Organizations Books

Michael Allen has a unique way of capturing the experience of teaching in an urban district with both humor and poignancy. His book is instructive to new teachers and verifying to veteran teachers. I would recommend it to any teacher or prospective teacher. It is destined to become a classic in education.

This has got to be one the truest accounts of what it means to be an educator in today's society. We are no longer teachers . . . as Mr. Allen so eloquently points out we have become surrogate parents, role models, friends, confidants, and finally teachers. Mr. Allen relates real life events that hint of humor because they appear so far fetched; unfortunately you just can't make this stuff up!!! Mr. Allen is, himself, a tribute to all the dedicated teachers and educators who return each and every day to parent, teach, embrace, nurture, raise, and love the most vulnerable of our society -- our children. Read this book if you have anything at all to do with education, whether a teacher, administrator, cafeteria worker, custodian, student or parent this book will touch one and all.

Michael Allen has written a hard-hitting, realistic book (with a realistic view) about education as it occurs outside the textbook. Its funny...startling...constructive viewpoint of education on Boston's cutting edge-the real-life classroom-rings with poignant distillations of days in the lives of Boston's finest: teachers, students and administrators.

Told as a series of vignettes, this book bites in places it shouldn't; yet, it soothes the soul knowing that in the hands of leadership which are as capable as are Michael Allen's , solutions to the many problems and encounters this book presents, are simply a matter of course...and flow...

If you are a professor, teaching case studies about any aspect of education; a curious reader, wondering what does go on in the Boston Public Schools, anyway; an aspiring teacher, curious about what you might be getting into; then, this is a must read, for you. These stories are written with the reader in mind. They are short, vibrant and tasteful bites from a slice of life in Urban Education.

I recommend it, highly!

Michael Allen has offered us a window into our urban schools. With integrity, dedication, compassion, humor and hope he has described what it takes to be "on the front lines" in educating our youth. This book is for anyone who wishes to be informed about some of the realities of today's educational system. Don't be surprised if you feel inspired by the challenge of teaching!

This may be the best book I have read on Opus Dei and St. Josemaria Escriva.

If you've read other biographies of Josemaria Escriva and Opus Dei, this one will strike you as refreshingly objective. It offers the reader many of the historical and cultural details of Spain that have been omitted in other books of the same subject. In particular, it offers a clear and objective explanation of the Spanish Civil War, which was the occasion for many of Escriva's and his followers' acts of heroism. In general, this broader historical perspective gives the reader a more realistic view of Opus Dei and its founder. This approach, in effect, allows the figure of Escriva to emerge even more convincingly as a truly saintly man.

I found this book to be exceptional in understanding not only Opus Dei in Spain early on, but also Spainish society before, during, and after their civil war.
The author does present many of the controversial topics that were present at the time. The author also presents it to allow a reader to see both sides of the story. As a first step to any investigation or study of this group or as suplement to an exsisting study, I would highly recommend.
The pace of the book was exceptional. The author maintains a steady flow and rarely slows down with inconsequential details yet retains the important facts to give a complete picture.
I urge anyone to read it, but do not stop there. Find additonal books that strive for objective views. Perhaps the best way to research is to talk to the people involved. Personal interviews seems to be the best way to understand what Opus Dei is, where it is from, and where it is going.

An engaging and very easy book to read. Quite hard to put down.

The many vignettes and anecdotes gives one a true appreciation for the life and calling of this man and great Saint. His heroic life and spirituality shine through these pages. This Saint's supernatural outlook and love seems to have permeated his every moment of life. His dedication to the poor and the love for mankind is an inspiration to all.

I would highly encourage every person, irrespective of their religious background, who is interested in deepening their spirtuality, to read this book.

I found this book to accurately depict the changing landscape of the church in America. We need to raise the bar and create "high expectation" environments in the church that challenge people to high performance. We need "vision leaders" that inspire us to "do the impossible".. Great Book..

If it is a book by Lyle Schaller, then it is a book you ought to buy! No one in church assessment, analysis, consulting, and speaking can compare to what Lyle has to offer. He is the Cal Ripken and Energizer Bunny of church and denominational prognostication. Steal enough time from your busy schedule to thoroughly read this book.

When you take the time to read this book you will discover the details concerning three crucial issues surrounding congregations that have more than 800 in average weekly attendance: 1. We need more of them to reach the generations born after 1965. 2. A new rule book is needed to understand the congregation of more than 800 in attendance. The old rules do not apply. 3. Consumerism has changed the congregational game plan, and big congregations are a must during the third millennium.

