Greed Books


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Greed Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Greed
The Quiltmaker's Gift
Published in Hardcover by Scholastic Press (2001-03-01)
Author: Jeff Brumbeau
List price: $17.99
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Used price: $6.44
Collectible price: $17.95

Average review score:

good
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-03
this is anti materialist propaganda!!! i'm just joking (those people bother me), this was a nice little story about a greedy king who demands more and more presents from everyone in his kindgom, but no matter how many presents he has he's never happy, hence the constant demand for more. then one day he sees a quilt this quiltmaker gave someone as a present and the person seems pretty happy so he demands that the quiltmaker make him a quilt. the quiltmaker refuses to do this however and says that she'll only make the king a quilt when he gives his stuff away, then he'll be able to be happy. so the king tries this out. he gives one of his presents to someone and it makes him feel kind of good inside, so he does it again and again. years later the king is practically poor, but he's smiling a lot and the quiltmaker gives the king a quilt. he says he doesn't need the quilt, but the quiltmaker gives it to him anyways. the pictures are colourful and expressive and there's a nice moral to the story.

The Quitmaker's gift
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-06
A wonderful story and illustrations.Wish there was more stories like that as we live in the world focus on having more instead to be kind and help others. I saw this story as a play and it sure touch me. It is a great keeper!!

Worth Its Weight in Gold
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-04
I keep buying this book again and again to give away. My favorite line reads something like, "He kept lists of all the lists of things he owned...." Regardless of religious preference, few can argue the wisdom of "it is better to give than to receive" and the golden rule. BOTH values permeate this book inspiring children to think of others more than themselves. However, children aren't preached to. Neither are parents. This book makes us all better people, by revealing the ugly materialism that invades our culture and challenging us to embrace generosity and repenting of our greed. The text is poetic, the characters sympathetic, the illustrations rich, yet the story itself is worth it's weight in gold. We have been given a treasured tale in the Quiltmaker's Gift.

Good side-ways thinking
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-29
Review by Jennifer, 10 years old

The genre is fantasy because it has a bear, which talks and is nice. In real life the bear would kill the old lady. There are birds that let people make them a sweater and put it on, and there are even dancing blue cats.

I think when the king starts crying and worrying about the old lady, the author should change the king, and make him really mean but then cry and worry. Then like in the story, the king will go see if the old lady has given up and make the greedy king one of her special quilts which she didn't. The author should make the king's challenges that he gives the old lady, harder to survive, which she still survives. This then makes the king sadder and a big change will happen to the king.

I liked the part of the story is when the soldiers came in their pajamas and sleepy, because you mostly see soldiers dressed neatly and awake.

I like the author because he's a side ways thinker because you can't sew with pin needles and bears can't talk. I like all the side ways thoughts but my favorite was the blue well-dressed cats, it was funny I think the author likes kids.

My favorite part was when the king was giving the presents back because he noticed he didn't like them but it gave him joy to see everybody smile and full of happiness.

The pivotal point is when he gives the first gift back and he was happy. It was the pivotal-point because he gets happy and he was always not happy and thoughtful.

Love this book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-10
All three of my children love this book at ages 8, 6 and 3. The moral is wonderful. Pictures and words are excellent. I would recommend this book to any parent wishing to teach children the importance of giving and not being greedy.

Greed
Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory 1849 (Dear America Series)
Published in Hardcover by Scholastic Inc. (2001-06-01)
Author: Kristiana Gregory
List price: $10.95
New price: $2.98
Used price: $2.25

Average review score:

a life changing journey
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-28
I would recommend this book to girls who like journal style writing. Kristiana Gregory writes this book as the main character, Suzanna's, diary. She uses the elements of suspense and surprise to hold your attention; including how, when, and where Suzanna and Clara's mother died. I learned a lot from this book about the Gold Rush. I learned what gold fever was and how some men became thieves because of it. If you want to learn more about the Gold Rush and you like surprises then you should definitely read this book.

