Don Johnson Books

Pam Johnson founded "The Secret Society of Happy People" and found herself grappling with holiday newsletters, worldwide press coverage, a spirited debate on "Politically Incorrect", and asking state governors to proclaim National Admit You're Happy Day. In Don't Even Think Of Raining On My Parade: Adventures of The Secret Society Of Happy People, Pam shares with the reader her perspective on living, enjoying, and celebrating what life has to offer, and presents a spectrum of happiness showcased through insightful stories, thoughtful observations, and witty pieces by other writers. Don't Even Think Of Raining On My Parade is highly recommended for inspirational self-help reading lists and library collections.

This book is two books in one! It tells the reader in chronological order the fences Pam had to jump to get her idea to become reality. With sheer determination and a humorous way of viewing events, Pam succeeded in her quest. The book also is loaded with entertaining stories demonstrating the 21 types of happiness. It was a quick, delightful read.

This book provides a humorours look at how her "Secret Society" got started. The stories of her adventures with the media, politicans, and the public in general are funny. She reminds us fo how lost "happiness" as become, but more important how we should NOT rain on someone else's parade. This easy to read and entertaining book would make anyone a great gift.

Pam's book is an easy to read, humourous look at how hard it is to spread a little happiness. It takes the reader on a chronological journey with Pam as she heads towards making her passing thought of a Secret Society of Happy People into reality. It also contains entertaining stories demonstrating the 21 types of happiness. A fun, quick read that left me smiling

Pam Johnson's "Secret Society Of Happy People" is one of the most unique and yet simple ideas I have ever heard of. Unlike so many other "feel-good" authors of today, she does not suggest that we deny our true feelings or the unhappy realities of this world, but to make a point of expressing our feelings of happiness as and when they arise -- without feeling guilty or inappropriate for doing so. There is a good chance that we are all a lot happier than we think we are! This book also raises awareness of how we allow other people's negativity to zap the happiness right out of our lives. "Don't Even Think of Raining On My Parade: Adventures of the Secret Society of Happy People." chronicles the author's diligent and courageous undertaking to bring acceptance back to the concept of feeling good. It's a wonderful read.

After nearly 30 years in the marketing business, I am delighted to find two dynamic thinkers who have written compelling, concise and creative content on the needs of this country's most powerful and influencial market. Too long overlooked, women have different priorities, values, communication styles and preferences than men consumers. Learned and Johnson aptly address key differences, important nuances and critical factors that drive decision making, the customer experience and brand loyalty by giving actionable strategies for gaining women's trust and turning them into true brand advocates. Don't Think Pink is an easy read business book, dotted with personality and fun. If you want to train your brain to think differently about the women's market (not to mention grow your bottomline), but hate to be weighted down by the business-speak in a typicial business book, Don't Think Pink is for you.

Women are the most powerful consumer force in the U.S., but they do not approach buying decisions the way men do. That's intriguing, but it doesn't mean that exhaustive demographic and sales statistics make interesting reading. Authors and marketing consultants Lisa Johnson and Andrea Learned explain how to direct your marketing efforts to women. Each chapter deals with a different subset of women - old, young, black, white, Hispanic, married, single - but the groups are compared along similar lines and the information is sliced the same way in most chapters. The authors liven up their exposition with short illustrative case studies, but the cases often feature products for which marketers have made no concerted, specific effort to attract female buyers. For instance, the decision to sell single servings of food occurred because of other demographics (more people living alone) and was not intended just to attract women buyers. Still, the thesis here is important enough to carry the authors' occasional tendency to twist product features to fit the theme, as well as their branding jargon. Acknowledging the significance of marketing to women, we recommend this information-packed book.

It is an honor to review this book from a male's perspective. In my opinion it's more important for men to read, hear and understand these distinctions. The marketplace as explained in Don't Think Pink is what most marketers need to consider. I found it helpful in relating our products to women and men after the first read.

