Ward Books

A superb novel that mixes the quest for 'the perfect meal' with the quest for 'the perfect life.' You can try for both but the journey not the end is it's own reward. Thought provoking and entertaining. Must read.

Besides being simply entertaining, Hunger will make you experience every emotion. You can FEEL the characters' sadness, their anger, their desire and passion. You will at times feel sympathy for Anna and then at other times want to wring her neck!! leaving you starving for the ending and her final decision about Michael and James.....

I am an avid readier and I was enthralled with this book. I was unable to put it down once I started reading it. "Hunger" completely captured my attention from the start. Anna Rossi, the title character was so interesting, so human. She came alive through the pages of this book. I felt that she was a friend that I wanted to talk to and offer support. I could relate to her conflict and her struggles. I envied the fact that she could pour herself into her cooking and that it was theraputic for her and such a gift to others.

I became emotionally involved in the story. I became Anna's cheerleader and wanted to see her succeed. I was angry with Michael and I could not grasp his way of dealing with everything.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys a great story that wraps itself around you from the start to the finish. Bottom-line this novel feeds your body and your soul.

The main character in Jane Ward's HUNGER, Anna Rossi, understands the sensuous nature of food as well as the nourishing properties of love. With lovely and adroit prose, the author serves us a compelling story of a woman in her early thirties assessing her life with a sometimes frightening dose of honesty. Her work as a food chemist and chef-in-training provides insight into all arenas of her life. An engrossing novel, it left me craving for more wonderful literature like this.

All Anna Rossi ever wanted from life was not to repeat her parents' bland inanimate existence. She thought when she married Michael that she found everything with him and through her love of cooking. However, after a few blissful years together, Anna finds herself in that same rut of her childhood that still haunts her today. Trying to put some flavor back into her marriage, Anna persuades Michael to go on vacation, but that only substantiates that they have nothing in common except a six-year-old child.

Deciding to start fresh, Anna leaves Michael to accept a job as a cooking assistant. She soon has an affair with her chef-boss even as Michael pleadingly asks her to return to him in his letters. Confused, Anna finally must decide between Michael and cooking even as her mother suffers a debilitating stroke, making her decision much easier to accept.

HUNGER is an adult coming of age tale starring a frustrated and bewildered individual seeking happiness and solace in life. Readers will react to the demoralized Anna with mixed feelings as they will sympathize with a great to say you are finally getting a life vs. wanting to shout to her to be an adult already. Though Anna over-muses at times, Jane Ward has written a tale that will provide much enjoyment to those readers who relish an intriguing personal crisis.

Harriet Klausner

Anyone can slap a cross on their chest (or attend church) and claim to follow Jesus. This book gives the reader a much deeper insight into what Jesus' life actually represents. Jesus did not judge people. Jesus used nonviolent civil disobedience in a determined effort to bring about justice for the poor. He opposed war and a corrupt state. He befriended and advocated for the poor, the sick and the downtrodden. His ultimate aim was Love. In short, Jesus was an extraordinary activist in his times. And by extrapolation, the book intimates that if we are to truly call ourselves followers, then we too must actively engage society and seek justice for all. Highly recommended if the reader wants an authentic understanding of Christ.

Having read John Dear's Transfiguration: A Meditation on Transforming Ourselves and Our World, watched his DVD "The Narrow Path, Walking Toward Peace and Nonviolence with John Dear, SJ", read his weekly essays on ncrcafe.org, and listened to Fr. John speak, I thought I knew what to expect in JESUS THE REBEL. I was wrong - it was even more compelling than I knew it would be. Fr. John is walking the walk. He has been imprisioned for his pro-peace activities and is currently facing further punitive actions by a judge in Albuquerque for a peaceful demonstration against the Iraq War. We need to spread his story and join him in personally reinforcing Jesus's message of nonviolence if we want to put an end to answering violence with violence. The hypocrisy of the US in claiming to be a Christian nation while bombing anyone anywhere must be exposed. JESUS THE REBEL is powerful reading anytime, but especially during Lent and Holy Week. I am delighted that Fr. John has been nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize by Archbishop Tutu. All the more reason to recommend his books.