One of my favorites
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-12
I am a huge fan of all the Dear America books. The Gold Rush is really cool and this book made me feel like I was there. This story is about a young girl who leaves her home to go and live with relatives. On the way her father gets gold fever, so they head out west. I really enjoyed reading about Susanna and all her many adventures

My All Time Favorite Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-30
This book is the most fantastic book I have ever read! Susanna(the main charecter of this book)a girl who has no mom, a father who is a doctor in the Gold Rush, a bossy older sister, and who gets merried at the age of 15. She is always getting into trouble during the Gold Rush, But Wait! I don't want to spoil the whole story! I want you to read it yourself. I love this story more than anything ! Please consider this amazing book!

VARTY INTERESTING
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-05
If your like me loving the past than you should read this book. It's about a girl and her father is a minner so they have to go differnet places so he can find work. At some parts it's hard for her and her sister. I SAY YOU SHOULD READ IT!!!

WONDERFUL BOOK!!!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-19
This book is about a girl named Susanne whose dad finds out about the California Gold Rush. They decide to stay for about a year, then go back to Oregon. Their dad goes away for a little while, leaving Susanne and her sister in charge of the cabin. A boy gets sick, and they want to help him, but their dad is away. They go searching for him, and they come upon a chunk of gold weighed around 1,000 dollars. Back then, that was a lot of money to just find. Anyway, this is a very good book and I suggest it to readers. READ IT!!!

Greed
The Great Fuzz Frenzy
Published in Hardcover by Harcourt Children's Books (2005-09-01)
Author: Susan Stevens Crummel
List price: $17.00
New price: $2.62
Used price: $2.61

Average review score:

much ado about nothing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-05
This story was hilarious. I began reading it to my second graders and they didn't want to leave when the bell rang. They wanted to stay for the finish. The curiosity of the prairie dogs was believable and as always, Janet Stevens' illustrations were wonderful. It was very creative to see the ways the little guys could use the "fuzz". Loved it.

What fun and a winner of an award!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-04
This wonderfully rendered book won the 2007 Colorado Children's Book Award through the CCIRA, Colorado chapter of the International Reading Association. The coolest part of this award was that the books are nominated AND voted by the children of Colorado. Janet Stevens has an AMAZING talent in this and many other books. She is fabulous in school visits and is an engaging person. Watch her, she will win that coveted Caldecott someday!

Fantastic Frenzy Fun
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-03
As a speech and language expert with Play on Words, I look for great language enhancing books: Violet, the dog, innocently drops her tennis ball down a prairie dog's tunnel, setting off the "fuzz frenzy." "Boink, thump, rumble, and plunk" is just the beginning of this delightful journey of a fuzzy ball through the land of prairie dogs, filling your child with rich vocabulary and delightful drawings. Bossy Big Bark is the control freak who wants everyone to stay away from the questionable object while Pip Squeak ventures forth for a look. The new found fuzz is stretched, tugged, spiked and twirled into creative hats, belts, rabbit ears and Indian headdresses. Children learn that language is fun when combined in tangles like "fuzz fiesta," and "fuzz fandangle." Naturally there is competition over who will get this new green fuzzy treasure and Pip Squeak is mortified that he had started a battle over the fuzz. Big Bark returns, having stolen all the fuzz, only to be plucked up by an eagle in need of a meal. The prairie dogs rally to save one of their own and Big Bark returns in his protective role over the pack.

Children like to match the drawings with the descriptions: "top dog, corny dog and frilly dog." Take some time to make a list of your child's descriptive words for Big Bark (bossy, ornery, inconsiderate, impatient) and Pip Squeak (inquisitive, kind, leader). Building good descriptive words will prepare your child for writing interesting stories. Do they have a friend like Big Bark? Or is their friend more like Pip Squeak? One little girl that I read this book to was having a little trouble with a bossy friend. What an opportunity to work through issues with peers.

Before turning the page of The Great Fuzz Frenzy, make a prediction about what is going to happen. Parents try it too and see what a variety of options you come up with. One little boy saw the sky go black and predicted a storm was coming. All guesses are good and encouraged. This helps your child think creatively, expand on stories, and strengthen his language skills.

