Jones Books

As a big fan of the sisterchick series, I was excited to find this devotional. I have just done the first couple of devotions but already really enjoy it. While it is fun to do, it is sprinkled with "meat" to chew on and really get you thinking. Also, each lesson is very manageable, time-wise, which is important to me as a mother of 3 young children.

I found this little book very helpful on a recent personal retreat I took. The stories are insightful and the lessons we learn are common and real.
the pages to journal and write your thoughts and prayers are useful as well.

I've read every Sisterchicks book that's been published and this one is just as awesome as the others. Every Sisterchicks book are so great that you can't put them down once you start reading them.

Inspiring and uplifting. Something you would want to read over and over again. I have given as a gift to close friends.

Sisterchick is "a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and gives you a reality check when you're being a brat." A great definition; my only change would be that she loves you even when you're being a brat! But Robin Jones Gunn's Sisterchick definition has served her well as she has been delighting readers with her wacky adventures around the globe. From Sisterchicks on the loose in Finland to Sisterchicks down under in New Zealand, the concept of women having fun, solving problems and enjoying life has resonated with female fans and made her a popular "chick-lit" author.

TAKE FLIGHT! seems like a natural rest stop, a place for us and the author to take a break from whirlwind adventures and simply reflect. Robin's own Sisterchick, Cindy Hannan, had just returned from doing a Bible study series in Indonesia, which inspired her to think about collaborating on the devotional that God had been leading her to write. Cindy agreed, and TAKE FLIGHT! took flight, with Robin telling "God stories" and Cindy providing thought-provoking questions that spur self-awareness, honesty and a desire to know Him more personally.

The resulting book is filled with stories of encouragement, love, hope, wisdom and whimsy. The stories come from "Robin's Nest" and the focus questions and highlights come from "Cindy's Perch." These are but two of the unremitting bird references that could be annoying in less loving hands. But because they are done with such a sweet spirit, we not only enjoy them but add a few of "owl" own!

Each section of the book has several chapters that can be read in order, out of order or straight through. The first section, "Bird's-Eye View," includes Sunset Worship, Love of Strangers, and A New Dream. Robin intermingles her "God stories" with stories from the Bible, both Old and New Testament, to show how God has always known the needs of His children and how He has always provided the answers they need. The most obvious and difficult being: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love one another as you love yourself. As we ponder the concept of love, the longing for it grows...it's a God thing.

While most women can relate to having a best friend when they were girls and teens, and even as young marrieds, many have lost that joy with the onset of career chasing, numerous moves and outrageously busy schedules. It's not easy to make friends with all of that going on, and somehow the fear of rejection and disappointment keeps us from taking the risks necessary to do so. And how much simple joy we miss as a result.

TAKE FLIGHT! and the Sisterchick stories themselves put a longing in the heart for unconditional friendship. The words that Robin and Cindy use to inspire us to take the risks are precious and encouraging, and are sure to spark our spirit to TAKE FLIGHT!

--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding

This book is the essence of awesome. I read it, and as soon as I fiished reading it, I started to read it again. I hope Jones writes a sequel or something. There were so many questions left un answered.

Not many writers have the guts to publish without push from publishers and other literature hounds - but Wally Jones surprises us all with his DIY, don't-give-a-damn-to-the-classics style that's both like a punch to the face and a gentle nod to growing up in an era characterized by a plethora of increasing alienation despite comfortable wealth. His story is more than a mere "coming of age" novel; pulling from personal stories and characters, the complicated plot keeps you wondering how everything ties together until the end. Jones' passion for writing is obvious in the way he presents each character, begging us to see them as more than words on a page or an entertaining read. He tries to say what we all know to be true, without mincing words or imagery.

If you read one book this year, read this. You'll be reminded at just how complicated - and yet somehow hopeful and painfully fragile - life can be.

