Big Books

Wonderful! Carter's all-seeing eye easily elevates trash to treasure by simply selecting things and saving them from oblivion. We should all do so!

Mary Randolph Carter, aka "Carter", is Queen of all things Junk! Others may use that title, but Carter owns it. The fourth (!) book in her "American Junk" series, "Big City Junk", finds our heroine Carter trapsing through the junk yards, stores and flea-markets of more cosmopolitan outposts. As usual, Carter's unique gift is her ability to photograph junk in its "natural state", and giving the discarded, outdated and seemingly unimportant the artistic presence it deserves. Subconciously, every compulsive junker has always understood the "power of junk", and Carter's "Big City Junk" is a celebration of that understanding. Particularly poignent in "Big City Junk" are Carter's photographs of various paintings, sketches and souvenirs of New York and The World Trade Center. Odd and touching how a few photos of humble junk express that which cannot be said in a million words.

BIG CITY JUNK, which was probably in production on September 11, 2001 (it arrived in bookstores a couple of months later), carries a special resonance because of the events of that day. What would otherwise be a lark of a style book appealing to the collectibles crowd becomes a small shrine as well for a piece of the New York lifestyle and psyche. In the course of celebrating the cast aside and disposable, Mary Randolph Carter, the author and photographer caught a lasting, brave, prophetic comment about fear and city living rendered in the temporal medium of a sidewalk chalk message. But she is also onto something else that is so very much a part of the economy and ecology of the city: the cycle of "stuff" in a population intensive, small place. The sociological angle raises this volume in Carter's Junk series above the others.

This is not to say the book isn't fun. It is fun. And it is very fair: Carter gives very specific information about how much things cost (or don't) and where they were found. She provides lists of flea markets and thrift shops in the major metropolitan areas she covers. Her method is to focus on individual collectors in locales like New York, San Francisco and LA, profiling how they find their stuff and what they do with it.

Like a novelist who succeeds in creating a world and staying true to it, Carter has established a vision that makes junk matter. I need open, less cluttered surfaces in my own environment, but when I read the Junk series, I can certainly enjoy that collectible urge.

I love this book, and I will admit, I am the subject of one of the chapters in the book (Lost and Found). But I was a big fan of
Carter's books before I met her 2 years ago. I remember the excitement I felt when I saw "American Junk" for the first time.
A woman after my own heart! (I have been making art from junk for the last 6 years.) Thank you Carter (she prefers to be called that), for helping us to see so many fun ways to decorate inexpensively and recylce, reuse, and clean up the environment.
Carter writes in an inviting, cozy manner that makes you feel like an old friend. And I really enjoyed watching her photograph
for my chapter, no fussy rearranging of things, she captures the
images as she sees them and moves on. Packed full of inspiration!

Ben Glenn is a wonderfull man who overcame so many problems dealing with disleyxia and other problems. I say him at a seminar today at a teen confrence in my local town. He impressed the whole crowd of teens in the building with all of his drawings and stories. If you have not seen him, get out and buy a ticket. Today I bought his book and I have only had it since tweleve o' clock and now it is five o' clock. I could not put this book down for anything. If a teenager is going through a tough time this is a great book for them. It inspired me to become the very best and now im telling you to get this book.

Michelle

Ok, So I havent read it yet , but I have read the excerpts on his web site and I have seen Ben perform. I have never been so moved in my life. Ben's message,his triumphs over adversity, struck a chord with me that I didnt know existed. He has changed the way I think abbout myself and my life. He has helped me understand the struggle that I went through as a child, struggles that I rarely confess to. I, by chance, saw Ben at a elementary school, but the message aimed at thosed kids hit this 40 year old square in the middle of my soul. Thank you Ben.

Big Enough is powerful and moving at the same time. Having known Ben Glenn for a few years, he is sure to hit it big with many people around the world. Not being from a very religous up bringing myself, this book teaches everyone of all religions and backgrounds to look at any source of faith to help you through lifes turmoils. Ben has touched the lives of many and will continue on his quest to teach us about ourselves. I recomend Big Enough to anyone and everyone!

