Business Books

This book was very easy to read, understand and to comprehend.
The author explains things very well and in laymen's terms.
I highly recommend this book to anybody wants to get a headstart working with foreclosures

Just finished reading Peter Conti's Making Big Money in Forclosures, 2nd Edition and I thought it was great! If you plan on investing in the forclosure market any time soon you should do yourself a favor and read this book so you will have the very latest information available. Thanks again Peter! James Stokes

This book has been a blessing to me! I wanted to become a real estate investor for about 5 years. I know very little about the industry. In the back of my mind I thought, I need to have money before I could take a leap negotiate. I have learned different techniques and strategies by reading this book. It is an excellent resource to have in your arsenal.

There are many good ways to buy properties in this book but, some seem a little sketchy. They really push keeping the houses for your future, but do you really want to be a landlord, I don't and would rather sell and move on, who wants to deal with that. I have friends with properties and it is a constant pain in the b..., if you don't know how to fix small problems yourself you will be constantly hiring someone else to fix them and there goes all your profits. Peter never talks about taxes either rather painting a great picture of profit, yes he does talk about writing off the interest, but never about Capitol Gains tax that you will have to pay when you sell the house no matter how long you own it, you don't have to pay it if you live in the house for two years but if you rent you will. There is defiantly money to be made now and in the coming years and I will use some of the resources (They give you access to there wed site for free) and ideas in this book to make some money, but think long and hard were you buy (neighborhood etc.) and if there is really enough profit in the property after you pay your real estate people, Taxes and other expenses. Good luck!!!

Making Big Money Investing Foreclosure is a must read for any investor looking to expand their knowledge of the forclosure market.

This book explains process of working with PEOPLE through their forclosure problem so they can get to a better place in an ethical manner. The web information provided via this book is very useful for understanding the forclosure in my state and in other ones.

Actually ideas expressed in the book are even helpful in a regular real estate transaction.

The MFG coaches that are eluded to in the book are the best I have met.

My Thanks goes out to the Author for sharing his time and energy in putting this book together.

-David

Are you hungry for HAMBURGER HAMLET? Here is the book. The history of HAMBURGER HAMLET as created by Harry & Marilyn Lewis. I'm hungry and ready to drive to the closest one! Or maybe better yet, to a Kate Mantilini or the Gardens on Glendon still the home of the Lewis' cuisine.

& yes her life as Cardinale is also well covered in this story

a great read - now go get that HAMBURGER ( a #9 or a #11 ? which one?? it must be rare-yum)

Anyone with any sense of the entertainment industry in Hollywood is familar with Hamburger Hamlet. An ancient haven for the Rat Pack and a current haunt for celebs like Matthew Perry and Elton John, it's great to finally have a book that tells us the ups and downs of this great eatery and the two talented people who started it.

Marylin Lewis, not daring to let humility get in the way, spins us through nearly 40 years of burgers, gossip, high fashion and lobster bisque. Her first hand accounts of her own struggles and transformation into the diva of the restaurant industry is nothing short of inspiring.

Heck, this book is almost as good as the burgers and bisque. Thank goodness we still have a few of her old joints still preserved today. My advise? Grab the book, duck into a dark corner booth at the Sunset Strip location, and sink back into the days of legend when a "B" actor and an inspiring dress designer could become the darlings of Sinatra, martinis and a damn good burger.

I savored every page of this smart memoir. Marilyn Lewis' writing is as delicious as her recipes.

"Marilyn, are you sure you can cook?" is the best written memoir I've ever read. What a fascinating life...told with humor, candidness, and an ability to put words together that makes one think Charles Dickens was whispering in her ear.

Anybody in the business world or on the inside track of Los Angeles life knows who Marilyn and Harry Lewis are; their building of the Hamburger Hamlet dynasty is legendary. What makes this truly fascinating book come to life though, is the "true Marilyn" who jumps from the page. With many autobios, you can read it cover to cover and not know a whit more about the real person behind that public visage when you're done.

