Careers Books

When I first started Chapter One, I thought "Oh, this insight is perfect for my husband." He happens to be a great guy, but he lets his "inner critic" bring him down. As I read more, questions started to come up: how do I try to prove myself to others? How do I make them prove themselves to me? Finally, I decided it would work better to read the book for myself instead of my husband. What's all that got to do with happiness? Dr. Bob, with his curly white hair and his amazing insight, says we can choose how happy we want to be. And it's not ha-ha happiness (although it can be), but mostly it's that feeling that you're not too small or too large, but just right in your world and that if you need to change, you can. The book is full of freeing thoughts like that; the biggest one is that we have options. The book is structured to be little sessions with Dr. Bob's clients who have problems; we learn along with them. Characters (Humphrey Bogart, Lao-tzu and more!) drop by to illustrate some points. I was glad to be reminded that we make up stories about ourselves and our lives and then we believe them. Instead of that, we can work on our own happiness --in fact,that's our job. I like that the book is small, with challenging messages to chew on. Dr. Bob has something to teach us all.

Reviewed by Dr. Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (3/08)

A fictional character called "Dr. Bob, the Happiness Coach" creates "Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?" Dr. Bob gives the reader several stories from his days as a university instructor, as well as uses his stand-up comedian humor to let us know that happiness is not something we find. Each story gives true-life examples of blaming others, guilt trips, self-pity and lying.

Through modeling and asking the right questions, Dr. Bob is able to get others to think about how they sabotage their own happiness and that of others around them. Although his techniques are not new to the "self-help' books, his humor makes the reader really look at how they are unhappy campers and thrive on it. Everyone from teenagers to the mature audience will enjoy this book. What I really appreciated about the book was that the author didn't attempt to give readers the impression he was the "guru" of self-help. He only gave the impression that his suggestions have worked for countless others.

Being a Psychologist, I have certainly heard this type of self-help technique before, however, while reading the book I could laugh and point to myself in ways that I have made myself unhappy. "Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?" is very light-hearted reading, but you get the point. What turned me off was the way it seemed too easy to become a happy person and in the times the author uses "bluntness" my thoughts were "what damage would this do to a vulnerable person?"

Jim Downton's book is hilarious, just the opposite of unhappiness. It is easy to read and use. In this one little book is a world of wisdom summed up in his final chapter with ten commitments. It is honest, especially when Dr. Bob realizes he may not always be following his own prescription for living a happy life. We are not perfect and to see an expert examine his own weaknesses while giving advice is a terrific lesson in humility and professionalism. I found myself in every chapter, sometimes realizing a hurdle I'd overcome, other times recognizing I had a distance to go yet; always learning along the journey.

Propective readers should know that Jim Downton/Dr. Bob is dedicated to helping people find happiness in his real life. The royalties from the sale of his book are donated to organizations serving the needs of children.

Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (3/08)

You go to the store, and you pick up this self-help book. What will this one do for me you ask yourself? Self-help books usually give us advice; they make us feel a little better every time we read something that applies to us. "Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?" is one of those books. Dr. Bob's book of self-help keeps you reading to find out if there are more answers for you and more ways to help yourself. The author of this book shows the humorous and honest side of therapy sessions along with great ideas to help you get through trying times. Telling the story as Dr. Bob, The Happiness Coach, was an added plus. Also, the way that the story is formatted makes it all very interesting as well. It is written more like a play would be written, letting us know who is saying what and why.

In my opinion, this book will be helpful to teenagers and adults. Upon reading this book, I found some unique and exciting ways to deal with my personal issues as well. I could relate to a lot of things in "Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?" I have often had problems with feeling like I am on guilt trips and with emotional fears. The book showed me ways in which to be able to understand how to use certain techniques to help myself. There were some very good ideas in which I was able to practice, and they worked! The ideas and imaginations, of certain famous movie stars coming to life to talk to the patients, were excellent! It surely motivated the patients to strive harder to fix their problems. Dr. Bob also focused on helping people to learn not to look at everything in a negative light, and to put their thoughts more into positive light, so that life can bring more positive things and not so much negative.

I implore you to find this book, "Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?" and to read it all the way through, and to see how satisfying and completely helpful it can be. It's not often an author puts humor into self-help books, and in this case, it worked out very well. Dr. Bob teaches you confidence, different ways of bringing more positive into your life, and he brings back the joy into reading as well.

James Downton, a.k.a. Dr. Bob the Happiness Coach provides entertaining and humorous stories in dialog form in his new book "Why Am I So Damn Unhappy?" He uses imaginary characters to tell about people he has coached, people he has helped increase their happiness, creativity, and the wisdom to apply the principles talked about in the book. These principles deal with developing wholeness and creativity, cultivating wisdom, inner peace, and happiness.