I read all sorts of material from both secular and Christian authors, I rarely am impressed. Ben's book was the exception. His series of life stories puctuated with diverse "pearls of wisdom" made for a nice, clear read that was simple yet thought provoking. Who would have known it was written by an artist with dyslexia? Nice job.

"Big Fat Little Lit" is a greatest hits collection. It's advertised as appropriate for ages nine to twelve, but you have to wonder about that. ("Our audience is all ages --- even though children's book publishing doesn't like that," says Mouly.) Some of it is just dandy for our six-year-old. Most of it will delight any media-savvy `tween. But its greatest appeal is surely to adults, who may buy it as an ultra-hip coffee table book, only to discover it is the Fountain of Youth.

In this world, attitude counts. Which isn't to say the morals of these little tales are negative in any way. They're just... twisted. Not surprising when the contributors include David Sedaris, Gahan Wilson, Maurice Sendak, Jules Feiffer and the cream of the alt-comix set.

For example: "The Hungry Horse" is the sad tale of a critter that will work so long as it isn't fed --- of course, after a decade, a farmer tosses the nag a crust of bread. There is a "Hasidic parable" and a story of a "fairy godfather". In a retelling of "The Princess and the Pea", after the prince rejects 1,628 princesses, someone comments, "Perhaps he can't make a commitment." A creepy face becomes frozen in the backwards world of "Pretty Ugly". A gingerbread man escapes every pursuer but a fox, who catches him by pretending to be deaf. When Jack's beanstalk grows, someone says, "There goes the view."

And there are bonus pages. A picture asks you to identify "22 odd things." Another challenges you to "Find the Twins". And there's a "Joke page", with a moral that our little one might have devised: "He who laughs last thinks the slowest."

Be swift.

Big Fat Little Lit has an all star cast of contributers, but it is a bit uneven in its results. Some parts are great, but others are not. The thing about it is that my kids aren't rereading it like they do with other graphic novels such as the Mighty Skullboy Army.

This collection--culled from three previous Little Lit anthologies--is, of course, literary and brilliant and oh-so-eclectic, and if you know nothing about the genre, it's an easy intro. Fairy tales nestle comfortably next to horror stories and folklore, and my four-year-old easily adapted to the diverse narrative styles and voices: after all, he could SEE the differences.

Looking at the big picture, pardon the pun, I was struck by how many were told with forceful moral underpinnings. More than a few protagonists must face the gloomy consequences of their misdeeds and I didn't spot a single story where evil prevailed. Naughtiness, maybe, but not genuine eat-your-family badness.

That's not to say it's all goody-two-shoes fluff. Like the original Grimm's Fairy Tales, many of these tales venture into nightmare territory, where mothers-in-law try to devour grandchildren, stuffy noses explode with dopplegangers and cute kitties come from alternate worlds, and little that seems comfortable and safe turns out to be so.

I get the distinct impression these are stories written by actual parents who have braved the wild terrain of a child's imagination to chart both its twisted roads and startling flora.

Let's say that you've heard of the "Little Lit" books, edited by Art Spiegelman and his wife Francoise Mouly, but that you've never actually gone so far as to pick one up. Let us also say, while we are at it, that you are aware of the massive loads of talent that have gone into the series, but that this was still not quite enough to draw you in. Well, my lovelies, I have an answer for you. Like yourself, I somehow managed to catch a snatch of a comic strip here or a lovingly drawn panel there without actually sitting down and reading the "Little Lit" books cover to cover. Then, out of the bright blue sky, "Big Fat Little Lit" falls into my lap. So I read it through with not a little skepticism. Truth be told, I've always suspected that the books were written for adults rather than children. You can cast a book in a childish shell and claim your artists are working with the younger set in mind but will kids actually read what you create? Slowly I've come to the conclusion that yes, there is definitely an audience for this series that is under the age of 21. Still, if you're gonna hand them a "Little Lit" collection, better to go for the best. Give them a compendium of selected past works. Give them "Big Fat Little Lit", the best of the best, and save yourself some time.