Not here. There's a lot more served up than some famous recipes and a few anecdotes; Lewis manages to capture the Zeitgeist of the time in which she and Harry lived and loved; a period of Show Business and Big Business colliding an L.A. full of fashion and film and some sad realities along the way.

I'd love to give details but I'm not blowing any surprises. Suffice to say the book is a surprise a mix of personal and public life, and every darn thing that happens when you're a woman with boundless talent and the energy of a high school sprinter. For instance, did you know that under a completely different name,in a completely different world, Marilyn Lewis was also famous for something that had nothing to do with her culinary crown? Double-famous in two different worlds: that's not luck. This is an extraordinary woman.

Marilyn Lewis's own peronal story is downright fascinating; from such humble beginnings she became the Grande Dame of Los Angeles's love for food, fashion, and passion. You can't put Lewis in a box.....her proven "wins" in evrything from film to filet mignon come with a story, a real story, about a real woman who was ahead of her time and made a lot of people plain catch up.

Written with the class you'd expect from one of the shining stars of Los Angeles social life, Marilyn tosses class and candor like a salad, and the result is a can't-put-it-down page turner.

I give this prize of a book my highest recommendation. The Marilyn Lewis you're going to meet in this book is probably not who you thought was on the menu. But I'd put her compelling voice and prolific humanity up against any creme brulee in town: Mrs. Lewis emerges like a creme brulee, in fact: a tough cookie and nobody's fool on the outside, and downright delicious, smooth and all class on the inside.

Give this book a read; it'll show you a Los Angeles (and a world) that may not even be possible anymore.....unless another Marilyn and Harry Lewis show up in town. For now, I'll take the originals....and they're both right here in plaintive sight. Enjoy the meal, and boy, does she know some of the juciest tidbits of Los Angeles's golden age. Enjoy, and don't forget to tip well.

This book is clear, concise, interesting (almost like an unputdownable novel by Sidney Sheldon). I'm not joking. You can read it in one or two days, do the transcenders, print out your transcender results. Before the exam review the transcenders and walk out with a 900 like me. I must mention i have six months admin and six months support experience. Just to let you know the experience level. Good luck to all.

This book is clear, concise, interesting (almost like an unputdownable novel by Sidney Sheldon). I'm not joking. You can read it in one or two days, do the transcenders, print out your transcender results. Before the exam review the transcenders and walk out with a 900 like me. I must mention i have six months admin and six months support experience. Just to let you know the experience level. Good luck to all.

Exam 70-073 is now the 1 exam most people take in order to become MCP and this book will make a big difference in the attempt. This book covers each exam objective and gives the detailed information you need in order to pass the exam on the first try.

The book of over 600 pages gives you exam tips, study tips, hands-on exercise, case studies summaries and review questions, exam questions and practice tests all to help you obtain your certification ....................

The book sis loaded with diagrams, pictures, tables and figures to make the learning process easier. The author takes out the mystery behind the NT Workstation and uncomplicates the technical jargon thus enabling to retain more information, and remember information is the key to passing the exam.

The book includes Top Score Software exam simulation; this allows you to try the exam before you go live. Overall the book is one for the technical library even after passing the exam.

As good as it gets - do not look farther....

I have looked at few of the books on this subject - this one is make you understand the subject in plain English - you do not feel stupid reading it.

Combine with a good exam test questionary - and you will make it...

I have right know - 5 books on this subject and I just passed the test on the first try with a 866 when only a 700 is required. I believe this book is what put me over the top and gave me some error room to boot! It is very easy to read and reminded me a lot of a textbook but thats a good thing, those "other" books try to make things much harder than they have to be. This book lays it out in a GREAT format. I found no errors unlike many other books and I recommend this with 5 star! - something I rarely ever give out. Good job to the author, keep it up! Highly recommend!

