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Deep Play
 
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Deep Play (Paperback)

by Diane Ackerman (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
US List Price: $13.95
UK Equivalent: £9.38
Price: £8.52 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Books USA (1 Aug 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0679771352
  • ISBN-13: 978-0679771357
  • Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.4 x 1.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 563,673 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Deep play" is what helps humans survive, grow and spiritually transcend, according to acclaimed poet and author Diane Ackerman. Children are of course drawn to deep play--those activities that catapult them into an altered state of consciousness, where all their senses are engaged and for that moment life is timeless and fully absorbing. But few adults are conscious of how this form of deep play continues throughout adulthood.

For athletes, deep play could embody the extreme and spiritually rewarding feats of mountain climbing or scuba diving, explains Ackerman. For lovers, it could be the compelling dance of courtship. Some find the act of making soup from scratch a form of deep play. For Ackerman, deep play has meant swimming with dolphins, writing poetry, piloting planes and making sojourns to remote locations and sacred places. "Swept up by the deeper states of play, one feels balanced, creative, focused," explains Ackerman. "Deep play is a fascinating hallmark of being human; it reveals our need to seek a special brand of transcendence, with a passion that makes thrill-seeking explicable, creativity possible, and religion inevitable."

Ackerman's writing and metaphors are most engaging when she uses her fascinating life experiences to characterise how adults can engage in the rapture and ecstasy of deep play. This is a fascinating new territory of discussion, which could forever alter your approach to play in daily life. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this profound and beautiful book!, 13 Aug 2000
By A Customer
As ever, Ackerman has me thinking in new ways, and seeing the world with fresh eyes. Some of the sections are so full of interesting ideas and so exquisitely written that I often reread them. I loved this profound and beautful book. Deep Play is like the best psychology, philosophy, poetry, natural history, and memoir all rolled into one. I find the book a welcome escape, but into the real world. I'm sharing it with my sweetheart, and giving it to friends for Christmas.
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4.0 out of 5 stars playful work of evolution, 6 Sep 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Deep Play (Hardcover)
Ackerman suggests humanity evolves as a result of "deep play," and her eponymous term for meditative, creative activity is described here both in cultural history and personal memoir. The writer explores a range of interests, from the role of the bicycle in the emancipation of nineteenth century women to the etymology of "play" itself-an earlier, near-opposite meaning of the word was much like "pledge." At its best, this is a guide toward her "exalted zone of transcendence over time."
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5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting someone who is having a lifelong romance w/life, 17 Jul 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Deep Play (Hardcover)
Enjoyed it immensely. I admire DA's ability to have this life-long romance with life . Every day. Every minute .
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Captivating. It lacked the power to realy "MOVE" me though.
Drawn out and excessively wordy. I loved it, but it was reminicent of a briefly popular Pepsi-Cola product. It was called Clear-Pepsi. My children thourghly enjoyed it. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars huh?
And how is this book any different from "Flow" by Csikzentmihalyi?
Published on 25 Jun 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars Pablum posing as profundity.
A theory: Former poet Diane Ackerman types up a bunch of fuzzy-feely new-age aphorisms. She then puts these snippets in a shoebox, shakes the box, and gives the aphorisms some... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Ackerman does it again!
Although Ackerman's Natural History of Love is by far my favorite book, this latest work comes in at a close second. Read more
Published on 17 May 1999

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