Behold before you thirty-six comics created by thirty-three "of the world's most beloved authors and artists", or so says the backflap. Compiled from parts of the three "Little Lit" collections already in existence (with some extra goodies for spice) "Big Fat Little Lit" has it all. Ghouls and fools and fables both traditional and with a twist all working together to fill this 144 page beauty. You'll find old classics like Crockett Johnson's, "Barnaby" alongside all new tales by people as varied as Daniel Clowes or David Macaulay. The result is eye-popping jaw-dropping assortment of stories of varying styles and macabre natures. Puzzles too pop up between comics that can range anywhere between one to nine pages.

The sheer weight of celebrity is both a boon and an drag on enterprises like "Little Lit". On the one hand, adults like me are bound to go gaga over the luminaries who've worked on this puppy. Where else can you find David Sedaris working with Ian Falconer (outside of The New Yorker, of course)? Neil Gaiman and Gahan Wilson? Heck, forget the pairings. They have two William Joyce offerings, Maurice Sendak unleashed, Jules Feiffer, and God knows who else. Illustrators that work primarily in the realm of children's books like Barbara McClintok pair with kid-only authors like Lemony Snicket (as opposed to Daniel Handler, of course). Most impressive to my eyes (and proof that I never examined the original collection it appeared in closely enough) is a Walt Kelly piece. Publishers out there might do very well if they were to republish Kelly's non-Pogo related fairy tales in a compendium, seeing as how they work so nicely here and all. So that's on the one hand. On the other hand, it's sometimes hard not to get the feeling that child readers sometimes come across as a secondary concern. Since Spiegelman and Mouly founded "RAW", the alternative comics magazine, is it fair to think of this as a slightly watered down version of that magazine's material? Or is it its own separate beastie? I can answer the question of whether or not any kid is reading this collection, but nothing's simple.

I once worked in a Greenwich Village library where I would proudly display the first collection of "Little Lit" on the top of my bookshelves where it was easy to pluck and check out. No takers. That book sat solitary and untouched for weeks on end. At the time I blamed the publication itself. Then I moved to a different library branch. In my new location I created a Graphic Novel shelf and put the exact same publication there, visible for all to see. Within mere minutes that puppy flew off the shelf. What I deduce from all of this (aside from the average Greenwich Village native's reluctance to disturb book displays) is that if you put "Little Lit" out there without any explanation, the viewing public isn't going to know what to do with it. They've slowly been acclimated to the idea of what a graphic novel is, sure. But thrust something with pages the size of dinner mats in their face and they go all to pieces. Is it a picture book? A comic book? Fairy tales? So my advice to you is to make it crystal clear to people that this is a beastie like no other. No, it's not really a graphic novel. But if you put it under that heading then at least people will have some kind of a context to work with.

But do CHILDREN read it? I direct you, in this case, to a conversation I had just today. I spoke to a homeschooler and her mother who were recently in my library, and the subject of graphic novels came up. When I mentioned "Little Lit" in passing, the two lit up. Apparently the girl was given the first collection when she was two and has been read them ever since at bedtime. Hearing this I was, to put it mildly, stunned. Then a co-worker informed me that her son likes the books because he likes fairy tales and he likes comics. Apparently the only way he can justify reading the one is if it is combined with the other. It bears some thought. I think that another reason that "Big Fat Little Lit" succeeds where its predecessors merely did okay is that due to the sheer volume of twisted puzzles, games, and I Spy-like ventures, this book can sit down and seriously court fans of "Highlights" everywhere.

The collection doesn't contain all the past "Little Lit" ventures, which is logical. I was very very sad, however, to see that Chris Ware didn't make the cut. His "Fairy Tale Road Rage" board game is not included, much to the chagrin of my Ware-lovin' heart. Still, I was able to come to terms with his disappearance. Then I was perturbed by the reduced size of the individual comics in this book. Overall I think it was a very wise choice to reduce the size of "Little Lit". The large size of the earlier collections, while they evoke the comic pages of our youth, are bulky and hard to fit on personal and public bookshelves. Unfortunately with this new size we now face a problem that comic artists face nationwide whenever a newspaper wants to fit in more copy. Small panels can sometimes crush otherwise perfectly nice reading matter rendering it difficult to see. In general this isn't a noticeable problem until you come to Barbara McClintock's, "The Princess and the Pea". McClintock's delicate lines and meticulous details have been scrunched and shrunken down so far in this book that the reader definitely loses something in the process. Ah well.

