Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There [BARGAIN PRICE]
by Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (03 May, 2000)
list price: $25.00
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Editorial Review

You've seen them: They sip double-tall, nonfat lattes, chat on cell phones, and listen to NPR while driving their immaculate SUVs to Pottery Barn to shop for $48 titanium spatulas. They tread down specialty cheese aisles in top-of-the-line hiking boots and think nothing of laying down $5 for an olive-wheatgrass muffin. They're the bourgeois bohemians--"Bobos"--an unlikely blend of mainstream culture and 1960s-era counterculture that, according to David Brooks, represents both America's present and future: "These Bobos define our age. They are the new establishment. Their hybrid culture is the atmosphere we all breathe. Their status codes now govern social life." Amusing stereotypes aside, they're an "elite based on brainpower" and merit rather than pedigree or lineage: "Dumb good-looking people with great parents have been displaced by smart, ambitious, educated, and antiestablishment people with scuffed shoes."

Bobos in Paradise is a brilliant, breezy, and often hilarious study of the "cultural consequences of the information age." Large and influential (especially in terms of their buying power), the Bobos have reformed society through culture rather than politics, and Brooks clearly outlines this passing of the high-class torch by analyzing nearly all aspects of life: consumption habits, business and lifestyle choices, entertainment, spirituality, politics, and education. Employing a method he calls "comic sociology," Brooks relies on keen observations, wit, and intelligence rather than statistics and hard theory to make his points. And by copping to his own Bobo status, he comes across as revealing rather than spiteful in his dead-on humor. Take his description of a typical grocery store catering to discriminating Bobos: "The visitor to Fresh Fields is confronted with a big sign that says 'Organic Items today: 130.' This is like a barometer of virtue. If you came in on a day when only 60 items were organic, you'd feel cheated. But when the number hits the three figures, you can walk through the aisles with moral confidence."

Like any self-respecting Bobo, Brooks wears his erudition lightly and comfortably (not unlike, say, an expedition-weight triple-layer Gore-Tex jacket suitable for a Mount Everest assault but more often seen in the gym). But just because he's funny doesn't mean this is not a serious book. On the contrary, it is one of the more insightful works of social commentary in recent memory. His ideas are sharp, his writing crisp, and he even offers pointed suggestions for putting the considerable Bobo political clout to work. And, unlike the classes that spawned them--the hippies and the yuppies--Brooks insists the Bobos are here to stay: "Today the culture war is over, at least in the realm of the affluent. The centuries-old conflict has been reconciled." All the more reason to pay attention. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Reviews (175)

Insidious and evil
The portrayal of the Bobo in this book, and, more importantly, the fascination and inner glee with which many will gobble up this portrayal, seem light-hearted and fun, but herein lies the reason that Dubya managed to win over the hearts and minds of good, average, working-class people everywhere. Shockingly similar to Brooks' depictions is the conversatives' and right-wing fundamentalists' portrayal of liberals and Democrats: as effete, latte-loving milquetoasts, who know little to nothing about the travails and tribulations of hard-working, ordinary folk. The resulting "cultural wars," based on issues like gay marriage, abortion, and separation of church and state, served as the perfect mask to the dark agenda that Bush and the right-wingers have planned: privatization of social security, revamping of the tax and bankruptcy codes to benefit large corporations and the ultra-wealthy, the destruction of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the list goes on and on.

Although I will admit to having enjoyed many of the anectodes in this book, it must be pointed out that they appeal only on the basest, most superficial level, and for this I am ashamed. Diverted by all the gadgets, toys, and conveniences of modern-day living, and the incessant feed of so-called ideas from a putatively liberal media, the Bobos and the primates who poke fun at them remain blissfully oblivious to the utter economic and environmental disaster that we're headed toward.

Instead of spending your money on this book, I recommend that you sit down, find some well-written blogs, and read some (free!) critical commentary on politics and the state of our country, and then try to formulate your own ideas about our society today; in other words, THINK for yourself.