Each chapter consists of a story, dialog and valuable coaching tips. The chapters show the reader how to discover their own inner critic, how to practice self acceptance, and the power of creating new choices. Downton put emphasis on the importance of developing the gift of inventing positive stories and creating positive thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

Dr. Bob offers ideas on learning to laugh at yourself, on evaluating fear, reducing guilt, ways to elevate happiness, and to change your thinking patterns from "poor me" to "lucky me." He shows the reader how to handle anger and lying, creating balance, developing a life purpose, learning how to handle resistance to what we cannot change. I was personally challenged by the results revealed about myself when I took the "Vampire Test." Downton's analogy of the four chambers of a generous heart became especially meaningful to me.

I also enjoyed the feature "Creative Side Tracts." These summary statements offered help in shaping thoughts, enabling the reader the benefit of creating hope, adapting pointers on living with the romance of unhealthy foods. Downton provided a consumer truth test, which helps the readers learn to like themselves, and how to appreciate being alive.

Jim Downton instills inspiration, encourages imagination, and spontaneity in his new book "Why Am I So Damn Unhappy?" This is life coaching at a new level and will help the reader increase their awareness while unlocking a bold and free spirit within. James inspires creativity and transforms attitudes. His writing is humorous, entertaining, and life changing.

According to a poll taken of readers of "Redbook" magazine, family comes first. However, those polled revealed that they felt that the American family is in crisis right now. Stress comes from all sides: work, school, other family members who might become ill, etc. This book, a brilliantly researched and argued treatise on childcare in the 21st century in America, shows unequivocally that Americans need to focus on this problem. I was disheartened to read of 11-year-olds called on to take care of younger siblings while Mom and Dad work. I sympathize with the parents who are struggling to find ways to pay for daycare; I did that when my kids were 4 and 2.

This book is amazing. It synthesizes all of the various reasons that today's families are under more stress and strain, and how public policy can be revised to help. From drastically changing demographics, to public policies that have failed to keep pace, it covers a sociological history of family and work life over the past century. It also provides solutions for change. I see this book as a good starting point for researchers and policy makers to brainstorm on practical solutions. It's a useful resource for any lit review having to do with family and workplace politics, including school change, daycare change, elder care, and protection of the family unit. Great book. I felt hopeful by the end, in spite of all the work that needs to be done, b/c the solutions are possible.

This book brilliantly addresses the issue of a non family friendly society that focuses more on the tenents of capitalism than the health and well being of children. Excellent discourse, research, and recommendations...A must read for all who are interested in issues of disparity, family strucutre, health, and culture.

America's working families are in jeopardy, with children being raised in two-income households where both parents are working and workplace demands cutting into home life. The Widening Gap examines the lives and lifestyles of American working families, considering their class, ethnic background and family obligations. Case histories supplement analysis of modern gaps between workplace demands and family health.

Most people have a job that allows little leeway for spending necessary time nurturing children and older relatives when they need special help. After all, employers are hiring the employee, not the family. Right? Well, read on to learn what some of the consequences of that system are now.

Many people feel overwhelmed today by how to earn a living, take care of the family, and raise children. For women who work outside the home, a recent study showed that the average work week is 85 hours for work, commuting, home chores and errands. Even with that tremendous effort, what's to be done when your 7 year old suddenly becomes very ill at school? How do you get your child home after an after-school activity? If you don't have much money, who takes care of your 3 year old?

The conclusion of this book is that millions of children are being shortchanged in the process. And the children who are being shortchanged the most are the ones with the most significant needs and with the lowest-income parents. As a result, we face a future of underprivileged youngsters numbering in the tens of millions becoming ineffective adults, rather than having a society that provides equal opportunity for all based on their potential to pursue the opportunity.

The book is based on four quantitative studies, comprising interviews with a total of 7500 people. These studies focus on finding out how family needs are being met, and what the consequences are for children. These studies appear to be the first quantitative studies to take the anecdotal evidence we see all around us of problems, and find out what is happening to all of U.S. society.

Most U.S. children are being raised in households where every adult works for a wage or a salary. School days and school years are shorter than work days and years, so there are many uncovered hours. Half of those who would like help with child care cannot get any, adequate or not. Many of the rest have inadequate child care because adequate care is not available to them or too expensive. Children are mostly being left to fend for themselves. As the cases suggest, this is often dangerous. It is never good for the children.

When children are ill, they are sent to school anyway. If they need attention because of special or just doing their homework, often one parent has to work evenings or weekends and cannot spare the time to help out while the child is home from school. If the family only has one parent at home (as so many do in our divorce-riddled ranks), these children are raising themselves.

