Business Books

austin pryor packs this book full of great information and resources. check out his web site.

Managing your Money God's way is an incredibly concise and easy to follow guide to financial planning. Great book for beginners as well as advanced. There's something for everyone.

This is a clear, well-written, easy-to-understand book that is ideal for people wanting to know more about saving and investing. The book is written in layman's term with lots of graphics and illustrations that make it an easy read for investors of all levels. I strongly recommend this book, and have personally given away a half dozen copies to various friends and relatives over the past year.

Great Book. Some of the information is out of date, but the principles taught are very relevant. It expands greatly what is offered in their newsletters. Would be a great gift to give.

The principles in the book will not get you rich overnight (by design); however, they will put you on solid financial footing. Starting with getting out debt, creating a "rainy day" fund and finally investing through mutual funds. None of this is earth shattering but if you are justing starting off on your road to financial freedom or are ready to systematically invest your surplus, this book is for you. I also subscribe to the SMI newsletter to help me manage my 401k/IRA accounts.

This book is an interesting, enjoyable, quick read. If you believe MLM is a ripoff then that will be confirmed but true believers will disagree and brand the author a "loser". I commend the author for being brave enough to hang out his dirty laundry in public but wish he had been more forthcoming with details. The effect of MLM on personal relationships is huge and these were not touched on sufficiently.

This books took a tremendous amount of courage. First to walk away
from a lot of money because Styler discovered unethical practices,
then to stand up against a $200 million dollar company and later shut
them down with his testimony...that takes character. When you read
the story, what is really surprising and interesting is how honest
Styler is. He does not make himself out to be a victim. He owns his
faults and learns from them. It is a fascinating read.

A cautionary tale of greed gone oh so wrong, Spellbound made me thankful that my experiences with direct marketing have all been with a company that actually wants its sales force to make money. For those of us who believe in capitalism and have done direct sales with a well-run and fair company (Mary Kay Cosmetics), this book comes as a sad surprise.
What particularly left me with respect for the author is that Styler makes no victim of himself, instead admitting his own culpability in everything that occurred; and makes no hero of himself for helping to bring down a selfish and dangerous man who gave direct marketing a bad name.
Spellbound is a readable book. The tone is confessional but without maudlin sentimentality. Pick it up when you have plenty of time to read; you won't want to put it down.

In the early 90s my former wife got hooked into the NSA MLM program in Baltimore. She chased her dreams of fortune at the clip of $4,000/month for desk rental, phone rental, seminar training for herself and paying for others to attend as she tried to con them into her new world. At one point the first office had to be closed, and several senior reps opened a new office. The idiots asked me to sign the lease contract, as none of them had the money or good credit to do so. I refused, and was immediately branded an enemy. The NSA product line was soon after moved to Equinox, and the heat for new recruits was turned up.

After that who I met Bill Gouldd once in a Building Blocks seminar my former wife forced me to go to (yes, I also paid $300 to go, plus she paid again). What a smooth operator, spawned from the loins of Satan himself. I saw right through the hype. But my wife saw glamor and riches.

After that came the Journey seminars for herself and others she tried to recruit. $2,500 a crack, and she paid for these folks in the hope they would buy into her dream. I finally called American Express to advise I was no longer going to pay for her card use. It was her account, they refused to close it. I never paid another dime for her account. I hid every dime I had left after she burned through over $80,000!

I remember she did not want to pass on shipping charges or sales tax. She absorbed it, as though magically losing money was going to help her break a profit. I was all about getting new suckers in her downline, the hell with good business sense.

So much of what this book says is so true, the cult mentality was so pervasive, and the attempt to alienate new recruits from other Neg Heads permeated everything. After the former wife burned through over $200,000 (most of it conned from my own parents behind my back), and wound up all but bankrupt (my CA home was in my name, and I had my own credit and money - now I am independently wealthy due to hard work in the computer software business), she decided I was to blame (more Gouldd cult influence) and filed for divorce. Good fu@^ing riddance. She was later impregnated by some Peruvian guy who bolted out of the USA upon hearing of the pregnancy. Poetic justice. The last I heard she could not afford to pay for repairs for her BMW, left it for the repair shop to sell to cover the bill, and wound up in a rusted out Taurus from her parents.

Drawing and Quartering of Bill Gouldd would not be enough to mete out justice. Bravo for the author to have come out so clean in the end. I do not blame Bill Gouldd, or anyone else, for my rather nasty turn in life. His influence merely brought a basic fault in the ex-wife to a very costly head. I survived financially, and kept my own pride intact, but so many others were deep into a downward spiral even in the earliest days of my seeing all this going on. All in denial, the next big deal was just around the corner, just had to get to some more $eminars... Meantime get a fancy car before going totally broke, "If you can't make it, fake it." Gawd, the memories...

I stupidly was involved with Equinox for a few short months back in the spring of 1994, I'm embarassed to admit. A good friend of mine had gotten me into the company (he had already been involved for a few months himself at that point). I can't remember how much money I put up but I believe it was about $2,500. Anyhow, I never really made any money. I did sell some products. But my friend very quickly got a bad feeling about Bill Gouldd & dropped out (plus, it was causing problems at home & his wife was almost ready to leave him over it). I stuck around for a few months & then realized it wasn't for me.
I have only read the first 3 chapters of this book but it is an excellent read & reminds of some of the "atmosphere" of a typical Equinox office. I was located in the New Haven, CT office. I remember one of the top guys there was a young guy named Dave Campo. I wonder what ever happened to him. I now wonder if he ever made any money with the company himself. And another guy named Mario. They seemed like nice guys, who believed 100% in Equinox. Maybe they were just good liars...? I don't know. I'd like to believe that they WERE good guys who just got caught up in this "scheme" like everyone else. Hopefully they didn't lose their shirts. I remember a few other names as well, Beta, Katie, Mike...
Anyhow, I do believe the products were of good quality but it seems like the products were almost an afterthought to these people. It was all about bringing in more & more people. I would always wonder, "if I'm just bringing in more people & then they bring in more people, who is actually SELLING PRODUCTS??" Nobody ever seemed to be doing any selling.
The last thing I have read about Bill Gouldd is that he had some new seminar company. But that was back in 2003. I wonder what he is up to these days. And how much money he has left. I seriously doubt he can be doing as well as he was in the mid-90s. I still don't know what to think of that guy. Was he a good guy who let money corrupt him? Or was he a bad guy all along? All I know is he should be in jail for all the people whose lives he ruined. Whether intentionally or not. His company's principles were built on quicksand.
Anyone who was ever involved with Equinox or any of these other pyramid schemes, should read this book. And stay away from companies like these. If it's too good to be true....

As a Physician I can personally vouch for the toll "time poverty" has on health and happiness. I don't believe a day goes by where I don't see someone stressed to the max. Time is the ultimate commodity: With enough time virtually every other limitation of life can be surmounted.

It was with this in mind that I eagerly approached this book, hoping to find some wisdom to pass on to my patients (and to absorb myself). Unfortunately, instead of useful tips on priortizing, frugality and responsibility, what I found was a collection of Marxist propaganda regarding the evils of capitalism.

According to this book, a young boy is a murderer because his welfare mother was forced to work for a living for a change. Pehaps if The State (productive members of society) had been less cruel in asking that she pull her weight and provide for those she brought into this world, her son may not have committed murder, at least until he was an adult. Then we would have to find someone else to blame (just not the murderer).

Perhaps if we all lived in a communtist utopia where citizens are imprisoned for speaking out against the People (government) such as modern day communist China or the recently deceased Soviet Union, we would all be perfectly happy. That is unless you want something better for you or your family. Shame on you for working harder because you want to take care of your family.

Apparently I only struggled through years of brutal schooling and worked over hundred hours per week to learn to care for others (at far less than minimum wage and mostly at my expense) out of pure capitalist greed. I guess I went over six months without a day off simply to oppress the poor. This sort of polemic makes me sick. Please don't be poisoned by this garbage.

This book is not about helping you to spend your time on what is important or effective time or life management. It is simply a Marxist polemic angainst capitalism. It is unfortunate that one can't find a reasonable critique and review of the shortcomings our current system without a subversive agenda. I guess I'll keep searching.

I would love to give this one back to Amazon, but I think I will keep it in the "Know Your Enemy" section of my bookshelf.

This book really illustrates the problem we have in this country. Most people are busy paying on 300K + houses, paying SUV bills and are starved for time to live life the way it is to be lived. My hope is that people will use this book to fight corporate greed and gain a real life.

This book is not repetitive like others book in genres similar. This has many wonderfully written topics on time and our lack there of it in the United States. Different issues can arise due to lack of time. Some others also cross compare other countries who have more time and leisure, yet still have a great economy with more relaxed workers. Defienntly worth the time to read and may give you ideas on starting a movement to bring about more time for us.

