Business Books

With Martha Finney, Libby Sartain has written a book that is, in her opinion (as of 2003), the first one written "by an HR practitioner for HR practitioners about managing your own unique career as well as dealing with the special challenges of daily life in the world of human resources." As she explains, most of the stories she shares are taken from her 13-year tenure as Vice President, People at Southwest Airlines. Since 2001, she has served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Yahoo at Yahoo! Inc. This book was published in 2003.

She is a staunch advocate of what she characterizes as a "fully empowered" HR career, viewing it as a "calling" and asserting that it can - and should -- provide a competitive advantage to any organization, especially now when competition for human talent is almost ferocious. Those equal to the challenges of such a career in HR possess both highly-developed business acumen and what Daniel Goleman defines as emotional intelligence. Sartain insists (and I wholly agree) that a corporate culture "based on respectful treatment of all the company's employees is essential to the company's long-term success...The most successful companies are the ones that make it their business to help their employees achieve their highest potential and use their gifts and talents most fully." It is no coincidence that on Fortune magazine's annual lists of those companies that are most highly admired, most valuable, and best to work for, several of the same names appear on those lists year after year after year. Presumably each of exemplary company has "fully empowered" HR resources and capabilities.

With regard to Sartain's advice to those already embarked on a career in HR or who are now preparing for one, she focuses on "six essential ingredients of every great HR career" in Chapter 3. She commits a separate chapter to each and they are best revealed within her narrative, in context. Throughout her book Sartain addresses just about every conceivable issue relevant to those "essentials," helping her reader to consider all plausible options and then make decisions appropriate to his or her own talents, experience, goals, and concerns. She also suggests a number of "dos" and "don'ts" based on what she has learned throughout her own career thus far. She seems by nature to be an enthusiast, one who would prefer (as the old bromide states) "to light a candle rather than curse the darkness," but she also reveals an abundance of street smarts.

She is passionately committed to helping HR executives to establish and then sustain a "fully empowered" career, in terms of both personal and professional development, one that is fulfilling and thus satisfying to them but also in terms of how much value they can add, not only to the given organization but also to the personal as well as professional development of those whom they are privileged to serve. I use the phrase "privileged to serve" deliberately and presumably Sartain concurs.

If empowered with sufficient resources (including the support of senior management) and if properly prepared and fully committed, a HR professional who is both competent and compassionate can help to achieve objectives such as these:

1. Continuous recruiting of those who have the talent, experience, and character that may one day be needed

2. Interviewing and hiring procedures that are rigorous, thorough, and cordial so that each candidate is given every opportunity to "shine," of course, but is also treated with utmost respect

3. Orientation that accelerates the process by which each new hire becomes an integral part of the given organization and its culture

4. On-going formal and informal training that develops in participants the leadership and management skills that are needed at every level and in all areas of the given enterprise

5. Performance measurement conducted formally (at least quarterly) and informally (each day) that is based on criteria that are clearly explained, mutually understood, and consistently applied

One of Sartain's key points is that hearts as well as minds must constantly be nourished. In many (too many) organizations, HR professionals have been "so distracted by the need to be taken seriously that [they have] been tempted to jettison any discussion of how [their] personal feelings and principles are factored into the business equation. As a result, the HR profession has been cultivating a reputation that I am tempted to say it often deserves - that of being a single-minded administrator with a big, red, rubber stamp that reads: `No! Against Policy and Procedures!'" Sartain is convinced that in human resources, indeed in all relationships within and beyond the workplace, head and heart should not be mutually exclusive. "That's what it takes to build a great business." In the concluding chapter, "How Do We Get There From Here?," she suggests nine "major points" that must be covered to reach that destination.

Bon voyage!

Those who share my high regard for HR from the Heart are urged to check out The New American Workplace co-authored by James O'Toole, Edward E. Lawler as well as The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance co-authored by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, and Dave Ulrich. Also, two of Fred Reichheld's books (The Loyalty Effect and Loyalty Rules), David Maister's Practice What You Preach, two of Jac Fitz-enz's books (The 8 Practices of Exceptional Companies: How Great Organizations Make the Most of Their Human Assets and The ROI of Human Capital: Measuring the Economic Value of Employee Performance), Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure And Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

I had seen Libby present at a conference and bought her book there. I read the book on the plane ride back and dog eared several pages. It is a good no nonsense book on what HR professionals do. I liked it so much that I purchased a copy for our entire HR department and we used it as a discussion during Business Partner meetings.

The group loved it...you will too.

Writing this book as an HR professional's guide is a tragedy! Part 2 (HR is Your Company's Best Asset) is a truly enlightened guide on people management and should be read by everyone who is in, or who aspires to be in, a leadership position in any organization. Including Part 1, (Your Own Career is Your Best HR Asset), this from her heart advice guide by practitioner Libby Sartain (Southwest Airlines) is not just well written, it is superbly written - the thanks for that may go to Martha Finney; but the thoughts are surely the wisdom of a hands-on expert in people management.