Now if your child/neice/nephew/grandchild/what-have-you already owns one of the "Little Lit" collections (or all of them, for that matter) then perhaps this gift might come across as a tad repetitive. Then again, there is new material to be found here that you could not locate elsewhere. Did I mention to you that the talents of Martin Handford are utilized here? Don't know who Handforth is? Does the name "Where's Waldo" mean anything to you? Aw yeah, baby. He's here and he is, as the blurb on the back of this book states in general, "in top form". By and large, I'm a skeptic when it comes to this many sophisticates pooling their talents to bring small children joy. All that aside, this is undoubtedly my favorite "Little Lit" of the lot and is undoubtedly THE best way to enjoy the series. If you're gonna give a kid some comics, make `em read "Big Fat Little Lit". I seriously doubt it'll take much prodding.

This is an essential read for anyone interested in basketball history and all those, such as myself, who are excited by the increasingly international dimensions of the game. Wolff starts his journey in Princeton, the home of pure, fundamentals-driven b-ball, and visits many disparate corners of the globe, examining the local idiosyncrasies of the game through colorful anecdotes, a bit of philosophizing, and a great sense of humor. One of the things that caught my interest was hearing the names of former American hoopsters now playing overseas. Ever wonder what happened to Richard Dumas, the former Phoenix Sun who looked like a budding superstar in the 1993 NBA finals against the Chicago Bulls? You'll find out in this book. Another fascinating thing that caught my attention is the way in which hoops is so affected by politics in many countries. Wolff looks at how hoopsters had to literally dodge landmines to make it to their games in the former Yugoslavia and in present day Angola. His chapter on Africa is outstanding; it left me convinced that Africa is the real untapped reservoir of future NBA superstars. Another place in which b-ball and politics are inextricably entwined is China, where the state is finally loosening its hold over sports. In Bhutan, the monarch is literally the hoopster in chief. Wolff relates the interesting story of how hoops came to this tiny, Himalayan kingdom. These are just a few of the great stories contained within this book. Besides numerous international sojourns, Wolff also writes on the game closer to home, with some great chapters set in Philly, Peoria, Kansas City, and Washington D.C. I can't say much more other than to give this book my highest recommendations!

This may be the most far-reaching basketball book I have ever read. Wolff chronicles the game's impact and value in such disparate locations such as a modernizing China, the backwaters of Eastern Europe, and even within Bill Bradley's aborted 2000 presidential campaign!
Since the author visits such a long list of out-of-the-way places, you would expect his prose or reporting to suffer as the book progresses. Rather, Wolff keeps the story light and full of offbeat humor, while using his sharp skills to sniff out a story. For example, the author learns much about the Phillippines' national league and even meets the country's greatest player. Yet he is not satisfied with basketball's role in the country until he wanders the streets and unearths the tale of a local's fight to build a community court.
The story is broken down into epsiodes, as Wolff devotes each chapter to one of his stops. This makes it easy, should a particular subject or country interest you, to read the book slightly out of order. Yet the author does tie together many of his threads, and makes Big Game, Small World an informative look at the ways the game of basketball is shaping (and being shaped by) the world, as well as doubling as a minor commentary on many countries' natures and traditions.

'Big Game, Small World' is a modern bible of basketball. The NBA has never been more popular, and just one look at any team's roster will tell you how global the game has become. At the World Championships this summer, more than thirty players on international teams will have NBA experience on their resumes.

'Big Game, Small World' documents the intercontinental journey of Alex Wolff, in pursuit of his self-stated goal: rediscovering the game of basketball. From Ireland to Angola, Wolff provides us with unique and often amusing anecdotes showcasing how universal basketball has become.

Alex Wolff only further establishes his already unquestioned position as the premier sportswriter in America. His prose is always clear and concise, and he never fails to get the story everyone can appreciate. His mastery of the craft is as evident in this book as anywhere.

For all fans of modern basketball, young and old alike, 'Big Game, Small World' is the one piece of basketball literature you must own.