I came in not knowing much of anything about the music industry...and after reading this book from cover to cover (its a long book), I can say I learned a lot. The book is very easy to read, with real and made-up examples, and simple language. The author does a great job breaking down the rules of the industry. It does not tell you how to run your operation or how to market a hit record...it just lays out all the rules for you to either follow, break, or bend.

The best chapters were about song ownership, copyrights, publishing, royalties, and taxes. Actually, the taxes chapter was really enlightening. You can tell a lawyer wrote this book from that chapter.

I've been in a band for several years, and unfortunately, everyone else that has been in my band has never had the experience of running it as a business. We have been skating by all these years just doing gigs, but now we are planning on releasing a CD and this definitely makes things more complicated. This book has been a godsend. Very informative and USEFUL information. Other music law type books are informative, but haven't been very useful on the level we needed it. You can use what is in this book right away. Its easy to read and understand.

Like all carpenters needing important tools to build a house, this book is the tool for all musicians. It covers all the important music business information and will help cut down unnecessary misfortune for musicians. Definitely a MUST BUY!!!

This offers a great foundation to Music Law. It is clear & easy to read w/ room in the margins for notes. Richard Stim even mentions a few legal loopholes you can benefit from.

You can also recieve free book updates on the Nolo website, which is a cool perk.

There comes a time in a musician or band's career when they get serious about what they're doing and need to start focusing on legal aspects of their endeavors. This book is and indispensable reference for that situation.

The book is written in easy to understand layman's terms. It covers a fairly broad range of subjects, and provides pointers to other resources for more in depth cover of the covered subjects.

One more notable point about the book is the pre-fabricated contracts and legal forms that it comes with. They seem to be solid, could be useful in a number of situations, and are explained thoroughly.

USEFUL FOR AN INEXPERIENCED INVESTOR. PRIMARY POINT IS TO FOCUS ON THE LONG TERM AND DO NOT RESPOND TO DAY TO DAY EVENTS COVERED IN THE MEDIA. SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ON WHICH STOCKS TO BUY AND WHEN. GOOD BUYS ARE FREQUENTLY NOT THE "BEST" STOCKS BUT RATHER THE ONES GETTTING THE LEAST ATTENTION FROM ANALYSTS AND THE MEDIA.

Another great book from Bernstein. This one is more accessible than Style Investing and has some great financial planning tips/exercises. After the last 2 years in the markets many investors should reasses their tolerance and goals and Bernstein gives a nice framework to do that within.

This is an outstanding book---the best I've read in 3 years. I particularly like the discussion of risk--how the general perception of risk differs form the investors point of view. And how the investor's perception of risk can be misinterpreted by the broker or financial consultant. A great discussion of value verses growth stocks and which do better under which circumstances. I learned alot by reading this book.

This is the best book I've read in several years. It is thought provoking and backed up by data to show which stocks do well and poorly over time. Alot of the information is counter-intuitive--i.e. shows how your gut instinct is often incorrect. I particularly like the book's discussion of risk, and how the conventional view of risk differs considerably for the average investors view of risk. I plan to reread this book soon.

This readable book explains very important concepts (risk/reward, asset allocation etc.) very well. Serious long-term investors would be well advised to navigate the noise (I would suggest shutting off CNBC as a start), read Richard's book, and then create a diversified portfolio that is expected to help them fund their long-term liabilities (education, retirement etc.) while matching their true risk tolerance.

This book addresses every aspect of doing business on the Internet securely. A must read for anyone that uses the Internet to either buy or sell.

This is an excellent book for the skeptic who thinks that "it can't happen to us!" I think many different companies (government and private sector alike) will be amazed at how comparitively little it actually costs to prevent a corporate disaster. Ever wish to go inside the mind of a good hacker and learn how he does it? This is the book for you!