Focusing on Part 2, let's look at a few examples of what Sartain has to say: Hire the Person, Not the Resume - hire for fit; Don't Forget the Stars You Already Have in Your Ranks - promote from within; Start Your High-Potential Employees in Customer Relations - they carry an understanding of customer needs ...throughout their entire career. And, her "Show Them the Money!" and "Using Benefits to Build Relationships" chapters may be the best ever for understanding compensation's role in engagement. But, it gets better; Chapter 32 is titled: Recognition, Rewards, Fun: The Triple Crown of Employee Engagement. I could go on, but you get the picture; this Part 2 of the book contains wisdom for anyone in a management role. The whole book is recommended as a must read for HR professionals, Part 2 is recommended as a must read for managers.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

HR from the Heart is an amazing guide for HR professionals who genuinely want to serve their companies. Lifetime learnings and analysis of human behavior have been compiled in this book.The book is wholistic and it is a guide for all aspects of the HR function. Today's companies need to have unique recruitment, orientation, learning, developmental and performance systems. Great people attract great people, and great people want to work for great people. Companies mission must be a cause around which everybody is motivated and energised. The companies need to have a differentiating culture and all leaders in the company must promote the culture. All leaders must embrace new attitudes and conduct themselves in new and different ways. The language of communication is important as it give the company it's edge over the competetion. The workplace should be friendly and people must have fun doing their duty.Lastly, HR's job is to serve others and to humanise the work.

I have been involved in the HR field for some 21 years. Like any HR professional, we have a lot of stories to tell. In this book, Libby Sartain has a way of melding her stories with solid HR theory. At times, the book is simple and colloquial but more often than not it weaves its simplicity into a picture of HR I think and practitionaer would want to establish at their workplace.

A lot has been said about HR "at the table" and being a "strategic partner". This book shows how that is accomplished not so much by providing means to that end but by showing how doing what is right and good can get us to that end.

Judging from its Amazon sales rank (88,428 at the time of this writing) the book hasn't made it into too many hands. But don't let that stop you. If you are in HR (or someone who wants to be) this book is essential for giving you the big picture and getting you started on the path to achieving your end.

We've all sat through presentations that dragged on forever, but led nowhere. What's worse, we've probably even given a few. As the author puts it, "The problem is that no one knows how to tell a story...and no one knows that they don't know how to tell a story."
Author Jerry Weissman boils it down to telling a compelling story. That's easy to say, but hard to do. With this book's guidance, you can become an effective communicator--whether convincing employees of the need to change, persuading prospects that you have the best solution or leading skeptical community groups to support your cause.

Presenting to Win overflows with practical advice on how to engage an audience by telling your story with a focus on what's important to them. You become an `audience advocate' whose concern for your listeners' needs puts them at the heart of your presentation. As Weissman describes it:
"Persuasion is the art of moving your audience from Point A, a place of ignorance, indifference, or even hostility toward your goal...navigating them through an unbroken series of Aha!s...to Point B, a place where they will act as your investors, customers, partners, or advocates, ready to march to your drum."

By following Weissman's detailed roadmap, we can learn how to tell stories that move and motivate our listeners by keeping them engaged from a compelling start to a big finish.

Silicon Valley Presentation Guru

Weissmann's first career was as a Hollywood producer and screenwriter. His friendship with venture capitalist, Ben Rosen, led him to his second career as a presentation guru. In 1988, he launched a business that taught high tech executives to move from feature-laden, techno-speak dissertations to engaging, listener-centric presentations. Yahoo, Intuit, Cisco, Microsoft, and Intel all benefited from his teachings.

The Opening Gambit is Just the Beginning
Weissman offers plenty of real world anecdotes, how-tos, and helpful graphics that convey how to grab and keep your audience. His opening gambit concept typifies his approach. He first offers the rationale, supports it with multiple success stories, and describes a broad range of opening gambits.
To engage an audience, an opening gambit pulls them out of a state of disinterest or suspicion about you and your presentation. Asking questions is one of seven such gambits discussed. In 1993, Scott Cook founder of Intuit (maker of Quicken and QuickBooks) faced a jaded audience of investment bankers. Rather than launch into a feature packed discussion of his new product, he asked two questions:
* How many of you balance your own checkbooks?
* How many enjoy doing it?
After a round of chuckles, he continued, "You're not alone. Millions of people around the world hate balancing their checkbooks. We at Intuit have developed an easy-to-use, inexpensive home finance tool named, Quicken." With this `Aha' moment, Cook was off and running.
Beyond the Opening Gambit--Components of Successful Presentations
Equally insightful chapters on presentation essentials provide a level of detail and clarity that leaves nothing to chance. They include:
* Story development
* Graphic design
* Delivery skills
* Tools
* Q & A techniques
In each case, Weissman

Presenting to Win: A Blueprint Worth Following

Weissman demonstrates that even those of us who aren't naturals can present to win. Learning what he teaches requires significant effort because his approach contains such a broad range of interrelated elements--and includes variations that differ depending on purpose, topic, and audience. Making it easy for our audience is hard for us. But, as Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Intuit, and Yahoo learned, the effort is well worth it.