Walter,
I can't wait till you write another one! I hate to read but I managed to finish your book, no problem! If you ever need a muse, I can so help you out! The next one should be about the last four years in Clemson,SC.! Good luck with your reviews!

Great book! I read this book for a graduate fiction class, citing the examples of creative license used to make a regular work of fiction a fine example of art. I highly recommend this book

I have to say this bOOK rocks my world and i got cold chills when i go toward the end. i can even say that i'm proud to actually know wally jones and have know him for like 4 years and he is kick ass dude, WE ALL WANT TO KNOW WHEN DO WE GET ANOTHER BOOK

I loved this Hannibal Jones story. If Austin Camacho ever decides to give up writing, he should set up his easel. The descriptions of the people and places are amazingly vivid.

This was a great summer read which I finished all too soon in one weekend. At heart, this is a good story with interesting characters and little need to suspend disbelief. Camacho writes smoothly and paces the story well. The characters are interesting and not predictable, which is always a plus. He also writes great fight scenes. I'll recommend this to anyone looking for an action story set in the real world of Washington DC.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and you feel you know them, especially after reading the following books. His endings never leave you hanging, and the twists in the book are unique.

While third in the series featuring Hannibal Jones, the events depicted in this novel predate the novels "Blood And Bone" and "Collateral Damage." As such, it serves as a perfect introduction to the series for new readers and for those fans familiar with the series, explains how it all began.

Displaced by a fire in his apartment complex, Hannibal needs a new home, at least temporarily. With his new struggling business open less than six months and all records destroyed in the fire along with everything else he owns, Hannibal is devastated and contemplating a bleak future. Thanks to Cindy Santiago, daughter of his friend, Ray Santiago, he may get a new place fast.

Cindy works in a small law firm and one of the partners, Mr. Dan Baylor, has recently branched out into real estate as a developer. Cindy is sure that she can set up a meeting and Mr. Baylor will help Hannibal get a new place. They do meet and after Baylor checks with his staff, he informs Hannibal that nothing is currently available. The only possible exception and one that he is very reluctant to reveal, is in a building across the river in Anacostia. Infested with squatters and drug dealers, Mr. Baylor has been unable to get them out of his building despite repeated requests to the Police. The property, which he bought from the government and is intended to be developed for low-income housing, is costing Baylor every month and thanks to the squatters and drug dealers, he can't recoup his investment.

A deal is struck for Hannibal to clean out the building and provide security so that repair crews can go to work. Former government agent and now "troubleshooter" Hannibal Jones figures he has the bases covered and can have the building emptied permanently in less than a week. But, he is very wrong and quickly puts himself and those he cares about in great danger as the war for control between a neighborhood and the mob heats up.

Unlike the earlier two novels of the series, this novel is more of a character study and less a mystery. Little detective work is actually done since the dealers and other bad guys are quickly identified. As such, this novel shifts more into a vigilante style of justice work with Hannibal forced to repeatedly do battle at considerable cost to clear the building. Over the course of the siege, not only do we see how Hannibal came into being through insights into his character but we also see the beginnings of the romance between himself and Cindy Santiago. Several other recurring characters from the other novels make their introduction as well, explaining the tight bonds that exist.

Like the others in this series, this very enjoyable novel features tight writing, plenty of action, and intriguing characters. However, in so doing, some reviewers have mistakenly compared this author with Tom Clancy. Please do not be misled as this book and the others in the series have nothing in common with Tom Clancy novels. Both authors are writing books that do not share connections of style, character development, plotting, pacing, or anything else in common other than the fact they both release books printed on paper. Since Tom Clancy writes detailed techno thrillers making such comparisons meaningless and absurd, a better comparison might be made between Hannibal Jones to the "Lucas Davenport" character of the Prey series by John Sandford if comparisons must be made. Much like Lucas, Hannibal is an intense loner by his very nature and is very selective in his personal entanglements, romantic or otherwise. Much like Lucas, Hannibal does not tolerate evil in its many forms and is often conflicted as to the results and consequences regarding such confrontations. Much like Lucas, Hannibal is often pitted against forces that devalue human life at great personal cost.