LOVE IT!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-16
I first read this book at a teacher workshop and fell in love with the story and the varied page formats. (Some pages unfold vertically to show the underground tunnels!) This is not only a fun book to look at, the kids giggled all the way through it as the plot unfolded. This could be used in reader's workshop to teach point of view, predicting, inferring, sound effects, or it could also be used to spur a discussion on friendship and cooperation. We did an author study on this sister authir/illustrator pair and the students love how they have a sense of humor and are a bit silly in their stories. I LOVE IT TOO! :O)

TRULY A FUN READ. THE KIDS LOVE IT!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-08
One day a dog drops a green, fuzzy tennis ball down a hole which is the home of a group of prairie dogs. The fun then begins. This strange object, with the strage and wonderful fuzzy stuff absolutely fascinates each member of the prairie dog city. The little critters come up with some rather unique uses for the green stuff. The illustrations are wonderful as is the story. It is actually funny and a joy to read.

I read this one to the younger classes at school and the kids love it. I get quite a number of requests for rereads, which is a pretty good endorsement for any children's book. There are several fold out pages which show various parts of the prairie dog city which makes it ideal for reading to a group. The text is great and holds the interest of the children. The art is colorful, funny and well executed.

This one really should be in your reading library. I use it for kindergarten through third grade, although I suspect that even the ones that are a bit older even enjoy it. I know I do.

Greed
The Moral Compass of the American Lawyer: Truth, Justice, Power, and Greed
Published in Paperback by Ballantine Books (2000-09-05)
Authors: Richard A. Zitrin and Carol M. Langford
List price: $19.00
New price: $10.72
Used price: $8.17
Collectible price: $19.00

Average review score:

influential exploration of nuances of adversary theorem
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-04
Intended for popular consumption, Zitrin & Langford provide a riveting, accessible exploration of the ethical ambiguities posed by the adversary theorem in legal practice.

The adversary theorem, the core of American legal practice, asserts that zealous advocacy on behalf of clients will serve the ultimate cause of justice even if lawyers engage in otherwise questionable behavior because the competition between lawyers who engage in the same practices ensures that justice will ultimately prevail.

Folks looking to denounce lawyers lightly will find little sympathy for lawyers by reading the cases in this book. Rather than consider the implications of the billable hours or the justifications for Frank Armani's interpretation of confidentiality, they'll rush to denounce. It's always easy to pre-judge. That's why lawyers exist.

Zitrin & Langford are less interested in denouncing the adversary theorem than in examining its effect in the real world. The proposals they offer mesh with developments that occurred after their book. The American Bar Association revised its model rules in 2002. Harvard Law School added a pro bono requirement for all students. Law firms tout their pro bono service prominently on their websites, sometimes more prominently than they tout their client list.

Zitrin & Langford add considerably to serious discussion about the application of ethics to legal practice - a perpetual discussion that will last so long as humans disagree.

What Moral Compass?
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-07
The only moral compass I've seen yet is whether or not they can get away with justifying their acts with regard to clients. Much of that depends upon the nature of their confidence and where they sit in the "pecking" order of human beings, a.k.a., to whom they were married (denoting family power), where they went to school (usually denoting family power), and what firm they are with (often denoting family power), or who they know (as a result of family power). Therefore, the ethics displayed say a lot more about who's who in family power than about the topic of morality - since it is family power not God who governs the universe. For example, if you come from the right family, you can be a judge, and many have, or even a President, provided you are not a woman. This has been the history for most professions since the nation was founded.

A clear, engrossing, and important commentary on lawyering.
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-06
I am a paralegal, and have worked in the legal field for 23 years. I could not put this book down. I have been talking about it since I turned the pages of the first chapter. I recommend it to everyone; I plan to read it again, and when it is not in use, I place it in plain sight of the lawyers with whom I work. Langford and Zitrin have written an important commentary about the practice of law that is easy reading for non-lawyers without being condescending. But their book should be required reading for every lawyer. It is as if someone finally mentioned the elephant in the center of the room.

How did the profession get this far afield? Clients are served less and less while more lawyers are churned out of law schools, and competition is fierce. Money talks; clients at the lower end of the economic scale get less effective counsel or simply try to solve problems without representation. The legal profession has evolved into a business to survive; but, along the way, its vision has deteriorated with regard to justice, public service, and what is morally right.

The fact pattern presented at the beginning of each chapter had me guessing about its outcome as I read on regarding actual, related cases. The anecdotal evidence of injustice and moral dilemma is overwhelming. These are not just occasional news items. They are things that happen every day to lawyers and ordinary people.