In addition, one household in four is helping an elder relative.

Children in school who are having the most problems are the ones whose parents are around home the least.

Life as an adult in these households is "predictably unpredictable." As a result, something unexpected happpens about once a week in 30 percent of the households that requires someone to leave work. The women in the family usually rise to the occasion. Their employers often take it out on them in terms of reduced promotions, raises, and security.

The U.S. model for dealing with this has been to either rely on employers to provide help voluntarily, or to ignore the issue. As Dr. Heymann points out, many employers are never going to see this issue as being in their self interest to solve. In fact, the problem is largely invisible because people who leave work to take care of parents or children rarely tell their employers that's what they are doing. Other excuses or no excuses are provided.

Dr. Heymann argues for increasing the social safety net to cover children better. Since so many people cannot afford or find good preschool care, she argues for this becoming something that the community offers . . . in the same way it covers the later grades. Since these formative years are very important, large educational gains should result. Dr. Heymann also argues for many kinds of paid leave from work to help children.

Beyond that kind of legislation, there are things that employers can do. Focus on output rather than attendance. Provide more flextime. Allow more work to be done at home.

Government can do more. Let routine administrative things be done by mail or telephone. Provide after-school care at no cost in every school. Have transportation so elderly people can get to appointments, and children can get home after the work day ends. Have teachers available to help students after school whose parents are still working.

Although the author did not suggest it, my reaction is that we probably need to start a large number of experiments to see what works well and what does not. These experiments could be funded by companies, company foundations, and community foundations. From such experiments, we can find the most effective ways to improve this crushing burden on the development of children and on their parents. Although the working poor need this help the most, everyone needs help in some instances. The question is simply what the best ways are to improve things.

Investing more in helping our vulnerable children and older citizens will repay us handsomely. Let's find the best way to do it!

This is a great little book regarding negotiations about employment issues. Goodman incorporates the approach described in Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreements Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton. In fact, Roger Fisher even wrote the Foreword to this book.

The book focuses on career negotiations using a principled negotiation strategy for win-win propositions rather than bluffing. Part one of the book is a basic overview of the negotiation process and skills that are essential for negotiating success. This part contains the first two chapters. Chapter on focuses on basics that include topics such as listening, communication, self-control, focus, and of course the four keys outlined in Getting to Yes:

1. Separate the people from the problem.
2. Focus on interests, not positions.
3. Invent options for mutual gain.
4. Insist on using objective criteria.

Chapter two is a good basic primer on getting ready to negotiation. Every negotiator knows that preparation is key, and Goodman lays a solid foundation regarding this important step.

Part two of the book looks at specific employment negotiation issues. Chapters topics include: the interview, salary, stock options, signing and performance bonuses, benefits, relocation, various nondisclosure agreements, severance packages, employment agreements, and annual reviews.

The final part of the book looks at the big picture and covers topics such as professionals' perspectives on negotiations and working in groups.

The appendix includes two model agreements that strongly favor the employer with instructions to put your knowledge to use by identifying the undesirable clauses within the agreements and then restructuring each clause to bring the agreement back into balance. There is a clause-by-clause analysis following each agreement.

Overall, this is a great little book that shows hot to get what you want from your employer and coworkers by negotiating in a collaborative way. This book can help anyone in varying aspects of their career development process. Negotiation is a part of life, and it is especially a part of the work world. This book provides advice and strategies that will not only help you build professional relationships and improve the ones you have, but also get ahead in all areas of your career.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series. Alain has also written numerous articles, including a column on Negotiation for The Montana Lawyer magazine.

I loved this book! I found it to be an incredibly useful resource for anyone involved in the employment negotiation process. I was particularly impressed with the format of Win-Win Career Negotiations. The book starts with a primer on the negotiation process that was instructive and fascinating. Win-Win then walks you through the nuances of negotiating an employment agreement. The final section includes perspectives from real-world negotiators.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

There are many books out there on negotiating that are quite good and useful on the general topic of effective negotiation, but "Win-Win Negotiations: Proven Strategies for Getting What You Want from Your Employer" is unique in its focus on career negotiation. This is useful for those that need to focus their skills on this area without being distracted by other unrelated issues. This enabled the author to go into detail on this important subject area on negotiating employment by covering such issues as stock options, benefits, relocations, salary reviews, termination of employment, etc.

The author illustrates his arguments, proposals and solutions with practical examples which make the book very useful to the reader. His writing style is easy to follow and understand so that any reader with a basic understanding of English can easily follow.

Among the aspects that I liked about the book include the author's detailed analysis and discussion of a sample employment agreement. He also provides advice on effective negotiation through active listening, communicating effectively and the need for emotional stability.