What "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" did for the conversations in personal relationships "Don't Think Pink" does for business language. I highly recommend this book for anyone in sales, marketing, product development, advertising and management in any organization that is attempting to connect with the primary buyers.

PS. I first read the book about 18 months ago and had my fair share of revelations and just read it again and it surprised me how much more I took away. I'll let you know what I think of their next book guys.

This book provides a thorough analysis of women shoppers, including those of all ethnic, age, geographic, educational, and socio-economic groups and marital statuses. It gives solid, workable advice on how to attract today's saavy, busy, informed, educated, female customers. It also tells how to help others in the company to overcome outdated, stereotypical thinking about female consumers. I may use this book along with Why We Buy as a text in my visual merchandising course.

Don't Think Pink is indeed insightful as well as approachable in style. I myself gained a deeper appreciation for corporate lingo, a small selection of words which many people will say has been drained of real meaning. Leverage, actionable, synergies, proactive, relatable, networking, and resonate are all words deserving of more attention, especially from people like me who are not primarily interested in marketing. I did note that it took until page 199 for the authors to actually use "paradigm shift," and I was titillated thoroughly when I read it. "Empower" and its variants were used almost once every page, and this book will indeed empower not only you as a marketer, but the women you will inveigle, in whatever roles they fill.
This book was packed with useful information, and well-formatted. With examples drawn from many industries, it is sure to strike a chord with a good portion of its readers.
The references at the back were largely web sites, which should facilitate your filling out your own background in this topic.
In fact, if you don't give a hoot about marketing strategies, you should still read it. If you're looking at this page, it must interest you in some manner, and I say the book is well worth the price. Go for it, ladies!

The Gay Place is a winner in so many ways: an absorbing, deep novel, a historical novel about a key time in our history, an accurate an perceptive regional novel (about my home town, Austin!) and, the best novel on American, or maybe any, politics ever written. Billy Lee Brammer was a speech writer for Lyndon Johnson who was fascinated by the world where a sentence could start with high minded political goals and end in crude bullying. A world where bribery, humiliation and blackmail were tools of the trade, often for worthy purposes. A must-read American classic that grows in reputation as time passes.

Despite its age and it's fictional nature, The Gay Place is still the definitive book on Texas politics and Austin, and one of the top ten books on Texas overall. The charachiture of Lyndon Johnson is priceless.

This is a wonderful trilogy of novels on state politics. Though they seem disjointed, they are unified around the shadowy figure of the governor, who lurks in the background manipulating people and events down to the minutest detail. Thus, the immediate action taking place is a kind of epiphenomenon, all players that are living chess pieces in the governor's grand game, which is never fully explained: that is the real art of this novel, that it leaves far more unsaid than explicitely stated. The reader has to connect the dots.

In the first novel, the governor has chosen a young legislator for an unaccustomed role in the spotlight: his life, like those of his cohorts, is a mess of alcohol and libertinism, but he is also struggling with his conscience to do the right thing. There are so many layers to what was really happening that it is impossible to explain, because the reader can only suspect what the governor is doing. The governor mixes the most intimate personal machinations, it appeared to me, with a legislative purpose and to depose (even destroy) a potential rival. It reminds me, of course, of LBJ, a politician without equal. One of the really interesting aspects is that the author describes many people just like GW Bush: priviledged, brash, debauched, and inadvertantly wondering what they should be doing. If you read this, you will understand GW Bush and his milieu much better - that is a sign of the timelessness of Bramer's achievement, truly a masterpiece.

The second novel is similar: the governor's enemies are defeated, while he stages and manipulates events to suit whatever his purposes are. It is at times brutal and sad, yet funny and even uplifting, particularly in the scenes of introspection, when the characters have flashes of insight and empathy. The plot, which is only a vehicle to expose cryptic motvations, is the governor attempting to get an appointed young senator to run for a true popular mandate - he is a complex and flawed character, whom the governor sponsors out of respect but also to keep him in his pocket. It is splendidly ambiguous, as is all politics. The third involves similar personal struggles and an ineviablle passing of power, again, very realistic and down to earth. Marriages are destroyed, while politics plays in, and the characters wallow in existential angst while working very hard and yet hardly understanding why. It is a unique combination of themes, a genuine work of literature.