This is something that needs to be forwarded around. We need to spread the word.

MSNBC had the nerve to do a news story saying people in the US have the lowest productivity in the first world, but as this book points out, people in the US work an average of 9 more weeks than other first world countries. People who put in 10 and 12 hour work days as we do and don't take vacations are exhausted, and have terrible health and productivity as a result of it.

European countries such as the United Kingdom where they eat more sugar and fat than we do, are thinner and in better health because they are not working themselves to death as we are.

One of my favorite quotes from this book, is "Time is a family value."

The Mother Manifesto is is a co production of Take Back Your Time and MomsRising
The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want - and What To Do About It

With this book, John de Graaf provides an opportunity to sit down with talented writers and perceptive thinkers, and hear their views on one of society's most pressing problems - time poverty. As we race to produce more stuff - stuff that is poisoning our environment - we lose the time we need to take care of ourselves and our families, particularly those most in need of care, the very young, the very old, and even our pets. As this book shows, Americans' single-minded focus on production comes at the expense of other areas of life that desperately need our time and attention. Children growing up in institutionalized care, pets being dumped at shelters, citizens relinquishing their right to vote, obesity becoming epidemic as fast food replaces home cooking, landfills overflowing with the items we frenetically produce; the list goes on. In addition to viewing the problem from several interesting and diverse perspectives, the book includes essays on possible solutions and provides ways for readers to get involved. Everyone should find the time to read this important and engaging book.

What an excellent book. Well written, clear, and easy that read that gives great insight. Ellis Traub has written a superb text on investing. I thoroughly recommend this book to all those interested in successful investing.

The book does not really go into any investment process and is confusing. I prefer Value Investing Today or Ben Graham's books. Avoid this one.

This book gives a simple, yet time honored approach to selectiong stocks. It uses fundamental analysis to select quality growth companies. So don't look here for technical analysis. Look here to find good stocks for the long term.

With the included software you can now access online data (subscription required) and have the forms all filled out for you. The program applies conservative judgments and gives you a analysis of the company's quality and the risk reward benefits of buying the stock from the current price. What could be simplier.

My only complaint is that many of the stocks I've romanticized about are not quality companies. At least they are not companies I'd invest my money in for retirement.

I've read this book several times and learn more each time.

Mr Traub has mentioned the NAIC & AAII investment organizations and I recommend both of them to further your investing education.

This book gives a simple, yet time honored approach to selectiong stocks. It uses fundamental analysis to select quality growth companies. So don't look here for technical analysis. Look here to find good stocks for the long term.

With the included Take Stock software you can now access online data (subscription required) and have the forms all filled out for you. You can manually fill them out also at no other charges. The program applies conservative judgments and gives you a analysis of the company's quality and the risk reward benefits of buying the stock from the current price. What could be simplier.

Also included is a demo copy copy of Mr. Traub's other software he writes for the NAIC called Investor's Toolkit which is a full blown stock evaluation, stock selection, and portfolio management tool. It requires more understanding than the Take Stock program does, but the online help screens do a good job of explaining its purpose.

My only complaint is that many of the stocks I've romanticized about are not quality companies. At least they are not companies I'd invest my money in for retirement.

I've read this book several times and learn more each time.

Mr Traub has mentioned the NAIC & AAII investment organizations and I recommend both of them to further your investing education.

Benjamin Graham is a classic on investment. Years from now folks will be buy "Take Stock" as another one of those "must have" timeless classics. Ellis's book is the best I have read that explains things in plain (non-technical) English with examples most people can easily grasp.

Edward De Bono had the wonderful insight of bringing together many disparate and orginally isolated ideas and repackaging them with a binding theme he called lateral thinking. The world has never looked back. De Bono's insight and salesmanship have been a wonder to behold.

So too, Eli Goldratt has taken critical thinking skills from various areas, put a graphical front end on them, and repackaged them with a binding theme he calls Thinking Processes. Not as powerful as De Bono, but certainly in the same ballpark.

Lisa Scheinkopf does quite a marvellous job in providing a didactic introduction to these Thinking Processes. At the end of the day, she unfolds a systematic way of problem solving - and this is, indeed, what the thinking tools are all about.

I understand that Scheinkopf's choice and ordering of chapters was meant to reflect her belief that the individual tools can be used independently of each other. It would have been nice if she had provided a bit more detail showing how the tools complement each other; but, her book, her prerogative. In regard to matters which require the the systematic and complementary use of each and every tool in the toolset, I think Bill Dettmer's provides better insight.