I loved their straightfoward and common sense proposals for solutions to make the practice of law better for everyone involved. If only the legal profession, which, as they point out, largely regulates itself, had the courage to implement them.

Just read it, okay?

A catalogue of sliminess
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-04
Richard Zitrin and Carol Langford have written here a book that will not only introduce the law student to the sleazier side of law practice, but also warn the "law consumer" what to watch out for (or perhaps what to look for by way of "zealous representation").

But this is not only a catalogue of egregiously unethical practices by real-world lawyers. It also contains interesting tidbits of great relevance to those who want to know what's wrong with the legal profession.

(For example, here's a point libertarians will enjoy. Lawyers once tried to get around the silly practice of accounting for everything in "billable hours" by settling on standard fees for certain common legal tasks. What stopped them? Antitrust law. It seems adopting industry-standard fees is a form of collusion in restraint of trade. Thank heavens; the current system is _ever_ so much better.)

Not long on solutions, this volume is still a solid overview of the sort of nonsense engendered by the adversarial system. It's also a list of good reasons to look into alternative dispute resolution the next time _you_ have a legal problem.

For law students, I'd personally recommend supplementing it with any or all of the following: Mary Ann Glendon's _A Nation Under Lawyers_; Deborah Rhode's _In the Interests of Justice_; and Philip Howard's _The Death of Common Sense_.

More questions than answers
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-13
I am afraid that I don't share other reviewers' enthusiasm for this book. Others have noted that it is rather short on solutions to the problems that it outlines. However, it seems to me that this book doesn't know which audience it is aimed at.

My instincts tell me that it is aimed at the general public - not least because of the breezy, senasationalist tone it adopts. There's an awful lot of scaremongering of the "Gee - isn't it awful what these lawyers are doing?" variety. Indeed, I don't take issue with the factual accuracy of the behaviors instanced by the authors. However, my gripe is that the authors do not put these acts in proportion - the lay reader will come away from this book without any idea at all as to how common are these practices that the authors catalog.

The reputation of the legal profession in the United States is at a pretty low ebb. This book will do nothing to improve public perceptions of it. I do not claim that all is well and the public has nothing to worry about - however, the public does deserve to know just how widespread are the practices that the authors describe. The subtitle for this book might just as well be "lawyers are bad for your wealth" yet the public cannot do without legal services. We can expect those who read this book to view their visit to a lawyer's office with as much enthusiasm as a visit to a dentist or a proctologist. Frankly I think the public deserve to be better informed than this on the issues raised by this book.

Lawyers will find little surprising here - other than the impression that the temple of the law is falling about heads and we know nothing, or care nothing, about it. Zitrin and Langford produced a useful casebook on legal ethics - although not as good as Professor Rhode's - but their legal scholarship has taken second place to legal journalism with this book. The book is short but its scope is all encompassing. The inevitable result is a superficial treatment of important issues and a general lack of reflective insight.

If lay or professional readers want to know just how thought provoking and readable a good reflection on the "state of the profession" can be, I urge them to read Michael H Trotters's "Profit and the Practice of Law: What's happened to the legal profession?" and compare that with Part Two of this book.

Greed
Standard of Care: A Novel
Published in Paperback by Sentient Publications (2007-03-25)
Author: David Kerns
List price: $13.95
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Used price: $3.47
Collectible price: $44.09

Average review score:

Thought Provoking Novel
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-10
Excellent, fast-paced, thought-provoking novel. Dr. Kerns provides an insider's look into the state of our healthcare via a very personable set of characters and a story that kept me entertained cover to cover.

Standard of Care
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-06
This was a very interesting book, highlighting the changes in medicine today. The for profit hospital is very different than non profit and the story guides you through the changes. I think if you are in the medcial field ,this is a good read.

Wish I could have made it last
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-21
I enjoyed this book tremendously and had to ration myself so I didn't gobble it up in one sitting! As I completed it last evening, I had two distinct experiences: As a critical event began to unfold, I had an adrenaline rush as though it were happening to me! And when a disclosure comes that explains one thread of the story, I got a lump in my throat. It was one of those situations where I had to remind myself it was a fictional story yet my physical reactions were quite real. David, thank you for a lovely reading experience.