One thing that really fascinated me was how similar this is to a Gore Vidal novel, a kind of comedy of the priviledged who inadvertently do politics while living their complicated lives. The political action is entirely off stage, but solved in their everyday actions and affairs and drunken parties. I have no doubt that Vidal carefullly studied the literary method that Bramer pioneered here, which resulted in his truly fine series of novels on American politics. Finally, tt really is where Bush came from, a reflection on the depth of Bramer's art, almost prescient in its intelligence and lack of facile scrutiny.

Warmly recommended as great art and a unique view into politics.

Not just LBJ, this book is about politics and the ways of power. Very well written, insightful and lyric, it might be the best kept secret in political fiction. On a side note--man did people drink a lot then. Its amazing.

Anyone who loves writing and politics will enjoy this book.

In the 500 plus pages of this remarkable trilogy, Billy Lee Brammer does more to explicate and evaluate American politics, especially Texas politics and even more especially, populist politics as practiced by Lyndon B.Johnson, than all the ponderous Caro-type analyses that weigh us down blur the color and cloy the flavor. More than a portrait of LBJ, the book is an artful depiction of the lure of politics and its terrible cost on those who pursue it. All this is conveyed with humor, sympathy and a clear-eyed vision of the American scene of the 60's.

A wonderful and inventive collection of stories with a gay twist. A great summer or weekend read, you can pick up, read a few stories, and put it down for another time.

Long-time spiritual writer Toby Johnson and publisher/writer Steve Berman have put together a much-needed collection of essays and stories about gay men and spirituality. So often, anti-gay activists go out of their way to malign gay people, and homophobes in mainstream churches often block gays from worship and religion. This collection offers an alternative to those small-minded persecutions.

What Johnson has been saying for years in books like GAY SPIRITUALITY and GAY PERSPECTIVE is that the spiritual consciousness expressed by gays--indeed, by all GLBTQ people--is a vital and evolutionary step forward for everyone on the planet. No longer need we be trapped in meaningless, dogmatic, fear-based, or male-dominated religious practices. There's hope and inspiration to be found by, for, and about homosexual lives.

Berman and Johnson have managed to get stories and essays from many literary lights: Mark Thompson, Malcolm Boyd, Perry Brass, Victor J. Banis, Jeffery Beam, Mark Abramson, and many others. The inspiring work of educators, community activists, and religious experts such as David Nimmons, Mark Horn, Dan Stone, Michael Sigmann, Bill Blackburn, and Donald Boisvert are also featured.

CHARMED LIVES is a Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the category of Best Anthology, and it's fully deserving. Every story, every essay is a gem that reveals the beauty, strength, and value of gay voices.

As Bert Herrman writes in his essay, "Grace is not really magic, it is a natural state of being, but for those who reach it, it works like a charm." Reading these pieces will comfort, inspire, and charm anyone seeking to learn more about the wonder of gay spirit in storytelling. Highly recommended. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Regardless of your sexuality, these are works of art that collectively make a wonderful addition to any library. The authors are clear and well versed in their craft making us, the reader excited to anticipate the next and the next, like a multi-course meal at five-star restaurant.

You'll find a favorite; mine was "This I know" by Dan Stone about a journey through a spiritual awakening. There is a part of us in every story but Dan's captured me most. This is some of writing's greatest moments by men who happen to be gay written for anyone who happens to be human.

I go online to shop, and the title's intriguing, and it's only $10.88 and over 300 pages, So I buy it thinking, that's such a bargain, and I read just two of the 35 short stories in it (`Musuko Dojijo' by Mark Horn and `The True and Unknown Story of Albert Gale' by Andrew Ramer) and I felt like I went to a yard sale and found a box filled with sundries among which I have already found a diamond and an emerald. Excited by other possible treasures that may be found there. And reassured that felt [..] literature continues alive and well.