The book is generally clear, with one or two minor slips into obscurity.
I think Scheinkopf falls into the same trap that most authors who present these type of tools. They occasionally have a rush of too much Oxygen to the brain and push their product beyond its elastic limits and start to hand-wave a little too much. In this regard, I find the "So What Test" which forms part of her discussion of Current Reality Trees one of those hand-waving areas. Apart from being something to do with simplifying a current reality tree by means of a review of "entities" from a systems perspective (whatever that really means), I find the actual application of the test as described quite obscure. (As an aside, Bill Dettmer also hand-waves at this point too. I think that both authors attempt to transform craft into some sort of science in a manner which needs a rethink).

Anyway, overall, I think Scheinkopf's work is very good. I think it deserves to be read in support of an understanding of the TOC Thinking Processes, but, it simply isn't enough to read as the only source of understanding. I recommend reading some of Dettmer's work too. Between the two (and Goldratt himself of course), the whole system of TOC and Thinking Processes adds a useful set of tools to problem solving.

I read various books regarding the Theory of Constraints. Except for the chapter on prerequisite trees, this book explains how to use the theory very well to solve your daily problems. It also gives you a wealth of exercises that you can use to improve your practice of the theory.

You may have heard of "Theory of Constraints" or "TOC" as a project management method that focuses on placing buffers on GANNT charts. But that's just one application of this general analysis and decision-making method called Theory of Constraints.

If you've ever wanted to "brainstorm" or "think outside the box," or just want to plan your next big task in a more complete way, but didn't know where to start, this book is for you. It actually offers a lot more than a start: methods, a simple notation, and when to do what in great detail.

A lot of what you read may seem like "just common sense," but perhaps that's what makes it fun: a powerful, verifiable thinking tool that's also simple and makes sense.

You don't have to read the whole book at once. Try reading some, and then applying it. See how it goes.

This book puts it all together and can lead anyone down the path of logical thinking, be it solving a problem or creating a plan. Combine the teachings of this book with the other TOC principles and you've got a recipe for success. I highly reccommend this book to all my consulting clients and friends for use in both business and personal life.

I really hesitated to pay [$] for a book that is not directly related to my profession, somewhat short, and had an unkown beneficial value. Being casually familiar with the thinking processes from It's Not Luck, I went ahead and bought the book. I'm not disappointed. In about a month it has paid for itself several times over. It's not an easy read, but if your curious enough to be reading this, you can understand it. If your a professional with a wife and kid(s), it is a must for both work and home.

Money- there just never seems to be enough of it.

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash is an idea book on how to earn a little extra cash in your spare time. The book is essentially a listing of 101 work at home businesses that anyone can do without special training and without a lot of expensive start up equipment. Most of these projects could easily grow into full fledge businesses given the right amount of motivation and commitment by the entrepreneur. Each potential suggestion includes the story of a real life business person who used that particular idea to earn a little extra money or to start their own successful business.

Once the reader has chosen a project that not only interests them but suits their particular needs and lifestyle, then he or she can also use this book as a reference. Part III of this book focuses on "success strategies". This information includes useful hints about licensing, patent, trademarks, and marketing your service or product.

This is a great book, just full of business ideas that you can start without sinking your savings and way too much time into. Don't quit your job, spend a ton of money and then find out you hate it--ease into business ownership by starting a weekend business first.

There are tons of ideas to explore and they are well organized according to what kind of "work" you need to do in order to run them--businesses you use your own labor for, online businesses, businesses where you make and sell products or services, and a great section on information sales businesses.

You'll also find tons of tips on running your business successfully, too--although you will need to educate yourself beyond this book as to business administration. But, this book will get you started and that is often the hardest part.

Anton and Sander also include a great appendix with business resources.

This book is just full of ideas anyone can use to make more money. There are so many resources in this book you will want to keep in handy as a reference.

Good book, but the ideas for work are not totally new and groundbreaking. All the things you have probably already thought of... There are good ideas on HOW to make the ideas happen, though, and that is the best part.

This book lives up to its title. It's a nice introduction to the topic of part-time (weekend) and home-based entrepreneurship, and should be a very helpful guide to anyone who is just starting out and simply needs an easy read with lots of ideas and some business basics. If that's what you're looking for, this book delivers.