I was amazed at this book, and the impact it has had on my life, and choices I have orignally made. This book tells of the Gospel of Jesus and relates it to everyday modern life, and choices we must all make. I never really understood the messages behind the gospels I read this book. This book relates the Christian message behind the death penalty, civil disobediance, belief in faith, and your sprititual journey in life. The book is well written and easy to understand. Each chapter starts out with a chapter in one of the Gospels and then relates it to modern day life. I will be forever changed by the reading of this book.

The Rev. Father John Dear as always clearly and concisely presents with great courage the essential message of Jesus Christ and His mission to liberate the captive, comfort and free the oppressed, bring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and to declare a year of Jubilee (as Father Dear quotes Jesus quoting Isaiah early on).

The importance of this book for prayerful reading by EVERY Christian grows each year as our various elf-proclaimed Christian Churches appear to lose our way in Christ. Read especially around page twenty of how we service the objectives of the current Empire rather than our one true Lord. Not all who cry Lord Lord will get into the Kingdom.

Courageously and clearly, the Rev. Father Dear wrote these words last millenium which grow more relevant each year. Please read them very carefully and prayerfully. Read as well his other volumes, which truly open to us the true meaning of Christ's eternal mission today, and which are available here on amazon very inexpensively. I truly hope some of that goes to support the good work and essential writing of Father Dear.

Item rated with an infinity of stars

If you want to be comfortable and continue to feel all warm and fuzzy with your Christian faith, don't read this book! John Dears read on the Christian message hits home hard and in a big way. It challenged me on many levels, as material consumer, as peace maker, as one person challenging the system, whether it be political or religious. It clearly outlined the mission, as a call to work for justice at every point in our life. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching for the deeper meaning of the Christian message. Mary Routh Ankeny, Ia joyfam@dwx.com

MARY WARDS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR MILITARY FAMILIES. I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE IN KNOWING MARY WARD AND HER SON AND HUSBAND. THIS BOOK IS SOMETHING ALL MILITARY FAMILIES NEED TO READ IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR SOLDIERS GO THROUGH AND WHAT THEY NEED FOR SUPPORT. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG IF YOU LISTEN TO THIS SOLDIER IN THIS BOOK.

I recommend this book to moms, dads, families, and friends of military personnel being or currently deployed to Iraq. Reading 'Letters Home' will help you gain insight and understanding into the daily lives of those deployed. It will also validate the emotions experienced by those of us who wait, wonder, and worry through the deployment time. Read how this family supports their soldier and how their friends and family support one another.

I was fortunate enough to hear about the book Letters Home by Mary Ward from a friend who had just finished reading it twice. I knew that it was a book that I needed to read. Everything that I was told about the book was true.
This book took me back to my own memories of the first time my son was deployed to Iraq. Facing my son's second deployment, I once again picked up Letters Home and read it again and again.
I hope that everyone in America has the opportunity to read this book to understand what it is like to have a loved one in the military.
Once you buy this book you will not be able to put it down!
I anxiously wait for more books by this very talented author.

In the Fall of 2004, when I realized my son would be deploying to Iraq for the 2nd time, I began searching the internet once again for ANYTHING relating to the 3rd ID. My search led me to Mary Ward of Marehaven Productions. A review of her book, "Letters Home" by Ron Martz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution caught my eye because he had been embedded with my son's Company on the Thunder Run to Baghdad. I ordered "Letters Home" that day. From the moment I opened the book, I couldn't put it down. It transported me back in time. Her words were my words. Her son became my son. I cried and I felt the joy of a son returning home from war, and the guilt because I knew others had not. In the week before my son left, I felt compelled to read her book again. In 3 short months, I have read it twice. For any parent who has sent their child off to war and is familiar with the emotional roller coaster ride, this is a must read. And for those who have never sent a child off to war, this book offers insight as to how very difficult it is.

