Industry Actions Books

This thriller is sort of like a cross between the movie "under seige" and an enviromental disaster movie.

It has excellent characters and the action never stops. I think the cover of this book does it a dis-service, in that it looks like one of those WW2 naval novels or a techno-thriller, when really this book is neither of those. Instead it relies on well drawn characters (who are not invincible) who use their intelligence and common sense to get out of a tight situation.

An above average thriller, even for those who aren't ship buffs. (I'm not and it held my interest)

This is a book that all should read who loves adventure, much action and an awful lot of suspence. Even the most avid reader will not be able to anticipate what's comming next. This is a well written book, story line and character relationship. This book has more than the average number of characters, sub plots and sub-sub plots. This is a book that should be read more than once. Move over Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy your replacement is in the building!!! If you have a reader on your Christmas list this is the gift to get them.

Maurice Medland's first book, and what a first book. A sea story with lots of twists. South American drug lords, a silent killer loose on a wounded ship sailing into a cyclone, intrigue, romance, and some extraordinary seamanship. A book that is hard to put down until the last page has been read.

Once I started reading Point of Honor, I couldn't put it down. It's a thriller that has everything: adventure, intrigue, romance, and a very tight story line that keeps you guessing until the end. I can't wait for Medland's next book!

A good, fun read. Scary parts, tense parts. Characters about as well drawn as could be expected in work of this genre. Author seems to know what he's talking about with naval and air equipment, but I don't even consider this a "techno-thriller" of the Clancy/James H. Cobb variety. Concept of the El Callado character was nicely chilling. Great storm-at-sea sequence.

This book is special in that it adds empirical support for the authors' business hypothesis. However, their ideas themselves are not revolutionary. Rather they organized and framed a lot of the ideas that today's business leaders already know and practice.

I suppose that the book is in the tradition of academic research paper rather than overblown business hyperbole. As with any academic oriented publications, they make less than interesting reading, but valuable nevertheless.

Survival of the Smartest is reviewed - very positively - in this month's Fast Company. And having now read it I see why: clear, insightful, and packed with great examples for high tech managers working to improve the performance of thier organizations.

By examining the information managment practices of a sample group of short life-cycle high tech companies, Mendelson & Ziegler create a valuable framework to evaluate your company's ability to manage information in the information age. Also chock full of terrific soon-to-be popular industry buzzwords, including: "Decision Architecture," "High/Low IQ Company" and "Internal Information Dissemination." Use 'em while they're hot.

Survival of the Smartest is one of those management books that made its way through the academic world (or so-called the Ivory Tower) into the real-world. In contrary to what is expected, it does a very good job in connecting these two seemingly unrelated fields.

The novel concept, "Organizational IQ", was developed theoretically by Prof. Haim Mendelson and published in some leading academic journals such as Management Science and Information Systems Research. This book summarizes the results of those publications in an easy-to-read way. Organizational IQ is defined as "...a quantifiable measure of how organizations assimilate information and put together their decision and information architectures." It is argued and proved empirically in the book that High-IQ organizations on average are more successful than Low-IQ organizations. A company's organizational IQ describes how well the organization performs along five dimensions:

(1) External Information Awareness
(2) Effective Decision Architecture
(3) Internal Knowledge Dissemination
(4) Organizational Focus
(5) Information Age Business Network.

Mendelson describes each of these dimensions in detail and supports its arguments through the use of case studies from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, British Petroleum (BP), and Modex (a real company with a disguised name).

Although, the main focus of the book is on the use of Information Technology applications along these dimensions, an average reader will not have any difficulty in understanding these concepts if s/he knows what an Internet or Intranet is used for.

The book can be recommended as a supporting textbook for Strategy, Marketing, or Information Systems courses, especially in the graduate level. Whether you are in academia or in business, it is one of the books you should read if you are interested in how business should be done in the Information Age. Forget about the past Industrial Age books, they are already history... Chrysler has learned it in its own way (page 100 in the book)

PS: One may think that I am too generous in rating the books I comment on. However, one should keep in mind that among the books I have read, only those that are worth reading can make it here-my way of decreasing the information overload for Amazon.com members :)

The importance of this book can be judged by any employee asking why can't we work in an organisation which is better developed on the author's 5 Organisational IQ factors:

1 EXTERNAL INFORMATION AWARENESS, ie each part of our organisation captures external information (customers, technology opportunities, competitors' actions) quickly and accurately