As a serial entrepreneur who has started several ventures, both small and large, I really admire individuals who don't have a lot of time on their hands yet are motivated to take the first steps towards some extra cash -- and even the possibility of financial independence. It takes courage, especially for those with a full-time job and family obligations.

This book introduces the concept of part-time entrepreneurship, provides lots of part-time and home-based business ideas, and also some advice about marketing, etc. In some ways, the most valuable part of this book are the ideas that it presents (a page or two dedicated to each concept). Most of the ideas are within the reach of an entrepreneur who doesn't have a lot of start-up capital, and all are achieveable to varying degrees depending on how much time one can dedicate to them. Also, I really like the fact that this book takes the family into consideration and even discusses how to get the kids involved. For a mother or father trying to make a go of an entrepreneurial business after work or on the weekends, involving the kids can make all the difference in the world. It's nice to see this aspect of home-based entrepreneurship addressed.

The bottom line is that this book is for people who are just starting out and interested in a part-time, home-based business. It provides lots of ideas. If you use one of their ideas, great. And if not, it's still likely that the ideas presented in this books could inspire you and lead you to your own business concept. After you launch your business there are many other resources that will be helpful to you, but the key is to get going, and on that front this book is a good place to start.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

This book must be read by everyone! Tom & Birgit have creatively told a story that everyone will embrace and learn from. I thank them for defining the only way to live! Your life will change if you put these strategies into action!

Who Will Do What By When is a stellar little book with a BIG message we ALL need to hear and act on: Live in integrity and commitment and you'll achieve your every goal....it's that simple. Thank you Tom and Birgit for this easy but powerful read...a must for anyone who truly wants to go to the next level in life!

The Hanson's book is a great book for managers and team members. It focuses in on accountability, team playing and the importance of commitments. The book is a must read that applies to organizations big and small even to families. The authors offer many insights into interpersonal behavior and explain the need for clarity in communications as a way to help have expectations become realities. I would recommend this book to friends, family and colleagues.

Some books have a way of teaching important lessons in a pleasant and enjoyable manner, without judgment, while clarifying otherwise complex and disruptive issues, and this is one of those books!

In clear and simple language, with well illustrated examples, the authors demonstrate how the little things we overlook each day, compound until one day things go wrong. If we are not aware of these little things, we probably won't even know what happened.

By gently informing the reader of the subtle ways that we damage our lives, we feel like someone should have told us sooner!

I highly recommend this book for your personal life. If you read it for your business, you will enhance your business relationships. Virtually everyone in a business is accountable, and therefore they can benefit from this book. If you make it available to your key employees and sales teams, who probably have to meet many expectations, they will see the benefits.

J.D. Salem
Tampa, FL

This book allowed me to understand how damaging it is to not keep a promise. These things happen and when they do, the book clearly explains how to repair the damage. I was so impressed with this book that I have purchased copies for all of my employees and extras to give to special people as a gift. "Who Will Do What By When" is life changing. It very simply explains how to word requests such that everyone understands what they must do by when. This provides accountability. It is an exceptional book, easy to read and short.

With this book, Judy Reeves secures her place as the best "writer about writing" we have. In this finely crafted work, as well as in her "A Writer's Book of Days," Ms. Reeves has single-handedly rescued thousands of writers from the fears and insecurities that can cripple even the most talented scribes. If you are serious about writing, wait no longer--BUY THIS BOOK, and write, write, write!

Judy Reeves' latest writer's helper is chock full of supportive hints, tremendous insights and guidelines to forming, participating and getting the most out of a writing group. In her clear, concise and genial manner, Ms. Reeves breaks down the "ins & outs" of what writing groups can offer to either neophyte or established writers. It is apparent that Ms. Reeves has garnered much understanding and is excited to share information on how to participate in a writing group-the pages and margins of this book are brimming with assignments, suggestions, prompts, quotes, checklists, everything a writer might need to get going. This book walks the reader/writer through scenarios and suggestions, offering advice of how to start or find an established group and what to do once you are there. She hits on some of the basics, like how to make time to write in our busy lives, to understanding the "Qualities of a Good Group, all the way to dealing with the dreaded "Bores, Whiners and Thugs." She's masterfully included a "how to" guide for the process of reading and critiquing other's people's work. Her "Guidelines for Writing Practice" are worth the cost of this book alone. As with her previous book, "A Writer's Book of Days," Judy Reeves goes for the bull's eye and gets it.