Presenting to Win is a terrific book. I got a clear, structured, sensible system to create presentations that will skyrocket the level of mine. I will keep this handy every time. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Jerry.

I have read through numerous books with similar titles on the topic and this one was by far and away the best. He does a great job at organizing his arguments into a logical and intuitive flow. The result is an easy to read and motivational book that will definitely help you tell a story.

Jerry Weissman is one of those rare people who has written an authoritative sounding book about how to present and has the real experience and background to justify every claim he makes.

The book starts with the premise that the presenter must focus on the audience and that he must make them focus on him. He must understand the mental point they are at (Point A) and moves them to Point B. He must understand what is in it for them (WIIFY) and constantly use it as he constructs every slide to walk them to Point B. He must also understand the setting of the audience, and his main points of argument. Finally, he must tie those points together with a flow structure that fits his argument.

That's the first half of the book and as someone who has through some awful presentations, I can only wish reading this book were the equivalent of a driver's license for public speakers.

The back half of the book draws on his background in television and employs standard cinematic techniques to improve the appearance of PowerPoint. It's easy to overlook this part, but it makes a huge difference as well.

I've now had a chance to see people who have used these techniques for years present, and it makes a huge difference. I have also seen someone present in a tough situation using these techniques for the first time. This person is level-headed and not given to fads. His comment? "I wish I had run to Jerry's book ten years earlier."

If you speak in public, this is the one book you have to read, and re-read. It is common sensical, based in fact, and surprisingly intuitive.

My boss gave me this book as I had to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a major client. I thought "oh great, just what I need, another book telling me how to make PowerPoints. Whatever!"

So I started paging through the book and decided maybe that this is a little different after all. And next thing I knew, I went through the first two chapters devouring every word!

Conclusion? This book is not just about PowerPoints, far from it. This book is about presenting and selling: whether you are presenting a product or presenting yourself. For example, most people don't know how to go about asking for a raise. Why? Because they walk into their boss's office saying "I want a raise or I'll quit" or "I want a raise because I'm expecting a child soon" or "I want a raise because Herbert is making more money that I do and we do the same job!"

And of course, this leads to confrontation, and you end up getting either a little or no raise.

But the book points out that whatever you do in life, you are constantly making presentations. Whether the presentation is for your customer, your boss, your wife, or your colleagues, you need to convince them to do something for you. And the simplest way to get them to act on your presentation is to tell them how they will benefit from doing what you want them to do.

For example, you are going to make a presentation on some new electronic widgets and gizmos your company makes. You spend hours telling your customer the features of the widgets and gizmos but in the end the customer walks away without ever intending to buy your product. WHY? Because you neglected to tell them the benefits. If you had told them how the widgets and gizmos would make their job easier, used less electricity, etc., then they may have made the move to buy the product. SELL THE BENEFITS NOT THE FEATURES!

So, the book tells you how to make your presentation into a story that will move the audience (e.g. customer, boss, spouse, etc.) rather than having a presentation that drolls on giving the audience fact after fact, feature after feature, with no clear beginning and no clear ending.

I finished this book in a weekend and radically altered the presentation I had to give to my client. My presentation was well received and my company ended up with the contract we were seeking.

To put this in Ebay's terms, I give this book an A++++++++++

I bought this book because I've read very good reviews. I found this book amazing. This books shows you how to make good designs and develop in J2EE, all the chapters with full of comments from Rod's experience. Many of the concepts of this book were later applied in Spring framework. I strongly recommend read this book for advanced Java developers.

This book is for all level developers who have interest on J2EE platform and development. In spite of the complicated technology, it can let readers digest the knowledge without difficulty. On the other hand, the main theme of author(J2EE without EJB) has become popular trends nowaday and the whole idea can be found in this book.

Frankly, this book has gotten a little long in the tooth. One might say that, from the products it mentions and evaluates, it is out of date. But never mind!

Rod applies principles that never go out of date - only the examples do - or seem to. A product is stuck with its basic design forever. Thus a critique of the 2002 version of Struts is as valid as a critique of the 2007 version.

Pros: Readable. Insightful. It will make you a better architect.

Cons: Typos (how do chapters get mis-numbered in the ToC?!?) It really should be in a high-quality hard binding (though the binding is quite good for paper).