Very amusing
I enjoyed this book which, as I read it, is really a social satire more than a sociological study.A few sentences made me cringe thinking of my own lifestyle.Yes, I like latte; yes, I like social justice.Oh my gosh!I may be a bobo!Very funny, actually.People who are offended by it may be taking it too seriously (taking oneself too seriously is also perhaps a bobo trait).It certainly made me take a hard look at my own silly purchasing habits.Actually, I really worried when I realized that I didn't find ~$15,000 for a slate shower (as he mentioned) offensive.So this is a lot of fun.

Misguided
One hates to be a snob, but the author seems to know very little about the true upper class. The people about whom he writes are largely middle class--upper middle class, perhaps, but "middle" nonetheless. For better or worse, I would argue that the "bobos" are not, in fact, running the country, either. He gives them far too much credit in terms of their supposed "power."And George W. a bobo? Hardly. He's as elite and old money as they come; it's just that he has a Texas twang! I also would argue that the group about which he writes is nothing new. The nouveau riche will always be with us, and they will always be a group of show-off super-consumers who are slightly ill at ease as they try to reconcile newfound wealth vs. humbler, occasionally bohemian roots. ... Read more

Isbn: 0684853779
Subjects:  1. 1980-    2. American    3. Current Affairs    4. Elite (Social sciences)    5. General    6. Humor    7. Popular Culture    8. Popular Culture - General    9. Social Mobility    10. Social conditions    11. Sociology    12. Sociology - General    13. United States    14. Upper class    15. Social Science / Popular Culture   

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Little, Brown
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (February, 2000)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $15.72
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Editorial Review

"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.

For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.

Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan ... Read more

Reviews (419)

Very interesting and thought provoking

What a book!It is an absolute page turner.I devoured it in one sitting (long night!)."Tipping Point", along with the other book by the same author, "Blink", are on top of bestseller list and rightly so.

The book is very well designed and Gladwell's writing style is of a best novelist, which makes the book even more entertaining.

I'm not sure how scientific the author's ideas are but they are most interesting.For example, I do treat advertising as a annoyance rather then buying advice, and I agree with the author that in my case it is rather a counterproductive marketing effort, but I was surprised to learn how important is the word of mouth.But when you think of it, it does really make a lot of sense.What is really valuable to us is the opinions of other people we can relate to and trust.

Gladwell's conclusions are intriguing and thought-provoking.I am keeping the book on my shelf to refresh my mind at a later time.

The author also concludes that that common sense is often wrong.Here is another book - Can We Live 150 Years by M. Tombak.Our life style, our diet, our thoughts and deeds, and their impact on our health and longevity are ALL COMMON SENSE in this book.I'd like to believe that Tombak does not contradict Gladwell's theory, but is rather an exception ot it.Well, at least I got it following the word of mouth.

Reactionary, sentimental nonsense
That this book is estimated to be the pinnacle of social theory is absolutely confounding. It is also symptomatic of rightwing, mystifying pseudo-analysis. One example suffices: when writing of the syphilis epidemic in Boston the author purposely diminishes the impact of medicinal staff cutbacks. In his view, it was a small change to the system. But, in effect when you add his own figures, the number of staff was halved from 20 to 10. The reasons for this were 'budgetary'. So, instead of going on about some mysterious 'tipping point' wouldn't it be more to the point to say that due to government budgetary cut the epidemics spread. Why this reason alone wouldn't suffice? Now, 10 doctors and physicians is not a great number, but compared to how many were there before it is.
To me it seems clear enough. But, the point of this book is not to try and find or suggest solutions (by giving unbiased analysis), but to try and dissociate the individual from what is going on around him. It is presenting us with a vision of a powerless citizen who is at the mercy of processes initiated by someone else, somewhere else. And this processes - which the book really never acknowledges - are mostly profit driven.
Furthermore, the whole book is full of meaningless anecdotes and dubious statistics. It will disappoint readers who are after genuine insights into how societies work.