This is a great resource, whether you are trying to piece together your own writing group, deciding how to choose a group to join, or hoping to reinvigorate your current group. Ms. Reeves offers plenty of practical advice, with true-to-life examples. This is a great follow-up to her collection of writing prompts, A Writer's Book of Days, which I have used almost daily for the past four years!

As a lifetime lone writer, I owe Judy Reeves for pulling me-and other fellow writers-out of our caves. This review is not to undermine other books on the subject, for they all have contributed much. What is different about her book, is that words come from the heart with such a direct and deep understanding, they have no other way but to settle in the reader's heart. It sometimes soundss like she knows-and it matters to her-that we benefit from it. As someone who has worked with many writer's groups, she knows their doubts and confusions. Not only does she address the problems of writing in a group, but reveals solutions to help us deal with what we so affectionately call the "block". Although her second book does talk of "writing alone", it succeeds to open a new door to the pleasures and benefits of "writing together". Not only is the book a master's guide for the lost writer, but she connects with the reader and shows how to stop the distraction before it stops the artist. To me, this is a constant guide to fall back on time and again. It is a pleasure to share it with friends and I'll continue to make a gift of it to other fellow writers.

I found this book very helpful with the nitty gritty stuff about organizing my writing and working with a critique group and classes. It was also quite inspiring and full of ideas about how to write, where to write, who to write with, how to critique, how to revise, etc.

It helped enormously when three other writers and I formed an online critique group. Any questions we had, the book answered. It also gave invaluable suggestions for improving our group and our writing.

The author, Judy Reeves, has lead all kinds of writing groups and classes and gives concrete examples of what works best. Her book is well-organized, and an enjoyable read to boot.

This is such an easy read! I found it fascinating to learn that the Bible has so much scrpiture on money and how to spend, save, and tithe! It was required for pre-marraige counseling, and it offers examples, solutions, and comparisons between what society deems appropriate and what the Bible states! I really enjoyed it, and it provides practical solutions you can implement into your life!

This book came to my attention through a class told by Crown Financial. I have recommended "Your Money Counts" to numerous people and purchased a copy for my son. It is an excellent tool in learning how to budget and be a good steward of the money we possess.

This is a great book. It really doesn't tell you anything you don't already know, but it reminds us of where we are and what we should be doing as stewards of His belongings. I am a Financial Planner and I give it to my clients as gifts and they love it !

This is a fantastic book. It's easy and enjoyable to read. It tells you all those common sense things about money that we often lose sight of in this world's culture of materialism and 'gotta have it now' attitudes. I've read it multiple times and it just keeps driving home those truths you need to be reminded of like figuring out contentment, the value to giving and saving, etc.

I teach a seminar at our church on the Biblical approach to managing one's finances, and I use this book as a starting point. My students love it (one said she needs to go back and "marinade" in each chapter. Another pointed out that the while the title is "Your Money Counts", what he got from the book is "Y our Money Counts.") The bottom-line is that this book is an easy-read and makes it clear why God cares about our money matters, and it is equally clear how to apply those principles to succeed financially. I teach it once a year, and so far 90 students would vouch that what this book teaches works!

Without a doubt, the Zambelli Fireworks are spectacular.

When I was young, we were disappointed if windows in nearby houses didn't blow out during the annual Mount Carmel show in a town near their factory.

Most years, the windows blew out.

A must read.

I loved everything about this book: From the family history to the manufacturing of fireworks, to how to display them, their history...right up to the recipes. I bought this for my wife for Christmas because of the recipes (yeah, sure), but it is a fantastic biography. The author did truly good job! The Zambelli family is incredible.

This is more than a biography of a famous familyl it's a history of pyrotechnics which also explains the manufacturing and exhibiting of fireworks. It even has holiday recipes that correlate with fireworks. Well written. Interesting family.

When you find a good book you need to treasure it. This one on the Zambelli family has to be first choice. I like how the author combined an extraordinary family's life with the history, techniques and manufacturing of fireworks. Everything is exceptional about this book, and the writing is enjoyable.

Wow! What a treat this book is! It's a biography on the Zambelli family, a history and the how-to of fireworks, a cookbook of wonderful recipes for every holiday of the year, and the most colorful presentation of various fireworks show. Here in Louisville (Lawvil to y'all), the Zambellis do "Thunder over Louisville" and it makes your heart stop and mouth drop open. What a thrill! And what a thrill this book is, too. Great writing by Gianni Hayes.