A Captivating And Visionary Read that Exposes the Anatomy of the American Health Care Crisis
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-16
From mourning the tragedy of little Kerry Jameson, a child whose life as we know it was cut short by medical error/understaffing, to identifying with the ethical dilemma of finances versus care faced by Dr. Dan Fazen, "Standard of Care" brings to life in fiction, the real-life circumstances faced daily in todays hospitals. This book would be enough as a can't-put-it-down read that reaches to the core of human values, and reminds us that right can prevail through the compassion of a single individual, but it goes much further.

Reading this book, one can envision a country where the medical system works! "Standard of Care" should be read and re-read by anyone who hopes to make a difference in the health care of Americans. Though I longed for a sequel the moment I finished the book, Dr. Kerns has a gift to put forth the solutions that could repair our ailing health care system. I hope he pens it!

A fictional account with real-world feel
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-06
Full disclosure: I have the good fortune of knowing Dr. Kerns both personally and professionally. He is an amazing, talented and inspiring character --- and he has written a remarkable first novel.

I recently finished reading Jerome Groopman's excellent non-fiction "How Doctors Think". Groopman discusses medical errors often referencing the effects of the medical establishment. In "Standard of Care" Kerns personalizes that discussion through the conflicts of Dr. Dan Fazen. Faced with the very real-world challenge of being the physician he wants to be and the physician he is expected to be, Fazen reaches deep into himself and deep into his own past to find answers.

From the artfully crafted prologue to the powerful conclusion, this book will grip you. With characters you can care about, dialog that flows naturally, and some of the most important ethical questions of our times in the balance, you will not want to put this book down.

I thoroughly enjoyed it (twice) and highly recommend it.

Greed
Cult of the Mouse: Can We Stop Corporate Greed from Killing Innovation in America?
Published in Hardcover by Ten Speed Press (2004-11-05)
Author: Henry M. Caroselli
List price: $24.95
New price: $2.99
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Average review score:

A Big-Time Wake-Up Call
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-19
I worked closely with the author for over a decade and know first-hand that what he's saying here is both valid and smart. But what really knocks me out is something even bigger.

Henry is a thinker, dreamer, inveterate tinkerer and creative type. In another life, he could have been Michaelangelo. What he ISN'T, however, is an author. Until now. And that's my point.

What Henry 's done here is what he's urging you to do. To step forward, get out of your comfort zone and do something new, different and challenging. To rekindle your inherent spirit to create. These are the threads that we, as Americans, have been pulling forward since our nation was born. But as Henry points out, they've become frazzled
in recent years and good ol' Yankee ingenuity isn't what is used to be.

I was in the meeting when a client asked us to take a "Safe risk". I'm a writer and simply walked away shaking my head over its inherent lunacy. I never thought about writing a book. Henry, an art director, used it as the thesis for his book.

I told you he was smart.

Balancing economic reality with creative mandate
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-11
Caroselli bangs the drum for more creative input and control within the corporate structure.

What happens when bean counters are given carte blanche to reorganize an activity that is essentially a product of creative thought?

The short term answer is obviously greater profits but at what cost? Every member of a board of directors should read this book. It explores the real cost of sacrificing everything to the great profit Moloch.

Perhaps long term corporate prosperity is better served by open communication within the company and this would perforce include those pesky creative types and their expensive ideas.

Clearly Disney was a uncompromising mavarick genius who risked everything to acheive an ideal. Shouldn't we be looking for the same attributes in our corporate leaders?

Well written and interesting.

Caroselli makes a statement
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-14


This highly readable and anecdotal observation by a talented and seasoned business professional defines the type of leadership that is critically needed in business today.

The business of America is business. And American business must continue to be innovative and idea-driven business. Idea generation involves seeking excellence through open-mindedness, vision, and tenacity. As the author explores the courage and cost of being an true innovator, he concludes that anyone can engage in a more free associative approach in the search for innovation and become an innovator himself.

Caroselli encourages readers to initiate lasting and real results by sticking to the essence of their vision while searching for innovative approaches to problem solving and effective execution.