Individuals make a difference....
There are hundreds of great reviews of this book, so I'll just add this point.Gladwell, through this book and also Blink, drives home one of the most difficult and elusive lessons in human relations and organizations.That is - individuals can matter, and can make a big difference.We all sometimes feel like very small and insignificant pieces in a very large system.And that feeling often drives people to assume that they cannot - by themselves - have an impact.What Gladwell points out is that individuals or very small groups of individuals often provide the Tipping Point - for good or ill - in large systems.To me, the takeaway from Tipping Point and Blink is an awareness of the importance of what Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline) calls personal mastery.By identifying true excellence in others, and striving for it in your own life, you increase the odds that you will be able to influence large environments.

Get this book - and Blink.Both are worth the shelf space and then some. ... Read more

Isbn: 0316316962
Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Causation    3. Contagion (Social psychology)    4. Context effects (Psychology)    5. Marketing - General    6. Psychology    7. Social Psychology    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - General    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Social Psychology   

Why We Buy : The Science Of Shopping
by Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (13 May, 1999)
list price: $25.00
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Editorial Review

In an effort to determine why people buy, Paco Underhill and his detailed-oriented band of retail researchers have camped out in stores over the course of 20 years, dedicating their lives to the "science of shopping." Armed with an array of video equipment, store maps, and customer-profile sheets, Underhill and his consulting firm, Envirosell, have observed over 900 aspects of interaction between shopper and store. They've discovered that men who take jeans into fitting rooms are more likely to buy than females (65 percent vs. 25 percent). They've learned how the "butt-brush factor" (bumped from behind, shoppers become irritated and move elsewhere) makes women avoid narrow aisles. They've quantified the importance of shopping baskets; contact between employees and shoppers; the "transition zone" (the area just inside the store's entrance); and "circulation patterns" (how shoppers move throughout a store). And they've explored the relationship between a customer's amenability and profitability, learning how good stores capitalize on a shopper's unspoken inclinations and desires.

Underhill, whose clients include McDonald's, Starbucks, Estée Lauder, and Blockbuster, stocks Why We Buy with a wealth of retail insights, showing how men are beginning to shop like women, and how women have changed the way supermarkets are laid out. He also looks to the future, projecting massive retail opportunities with an aging baby-boom population and predicting how online retailing will affect shopping malls. This lighthearted look at shopping is highly recommended to anyone who buys or sells. --Rob McDonald ... Read more

Reviews (110)

Insighful Retail selling techniques
This book is a great bunch of facts and insights into the nature of selling (which may be translated into buying). It does a good job of segmenting customers based on age, interests and personalities. Everyone who is in business of running, supporting or consultig to retail stores will benefit from reading thsi book.

Paco's Life Work
Paco Underhill's Envirosell has carved out a healthy and valuable niche in retail consulting - loosely, it's the 'science of shopping,' and Paco and team do impressive legwork to round up secret shopper-based observation and hidden video analysis.

But, don't expect to read 'Science of Shopping' and come out with a gameplan for your small- or medium-sized chain (although there's certainly a fair share of pointers).'Why We Buy' is more a walk through Paco's life work, the evolution of the science.And kudos to Paco for that: he literally invented the field.My hats off to him.Coming out with the book was a brilliant piece of marketing.Want proof of that?When I pulled up 'Why We Buy' here on amazon to write this review, I was met with a sponsored link to Envirosell.Sweet.

Misleading title...
The title suggests that the book discusses the psychology and science of shopping and consumerism.It doesn't.At best, it provides some practical advice to retailers on how to catch the customer's eye, where to position product displays, etc.