Mary Ward captured my interest with the first sentence and kept it through the entire book. I truly felt her every emotion. It gave me so much appreciation for each and every soldier that is serving our country.

This is a must read for anyone who wants to know about Christianity in the Middle East before the Muslim conquests and the following massacres.

The recounts are made by those who saw the events take place and were able to record them without a great relapse of time. I encourage everyone to read this and take it all in, read it a few times, about one year after the last time you read it and each time it is better than the last.

The miracles stories are told very matter of fact and factually with great detail yet they retain their wonder. I admit, I believe all of them wholeheartedly which is rare for me to be able to do. May God bless you to read this and know the love with which it is written and shared.

THE LIVES OF THE DESERT FATHERS was my first introduction to these early Christian masters who oftentimes gave up wealth and success in the world and fled to the desert to live a life of austerity and faith. These early monks and hermits were viewed as successors to the martyrs. Since Christianity was not being persecuted in the same manner it was in the earliest centuries of the Church, many men and women wanted to show a new way of giving themselves totally for the faith and fleeing to the desert was one such way.

One of the things that makes the desert father and mothers so fascinating is that we do not have a great deal of biographical information about them. Rough collections of sayings, probably recorded a generation or two after they lived is all that survives. While this can be viewed as a disadvantage for the modern reader, it actually gets to the heart of what the people who recorded the sayings intended. We wrestle with the actual words and stories, sometimes simple and insightful, at other times arcane and difficult, and in doing so we find the challenge of what the masters were trying to teach. In our world with its busy pace, constant interruptions, technological gadgets that are supposed to keep us connected, these words from another day and age can seem nothing more than quaint, perhaps irrelevant. However, many of the teachings try to show people what is from God and what is not, what is good and what is a distraction. If we keep this in mind, we discover ways these words are timeless for our day and age.

The book itself reads like a travelogue. A group of monks from Palestine travel to Egypt and visit a group of monks living in the desert regions. Their holiness is well known, so they are not living in a secretive place, just a deserted one. It seems as if they met each of the monks included in the collection though some of the stories seem to be things they heard of the monks, other stories seem to be things observed. There are a variety of tales. Some are quips of spiritual wisdom, usually about humility. Others tell of overcoming great temptations and discerning between a temptation and act of God. Others are of a miraculous sort: people being healed, animals being tamed, etc. Individually we see interesting and often challenging tales. Collectively we see a diverse collection of tales with serving God and becoming more Christ-like as common themes. The book also contains helpful introductions by Sr. Benedicta Ward which tells of early Egyptian monasticism which helps modern readers better appreciate the writings.

This book is an inspirational journey to another time and place that should inspire every Christian and give us the strength to live our own lives as God would have us live them. Get it, read it, share it!

I like these guys. Didymus was said to be a man of `charming countenance'; Apollo told people that happiness was not an option but an obligation for Christians: "He used to say: `Those who are going to inherit the kingdom of heaven must not be despondent about their salvation. The pagans are gloomy [is this a reference to Al Gore's apocalyptic ideas?], and the Jews wail, and sinners mourn, but the just will rejoice ... we who have been considered worthy of so great a hope, how shall we not rejoice without ceasing?". Amen to that.

This book has a very good introduction of about 45 pages, then the text is some 80 pages, and a few more pages of notes. It's a very interesting read for Christians and those interested in the early days (or centuries) of Christianism. I have to admit I was a little prejudiced against these folk, more than anything because of ignorance, but also because I had this idea that these Christians were `faking it' by going into the desert in Egypt to live an ascetic life. I maliciously thought it had to be an excuse in order to `get something', even if it was only vainglory. True, there are bad apples in our churches, and that's the devil trying to infiltrate wherever he can do more damage to the true Gospel, and that might have happened in those early times as well. Only think of the number of people who went into the religious `business' in the Middle Ages, not to die of starvation, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. But that doesn't refute the basic truth: that there were, and are, real honest folk who love Christ and try as sincerely as they can to follow Him.