The ubiquitous Internet is a double-edged sword. A major benefit is sharing information; a major detriment is the risk to customers of divulging private information. For e-businesses, therefore, privacy is a showstopper issue. This book was written to promote e-business success by helping organizations evaluate privacy needs, establish a privacy task force, use technologies to provide maximum protection, formulate privacy policies and procedures, implement and test privacy procedures, and monitor and modify privacy protection. This one's a winner--for companies that want to "win" at e-business.

The ubiquitous nature of the Internet is a double-edged sword, with sharing information a major benefit, and the risk of divulging private information a major detriment. In the rush to establish an e-business, organizations can't afford to ignore the showstopper issue: privacy. Erbschloe and Vacca provide a how-to for businesses to help them evaluate their privacy needs, establish a privacy task force, use privacy technologies to the best advantage, formulate privacy policies and procedures, implement and test privacy procedures, and monitor and modify their privacy protection. This one's a winner--for businesses that want to "win" at e-business.

A very informative and useful book in an area which is near and dear to all of us as we open up to the world of i-payments.

Pamela Yatsko's New Shanghai is one of those "must read" books about China. Yatsko did much of the research for this book while living and working in China. She lived in Shanghai from 1995 to 1998, while serving as the Eastern Economic Review's first Shanghai correspondent and bureau chief since 1949. Following this assignment, she worked for the Economist Group as managing editor of Hong Kong's Business China--a job which allowed her to return to Shanghai frequently.

Yatsko's experiences writing about China's economy led her to explore the many facades she discovered pervading contemporary China. According to the author, while the exteriors of many facets of Shanghai look glitzy and modern, the interiors often tell a vastly different story. The book is divided into key aspects of the city's revival: real estate, the budding world of high finance, growing socio-economic disparity, the return of the multinational firms and their expats, vice, the future of state-owned businesses and their employees, and the status of the arts.

Summarizing Yatsko's conclusions would spoil a juicy read. So, suffice it to say that she uncovers the ways in which expectations for the city have often not been realistic and means by which the future lies in the ability of reality to catch up with these expectations. Considering the industrial and cultural wasteland the city became between 1949 and 1979, Shanghai truly has undergone an amazing renaissance. Will it become the New York City of Asia? Should it? The author gives us pause for many such thoughts. I lived in Shanghai from 2005-2007, and this book clarified many aspects of the "new China" for me.

The book is well-researched and sheds insights on both the city's achievements and her challenges for the future. All of the key elements making up this brave new city are helpfully placed within their historical context. New Shanghai makes essential reading for anyone who seeks to put modern Shanghai life into perspective.

Fun Fact: On the inside book jacket, you'll find a review by one of Shanghai's own literary celebrities, Lynn (Ling) Pan. She was also interviewed by the author for this book.

As a Shanghainese who is sick of the feverish optimism about China nowadays, I was deeply skeptical when I first opened this book. It turned out to be the best book on China I have seen so far. The book, especially its second chapter on the financial market, is full of coolheaded analysis and down-to-the-ground reliable facts. Sometimes, it even shames me for not knowing Shanghai as well as this foreigner does. I recommend the book as a very reliable source of information for those interested in Shanghai and as a book to keep some authentic memory of Shanghai for those overseas Shanghaineses.

Yatko's book far exceeded my expectations. Well argued, carefully thought out and with an excellent thesis. It is easy for old Shanghai residents (such as myself) to revel in an Old Shanghai nostalgia that has long ceased to exist. Yatsko highlights and illustrates many points that we overlooked, ignored or never knew in the first place. Valuable reading for anyone planning to do business in China or simply interested in this great city.

I worked in business in Shanghai during 1995-98 and continue to travel there often. I have yet to come across a more interesting or useful book about Shanghai's metamorphosis and the changes taking place in urban China in general. Although Shanghai and China are fast moving targets, the book provides a spot-on snapshot of the issues facing Shanghai at the millennium and has helped me make sense of this fascinating yet perplexing city. The author really captures the successes and failures of fin de siecle Shanghai well. Also, there's lots of anecdote to make the book a lively read-the chapter on vice is particularly fun. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in understanding what's beneath Shanghai's glittering surface.

