Z Books

Includes over 800 entries, illustrations, synopses of books and chapters, biographies of Joyce and his contemporaries, bibliography, a very useful index, as well as the text of Jude Woolsey's ruling to lift the ban on "Ulysses." The writing is clear, wide-ranging, and complete without bogging the reader down in minutiae. Not as thorough as the encyclopedic "Ulysses Annotated," but very useful in disentangling Joyce and his works without great effort! Written by a Professor of Theology and English at Molloy College (and vice president of the James Joyce Society), and a professor of English at Marquette University.

Elvis, the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe have received the A to Z treatment in which every aspect of their lives and works have been reordered alphabetically, so it was only a matter of time that the mania would spread to lesser figures in our popular culture, in this case Mark Twain, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.

This series of three books, originally published by Facts On File and now updated and reprinted by Oxford University Press, combines facts culled from the writers' lives and works, shakes them up thoroughly, and recasts them into easily locatable entries. The result is an addictive pleasure, a page-turning odyessy for anyone interested in learning more about their favorite writer.

At 304 pages, the Joyce volume is the smallest of the trio, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up by offering extensive commentaries on "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake." Those who have tried to read these modernist (or post-modernist, the argument still rages) classics have quickly recognized the need for assistance. For "Ulysses," the Joyce volume reprints Joyce's chart that lists each chapter's time frame, location, symbols, technics, organs, art and correspondences to the original. Each chapter is given its own entry, which describes the action, Joyce's intentions, and clairifies points of Dublin's history. As one who attempted "Ulysses" solo, and suffered for his sin, I can speak with authority that this volume would have saved me a great deal of agony. I only wish they had abandoned their schema and combined the chapter descriptions into a single, lengthy appendix.

No detail is too small to escape the editors. There are also entries on Gustave Flaubert, an influence on Joyce's writing style; Throwaway, the race horse whose victory in the Ascot Gold Cup figures in "Ulysses," and the Volta Cinema, Dublin's first movie theater, which Joyce helped to open.

In short, this guide can help the Joyce reader move through the complexities of his work without feeling like you've earned a Ph.D in comparative literature while you're doing so.

In this context, O'Toole discusses and explores some concepts (like behavior, commitment, communication, controlling, delegation, ego, globalism, hierarchy, performance, repetition, team, trust, vision) with specific stories of some great leaders such as Percy Barnevik (ABB), Jack Welch (GE), Richard Teerlink (Harley-Davidson), Andrew Grove (Intel), Jan Carlzon (Scandinavian Airlines), Michael Boxberger (Korn/Ferry), Robert Galvin (Motorola), Lou Gerstner (IBM).

I higly recommend this alphabetically arranged practical leadership guide.

How should this book be read? One option is to read it sequentially from A to Z. That will work. However, my personal preference (and suggestion) is to re-visit the Contents (pages ix-xi) whenever there is a question to be answered, a problem to be solved, or a new perspective needed. You may find that the answer will reveal itself after you read (let's say) some/all of B, H, J, and T; perhaps reading some/all of A, M, R, and W will suggest a solution; as for gaining a new perspective, I often hop around, in and out, back and forth. Sometimes I locate or formulate one...sometimes I don't.

The book's content is rock-solid. The writing style (vintage O'Toole) has snap, crackle, and pop. The selection of individual items was, of course, arbitrary but the material seems cohesive...perhaps because, directly or indirectly, all of the items help to demonstrate "appropriate ambition" in action. Another way to approach the book is to pretend that you have just entered O'Toole's General Store. Perhaps you have a specific item in mind. Or perhaps you are just "looking around." Fine. Take your time. Check out the merchandise. No obligation to buy anything today. Come back again another time. You are always welcome. Next visit, perhaps, you'll need what you saw last time in Aisle 5. It's nice to know it's there. It's nice to know that some much else is also there, waiting to be of help to you.

I liked it. This book is a compelling read. Since the author focuses on the pragmatic aspects of leadership, he gives the reader the necessary tools to hone his or her leadership skills. The format of the book, although difficult to follow at first, lends itself to quick review. Successful leaders will find this book helpful as a review of the principles which brought them success. For those who wish to become leaders, this is the best resource I have found. It clearly states what leadership is all about in a format that is easy to read and digest. The "no holes barred" approach to illustrations helps the reader see and understand the principles elucidated as O'toole names the names and tells the stories of corporate and non-profit leaders whose successes and failures he demonstrates.

Aside from a good review of the principles that I am trying to instill into my life, it has helped me in three ways. First, the discussion between strategic change and change management was very helpful. The author points out that every organization is faced with constant change, and change cannot be managed. Change management is short sighted and issue orientated, whereas strategic change looks for the long term and seeks to make change a part of the culture of the organization. Second, I appreciated the author's repeated emphasis on the courage of leadership. Being a leader puts one at risk, and as O'Toole succinctly demonstrates, most "leaders" would rather play it safe. Unless the leader is willing to risk failure and humiliation, he or she will never taste the fruits of leadership. Third, I will be using this book as a primer for my staff to teach them leadership principles. There are few books with such broad scope as this one.

How does this book help a pastor of a small church? Some church leaders would balk at this book because the author is looking for the "appropriately ambitious" and deals with secular business. Yet, leadership is leadership. If we as pastors do not have the engine of ambition beating in our hearts for the gospel of Christ, what in the world are we doing in the pulpit? And as long as our Bible Colleges and seminaries ignore the leadership issue and keep training in the "pastoral model", the church in the USA will continue its decline. Leadership is the key to turning the seeming inevitable decline in church attendance around. Until our seminaries and Bible colleges teach leadership, pastors will have to turn to the business community for help.

The true testament to the quality of the atlas: It's the one thing you'll find in every delivery van, taxi cab and potential house-finder's car.