2 EFFECTIVE DECISION ARCHITECTURE, ie in our organisation decisions are made at the right level (by the people with the best information and perspective). As a result decisions : are made quickly, have high quality, instill ownership and accountability

3 INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION, ie each part of our organisation knows what it needs to know when it needs to know it. Effective information flows 4-dimensionally: Horizontal, cross functional Top-down, org-wide goals and priorities Bottom-up, operational challenges and opportunities Learning, review over time of all of above

4 ORGANISATIONAL FOCUS, ie organisation systematically fights overload and complexity by: Limiting scope of the business; focusing on core competences; simplifying processes

5 CREATING AN INFORMATION AGE BUSINESS NETWORK, ie Organisation maximises the value of eternal partnerships by applying the above 4 High IQ factors to the entire business network

Would love to share experiences with anyone working or reading up on how to improve organisations IQ factors

chris macrae, chief infomediary, brandknowledge.com e-mail wcbn007@easynet.co.uk

It may be difficult for many of you younger people to grasp how primitive many of our business practices were back only 40 years ago.

When I started working at Visa in 1973, those thin tissue copies of sales receipts were manually taken to the merchant's bank each evening and placed in a "drop-box". Then they were "processed" by the merchant's bank which really meant they were physically sorted into piles to be copied and sent by mail to each of the banks around the country that had issued the card to the customer. In addition, a calculator tape was added up to total the receits to be sent to each issuing bank.

Days or weeks later, a bank draft was sent by the issuer to pay for that shoe-box of receipts and then the customer was billed. It took on average over 40 days before the charge actually appeared on the customer's bill. International sales could take up to three months.

This was replaced by an electronic system that could send millions of sales transactions overnight. Your first impression of this description might well be that this was only important to some banks so who cares. The reality is that it permitted banks to loosen their procedures for issuing credit cards so that most of the middle class was able for the first time to buy goods away from home easily and simply. In 1973, less than 2% of Americans had a card that permitted them to buy goods and services when not dealing with a local merchant. Ten years later over 50% had such cards.

There were a number of revolutions that took place in our society from the mid-60s to the mid-70s and this tells the story wonderfully of a few financial revolutions that had tremendous benefits for the general public. You will be both entertained and informed by this book and what more can you ask of a book?

Not a complete and in depth analytical history of banking, but rather a "pop-history" of consumer finance (But the history leg work is there).A look at the innovators and their innovations that changed how we conduct our personal business....good bathroom/travel read;or as supplementary work for a report. The writer does a good job of staying "neutral" but does indeed claim to be pro-consumption (and it shows by tone). But a good fun read anyways.

This story of the revolution in the credit & investment industries; & it's powerful impact on society.

If you work in personal finance or want to know how the business came to be, I highly recommend this book. It has one instance after another of "a-ha" moments where the light goes on in your head as to why things in our industry are the way they are. Nocera does a great job of tracing each of the innovations that made Wall Street more and more accessible to the average American, benefiting the investor and the companies that got financing.

The other very instructive point this book makes is about the mind, and methodology of the people who drive innovations. For anyone looking to build the better mousetrap, here is a book about person after person who did exactly that in the arena of personal finance.

Highly recommended.

I bought this on an Amazon recommendation. Its really a great book. I am truly shocked this book is not better known; I'd rate it a classic on Personal Finance.

I recommend this book to my coaching clients because it gives them a real system to develop strategy and then measure performance. Everyone wants a simple way to stay on track with their goals, and this book offers organizational planning advice, suggestions on how to effectively communicate the plan with employees, and then reports to make sure there is accountability for results.

Its a real road map on how to get where you want to go in business.Its content is practical and very useful for managers and owners.The many forms are great and puts you thru the process.Written from a Tec point of view.

This book is packed with practical information and worksheets so you really get your money's worth. All points are illustrated with actual company stories and real-world experiences. The format makes it particularly easy to read and use.

Whether you work in a large company or small, are new to business or are a long-time professional, you will find something invaluable in this book. I bought the 1st edition, and this 2nd edition adds several new sections: there is a whole new chapter devoted to Human Resources, and great sections on holding a strategic planning meeting and writing a business plan. This book should be on every business person's bookshelf - you'll use it again and again.

I found the worksheets alone in this book worth the price. When you follow the step-by-step instructions, the worksheets cull out only the data you need. With all the extraneous data out of the way, it's easy to pinpoint critical problems that you might miss otherwise. And it makes developing key indicators and reports easier as well. I think any CEO who wants to keep the company's accounting and human resource managers on top of things at all times should give them this book tomorrow...if not sooner.