Hannibal is fast becoming an old friend that this reader regularly looks forward to every time a new novel is released. This author and his three mystery novels to date are well worth the read and worthy of a place on your bookshelf.


Book Facts:

Troubleshooter
By Austin S. Camacho
www.ascamacho.com
Intrigue Books
www.publishinggold.com
August 2004
ISBN # 1-890158-63-1
Large Trade Hardback

Kevin R. Tipple (c) 2004

I just finished reading the Troubleshooter. It was a great story - since I went to business school in DC and worked there for 20 years, I knew the exact places in the book where the story takes place. It was very interesting to see how Jones was able to outsmart the drug dealers and how the entire community stands behind each other. I can't wait to read Austin Camacho's other books. It gives readers a look at real life outside of the Capitol of the U.S. Mr. Camacho's writing style was very easy to stay with and the entire story was so interesting you kept wanting to read but really didn't want it to end.

This was a very professionally written account of the lives of 15 very diverse people who also happen to be professional lacrosse players. The book really makes you view these athletes as interested in their sport, valued members of their community, and very different from the multi-million dollar primma donnas who play other professional sports. I definitely recommend this book.

After the Duke Lacrosse scandal, it was refreshing to see an upbeat well-written book about lacrosse. These players truly honor their sport, and make the casual observer want to learn more. The stories were interesting, and it was a good overview of the NLL, and the players who make the league work. I really enjoyed it, and hope to see more books like it.

This book was interesting, insightful, and sometimes even funny when explaining the lives of 15 "ordinary" people who have jobs, wives, kids, and play professional lacrosse on the weekends. It makes you realize how different pro lacrosse is from other pro sports. (And I mean that in a good way.) The writing was clear and engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

It was great to finally read a good book on professional lacrosse. The writing was interesting and insightful, and provided a good mix of lacrosse history combined with people who play the game. I would definitely recommend this book for the lacrosse fanatic, or even the casual observer. I enjoyed it!

This book is filled with stories of professional lacrosse players. The players are atypical from other professional sports players, who are often filled with self-admiration and greed. Yet, they are not exactly everyday people either. The players do have full time jobs and families, but many of them are in noble fields such as teaching, law enforcement, the armed forces, fire fighting... Of course, it takes a noble character to be devoted to such an underpaid and under-appreciated sport. The players sacrifice their bodies, time, and some family commitments for the love of their sport. The writing is clever, and the author gives good insight about the players' individuality, achievements, reminiscences, and dedication.

This book is about Tracy and Doug's wedding. Sierra learns important lessons about purity. She promises God (and her future husband, whoever he turns out to be) to save herself for her future mate. This book will help teen girls realize the importance of staying pure. It really helped me. It's also filled with lots of romance and fun and will make you grow closer to God.

It is fantastically well done! Sierra is a great christian series. There isn't to many good books for kids to read, but Sierra definetely is great!

No one can bring characters alive like Robin Jones Gunn. Her writing captures my heart from the first page and leaves me satisfied at the end. Great job!

finally doug and tracy are getting married!!! their long awaited marriage is finally gracing us w/ its presence!! and you know how long a wait its been if you've read the Christy books. hooray. that (their wedding) was kinda obvious though since he proposed in #... i'm not saying. but though its a happy occasion little problems are creeping around the corners waiting to pop into Sierra's life and irritate her. what challenges will she face? will everything work out? how will she react when she experiences the celebration of purity firsthand? okay now i'm starting to sound like the back of the book, so i'll stop now. i think #3 is the best but this book is definitly close behind. its at least the second best, if not tied for first. definitely no doubt about it -- but only if you've read the Christy Miller series. otherwise it means nothing. absolutely nothing.