I found "New Shanghai" not long ago as I was preparing to visit Shanghai after six years in the states, and was attracted to it immediately. Having lived in Shanghai most of my life, I have to say that the author knows about Shanghai better than I do. I'm only familiar with the life of my like, but the book has a broad coverage, from the upper class to the cultural underdogs. In particular, I liked to read Yatsko's interviews with various people, which added a sense of reality.

Yatsko has captured Shanghai's fastest socio-economic changes since it lost the luster as the most prosperous city in the Far East early last century. With her solid knowledge of economics and first-hand experience, the stories are credible and the analysis is insightful. Whereas "old Shanghai" has aroused most scholarly interest due to its relation to modernity, Yatsko's depiction of Shanghai's rebirth in the 1990s also offers a unique hindsight on its past.

Although I wish I could have read this wonderful book earlier, it's not so late in the sense that I now know more interesting places

Attorney Lieber deserves high praise for his objective, informative presentation of the antitrust criminal case vs. Archer Daniels Midland, the agribusiness giant, that ADM, its powerful lawyers and Clinton's Justice Department did not want published. To his credit, he continued to pursue this case after most reporters backed off and swallowed the dizzying spin and disinformation that ADM's CEO Dwayne Andreas and his aggressive lawyers gave the media, crying crocodile tears as the "victim" of an allegedly deranged ADM executive, Mark Whitacre, who became the FBI's mole, and made hundreds of tapes incriminating ADM executives fixing prices in world markets with their competitors. Lieber correctly smelled the stench of a cover-up and adroitly guides readers to make their own
conclusions after compiling evidence, omissions from court records, and other factors that allow readers to infer that the judicial process was compromised by ADM's widespread political
influence before the trial even began. Although Dwayne Andreas,
the infamous political fixer and king of corporate welfare, got immunity in a highly secretive plea bargain to Justice in 1996,
after ADM agreed to pay a record fine of $100 million, his son
Michael was convicted and imprisoned with Terry Wilson for a
mere 3 years, and Dwayne (thanks to outraged and courageous ADM
shareholders) finally resigned. Tragically, Whitacre was
convicted, fined and sentenced to a harsh term of 9 years
because of ADM's swift retaliation against him as whistleblower, for exposing to the FBI the ... corporate culture of
ADM...(anything goes-but don't get caught-and here's your big
bonus (not reported on books)to keep silent, the unspoken words
being that an employee would be fired and crucified if they
blew the whistle.
Lieber's chilling comment (p. 322)should concern every citizen
or future whistleblower who believes in due process and our rule of law: "It was expected that ADM's attorneys would savage the
snitch. What was highly bizarre in the world of criminal law was the way the Justice Department joined in the frenzy to destroy Whitacre. This was an aberration...the perpetrator was a
politically wired corporation whose law firm- the president's law firm- had unbridled entree and influence at Justice. The
mole's lawyer had none."
Lieber makes a strong case that this American corporate history- "one of the most important antitrust cases of the century"- should be closely examined. Rightly so. Why was the court record sealed, why were key witnesses (e.g., Wayne Brasser) not deposed, who could have validated Whitacre's claims that the hidden bonuses were a quid pro quo for engaging in illegal price-fixing? The author's appendices are very helpful. ADM and Dwayne Andreas not only have lobbied for years to emasculate our antitrust laws (the "Magna Carta" of free enterprise) but know that the massive soft money donations to key politicians can grease not only the wheels of justice, but also ensure that ADM continues to get huge subsidies for ethanol and other favors from Agriculture Dept. (high fructose corn syrup,peanuts) that have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Rats in the Grain is highly recommended, and was a difficult book to write because of the case's complexity. James Lieber should be considered for a Pulitzer Prize.