Victor Banis' "Canals of Mars" is one of the most beautiful love stories I've read in many a moon. I may be a straight woman but this story is universal. How refreshing to have such a story about those of us who are no longer young...

Banis is well-known - and deservedly so! - for his "Man from C.A.M.P" series, but his current writing is far stronger. It's wonderful to see him tapping such a deep well of feeling.

I will not be surprised when Beyond the Bake Sale becomes referenced as the quintessential book on parent participation. The book not only takes a widely researched topic and presents it in an organized, easy to read format, it also reads like a how-to book rather than a textbook, making the topic much more approachable.

Beyond the Bake Sale became a resource to me and participants in a recent study I did with parents of children who have disabilities, educators, and school leaders. During the study participants worked to discover parent participation techniques that would open doors to both parents of children with disabilities and educators within their schools. At the end of the study, I was able to provide each participant with a copy of this book along with a list of suggested pages that fit the needs of each individual school site. The participants were overjoyed to receive the book and many (both parents and educators) have already e-mailed me saying they appreciate the way the book presents the information. Based on the feedback of others and my own reading, Beyond the Bake Sale is not only informative, it is inspirational.

No more excuses for not engaging parents in their children's education! This book provides essential information for every educational leader, teacher, or parent who wants to break down the barriers to parent involvement. Every page is a gem, filled with valuable insights and clear strategies.

This is the book I have been waiting for! If I could give it 6 stars, I would. Six years ago I attended a workshop on parent involvement with Don Davies and Karen Mapp as presenters and it changed my life. Since then I have been working in my children's schools and in the community to establish home/school /community partnerships. Over the years I have collected three files drawers full of materials, one full shelf of books and another full shelf of binders filled with things I downloaded from the internet. I've read it all and I will tell you that this book represents the very best of it in one concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-follow volume.

It's all here: the research(presented in an approachable manner), background on the implications of No Child Left Behind on how schools must interact with parents, case studies, tools for evaluating where you are, instructions for creating action research teams( which I have used with great success), a section on the value of parents in the arena of advocating for school improvement, and a comprehensive list of resources which are accessible to anyone with a computer and a desire to improve their schools.

I never read Anne Henderson's first Bake Sale book, but I did have the opportunity to see her speak. Her depth of knowledge in this area is incredible and her ability to make the information accessible to her audience is exceptional. All of that comes through in this book. If you want better parent involvement in your schools, start by reading this book.

This is the book I've been looking for since my daughter entered the public school system a year and a half ago! As an active and involved parent, I was eager to get involved at her school. I volunteered regularly in her classroom, I attended all her events (those in the classroom and those that were school-wide.) I joined PTO and attended meetings regularly. I served on planning committees and contributed to fund-raisers. Still, I lacked a way in to what seemed like a very tight system of parents and teachers working together. I felt as though I didn't have enough experience to know what was approriate to talk about where and when. I didn't have the confidence (even after being a teacher myself for five years) to ask the questions I wanted to ask about the way our school worked.

The transition to first grade was not a smooth one for our family. My daughter's teacher was a first-year teacher and lacked the experience she needed to keep the lines of parent-teacher communication wide open. Our concerns snowballed quickly and we were ready to pull our daughter out of the school system and look for alternatives when I found this book.

This book presents advice, tips, and plans for teachers, parents, and administrators to begin working towards collaboration and cooperation in the school setting. Our children can only benefit from having more people on their teams! I want to be recognized as an important member of my daughter's team. This book has given me tips on ways to get my daughter's school to see me that way (beyond the basics I was already doing.) I found the list of questions to ask at conferences or in meetings to be particularly helpful as ways in to a conversation with my daughter's teacher even when nothing is going wrong.