Summary: 'J2EE Design...' is worth much more than its weight in gold. Buy it. READ IT!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, particularly well-thought out design guidelines for developing J2EE application with or without EJB. The author introduced several best practices particularly the concepts and usage of Spring and Hibernate based j2ee development is quite helpful. In addition to this book, I find patterns and bestpractices from "Core J2EE Patterns /Deepak Alur", "Core Security Patterns /Christopher Steel" and "Enterprise Integration Patterns /Gregor Hohpe" would be helpful - especially if you are building a enterprise-class j2ee applications.
Now the downside, the book needs a complete revision to include changes with J2EE 1.4. The CODE SAMPLES explained in this book does'nt work now - please update.

It is a great book. But I give it only 4 stars is because it is hard to read. English is my 2nd language. I cannot read this book quickly. I even need check dictionary at least 2 times per page. I do not have the same problem when read other tech books.
"What is WebSphere" is another book I like. Also help me to learn system level stuff. It is much easier to read. Though it does not have so many stuff like Johnson's book.
I would like to suggest the auther to consider many tech readers are not very good at English.

This book was very informative and useful to me. Everything that is described about these conditions helped me feel that I was on the road to recovery with what my doctor had prescribed, and know with the added knowledge provided by this book I have added supplements, excerise, and a positive attitude to my dealing with my depression.

Healing Anxiety and Depression is one of the most scientifically valid discussions of these disorders. Dr. Amen's use of SPECT brain scans to analyze "emotional" and "behavioral" disorders is a welcome contrast to the speculative theories which have dominated treatment of anxiety and depression. This book is generously illustrated with SPECT brain scans of actual patients and clearly reveals physical imbalances in brain blood flow distribution. More importantly, the scans show improved function, with appropriate treatment. Psychiatry is the only medical speciality which does not routinely examine, image or measure the organ system, which it treats. Functional brain scans and neurotransmitter testing are finally moving psychiatric treatment beyond the trial and error guessing it has been mired in, for decades. Amazingly, SPECT gamma ray cameras are available in almost every hospital cardiac unit, where they are used for cardiac stress tests. Hopefully, they will begin receiving additional use, for brain scanning.

Interestingly, Dr. Amen has included a SPECT scan of his brain. Inclusion of his own scan speaks volumes, concerning the safety of SPECT brain scans.We will probably wait a long time before we learn of anyone practicing electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), who has submitted to ECT electro shock therapy.

The scans and case histories reveal the reality of disorders including traumatic brain injury, depression, pernicious anemia, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, ectasy and marijuana abuse. Improvements produced by diverse treatments including Prozac, Lamictal, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and St. John's Wort are clearly revealed in scan images. The image of impaired blood flow distribution, due to Xanax will confirm what many suspect-Benzodiazepine medications impair brain function.

Amen and Routh provide an overview of diverse treatments including most pharmaceutical treaments and many nutritional and herbal treatments, in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy, systematic desensitization, biofeedback, exercise, deep breathing and EMDR.

This book was published in 2003, before the sleepwalking syndromes associated with Ambien became more widely publicized and Lunesta became available as a safer alternative. Although Amen and Routh recommend GABA supplements, for anxiety, GABA seldom crosses the blood-brain barrier, and we have seldom found an anxious patient, who responds to GABA supplements. Neurotransmitter profiles of our anxious patients indicate excess glutamate causes more anxiety than deficient GABA levels.

Florida Detox has referred patients to Amen Clinics, for SPECT brain scans and the scans have revealed useful clinical information, especially when patients suffered severe anxiety or had multiple chemical dependencies.

I suspect many readers would like to see a larger, expanded version of this book, with more case histories and scans. After performing over 20,000 SPECT scans, Amen Clinics certainly possesses the scans and case histories needed for a larger sequel to this book.

Steven Sponaugle, Research Director, Florida Detox

WOW! What a book. I have many books, on the above subjects, being a sufferer myself, and feeling like I'm hitting a blank wall trying to fully understand it, but also a book that actively helps you to accept there is more information about diagnosis, PROPER treatment available, and REAL solutions to these debilitating illnesses, not just psychotherapy, or medication. It delves into the psysiological reasons and chemistry of the brain and how SPECT scans can verify diagnoses and help to correctly pinpoint the specific type of illness you may have. I have read many medical books and was 'till now unaware of the physiological markers to look out for, but also that these scans help to pinpoint accurate treatment for your specific type, of which there are 7 main types. It is not for the novice necessarily as medical jargon is used, but is well worth the read and there are addresses and phone numbers for contacting doctors that help diagnose and treat patients.It helps to self diagnose to a point, and makes you feel like there is light at the end of the very long tunnel. About time a book like this has come along. I plan to use it extensively and rid myself of the bain I carry around daily!