Thank you so much, Mrs.Gunn. I have to say this is my first Sierra book, I have read. It's just the Wedding, and the kiss, and talks about purity is what made me read this one first. The Wedding, and their first kiss was wonderful. When I read the part about the rehersal, I was jumping and twirling around my school. Then the kiss made me scream and laugh cause of the Ushers. I cried at the shower, laughed out loud cause of the chicken, the only thing that got me is, when will Todd and Christy get married or if they ever will.I can't wait till the College Years when Sierra, Katie, Christy and Todd all go to the same college. I have to tell you, I'm a bookworm, I'm always reading these books, I cry alot of times and laugh alot and sometimes even scream. These books got me hooked, I give Godly advice away to my friends and tell them the lessons I've learned from these books. I especially like The Christy Miller Series, I gave comments in every book I have read. Thank you ,so very much!

Todd & Christy Forever! Doug & Tracy Forever! Paul & Sierra Forever! P.O. FOREVER!

An excellent and practical book. An easy to read guide on living in the present. A must for anyone who wishes to improve their life and live a more spiritually. The easiest reading book I ever read on this subject.

I have never before been motivated to post a review on Amazon. However, as the facilitator of a series of 6 week book studies on the topic of spirituality, with The Art of Being having been our latest study, I felt motivated to write due to the overwhelming and unified positive response of participants. Previous to this study, we engaged in a 6 week discussion of Eckhart Tolle's book, A New Earth. Since The Art of Being is a collection of essays centered around the topic of being present and living on purpose, it seemed like a natural next title, for Jones's book takes the principles identified so well by Tolle, and applies them, through essays followed by mindfulness practices, to real life. With the language given to us from A New Earth, we joyfully were able to use the essays in The Art of Being to springboard into marvelously rich discussions concerning relevant applications to every day life. The Art of Being allowed A New Earth to come alive for this group. It took principles of being and turned them into practice, and turned our group from being a class, to being a "sangha" (As Jones describes), or a spiritual community. It is a book whose value grew with each visit. In the words of one of the participants, comparing our last two studies, "Reading A New Earth was like enjoying a fine meal. Reading The Art of Being was like finishing with a delectable dessert."

...namely every single vignette.

In a world filled with distractions (or at least potential distractions), author Dennis Jones has assembled 101 peaceful reflections that he uses to help us focus on just being. This delightful book just oozes with a sense of peace and encouragement to be reflective about all that we have been blessed with.

I especially liked the way each vignette was punctuated with a couple of practices for integrating the message of the vignette into our lives.

For me, this is a book to be savored...to absorb one vignette at a time and really reflect on Jones' wisdom. Doing so, as I have been doing over recent weeks, creates a book with the potential to really make a difference in one's life.

I love this book. Triple kudos Dennis Jones.

I have not heard one word out of Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones that is not only brilliant, but very relevant to living a life today on purpose. This book is a must read if you want to get more out of your existance each and every day!

The Art of Being is a practical guide to meaningful spiritual practices that help us recognize the divinity that has always existed within each of our beings. Dr. Jones provides "Mindfulness" practices in the back of each chapter that help bring this recognition into our consciousness. My wife, daughter and I are now reading it together for the third time. Each time we read a chapter, we find something new and inspiring. I highly recommend it, it can be life transforming.
Stuart Azarchi
Hamilton, NJ

I tend to do things without paying as much attention as I should, like buying this book without researching it's details.

I bought the book because my 5 year old daugher loves to draw, and because she's nuts over the Lion King at the moment. I figured it would be great for her to see not just finished work (like what winds up on television) but to also see sketches, concept drawing and paintings, and the like.

So I bought it. When I received it and saw it's pocket size I was so happy! It's absolutely the perfect size for a little kiddo like her, but the content is professional, serious and mature as I had expected. It's hard cover, totally full of pictures, and has glossy pages printed on high-quality paper. Some folks might have been put off by the size but for my purposes it was more than perfect!