My experience has been that teachers and administrators all say the same thing. They know that family involvement is integral to student success and they urge parents to get involved. However, when it comes down to the actual work of providing those opportunities many teachers fall short.

I am meeting with our principal next week and I plan to bring this book as a donation to the school. I hope the administrators will pass the title along to the other teachers and staff at our school. I will bring another copy to the next PTO meeting, and hopefully we will start to work towards change from there. I want to give this book to every parent I know! One parent, teacher, principal--one school at a time--that is how we will transform.

As an historical writer, I strongly recommend this finely crafted novel. Mr. Johnson has created a Civil War Drama that readers of the Western genre will thoroughly enjoy. It is cleverly constructed with full-dimensional characters and events that will linger long after the last page. A great read!

From the back cover of the novel: "The author knows firsthand the locale of this action-packed and fast-paced story. He owned and operated a cattle and horse ranch in the Texa brushland wilderness,in the land known as la brasada . . . . the ranch bordered the Rio Grande for nine miles . . . During the Civil War, wagons loaded with cotton left deep ruts while traveling across the ranch into Mexico. The tracks are visible to this day."

From these roots comes Brasada by Don Johnson, a western novel that is interwoven with some fascinating Civil War History - in particular, how the South financed the War by smuggling its cotton into Mexico and getting paid in gold.

This is a real page-turner that has everything a fan of Westerns and Civil War Novels could ask for, and then some. Just a great introduction to the Western genre for new readers. I strongly recommend it for anyone who likes to read good fiction.

Jerry Patterson, thebuffalokid@aol.com

The characters are as vivid as those in Lonesome Dove. I hope there is a sequel as the opportunity is there with the gold missing and the key characters still young.

In the tradition of great Western writers such as Louis Lamour and Elmer Kelton, Don Johnson brings the old West to life in vivid detail in his new novel Brasada. Johnson's knack for storytelling and colloquial style transports the reader straight to the harsh brushland of Civil War-era Texas. Unlike many modern western authors, Johnson has chosen not to blur the line between good and bad, creating the most dispicable of villains in Santiago and effecting sympathy for the story's hero Lance Morgan. But these characters, while morally black and white through most of the story, still manage to develop throughout. The story's intriguing plot and colorful characters make Brasada hard to put down and a must for fans of classic Western novels.

The book by Terri Johnson-Linzy entitled, ýI Understand that I Donýt Understand!ý, has got to be one of the most compelling, moving books that I have read for quite some time.
It speaks transparently about the tremendous emotional upheaval created by the loss of her husband. Having recently lost one of my sisters, I was greatly comforted and felt a sense of release from my personal pain as I began to read. I believe as you partake of this literary gift from God, you will be greatly blessed!!!

Pastor Michael S. Brown, Senior Pastor
...

Terri Johnson-Linzy has written a poignant testimony of God's preserving grace and keeping power in the time of testing and trials. The transparency and tenacity of her faith will inspire you to "understand when you don't understand!"

I was so moved by Ms. Johnson's story. I just can't imagine going through what she went through however, I was touched by how God ministered to both Tim and Terri while going through such a tramatic period in both of their lives.

It's definitely a must read, especially if you've just lost a loved one. It will definitely minister to you.

When I read "I Understand that I Don't Understand!" it ministered to me that, when we experience unexpected heart breaks, deaths, or situations in life that lead us to feel as if we've been deserted, and that no one cares, we must remember that God loves and cares for us. This book is an uplifting testimony about how much God loves us and that He is always there, through all episodes of life.

