Resources Books

I Highly recommend Diversity At Work by Dr. Paul L. Gerhardt. It has several interesting stories on various leadership and management themes that really illustrate why some things are important to do as leaders. Gerhardt covers ways to make assess diversity needs of all types of organizations and how to implement diversity programs.

This is an excellent book that is easy to read and breaks down complex subject matter so that everyone at all levels of every kind of organiztaion can benefit.

Yes, the author has a name to remember!

Diversity at Work: What Every Leader Should Know to be More Effective takes a meaningful look at diversity in the workplace. The author offers a practical approach to "diversity-thinking." Of special value is the model for and linkage between A Plan for Organizational Diversity, How to Make Diversity Programs Work and the Diversity Training Process.

A simple thought from a simple man, spoken in the midst of the worst riot in Los Angeles in 30 years. A quote still remembered today almost 15 years later. For all his faults and lack of pedigree, Rodney King got it right. Inspite of our differences, "We Have To Get Along"...

"Diversity At Work", is a blueprint for doing just that.

As a manager for a large retail company, I am faced with this dilemma everyday. How do you bring a group of people from all walks of life and different backgrounds together for the common good of the company? How do you hold them together long enough to get your job done effectively? How do you motivate people individually, while still staying true to the objectives of the group?

Dr. Gerhardt's book was an eye opener in changing my thinking on how I deal with these issues at work. It would be difficult to explain to you without reading his book first.

We seem to only notice the differences in people these days. We've forgotten the bond between people that makes us whole.

Paul Gerhardts book reminded me, that in spite of our differences, we are all part of a larger family. One to be treated with respect, personel, or professional. Quite frankly, he sold me.

I'd bet that I could now find at least 5 things of common interest with anyone in the world in under 15 minutes. This is how you build a bridge...you begin by starting to build it.

Read this book. It will help you in ways I can't explain.

Matt Hillson.

"Diversity at Work: What Every Leader Should Know to be More Effective takes a meaningful look at diversity in the workplace. The author offers a practical approach to "diversity-thinking." Of special value is the model for and linkage between A Plan for Organizational Diversity, How to Make Diversity Programs Work and the Diversity Training Process."

In Diversity at Work, author Dr. Paul L. Gerhardt presents a total approach to mastering the art of leading people of all backgrounds. Gerhardt's holistic insights and perspectives tackle the challenges often associated with being a leader and gives readers a step-by-step roadmap to personal and professional success. "Effective leaders always find ways to praise." (Chapter 3)

This remarkable book covers communication, integrity, problem solving, wisdom, organizational change, diversity thinking, Human Resource perspective and much more using interesting research, organizational theory, facts, and fun stories. This is a powerfully straightforward book. Easy to read and tough to put down. It is a "must-have" for every CEO, manager, and leader at all levels of every kind of organization.

Thanks for Reading!

i want to write Report on ` Enterprise - The Human Aspects `

McGregor's work is classic. This is required reading for executives.

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

When I was in business school (back in the Dark Ages), McGregor was considered the finest thinker about organizational behavior. He grasped that behavioral science offered great promise for making organizations more effective and more desirable places to be.

Everyone was excited about the potential of his assumptions about people in the workplace: Employees want to do a good job; they will make extra effort to learn and accomplish more; they have the potential to much more; and it makes great sense to get everyone involved as much as possible. At the time, it seemed like the first breath of fresh air in the stale world of corporate bureaucracies. Although I haven't thought much about McGregor in over 20 years, I realize that I was profoundly influenced by his thinking.

Reading this fine book gave me a valuable new perspective on McGregor -- that a central weakness of many companies and managers is that the comapny's leadership is not consciously aware of what it assumes about its employees. While almost every company espouses humanistic and empowerment ideas and ideals, many continue to operate in the same old command and control way. Most of the focus is on creating carrots and sticks to manipulate behavior.

Why don't people get it? McGregor had figured out that managers don't think much about their assumptions about employees. McGregor made the important point that everyone needs to determine what those assumptions are (Can people be trusted? If yes, use Theory Y. If no, use Theory X). What happens now is that many people hold Theory X beliefs that employees cannot be trusted and but try to use Theory Y methods (that they can), and the mixed messages keep everyone confused. 'I want you to take full charge of this project, but check with me before doing anything.' Sound familiar?