I have not read this book, but it seems that the publisher's statement here at Amazon should include some mention of what this book can tell us that Kurt Eichenwald's exhaustive, prizewinning book, _The Informant_, does not. Eichenwald's book covers exactly the same material, and Eichenwald (the _New York Times_ reporter who covered the case) had the same access to Whitacre and other sources that Lieber had.

For obvious reasons, I would prefer not to give a "number-of-stars" rating to a book I haven't read. But Amazon demands it, so I've chosen a neutral "three."

Jim Liebert gets to the truth. Dwayne Andreas and others at ADM are not kind folks. Their ties with murderer/dictator Fidel Castro are real. Their contemptuous involvement with the illegal extraction of Elian Gonzalez from freedom and his subsequent delivery to slavery in Castro's communist prison is also very real. All in the name of appeasment to Castro. These people are stench and deserve to be imprisoned, if not worse. Thank you Mr. Liebert for telling the truth.

Lieber possesses a unique blend of talents to investigate the price fixing trial of the century.

The book chronicles ADM kingmaker Dwayne Andreas's rise to business and political power, charts the evolution of US antitrust law, and dissect's the testimony of key witnesses in the trial.

The chapters on the trial delve into ADM's chief defense: its executives were white-hatted American heroes intent on destroying an "Asian" cartel. You will find the race baiting and "we-are-heroes" defense surreal, especially since audio and video tape caught the conspirators red-handed and potty-mouthed.

Lieber presents shocking evidence to build a solid case that the US Justice Department often subjugated itself to ADM's political power and well-connected attorneys in the prosecution of informant Mark Whitacre for fraud and tax evasion. For example, Whitacre still maintains the nearly $10 million of ADM money he stashed in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands was "off-the-books" bonuses given to him by Michael Andreas with the approval of ADM president James Randall. Lieber provides multi-layered facts that endorse Whitacre's story.

The book's final chapters contain even more revelations: alleged document shredding by ADM chairman Andreas after the June 1995 FBI raid; ADM's hiring prostitutes to help steal competitors' technology; the never investigated role of ADM president James Randall--or Chairman Andreas--in price fixing conspiracies; the Justice Department's refusal to release public documents, and other sordid facts of sex, lies and videotape.

As you will discover in reading this book, justice was plea bargined away and the wishes of the Andreas crime family boss Dwayne were granted, one of which was sending Whitacre to jail for 10 years.

Lieber is to be commended for this historical document which will explain to generations to come how corporate crime destoyed our country.

Rats in the Grain is a tale of corporate criminals from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. whose price fixing conspiracy was finally exposed by a government witness working undercover for the FBI for over two and half years. The FBI tapes and documents sow ADM was involved in fixing prices, technology theft, prostitution, systematic campaign voilations and the transfer of corporate funds without the proper signatures to senior executives' overseas bank accounts to avoid taxes. ADM paid a $100 million fine and was allowed to keep the USDA business worth $85 million, which was unprecededented for a corporation who pled guilty to a criminal felony. THe second conspiracy involved ADM, the Department of Justice and ADM's lawyers working together with the media to paint a picture of Mark Whitacre, the government witness, as the real criminal. Whitacre who worked undercover for the FBI was also receiving illegal bonuses. Records show ADM was aware of this, yet the government and ADM claimed that no one except those around Whitacre were involved. The FBI agents with whom Whitacre worked while recording the crimes at ADM turned their backs on him. All the departments of government in place to administer justice for the people were administering the wishes of ADM's chairman Dwayne Andreas. ADM and the Andreases have spent millions in donations over the years. Adding that to the millions spent on lawyers clearly showed that justice was for sale. Part IV of the book the cover-up is a real eye-opener. It tells of people who sold their souls aiding and abetting in the obstruction of justice which included sending the government witness to jail at the request of ADM. Lieber's book serves notice that all is not well in the heartland and conditions are even worse in Washington.