Shelvie Ross, Temple Hills, MD

This book captures Delroy's leadership skills, even as a youth, and shows clearly what happens when untrained potential is blindly ignored. The principles exhibited as an outlaw come across strong and balanced, and to see them come full circle today should not be a surprise to the reader. I believe that if this book is read critically by the younger population, it would serve as a blueprint for what moves not to make in life. The writer does an excellent job of describing the influence and or power of running the streets.
I like how he captures the events that were occurring in the eras described and putting things in context because it helps the reader to get an understanding of what was going on.
Delroy's tendency to be loyal and his love for his people is undoubtedly traced to his upbringing and influences of the Rastas, Mr. Jones, and the gangsters who were able to exhibit balance. Loyalty, Family and consciousness are the theme throughout the book.
Some of the dramas had me laughing even hours after I had read the chapters and was driving to the campus. Some dramas caused me to reflect on a deeper level and realize how not too far apart we are on the perception of certain things.
In using humor and dramas Delroy was able to paint an accurate account of the prison experience and really put things in context. Prisoners and family of prisoners are rightly informed that there is a large amount of emotions, pain and suffering that is directly associated with surviving a prison experience.
The transformation and redemption is seen as a result of Delroy taking advantage of the gift of time. Agreeing that prison prepares prisoners for a part in society that does not exist anymore, I would have liked to see Delroy play the devil's advocate and try to predict how things would have ended up had he not made the critical decisions that he made to turn his life around.
Finally, Delroy did justice to his relationship with his son David in less than two pages. I would have liked to see glimpses of those "hundreds of pages of communication" which I think would have provided a bigger lesson of what happens when the concept of fatherhood is misconstrued.
Overall a very excellent book that invites the reader to a personal journey in a public arena.

Indeed reading this book is like watching a movie, however, this is real life not fiction. Interview with Soldier Danny should make the youths of today think twice before they get involved in gangs, drugs, murder and going to prison. This book is an education not just to youths but to all who have tried and failed. You can get up again! No matter how far you have fallen, Soldier Danny shows that one can persevere even after 20 years of hard labor in prison. This book tells you how you can start life over. It is unfortunate that Soldier Danny had to endure such hardship. Yet during his struggle the Lord has never left him. We are talking about the original "Don" who got shot in his head twice and lived. A man who decided that murder and gangs is for losers. A man who looked to God for guidance and made it through. I recommend this book to all brothers and sisters throughout the world, ESPECIALLY JAMAICANS. This is the most provocative, exciting, riveting, life changing book I have read this year. This is THE BOOK OF THE YEAR!

Reading this book is like watching a movie. It clears up a lot of questions I had concerning Jamaicans in the diasppora. Very riveting, funny, serious and most of all authentic. Never read a story of this magnitude form one who lived it and survived it.
Big Up!!!

"Interview With Soldier Danny" is an eye-opening look at the life of one of the original "Yardie" that set the foundation for Jamaican Rude Bwoys here in America. Its a compelling story which shows the transformation of "Soldier Danny" from a bwoy in the ghettos of Kingston to the streets of Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan. The book shows what happens when potential is wasted and hanging with the wrong crowd influences your action much to your detriment. It also tells of redemption and making that "Uth Turn" in your life.

This book is an absolute joy to read and you will find yourself turning the pages with such eagerness to see what happens next. It will make you laugh, cry and reflect on your own life. "Interview With Soldier Danny" is inspirational, the Philosophy that permeates the pages will leave you in awe of "Soldier Danny's" intelligence and mental resolve.

As an instructional technologist for a progressive, comprehensive, rural community college, I observe and assist in the change process as it relates to teaching and learning. When I first saw this book advertised from Atwood publishing, I was intrigued by the title and felt this book would be a great addition to my professional library. Not only did this book exceed my expectations, but it provided me with a fresh perspective on the change process through helpful "real-world" case studies from leaders who are effective at their respective institutions. I would recommend this book as a "must read" for any leader or manager or perspective leader or manager in higher education.

The book is organized into three sections: an overview of change theory, case studies by effective leaders, and a summary with strategies that can be implemented at any higher education institution.