We have great fun looking through it together and looking at all the different styles of artwork. If you or your kid likes to draw or paint, and likes this movie, You'll really be sorry if you don't buy a copy. No I don't work for Disney or Amazon. I just like to encourage and support my childs love for art any chance I get, and boy was this a great addition to her library.

Apart from the fact that my copy was close to pocket size, i thought that this book was fantastic. Not only does it come filled with amazing concepts, it also is accompanied with the Lion King Storyline. As an illustrator and student animator, it is a wonderful addition to my resources. The sketches through to the complete full colour images are for any Lion King fan, artists or just someone wanting a beautiful coffee table book. If your from overseas like myself and cannot get these kind of books in Australia, i reccommend Amazon and their associate stores. Buy this, its great.

I received this book as a birthday present last month. To say the least, I was overwhelmed with all the artwork in this book. I love it! The artwork and production animation is breathtaking! It's a really awesome book, I'd get it if I were you! You can't go wrong with "The Art of The Lion King"!!!

This book is one of the most exquisite things to come out of The Lion King. The graphics are beautiful. Most of the pictures are ones that are used for the storyboard and layout scenes. I reccommend it to anyone who loves The Lion King, or just Disney in general. Order with confidence - the book is worth much more than its price tag. It is also much more convient than the larger, more expensive version which I believe is no longer being produced.

"The Lion King," Disney's 32nd animated film proved to be a smashing success, appealing to young, old, and those in between. As it filled movie houses, Disney mania swept the country again. The breathtaking visual effects that fascinated so many are brought to stunning life in "The Art of the Lion King" by Christopher Finch.

This lavish folio-size volume traces the creative process utilized in making the film, from black and white sketches to glorious full-color reproductions and even splendid fold-outs, one exhibiting the surreal beauty of the African natural world.

Actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa the Lion King in the film, contributes the foreword, while the text is by Christopher Finch, author of "The Art of Walt Disney."

Those fascinated by the art of animation and those touched by the story of Mufasa, Simba and Scar will treasure this color and fact filled memento.

- Gail Cooke

The popular attention in the Protestant world towards traditional Reformed theology and thought that has come about in the last 30 years or so, has had multiple attempts of explaining just what the encompassing nature of Reformed theology looks like. Some have been attempts to be extremely contemporary, some have been dry theological tomes, accessible to only those who are already presupposed to that corner of the Protestant world. What the compilation of chapters, by different authors, in Back to Basics, have done is to present a readable explanation of traditional Reformed theology, beginning with the doctrine of a sovereign God that rules personally in his creation.

A risk with any work that has multiple authors, and this one has four sections, with a different author in each, is that the writing will be uneven and that thoughts developed in one part of the book will be dropped totally later on. As such, even in good books, with well written ideas, stand alone chapters are better remembered than others.

In this book, the chapters on sanctification, or how the Christian grows in his faith and what that means for his vocation and all areas of life; and the section on the covenant nature dealings between God and his people are nicely done. The sections dealing with the doctrine of God and the role of the church do read dryly at times.

The general reader, who is interested in a high view of a personal yet universal God of the Bible and who is looking for a clear, succint teaching on justification and how that applies to the whole life of the individual will find this work useful. Unfortunately, there has much contention historically, and even in recent years among different parties in the Protestant world, between the covenant and dispensational or even more recently towards things like open theism. Some of these arguments have been needlessly distracting from the heart of the gospel. What the authors of Back to Basics have done, is to write a genearlly lucid explanation for how Reformed theology flows into every other area of the Christian life, and to do that in a way that is not argumentative or contentious. And for that, the reader should be grateful, and should find the book a fine complement to their personal study.

This book is responsible for introducing me to the Reformed faith. For years I had been told of the "evils" of Calvin and his twisting of God's character... afterall, he's a lawyer... and who can trust those guys? But what I found shocked me! The reformed faith actually made sense (go figure...)and had no semblence to the caricature the critics like to draw of it.

