Customer Reviews
WHAT IDIOT RATES AND REVIEWS A BOOK WITHOUT READING IT?
just had to try to counter the incredibly ignorant reviewer from april 28, ephod who didn't even read the book but chose to rate it and say, "this book won't get necessarily get you hired at microsoft."
that's not the intention of the book, ephod you nimrod.
okay, anyway, the puzzles they list are absolutely fascinating. as someone who loves logic puzzles, it was great reading them, and i spent a very happy afternoon in a coffee shop completely engrossed in them. the bulk of the book discusses the history and application of aptitude testing as well as the microsoft interviewing process. while it's a very interesting read, it's mostly just expository reporting, and i didn't find any keen insights, which is why i'm rating the book 4 stars instead of 5. but i actually read the book.
A world where puzzles matter
"How Would You Move Mount Fuji?" is an easy, one-sitting kind of read. That is, unless you decide to try to solve all the puzzles in the book, in which case the time you will need to finish it will depend on your ability to solve puzzles (and your determination to maintain a normal life that is not overtaken by the need to solve every question).
In essence, the book is separated into two parts. The first discusses the history of puzzles and their intellectual and academic standing. This section starts off by narrating the origin of puzzle-solving as a criterion for selecting people; then, it talks about how and why many companies use them in interviews. Mr. Poundstone talks about the general approaches to solving puzzles, and then closes on a note for employers on how to design puzzles that are useful.
The second part of the book is the strict puzzle solving. The book has plenty of puzzles scattered through it and two chapters devoted solely to listing puzzles. From page 147 onwards, Mr. Poundstone discusses the puzzles he has listed and suggests thought processes about how to solve them. This exposition is more interesting than it sounds; for one, Mr. Poundstone explains his answers thoroughly; for another, he uncovers many layers of thinking, that show the complexity (and beauty) of the art of solving puzzles.
"How Would You Move Mount Fuji?" might give you a few tips and tricks, but is hardly a handbook of how to get the job of your dreams. Rather, it is an enjoyable book that will capture you in the world of puzzles for however long you decide to take to read through it.
Do NOT buy the Adobe digital copy of this book
I bought a digital copy of this book and was hoping I could read it from my notebook. The problem is the stupid Adobe ebook can only be installed in one computer, and once the computer has problem, your book gone. The worse is after I tried to open this book after couple weeks, the stupid Adobe reader asked me to activate the software again, and even after I activated it, it still don't allow me to open it. A dialog box with message "Would you like to learn more about documents protected with Adobe DRM?" kept poping out.
I have no idea why Adobe can sell such immatured software and why Amazon use such stupid software to hurt her customers???