This easy-to-read guide is a must for anyone looking to break into the entertainment industry. It's chock full of advice and anecdotes that highlights the authors knowledge of the field. With Maniscalco-Blasi's insider advice it seems almost possible to navigate and succeed as an actor.

An inside look at the casting process to help aspiring actors know what to expect, and give non-aspiring actors a chance to experience life behind the scenes in the acting industry. Anna Maniscalco-Blasi does an excellent job in exposing valuable insider casting tips, while bringing you behind the scenes of some major motion pictures and the HBO series, the Sopranos. Her experience as a casting director in New York City makes this a "must read" for newcomers trying to break into the industry. An enjoyable read for anyone.

This book was entertaining,informative & easy to read. If you are looking to get into acting,it zeros in on where to go & what to do.I would highly recomend "Lighs,Camera,Action".

Anna Maniscalco-Blasi does a tremendous job in inspiring a novice actor giving him/her a down to earth look into what it takes to be a successful actor. Her knowledge is from experience, and it is my opinion that it is an amazing resource and has opened my eyes to a lot of valuable information.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has a list of unanswered questions and no clue where to begin. This book really has every aspect of getting yourself out there covered. Very impressive.

I enjoyed this book, it has witty stories about the author's experences in the industry, and it gave me some great insight about launching my acting career! A must have for an aspiring actor !

This book looks small, but it offers a BIG gift to those who really care about corporate responsibility and the direction we need to be going today. I could not stop reading it when I got it. It has a series of short articles that can be read in a few minutes about various options corporations are employing to take more responsibility for what they do and their long term impact on the environment and the world's resources. It makes an exciting read because each company approaches CSR slightly differently, and the outcomes are most encouraging. It should be a "must read" for trainee management and for the CEO's of any large corporation which is planning to be around for the next 30 years. What is great is that women created this book...women from different backgrounds, but sharing a similar goal. They inspire by their intention to "awaken" everyone to what we SHOULD have been doing in business practices for years, and they offer the bottom-line evidence that this is good business practice. But this book really made me excited about the future of American business practices. And I am a college educator. I shared some of these articles with my college students to inspire them to see ways that they might contribute. It was like a light went on. They had not known that business is not always the monolithic monster, gobbling up resources and despoiling the land for profit. Their eyes lit up with the possibility that they could enjoy working for a company that takes responsibility for its impact on the world. It is a small book, but it carries a very BIG note of hope for the future.
Awakening Social Responsibility: A Call to Action Guidebook for Global Citizens, Corporate and Nonprofit Organizations

Derickson & Henley have really captured social responsibility in a global world. The use of multiple authors and giving each a voice in this book is masterful. In Chapter 5, Dinesh Chandra states, "If others do not feel safe,we are not safe. If others are struggling, we experience the consequence of the struggle. If others are poor, no matter how wealthy we are, we experience the consequence of impoverishment." This spoke to me about ourselves in the global economy. The book is a great read for those awakening to a larger life.

Derickson and Henley have demonstrated by the very format what Awakening Social Responsibility is all about, promoting the dialogue of corporate and global citizenry to speak directly to the issues facing each of us as individuals. The timing could not be more awakened, joining other illustrious authors such as Bill Clinton's "Giving" in the national discussion. I opened the pages of Awakening Social Responsibility to participate in a prominent forum with corporate brillance and individual leaders. I have been given a voice and a pragmatic, effective tool to maximize my individual action with Awakening Social Responsibility. This is a timeless work and a timely one! It is work I will be sharing (gifting) with others this Holiday Season!

This book was very inspiring! In this changing world, there is a huge need for each of us to be more involved personally and professionally in making improvements on a global basis. We often read about the problems of the world, and we do care. However, it is never clear what we can do to help specifically or how we can get our company to take these issues more seriously. This book provided actionable ways to engage in green initiatives, employee giving, volunteering, etc. and inspires one to go out and get things done. It also spelled out ways to change the mindset of companies to take advantage of these strategic opportunities. I can see how these baby steps start to have a snowball effect, and the collective energy will move things in the right direction. This book was well written and offers sound advice and solutions. A great read!

This lovely story tells about two children caught up in the infamous Lawrence, MA, mill strike of 1912. Rosa Serutti is caught between the anti-union pronouncements of her teacher and the harsh reality of tenement life for her immigrant family. Jake Beale runs from his alcoholic father and finds friends among the Italian mill-workers. As the story progresses, Rosa and Jake are taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Gerbati in Barre, Vermont. Here they receive clothing and food and love from Mrs. Gerbati, but both Jake and Mr. Gerbati are troubled by something from the past. Through the beauty of roses blooming from granite, Jake finds a new life and Mr. Gerbati breaks out of his shell. The strike ends and Rosa returns to her Italian mamma, the woman who deserved not only bread for her family, but roses too.