This book is an excellent read start to finish. Topics are introduced gradually, the same topics are dug dipper as we proceed. The author makes sure you understand clearly as we proceed.
No confusions created with too many scribblings and notes, going back and forth; like in the "Head First..." I had to drop that one at end of 2 chapters, you can refer to that for some examples if at all.
With this book I never had to refer to anything at all. I definitely recommend this book over the "Head First..."

What I was most impressed in this book was how clearly it's written and yet it goes deeply on those details that can always get you confused on a certification exam.

I am very satisfied.

This is a good book to learn the concepts of EJB but for the exam you need the HFEJB book.
The details of Context objects (which method of Context object you can use in which method call of the Bean class) are more descriptive in HFEJB
If you are planning to sit for the exam this book should be accompanied by HFEJB

This is a very good book on a complex subject. Explanations of the concepts are easy to understand. Exam objectives are covered in detail with example codes and review questions.
Each chapter covers the individual exam objectives as well as summarizing the gist. Logical organization of the chapters helps conceptualize even the toughest topics.

The Quick Prep Appendix for last-minute cramming and free downloadable Whizlabs SCBCD exam simulator are very effective tools for the exam.

I recommend this book as must have SCBCD exam preparation book that can be also used as a reference book on EJB.

I used this book as a primary preparation tool for the Sun Certified Business Component Developer (SCBCD) exam. Being a beginner in EJB, I found this book to be very friendly. I liked the layout of the book in general and the writing style of the author in particular. Only relevant pieces of code are presented to focus explanation of topic in question. A complete running application may be downloaded from the author's website. The multiple choice questions at the end of every chapter and ALERTs in every chapter made remembering main points easier. Deployment descriptor elements are clarified in considerable detail and they are explained well. Please note that there are errors in this book - some of them are fairly obvious such as using a capital letter as opposed to a small letter (Java versus java) while others are not so obvious but noticeable by experienced java developers. Regardless of its minor faults, I consider this book to be a valuable addition to my library. Normally I would have a cut a star for the errors but because of its content quality, I felt compelled to give 5 stars. I just passed the exam today thanks to this book. I know that I will not hesitate to buy another book from this author. Thanks Mr.Sanghera! I recommend this book highly without any reservations whatsoever.

A great book for those engaged in facilitation. It is well written and easy to understand. It is one of the better books I've found on the topic. The reason for 4 start instead of 5 is the price of the book. Books that would compliment this are "Leading Through Collaboration" and Leading Groups to Solutions: A Practical Guide for Facilitators and Team Members

Well written -- brief and to the point. Valuable even if you only read the first and last chapters. If you think you want to work on Facilitation skills -- get this book!

This book starts with good real time situations to describe the common problems in facilitation and how to overcome them. It helps both beginners and serious facilitators. Through a series of real life examples it teaches the best practices for effective facilitation.

I am the Principal of Cohesion Inc, a marketing & business consulting organization, and also a part-time course director in the marketing faculty of the Schulich School of Business, York University in Toronto, Canada.

Facilitation is an important part of my work and teaching, and as such I regularly review literature on this subject to discover new insights and techniques with which to experiment.

Whether you are new to facilitation or already an experienced practitioner, this book will serve as an excellent resource to build your skills in this area.

This is a wonderful, practical, well-written book, with 60 facilitation secrets that are worth far, far more than the price of the pages. In fact, I learned more from this book than I did from a nationally recognized Advanced Facilitation course for $1700.

The chapter on consensus-building, which introduces 4 common techniques for building consensus (Delineation, Strengths and weaknesses, Merge and Weighted Scoring) I found particularly useful. The 6 high-level agendas for common facilitated sessions (among them process improvement and issue resolution) are a must for every facilitator.

I would recommend this book most highly for facilitators who want to build on their existing skills rather than as an introduction to the field, as some of the secrets (those related to dealing with dysfunctional behavior, for example) assume some foundational facilitation skills. However, anyone interested in the field would benefit greatly from the secrets in this book. A truly great addition to the facilitator's library!