In particular, managers don't really understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs. As simple needs are fulfilled, psychic needs become more important such as working on something that will make a difference. Chapters 6 and 7 are especially good on how intrinsic personal motivation is created.

This book is excellent in that it contains a retrospective perspective on McGregor as well as some of McGregor's own key essays. I especially enjoyed Warren Bennis's essay on the weaknesses in McGregor's argument: How do managers get their needs served if they are always servant leaders (see Joe Jaworski's excellent book, Synchronicity to get an answer to that) and what is the role of the environment on the needs of the worker in the workplace? Clearly, the Internet is one example of a new force that irresitibly is creating Theory Y contexts for accomplishment, independent of what managers do.

The main weakness of this book is that it does not point out that the limit to Theory Y was that McGregory did not give enough detail to make it possible to know exactly what to do. See Bill Jenson's book, Simplicity, for the significance of this mistake by McGregor.

Whether you believe that employees cannot be trusted or that they are your first line of offense and defense empowered on their own, you will benefit from reading and thinking about the questions and topics in this book. It can be an important step forward toward helping you build an irresistible growth enterprise.

This book is a real gem. The 140 pages or so of outline on McGregor's ideas is invaluable. I've read Human Side Of Enterprise, but the way the authors explain theory Y brought a lot of light to my understanding of McGregor's ideas. McGregor's ideas reach much farther than I realized, and the authors are virtuosos at explaining the real profundity in the Human Side of Enterprise. I recommend this book highly, even to those well versed in this stuff. I also learned a lot by the modern examples (like Lincoln Electric and Herman Miller) of companies which follow theory Y. Douglas McGregor does not have all the answers. But even if McGregor is not the last word on management, all future thinkers will have to grapple with the ideas and the questions (so many!) that he put forth.

Douglas McGregor's seminal works, The Human Side of Enterprise and The Professional Manager, debunked Taylorism and described a revolutionary way to manage people. He was the first to apply the findings in behavioural science to the world of business. Based on what had been learned about human behaviour, McGregor explored the implications of managing people in a different manner than tradition dictated.

Authors Gary Heil, Deborah Stephens and Warren Bennis assert that the nature of work today makes McGregor's ideas more important and relevant than ever before. This book revisits in a contemporary manner the most important question facing management today: given what we know about human nature, how should work be managed so as to unleash the vast creative potential of human beings? It applies McGregor's thinking to today's business world, proving again that the human aspect of work is crucial to organisational effectiveness. It also suggests how you can change your thinking and implement his ideas in your own business and workplace.

The authors carefully outline how to put McGregor's thinking into practice in your own business so you can devise a better performance management system, form and supervise effective management teams, build cooperation instead of internal competition, cultivate an intrinsically motivating, values-driven workplace and create a cause worthy of employee commitment.

Just what I needed to organize my thoughts on starting a drama ministry at our church. It gave me the confidence to go forward.

Great book, full of great ideas to help you start or revive a dram ministry.

I'm my churchs first drama director and I needed a resource to help me get our drama ministry off the ground. This is it. It is very well written and covers everything concerning a drama ministry. It includes many different kinds of acting exercises and the cd shows different blocking techniques that can be used on the same sketch. There are a number of recommended resources at the end of the book. It is a very interesting read from cover to cover and several scripts are included to explain various details. You won't be sorry you bought this book.

This book is just excellent and the best book for a drama ministry in the church that I know! There are a lot of helpful tools. This is a book, that everyone involved in Christian drama should read. You won't be disappointed!

I have been in drama ministry for about 30 years now and I've bought dozens of books. The Christian books have always been lacking in help developing the craft of acting. The secular books can be filled with techniques that aren't very wholesome.
"Drama Ministry" by Steve Pederson is a great no nonsence, nuts and bolts drama guide without all the worldly trappings. Steve is my hero. I'd love to meet him someday.

I love the art of Bev Doolittle. This is just a great book to add to my collection.

When I first looked at this book, I rolled my eyes. The Earth is My Mother? But when I opened the book, and I began to read, something made me want to cry, and make a difference. I understand Sarah's love for nature, and the inspiring tale of her makes me want to stand up and save the world. The way all her snapshots oddly made one picture of a mother, HER mother, OUR Mother, it just made me so happy. This book looked so..well..stupid, and right now, I can hardly believe my previous thoughts about it. I practically hugged this book. The next day, when I almost littered, I stopped myself, because I remembered this book. A life changing tale about a girl who makes a difference...all for her dead mother, and though she didn't know it, for herself...to protect Magic Canyon.