This is historical fiction of the highest calibre, with authentic details, well-developed characters, and a touching ending. It is a story of substance and beauty, too.

Doggone it, Katherine Paterson, stop making me cry! Under normal circumstances the number of books that make me tear up is a slim number that could be counted on one hand. And most of those books, if I was going to be honest with you, were probably written by Katherine Paterson. Ms. Paterson is a bit of a wonder. Year after year, decade after decade, she churns out consistently well-written meaningful pieces of children's fiction. The last book of Ms. Paterson's that I read was her rather remarkable, "The Same Stuff As Stars". Now, however, she's decided to traipse back into the world of historical fiction, alongside all the other authors this year, and produce a bit of fascinating history that can show a situation clear distinctions between good and bad, and yet leave enough room for people with nebulous motives. If complex narratives is the name of the game, consider Paterson a player.

On the one hand there's Jake. On the other hand there's Rosa. Both children live in Lawrence, Massachusetts in less than stellar conditions. For Jake, life is especially rough. His father's a drunkard who steals his son's money all the time and beats him senseless. And though Jake can usually make a little money in the local mills, it's rarely enough to keep him fed and warm. Rosa, in contrast, is relatively lucky. She lives with her mama, elder sister, and little baby brother in one of the city's many tenements. But life at the mill has been getting worse and worse and when it looks as if the mill owners are going to cut the workers' pay yet again, that's the straw that breaks the camel's back. Now Rosa's mother is joining in with the 1912 strike alongside workers from a variety of different backgrounds. And that might not be so bad except that Rosa is firmly convinced that her mama is putting their entire way of life in jeopardy. Her worst fears are confirmed too when her mother puts her on a train to Barre, Vermont to wait out the strike with a kind family there. On the train Jake meets up with Rosa and though they are only barely acquainted, he convinces her to say that he's her brother so that he can get out of town fast. As it happens, Jake has a secret he's trying to escape while Rosa has a life she's trying to remember.

Though it's clear from the get go that the mill owners are bad and the mill workers are good, Paterson works tirelessly to muddle the issue through Rosa's eyes. As far the girl is concerned, joining in the strike is dangerous and common. And Jake's no better a person with his constant schemes on how to get ahead and lie his way out of most situations. When he finds himself with the striking workers the book reads that, "This was the excitement of being a thief in the middle of hundreds of thieves, all set to steal away the world of Billy Wood", who is the mill's owner. In fact, you could probably say that there are few main characters out there half as self-centered as Rosa and Jake. For a long time all they think about is themselves. It takes a long time for them to get on that train headed for Vermont (150 pages or so), though once they do they're taken far enough away from what they're used to to think about something other than me me me. Rosa's schoolteacher Miss Finch is another complicated character. Unlike the mill schoolteacher in "Counting On Grace", Miss Finch is completely on the side of the owners. She doesn't want Rosa to be taken out of school, but she also encourages the children vehemently to keep their parents from striking. Rosa is, of course, completely on her teacher's side, and it's interesting to watch as Paterson pulls the child reader's strings back and forth and back again. She never tells her audience what to think and she doesn't have to. This book is an excellent example of "show, don't tell".

For those amongst us who don't know their American history as they should, I think I might not be the only one who thought that the title, "Bread and Roses, Too", meant that this story was a sequel. I know, I know. I'm a Neanderthal. I accept that. Really, it wasn't until the story showed how Rosa participated in naming the Bread and Roses Strike personally that I knew where the title even came from. Ms. Paterson, who is always good with clarification, mentions in the book's Historical Note at the end that no one really knows who came up with that phrase. She just took the liberty of assigning the job to Rosa, and it works like a dream.

Part of the privilege that comes with being a writer is that if you would like to set a book partly in your own hometown, you have that right. Ms. Paterson sets part of this book in Barre, Vermont where she herself lives. The people of Barre have long been known for the role they played in hosting the children of the Lawrence strikers. Ms. Paterson used all kinds of Barre historians to aid her in the writing of this book, and the result is a story that certainly gives the city its due. The writing for its own part is, of course, pitch perfect at all times. And while the book's first sentence is nothing to crow about, its last one is amazing. You won't understand much of what it means without having read the book, but I'll write it here just so you can get a taste of what Paterson's about. "How strange, how wonderful it semed to be running, not away from petty crime or deadly fear, but toward a new life where bread was never wanting and roses grew in stone."