Very large congregations have a can do attitude about new spiritual and strategic opportunities they believe are presented to them by God. They seemingly have no limits to the resources they have faith that God will provide through them.

This book is an excellent follow-up to earlier books by Schaller where he heralds the full-service, seven-days-per-week, family-focused congregation. One such book, published by Abingdon Press in 1992, is The Seven-Day-A-Week Church.

Lyle Schaller is a keen observer of churches, large and small. In this volume, he provides a contemporary update on the very large church.

As senior pastor a very large church, I have found this latest work to be an invaluable resource to help lay leaders and new staff understand. Schaller is able to bring the reader "inside" the day to day life of the very large church.

This book would be very helpful for anyone interested in helping his/her church grow. Also gives solid reasons why many churches are dying.

Illustrates trends in church with trends in the business world...i.e. large offers more choice for the consumer.

User friendly format makes for easy, quick reading.

Fantasic , for any Military History Buff , and especially for any Vietnam Military History.

This book is a must for Vietnam war vetrans and war buffs.The author left nothing out and his presantation was great.He breaks it down on what was assigned to the different divisons and lower.Easy to read and follow.You can tell he did a lot of reserch to compile this book.

Shelby Stanton's book "Vietnam: Order of Battle" is a recent re-issue of a classic reference text that is essential for anyone who is researching America's long, troubled war in Southeast Asia. The book does not have a narrative, or an overview of the war, it is simply a well-researched and comrehensive breakdown of facts, the engagements that the United States and its allies fought, the organization and insignia of the units that serves in Vietnam, the fixed wing aircraft, the ubiquitous helicopters, small arms, heavy weapons, armor that were used, the deployments and casualties, military terms and finally, a very useful series of maps of the conflict. Shelby Stanton is an authority on the War in Vietnam and has authored many books on the subject and this large coffee-table volume is the product of an unusually dedicated and indefatigable researcher.

This is a cornerstone of the collection of anyone doing VN research.

Bob Walsh

As a liturgist, involved in my Synodical Worship Commission, I find myself reading a great many liturgical texts and history books. One of the single-most-useful books I have ever obtained has been Griffiths' "We Give You Thanks and Praise" in which the Eucharistic Prefaces of the Ambrosian Missal (a sub-rite of the Latin Rite in the Roman Communion) are collected in a stylistic, though accurate, English translation.

The Ambrosian Rite is unique in the west in the modern era for its literal plethora of prefaces (over 300, compared with about 100 in the modern Missale Romanum, 30 in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, and as few as 5 or 6 in earlier editions of the Lutheran and Anglican rites). These prefaces not only flesh out the themes of the Liturgy in the Ambrosian rite, but provide those of us who do not celebrate that rite with deep wells from which to contemplate about how we phrase our prayers and praises.

I can't thank my friend Cody enough for referring this book to me, and this book has proved to be quite influential in the work I have submitted for consideration to the Liturgical Commission of the Synod of Saint Timothy. I hope that other denominations and jurisdictions will be able to find it equally useful.

I have been to Milan and con-celebrated Mass according to the Ambrosian rite. It was in Italian and mine is not good at all. So it was delightful to find a book that gave the prefaces in English. I am hoping someone will do a translation of the whole Ambrosian Missal someday. It is a beautiful Mass and the prayers provide fruitful subjects for meditation. If you want something a little different then you will enjoy this book.

I've received my copy of this from Amazon, and it is very nice: more than 300 prefaces very well translated (I think...at least stylistically, they're fine). And it's refreshing to see a useful liturgical book being published in a relatively inexpensive edition.

I could easily see them being adapted for use with, say Rite II in the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer. Just lop off the formulaic first and last paragraphs and use the substantial, proper middle section with the BCP first and last paragraphs. Or not! They'd stand alone just fine with no lopping.

...after appropriate approvals from liturgical and canonical authorities, of course. Or with Rite III!

I've had my copy for a few months now and it's come in quite handy for use in the Daily Office as well. The central core of the prayers can also be used, with some editing, for a general prayer of thanksgiving outside of the Eucharistic context.

Some of the phrasing is occasionally odd and, although I don't have the original Latin in front of me, I suspect a bit too literal to the original. The texts occasionally need a bit of rewriting for use in contemporary liturgy.

Mr. Melendez's book is well-written and gives the reader a great feel for what it was like living through 60s and 70s NYC as a latino. I'm old enough to remember hearing the stories on the news, but reading them in detail is a different experience altogether.

I hope Mr. Melendez and his former colleagues publish more stories of these times and of the Young Lords. The work they did is still not part of regular curricula in NYC schools; more publications help to establish our history here in NYC.