The monastic experiment had started in the mid 4th century, and it had flourished in a way that population in the desert (delta of the Nile) equaled that of the towns by 394. It was the boom of anachoresis -so goes Benedicta Wards's introduction-. An account of the life of Antony the Great, who died in 365, written by Athanasius, spurred even more the enthusiasm of visitors to undertake the journey and learn from the monks at first hand. One of the journeys through Egypt at the end of the 4th century produced the `Historia Monachorum in Aegypto', which was chosen as the basis for this book. The original text was written in Greek and its author remains anonymous.

How must we view these early monks? If we travel back in time we'll see that there already were two different opinions about the monks: one of outsiders and one of the monk himself. From outside they were considered sort of a talisman (that's my word), "a peace-maker between men, and a friend of God; the one who had influence at the court of heaven. He was at the very lowest, good luck for those fortunate enough to be near him." But the monk defined himself as a sinner, a weak man. Both opinions -the one society had, and the one formed by their visitors from Palestine- form the contents of the book. Personally, I couldn't help loving these characters. That the Devil used the originally good intentions of monasticism to corrupt its ideals, as it happened later on, is another issue.

A key to understanding this early monastic experiment is the following quote: "It is not the exercise of asceticism in itself which is fundamental to this way of life, but repentance, metanoia, the turning from the cultivation of the ego."

What kind of people were these monks? They were sinners, prodigal sons returning from a far country (a return at first physical but at ultimately spiritual); some had been robbers and murderers, and some had a more mundane background. But all of them turned away from their sin, and looked to Christ resurrected and Almighty.

Yes, the devil turns the straight line crooked, but my the mercy of God we'll get there allright.

The book attributed to the recording keeping of a 394AD journeyman and his companions as they traveled through the deserts of Egypt meeting the acetic fathers. The book is as stunning as it is simple. Basic records of extraordinary lives will immediately provoke every kind of reader. Skeptics will try to dismiss it as ancient myth-making and walk away. Believers may embrace it, but only with the uneasy feeling that if these stories are historically accurate, there is something fundamentally missing from the modern day practice of faith. I can't imagine anyone walking away from this book content.

The events of twenty-six men's lives are recorded in the most general of details, some of which receive only a paragraph or two. But the details which are recorded include reports of clairvoyance, the control of wild animals, healing, and exorcisms. All of them practiced an extreme asceticism which left some of them with only a meal a week. There seems to be a general sense that when one practices self-denial to enough of a degree that it takes only a nudge (from a spiritual superior) for one to be able to work miracles. Miracles seem to be the commonplace experience of these hermits.

A summary doesn't do justice to the experience of reading the book. Whether or not one wholeheartedly affirms the accuracy of the stories, one is left with the question of where these stories came from. And if we accept them, there is only a dull sense that we are missing something.

Havent read it but comes highly recommended.

This book is worth its weight in gold -for any newcomer to the business world. Its a small book full of priceless advice and suggestions about life, people and business. I have bought 2 copies. One for me, and one to give to my son when he will be ready for it!

This book is advice a father ( the author) gave his son over the years of his upbringing. My father was never much of a talker, so when I first read this book in college, it explained alot of things I wish he had been able to tell me about. Now that I am having my own kids, I want to read it again so I be a great father too. This is a book you will keep and hand down (if you can find it) !

My father, a successful businessman, has long advised me and my sons to read this short but very worthwhile book. I have finally done so and have had my 17 year old read it. I highly recommend it for its common sense approach to the problems and opportunities which young people face

I bought this book in the mid 80's and I loved from the first page to the last.It contains letters of Advice from a father to a his son covering every aspect of life.Almost 15 years and belive it or not i still keep it next to my bed and read a letter or two every evening.Great staff and i sincerely recomed it.

