I unfortunately agree with a lot of the points, although to be fair, he doesn't highlight some of the good things about the book, which is that the concepts presented are indeed important and useful. But I do agree at least from my perspective that the books falls flat on the presentation method, at least compared to other books I prefer. (Simple Chess by Stean)
The Amateur's Mind
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I don't agree with the guy.
If I were to summarize his Long review, it would be that Mr silman is rude, isn't strong enough, and that there are better books that MrSilman's system.
the key point was a subtle attack of Silman's rating. this is off. as a patzer, Mr silman is Definitely strong enough to give alot of good advice.
Jeremy Silman has been an influential coach with many accomplishments as both. Even Mr Get Real admits the material can be instructive.
"the amateur's mind" is part of my midsize chess library; its not a book I'm currently obsessing on- but its not bad. if you picked up the book for a modest price (used book store prices ARE modest), its day might come.
on the other hand, you will still be guessing on your next book.
if money is tight give "Amatuer's mind" a real chance before you buy another. if the insults against his "students" offend you , by all means return the book- but I'm guessing you will Agree with Silman, at least a little, Patzers play pretty blind and plan-less chess.
Is "The Amateur's Mind" a great chess book? No. Is it a good and useful book? I'd say yes.
Rather than wasting time casting doubts on the Mr. Get Real's view of reality, I'll give you my practical take on the book.
It appears to me that the book is a basic primer on positional chess with the suggestion to build a plan to extend one's advantage from a better position.
The fundamentals are listed on page 2 and called imbalances. Imbalances because most of the time to get an advantage in one means giving up an advantage in another. These imbalances aren't new, they've been around since at least Steinitz and Tarrasch, but they are important for good chess.
The whole rest the book appears designed to get the reader significantly knowledgeable about spotting and using the imbalances to come up with possible game plans OTB.
I'd guess if you spend some quality time and effort with this book you'll more fully understand why today's GM's don't like to give up the B pair or what they're after when they do. How GM's manage pawn structures and take advantage of pawn weakness. Why initiative and tempo is so important to computers and GM's. And why and how Carlsen wins so much. Hopefully that carry's over into your play.
That being said, this book isn't the only one that can help you get those results but it certainly delivers the necessary foundation.
I went to a used book store a couple of days ago and picked up the book by Silman entitled "The Amateur's Mind." It was really on a whim and after I got home I went to Amazon to see some of the reviews. Most of them are good but one review made me think I should take the book back for something else. Would anyone read the review by Mr. Get Real (Dumbbel Chess) at the following link and tell me if it has any merit? Thanks.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Amateurs-Mind-Turning-Misconceptions/product-reviews/1890085022/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent