Organizations Books

This is a great book to use as a study for new church plants. Insightful, well researched, bibilical. Including genuine personal experiences, Jack Miller shares important insights regarding how to identify the self-serving ingrown church, and how leaders can help their churches break free to become God serving and outward reaching, through the merits of Christ.

The late Jack Miller makes his own life and ministry a transparent window to show us strategies and tactics in taking an ingrown church and turning it back into one that has a sense of its kingdom mission. This process begins with recognizing the leader of the church as the pace setter. The repentance required to return a church to that for which it was called must generally start with those who are the leaders. Miller urges such leaders to first repent themselves and then to begin moving their congregations to repentance through a process of asking diagnostic questions.

The church is called to fulfill the missionary mandate by means of the filling of the Spirit as the empowering agency of its call. This mandate is accomplished through deeds of love and empowered through private and corporate prayer. Upholding all of this is an understanding of God's unconditional love toward sinners. By contrast, the problem often faced by the ingrown church is that of "religious cushioning" in which we focus on preserving our own comfort level instead of seeking the filling of the Spirit.

At the end of each chapter, there are "action steps" that take the principles presented and illustrated and put them into practice within specific church situations. These give the book a "how to" quality.

It seems to me that the shotgun approach to dealing with the ingrown church might have differing effects depending upon the size of the church. At the same time, Miller's action steps can find ready application in churches of all shapes and sizes.

Miller makes a call both to personal prayer and to moving the church to a greater sense of community prayer, giving practical action steps to bring this about in a gradual but persistent manner. He reminds me that, in this endeavor, I am "in the toughest battle facing the Christian church."

"People come to a church where they are wanted and they come to a pastor who wants very much to introduce them to Christ" (Page 112).

In C. John Miller's book, Outgrowing the Ingrown Church,I found an answer to why the Church seems lacking in vitality and growth. Miller explains this as a failure of an ingrown Church to accept the challenge of living out its missionary purpose. I was amazed to find myself taking on the ingrownness of my own Church, renewing our vision, and leading us through the trials that followed with greater spiritual energy and deeper contentment that I'd ever known. Though I first read this book eight years ago, I continue to go back to soak up Miller's message. I encourage anyone who cares about the Church to read this book. You will find yourself saying "yes, yes!" as Miller renews your passion for the Church's great mission.

This is a fanatastic book written both for the leader and layperson. One comes away zealous to be what Miller calls a "pacesetter": one who leads by example, willing to make every sacrifice to motivate an ingrown church. Miller calls Christians to repent and believe again in the power promised by God through His Holy Spirit. Both leaders and lay people must reorientate their lives to "regular and thorough meditation on the promises of God." Miller outlines many characteristics of an ingrown church and calls us to repentence using biblical principles in a contemporary manner. A suberb book for the spiritual empowerment necessary for becoming the true Chruch of Christ with a missionary character.

Since there doesn't seem to be any plan to update this book for XP, 2003 or 2007, this is still the definitive tome on programming with Outlook VBA. An excellent desktop reference, although it reads more like a dictionary than a true book, but for a straight up list of Outlook constants, it cannot be beat. If you program in Office VBA you must own this book.

This is the best book I've seen on the subject. Very well organized and clear. If you're programming Outlook you need this book.

Here's a tip. Use VBA whenever possible, rather than the VB Script available on the Outlook forms. The book shows you how to program for events such as the addition of a new item or changing an item. You can avoid VB Script programming on the forms this way.

Very Informative. I highly recommend this book. I was able to get the information I needed very easily.

This book was awesome! I used it to help me write VBA code to connect our SQL 7 database to the Outlook Calendar. As staff members update the SQL database, the information will show in individual calendars as soon as Outlook is started up!!! I also plan to use it generate Task Lists from the database. There aren't many books written on Outlook VBA so if you are looking for some answers start here first!!!

Before this book was available, I used the Outlook Help files as a reference for objects, methods, properties and events. Anyone who has used the Outlook Help files knows how prone they are to errors, so this book was a welcome edition to my collection. I use it so regularly, that the spine on my copy has already has a crease.

Whether we like it or not, private schools are a big deal in Hawaii, more so than in any other state. With the roots of the issue dating back to the mid-1800s missionary days, Island parents today make difficult choices when it comes schooling their children. On Oahu alone there are 71 private elementary, middle and high schools to chose from if you decide to go that route. Thirty years ago I found myself on the same quest as Jacqui Pirl - working myself through the maze of school choices for my own children. I, too, wrote a book about it (A Guide to Independent Schools in Hawaii, now a collector's item!) Pirl has expanded on the theme in every way, and has included information on public schools as well. Her book covers every detail that will help parents make informed choices. If you are on a similar quest, let Pirl's book be your guide. You'll be extremely grateful for the deep reasearch she has done on your behalf.

This is a great book. Jacqui Pirl provides tools to look beyond the obvious choices in private education. The Guide provides excellent background information and encourages parents to consider a broad range of factors in selecting a school for their children. It's a must-read for the proactive parent.

Ms. Pirl's Guide to Private Schools in Hawaii is a well researched and well organized guide for parents in choosing a school for their children. It seems to me it would be a helpful tool to guide parents not only in Hawaii but also in any state where private schools dominate the educational systems. It is full of excellent ideas for wading through the process of choosing a school and encourages parents to remain steadfast in their search to find an educational system that best fits the needs of their child(ren).

Finally one place where you can see all the information and make the best decision for your children. I'm buying this book for all my friends.

The Parent's Guide to Private Schools in Hawaii is a wonderful, easy to read and easy to use guide. No stone was left unturned in the research done to prepare a parent to find the the best school for their child. Pirl has given parents of the Islands' children a wonderful way of educating themselves so that may choose the school which best suits their child's individual needs.

This book has everything from parent involvement to parent teacher conferencing to the very best history of parent education/involvement that I have EVER seen.

If you can't find any book by Kevin Swick, then get this one. Heck! Get 'em both! You can never do with enough ways to get parents involved with children during the early years.

This book is comprehensive and easy to follow. It is useful for understanding the various perspectives of both teachers and families. I think it is essential for new teachers, as well as those who may feel the need to prioritize and start putting families and communication first!

[...]

This text supplies new teachers with necessary information to understand the importance of parent involvement- "parents as partners"- in education.

ME ENCANTARIA QUE ME DIJERAN COMO PUEDO CONSEGUIR UNA COPIA DE ESTE EJEMPLAR TAN INTERESANTE. SOY ESTUDIANTE DE MAESTRIA Y SE QUE ME SERVIRA DE GRAN AYUDA EN UN CURSO QUE ESTOY TOMANDO ESTE SEMESTRE.

GRACIAS MIL, CARLOS A. SILVA-RUIZ

This is a very good book, it doesn't only focus on teachers but on parents and student as well. This book is easy to read, not heavy scientific language, and has very beautiful pictures. As a student and a mother I surely find everything I wish to read and know about "parents as partners in education". Thank you for a great book!

I knew Col. Burton (I, too, am from Normal, IL). When you look up "integrity" or "hero" in your dictionary, you may find his picture there!

When I saw the HBO movie based on this true story, I was a bit offended at first that it was presented as a comedy. But I changed my mind -- the movie brilliantly got the story out. Oh, that there were more Col. Burtons in our world!

The "Old Guard" of out-of-touch and can't-handle-the-truth milicrats still run the Pentagon--even after the 9/11 attacks clearly showed a "house-cleaning" is in order to meet the challenges of 21st Century asymmetric warfare by cunning enemies. Colonel Burton's book outlines how 1980s reformers sought to get reliable, safe and affordable weapons into U.S. military service and how these common sense efforts are opposed by the egotists with other agendas. The point is that the U.S. military culture BREEDS self-seeking, egotistical, vain milicrats not common sense warriors with values of honor and troop welfare and mission accomplishment.

The sad thing is that the 1980s military reformers are now gone and not on duty to stop the current round of Pentagon losers like the lav3stryker, V-22, AAAV and F-22 all stricken with the disease of Tofflerian gadgets while ignoring sound physical robustness, reliability and combat effectiveness at their own level. The current generals runnng DoD have simply transplanted their bureaucratic pass-the-buck mentality to the foot Soldier and pilot by hoping a computer "mouse-click" will deliver some magic firepower to solve the battlefield problem instead of empowering lower ranks to fight and win at their own level.

What makes this book so haunting is that its a true story that is repeating itself before our very eyes with the Army's thin-skinned, air-filled rubber-tired LAV-3 Stryker armored car boondoggle that will get our men killed in combat. The book shows the exact same PR tactics and lying "spin" the Army and DoD use to put people second and their programs/promotions first. The depiction of how the Army will cheat on tests to masquerade that "all is well" with a program is common as seen by the recent efforts to deceive the public by flying overweight lav3strykers a short distance by C-130 aircraft with less fuel inside to compensate--exactly how in the Bradley's fuel tanks were filled just with the minimum fuel to drive in front of the audience grandstands and to the aim point for the test anti-tank weapon to hit it.

The tragedy is that after 2 decades, the Army today is rushing the lav3stryker deathtrap into production without ANY live-fire testing against fully fueled and ammo loaded vehicles fired at by RPGs or 14.5mm heavy machine guns thanks to a loophole in DoD procurement. Too bad Colonel Burton wasn't on duty now in the Pentagon. When they make the movie sequel to this book, "Pentagon Wars II: the lav3stryker" it looks like the ending will not be a happy one with a better vehicle (upgraded M113A3 Gavins) going into service. The horror of hundreds of dead American Soldiers Colonel Burton wanted to prevent will be our "wake-up call".

If we ignored the film and Col Burton's book its based on, what makes us think the Pentagon Old Guard will change after needless deaths?

This beast that we creat, "the Military-Industrial Complex," influence in shown in every instiution in this country. This tells the story from inside the Pentagon, and shows how insane it has got. CUT MILITARY SPENDING BY HALF. NO MORE 300 billion a YEAR! Oh Lord, help me. I am clear, for the future now lies in our hands.

I read this book after seeing the HBO black comedy film The Pentagon Wars. It is all true!! I was part of the U. S. Army Chemical Research Development Engineering Center at Edgewood Arsonal back in the late 1980's. I assisted with the testing of the xm-22, xm-21, cadnet, nbc recon. vehicle (a m-113 that got its butt kicked by the then west german fuchs vehicle) and other systems. There were times that you just had to shake your head at the way the officers and civilians conducted some of the tests. The Col is right on the money.

A very interesting book that not only details certain aspects of the defense procurement culture, but also goes into the politics of some of the different services. While the focus is primarily on the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, there are other great bits of information (such as the creation of the F-16) and amusing stories (any involving the "Blitzfighter" aircraft).
The DOD politics that the author experiences are fascinating, and remain relevant today. One example is the discussion of the A-10, its amazing record in the 1991 Gulf War, and how the Air Force really hates it and the close air support role it plays (today the Air Force is moving towards replacing the A-10 with higher flying, faster planes for the close air support missions).
Overall this book is an important read for anyone interested not only in defense procurement, but DOD politics and modern warfare as well. A good book to have as a reference.

This was a wonderful read. For anyone in management (particularly human resources) this book is easy/quick to read and provides some very interesting information and practical information. I highly recommend it.

This book was refered to me by a professor at my college. I think this is the most accurate book i have ever read. It is a must read for all managers and supervisors. Job well done.

Here is a practical guide for managers that provides key insights and action steps for managers to diagnose, evaluate and effectively guide people to success in their jobs. It is easy to read and even easier to implement these best practices for setting goals, empowering people, enhancing and achieving personal and team performace, and dealing with the borderline or ineffective performers. As a management consultant and coach, I highly recommend this book to managers at all levels in the organization.

The Performance Advantage Method provides an effective guide for leaders in coaching and developing team members to greater performance and personal success. The Method is easy to understand and apply with specific leadership actions recommended for each performance challenge diagnosis. This book is a great leadership guidebook for supervisors and executives alike.

This is a "must read" for managers at all levels. It truly provides the best method for diagnosis of employee performance issues and powerful tools for appropriate corrective action.The stories drive home the key points and make it an enjoyable book to read.

Having served on several community and non-profit boards, I thought everyone always worked in harmony on these boards. But, I recently found out that's just not the case. After a couple of our board members did not see a vote go their way, they then went out of their way to "stir the pot" and not support the board decision. I needed help ... and found it in "The Perfect Board". The three pages dealing with respect and unity were woth the price of the book alone! This book should be required reading for any board member or potential board member. This primer is loaded with great wisdom!

Clemon's new volume is a wonderful tool for individuals who are about to enter a challenging and sometimes unknown world - the world of Board service. I have served on a number of Boards in my nearly 35 years of professional life, including 8 years service as an elective office holder, perhaps the most difficult of all Boards of serve on. How I wish that I had Clemon's insights during that time. Buy the book- its a gem.

The Perfect Board is a great resource and provides a list of requirements for my (future) Board Members, the legal necessities related to meetings, and decision making in groups. Most importantly, the writing style makes for a very easy and interesting read. Instead of a textbook and academic approach that typically puts me to sleep, the writing style is straightforward and practical, and this combines to keep it compelling.

"The Perfect Board," is a book written for those who want to become an effective member of any Board of Directors. In essence it is a self-help book chock full of essential guidelines to be an effective leader.
However, this work is written in a cleaver way, as it is told in story form when a young woman named Rebecca is about to be promoted and is unsure how to proceed. In her quest to do the best job she can, she seeks out help and is lead to a man, EJ Cummings, who shares with her a book which he is about to release. In this book he shares the principals that he has learned through years of dealing with this facet of business. This information gives Rebecca the knowledge and confidence she needs to perform the task before her.
In giving this work a storyline with characters that are about to embark on this journey, author Calvin Clemons puts this self-help book many notches about any other. The personal touch it brings allows the reader to absorb more of the information in the work, allowing a relaxed read instead of feeling you must obtain every morsel, great move on author Calvin Clemons part.
I believe this book will help many and is definitely packed full of some great principals that definitely should be followed.

This book expertly and effortlessly summarizes the attributes of winning boards and board members. It's an appealing and comprehensive work-yet the book manages to be bite-sized, which is exactly what busy readers want these days. Its content applies to both the non-profit and for-profit worlds. Just about everyone serves on a Board of one kind or another, so just about everyone should read this book!

By 'clear' I mean relatively easy to read, this is not a textbook. Dr. Ward says himself that it is the most personal book that he's ever written, and I would say that it is his best. Because it is insightful.
One example: of the Five Insights and Four P's, one is 'Policies before the need'. This is something that I've been begging business families to do: establish a policy manual with rules for this and that occasion. Just because your family business is relatively small and simple today does not mean that you can delay.
A problem with other books on the subject is that they are written with a certain kind of family business in mind. This one, however, mentions the first three stages of family business evolution, and lists the 50 lessons under one stage or the other. Most helpful!
Appendix C: A Family Business Checklist made me stop and say "Hey, this question isn't for my business yet." but that only means that if the question and its answer is not appropriate for your business yet, it is still beneficial to start planning and educating. In other words, what is not needed by one generation is essential to the next.
Families in business: listen to this wise man, communicate, and educate.

It is simply the best book about Family Businesses that I read. Besides that, it is one of the few books in this field that has a conceptual structure.
It will be helpful to all people interested in the perpetuation of family businesses.

Well written and researched, "Perpetuating the Family Business" is a "must read" for anyone interested in passing their own business on to the next generation. John Ward is not only experienced, but insightful regarding the dynamics that make or break families and family businesses.

I'm an avid reader of family business books, and I recently re-read Perpetuating the Family Business by John Ward and found myself tabbing numerous pages that contained insightful and important ideas that just about every family business can put into practice.

Ward begins by laying out his conceptual foundation for familes, which contain his "Four P's" - 1. Policies before the need; 2. sense of Purpose; 3. Process; and 4. Parenting. Understanding and practicing the four P's should provide families in business with a decent start in the right direction toward developing a sustainable and successful family and business.

The heart of the book contains Ward's "50 Lessons" for family businesses, broken down into three sections: lessons for owner-manager businesses; lessons for sibling partnerships; and lessons for cousin collaborations. At the end of each section he briefly applies the lessons to the story of two media families: the Och-Sulzberger family (of the NY Times) and the Binghams (the Southern US media family) for illustrative purposes. Below I've set out a few of my favourite lessons from the book.

Lesson 2: Irrevocable Retirement.
Ward highlights the importance of family businesses establishing mandatory retirement policies for executives. As he states: "While a mandatory retirement date addresses the delicate issue of the leader letting go, it does much more than that. The value of a mandatory retirement policy is that it creates the opportunity for more changes in leadership in the later stages of the business." Family member executives in family businesses often have a hard time 'letting go' of the enterprise, creating all kinds of problems for the next generation of family (and non-family) executives who's professional and personal development is often retarded as a result. Also, mandatory retirement will force family executives to find a 'life beyond the business' - perhaps turning towards a leadership or mentorship role in the family or community - that will continue to provide them meaning in their lives.

Lesson 4: Principle of Merit.
Ward argues that families should put in place policies that focus on competence and earned privilege and discourage paternalism. Merit should impact many areas of family business decision making, including what roles family members should play in management of the business; determining compensation; selecting successors; who serves on the board; etc.

Lesson 5: Attract Most Competent Family Members.
As Ward observes, family businesses often fail to attract the best family members into the business because the most competent family members often have opportunities elsewhere. He states that failing to adopt the Principle of Merit (Lesson 4) will result in the business attracting the least competent family members while those who are the most competent search for opportunities outside the business where their competence will be recognized and rewarded.

Lesson 10: Understated Wealth.
One of the most complicated issues for larger family businesses is how to deal with the privileges and responsibilities of wealth. Ward doesn't suggest that families pretend to live in poverty, but suggests that living beneath one's means is a good route to take. He warns that families who do not practice this concept can run into the situation where the salaries of family members in the business can escalate rapidly and compromise the business.

Lesson 12: Graceful Pruning.
The idea of discouraging family shareholders from exiting the business is one that many families often follow - especially once ownership has left the founding generation. Family members often ask questions such as: Why should my kids be able to sell their shares and walk away from the business I've built? or, Why should my nephews be able to force my children to buy their shares and put them and the business in a problematic financial situation? Ward argues that mandating that shareholders wishing to exit do so at a discount to their real value is a bad policy for family businesses to adopt. According to Ward, families should make it as easier for individuals to sell their shares (even offering a premium to their value) as doing so will allow unhappy family members or those not engaged by the business to leave freely, resulting the family being owned by family members who genuinely want to be owners.

Lesson 16: Selective Family Employment.
According to Ward, it is better for families to set policies that create higher standards of entry for family members wishing to join the business. Doing so will encourage the most competent family members to join the business and will preserve upward mobility for able non-family employees. Increasing the amount of outside work experience and education over generations should result in increasingly selective policies.

Lesson 25: Legacy of Values.
In my opinion, the concept of a shared set of values is probably the biggest factor contributing to the sustained success of select family businesses. Ward states that the business should serve as an example of the family's values, and also that the business can contribute to the values of the family.

Lesson 28: Spirit of Enterprise.
Families that consider themselves as being "in the business of business" are more likely to be successful over the long-run than families that are strongly tied to the specific business that the founder created. While attachment to the original business is common, and selling the business or re-orienting it in new business areas might be troubling for those who built the business, they should see their success not as creating a business that does a particular thing, but creating a family that shares their love of enterprise.

Lesson 45: One Family.
This is probably one of the hardest lessons for many families to adopt. Many families that extend to a sibling partnership and beyond tend to adopt practices and policies that view the family as 'factions' or 'branches' - e.g. allowing each branch to nominate it's own director. Ward argues that families should avoid this state of mind and the practices that go along with it. Instead, he suggests that families should view themselves as 'one family' regardless of which branch individuals originate from. Adopting the 'branch' theory results in too many family members on the board, promotes tension and rivalry, and allows family feuds to continue. A family that adopts a one family approach should be comfortable with one family representative on the board of directors, knowing that the individual will represent the interests of the family and will not be motivated by self-interest.

In summary, I think Ward's book presents many interesting lessons and can serve as a very good resource for new ideas for families seeking to improve the governance, communication, and ownership of their family and business.

In a short book, John Ward offers many key findings & synthesized concepts (often surprising, even counter-intuitive) without wasting readers' time but with true-life examples enlivening his conclusions. His research & concisely presented insights match the multi-generational history of our multi-$B family holding company. This work should be on best sellers lists, not only because it is the "Built To Last" for private business, but also because it includes management principles that could be used in public companies seeking to endure.
C.U.

Chris Cross's analysis of the history of federal public policy in public education provides all of us a critical perspective of the evolution of this policy, the issues within it, and possibilities for the future. Change is undoubtedly coming for our work in education at the federal level, and to fundamentally understand and then move to assist in this change, practioners and policymakers alike must understand the evolution that has brought us to the point, the needs we jointly face, and the players who have wrought our federal system. Chris gives us the foundation the make critical decisions in this book. Our next steps will be better measured because of this seminal work! Alice D. Parker, former Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education, former president, National Association of State Directors of Special Education

Political Education is a must read for anyone interested in education, but policymakers have a special obligation to read this book. Cross has preserved important aspects of our nation's institutional record concerning K-12 education that will benefit even the most seasoned policy and education professionals. Cross explains with ease the ways - both subtle and overt - in which America's federal education policies have evolved over time, focusing most intently on the policies enacted after World War II that led to the creation of No Child Left Behind. Rest assured though, this is no snoozer. Political Education is a page turner that is full of engaging stories about how the political process really works. A must read.

Political Education is a must for anyone studying federal education policy! The author, Chris Cross, has written a comprehensive book on the history of the paramount Elementary and Secondary Education Act, giving the reader a clear picture of its evolution and purpose.

This book is also important read for elementary and secondary public school educators. This book will help teachers around the country better understand the federal role in our nation's public schools.

This book serves as a foundation for understanding the No Child Left Behind Act and the future of federal elementary and secondary education in the United States.

The author provides a masterful account of the development of federal K-12 policy. He draws upon his own experience as a key player in the proceess while maintaining balance and perspective. This book belongs on the short list of anyone with an interest in American education policy.

I have bought a lot of books on Amazon, but I have never written a review. This was a GREAT READ!! In a user-friendly writing style, Cross' ubiased work follows the progression of federal education policy from World War II to the present. This well-researched work (over 150 references and personal interviews) provides an excellent refresher of US education policy. I am not a history buff, and I couldn't put it down (and neither could my classmates-- they loved it too.)

I decided to read The Politics of American Religious Identity after reading a recommendation of it by Elder Oaks in his interview for the PBS documentary The Mormons (http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f11cb868474e3110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=9ae411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD).

Flake's book is a fantastic read of a very fascinating period in Church history. I was struck by her account of how the Church's leadership's understanding of what it meant to be "Mormon" and the Church's core beliefs in the nature of God, priesthood authority, and revelation really came into focus during this time. In her description of these events--from the view of what I assume is a non-Mormon scholar--one can see the divine hand of revelation as God worked through President Joseph F. Smith and the Quorum of the Twelve to refine the Church and its people.

That said, it is a wonderful piece of scholarship and a enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

This is an excellent book by an expert historian on the events that began the integration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into American life. Kathleen Flake discusses in detail the three-year-long hearings to determine if Senator and LDS Apostle Reed Smoot should retain his senate seat.

This book is not only about Reed Smoot, but also about then Church President and Prophet Joseph F. Smith. Perhaps Smith is the most interesting person in the book. His 5-day testimony before the Senate committee shows the quandary of demonstrating that the church was no longer teaching polygamy without alienating church members who were then praciticing that doctrine, which many believed to be the crowning revelation of church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Perhaps today's faithful may be surprised that the LDS presidency and quorum of the twelve performed plural marriages after the 1890 Manifesto. (An apologetic treatment of this era is located on the FAIR LDS web site under the title "Polygamy, Prophets, and Prevarication.") Despite his careful statements as a witness (to the point of deception), Smith satisfies no one: not the senate, not the American public, and not the Church membership.

The 1900-era LDS church is also an interesting element in this book. The tension between the pioneer generations and their offspring over polygamy and the 1890 Manifesto fits the enduring theme of generational conflict, but also the ability of the LDS church to evolve in response to changing societal conditions.

Joseph F. Smith ultimately led the church through the transition away from polygamy and into American Life by focusing on the First Vision of the church's founder, the Prophet Joseph (who was Joseph F. Smith's Uncle.) To understand why this was effective you will have to read the book. Flake's discussion of Joseph F. Smith's eventual success in this regard is insightful and was a new wrinkle to me. Not only did Joseph F. Smith lead the church away from polygamy but he also revitalized the church's European missions, changed the policy of the "gathering to Zion" into one of building an international church; and encouraged church members to reject their isolationism and engage with their fellow Americans. Joseph F. Smith's support of Smoot's senatorial service while Smoot retained his role as Apostle proves to be a stroke of genius and ranks as perhaps Joseph F. Smith's most daring and visionary act as the President of the LDS church.