Based on expert knowledge on the subject and true business wisdom, the author produced an excellent book for anyone who wants or needs to undertake employment negotiations like a proven winner.

Peter Goodman's Win Win Career Negotiations: All You Need To Know About Negotiating Your Employment Agreement is a dynamic and extremely practical guide to understanding and applying useful negotiation tactics when seeking employment regardless of the size or nature of the business or corporation being approached. Individual chapters address basic negotiation skills, interviews, settling issues about salary, stock options, benefits, severance packages, annual reviews and more. Offering the real-life experiences of successful executives as positive examples, Win Win Career Negotiations is a "must" for serious-minded job seekers determined to get the most out of their career opportunities!

I was happily surprised by this book. Often I will pick up a book and browse through it in the Business Books section of a store, and chuckle at how simple and useless the advice can be. However, Goodman has some very useful examples and tips. Of course, a lot of it is common sense, but for many people, this book will really get the juices flowing. In fact, a lot of books focus on getting a job, but Goodman has selected a very good segment to focus on: once you get a job, how do you negotiate the best possible compensation? The author gets a great concept across: that everything should be part of the negotiation, and think creatively in doing so. This book will help me when I re-negotiate my present contract, no doubt about it. I also found the case studies with real (and notable people) very effective edification of the principles he espouses.

For a new trainer, this tome has proven to be an invaluable source of ideas, inspiration, examples, watch-outs, suggestions, and additional resources. Without this book, my first training sessions would have been lackluster meanderings into unfamiliar (and dangerous) territory. Mr Eitington's suggestions, guidelines and examples served to help me structure and flesh-out my seminar to be a strong success. The book is clearly organized with both a Table of Contents and an Index, and every chapter is broken down into relevant, digestible chunks. This guide focuses only a little on actually setting up and starting a training, in favor of creating a great deal of detail on training techniques, scenarios, and tools. The copiable sheets (for everything from pre-work to team games to feedback) 1included at the end of the book also provide much creative fodder, as well as saving a great deal of time. Of the five training guides I have, this is the one I use more than 80% of the time.

I found Eitington's The Winning Trainer the best of the category. If you were to have only one training book for limited space available for your suitcase, I recommend this. Actually, when I leave my office for an overseas assignment, The Winning Trainer is always my companion. It is comprehensive and practical. Yes, it is the reference for active trainers.

This is an encyclopedia in one volume for the training professional -- one you can't do without. In clear, concise language the Eitington provides the concepts and ideas to prepare the learning environment, involve the participants, deliver content, and evaluate the learning experience. You won't find another book like it anywhere!

This is an excellent resource for new and experienced designers and trainers. The book contains HUNDREDS of ideas for active, interesting, meaningful learning. EVERYONE in the learning field should own this book.

Joanne Polichetti Integrated Learning Solutions Adjunct faculty: Milano Graduate School: New School University

No one in the training field or doing anything even close (teachers take note!) should be without this book. I started workshops for high school students and have done exhaustive research, and spent a great deal of money. This book is by far one of the most outstanding resources anyone could have. I have covered mine to keep it from tattering, since I use it constantly in planning. It is so comprehensive...you can start with just a subject/topic...and find dozens of ways to present it. You can be a novice, or an experienced professional and benefit from this book. I simply don't have the words to express how valuable it has been to me. It is a gold mine of information about the teaching and learning processes.

Three seamen in the Merchant Marine when America was at war were Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston and Jim Longhi, this book's author. Not many people know Woody shipped out with the Merchant Marine in 1943 with nothing more than a seabag, well he took along a guitar, a mandolin, a case of books and a portable typewriter. One might have thought he was going to a concert and not to war, but Woody played guitar, wherever he went, the Grand Coulee Damn or U-boat infested waters. And with fellow folksinger Cisco along for the ride, you can bet the playing on that boat was mighty fine.

Though they had regular duties aboard, Woodie and Cisco were morale boosters and with U-boats lurking, storms raging, seas rough and waves high, they were certainly appreciated. On more than one occasion they saw other ships in their convoy go down, but this page turning book isn't only about the terror of the deep during war, it also has quite a few laughs thrown in. You just won't believe the cooking school bit Woodie, Cisco and Jim had to go through and you'll enjoy all heck out of their shore leaves. Still, war is grim business.