I gre up during the 80's in west harlem, later the BX, went to manhattan center high school on 116 & pleasant ave .... you can't grow up anywhere in new york city and not recognize puerto rican pride, all you have to do is head up to Orchard Beach after memorial day, but it's a powerful part of the NY experience ....... I picked this up because of the Lincoln hospital story, and garbage offensives, these men and women are patriots of the black and latin community! The New York City minority community! great read, I learned about them in a american history class @ laguardia comm college, and was surprised I'd never heard of them before, I'd passed by lincoln hospital over 100 times, to hear about them being reason for it being built! I'll say it's a different time period now, but the children of NYC need to learn about this group, and movements like these, to learn discipline, and study the pride but learning journey of mister Melendez, then kids wouldn't get lost, because we are losing our city now as the rents are escalating, people are hurting now, and this knowledge is key to a new generation that needs to move forward and stand for something, not just accept circumstances, this book is excellent, powerful, and informative! True "hood", cultural, minority heroes! I'm glad and insprired by it

Miguel Melendez has given us a thoughtful,inspirational, and sensitive account of the Young Lords Party and also of the many pivotal events of his own life. I loved reading this book full of cultural tidbits and an insider's history of a group of dedicated individuals. This book offers important lessons for today's youth, many of whom feel no connection to the larger society. It serves as a tremendous contribution to young people by sharing positive ways to channel rage and frustration with one's social and emotional condition. The writer brilliantly shows what it is to search for meaning and purpose in one's life as he questions events occurring around him.

Quiero agradecerle a Mickey para haber escrito un libro tan bello que demuestra que todos tenemos el derecho a la humanidad y dignidad.

Micky Melendez has written an excellent easy to read history of Puerto Rican efforts for social, political and economic empowerment from the Young Lords Party in the 1960's to today's struggle for a Latino mayor of Nueva York. This monograph by Micky Melendez is a powerful weapon in Boricua's long walk to freedom. palante

This is a well written book that expertly envisions the story of Apple's early years. Rose provides an in-depth look at the people involved and draws out the fascinating stories that surround Apple's early existence. This is by far the most accessible and enjoyable account of Apple's founding. The only problem is that it was written in the early '90's and doesn't reach the amazingly entertaining last few years the company has gone through. If only Rose would write a sequel...

Incredibly fascinating book that takes you on an intense and vivid tour of how Apple was started and what went on behind the scenes. Highly readable and very tough to put down.

West of Eden reads like a novel which makes me wonder if it's all true. After having it gather dust on my shelves for years I finally decided to read it and it's fascinating. I had a hard time tearing myself away in order to get my final progamming assignment done. Whether it's all fact or not one thing's for sure: now that Steve Jobs has been back at Apple for a while I hope Mr. Rose writes a followup!

This is going to be a tough book to get but for anyone wanting to understand Apple Computer, this makes a perfect companion book to Jim Carlton's book, Apple The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders.

Frank Rose takes the reader from the startup of Apple to the many misadventures during the Macintosh era of Steve Jobs and John Sculley. Sadly the book ends in 1989 when mismanagement had long since become part of Apple's culture.

To understand why bringing back Steve Jobs to save the day at Apple can only cause more misfortune, the reader only needs to turn to page 160 where Rose writes, "Andy was reading a book about Atari that had just come out, and when they were on their way to Florida he passed it on to Woz. As he read it, Woz learned something he didn't like: Years earlier, before they'd started Apple, when he was working at Hewlett-Packard and Jobs had gotten him to design "Breakout" for Atari for a fifty-fifty split, the fee wasn't $700, as Jobs had said, but $5,000."

END

When you are thinking to change careers, or enter into the non-profit arena, this is a good starting point. There is not much out there to guide us--so this was very helpful to get going.

This guide proved to be just what it claimed: a source to guide the reader through the different agencies and career paths available in non-prof and gov. It was straightforward, no-nonsense and provided just what I needed, which was a source that listed career possibilities and workplaces, without any fluff or pomp about how wonderful it is that you want to work for the greater good. I already know that. Just tell me how to get hired! This guide did just that.

This is an excellent easy-to-read manual for anyone interested in the challenge of a non-profit career. The inclusion of government careers and agencies was also really helpful to me in expanding my job search. I was so focused on heart-work in the non-profit sector, that I had never even stopped to consider a career in government. But this guide showed how those career paths can be just as rewarding in terms of making a difference in the world. The lists of organizations saved me a lot of research and provided descriptions and contact information all in one place--a major time saver. Overall, it was as if someone had done all of my research for me in the form of this guide. I feel a step ahead in my career search.