Another "earth" book I love for the illustrations is:
Dear Children of the Earth.
I also love a novel about how hope can work miracles, that is an all-time FAVORITE of mine:
The Secret Garden

This is a beautifully written adventure story set in the Southwest which my son and daughter, ages 10 and 11, both loved. It made a terrific family 'read aloud' for all of us. Like most kids today, they are conservationists and lovers of nature and Native American lore. The author artfully sets forth an important environmental issue, destruction of habitat, in an adventure-story format. The 11 year old heroine, Sarah, is brave and delightful, wrestling not only with saving the earth but family difficulties my kids empathized with. The illustrations by Bev Doolittle -- 'camoflague' art the kids loved to piece together -- are gorgeous. We loved it! I'm ordering a few copies for friends -- it's a great summer read for kids.

THE EARTH IS MY MOTHER is the tale of a girl named "Star" -- a spunky 11-year and a true heroine. EMM has been beautifully illustrated by Bev Doolittle--known for her "camouflage" Native American and wildlife artwork. Since millions of dollars from the proceeds of Ms. Doolittle's works have gone to support the National Wildlife Federation, you can imagine the major theme of this book is the preservation of the wilderness. The storyline is based on Ms. Doolittle's concept but the text was actually written by Elise Maclay, author of two books of poetry, "Approaching Autumn" and "Green Winter." EMM is a feast for the ear and the eye.

I cannot praise this book enough as it reflects all my core beliefs--that girls can be strong, brave, and caring individuals, that traditional cultures have much to teach us, that we are all part of the great circle of life, and that we are made from stardust and the earth is our mother.

As a childhood fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories, Thorton Burgess' "Old Mother West Wind" tales, and fan of American Indian traditions and lore as well as a lover of the great outdoors, I was pleased to discover a book I could hand to my granddaughters with these words, "You want to know what life is about? read this book."

If you and your children love nature and the outdoors, give yourself a treat and read this book together. I read this with my 10 year olds, and all three of us loved it. There is enough adventure to spark a child's imagination, and the tale provides opportunities for teaching one's children about important conservation issues. The artwork is wonderful, and we had the poster which is included with the book matted and framed. My girls love to look at the poster, and discuss again the details of the story that are depicted in this wonderful artwork by Bev Doolittle. This is a book that your children will remember and return to again and again.

Extremely useful set of forms and ideas for use in the restaurant industry. It is skewed towards full service restaurants; but still has lots of useful stuff to apply to QSR. Do not expect to find a treatise on training, though. The CD ROM helps to take advantage of the material because it has the full text on pdf format and several of the sections in MS-Word format.

Douglas Robert Brown's excellent reference tool is worth every penny and should be in every food service operator's reference library. I have recommended his book for my tea students for the last five years and am pleased to endorse the revised media. From the small tearoom owner to the chain restaurant, Mr. Brown's resource is a valuable tool. Carnelian Rose Tea - Tea Business School - Jennifer Petersen

There is not one page of information in this incredibly handsome book that is not useful. The book includes every possible form I can think of, and many many more I never thought about which would be incredibly useful to our business today! The companion CDROM of forms allowed us to use this book from day one. Highly recommended!!!

The Encyclopedia of Restaurant Training is a no-nonsense, thorough resource covering the necessary training for all positions in the food service industry, from professional chef to maitre d to bartender and much more. Written in clear, easy-to-understand terms and charts spelling out explicit training instructions, and illustrated with some diagrams (such as a picture of how to properly set a formal table), The Encyclopedia of Restaurant Training spares no effort to be as understandable as possible. No background knowledge in any trade is needed to grasp explicit instructions ranging from a step-by-step breakdown of the hostess job to the proper order of service for a luncheon handout to how one can go about creating a memorable presentation to food service employees, and much more. A CD-ROM accompanies this absolute must-have for anyone preparing for a career in food service, or charged with the responsibility of training food service recruits.

As a long-time user of The Restaurant Managers Handbook by Douglas R. Brown, I have found The Encyclopedia of Restaurant Forms and it's CD Rom to be the most complete and comprehensive selection of forms and ideas for every day and every situation that can or will arise in the food service business.

Awesome book. I enjoy reading it. It's easy to read and very comprehendable. It's good information!

I ordered this book and received it very quickly. The book came in new condition as described. Thanks!

The book arrived ahead of schedule and it was in mint condition. I am satisfied with the service and the product.

I am happy with the purchase that I Made. It was delivered on time and was in great shape.

I was asked to evaluate ths for the textbook selection committee at a local high school for possible use as the text book for an environmental science class next year. Since my degree is in Environmental Science, and I have done a lot of work with environmental education, I have read a large number of environmental science books and have seen the good, bad and worst of books on the market.

At first I just planned to skim the book, but after reading a few pages I decided to look at the book more closely, and I was impressed with what I saw. The book is well written in clear, easy to understand language, using a good amount of well done graphs, charts and photos. The layout, in addition, was good, making the book flow in an orderly manner.

The information in the book was excellent, and covered the entire range, as much as is possible in one book, of environmental science. The biology and chemistry were integrated nicely and flowed smoothly.

I have rated this book as four stars only because I feel the authors didn't cover the section on renewable energy as well as I would have liked. The book tended to move through the subject rather quickly, offering only a limited view of what can be done to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. In all other ways this book was superior to many I have read.

I would highly recommend this for an introduction course in college, and also think it would bean excellent choice for a text at the AP or regular high school level, provided the students had enough science background to be able to understand the science. I even believe that a motivated home schooled student could study from this book and do quite well in the subject. Overall, one of the best introductory text books I've had the pleasure of reading.

This book is job security. Fully loaded and easy to read. It even references actual cases for further research. If I had this book some time back I could have saved the employment of friends and family. GET THIS BOOK !!! Its like having armor.

Excellent, informative and enjoyable read. This book is extremely well-written. It offers a wide spectrum of Employment Law. I usually keep books like this on hand to skim through, as reference material. However, this book was such an enjoyable read, I didn't want to put it down!

Many thanks to the author.

pstroe@nac.net

I purchased an older edition of this book back in the early 90's and it has been my "bible" on the job ever since! This book is in a straightforward, easy to understand format and contains invaluable information for anyone who works.

Excellent source of information for the lay person. Covers topics which apply to situations encounterd daily. Must have background for all supervisors and anyone who prefers to avoid problems instead of solving them.

I have been in the Labor Movement for 32 Years and this is the MOST infomitive book I've read on Labor Laws. This book is Reader Friendly and in layman's terms, with references to just about Everything Workers need about Labor Rights. If your having legitament problems at your Workplace, GET this Book!!!

"Comprehensive" starts the subtitle, and Comprehensive it is! Too many print-handicapped people are forced to stumble through the multi-layered service system, picking up clues almost by accident until they "strike gold" in the person of a skilled counselor or librarian. Here is a full set of Tools for Learning, along with a user's guide! Important for every visually impaired student and family, vital for every school or school system's Special Education department. No less useful for those with serious learning disorders like dyslexia, or with challenging physical disabilities that prevent the easy handling of printed material. Yes, addresses and phone numbers may change; new organizations may develop; but this is a book that will be USED and that will repay its purchase many times over.

A volunteer at VISION Community Services, A Division of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind, a lovely 85 year old who is legally blind and severely hearing impaired, mentioned that she was interested in the Guide (as the result of reading a review in our newsletter). I loaned her our library copy and here's what she had to say: "Spent several hours with the Field Guide. Every low vision person should have access to it. One bonus I reaped was a comprehensive description of major suppliers, what they supply and differences between them. Also, Leibs gave a useful assessment of assistive devices. This is bewildering to the newcomer to the field. In the end, I copied out several titles of Great Books to improve my mind. Several times I've tried Huckleberry Finn and quit in boredom. On the other hand, the Toni Morrison title caught my attention, I've been meaning to sample her. Don't expect to like it, but I might be surprised." She adds that it was also good to know the approximate cost of having a book reprinted in large print, and the major LP companies. Despite being legally blind, her vision is better than her hearing so she reads large print books. Her vision loss is due to glaucoma, so she retains some decent central vision.

This book is the "needle of a compass" for the blind and dyslexic. Kudos to Leibs for providing the best resource guide for the blind and dyslexic I've read! He's not only gathered countless resources and provided those in an easy to navigate format, but he's added his own personal struggles and discoveries that finally lead him to experience the sheer joy of reading. I've placed this book in a prominent location in my office and will refer to it often as it's truly the work of a research genius. Special attention should be paid to the Introduction as Leibs takes you on a poignant journey to his discovery of reading and shares his excitement as well as disappointment while uncovering the bliss of reading. Additionally, Leibs provides a "suggested reading" list with contact information on how and where to acquire these books. Truly, his passion for reading will no doubt inspire your own, whether you are a fully sighted reader or not. Kudos to Leibs! A gem of a book, and long overdue!

I picked up this book for the first time a few nights ago and was immediately hooked. As a legally blind consumer and as Director of Rehabilitation Services at an agency whose mission is to empower blind and visually impaired individuals, I was immediately moved by the significance of Mr. Leibs' work. I read late into the night, and my last thought before drifting off to sleep that night was that I wished that this book had been around 30 years ago -- it would most certainly have saved me and a lot of others who live with severe vision impairment or blindness a whole lot of struggle and grief!

This book is the only of its kind I've encountered. The information, both concisely and engagingly presented, opens a breathtaking vista of literature and learning to the lives of the visually impaired in providing guidance to independent access of the printed word!

This book is NOT another "how to live with a disability" book. It focuses on a very important aspect of life, the ABILITY to read, to INDEPENDENTLY access the written word. Leibs has put together an extensive listing of resources to empower the visually impaired reader. In addition, the personal experiences he shares in the book brought back a host of memories of my own educational odyssey. Like Leibs, I and many others with low vision have experienced much hit-and-miss in the process of learning what we needed to know to gain the access we desire and need to succeed. Leibs has put together all the pieces of a complex puzzle into a user-friendly guide that paves the way for others to learn the rudiments of what it takes to access our literary world!

In my opinion, this book should be put into the hands of every visually impaired child in this country. Leibs also targets librarians with this work, as their awareness of these resources may enhance their own knowledge and skills in providing support for visually impaired consumers. I would additionally recommend this book to seniors who constitute, by far, the largest population of visually impaired readers.

Many thanks to Mr. Leibs for a significant contribution to the education and quality of life of blind and visually impaired people!

This book should be in the hands of every sight-impaired student no later than age tweleve. Leibs has completely overhauled the orientation for reading among the blind from one of dependence on teachers and organizations to one of connecting INDEPENDENTLY to a really vast array of resources. This hardcover volume is quite easy to navigate - well designed and quite "user friendly".

We use this book on NOLS expeditions specifically because it treats conservation as a dilemma of competing moral values. It really helps our students, whether they are greenies or industrialists, to see all sides of an issue. And if we choose to carry a book like this at NOLS, it means we literally carry it in a backpack for the entire 30 day expedition, which speaks highly for the value of this book.

"I hope you read it [the book] for whatever understanding it provides. Then, when you get a chance, go and read the living things that it came from."
This, the last sentence in the book, powerfully wraps up an engrossing examination of both sides of the controversy on logging old-growth forests. Always on the side of the environmentalists, I came to understand and sympathize with the loggers who cut them down. Not an easy task for any writer to undertake. But Dietrich has done it, and done it well. No wonder he won a Pulitzer Prize. The writing is clear and sharp, and at times, poetic in imagery. Yes, I have been to the Olympic old-growth forests of which he speaks, and he is right when he says that the minute you enter them, there is magic. Even the loggers feel this. The stories of individuals, both on the side of timber and the side of trees, eloquently speak of passions and lifestyles, battles won and lost. Anita Goos is not someone I will soon forget. Dietrich tells of men and women who choose their battles, sometimes unwillingly, but who enter the fray with hearts and minds wholly in the cause.
It is well to follow this book with "The Hidden Forest" by Jon Luoma, written seven years later.

I read this book for my research paper on old growth forests. Originally I was going to just try to fly through it and take out the information that I needed for my paper, but as I read it I got really into it and almost forgot about my paper altogether! I think the best thing about this book is that it represents all sides of the issue. William Dietrich talks to cutters, truck drivers, biologists, environmentalists, foresters, and the community itself and tells all sides of the situation in his book. When I originally chose to do my paper on preservation of old growth forests, I was completely against cutting down of trees, and even though I am still not exactly for it, this book really helped me to be more open-minded and understand the different point of views...