It's interesting to note that Paterson doesn't go into the details of what working in a mill would entail in this book. We see the result of horrid working conditions rather than the cause. Technically she already showed the cause in her book "Lyddie". And if you happen to be desperate to read about what it was like for mill children, definitely seek out Elizabeth Winthrop's remarkable, "Counting On Grace". If children reading this book can get past Rosa's self-centeredness (she doesn't ever seem to get behind the strike until it seems as if she's named it herself) and they don't get bogged down in the story's first half, they'll be rewarded with a remarkable addition to the Paterson oeuvre. Reading "Bread and Roses, Too", makes you feel, when you are done, as if you've become a better person for the reading. A lovely little novel.

Rosa's mother seems happy again after recording from the mining death of Rosa's father - but she's out in the streets singing union songs, and Rosa's frightened of the corrupt mill owners. When she's sent away to live with strangers in Vermont until the strike is over, she worries she'll never see her family again. Her adoption of a younger boy will help protect them both in this moving story of a mine strike's politics and dangers.

Bread and Roses, Too is told from the alternating perspectives of two very different children. Jake Beale has faked his papers to work at the local mill, is largely illiterate, and spends most of his time running away from his abusive, drunken father. He respects no one, and sleeps literally in garbage heaps. Rosa Serutti is the daughter of Italian immigrants, and attends school, though her mother and older sister work in the mills. She's studious, prissy, and quiet, and worries a lot.

Though they have different backgrounds and experiences, both children find their lives turned upside down when the Lawrence mill-workers go on strike. To tell the truth, neither reacts well. Jake steals, lies, and fails to appreciate people's kindness to him. Rosa lectures her mother about the perils of striking, and slinks along on the fringes of the marches and demonstrations that arise, even as she is sometimes inspired by them. I didn't much like either child, early in the story. But things do get better. Eventually, Jake and Rosa's lives intertwine. Rosa is sent away to live in safety with a family in Vermont, and Jake escapes along with her, towing a dark secret.

All of the major events in the book are based on meticulously researched historical events (as detailed in a historical note at the end of the book). The Lawrence strikes are depicted as they happened, in terms of local and state responses, the presence of union organizers, and the humanitarian "vacations" provided for many of the mill-workers children. Barre, Vermont really did host several children from Lawrence during the strikes. A photo of the children inspired the author to look further into the story.

The historical detail does slow the book down a bit, especially in the early part, when Jake and Rosa are still in Lawrence. Because of this, I had a bit of trouble getting into this book. However, it won me over by the end, and had me in tears (in a good way). The two strongest aspects of the book, I think, are the depth of the immersion into the world of the immigrant mill-workers, and the complexity of the characterization.

Regarding the immersion, this is a book that will make readers feel lucky to have food, and warmth, and clean water, and not to have to worry about basic survival. Here's an example, when one of the Italian strikers buys lunch for Jake, giving him a platter of spaghetti:

"It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The tomato sauce even sported a few bits of greasy sausage. Jake forgot the crowd around him, forgot the strike, forgot the menace that waited for him in the shack, and fell to, his nose almost in the steaming plate. He hadn't had a full platter of food to himself in his entire thirteen years of life."

None of the characters in this book are one-dimensional, with the exception of Jake's dad, who is largely off-screen. Rosa's teacher is not very nice to the children in her class, and she tries to coerce them to convince their parents not to strike. And yet... she travels though the violence-prone streets to ask why Rosa isn't coming to school anymore, and she ends up providing lunch every day for the kids who remain in her class. The man in Barre that Rosa and Jake are sent to stay with, Mr. Gerbati, starts out silent and grouchy, and especially resentful of Jake. But when Jake actually gives him reason to be disapproving, Mr. Gerbati displays unexpected kindness "like his flowers blooming from the cold gray granite." Rosa's mamma is uncouth and uneducated, and somewhat careless of her children, but she has a voice like an angel, and she wants better for her Rosa than she ever had. Isn't that the immigrant dream?