In chapter one, the authors make a strong case for a framework for organizational change that includes leadership, technology, and culture. In chapter two, the authors explore the differences between managers and leaders within the culture of higher education. Knowing the tradition and history of an institution is critical in facilitating effective organizational change. The authors also explore the culture, context and the environment of the institution and how it may impact effective leadership strategies. Various leadership styles are discussed thus providing valuable insight into the qualities needed in an effective leader. Chapter three provides practical leadership perspectives and strategies for deans and department chairs. Some of these strategies include a "hedgehog" or "fox" metaphor depending on the leadership styles a leader or manager may possess. The authors provide an excellent summary table that compares the two leadership styles as they relate to the organizational framework, leadership framework, change framework, conflict/problem framework, and pedagogical framework. An individual decision change process is also explored. In chapter 4, Christopher Musselwhite provides a comprehensive overview of managing change: styles, stages, and effective leadership for academic leaders. What I liked the most about this overview was the range of behaviors that leaders exhibited and how that impacts change. These behaviors ranged from "conservers" on the left, "pragmatists" in the middle, and "originators" on the right. Conservers prefer to work within the existing structure, are detail oriented, and don't like surprises. Pragmatists deal in outcomes, are peacemakers, appear more team oriented, and are less likely to have hidden agendas. Originators prefer quick and expansive change, are viewed as change agents, are often regarded as visionary, and are risk takers with big ideas. According to Musselwhite, knowing the behaviors and leadership styles from all three types helps a leader navigate the change process.

The second section of the book includes interviews from various leaders from colleges and universities. This section was very insightful. Each interview included similar questions that dealt with the individual's background and experience, leadership qualities, communication strategies, the drivers of change at their institution, their values, impact of technology, and where they see their institution in 5 years. I especially enjoyed reading the insights from Walter Gmelch, Dean of Education at Iowa State; Yasmen Simonian, Clinical laboratory Sciences Chair at Weber State University; Allen Mori, Dean of the Charter College of Education At California State University, Los Angeles; and Fred Hurst, Dean of Distributed Learning at Northern Arizona University. I appreciated the candor of the interviews and the valuable insights these individuals provide in exploring effective leadership practices.

In the final section, the authors compared and contrasted leadership styles, behaviors and theory with examples provided by the various interviews. This section provided the most benefit by showing how all of the pieces fit together. The authors summarized this information into a bulleted list for leadership characteristics for the future. They also provided a framework for the new academic culture for change.

I feel the authors were very successful in meeting the intent of their book. Not only is this text a solid academic resource, but also it is a practical "field guide" for leaders. The authors provided a well-written, collaborative resource for current and future leaders.

What I liked most about this book was the breadth and depth of exploration of effective leadership. By learning about various leadership styles and behaviors, I learned more about my leadership qualities. I have also used this book as a resource to evaluate and understand the leaders I work with on a daily basis. By identifying my strengths and leadership styles and those of my colleagues, I have started to employ new leadership strategies that are actually encouraging effective change to happen.

You don't have to be a dean or department chair to influence the change process. You just need to understand how effective change happens and how it works at your institution. This book provides an excellent resource to assist in this change process. It is a valuable reference for academic leaders or those involved in the change process.

Collaboratively compiled and expertly co-edited by Michael J. Johnson, Donald E. Hanna, and Don Olcott Jr., Bridging The Gap: Leadership, Technology, And Organized Change For Deans And Department Chairs is an impressively informative and strongly recommended anthology of interviews concerning the crucial responsibilities that academic deans have for maintaining the spirit of education and leading dynamic change to keep in line with new knowledge and leanings. Focusing on the keys to managing the dimensions of organized change - leadership, technology, and culture - Bridging The Gap offers a road map to adapting to both daily complications and long term shifts.

Bridging the Gap is a book whose audience is a relatively small niche but that niche effects a large portion of our society. This book is aimed at the middle layer of leaders in the colleges of the United States; specifically deans and department chairs. These are the people that affect change in colleges and universities from a powerful but less visible position because they are part of the decision making process in upper management and are the sounding board for those in the trenches of the lecture halls.