Caroselli is accurate in observing that business managers often toss aside good ideas in favor of the easy sell. It will always be tempting to pay "lip service" to innovation and just "manage the work" rather than "make something happen."

It is significant that Caroselli recognizes that the Chinese and Euro markets are growing too quickly to be ignored. To maintain out standard of living as North Americans, we will be compelled to revisit the kind of Yankee ingenuity and idea generation that made this nation whatit is and to assure that our prosperity can continue.

A highly recommended read for any business person- management, creative or, optimally, a person who is both.

Well written, articulate, and accurate
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-06
Caroselli accurately describes the shortsightedness of corporate America today. While I'm sure there are exceptions, I could relate what was written to my 25, and still counting, years in corporate America. I've seen the shift toward short term results at the expense of the long term for many years. When the "long term" comes, corporations end up in fire-fight mode for survival which drives even shorter term decisions and the expense of true R&D and new "idea generation". The book enlists many excellent real world examples to deliver the message.
The book is written in a very entertaining and casual way to make the points feel close to home. Bravo Mr. Caroselli!!

Excellent, Important Book -- and Publisher's Weekly Review Proves Author's Point
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-25
Other customers reviewing Cult of the Mouse here have written that it's excellent and wise; a fresh, important inside look at the ossification of an iconic American corporation -- Disney -- due to its managerial snuffing of the very innovation and creativity that made it great. I agree and recommend the book to you without reservation.

What I need to comment on is Publisher's Weekly hatchet job "review," which fails to disclose a key fact necessary for any reader to judge that review's credibility: The publisher of Publisher's Weekly, Reed Business Information, is also the publisher of several entertainment industry trade publications such as Variety, Daily Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, etc. etc. As any subscriber to these publications can see on a daily basis (and I am such a subscriber), Disney is one of Reed Business Information's larger advertisers and customers. Shouldn't a credible journalist or reviewer reveal such an important business relationship to the reader? Shouldn't the reader who comes to Amazon for information about a book be informed that the "Editorial Review" is not written, as most customers would assume, by an impartial reviewer, but by a reviewer in business with the company that is the highly displeased subject of the book? Isn't that usually the way journalists and reviewers behave -- disclose their conflicts of interest, rather than hide them?

Caroselli describes artfully within Disney the "don't tell the truth, just tell the toppers what they want to hear" type of communication that is so antithetical to the innovation and creativity that was once Disney's hallmark. Is Publishers Weekly and its parent, Reed Business, guilty of the same in its "review?" Hard to say for sure. But it's easy to say that ANY reviewer worthy of that name should disclose its conflicts. The failure to do so here illustrates just how important Caroselli's message is for corporate America.

So let me make my own disclosure: I met the author once, at a conference I organized about the harmful effects media consolidation and concentration have on creative artists. He asked me to read his manuscript and I was so impressed that I was honored when he asked me to write a jacket blurb. Now, that disclosure wasn't so painful or difficult, was it, Publishers Weekly?

Read the book. Decide for yourself. You won't regret it.

Greed
The Rise and Fall of the House of Barneys: A Family Tale of Chutzpah, Glory, and Greed
Published in Hardcover by Diane Pub Co (1999-04)
Author: Joshua Levine
List price: $25.00

Average review score:

How the third generation Pressmans blew their fortune.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-05
This is a typical story of a rich family running the family business into the ground. Barney and Fred Pressman spent their entire lives building up their suit store. They spent all their hours nurturing this business and they turn it over to their two sons and two daughters. The grand children have grand plans of expanding the store nationwide along with opening a megastore on Madison Avenue. Cost overruns, and the market result in doing in the business. They took a Japanese outfit along for the ride causing them to lose several hundred million dollars.

Levine does a good job of detailing the rise and fall of this retail empire. Barneys did a lot for mens fashions. However arrogant and greedy grandchildren caused the fall of this store. Family owned businesses should read this story for the caution it may give to family members.

Why businesses don't succeed when passed to kids
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-27
A fascinating case study on the history of a well known American business. The behind the scenes look shows the evolution through 3 generations. Looking deeper, it says a lot about the values of each of the generations which explains some of the troubles in America today. Maybe we've become too soft.