Since i didn't really know how to get started in terms of figuring out what's out there in the non-profit/govt world, i was glad to get a book such as this one to get me going in the right direction. it's good to know i can use my economics degree in any number of ways. and the list of resources/organizations at the back is proving very helpful!

There are other books on this issue of "cooking the books" and the strategic consequences of falsifying or prostituting intelligence, but this book by a first-time author, C. Michael Hiam, jumps to the head of the line. This is one of the most exciting and absorbing books on intelligence it has ever been my privilege to read. It is not a substitute for Sam Adams' own book, War of Numbers: An Intelligence Memoir nor for George Allen's None So Blind: A Personal Account of the Intelligence Failure in Vietnam or Bruce Jones' War Without Windows or Jim Wirtz The Tet Offensive: Intelligence Failure in War (Stemme) or even Orin de Forest's book Slow Burn: The Rise and Bitter Fall of American Intelligence in Vietnam.

I am especially moved by this book because it treats Sam Adams, who was reviled as often as he was a hero, in a gentle fashion, and makes it clear that the bottom line was that Adams was right and Adams had integrity. The book is superb at explaining why General Westmoreland had to back down when he threatened CBS with libel because too many witnesses were prepared to say that it was Westmoreland who ordered that the number of "enemy combatants" never go above 300,000. The military officers who loyally but stupidly followed that order, and the CIA bureaucrats who unethically "folded" on this important issue of "who are we fighting and how many" are tarred and feathered by this book, and right so, as it applies to the run up to war in Iraq and the planned bombing of Iran.

There are other CIA heroes in this book, notably Ed Hauch who got it right on the first day--he and others who actually knew Ho Chi Minh knew him to be a nationalist and knew we could not win, but it would take us 10 years to figure that out. Same same Iraq only we did not have any CIA people with both the knowledge and the integrity to speak out, just George "slam dunk" Tenet, the world's greatest intelligence prostitute.

As we consider tactical nuclear weapons for Iran, it is instructive to read in this book that the military planned for nuclear missile batteries to be inserted into Da Nang and Nha Trang.

As we reflect on how the Army Chief of Staff was ignored when he spoke of the need for major land forces to stabilize Iraq, only to be ignored, it is instructive to read in this book that Walt Rostow and others knew full well the standard rule of thumb for insurgencies, the need for a 27:1 ratio.

McNamara was deceived by Westmoreland--fast forward to Iraq and we have on the one hand a prostitution of intelligence, and on the other a series of truthful wise Army generals whose advice was ignored by civilians.

The author has done a really first rate job of capturing the nuances of the CIA and the military. His discussion of the hours spent on chit-chat unrelated to work reminds me of the AIM system today, where CIA has discussion groups on everything from teen-age drivers to menopause--in my experience, most CIA headquarters people are actually working only half the time.

The author will be long admired for this book, and on page 122 he delivers the coup de grace in citing Sherman Kent, speaking to Sam Adams, and asking "Have we gone beyond the bounds of reasonable dishonesty?" What an incredibly good job the author has done with this book.

I have been energized by this book, which validates my long-standing fight to induce intelligence reform. I was called a lunatic in 1992 when General Al Gray and I gave up on four years of internal appeals and publicly brought up the need for emphasis on open source intelligence. 18 years later we finally have a few well-meaning but impotent individuals without a program, without money, without staff, and without a clue. We will march on, and the intelligence reform will be imposed now rather than induced. I anticipate legislation on an independent Open Source Agency soon--unlike secret intelligence, public intelligence cannot be manipulated nor ignored.

The book gave me new insights on Sam Adams and on the entire order of battle methodology. Those trying to understand the Global War on Terror and the issues of foreign fighters versus home guard insurgents would do well to read this superb volume.

The author points out that Tet was a huge military failure, one that could have been exploited by the US military had they not been so deficient in intelligence about small units and the guerrillas (immortal paraphrase: "here we are in a guerrilla war and no one is counting the guerrillas"). The author educated me on the work that Sam Adams did on the Khemer Rouge in Cambodia, and saddened me when he discussed how Sam Adams' next project was going to be Chinese strategy--now wouldn't that have been something?

For the Information Operations folks, the book briefly but ably covers the Viet Cong "Military Prothlesizing" corps that was responsible for POW conversions into agents, for running psychological operations against the Saigon regime, and for penetrating the South Vietnamese Army and government, with a success rate of 30,000 or 5%. When combined with what Jim Bamford tells us on Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency about North Vietnamese Signals Intelligence, we can only marvel as the manner in which they beat our ass in the intelligence war, in part because of our lack of ethics in both the military and at the highest levels of the CIA.