If you're looking for a book that actually digs into the psychology and science of consumerism, you might try "How Customers Think:Essential Insights Into the Mind of the Market" by Gerald Zaltman.
... Read more

Isbn: 0684849135
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Consumer Behavior    5. Consumer Behavior - General    6. General    7. Marketing    8. Marketing - Research    9. Marketing research    10. Research    11. Shopping    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers
by HarperBusiness
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 July, 1999)
list price: $17.00
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Editorial Review

Author Geoffrey Moore makes the case that high-tech products require marketing strategies that differ from those in other industries. His chasm theory describes how high-tech products initially sell well, mainly to a technically literate customer base, but then hit a lull as marketing professionals try to cross the chasm to mainstream buyers. This pattern, says Moore, is unique to the high-tech industry.

Moore suggests remedies for the problem that can help businesses meet their long-term goals. He coaches marketing professionals on how to move slowly through the gulf, teaching them to create profiles and target specific segments of the population rather than trying to plow right into the mainstream. He cites examples of successful chasm crossings by such companies as Apple, Tandem, Oracle, and Sun, showing what they all had in common and exposing the different weaknesses in their strategies. Moore also assigns responsibility for success to programmers and developers by suggesting they design a "whole product model." Here, because integration tasks are daunting to the mainstream market, all the components of a technological product must be in one package. Moore also describes strategies for competing with rival companies and assessing the best distribution channels for penetrating the target market.

Written not just for marketing specialists but for all employees whose futures ride on the success of a technical product, Crossing the Chasm delivers crucial information in an engaging, readable tone. ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Crossing the chasm moves you into market leadership
The high tech market illusion markets new technology immediately too the mass marketed. Enthusiasts of the market illusion argue, "if Bill Gates can market windows to the masses, why can I market my technology to the mass market?"At the origin, all high tech markets have a gap between the mainstream-market, the chasm. The chasm problem can't be solved by voluntary assistance, all the resources required to cross the chasm must be requested.In a closed market, a central authority controls all standards and rules.This works fine for a closed market, however, the mass market is composed of numerous interest groups and each group is distinguished by its own psychology and demographics.This each each group will have its own market response.The key too crossing the Chasm means understanding each group niche and its relationship to its neighbor niches.Make a total commitment to a niche and don't take on more than one or two niches at a time.Reverse the trend in the niche decision from high risk and low data too high data and low risk. Focus resources to become dominate in the niche, big fish in small pond.Characterize the target: create something that feels like real people, record down your customer scenerios, store thumbnail information about each customer, and determine how the product will be brought to use by the customer.

Accepting this reality means building a whole application that solves a 100 percent of the business problems of the group, this becomes the high tech lore: 1. target the right customer 2. derive the compelling buying reason 3. build the whole product 4. form partners and allies 5. create a distribution channel 6. find the right pricing 7. distinquish from competition or create competition 8. position into the niche and work to create a mass market merge 9. determine the next target customer.

The high tech innovator must become enlighten.As you cross the chasm you will not be a market leader, but by the time you reach the other side, there will be a strong following.The high tech innovator must realize the markets do not unfold in a smooth continuous manner, there are perils in the chasm, and gain niche loyalty is the key to gain mass-market loyalty. The innovator must gain the trust of the pragmatist.The pragmatist is critical to gain customers because of his large support base.Once the pragmatist is won over, he remains very loyal to the application.It is impossible to win mass-market acceptance with gain the pragmatist loyalty.

Visionaries give high tech companies their first breaks.The winning strategy is for the entrepreneur to define product deliverables. The Visionaries can give the high tech company a burst of revenue and exceptional visibility and without the boost the high-tech products can't make it to market.The visionary is in a hurry to build the future and perceives limited windows of opportunity.Because the opportunity windows are small, large sums of money are generated to complete the project on time.The entrepreneur must create phases of the visionaries project. The high tech company must seed the entrepreneur community with their idea and product overview and hope that a visionary will share its vision. The process is a creative imaginative dream and high tech company is offering a credible way for visionary to realize their dream.The core of the dream is a business goal and it involves a quantum leap forward in the way business gets done and it also involves a high degree of recognition and reward.The dream is looking for a fundamental breakthrough.