I was going through a rough time in my faith and I decided to re-examine things I had been taught in church when I stumbled on this little gem of a book. This book was the stepping stone to my discovering the Reformed faith and gave me a firm foundation that had never been built in my life. I continue to return to my copy from time to time for its concise examples, thoroughness and extremely readable style... my paperback edition is extremely dog-eared.

If you are interested in testing the waters of historical, evangelical Pretestantism, I heartily recommend this book as a launching point.

The book is divided into four sections: Conversion, The Covenant, The Church and The Christian Life. Each chapter in every section has study questions that reinforce and help the reader gain a deeper understanding of each section. The foreword is written by RC Sproul.

Doug Wilson, Doug Jones, Roger Wagner and David Hagopian have put together a well-rounded presentation of the Reformed Faith. As Roger Wagner, one of the authors, states, "the Reformed faith starts and stops with the sovereign and gracious God who has revealed Himself in Scripture." That's the focus and starting point for every discussion in the book.

Many authors simply complain about the condition of the Church. Not these authors. They exercise terrific insights, give helpful direction and pastoral-theological wisdom that really does encourage the student of Scripture. Each message is an example of compassion.

A short summary of the book from the book: "[God} is, and forever will be, preeminent in all things (Col. 1:18)." In all areas of life, God is primary and it is Him that we glorify in all things. Conversion, covenant, church and life, all things are for Him and through Him. The authors' theses are complete and clear. Their goal was accomplished: Why is Reformed theology such a good thing (or is it)?

This title is recommended by: RC Sproul, Jay Adams, E. Calvin Beisner, James Montgomery Boice, D. James Kennedy, John Frame, Jerry Bridges, GI Williamson and Steve Brown.

I've read several of the books that are often suggested as introductions to Reformed thought. This is the first one that doesn't focus on Calvinistic soteriology to the exclusion of other equally (or perhaps more) important aspects of the Reformed view of what Scripture teaches. My only real quibble is that the title ought to be Back to Intermediates, because there are more foundational doctrines than these - but all Protestants agree about those.

The book is divided into four sections, each written by a different author:

Doug Wilson contributes the chapters on salvation. He very able covers justification and predestination. Doug Jones contributes the section on covenantal theology. Covenant theology is the true heart of the Reformed viewpoint. These few chapters ably lay out the scriptural basis for it and explore the implications of it. A third section concerns the church, including its nature, the sacraments, and church discipline. This is the weakest section of the book, but still adequate for the overall purpose. Particularly, one wishes that more time would have been spent on the nature of worship and on the place of the sacraments in the corporate life of the church. Finally, Hagopian himself handles the section on the Christian life, which is mostly a theology of sanctification. This is perhaps the most immediately practical of the sections.

Each chapter ends with a dozen or so review questions. We are considering using this book in a Sunday school class, so that is a very definite plus. Any criticism that could be leveled against the book would be on the basis that it could have treated a subject more thoroughly, but doing so would have necessitated expanding the book beyond its purpose.

Most protestant denominations praise the efforts of Luther and the other founding fathers but since have adapted a very different theology. Hagopian, Wilson, Jones, and Wagner do a good job of bringing us back to the "richness of the Reformed faith." First and foremost, it's biblical. In addition, it's logical and the most glorious! Read this and let's bring the glory back to God, not man.

Derby is a great man....he is pretty silent about his service in Vietnam....most guys that were there are...he's my friend...I've known him for 6 years....he and his wife are great people...best I've ever known....I haven't had the chance to read the book him and his wife wrote..but did read Six Silent Men By Reynel Martinez. It's about they went thru in Nam....It's an awful good read..My son even loved it...Very well written...362 pages of what the men went thru...It really makes you think...Derby survived to write this book...I just want to say....he's a great guy...and I Love him and his wife...

This is a read I couldn't put down.You can feel what the author feels as he goes through all the exploits of his life. Its full of history of early 1900's life.Roaring 20's drama at its best.I highly recomend it to anyone that enjoys autobiograhys.