I can't recommend this book enough if you enjoy shopping or business books. I continue to shop occasionally at NY and Beverly Hills. You can't go into the stores without better appreciating the history of the store. BUY THIS BOOK.

Should be read by anyone with a FAMILY business
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-20
Don't be put off by what may appear to be a look at one business and one family's way of doing business. This book actually explores far deeper subjects and questions such as : Why is it that so many successful family businesses fail when passed on to heirs? Why do so many solid companies with loyal customers, proven merchandise and a promising future just fall by the wayside? To those who don't know Barneys, it was started by Barney Pressman, a smart, ambitious man who built his business into a thriving industry, selling more suits than anyone in the world by the 1960's.But what makes the book interesting is what happened to his business when his sons came into the picture and the intrigue, scandal and greed that tore apart the company. I can't help wondering: Why don't the patriarchs (or matriarchs) of family businesses teach their children to run the companies just as well? Is it possible to mix family and business and do it well? The Barney's sage, of course, is not yet over and the store is still in existence. So the end of this story remains to be seen.

Fascinating
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-14
A very enjoyable book. You pull for the Pressmans when the snobs snub them in the beginning. You jeer at them when their position goes to their heads and they behave very, very badly. But the really interesting part of the book concerns how fashion and retailing REALLY work. They appear to be just an elaborate hoax on the consumer. This book should be read in conjunction with Teri Agin's "The End of Fashion" which shows the comsumers are getting more and more skeptical and dissects the public offerings of fashion stock (if you're fond of your money and want to keep it, don't buy). Hooray.

A Cautionary Tale for Expansionist Managements
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-19
It seems everyone talks to Levine because as Barney Pressman once told Fred, "The Pressmans have no friends." What emerges is not only a morality play but also a case study on how not to raise your children and how not to expand your business. Hubris is a horrible thing. Time and again though during this decade, with Wall Street money plentiful, retail managements successful in one locale expand their businesses to places that don't want them. A concept that works in NY doesn't seem to play in Peoria, or with Barneys, in Texas. While with public companies, it's only money; with Barneys, privately held, it's family and lives. Maybe that's what makes the Barneys' tragedy a fascinating read.

Greed
Road to Adelphi
Published in Paperback by Trafford Publishing (2002-06-01)
Author: Donna Harris
List price: $26.00
New price: $26.00
Used price: $107.13

Average review score:

Road to Adelphi
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-31
I can't remember reading a book from cover to cover since leaving graduate school,which was quite a while ago. I met my match with this book however. It was compelling and forced one to continue to read late into the night. I am looking forward to her next book.

Compelling
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-10-11
Very compelling reading, more so stimulating if you understand West Indian and South American cultural life.

Road To Adelphi
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-14
Excellent book that I couldn't put down once I started reading. It was a non-complex read that was easily understandable. Hope to hear that you have another novel coming out!

road to adelphi by donna harris
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-07
A great book, a must to read,a tragic story that may break your heart and had kept tears flowing from my eyes in buckets but it is about life's reality. I can't wait for your next book Donna Harris.........:)

very good
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-07
this book is absolutely amazing. it is very good. i would reccommend this to all my friends. it is so alive. very appropiate for all ages. it is a real good book.

Greed
Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter
Published in Turtleback by Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (2002-09)
Author: Diane Stanley
List price: $15.85

Average review score:

best book ever
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-02
I loved this story. I still cry sometimes as I read the ending. the artwork is fun and interesting to look at. The story is about how this clever girl teaches the king about how he can find happiness by helping out his people instead of focusing on making more gold. I love reading this to my little girl. She is 18 months and asks for it. I don't know how much of it she gets but I certainly think children younger than 4 can really enjoy this book.

Wonderful!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-26
This inspiring take on Rumpelstiltskin is fabulous. Stories that model awesome choice making inspire people to make good choices. I love to read this story to my kids. I love the message that family is more important than vanity and worldly glory.

Well illustrated children's story
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-16
This children's story is 29 un-numbered pages in a large format. The cover size is 9 x 12 inches. It is well illustated with large, full-color illustrations.

It is a delightful retelling of the story of Rumpelstiltskin. In this version, the miller's daughter finds Rumpelstiltskin more attractive than the greedy king, and escapes with him to take up a new life on a farm. But, later, the king discovers their daughter, and kidnaps the daughter to try to force her to spin his straw into gold.