I gained a deeper understanding of the conflicts surrounding forestry in the Pacific Northwest. The stories told in this book could never be explained or understood in a 30 second television news broadcast. And while much of the news is depressing, this book offers hope for a brighter future where science, conservation, forestry, and consumer interests can meet for the future use of our forest resources.

Natural resource management, like abortion, is one of those enormously complex political issues that too often gets reduced to dueling slogans and sound bites. William Dietrich does readers a great service by letting people from all sides of the issue (there are many more than two) speak at length, and by juxtaposing their views in ways that highlight similarities as well as differences. One of the book's running themes is that both loggers and environmentalists love the forests, but that each group has great difficulty seeing that quality in the other. Their mutual incomprehension is rooted in their utterly different ideas of why forests are important, and how humans ought to relate to them.

This deep philosophical difference is at least as old as the 20th century. John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, and Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service, fought battles similar to the ones Dietrich describes back at the (last) turn of the century. Dietrich, a journalist writing about a present-day controversy, says very little about that history, and that choice makes the book less informative (and less helpful as a means to understanding the problem) than it might be.

Still, _The Final Forest_ is a valuable, well-balanced piece of journalism. It's a great resource for open-minded people on either side of the preservation vs. development debate, and a superb introduction for anyone coming to the issue for the first time.

A few years ago, Americans were stunned one night to learn that David Bloom, a well-known and popular thirty-something reporter for NBC News, had died suddenly while covering the war in Iraq. The cause of death was reportedly "deep vein thrombosis," a blood clot brought about by immobility. In Bloom's case, this seemed to mean repeated immobility from cramped spaces in small vehicles into which he squeezed daily while traveling throughout the war zone.

The shock of Bloom's death led Maggie Melanson to commit herself to finding a way to educate others about the importance of keeping fit and healthy even while traveling. In "Fly Fit: How to Travel and Stay Agile" (HRD Press, 2007), she fulfills her promise, outlining health and fitness tips that can be observed and practiced even while trapped on a long plane flight or waiting endlessly at an airport terminal for the signal to board.

"Fly Fit" tailors its fitness recommendations to the restrictions of such travel conditions. While boxed in on the plane itself, readers learn how to manage resistance exercises. While waiting in the terminal, they learn suggested yoga poses. Whether on the plane or stuck at the gate, readers will acquire details aerobics and stress reduction techniques. All of these can be done quietly, carefully and unobtrusively, yet effectively.

Author Maggie Melanson comes to her book's subject matter with a wealth of personal experience as her guide. The founder of a successful "healthy foods" catering service, she once determined to change her own unhealthy ways by revving up a personal exercise and meditation regime as well as shedding fifty excess pounds. In "Fly Fit," she reveals her own personal challenges during this transformation as she advocates the value of toting healthy attitudes and practices alongside our suitcases even when traveling far, far from home.

NOTE: This review also appears on my website www.thoughtleading.com

Don't let this book's small size fool you! It's filled with good, practical advice on staying fit and active while in the confines of an airport, plane and hotel room. Ms. Melanson offers some great tips on how to keep your circulation moving as well as your muscles limber and fit. As a personal trainer, I will be giving this book to my clients to take on their travels!

Ms. Melanson makes it possible for the most unlikely candidates to succeed in exercising. I know. I am a new convert to her way of thinking. This is a simple recipe book for stirring up better circulation, better metabolism and good energy. She explains the exercises clearly and made me want to try a few of them out.

Fly Fit is a fun book that gives good advice on keeping fit while traveling. Not only is it informative, but it's small size makes it easy to toss into your carry on bag and take with you. I highly recommend it. This book will go with me on my travels!

I love this little book. Ms. Melanson offers so much sound advice that seems easy to follow in an airport or sitting on an airplane. I can't wait to try it out when I go to Chicago next spring. The book, although small enough to fit in a purse or even a jacket pocket, is packed with practical tips and concise instructions on how to get the most out of its advice. A great stocking stuffer or office grab gift. I sure could have used this book on my trip to Italy last year!