This is a book that rings as true as any of John Steinbeck's most memorable characters. A Bandit Called Derby is a son's tribute to his often wayward father's early years where Oliver Franklin Jones roared through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Idaho bootlegging,gambling, and robbing an occasional casino or bank.
It's not a glossed over version of the Rip Roaring 20s but a hard scrabble look at the hellbent life and times of a reflective man, who after doing his time offers a better route for his children, including his son, Derby- a decorated Vietnam veteran, a former Airborne Ranger and Sergeant Major, and to his friends one decent man. I'm biased. I know Derby Jones and he's truly one of the good people. This book is not only a touching tribute to his father but a true slice of Americana and look at a time we thought we knew. Thanks to Derby Jones (both of them) and Derby's wife, Sheryl, we all just got a better view!

This was an excellent read. I got a genuine first hand account of how life during that period of time. For those who want to know what hard time was this is a book for them. Oliver (Derby) Jones was a hard man who's life was worthy of being told for all generations.

I thorougly enjoyed this book. It was an interesting sampling of "real" americana from a slightly different, but definitely humorous point of view. I recommend this read highly!!!!

Breakaway Management articulates what's true about workplace behaviors: all people have them and they are less than ideal. People bring along their less than ideal histories (Managers are people too!) and create barriers to change that keep organizations or work groups stuck. The dysfunctional patterns can be identified and named, openly dealt with, and constructively managed. The tools provided in this book help to talk about what's real in the workplace and that's a common sense approach that experience teaches works well

Finally, the fix-it for dealing with those "people problems" that ultimately cause organizational ineffectiveness and failure! Dr. Jones spends just enough time outlining the origins of dysfunction and the widespread impact of dysfunction to convince any business person that it is this dysfunction we must focus on first in our organizations--and not our structures or policies or procedures. Throughout his book, Dr.Jones develops the pathway for any manager to deal respectfully and responsibly with dysfunctional behaviors. No matter how rampant the dysfunction in your workplace, Dr. Jones has beautifully and practically developed the "way out" for managers so they can implement and foster the "way back" into functional behaviors which, ultimately, creates the "way to" organizational success.

Very insightful;full of useful strategies and information. Dr. Jones style is humorous and very down-to-Earth. Chapter 5 was a real eye-opener. I now have a better sense of how to approach discussion of the issues we've been avoiding for so long. Our Thursday morning staff meetings will never be the same. If you supervise 1 or 1,000 people, this book is for you!! John A. Wilson, Area Group Manager, DMS. Inc., California

Truly explains the the reasons behind the time, treasure and pain that Corporate America has endured through the misdirected and failed implementations of Total Quality Mangement, Teamwork, Re-engineering, Downsizing and Right-sizing that has prevailed through the 80's and 90's. This text offers the reader a practical, no-nonsense approach to many of the obstacles that prevent the successful implementation of continious improvement efforts in terms of viewing the organizaiton from the perspective of Dr. Tom Jones who has laced the pages with no-nonsense advice for understanding and improving your organization's effectiveness. If you're in a position to lead people and "been there and done that," I suggest that you re-assess your organization through the "hands on "experience and techniques conveyed by Dr. Jones...You'll find it as impacting and insightful as "The Goal" (Eli Goldratt) and potentially more effective than the scores of business books offering "silver bullet" solutions to the complexities of organizational life in the 90's

Many managers go home each night feeling sick, frustrated and demoralized from facing a daily struggle to reach goals and improve performance in a dysfunctional workplace. The practices they have used effectively in the past are not working, their people seem confused and hostile, and the job is suffering. This book is written for them. It is packed with ideas and techniques for overcoming the barriers to productivity that these managers face. Identifying the symptoms of dysfunction and specifically outlining steps to overcoming them will give managers increased options and tools that can bring the whole workplace team to a new level of productivity