When I came upon this book,I was interested in Bloomers because
my (late)friend and associate Roger "Jellyroll "Troy had told me many first hand Bloomfield stories,
and I was intrigued by all of the things I heard about him, and was curious to know more.
I bought the book to read, and loved it! It covers his career in some detail, and some about his personal life as well.Ithought it to be an excellent summery of Michaels achievements ,and ups & downs .
Although I never got to meet Mike while he was alive,I did get to hear allot about him, and his antics through my old friend "Jellyroll", in fact I lent the book to "Roll" and he managed to leave it somewhere,and I never got it back! I cant believe how much I saw a used one going for! I hope they go into print again sometime so I can replace it!--I'll leave you with one funny note; Jellyroll told me that when they used to fly back&forth to gigs, Michael would'nt board the plane if there was a crippled person,or a nun aboard, because Michael said "god takes them first"!

I remember during the early 60s lending my new copy of the Blues Project's first album to a friend in return for the first Butterfield album (an unknown band to me). There was a wicked instrumental on the second side called "Screamin'" which just floored me. WHO WAS THIS GUY!! Like many guitar players, I wore many copies of that album out in a futile attempt to capture Mike Bloomfield's magical tone, touch and feel. Nuff' said about his impact on me. To put it simply, there never has been, and there never will be, (if you exempt Jimi Hendrix), an American blues rock guitar player as important and influential as Mike Bloomfield. His playing is frankly present in almost every blues rock player up to the advent of Stevie Ray Vaughan. He pioneered blues rock, raga rock, jazz/brass combinations in rock (Electric Flag) and played with a raw punk attitude (in the real sense). To boot, he was an accomplished musicologist with a thorough knowledge of American music.

Ed Ward's book is a good overview of Bloomfield's life story. There are many interesting pictures, particularly of the early chicago days (including players such as Otis Rush)and his later period in California. It does lean more toward the biographical than some would have liked. However, until now its been the only resource available (and a good read). NOTE: Bloomfield's classic recordings "IF YOU LOVE THESE BLUES, PLAY 'EM AS YOU PLEASE" are available on Laserlight CD under other titles (ROOT OF BLUES and GOSPEL BLUES?).

One question, why hasn't anyone written a comprehensive musical analysis of his music? I can't understand why.

i have finally found this book that i research for years.thanks to Amazon!
i 'm so glad because i think it give a right idea about Bloomfield as man with his psicology and introspective vision of life but also as musician about his open mind to visions,to heart of peoples and his many musical ideas deep down in the blues.
Excellent rare photos in many locations, make of this book a must for collectors and fans.

Now that a more heralded book is about to be published, a tip of the hat to the first. Although friends and musical partners have disputed parts of this book, it is nonetheless the only thing available up until now, with many interesting session dates in the back. For those who aren't familiar with Mike, a few notes of my own: Richard Thompson mentions Mike as on of his faves and influences; Mike may well be Bob Dylan's favorite electric guitarist; Santana began as a Bloomfield imitator when his band was called the 'Santana Blues Band' in the sixties....Robben Ford, famed session guitarist, began as Bloomfield imitator...The infamous 'Grateful Dead' jams were originally based on the 'Paul Butterfield blues Band' with Bloomfield on guitar playing 'East-West',(the name of their second album and the full-side-of-the-LP length jam on same). Dylan,Santana and Grateful Dead fans need this book to root their knowledge of their faves , and need to hear 'East-West'.