The market is flush with enthusiasm and vision.The high tech company must attempt to distinguish themselves from their competitors and once the mainstream merges with the market niche, wealth and growth occur.

The early majority wants evolutionary and not revolutionary product features.The early majority is concerned about disrupting their organization. A very pragmatic attitude compels the early major to seek resource references reassuring them on the technology investment.

The early adopters hope to gain a jump on their competition, lower production costs, provide more complete customer service, and create a radical discontinuity between the old way of doing business and the new way.

It is tough to break into a new industry when selling to a pragmatist.Pragmatists deeply value the experience of their colleagues and funds are in the hands of prudent souls.Pragmatists seek a percentage improvement: incremental, measurable, and predictable and too them risk represents a chance to waste money.The natural prudence and budget restrictions keep them cautious.Pragmatist focus on standardization, increased sales, and lower costs and once won they are very loyal.

The customer can't reference each other when they are in different markets.Customer reference is a chain reaction affected usually by word of mouth.The market purpose must be to develop and shape something that is real and has a set of potential customers and a given set of products and services and allows the customers to reference each other when making buying decisions.

a high tech business classic
Let's face it -- 80% of business books are pure garbage.

This is one of the gems. One that should sit on your office bookshelf.

Moore came up with an interesting take on how high tech businesses must move from early adopters to the mainstream and the challenges involved.

Worth reading, even if you think you already understand
Long established as a classic, the drawing depicting the different classes of customers and their adoption rates are commonly used in the industry. I personally thought I already understood it, just from osmosis. However, reading the book taught me more about the characteristics of those customers, how you gain penetration into their markets, and most importantly how you manage a team and produce a product into those markets.

There are also lessons in there about establishing a beachhead and how to choose your target customer that dovetail nicely into some more modern work around persona identification in software development and the need to identify just one target persona for your application at a time. This is a great marketing book -- even if some of the specific company examples are somewhat dated -- whose concepts readily translate into not only management but directly into product development and vision. ... Read more

Isbn: 0066620023
Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. High technology    6. Industrial Technology    7. Management - General    8. Marketing    9. Marketing - General    10. Sales    11. Sales & Selling - General    12. Selling    13. Technological innovations    14. Technology And Industrial Growth   

The MOTLEY FOOL'S RULE BREAKERS, RULE MAKERS : THE FOOLISH GUIDE TO PICKING STOCKS
by Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (02 February, 1999)
list price: $25.00 -- our price: $25.00
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

For the past eight years, the U.S. stock market has been on a bull run the likes of which few have ever seen, making and breaking records almost every quarter. And for the last four of those years, David and Tom Gardner's self-described market-crushing stock portfolios have made the market's own incredible performance pale by comparison. In their third book, The Motley Fool's Rule Breakers, Rule Makers, the brothers reveal the methodology behind their stock-picking success, which is impressive. The Rule Breaker Portfolio (formerly known as the Fool Portfolio on their Web site) has risen some 650 percent since its inception in 1994, thanks to stocks such as America Online, McAfee, and Wal-Mart, while the Rule Maker Portfolio (formerly known as the Cash King Portfolio) has risen 440 percent on the backs of investments in Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and Intel. Fans of the Motley Fool, who with luck have prospered from the Gardners' timely advice, will no doubt love Rule Breakers, Rule Makers. The book is written in their usual humorous and self-congratulatory style--not only educational, but often aimed at making the pros on Wall Street wince, as they should.However, if you're new to the Motley Fool or to stock picking in general, you may do well by first considering one of their earlier books,You Have More Than You Think and The Motley Fool Investment Guide. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (80)

Empirical rules to picking stocks ...
Selecting the right stocks (or rather the right companies) is the foremost important step in Investing. And this books is all about the process of picking the best stocks from the whole universe of Stock market.