This is a must read for any fan of Woodie Guthrie's or Cisco Houston's. It's also a very good book which reads like fiction, though every word is true. I can't recommend this highly enough, it's a story about America, a story about folksingers, a story you'll never forget.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

The main reason I bought this book, and (unfortunately) it wasn't too easy to find, was to learn more about Cisco Houston. There hasn't been much written about him except a few pages of reference here and there in his contempories biographies and stories. In that regard, this novel didn't disappoint. Many sides of Cisco are shown - strong and solid, brilliant, an athlete, a quiet war hero looked up to by men from all walks of life, a fair and honest man with a strong sense of justice, a man among men who also liked his women, his booze, his gambling, and who would not mince words. Also, someone with a tender heart of gold. Woody is portrayed as the icon he is, at times almost a "wizard" able to snatch victory out of the clutches of defeat, able to rally huge groups of men and children from all cultures and walks of life with his singing. And the author, Jimmy Longhi, manages to bare his soul throughout much of this rollicking, constantly funny and often touching story which, for the most part, takes place during a less than two year period - the final two years of WWII - during the three times that Woody, Cisco and Jimmy shipped out with the Merchant Marines.
The style of this book is so entertaining, so fluid, so descriptive that it's amazing that Longhi's main walk of life is that of lawyer, not author (although he is also a playwrite). The story is filled with memorable characters - Davey Bananas, Nino Sala, Courtroom Kelly, Newington, Frank Strahele, the evil Jojo, Mando - to name a few. I really had trouble putting it down. Parts made me laugh out loud while others brought a tear to my eye. As a bonus, this story draws you into the realities of WWII. The extreme patriotism among men from all walks of life regardless of race (although archaic prejudicial customs are brought to light) or political conviction (the far left or "reds" were as much behind beating Hitler as the far right), the thoughts and fears of the soldiers before the Normandy invasion, the abject poverty of Sicily, northern Africa and Belfast. This is a great read and highly recommended.

As a long time listener to Woody, and Cisco I was familiar with Woody through his writings and the biographical material about him. However, Cisco, seemed to have only existence as Woody's "sidekick". This book introduces the reader to a remarkable, and very interesting person. Jimmy Longhi's book provides the reader with an opportunity to relive those days with three remarkable me

Most fans of Woody and Cisco know they made a few trips as merchant seamen during the War, and were torpedoed once and were on another that hit a mine. This wonderful book makes that period REAL, in excellent detail, because Jim Longhi was present. His depiction of Woody reveals a man who had been somewhat famous for three years, and who was still ten years away from being disabled by Huntington's Chorea. The Woody here is almost totally admirable...a bit nutty, but in a brave, sweet way. The book also represents perhaps the closest thing we'll get to a real biography of Cisco Houston, Woody's long-time best friend and arguably still the best singer of Guthrie songs. Meeting Jim Longhi, whose existence I was unaware of despite years of researching Woody and Cisco, was quite a pleasure. He's a fine writer, and obviously a good man, who can poke fun at himself, looking 50 years back at the zealotry of his youth. The book has just about everything...war, music, humor, exotic places, danger, hints of love and sex, fantastic coincidences, political debates---it would make a great movie in skilled hands. The character of Courtroom Kelly, introduced briefly in the mid-section of the memoir, is unforgettably hilarious. In l968, I spent more than 30 days as an Army private sailing to Vietnam on a troopship, so Jim's portrait of shipboard life heading to a war zone for troops and crew alike resonates with me. He and Woody and Cisco were usually mess attendants, but on one trip Jim was a cook and baker. He does a fine job proving how important such workers are to the men they feed. The most touching segment is how Woody insisted on singing to troops down in the hold during submarine attacks on the convoy, competing with the noise from depth charges, and sickness-causing storms, and even racist military policies keeping black and white soldiers from enjoying the same concert at the same time. One comes away even more a fan of Woody and Cisco than before, and with a new friend, Jim, whose singing career didn't survive the voyages, but who lived to tell us an interesting and important tale. Get the book and see for yourself.

This is a terrific tale of friendship, heroism and the power of a magnetic personality. While there have been numerous attempts to paint the definitive portrait of Woody, none have shown this particular picture. To the list of scalliwag, drunkard, genius, writer, singer, guitarist, vagabond and saint, we now must add "war hero."

the book was really helpful for preparing myself for recording dates and auditions. it has many useful techniques in it that work amazingly well. I recomend this book for all voice talents cause its a wicked rad book.

Here in Los Angeles the streets are lined with people who can "read copy," but the choice voiceover assignments go to the select few who add something more to the work - believability, personality, and a strong one-on-one connection with the audience. "A camera does not lie," say the authors, "and neither does a microphone."

That's why this book is so valuable. Although trying to teach voiceover skills through a book is inherently challenging -- sort of like trying to teach driving, or violin-playing, that way -- this book is the most successful one I am aware of. It is without doubt the best single resource on voiceover work in print today.

The key is the authors' relentless focus on the internal process of creating great readings, which they call "The Basic Process."