Ed Ward's work is known for its high quality, and he certainly did a great job in covering the life of troubled musician Mike Bloomfield, who died a quarter century ago from a drug overdose. Bloomfield rose to national prominence as an electric guitarist with the Butterfield Blues Band, and as Dylan's lead guitarist on the "Highway 61" album. By that time, however, he already had a solid reputation as a blues guitarist in Chicago, as well as for his efforts in helping black blues artists such as Big Joe Williams (who mentions Bloomfield in one of his early 1960s songs). Bloomfield founded the never-quite-super group Electric Flag around 1967 but left after one album. His greatest commercial success came with the Al Kooper-organized "Super Session" album in 1968, where Bloomfield recorded one side of material before fleeing back home. Other efforts with Kooper were largely mixed affairs, and his own solo album for Columbia Records (it's not killing me) was a critical and commercial disaster. Unfortunately, these lesser efforts drew attention away from the great albums he recorded with Nick Gravenites (My Labors) and another live set (called something like Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West). Both of those recordings were done by a group that used to bill itself as Mike Bloomfield and Friends, and included such stellar players as Granvenites, Roger Troy (Jellyroll, a fabulous singer and bass player), Bob Jones or George Rains (drums), John Kahn (bass), and the great Mark Naftalin, Ira Kamin, and Barry Goldberg (on piano and organ). In the 1970s Bloomfield recorded a number of under-appreciated solo albums, as well as a few commercial turkeys (often in collaboration with Goldberg). Ward does a compelling job of reconstructing this history, as well as providing insightful analysis into why Bloomfield's reputation as an American Guitar Hero is so well deserved. At the same time, he chronicles the fall of this hero. The book is well illustrated with photographs, which enhances the narrative. My only complaint is that the book is too short -- I wish it had been longer. Ward's work is so good, you don't want it to stop. It is too bad that the book has been long out of print, and that it costs an arm and a leg from the used book vendors. You may want to do as I did, which is get the book from a public library's interlibrary loan service and photocopy it. We can always hope that some wise publisher will re-issue it, and I certainly will be among the first of the Amazon.com users to order it!

COM is built on top of RPC. This book is a bit dated, but still a good guide for learning the technology that COM is based on. COM will make much more sense if you take a little time to learn RPC first.

using a microsoft rpc interfac

using a microsoft rpoc interfac

rpc programmin

The authors take the reader from the very first steps to rather complex applications of Remote Procedure Calls. Along the way, they explain how RPC works, and why it is one of the better tools for implementing true client/server systems.

Despite a very few factual errors (the page on memory allocation using RpcSs contains one) and despite a too-short description of when to use which memory allocator, I rate this book at nine out of ten. For a perfect ten, the authors will have to include material on secure, authenticated, RPC, too.

If you do serious DCE or MS RPC programming, or if you are trying to learn the ropes: Try to find a copy. And no, mine is not for sale. ;-)

The Officer's ward. Moved me like no other book has ever moved me before.

It is one of those books, that once you start reading it you can not put it down. I am a reader that tends to have a few books running at once and it can take me weeks to finish them. This book I read in two days.

The strength of human spirit shines in this book.

If you only read one book in your life this is the book to read. The regretful thing is, that after this book all other books pale into insignificance.

This book is a perfect little gem.
A book complete and very alive in the writing.
Bravo.Look foreward to read his second novel.This being his first, we have wonders to look foreward to.Thank you.

Perhaps the tragedies, the horrors, and the heroics of World War I have been
chronicled over and over, but perhaps, still, not often enough. In Marc Dugain's first
novel "The Officers' Ward," the French-born author has furnished yet another story (and
lesson) from the "War to end all Wars."

To say it was "the worst of times" would be an understatement and young
Lieutenant Adrien Fournier finds himself an early casualty of the German onslaught. He's
devastatingly wounded--much of his face is blown away--and he's transported to Paris to
await recovery and rehabilation for the rest of the war, some five years or so. A bright
young man (an engineer by education), and handsome, he must now face a future
grotesquely disfigured and to a whole where self pity, even repulsion, await him. He
forms a long-standing bond with three others who've suffered similar injuries. It is a time
for them all to come to grips with their own mortality.

But Fournier is no lightweight and sets about facing his own destiny. His time in
hospital--in a special ward for soldiers with such facial injuries--serves as the basis of his
own positive perception of the world to come. It's not an easy ride for him.