The daughter is certainly not attracted to a greedy old king in his dotage, expecially one that her mother had already rejected when he was younger. But the daughter has plans of her own for rescuing the kingdom, and she is a lot smarter than the king.

Like many good children's stories, this one has gone out of print. One could hope that the publisher will reissue this one.

Wonderful!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-27
This book has a great message for young girls (and boys!), and the illustrations are very clever. I think I enjoy this book as much as my daughters do! It makes a great gift.

FANTASTIC!!!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-08
I *love* this book! And so does my 3 year old daughter. The artwork is beautiful and so wonderful to look at. The story is *awesome* and just great for little girls [and boys!].

The author has a superb wit and a gift for storytelling. This has quickly become one of our very favorites and my daughter spends lots of time now pretending to be "Rumplestiltskin's Daughter" [who also had a name!]. I'm very happy with the impact this tale has had on her sense of what it is to be a woman.

This tale encourages girls to be clever and self sufficient without being tedious or overbearingly feminist. [And without being anti-male]. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Greed
Wrongful Death, A: One Child's Fatal Encounter with Public Health and Private Greed
Published in Hardcover by Villard (1997-09-30)
Author: Leon Bing
List price: $3.99
New price: $0.50
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Must read.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-15
I was one of those kids in Southwood. Wow does this book bring it back and now it all makes sense to me.

there is hope
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-06
Christy Scheck did not have to die. The mental health system is getting better but there is so far to go. Especially in the eyes of the public. People with mental illness are not lepers, they just need medicine as a diabetic needs insulin. The general public is so ill-informed. This book is about this young girl who got caught up in the protocol of management and money and greed, and she did not have to die. There is hope and with movies like A Beautiful Mind and Girl, Interrupted and others, like Mike Wallace and Kim Basinger to bring mental health to the forefront of society, it will not hide behind the doors any longer, and will be dealt with in the dignified manner it deserves.

What Greed Does
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-04
It's amazing and truly sad what greed and money does to people, at the expense of someone else's life and a families happiness.

root of the problems
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-28
i read an article in Roling stone.. it in first paragraph stated the parents took this kid out of soccer coed... or something of that nature.. mostlikely the parents have all to do more with the death as much as the hospitals who take advantage .
i happend to be a honors student in art school no drugs or alchol and recovering frm bulima when my father intended to keep me from school by trying to tell a doctor iwas ill.despite he was told to leave me alone .. the next fifteen years of my life were draged into hospitals on lies and hysteria. i was subject to for no reason .. ect. and drugs and i had nt even suffered depression i was a higly educated and adjsuted happy person till my father began to do this.. he admitted this to but not to doctors my father was a md so it was easy to get away with this . my fahter was also a food aholic and gamblerand sick.. see a movie called terror in the family it goes into the lies parents tell of children and who realy is the sick person...
my life was destroyed by these places and i saw first hand what goes on and parents who realy need the places not kids who ar exposed to sick families dysfunction who are basicly reacting to an illness.....
they realy need to have the parents admitted along side the kid id they do this ...
i was kept sick for 115 years and negelcted of anything i said that would have saved me . as a reslut my life suffered ill from truama.... i saved my own life when i escaped this cycle of doctors looking for insurance. butthe effects of damge it left on my life eventuly despite i live about four to five years very happy super healty like i was before this happened i will now die from thethings that were done to me inthe years i was [mistreated] by this system.....
parents have all todo with this kids death .. if they were functional parents they would not need a shrink . they mighttry communcation and being honest with them self.. somewhere they failed and it is not just the system...

A must read for anyone who cares about kids.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1997-12-14
Kafka lives and her name is Leon Bing. But the truly scary thing is that Bing's report on society - "A Wrongful Death: One Child's Fatal Encounter with Public Health and Private Greed" - is NON-FICTION. This could happen to any troubled teen - and it did. But what's even more interesting than how and why this 13 year old girl committed suicide while under professional medical care is how and why this book isn't getting reviewed! Attention authors and investigative journalists everywhere: you may have a story worthy of a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize - but how's it going to effect change if no one reads it?


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