"Ad copy is more than just a bunch of words strung together to promote a product," they write in Chapter 2. "It is very much like a miniature play, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. One or more characters are involved, and it takes place at a particular time and place. You need to discover all those elements and more to act out the copy."

To get in touch with the reality of the copy, the authors detail their Basic Process: "Focus - Visualize - Commit." Using this process "allows you to make the copy your own little drama or comedy with its own life and vitality." Without it, "all your readings will sound alike -- and that sound will be mechanical and lacking in conviction." I don't know how anyone could lay out this crucial principle more clearly. The detailed suggestions for how to follow the Basic Process are both helpful and understandable.

The book offers a wealth of other information as well, including discussions about refining your reads, developing other voices and characters, preparing for animation work, producing a demo tape, finding an agent, handling auditions, and promoting yourself in your market. Throughout the book, voice actors, casting directors, advertising writers, and other industry experts are quoted extensively with helpful advice and entertaining war stories. Practice copy in various genres is provided. And the appendices contain numerous listings of workshops, agencies, and other resources of interest to voice talent. Every chapter offers tremendous value, all of it written with charm, elegance, and a sense of humor.

Anyone serious about a voiceover career should get this book and devour it.

I always recommend this book. Susan Blu has the credentials: she's an accomplished voice talent, a casting director and a voice acting teacher. Along with tips and tricks, there's a great regional listing of agencies, schools and studios with addresses and phone numbers. She knows her stuff and you'd be doing yourself a favor by following her advice in this book.

Word of Mouth is a must-read for anyone interested in voiceovers as a hobby or profession. Susan and Molly hit the target on this one. I had a hard time putting it down on my first reading. In fact, most current VO folks should read this book just to renew their base. Many good observations, suggestions, avenues of interest, etiquette and a good number of leads on several agencies and studios. Plus** Good suggestions on auditioning, making your demo and more!

If you're on your way up - add this reasonably priced referance book to your libary. If you're an established pro - get this anyway to hon your skills and memory.

Here in Los Angeles the streets are lined with people who can "read copy," but the choice voiceover assignments go to the select few who add something more to the work - believability, personality, and a strong one-on-one connection with the audience. "A camera does not lie," say the authors, "and neither does a microphone."

That's why this book is so valuable. Although trying to teach voiceover skills through a book is inherently challenging -- sort of like trying to teach driving, or violin-playing, that way -- this book is the most successful one I am aware of. It is without doubt the best single resource on voiceover work in print today.

The key is the authors' relentless focus on the internal process of creating great readings, which they call "The Basic Process."

"Ad copy is more than just a bunch of words strung together to promote a product," they write in Chapter 2. "It is very much like a miniature play, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. One or more characters are involved, and it takes place at a particular time and place. You need to discover all those elements and more to act out the copy."

To get in touch with the reality of the copy, the authors detail their Basic Process: "Focus - Visualize - Commit." Using this process "allows you to make the copy your own little drama or comedy with its own life and vitality." Without it, "all your readings will sound alike -- and that sound will be mechanical and lacking in conviction." I don't know how anyone could lay out this crucial principle more clearly. The detailed suggestions for how to follow the Basic Process are both helpful and understandable.

The book offers a wealth of other information as well, including discussions about refining your reads, developing other voices and characters, preparing for animation work, producing a demo tape, finding an agent, handling auditions, and promoting yourself in your market. Throughout the book, voice actors, casting directors, advertising writers, and other industry experts are quoted extensively with helpful advice and entertaining war stories. Practice copy in various genres is provided. And the appendices contain numerous listings of workshops, agencies, and other resources of interest to voice talent. Every chapter offers tremendous value, all of it written with charm, elegance, and a sense of humor.

Anyone serious about a voiceover career should get this book and devour it.

What a great book! Matt and Luke spotlight the inanities of life and how your life needs to have more of them. They provide a clear reminder not to take yourself, your circumstances, or your life too seriously. It's the next best thing to having your own personal therapist help you keep things in perspective -- and a lot cheaper as well!!" -- Bob Nelson, President Nelson Motivation, Inc. Author 1001 Ways to Reward Employees & 1001 Ways to Energize Employees

Do you want to improve YOUR working environment? Buy a copy of this for your CEO or manager. Have a singing messenger deliver it, and watch your place of business turn into a place you WANT to go to. These examples and stories are useful even outside the workplace...in your everyday life. In an period of low unemployment, where employee retention is difficult, these ideas can give your company an edge on your competition.