The book is a basketball travelogue that takes the reader around the world to illustrate the global nature and universal appeal of the game of basketball. As a fan of Ivy League basketball two chapters in particular stood out to me: "Philadelphia: Quaker Meeting House" and "Princeton, New Jersey: Through the Back Door"
As you might have guessed, the "Quaker meeting house" in question is the Palestra. The first half of the chapter recounts the past glories of the building while the latter half brings to life the famous Penn-Princeton game that took place on February 9, 1999.

The Princeton chapter deals with the legendary "Princeton offense." It uses the context of lunchtime pickup games at Princeton's Jadwin Gym to make its points and gives a wonderful look inside the family atmosphere that permeates Princeton basketball like few other college basketball programs.

I would add "Big Game, Small World" to a list of recommended basketball reading that includes John Feinstein's superb "The Last Amateurs."

A Big Girl's Blues
This book was an easy read while delivering a positive message of hope and inspiration to women who battle with weight, insecurity and low self-esteem. I would highly recommend this book to any woman that needs an encouraging word to search herself and find the strength to love who she is on the inside instead of focusing on her physical appearance. I look forward to reading Ms. Coleman's future books. God Bless!

This is a must read! Women struggle 365 days a year with our outside appearance. Whether it's weight, hair, aging or skin. This books highlights the strengths and weakness of women. It motivates you to understand that you are who you are and to love yourself regardless. It points out important factors on how this struggles affect others around you. You will learn it's really not the outside that needs work, it's the inside. A Big Girl's Blues

I really enjoyed the book from beginning to end. I was impressed with the way Ms. Coleman told this story because it was as if I was there going through it with Jasmine Tucker. This book gave a real world look at someone battling their weight and how it not only effects them but everyone around them. I highly recommend this book.

This book was surprisingly refreshing, I had expectations of reading another book about different diets and how none of them work. The story was much more! It details out how women deal with weight struggles and how it reflects in all of their relationships. This was so insightful for me as a woman struggling day to day with weight issues; it was a nice reminder that you can have a job, a loving husband, friends, and family that love you for who you are. It is not about loving the way you look but about loving you for you and feeling good. I highly recommend this book to all women! God Bless.

I read this book to my kids over 20 yrs ago,
always loved the story & illustration, so I
had to get it for my grandgaughter since we
misplaced the one I had 20+ yrs ago. I still
love it & so does my granddaughter.

This is one of my all time favorite books. I loved it when I was a little girl. I read it even today, when I need a little lift. It's such a cute story. My copy of the book isn't exactly like this one, it's an older version, and falling apart from repeated use. This is one of the greatest children's stories of all times, and your kids are sure to love it.

This is one of the dearest children's books I have ever read to my children! It has such a poetic quality and such a sweet story. I have read it so many times to my children that our copy is falling apart. The one that I have is illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, and the pictures are darling.

This was one of my favorite books growing up -- although back then it was published as a BIG Golden Book, not a "Little" one... I've ordered one for my son to enjoy, because all these many years later, my mother still won't let me have possession of the copy I grew up with. The illustrations on the original were by Leonard Weisgard, and were stunning -- I only hope that the new version does the original justice

SpongeBob finds a perfect way to celebrate Halloween. As usual, SpongeBob finds a way to amaze everyone, including the reader, and offer a funny, scary Halloween tale for us all to enjoy. My 6 yr old is a big SpongeBob fan, as is my 10 year old. They both have enjoyed this book over and over, even past the holiday.

My son LOVES this book. He had me read it to him several times in a row the first day then just about every night for weeks now. My son is at a level 2 reading & this is a good fit for him to read alone. Of course he still loves for me to read it to him.

I'm sharing this with my students. They will think it is great fun and will probably remember the cartoon.

Any kid will love this book. This book is so funny that you should not even think twice about buying it- it is a guaranteed hit! There is no doubt that you would not like this book.

If you are a fan of U of M and a fan of football then you will love this book. It is amazingly written, and really holds the readers attention. It goes in dept into what a great coach and director Fielding Yost was. It covers the building of Yost Field House and the building of the BIG HOUSE. I was able to speak with the author of the book and I was amazed by his level of knowledge. He spent a lot of time reading about U of M at the archives and its evident in the book when you read it.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested.