I think that the book is accurate in capturing Rosa's struggles as the "smart one" in an immigrant family. She wants to fit in with her family, but even though she's still a child, her education is taking her beyond them. She's the only one who reads and writes fluently in English. At one point she thinks:

"She would be an American, an educated, civilized, respected American, not a despised child of an immigrant race. When she grew up she'd change her name and marry a real American and have real American children. She wouldn't go out to work in a mill and leave them in the care of someone's old granny who couldn't even speak English. She'd stay home and cook American food and read them American books and ... But even as she thought these determined thoughts, somewhere in the back of her mind she could smell rigatoni smothered in tomato sauce with bits of sausage in it and could hear her mamma's beautiful voice singing Un Bel Di."

I think that there are plenty of immigrant kids today facing the same sort of conflict between the promise of being American and the pull of their own culture.

This is a book that I'll remember for a long time. There is so much unflinching detail: Jake sleeping in the garbage; the welts on Jake's back; the wide-eyed awe of the children when they visit the Gerbati's house for the first time; and the feeling that Rosa has of being part of something larger than herself, during the demonstrations. I think this is one of those books that gets better in your memory, the longer it stays with you. I hope that kids will be able to get past the "good for you" feeling of the early historical parts, because the story has a lot to offer.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on February 8, 2007.

A good lesson for all kids that eventually want a pet of some kind by teaching responsibility in owning a pet.

The story begins with Arthur secretly wanting a pet and waiting for the right moment to make the request to his parents. One evening at dinner his sister, D.W. announced that Arthur wanted a puppy.

After his parents considered the options of having a pet they made Arthur a deal that if he could show them he was responsible he could get a puppy. Arthur and D.W. were trying to come up with ways to prove this that night in her room. At the table D.W. had her cash register advising Arthur to get a job to pay back the seven dollars he owed her. The pictures in the book are detailed showing the items in her room, such as a dollhouse, toy duck and rocking horse.

For anyone that has watched any of the episodes of Arthur they know the dog is called Pal and a part of the show. The book is a nice story that has funny antics while watching pets, but shows how Arthur takes the business seriously and is rewarded in the end.

The entire family shares in all responsibilities as is demonstrated through out the book with them making decisions together on the dog and caring for the visiting pets. Arthur sticks with the business at hand through the week he is caring for the pets and accounts for all of them. When presented with the dilemma of how to show his parents he can handle responsibility, Arthur sets out to accomplish that task.

My six-year old at one time wanted a pet and loves Arthur's Pet Business. The book tackles the issues of caring for various pets by showing they need food, rest in their own sleeping sections, cleaning of their cages and plenty of fresh air by taking walks. Showing Arthur reading the dog care book and concern about Perky reinforces that having a pet is serious business.

What child hasn't asked for a pet at some point in their childhood. What an excellent way to teach responsibility. This book shows the parent how to test a child's readiness for responsibilities, while showing the young readers the perils and pitfalls of having one's own pet business, as well as the rewards, and entertaining us all in the meanwhile. Well done. It's also fun to look in all of Marc Brown's books and find the hidden names!

I am in awe of how Marc Brown has simplified the concept of responsibility, so that it may be understood by my two year old daughter.

My two year old daughter summed this book up by saying; " Arthur showed his mommy and daddy he can take care of everyone's pets now he can have Pal . In my eyes that says it all !

The author has sucessfully done what was intended . He communicated an important moral concept to a small child , what being responsible is and how doing things morally right can be fun and rewarding.

Keep up the good work Marc Brown you are helping me communicate important moral, social, family, and educational values to my daughter. Great Books and Characters

If ever there was a textbook that could turn America's drive toward mediocraty, this is it. Demming would be ill with envy if he had only a chance to read it. This book is also very interesting to read, filled with captivating stories that relate to real-life situations that the author, Mr. Cappels, has solved. It reamins out of print, it will be worth a trip to the locat library.

This novel exceeds in character depth , beauty of language,and historical resonance like no other I have ever read .Incomparable.Some may attempt to feel American; some may come close..........but this is, unquestionably, the finest novel written by an American, about Americans,(ideal, imperfect,heroic, and oh so gracefully flawed) as one can ever hope to dream of reading.......This book is my restful dream, my hot summer night, my broken heart, my bullet-proof vision, and the reason my first born son will bear the name Augustus...

This book literally changed my life. This book is packed with a plethora of portent. A must have for anyone who is anyone. I liked the authors style and wit. I could not put it down.

This is one of the best books written on the subject in years! It is very detailed and full of color photos of these great old toy soldiers. If you have this book and Richard O'Briens...thats all you need as a resource on the subject!

This is one of the best books written on the subject in years! It is very detailed and full of color photos of these great old toy soldiers. If you have this book and Richard O'Briens...thats all you need as a resource on the subject!