As Tom and David believe, anyone with 5th grade math should be able to invest intelligently. And accordingly, they have written in simple and straight forward manner. There are no references to fancy formulas or any reference to 200 day moving averages etc etc.

Most of the rules described are empirical, intuitive and easy to comprehend.

For example ...

-> Seek companies with repeat business model (Starbucks, McDonalds, Gillete etc)
-> Seek companies that are the initial proponents and the market leaders (Coke, Gillete etc)
-> Seek companies with high profit margin products (Starbucks etc)
-> Seek companies which have good brand recognition (McDonalds, Coke etc)

There are ample more rules that are described in detail in the book.

This is definitely a must read for folks that are just getting started on Investing. I would suggest that you first read and understand the complete set of rules. For better understanding, apply those rules to few set of stocks that are interesting to you. Intuitively try to find out which rules really make sense to you. Probably come out of with just 7 rules that you find are absolutely interesting and relevant. Adopt those selected rules in your investing strategy.

Happy Investing! Hopefully you will recover the cost of the book by applying the rules in this book :-)

-Sachin

Entertaining and Stimulating
It seems as though the success of the Motley Fool is very much a product of the information age and the internet's foray into the stock market. It's index of funds "^MFF" has taken a nosedive over the last year or so, only coming up slightly within the last couple of months. But let us take a look at what can be learned from the printings of the two Fools: David and Tom Gardner.

For one some of the advice that they dish out can be a product of the time at which the book was written. A small portion of the book extols buying stocks when they are at their IPOs, a practice that brought investors considerable success before the advent of the dot-com debacle. Today such a practice would come under suspect just because of the lack of information most IPOs are able to offer given their nascent entrance into the business world. To be fair, the Gardners did spend a few sentences to preface their recommendations with the obvious heads up that one must do their due diligence before jumping into a stock head first.

The element of humor within the informative book serves to entertain and amuse, satisfying a promise they make from the get go. If you're a fan of Shakespeare or at least can read prose from that day in era (personally I found it difficult) then we may not get some of the quips that were intended for us. Overall it's a good read that echoes the teachings of the Sage of Omaha: buy and hold.

A Wonderful Collection of Well-Written, Poor Advice
One thing that the Gardner brothers do especially well is writing for the general public. I read my first Motley Fool book when I was ten and very little of it went over my head. Granted, I was a precocious little bugger, but David and Tom still do an excellent job of taking the abstractions of the investing world and bringing them down to earth. It doesn't take much skill to write an esoteric investment book full of jargon to make it seem intellectual. However, explaining the same issues in laymen's terms takes finesse, and I respect that.

Enough about the writing though. What matters most in an investment book is what it has to say, and unfortunately, that is where Rule Breakers, Rule Makers is most lacking. Reading this book in the midst of a recession, I couldn't help but laughing on several occasions because over and over again Rule Breakers, Rule Makers dates itself. Written at the height of the tech bubble, this book is full of overly optimistic advice that borders on lunatic at points. No one can be held accountable for what was said during the tech bubble, surely, because we were all talking crazy. However, the advice that could have been perfectly applicable at the time is far from useful or relevant now.

That's not to say that there aren't any nuggets of truth in Rule Breakers, Rule Makers, because there certainly are quite a few. However, much of the advice, particularly that involving Rule Breakers, is quite sketchy. The fact that they give high-risk investment advice in a book geared toward the average investor speaks poorly of it.

In summary, Rule Breakers, Rule Makers is a very readable book. It offers some sensible advice to its readers. However, most of its advice was only useful during the tech bubble. These days, this book has the dangerous power to encourage impressionable investors to engage in high-risk trading creating a world of problems for themselves. All in all, this book does have advice to offer, but you have to wade through a great deal of crud to get to it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0684844001
Subjects:  1. Accounting - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Investment Finance    5. Investment analysis    6. Investments & Securities - Stocks    7. Personal Finance    8. Personal Finance - Investing    9. Portfolio management    10. Stocks    11. Business & Economics / General   

WHATS SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE
by Zondervan
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (10 October, 1997)
list price: $19.99 -- our price: $13.59
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Mention the word "grace" and what immediately comes to mind for most of us is a bagpipe wailing the solemn notes of "Amazing Grace."