I gave this book to my dad for Christmas. He couldn't put it down. It won't be turned into a movie, because the stories just aren't juicy enough but I would recommend the book to any Michigan fan. It was quick easy reading - great for a plane ride.

I cant put it down, My old coach gave me this for x-mas, Knowing that I was a huge U of M fan.. its great, a look into some of the greatest football ever...

I bought this as a Christmas present for my husband but then started reading it surreptitiously. It is very interesting and I am not even a Michigan OR a football fan. I am sure my husband will love it.

This book had a unique attraction for me, since I worked with Mike and Bob on one of the transformations they discuss in the book (it was called "Taking Charge" and is referred to at various points throughout the book, but specifically summarized on page 118 & 119).

Mike and Bob have worked together on a number of corporate transformations, and they share their experiences to help us minimize the chances that we'll run the "typical" course: some lame, corporate feelgood program that achieves nothing. I've been there and it is not a fun fate.

Beware of zombies

The authors do a nice job of keeping things interesting by telling colorful stories to illustrate their points. One I enjoyed is Michael Kanazawa's discussion of "Zombie Projects" which he encountered, ironically, while working in the same area as Dilbert's creator Scott Adams.

"Zombie projects" are those projects that refuse to admit they're dead - which means they suck resources and motivation from the rest of the organization, causing "drag" on the business. The authors discuss the reasons these projects are allowed to exist and most of the book deals with how to ferret out and get rid of these kinds of useless activities.

Set the right drumbeat

Another interesting topic covered in the book deals with how leaders can make or break their team's success through the "drumbeat" they establish. Examples of leaders who to force too much "sense of urgency," which often has the opposite effect; rather than getting people to work harder or faster, their "urgency" shuts down debate and makes people feel anxious or frustrated.

They offer some powerful tips for how to manage your team's "sense of time" so that people use their times productively, without panic, and without feeling like they'll slow down progress by injecting their opinions or challenging things that are happening.

Engage the masses

One of the things that comes out strongly in the book (and one of the most memorable aspects of the Taking Charge project I was part of) is that the authors have developed a true methodology for engaging people across a company and focusing them on a specific set of outcomes. Their construct called "Tablework" is a big part of encouraging innovative thinking and microcollaboration among small teams, which is then reconnected back into the company's larger objectives.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of their approach is the drive to create "leaders at all levels" - crucial in creating a self-sustaining, effective business that can scale. A big part of that is letting people throughout the organization own various aspects of strategy and execution - and holding them accountable.

But one other vital aspect of this is making sure people feel recognized for their part in the company's success, and helping them discern the difference between things they must do and things they must strive for. They present the latter using a concept I really love - the distinction between "promises" (absolute goals) and "declarations" (a statement of intent when the means to get there are unknown).

Get big

This book is jam packed with information and techniques, but is fun to read. I also believe it can be a handy recipe book to help managers and leaders deal with specific problem areas, even if you don't go through the whole transformation process form end-to-end.

If you're a leader looking to drive your business out of the "same old same old" then I highly recommend Big Ideas to Big Results.

-- Dwayne Melancon, genuinecuriosity.com

Today's global competitive landscape is characterized by speed-of-change and increasing complexity. Organizations to survive must adapt or die. Authors Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles, PH.D., in "Big Ideas to Big Results," have given us a proven, scripted game plan for managing an organization through a needed transformation or a shift its strategic direction.

In the book, Kanazawa contributes a blend of operating and consulting experience from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, while Miles adds his academic (Yale and Harvard) and consulting experience as a thought and practice leader in the fields of corporate transformation and executive leadership.

The book is the result of the authors' collaboration in the development of ACT, Accelerated Corporate Transformation, a streamlined approach ("Launch, Execution, and Renewal") to transformation. The program centers on the development of the "big idea," the clarification of strategy for clear communication, the identification of "Quick Start" initiatives to build momentum, the development of checkpoints allowing for accountability and adjustments, and a "Renew" phase to stretch an organization beyond its initial one-year timeline.