There are a lot of self help books out there, and in that there are a lot of them that don't help. This book helps people do what they need to do to not suffer anymore. It talks about medication if needed, and other natural alternatives as well. I like how Dr. Amen stresses that it is a change in a whole lifestyle. Taking medicine, natural or not needs to be accompanied by a GOOD DIET (supplements) and EXCERCISE! For anyone that is sick of being anxious and or depressed, this book is a great place to start! He gives tools to help a person get out of feeling stuck.
Highly recommend to really read the book. Kind of like a textbook. Going back to pages if one has to, to really understand ones behavior, and what one needs to do to be healthy. Highly recommended!

I had knowledge on this subject for years, so most of the material written in this book was mainly old news to me. Most of the material in this book is an overview of the disorders and a lot of pics of brain scans. (Including before and after shots) There is a lot of talk about medication as well and different categories of antidepressants. Honestly there isn't that much extra material that books like "Don't Panic" doesn't cover (although this book isn't as dry as "Don't Panic"). If you are new to all of this, then it's is a decent read. If you been dealing with this for quite a while now, chances are that your doctor has found the right meds for you and that you've been properly diagnosed. You may want a book that goes a little deeper in the topics of "rational vs irrational thoughts", "self-esteem", or "phobias". I gave this book 3 stars only because I was expecting more with all the 5-star reviews and didn't pick-up anything new, but it's a good book if you are new to all of this and want a primer about the road that's ahead of you.

I found this book to be an interesting read for people considering becoming entrepreneurs. It is filled with data points that are not very well know. I would take some of conclusions with a grain of salt, as some of the data backing it is not all that solid. However, the author does mention when the data is not extensive.

It's not a guide to entrepreneurship and if you aren't sold on starting your own business, then it will probably seem rather gloomy. However, it's a good eye opener if you have a decent job and have considered starting a company just to not have to work for somebody else. Would defeinitely recommend it if you are thinking about starting your own business but are on the fence.

The conclusion set forth in the end seemed a bit rushed (it's all mentioned in the last 2 pages) but I think the previous chapters are worth it.

It also has a lot of references (almost half the book pages are filled with references), so depending on what kind of reader you are, that might be (or not) a good thing.

Why do people start businesses? Why doesn't the high failure rate dampen their enthusiasm? "The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By" is an examination of modern entrepreneurship and what makes it all tick. Taking a good, long look at the reality of it all, "The Illusion of Entrepreneurship : The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By" takes into account the industries that are popular for start up, how they are financed, the characteristics of an entrepreneur, and strategies for new businesses to survive when they first start. Scholarly written and researched, "The Illusion of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths that Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By" is highly recommended for any community library collection with an interest in economics and business, and should be required reading for any aspiring entrepreneur.

I was drawn to this book when Dr. Shane gave us a quiz about the FACTS of entrepreneurship. Believe it or not, although many of us might have thought we were savvy in entrepreneurship, we got almost none of the questions correct. After that, I placed a pre-order for this book and waited for months before this book was first in print and available. It was quite a worthwhile.

What we got wrong? If you read the book you will understand why many of us got them wrong. His data (much of them from public sources) basically strikes you like this:
* Can you believe the most entrepreneurial state in the US is not California, nor Massachusetts, but Vermont?
* Can you believe U.S. is not the most entrepreneurial country in the word, but instead three times less entrepreneurial than the top country? (The book uses various measures of entrepreneurial activities)
...
This long list of debuted myths are summarized in the end of each chapter.

Most important, each chapter explains WHY the myths turn out to be wrong. Without these explanations, the book would become simply a stack of striking facts that you found hard to believe. What makes this book highly insightful and convincing is that the author not only points out what is the truth based on reliable data, but also tells us why the surprising truth makes sense.

Certainly, to buy in his points, you need to first buy in how the author defines entrepreneurship--starting a new (for-profit) organization, including self-employment, etc. This is a fair definition in the research on entrepreneurship.

If you teach entrepreneurship or related courses, the book will be a perfect tool for you to draw students' interest. Students become more involved and learn more when their stereotype mental model is challenged with a sound reason.

One more thing to note: The author has a notable merit across his writings: clear, and easy to follow. This book is of no exception. You can easily grab what he wants to say in this book even when you read it when traveling on a plane or before going to bed.

This is an OUTSTANDING book that should be very useful to entrepreneurs, researchers and policy makers.

The author is one of the most respected scholars in entrepreneurship. He uses a lot of research papers and industry reports to present the facts and bust the "myths" about entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs.

The book has ten chapters with a total of 67 busted myths. Chapters 2 and 7 should be very useful to entrepreneurs. Chapter 2 tells us that industry selection matters in starting a business. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs select industries that they know better and in which it is easy to start businesses. Further, most entrepreneurs don't select the most profitable industries but instead pick industries with the highest firm failure rates. Chapter 7 tells us that success depends on more important factors than entrepreneur personality or psychological traits.