Work Like Your Dog contains some nuggets of wisdom, and lots of advice on how to play at your job, approaching it as if it were a game. I LIKE many of the ideas, such as treating your employees even better than your customers, but I can't imagine applying them in my own straight-laced, uptight work environment. Unless you're the president or the CEO (and perhaps, even if you are), implementing most of the ideas in this book would likely undermine your credibility. For example, the authors suggest things like decorating coworkers old shoes with glitter and plastic flowers, and wearing the "fun" shoes at work. One of the authors attached the metal runner statuettes from all of his running tropies to the roof of his car, creating a "race" car -- and suggests that similar activities create a fun environment. (Yes, but if someone drove such a car into the parking lot where I work, they'd be dubbed hopelessly crazy.) The authors also suggest that acting like a fool in the middle of a heated argument can be particularly effective -- In suggesting ways to turn fights into frolics, they suggest cracking a raw egg against your forehead in the middle of a domestic dispute. Some of the advice is funny -- One Shell trainer created a "swearing room" next to her office, a place where her coworkers could sound off. She then gave prizes for the most impressive swearing (which was "Gods' bees, and scrunties alight!) The book is a fun, creative, quick read. How applicable it is to you & your work environment depends, in large part, on you & your work environment. I'm not sure these techniques would get you very far in a large corporate environment, but they'd be great if you run your own business.

I've just returned from a reading of this book by my philosophy professor, Dr. Luke Barber. Although he only read from a couple chapters, it was easy to figure out that this book is definitely a must have for anyone who loves life (or would like to learn how). Containing good, useful (not to mention funny) stories, you will be able to relate to the text easily and effectively! I plan on purchasing this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested (and even those that are not!).

If you ever get the chance to share an office with Matt Weinstein or Luke Barber, don't pass it up. These coauthors, respectively a management consultant and a philosophy professor, tell hilarious stories and exhibit both fiendish creativity and charming warmth in this worthwhile manual of making work fun. The anecdotes are superb. When Barber recounts spending a summer moonlighting from his job as a college professor by working as a yardman, it's as funny as a classic "I Love Lucy" episode. When a con artist scams one of the authors out of $110, you feel for him as deeply as if your own cash had been lost. The lessons live up to the packaging. They're simple, effective, and somehow surprising. Sure, work would be a blast if your company hired a masseuse to roam the cubicles giving out free neck and shoulder rubs. And if your boss gave you $100, took you to the mall, and told you not to report back to the office until you had spent it all, Monday would definitely look less black. Why has no one suggested this before? The authors provide far more than fifty ways to make work fun. They propose an entirely new mind-set about work, one that makes it less about earning a living and more about simply living.

Paniccia did a great service for any woman that may be thinking of filing a sexual discrimination suit. Especially, if they already have filed suit and have a lawyer who is not forthcoming about what to expect.

There were some areas of interest that I personally have that Paniccia did not cover, but overall this is a worthy read if you're contemplating a lawsuit. It will prepare you in many ways and this type of preparation is necessary in order to survive a lawsuit of this nature. No one but a woman who has endured sexual discrimination or retaliation could understand.

Whereas Paniccia's case was outright and obvious with her "mommydom" memo, there are many women, I believe, who are constantly enduring discrimination only in more oblique/obtuse ways that can easily be covered over or explained away. This is especially true in today's society where I do not think the court system is favorable to the individual. Finding a lawyer who is truly dedicated to your cause and remembers that it's your case and you lived it is very important to succeeding. These types of lawyers are few and far betweeen. What with case loads so high, and the push by firms to take clients that can make big settlements, these cases often don't get the attention they deserve.

Maybe if they made the settlements higher, more lawyers would be inclined to take the cases and then maybe there would be less tolerance in the workplace for this type of behavior. Right now, it's still a good 'ol boy system and as long as it is, they'll make and break the rules as they please!

My wife and I purchased "Work Smarts" because she was the victim of the subtle discriminatory practices in place at her job.

We found the book to be a well written and informative guide. Especially useful to us were the sections on collecting proper documentation, and lodging a formal complaint.

Recommended to any woman who wants to be proactive and protect herself from sexual discrimination before things get out of hand.

As women worldwide continue to struggle with double-standards and undesirable work conditions, Patti Paniccia's insightful book offers a way out. The most (only?)comprehensive guide to redefining what is fair, Paniccia's book deals with the myriad of issues surrounding hers, and other cases with an elegance normally lacking in the "How-To" genre and should not be pigeon-holed as such.

Why should women ipso facto put up with inferior gender biasing? Paniccia's personal account with sex discrimination infuses the book with fire and solution.

Passing on a baton of freedom from injustice is Paniccia's true gift. Her children will reap the benefits of her undisputable strength.

I read a review of Work Smarts for Women while I was living through a nightmare sexual harassment situation. I anxiously awaited the book release. I bought it as soon as it was available. If I had access to this book prior to reporting the situation according to organizational policy I would have known that following organizational policy is contrary to my best interest.