"Big Ideas to Big Results" offers an integrated approach including elements often ignored when using common reengineering tools - TQM, Six Sigma, Process Reengineering, et al - that result in over-engineering and gridlock:

* The reality of the current business environment
* Focus on THE few, critical priorities
* Alignment of the entire organization into a single set of initiatives
* Engagement of the full organization which becomes responsible for the translation of the initiatives into operational tactics and job-level objectives
* Rigorous follow-through providing for feedback
* Leadership development at all levels

"Big Ideas to Big Results" was written for all managers of organizations who must address the demands of a global economy, demands that require constant re-invention and transformation. The book includes a framework any one can follow, cases, and, most importantly, the time-tested wisdom of the authors.

First some background. More than 25 years ago, C-level executives from major corporations (individuals as well as members of a management team) gathered for two weeks at the Harvard Business School, met with members of its faculty, and helped each other to formulate a game plan to respond effectively to their respective organization's most formidable business challenge. Within a year, they reconvened to share what happened, after the game plan had been implemented. What worked? What didn't? Why? How could the game plan be improved? During the years that followed, as other C-level executives convened at Harvard, "a clear pattern emerged. The biggest and most common problem facing executives was in leading different types of corporate transformations. They had trouble getting their organizations to execute on their stated strategies quickly." Co-author Robert H. Miles, who chaired the Harvard. "Managing Organizational Effectiveness" Program, distilled a wealth of real-world information and began to devise what he eventually called the Accelerated Corporate Transformation, or ACT process."



What we have in this single volume is a rigorous and comprehensive explanation of what the ACT process is...and isn't. Co-authors Michael Kanazawa and Miles briefly examine the typical stages of a cycle of failure, then shift their attention to the ten stages of a business success cycle and devote a separate chapter to each, providing at its conclusion a checklist of "Tips" that summarize key points. Keep in mind that ACT is a process rather than a project, best viewed as a journey rather than a destination. However, for a variety of compelling reasons that Kanazawa and Miles acknowledge, ACT requires a timeframe if the desired results (whatever they may be) are to be achieved. Appropriately, they share this caveat with their reader: "Unfortunately, there is not one `silver bullet' that will unlock success. There are a lot of moving parts. However, [ACT] is a surprisingly simple architecture and process that you can put in place to bring all of the critical principles into play."

In this context, change agents would be well-advised to keep in mind advice from two other sources. Charles Darwin's made three basic declarations: Species always breed beyond available resources; those with favorable variations have a greater chance of survival and pass along their variations to their offspring; and, adapted species force out weaker ones, producing whole new species. In other words, given the process of natural selection in the business world, companies must adapt or perish. Peter Ducker is the other source, stressing the importance of knowing where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. In 1963, Ducker also observed "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all."

Presumably at least a few of those who read this review would appreciate having a representative selection of brief excerpts. I have selected three:

"In the ACT process map in [Figure 3.2], you see the steps of Confront Reality, Focus, Align and Engage, and Execute in the streamlined process architecture. These items are essential design elements, which characterize the significant difference between cookie-cutter, fixed processes that either serve as an overlay to the existing business or seek to change everything being done already just to fit the new process. The right approach to process architecture is to leverage all of the best existing elements of the management process that are currently working well, make adjustments for any missing elements, adjust the sequence of steps for impact, and then streamline the full process for speed, simplicity, and high engagement. Fixed cookie-cutter processes often require changing too much at once (even things that were working) and are rightly rejected by organizations in most cases." (Page 31)

"A word of caution on going overboard with sparking innovation across a large system is to be careful about maintaining focus. Some people have misinterpreted and misapplied the concepts around full-system change. Their concept is to `light 1,000 fires' all around the lower levels of the organization and let all of that energy boil up to the top. In their eyes, isn't that `real' full engagement? Actually, it is just anarchy. Like a wildfire, this process is out of control, lacks direction, and ultimately just creates havoc." (Page 110)

"If the organization is under-powered [i.e. `the top leaders tell their underlings what to do and make all the decisions'], the challenge is then to shift the Power Curve `up' to look more like the High-Powered curve. In this case, the senior executives engage the full organization by releasing accountability of day-to-day tactics to middle managers to create time for strategic thinking at the top, and structure time and forums to effectively vet their strategic plans with lower levels in the organization. This results in a cascading of power to all levels, which leads to breakthrough results." (Pages 137-138)

