it, but I am happier with the definition given by Jesus. Trust HIM on that rather. It made me remember my old lessons in catechism (the love part). The book in all, earns a well earned B average.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read.
Review: This book explores love by describing the work it takes to get there. Peck does not pull any punches, he does not give suggestions, instead he tells the reader exactly how the mind works.
Rating:
Summary: Profound Insights Yet Full Of Realizations
Review: I read the book last 1993. It was recommended to me by a friend who was a former member of the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa. M. Scott Peck directs his writing from the heart to the soul. He tries to penetrate the very being of an individual's nature to love - to tread the path mostly everyone has not or do not intend to step on and go on to. The book has refreshed deep ideas within me. It has facilitated me to explore my journey from anguish towards freedom.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I read this book years ago
Review: My search for fundamental answers -- why do I do things the way I do, why I feel the way I feel, how do I get wiser, happier, more mature -- proved to be frustrating. Today's education is severely limited in the area of wisdom of living, albeit it made me fairly book-smart. Peck's book was a revelation in a sense that it provided insights I searched for, answers to questions I thought only those with innate talent for living knew, perhaps subconsciously. Peck's book is a jewel because it is brutally honest -- life is dificult, and theres no way around it. However, Peck says, you can get better if you work at it, and he shares his insights into the art of discipline, love, and self-improvement based on his many years of phychiatric work with patients. Patients' cases alone would have been worth reading, but the book offers so much more. One word of caution, though: sometimes the reading gets slow as thoughts and concepts become deep, but that did not happen to me too o! ! ften be be disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: The #1 of Non-Fiction Best-Seller of All-Time
Review: #1 of All-Time, 10 years on the N.Y. Times best-seller list -- if this book does NOT contain "more truth" (uh...the very PURPOSE of a non-fiction book, no? -- a fitting tribute to this one in which the concept of what Truth is, and how it is to be identified -- and lived in the ONE REALITY we are all to share -- is so compellingly propounded [something this world needs MORE of, not LESS Traveled]) than any other book ever published (save perhaps John Gray's "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus," which will likely soon overtake TRLT as #1 of all-time [and for the same reasons] -- what ELSE could be the source of its vast longevity and popularity? It does not possess the titilating subject matter of the predecessor to it's #1 of all-time status, Alex Comfort's "The Joy of Sex" to assist it in attaining its vaunted mantle. NUMBERS have MEANING; NUMBERS MATTER...this is not simply "Uh...#1 best-seller" -- it is THE #1 best-seller! ! ABOVE ALL OTHER BEST-SELLERS. ASK yourself WHY that should BE -- and have the courage to face the TRUTH in your answer. Further, remember Dr. Peck's DEFINITION OF MENTAL HEALTH: DEDICATION TO REALITY AT ALL COSTS.
Rating:
Summary: "The Road Less Traveled" is a classic "must read"
Review: This book is one of the greatest of our era! M. Scott Peck has written a classic of which his subsequent books don't even approach. This book comprises four main topics; Discipline, Love, Growth/Religion, and Grace. His coverage of the four basic methods of discipline and how they are interrelated is a masterpiece alone and is a "must read" for parents wishing to raise mentally healthy children. The definition of love as "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth" is also quite refreshing. This book is for anyone with the courage to grow. If you are afraid of the truth...do not read this book!
Rating:
Summary: very helpful along the road
Review: Few books have caught me the way this book did. Many of the other reviews you will read about this book discuss its simplicity, Christian or Puritan themes, etc. What I can say, however, is that The Road Less Travelled has a warmth, and assurance about it that makes one feel at ease with change. It provides a road map (structure) to life that really helped me tremendously. In particular, the section on religion and faith gave me new insights into spirituality. I feel much more in touch with my spirituality after reading this book. It is not a Bible, as some see it, but this book is extremely valable, and one to be treasured. Its insights are truly useful. Read, and enjoy, and read again.
Rating:
Summary: Either M. Scott Peck is extremely good or extremely evil.
Review: This book describes the four pillars of spiritual
growth: discipline, love, religion, and grace.
The author points out that love is not the same
thing as what most people consider "love." Rather, it is an act of the will to intelligently enhance someone else's spiritual growth.
Either M. Scott Peck is extremely good or extremely evil. Another book that he wrote,
People of the Lie, is the most powerful book
that I have ever read. And he labels ordinary
people such as you and me to be "evil," maybe
even more evil than a serial killer. Does he do
this because we are truly evil and are in dire need of spiritual direction, or out of spite? We don't know.
Similarly, his book The Road Less Traveled does not give specific instructions, but merely creates a hunger for spiritual growth. He tells us what love is NOT, yet he doesn't tell us specifically enough what love IS. And he strongly supports Christianity, but yet has revulsion towards traditional Christianity. His attitude towards the mentally ill also is different than mine. Is this good or bad? I don't know.
Read the book and see for yourself.
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