How To Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own

This dude certainly knows what he's talking about, in whichever of the two dozen languages he speaks. There's a lot of poignant information here for anyone who wants to learn another language with a minimum of agonizing, repetitive drills.

The only problem with this book is that it's slightly outdated. When was the last time you saw someone lugging around a cassette recorder?

Good book, but is abit dated since it was published in 1991. The author should revise it, to bring it up to date.

This book belongs to a category of books that that tell you things that, if you thought about it for a few minutes, you could have figured out yourself. A type of book that is very popular in America. Much of the book chronicles Mr. Farber's exploits in learning to speak different languages. Some will find this interesting and inspiring. For others (judging by some posts here) it may seem like too much of an ego trip. I enjoyed it, but I was already doing virtually everything he talks about when it comes to learning languages.

While the method outlined in this book is no great revelation, the anecdotal material about Mr. Farber's encounters in other languages, and the confidence he communicates in one's ability to successfully teach themself a foreign language, make this book a worthy read. Also, I found his survey of the difficulties and incentives of learning particular languages very helpful. (I haven't compared this book to others like it.) Lastly, my caveat to the new language learner is this: no book should offer you a method of language learning that doesn't necessitate much work and a large investment of time. However, with the right strategy Farber has shown me that it should also be fun, right from the start.

Barry Farber has both a fun style, and some fantastic tips . I used to complain that I wasn't good at learning languages. I had had four years of high school Spanish, and three years in college, and still spoke very awkwardly.

However, I decided to try his tips when I started Italian-- and within two months, I was able to have a decent conversation! Farber's shortcuts-- grouping similar words, using flashcards during your downtime, starting with Pimsleur audio-- are all efficient and effective, and a far cry from the ineffective methods we often experience in language classes.

My Italian is not fluent-- but with minimal study, it is quite good, and I got so inspired by my success that I have been studying Korean, and went back to Spanish as well. At this point I can converse comfortably in all three languages.

I still read Mr. Farber's book when I get discouraged, or feel like I'm not progressing-- his cheerleading, "just do it!" attitude is great.