The editors approach the book in three parts. They begin with an overview of change theory laying a foundation that essentially states that being the conduit for positive change is one of the most important jobs these leaders have. The second part of this book consists of actual case studies. They have interviewed a number of deans and chair people from a variety of colleges and gotten their story regarding the joys, pitfalls and politics of making positive change a reality in this environment. The final section has a summary and suggested strategies that one might use in the college environment to lead as those who were interviewed have done.

I found this book to be very helpful and surprisingly insightful. I am new to the academic political hierarchy and now I am better prepared to seek out and pay attention to what I truly need to know. I also have a better understanding of where my strengths lie and what to keep in check. In some ways colleges, like so many companies, are going through growing pains as they keep up with the technological advances that force the old guard to change the way they do business, competition is simply too great to ignore the wired world of the 21st century. Additionally, I was surprised at how many academic leaders have no formal management or leadership training. They have simply grown through the ranks.

This book provides many perspectives and a suite of useful advice. If you are interested in being a leader or understanding what it takes to get things moving in the college environment I would highly recommend Bridging the Gap.

Once in a great while an author tells a story that is both awe inspiring and down to earth at the same time. , Dayton O. Hyde, author of "Don Coyote" has compiled such a work. His tale is the great American novel that not only speaks, but also sings from the heart, Hyde's story is told from his own point of view, and is about his life as a struggling cattle rancher in Oregon and the amazing friends one can meet thru tolerance and understanding. His is a tale of the brilliance one gains when one stops and listens to his environment instead of destroying it. It teaches that one can live in harmony with all of its creatures. In Hyde's life he has experienced the hardship of honest work, the toils and troubles of dreams not working out, and the friendship of one extraordinary creature. When Don Coyote first came into Hyde's life he was but a nuisance, a so called "threat" to his cattle, a threat that by all of the old laws of the west needed to be poisoned and snuffed out of existence imeadetly. Hyde was a good rancher, a good husband to his wife and a good father to his children, an over all a good person. So when it came time to raise his rifle in Don's direction Hyde couldn't kill him, no matter the old myth that coyotes live to only kill sheep, and should be destroyed on sight .Hyde didn't know it then, but that simple decision to not take an "animal's" life would change his own forever. The New York Times Book Review says, "Mr. Hyde is an engaging writer, and he portrays his coyote characters as charming, quirky and almost irresistibly appealing. He also convincingly demonstrates the senselessness of those who kill the wildlife he loves." Experience the extraordinary true story of a man who decided to observe nature with not just his eyes but also his heart, therefore discovering that man is not the controller of his environment but very much controlled by it. Welcome one and all to a tale of true friendship and

camaraderie. "Don Coyote" was published by Ballantine Books and is available wherever Ballatine Books are sold. Also by Dayton O. Hyde: "The Major, The Poacher and The Wonderful One-Trout River," "One Summer In Montana" and "Thunder Down the Track."

Don Coyote is one of my favorite books of all time. I have just finished this book - again - as I have done every year since 1990. This book is such an easy book to read - it is very hard for me to put this book down once started - and every year I am re-aquainted with Don, Coy, and the Hyde family. I have recommended this book (and the author) to my friends and family and cannot wait to share Don Coyote with my grandchildren.

Dayton Hyde has a wonderful command of the English language and paints pictures with words so you can actually see whatever he writes about. The story was engaging, humorous, informative, and well-written. It is a story of his own struggle to be at one with nature and habitat. He taught his children this love. He was a good father and a good husband, and he maintains his sense of wonder throughout the whole book. He draws the reader into his thoughts and world. I loved the book. I have now read two that Dayton Hyde has written, and this was my favorite, but I loved both books. He is a man I truly admire. He is a good teacher. I read the books before giving them to my son for Christmas, and I want to give other people his book. He shares his life with several coyotes on his ranch and learns their ways and their habits. I learned a lot. Thanks, Dayton!!!