The book raises some serious questions about conventional wisdoms. Here are two examples:

Concerning the typical entrepreneur, "The characteristics that make people more likely to start businesses aren't all desirable; people are more likely to go into business for themselves if they are unemployed, work part-time, have changed jobs often, and make less money. The typical entrepreneur earns less money than he would have earned had he worked for someone else and has worse job benefits."

Concerning government policy to promote entrepreneurship, "We have no evidence that in the absence of government intervention, people were creating too few businesses or that without government action the wrong firms would get started or financed. Moreover, we have no evidence that creating additional new companies is a good thing. ... there is ample evidence that when governments intervene to encourage the creation of new businesses, they stimulate people to start new companies disproportionately in competitive industries with lower barriers to entry and high rates of failure."

I find the book interesting and entertaining. It is well-written and easy-to-follow, without unnecessary academic jargons. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who is serious about entrepreneurship.

I took two major lessons, and provide a suggestion, from Scott Shane's "Illusions of Entrepreneurship":

First, "Start your business for the right reasons," is a key issue that Shane notes, and it's an issue that can help ground potential entrepreneurs in reality. This book provides a portrait of entrepreneurs that is refreshing to read, noting that the romanticized view of being an entrepreneur is something much different than the "as is" state. People who are good "craftsmen", even in an unglamorous field, will feel good about going it alone after reading his book.

Second, I suggest that this book comes at an important time in our nation's business history. With the concerns about how innovative and entrepreneurial we are as a nation, and what that may mean to our future economic development, this book helps de-bunk stultifying myths about pursuing an entrepreneurial career. That can only help us.

Third, my suggestion: Not only will people who want to be entrepreneurs benefit from the objective analysis in this book, but policy-makers would do well to be steeped in the reality of entrepreneurism presented here. Maybe they will think about how to clear a road for new enterprise formation versus bureaucratically impede business success.

Benjamin Orbach has turned his year in Amman and Cairo (with quick jaunts to Turkey and Syria) into an insightful and eye-opening narrative. All too often we only hear about the Middle East through video clips of angry anti-American protests. Orbach's knowledge of Arabic allowed him to dig much deeper and present a more complex and complete picture of the intricate nature of Middle Eastern culture and politics. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to get beyond the sound bites and find out what is really happening in this critical region of the world.

WONDERFUL, EXCITING AND INSPIRATIONAL BOOK

It has been several years since I have traveled outside the USA. I have not felt safe after 9/11. Whenever I see the news including the Arab countries, whenever I hear the words, Arab, Jihad, Islam, Muslim, I find myself feeling anxious with some degree of fear and confusion. Reading Ben Orbach's book, Live From Jordan, has provided me with a tremendous breakthrough. I am now able to see the Arab people as just that - PEOPLE. That fear is gone. I continue to maintain guarded interest, but no more so than with anyone else. I live in the Seattle area where we have many cultures living here. It is so freeing to see them as fellow passengers on the wonderful planet earth.

I especially appreciated Ben's comments toward the end of his book, pages 296 and 297 where we all have the honor to be "unofficial ambassadors" wherever we go. Human kindness goes a long way whether it is with a neighbor near or far away. Being a grandmother and even a great-grandmother I am encouraged and pleased to say that I will be planning and saving for my next trip abroad. I will still be cautious, but no more so with the Arab people as with anyone else. Thank you Ben!

C. Arnott

"Live From Jordan" takes you to the Middle East and gives you an on-the-ground view. Yes, the perspective is American, but that is the point. What happens when an American Jew who speaks Arabic manages to pass as a Canadian in the lead-up to the Iraq war?

It's fascinating to see how generous and inviting the locals are to the author--how they invite him into their conversations, their homes, their families, and their conflicts. As a result, the author gains a private look into a world that most of us will never see, and he shares that world with us, with humor, grace, and insight.

Live from Jordan: Letters Home from My Journey through the Middle East is
thoughtful, illuminating, and highly entertaining. It is an elegantly written, and often hilarious, account of Orbach's prolonged stay in Jordan and Egypt, as well as his excursions to Israel, Morocco,
Oman, Syria, and Turkey. The book's scope is broad--the author details his
day-to-day experiences, from finding an apartment in Amman to providing
matchmaking services to ordinary Jordanians. The book also describes Orbach's personal encounter with Anti-Americanism, and concludes with a number of suggestions of how the United States might regain some of its lost credibility among Arab states.... to read the entire review, go to [...]

Benjamin Orbach did something just a few months after the events of 9-11 that few Americans dared to do. Just when most Americans were purposely avoiding travel to the Middle East (or had left the area for good), Orbach decided to move to Jordan on his own so that he could study Arabic as it is spoken on the street. He wanted to learn everyday Arabic slang and ways of expressing himself in the language that would allow him to communicate with Arabic speakers at the deepest level. Immersing himself into the culture of Amman, and living there without the usual security surrounding most Americans in that part of the world, he learned much more about himself and the people he met than he could have reasonably expected to come away with going into the experience.