Reed Smoot is shown to be a remarkable individual. His senate career was almost 30 years long and in that time he became one of the most powerful senators and an adviser to three presidents, all the while serving in the highest quorum of the LDS church. I would have welcomed more biographical information about Smoot. Indeed this is the one shortcoming of the book.

With regard to religious bigotry in America, this book is poignant. With the candidacy of Mitt Romney, a faithful Mormon, we see the same accusations that were raised 100 years ago against Smoot: Questions of allegiance to the United States, dark implications about sacred LDS temple ordinances, suggestions that the LDS church is a subversive organization that aims to undermine the U.S. government.

It is not surprising that these repeatedly discredited accusations are once again being made by Protestant Churches and individuals. Flake shows that the Smoot Hearings were initiated, articulated, and sponsored by the Protestant churches and leading ministers of the day. Such is the state we once again find ourselves in 2007.

The drive to unseat Smoot ultimately failed for a number of reasons, including a natural inclination of Americans to allow freedom of religion, a movement away from Polygamy by the LDS church (after which the accusations against Smoot changed to questioning his loyalty to the nation), and also by Smoot's engaging personality and exemplary service as a senator.

I would like to believe we have come a long way as a tolerant nation in the past 100 years. However, it appears that we have not.

This is a superbly written book, and one of the few works of professional, objective history that examines 20th century Mormonism. Flake's central thesis is that pressure from the US Government in the form of the Smoot hearings forced the church to abandon polygamy once and for all. Faced with the loss of its most cogent identity marker, the Mormon hierarchy needed to find a way for the Latter-day Saints to distinguish themselves from other denominations. They did so by emphasizing the restoration message contained within Joseph Smith's 1838 account of his first vision. By pointing to the vision's statement that Mormonism was a unique restoration of primitive Christianity, the Saints were able to set aside the practice that had made them unique up to that point: polygamy. Flake's arguments are basically sound, but somewhat overstated. For instance, the first vision had been used for this purpose since at least the 1880s, and she selectively sorts through the existing scholarship on the vision to skirt this fact. She also places too much emphasis on the symbolic importance of the centennial of Joseph Smith's birth and the monument that commemorates it. Nevertheless, this book easily joins the pantheon of "must read" books in Mormon history, and no student of the early 20th century church can fail to grapple with Flake's conclusions. An excellent and highly recommended work.

This is a superb book.

The book brings history to life as it clearly and cleverly recounts a demanding and difficult time in Mormon and US history. It weaves together the social, political, and spiritual themes in an easy to read and engaging way. It offers remarkable insights on how religion and politics co-mingle. It brings to life Senator Smoot and his demanding role as senator and religious leader. It offers insights into the operations of the Mormon church as it dealt with a sensitive and important issue. It offers insights into the political process at the turn of the Century and how political processes are shaped by individuals. Dr. Flake has a unique ability to bring history to life and to help us learn from this history. This book is academically credible and yet easy to access.

I've grown up in the LDS church, served a mission, am married in the temple, but I never really knew much about church history past 1847 and the arrival of the saints in the Salt Lake valley. I've started to become more interested in how the isolated Rocky Mountain church has grown into the worldwide organization that it is. At the same time, I'm also interested in politics, having studied law. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I found the explanation about the church deciding to reach back east across the Rockies to find acceptance to be very interesting. I also learned a great deal about Joseph F. Smith. He realized that the controversy surrounding polygamy was so great that it was taking away from the mission of the church to continue to proselytise and grow the kingdom.

It was also interesting to see how members of the United States Senate were actually arguing that Mormons didn't deserve the basic rights of citizenship that we take for granted today. Even in today's heightened sensitivity to different religions of the world, I don't think anyone would suggest that non-Christians duly elected to public office should not be seated in the office to which they were elected. Yet many believed that Reed Smoot should have been ineligible to serve because he was Mormon. Ultimately he was seated due more to political pragmatism rather than because of a true belief in the First Amendment.

Kathleen Flake does an excellent job of presenting all sides of the issues, and provides a large amount of sources in the endnotes. I would definitely recommend this book to all members of the LDS church to help understand how today's worldwide church grew from that small group of "peculiar people" in 19th century Utah.