Anybody read this book?

The Secret Universe of Names: The Dynamic Interplay of Names and Destiny by Roy Feinson
Charisma. Power. Sex appeal. Wealth. What does the sound of your name say about you? How do these syllables affect not only your self-image but, even more importantly, the expectations that others have of you? The Secret Universe of Names explains, in fascinating detail and name-by-name example (over 10,000 names), how the sound of a name evokes basic, gut reactions, and what this means for you and yours. Why are people whose names begin with the letter J 250 per cent more likely to become millionaires than people with names beginning with the letter N? Why are I people becoming doctors at four times the rate of O people? Why do the Keiths of the business world statistically outperform the Nigels by almost 300 per cent? What mechanisms explain why the name Emma evokes stronger romantic feelings than the name Kate? Accompanying each of the more than 300 entries is a short biography of a well-known personality who exemplifies the name attributes, with a rating of their charisma, power, sex appeal, and wealth potential. The Secret Universe of Names is a book to give, to amuse and educate, to speculate about, and to keep forever. (from Amazon)

Anybody read this book and what did you think?

Comment by Glenn Gutmacher on January 24, 2009 at 3:50pm: Interesting, Mo -- haven't read this book but I am *extremely* suspicious about the data methodology, let alone the concept. If there are "10,000 names" included, I doubt that's covering every country. I am sure there are cultural differences between how people respond to names. I think the final sentence offers a clue: it's more to "amuse" than "educate". But I'm an open-minded guy, so if someone who *has* read this can offer an objective, informative analysis, I'm ready to re-evaluate.

Comment by Maureen Sharib on January 25, 2009 at 5:45am: I'm with you on the "amuse" clue. I put a call out to see what the book says about your name -I'll let you know. Meanwhile...check this out.