Orbach's language skills and obvious respect for the culture and people he lived among made it possible for him to fit into his Amman neighborhood so well that he formed lasting friendships with the people he saw there everyday, his barber, his grocer, students at his university, his language teachers, restaurant owners and his landlady, among them. Unlike most Americans, and probably most Westerners, he came to see them as individuals with the same hopes and desires that we all have, rather than as interchangeable parts in a single Arab culture dominated by a religion bent on destroying the West and claiming the world for Islam. Anyone who reads Live from Jordan will be able to rid themselves of that stereotypical viewpoint forever and that makes it an important book.

When I started reading Live from Jordan I wondered whether or not Benjamin Orbach's personal experiences would be similar the ones I had while working in Algeria from late 1992 until early 2002. As it turns out, they definitely were. I am not an Arabic speaker but in Algeria French is the business language of choice and most Algerians are at least somewhat fluent in the language. That allowed me to have rather detailed and intimate discussions with my Algerian co-workers and friends about our differences and, more importantly, about our similarities. Much as I suspect that Orbach will always treasure his days in Jordan and Egypt, I will be forever grateful for the friendship and trust that was offered to me by those Algerians who welcomed me into their world as an individual rather than exclude me as an "American."

I mention my years in that part of the world only to emphasize how "true" this book read to me. I did not find a false note in it anywhere and would love to see its message spread as widely as possible.

This book reflects the life experience of a woman of color who has shattered many glass ceilings and has paved the way for others to follow. Bordas now beckons us to join her in building the inclusive and multicultural society. Her view of leadership is the missing link. For too long, leadership has been dominated by a white, male orientation. Hooray! Now women and people of color can embrace their ways of leading and understand the power of their community-centered and socially responsible styles.

Juana Bordas provides a fresh perspective on leadership by weaving the traditions of Latino, African American and Native American's together in her book. Her progressive, forward thinking views offer tools for leading a new generation of young people with an appetite for integration and inclusion. This book provides guidance for the historic times we're living.

I have two children who are growing up in Denver, Colorado which is a multicultural city. We have been fortunate that our last 3 mayors have been White, Black and Latino. Our city council became a majority female in the nineties. Salsa, Soul and Spirit challenges us to not just invite women and people of color to the table- but to make sure we embrace diversity and utilize the gifts and assets they bring. The book provides the leadership tools we need to change the way we operate so that the values, experiences and history of all people are included in the way we operate everyday. Authentic diversity can't just be business as usual with different faces and races around the table! What a great example this helps to set for our children.

If only the wisdom in this book could be transferred to the minds of the leaders of our planet. Anyone who wishes to increase understanding and harmony should read this book and become inspired enough to start making some changes in the ways we relate to each other.

The story of a Latina finding her way and success in a non-diverse society coupled with insights into the "soul" of Latino, Black, and American Indian leaders. A must read for the leaders of tomorrow trying to bridge the gap between saying we are diverse and successfully reaching that goal.

It's an easy read from someone with a short attention span. Plain english; a story that just takes you in. I am grateful to Larry for writing this book and sharing that this alternate lifestyle is possible.
It's encouraging me to save more.

I came across this book after thinking about retiring at age 51. It had good reviews so I thought why not. At that time there was none in stock and I had to wait at least 4 weeks to get a hold of a copy. It was definitely worth the wait! I found it to be very encouraging and sensible.
There is a lot to this book that will benefit anybody thinking about retirement now or in the future. Even if you never plan on retiring there is plenty of financial advice that makes it worthwhile. I've read many financial books and the author tells it as good or better than most. He definitely has a knack for writing and can hold your interest while teaching you what real financial planning should be.
I especially liked the window into the author's (Larry Ferstenou) and his wife Kris's life to show how they did it, what retirement is like for them, and what you should plan on in retirement both financially and psychologically.
Definitely worth getting, reading, and then keeping as a reference.

Larry Ferstenou does an excellent job of pulling together many of the things you need to look at when deciding if you can retire young, and what steps you can take to put yourself on that path.

This book was written by someone who practices what he preaches as he was able to retire in his early 40s. He touches on financial issues, social issues (the "work ethic"), and why people work.

Some of the figures he uses in his financial calculation may not apply to your situation, but the concepts likely will.

I would recommend this book to anyone, even if they are not thinking of retiring early.

This book contains a lot of good information, and is well written, so I would recommend it as a great starting point. My only concern is, why was this book written? Did the authors need the money? If that's the case, then you have to look at the title of the book and the advice given with the understanding that the authors needed to work to make their early retirement possible.

My wife and I are very thankful that Larry and his wife Kris took the time to write down the path they took to reach financial freedom in "You Can Retire Young!".

Unlike so many other books written by the so called "experts" (who are still working full-time), Larry and Kris write from their really life experience. This make this book all the more valuable.