Viet-Nam unraveled the Johnson presidency; I fully expect Iraq and Iran to unravel the Bush presidency. This book could not have emerged at a better time, and I recommend it very strongly to all intelligence, military, and policy professionals.

This wonderfully written book is a must-read for anyone wishing to learn about the Vietnam War and how it was mishandled, but is also must reading for those seeking to understand what is now happening to us in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sam was a one-of-a-kind analyst -- exacting, dedicated (almost obsessive), talented, and most of all, RIGHT -- and he was ignored and pushed aside. Michael Hiam's book deserves much wider media coverage, and I hope it will eventually receive it. Although this book shows Sam, warts and all, it is still a marvelous tribute to Sam and his work. (I should add that my husband Dana and I knew Sam well)

I read Sam Adams first book War of Numbers and this is a great follow up too bad this great American has passed on. The author has taken a work started by Adams before his death and finished it superbly. In this work you get a glimpse of Adams and his blind commitment to truth. Who among us would spend our whole lives trying to get the American people to see the truth of what went on behind the scenes in Vietnam. As a former Marine with two consecutive tours in Nam I always knew Westmoreland was a loser and the one who officially brought politics into the Joint Chiefs but Sam Adams makes it official. And McNamara, he is as arrogant in this book as he was in real life. This book takes you through the treachery that is at the high levels of the government and military during times of war - think today! I wish every American would read this and vote accordingly and get America the leadership it deserves. Read it and tell others.

The U.S. intelligence system is driven as much by personality as by so called `requirements' as this book so well demonstrates. Sam Adams was a self taught order of battle specialist with the CIA who became involved in a major confrontation with the Military Advisory Command of Vietnam (MACV) over the number and organization of the South Vietnamese Communist (Viet Cong) combat forces. Adams believed, and marshaled the evidence to prove it, that the Viet Cong number of combatants were over 400,000, twice the number that MACV had estimated. The MACV estimate was politically driven rather than being based on objective evidence, but in the end prevailed. Adams throughout the confrontation and afterward was a strong and effective voice for maintaining the integrity of the intelligence process and providing the most accurate intelligence possible. For his efforts he was widely ignored by both his superiors at the CIA and especially by the military. In the end he was forced to resign from the CIA.

Yet this book is considerably more than the account of one man's struggle to provide the best truth possible. It is a fascinating look at some specific aspects of the intelligence process and how that process can be subverted for political ends. This reviewer suspects that the current Iraqi WMD uproar if looked at in detail would be found to be analogous to the need by MACV to demonstrate military success in Vietnam by fabricating artificially low numbers of Viet Cong fighters and ignoring evidence to the contrary.

Sam Adams worked as an analyst in the CIA, Directorate of Intelligence and from the time he begin work in 1963 (on the former Belgian Congo) he was clearly an engaged and hard working analyst. As it turned out he also had a passion for accuracy which in the end ill-served him in his career. This reviewer was a contemporary of Adams, but at time was serving in Military Intelligence. Among those of us who were fairly far down the intelligence food chain, when Sam Adams engaged in his fight for accuracy with MACV, we all considered him a real hero.

This is the first book by C. Michael Hiam and it is a brilliant debut. He is an excellent researcher and a good writer. In this book he presents a fair and accurate picture of what is now a mostly forgotten controversy that is both relevant and vitally important to any discussion of reforming the U.S. intelligence system.

Congratulations to Bill and Cindy Adams on their Whole Systems Approach. In all my thirty years in leadership coaching and organizational development, this is the most coherent manual for corporate change that I have come across. Not only do they successfully show us how to apply living systems theory to large systems change they do so in a practical, balanced, step-by-step manner. Most importantly, they emphasize the need for leaders to engage in their own transformation, to value "not knowing" and to involve everyone in the change process. I highly recommend this book to anyone attempting change in organizations. It's a great book of tools that will raise your spirits regarding what's possible in the world.

There are books on change written mostly by people who have watched change and then written about it. This is written from the trenches by people who have worked in the trenches. They have captured how complex and , sometimes heartbreaking, the process of change in a business. And they have the scars to show for it. This should...MUST...be mandatory reading for anyone attempting to change their business.

As an organizational consultant I found this book leaps and bounds ahead of the others. The information in this book is so valuable, I've recommended it to several of my clients (not a common practice).

I started my business with a sales background, so I knew how to get it up and running, but managing it was a greater challenge. This book taught me to view my business from a greater perspective, not just as an exercise in generating sales. I got a copy for all of my employees and every staff meeting we reviewed one of the "Vital Conditions". It is mandatory reading for every new hire!