WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT GRAY'S PSYCHOLOGY
“I am a first-year student, taking my first psychology course, and we are using your textbook. I just wanted to say that I've REALLY enjoyed reading the textbook, I honestly thought it would be tedious and boring but I was pleasantly surprised: Your personal anecdotes, humor, and conversational writing style has made (as cheesy as it sounds) learning fun! There have been moments when I've actually burst out laughing. Not only has the book made psychology really interesting to me, it's actually inspired me to consider majoring in psych and pursuing it as a career. … I don't usually do this, but I had to write to you because I am really, really happy with the book and I feel connected personally to you just through your writing!”
“My name is Mike Lysonski, and I'm a student at Carleton College. I am finishing up my introductory psychology course, and I must say, reading your book throughout the past term has been a joy. Your writing style and ability to get the message across in a pain-free, interesting manner has made me look forward to opening your book each night.”
“I am reading your book for a Psychology course … I love reading it, especially because you wrote in a clear, understandable and interesting manner with many clarifying examples; and let's not forget about the humor you added. … I am greatly appreciative of your clear writing style, being a Dutch student for whom English is a second language."
“I'm a University of Michigan student, … and I just want to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your textbook. I've never studied psychology before, but after reading your book I developed a deep-rooted interest in the field. The way you present facts is so engaging and provoking that it's just hard not to like the subject…. Every time I pick up the book to read a few pages I usually end up chuckling to myself. Your sense of humor is very helpful and stress-relieving. Thanks again for a wonderful introduction to psychology!”
“I am a third year physiology student at University of Toronto. During my first year at Queen's University, I had to read your textbook from cover to cover for my psychology course. I am sure you know that reading textbooks is not any student's favorite activity, but to my surprise I really enjoyed reading this one!!! Anyway I have always wanted to thank you for this great textbook. So finally after three years I looked for your email and wrote you my thanks.”
“First of all I must say that I enjoy your book very much. It was great, reading the first chapter, to find out that there are some people who know how to explain something in such a clear way that it's impossible not to get the point. It seemed to me that the words you chose often differed in such a subtle way from the words somebody else might have chosen, that you have come closer to the 'truth' than many others would have. This is such a subtle difference that it won't be noticed very often, but you have my admiration. Congratulations.”
“I took the Introduction to Psychology course at Yale College this semester. Your textbook made the material far more enjoyable and fascinating than it would have been otherwise. I am slow to pick up textbooks, preferring instead to attend class and hoping that a professor covers the relevant material in lectures. But by the middle of the semester I read your textbook regularly and thoroughly, enjoying it and finding the study of psychology much more attractive because of it. Thank you for producing perhaps the most engaging textbook I have ever been assigned. You made the class--and psychology--great.”
“I just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your textbook here in the introductory psychology class at Harvard! It is the clearest, most organized, most interesting textbook I have used in any course here so far. I especially love all of the experimental evidence you use to illustrate the concepts. The facts that I've never before written to the author of a textbook and that I am deciding to do so in the middle of studying for the class's final exam says it all--your text has given me a valuable, fun introduction to the field of psychology and has reinforced my decision to major in cognitive neuroscience. Thanks so much!”
“Upon completing your textbook, Psychology, I have discovered an urge to give thanks for the learning experience. Using this textbook, I have learned a great deal about the discipline of psychology as well as about the world and about myself. I am more capable of understanding and appreciating every ability that I possess and every minuscule function that I automatically perform. … Even though I will probably not be a psychologist, I have developed a sense of gratitude and awe for every psychological or scientific phenomena that I have encountered and will encounter in the future. Every aspect of the book is great; what comes to mind are the hierarchical structural organization, the chapter reviews, the pictures, the comics, your additional opinions, etc. Thanks again for the incredible learning experience you provided for me.”
“I love how your book Psychology always includes analysis of the strong forces that culture exerts on behavior, and how culture influences psychology. In my sociology classes, there seems to be an underlying assumption that psychology often disregards cultural influences, though your book welds together both perspectives.”
“I am just writing to thank you for your excellent work on your book 'Psychology'. I took an undergraduate course in Psych and bought the book as part of that course. This past summer I picked it up again primarily for its perspective on sociology/sociobiology and wasn't able to put it down. I like to think I'm a pretty good student, but I have never enjoyed reading a textbook nearly cover to cover before. Your writing is easy to follow and your examples are well chosen and illuminating. I especially enjoyed the explanation of the common fallacies associated with Sociobiology (and quoted those sections on my webpage). Thank you again for such an enjoyable textbook.”
“I'm a first year science student at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario. I'm just about to write my psychology 100 final exam, and am so thankful for the great textbook we used, namely, the one you wrote. I find your writing clear, smooth and most of all, interesting. I really appreciate that you inserted some personal anecdotes. Somehow these tidbits of information make the textbook seem a lot more personal and fun to read. Your textbook has been the most captivating 654 pages I've read this term. Thank you!”
“I'm a first-year student at UC Berkeley in an introductory psychology class. We are using the fifth edition of your textbook Psychology and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it! You truly know how to speak to students. I often laugh out loud in enjoyment or agreement while reading the text, and I stay interested throughout each chapter. Thanks for a great textbook!”
“I am a junior at Southwestern University, a private liberal arts college just north of Austin, TX. Currently, I am nearing the end of my first course in psychology and I have just finished reading the final chapter of your textbook. I doubt I've ever so much enjoyed reading a textbook from cover to cover. Your book is beautifully written and full of fascinating studies as well as poignant examples. Since so often introductory texts tend to be dry and distant, I just wanted to thank you for writing such an excellent and interesting textbook.”
“I'm a student from Queen's University in Canada taking psychology 100. Since I am currently studying for the exam, I have been studying the material intensely. I'd just like to comment on the high quality of this book. It puts psychology into clear and concise terms without oversimplifying it, and does so with humor and eloquence. … Thanks for making the laborious process of studying for an exam worth 40% of the year's grade more manageable, clear, and perhaps most importantly, enjoyable.”
"What a masterpiece! I am so impressed by the way this book balances an abundance of details, such as specific experiments and experimenters, with such explicit clarity and direction. By the time I complete each section and peruse the extremely beneficial section review, I feel like I have a very clear grasp of the material. What's more, I am constantly uplifted by the unexpected bits of humor! One of my favorites is from chapter six: 'Nobody can die from lack of sex (despite what an overly amorous someone may have told you).'"