I have not found many other books written by ordinary working people who have actually been able to successfully retire early. There are two books referenced in "You Can Retire Young!" written by actual early retirees, but in my opinion, "You Can Retire Young!" is by far the best.

I say this because "You Can Retire Young!" presents very practical steps that can be accomplished at any life stage on our way to retirement.

We purchased "You Can Retire Young!" and have read it twice. And we plan to keep re-reading it along with the notes we have taken plus reading the other books that are referenced until we also are successfully retired young.

We are a 38 years married couple, who by following the steps laid out in this book are much closer to successfully retiring early then before reading it and to us that's priceless.

We wish every reader of this book a successful and early retirement.

Energy leadership is an easy, page turning, read. Thank you for writing this book and providing me with a tool I can use to help move my organization out of its catabolic energy.

This one book will change your energy, change your life and unleash the abundance of creative energy in your life and in your business.

We are nothing more that a total energy system of parts. The water you drink, the money you have, your cash flow, your shirt, shoes and socks, the lunch you ate, the things you think about, your feelings and emotions are nothing more than energy. Energy Leadership shows us how to take back control of our lives and business.

We all know that everything (including us) are made up of atoms and smaller sub-atomic particles of energy. What is between the nucleus and it's orbiting electrons is NOTHING or Empty space. There are countless atomic particles making up everything we see, touch, hear, taste. That table in front of you looks totally solid and is nothing but moving waves of potential and possibility, energy! Your employees, your bank account, your corporate logo, your way of being with your customers, your failures, successes, the things that happen to you, around you and through you is nothing more than energy, energy that you have a say in, energy that you can control, change and move up to an abundance of anabolic circumstances and conditions in and around your business and life. Galileo, Copernicus... now Dr. Bruce D. Schneider bring the magic of assessing, understanding and using our god given energy to increase our health, effectiveness, wealth, love and joy in everything we do.

This is a masterpeice of work and nothing compares with its brilliance and everyday language so the non-scientist can understand and benefit from Energy Leadership.

Understanding that energy has an impact in your world as do microwaves, xrays, MRI's and laser beams and now Dr. Schneider teaches us how to access that inherent energy within us to be Leaders energetically to be, have and do anything we want.

This is amazing work and the Energetic Self Preception Chart clearly show us and lead us up the ladder from Level 1 Victim Energy to Level 7 Creation and Wisdom Energy. Step by step we are lead into a world beyond our widlest dream where money, business success, unconditional love and joy reside.

Every CEO and World Leader needs to read this book!!

I have handed this book to all of my clients, prospects, family, friends and the people I care about. Give it away and together we will transform the workplace making work a more joyous and eventful experience for all.

I loved reading this book and can't wait to share it with as many people as possible.

I recommend Energy Leadership by Bruce D. Schneider. This is an excellent book about a business owner who brings his company from the brink of bankruptcy to transformative success. I really enjoyed this book because, for me, it is actually about spirituality. While you may not think of it this way, our spirituality is expressed mostly when we are engaged in the activities of our daily lives.

What can be more engaging than the mundane process of everyday business life? I invite you to broaden your perspective of business to include, for example, what a parent has to do to get their child off to school with lunch and motivate him or her to do homework and chores when they get home; or what it takes for a single person to open their eyes in the morning, get up, go out and face the day of work or school with all of the activities scheduled to be faced on that day.

In all cases, this represents leadership, and I am asserting that the task before us is to discover what is spiritual in every activity we face. Bruce shows us how to empower ourselves, to raise our level of consciousness and thereby discover that spiritual content in every moment. I hope you will take that journey and read Bruce D. Schneider's Energy Leadership!

Energy Leadership is a ground-breaking work. It takes the reader on a unique journey of transformation; one that every person can relate to on some fundamental level. What I love about this book is that it delivers important information on how our energy impacts the totality of our lives through the use of an allegorical story. This engages both our logical and creative mind in a highly effective way. If you loved Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth," you'll really love this book!

Anyone thinking of buying a house should read this book. It is thousands of dollars worth of advice from an experienced broker for only $13! Randy Johnson gives you all the essential tools and knowledge to make an educated decision about your home and your investment. I'm an MBA grad and a finance professional and found this book offered much info that I had never learned about. Invaluable for anyone - finance professionals or otherwise.

Randy Johnson is the best! He's a friend to you hoping to level the playing field so one gets the best mortgage for oneself - not for the banks or mortgage companies. A truly honest and sincere business man - however that might usually sound like an oxymoron.

I found this book (the first edition) to be informative when I bought my first house.

book good as far as it went. For my purposes the amortization tablez did not go far enough, The tables stopped at $200,.000.00

I have done a lot of research and actually took the training to become a real estate agent, so I had a lot of basic information to start with. But the book explained a number of things that I have not been privy to.