Kanazawa and Miles duly acknowledge "nobody really ever learned how to lead a transformation by reading about it." What they offer is a complete set of tools and explain how to use each. It remains for those who read this book to determine (as Ducker suggests) where their organization is now, where it wants to be, and how to get there. They can then collaborate with their associates on the selection of the tools needed to complete accurate measurements, chart a proper course, and then communicate effectively once embarked on their shared journey to transform not only their organization but also themselves.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Jim Champy's Outsmart! How to Do What Your Competitors Can't as well as Jason Jennings' Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-Up Spirit Alive, two books by Henry Cherbourg (Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating And Profiting from Technology and his more recent Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape), and Corporate Agility: A Revolutionary Model for Competing in a Flat World co-authored by Charles E. Grantham, James P. Ware, and Cory Williamson. Also Kevan Hall's Speed Lead: Faster, Simpler Ways to Manage People, Projects and Teams in Complex Companies, Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Well, and David Robertson.

Leaders of organizations would be wise to follow the advice of Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles in their excellent new book entitled Big Ideas to Big Results. The book lays out their ACT process for organizations that want to implement three to four major initiatives each year. The authors developed the process to combat corporate ADD and employee disengagement when it comes to executing organizational initiatives.

Based on my more than 25 years experience in business as well as my expertise in employee engagement, I completely agree that these are major problems in organizations today and the solution the authors propose will go a long way toward solving them. The ACT process is also entirely consistent with the employee engagement research we have conducted at E Pluribus Partners and presented in Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity. Kanazawa and Mile's ACT process works in part because it helps meet universal human needs for respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth and meaning. When these needs are met, people thrive, individually and collectively.

Strong leaders will recognize many of the best practice steps that are a part of ACT. What makes this book valuable is the way the authors integrate the best practices into a step-by-step process and add ideas of their own. I especially liked their descriptions of annual high employee engagement cascades with tablework and quarterly mini-cascades. It's worth buying the book just to learn more about these practices alone.

Big Ideas to Big Results will be popular with corporate leaders. It's a quick and easy read with a process that is practical to implement and will help move organizations from identifying big ideas to producing big results. Congratulations to Kanazawa and Miles for developing an important new contribution to process innovation and describing it in an accessible way.

One gets an appreciation in this book of the disparate forces tugging at the mind of a young fellow torn between two cultures, fascinated by distant and goddess-like females,and vilified by snot-nosed, banal adolescent males, crammed together, all too close, in college dorms, and doing his best to come out on top, in terms of social and academic achievement, in this rat-race of genders, nerds, and jocks during the final, formative years, instead of being overwhelmed by the circumstances and succumbing to gloom and despair, as might be expected, considering some of the predicaments this protagonist falls into.

This is a novel about a character we rarely meet in fiction or real life. An American raised in France, the narrator is on the march- sometimes the crawl- from his family and on his way to college in late 70s America. In one vividly drawn scene after another, the narrator maps out the thrills and spills of a thoughtful, excitable young man and how a bi-national identity and the motley elements of late adolescence nudge and nurture each other.

This book is very strange at the beginning. The language and the way it is used can be very off-putting and somewhat disturbing! However, if you keep reading you will find a funny, interesting story of a man trying to find his way in a world that insists you are of "one national identity." I have heard Michael Kent speak about this book and he is a very interesting man. If you are a "hybrid" yourself or if you are interested in French/american cultural differeces you may enjoy this book. However, be aware that the English version is the translation so the language is a bit strange.

An amusing and thoughtful jaunt through the complex days of college, when a young man goes through all manner of humiliation and adventure to find his adult self and get some love as well. The memoir nature of the book brings the narrator into the reader's presence, and I enjoyed the tension of occasionally feeling I was with a friend who sometimes annoyed me with differing opinions, but mostly confided with me over the familiar and nostalgic terrain of college days. A worthwhile read even if one disagrees with the narrator's curmudgeonly views and occasional typos (for me, this was like discovering a student's manuscript left in a diner). One can smile in retrospect that growth and wisdom are not inborn, but often achieved after college experiences such as Nostran's.