Everyone has to decide what course of action is best for themselves. Read this book before you try to work with organizational management. It will help you decide what course of action is best for you and how to go about achieving your goals.

work smarts for women is a great resource for employers and all working women in the united states. it is well written and simple to read. it offers a complete explanation of our complicated discrimination laws and the process developed by those laws. real life stories of women who suffered discrimination are used to show how the laws and processes work. paniccia's hard work should be appreciated by both employees and human resource departments.

Job security, care taking, blind loyalty, independence, and autocracy are OUT. Adaptability, responsibility, reciprocal loyalty, interdependence, and conflict are IN. Simply put, Morris Shechtman gives us "a clue" on how to successfully "play" today's radically changed corporate game. Just the title, "Working Without a Net", gave me the jitters. As each chapter, from "An Alternative to Working and Living In a Fantasy World" to "Doing the Right Thing," unfolds, entrenched ideas of "how things work" in the workplace are shattered, first by a values clarification test, (oh, yes, most of us have some very interesting value conflicts when it comes to the old career), and then a series of growth and success strategies, powerful exercises, and the revelation that paradigm shifts are necessary to assist in our surviving and thriving in our new "net-less" environment.

The rationale for the paradigm shifts?: an ever-changing global economy that increases competition, decreases profits and margins, and heightens the emphasis on human resources as the key to gaining the competitive edge. Far from advocating a cold-hearted Darwinian approach to business, "Working Without A Net" celebrates the capacity of people within an organization to resolve their differences, pursue corporate goals, and successfully met the challenges of today's high-risk business world. - Ted DeCorte, M.A.

A real eye opener to what is wrong with corporate life today. Both an education and motivation to start you on a path to improving both your professional and personal life through managing change. Will recommend this book to everyone I know.

SHECHTMAN IS A FUTURIST WHO GIVES REAL CLUES ABOUT THRIVING IN AN EVER MORE RISKY ECONOMY AND WORLD. A WELL ARTICULATED VALUE SYSTEM, SUBSTANTIAL SELF-INFORMATION, HIGH ACCOUNTABILITY AND A DESIRE FOR GREATER OPTIONS AND CHOICES ARE THE KEYS TO PERSONAL ,PROFESSIONAL AND FINANCIAL GROWTH AND SUCCESS. SHECHTMAN IS AN INTELLECTUAL AND INTUITIVE POWERHOUSE.

This book is an excellent read for anyone who wants to survive and thrive in the new economy. The world has become a much smaller and closer-knit group of companies and customers. Learning how to keep and get new customers and working relationships with other companies and co-workers is essential in this new economic environment that we are in. This book provides the tools and recommendations that will help anyone (from a CEO to the mail clerk) understand the new realities of business and what needs to happen to survive and thrive in the new economy.

An excellent guide for anyone that wants to succeed and climb the ladder of success.

Great book. I will be buying copies for all of the poeple that work for me. In this "high risk" environment, this is an excellent book to help you chart your course. It is also a good book to disucss with your managmenet team as to how you would like to interact and what you expect of them.

This book is indespensible if you are engaged in or plan to do business outside of the United States. Being aware and putting into practice the cultural nuances of the host country in which you are doing business is essential to a successful outcome. I appaluad the work that went into this book so that I was able to reap the benefits.

Great advice for the international traveler. I especially enjoyed the brief histories given for each region. It truly helps to have some knowledge of the events and experiences that formed the culture, and how that might relate to some of the actions and motivations today. The examples given open your mind to consider that what actions that might be "natural" or "proper" or "taken for granted" here at home may be construed differently abroad. I also appreciate the list of references should I wish to do more in depth research.
In short, the book is very well written in a natural, friendly tone that makes it a pleasure to read.

I have lived in Israel, Guatemala and Germany and think it would be useful for people who are going to travel or live in another place to read this book. Lanie points out so many small but extremely important cultural differences, such as conversational formalities and body language, and how being familiar with these nuances can make or break a business deal or greatly affect how one is treated in another country. This book will help the seasoned traveller and the novice to remember to think outside of his/her own world when embarking on an international trip.

Useful whether you travel the world, or navigate the world at home through the web, e-mail, and phone.

The short interviews, comments, stories and observations from people around the world that begin and end chapter, and are interwoven throughout the text, powerfully illustrate the key points.

A lively and fun read. Easy way to understand history and business throughout the world.

Full of practical information from beginning to the end. The opening quotes for each chapter "I Wish I'd Known" and "I Wish They Knew" highlight the importance of becoming familiar with a country's culture before traveling or embarking on a business venture outside of the US. I laughed out loud at times ( and hope to avoid some faux pauxs made by others). A good book to read before traveling or while on the plane!!