The general idea for this story comes from Dugain's own grandfather, himself a
veteran of The Great War. "The Officers' Ward" was honored with France's Prix des
Libraires, and was on the short-list for the Grand Prix of the Académie Française.
Dugain's power of description and episode is a depressingly tragic view of such a
senseless war, yet these tragic elements are somehow overshadowed by the hope and the
will of the human spirit to rise above the personal pitfalls and to function positively within
the confines of a civilized society. But most importantly it is within the confines of his own
self-image that Lieutenant Fournier prevails. Dugain deserves his accolades.
(...)

every once in a while, a book pops up that really succeeds in almost every way imaginable...that is, capturing the imagination, feeling empathy with/for the characters and then simply getting so involved with the story that nothing else exists except the written word...The Officers'Ward is one of these jewels...the lovely thing about it is that it may be read in one sitting and even though the story is quite tragic, there is a certain slant of optimism that keeps the story alive. a simple, elegant story...i highly recommend.

Based on the experiences of his grandfather in WWI, Marc Dugain writes beautifully about a hospital ward of soldiers recovering--if that can be done--from severe facial injuries. The Officers Ward is a powerful account of what it means to go to war and to have oneself disfigured and, perhaps, left literally speechless. The characters make the reader uncomfortable and make each other uncomfortable, as the story explores what men can and cannot share with each other. These soldiers, including the main character Adrien Fournier, talk of their own pain and of women and of the men still in the trenches. This story is especially powerful because the men who fought WWI are largely gone--it's a history that cannot be lost to new generations. Now that it's available in paperback, I'm doubly recommending this short novel to friends.

If you're interested in short novels, you might also consider Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine, a story about a Japanese-American family during WWII. Other good, short novels include Bill Grattan's Ghost Runners (think baseball), Jane Smiley's Ordinary Love & Good Will (think Midwest), Neal Bowers' Loose Ends (think Tennessee funeral), and Helen Humphreys' Afterimage (think 19th-century photographer).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kerry Walters' description of a "spiritual hypochondriac" is so real, compassionate and compelling, it breaks your heart wide open. As he says, "We know full well that the other's me (like our own)seduces him...But we also sense the deep self within him that contains the possibility of holiness, and we cannot but be caringly drawn to it." As Walters notes, "to care is to grieve" and yet "suffering with another person always carries with it the mysterious promise of meaning and intimacy." An inspiring book; the reader comes away with a powerful sense (gift) of the author's own divine Presence.

I'm a big fan of Kerry Walters's books. They're brainy without being dry or scholarly, and he always tells a good story and makes me think because he's unconventional. So when I picked up this latest one, I figured I'd be surprised. But I was more surprised than I thought I'd be. I expected a kind of practical, how-to manual. What I got was something much better, a reflection on how to care for self, others, and God rooted in what Walters calls "presence." When we cultivate "presence," we make ourselves available with the same generosity God does. I especially liked the Chapter 2, where Walters claims, via Dostoyevky's underground man, that many of us are too afraid to be present to our deepest self. Chapter 3's use of Kurt Vonnegut to talk about "samaritrophia," our refusal to care for others, is super.

One of the main points in this little gem of a book is that care-giving isn't just for professional care-givers but instead is a requirement for anybody who wants to be fully human. Be that as it may, Walters' book is still something that professional therapists, pastoral counselors, nurses, retirement home workers, and anyone in the business of caring will want to read. It gives the reader a deeper appreciation for why caring is so spiritually important, and this is something anybody who cares for a living and faces the occupational hazard of burnout needs under their belt.

The word "care" is thrown around today so often that it doesn't mean much anymore. But Kerry Walter's book offers a lovely, beautiful discussion that helps us take the word seriously again. According to him, caring is more than just an emotion or a set of behavior. It's the process by which we become complete humans in touch with one another and God. This is a timely message--that a full human isn't necessarily somebody whose rich or real smart or famous or powerful, but someone who knows how to care. Wonder if we'll ever quite get it?

Like the other reviewer said, this definately isn't a how-to guidebook. But it gives a theology of caring that every professional care-giver, and every ordinary human being, ought to think about. The section on learning how to care about your true self is simply brilliant, and the way Walters weaves in the nunc dimmitas story from scripture (Song of Simeon) is clever and insightful. A very good read. and it's the first time anybody's been able to explain Martin Heidegger in language I can understand! :))