The grace of which Philip Yancey writes is the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God. This grace seems a remote, almost sentimental concept, without a place in our lives or our society. It is a vague, slippery thing to us, probably because we seem to experience grace so rarely and have managed to leech the word of meaning. But Philip Yancey has set about to rescue grace in his book What's So Amazing About Grace?

This grace is the true message of Jesus. All faiths have virtues and creeds and justice and truth, but Jesus speaks merely of receiving the love that God has for us. Accepting it, not earning it or making ourselves worthy of it. And frankly, accepting something we have not earned or are not worthy of is not an easy thing for most of us.

In truth, grace is both utterly simple and utterly confounding. Little by little, Yancey guides us into a clearer understanding of grace by using stories, in much the same way Jesus did. We read stories of both grace and ungrace at work in people's lives. Sadly, it is stories of ungrace that are more prevalent today, the current culture wars painful acknowledgments of ungrace in our lives as Christians in this country. Yancey helps us understand that ungrace is that state of being in which self-righteousness and pride are a result of thinking that we have somehow earned God's approval and may now stand in judgment in his behalf.

Philip Yancey was awarded the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award for this book in 1998 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Readers concurred with this decision, making this book an immediate bestseller. Believers and nonbelievers alike should accept Yancey's challenge to become agents of grace rather than agents of vengeance or judgment or anger. In truth, we are each starving for grace, ready to grasp it tightly. And it is through grace that all other hungers--for justice, for righteousness, for love--are satisfied. Yancey opens his book by telling us that "grace" is the last best word, and in What's So Amazing About Grace?, he proves that he's right. --Patricia Klein ... Read more

Reviews (146)

A gifted word master
Pick up any of the Yancey books and you will be drawn into his genuineness, personal vulnerability, and facility with words.In this book, Yancey takes the sometimes ethereal concept of divine Grace, and puts a human face on it, in fact many human faces.He makes it easy to imagine that I can access this grace, partake of it, and even become a conduit for it.Even if you do not agree with all of Yancey's theology, you will find yourself strangely drawn to his writings.He is the quitessential human being in a quest for God.

Simply Amazing
This was the second Philip Yancey book that I read (after The Jesus I Never Knew), and it is, by far, his greatest work. I have read this book almost a dozen times. The book explores the subject of grace in an example-driven, practical way that only Philip Yancey could write sucessfully. In response to criticism because of its controversy, I only have to say that the Bible is a very controversial book as well.

This is truly one of the greatest books I have ever read. I highly recommend this book for everyone who wants to learn more about God's amazing grace.

The best book I've read in years?
For some unknown reason, I resisted Yancey's work for years.I'd see it on the shelf and go blechh!!!, having never read a word he wrote.Finally in desperation for something to read, I picked this up.

Later that night after a reading binge, I put the book down, finshed in one sitting. Ever since I've been haunted by one sentance. "There's nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there's nothing we can do to make God love us less.In that one sentence, Yancey hits the paradox of grace.

As people of faith we are caught between the demands of law and the gift of grace.As one reads scripture, it almost seems as if the biblical writers still had not resolved the balance for themselves.Yancey tries to negotiate the balance between the Jesus who offers himself in unconditional relationship with us and the same Jesus who says I didn't come to eliminate one line of the law. Yancey does this largely through stories that make grace seem really accessible and really costly.

If you were to buy one book for someone who wanted to know what it meant to be a Christian in the 21st century, grab this one and give it to them.I've already gone through 5 copies. ... Read more

Isbn: 0310213274
Subjects:  1. Christianity - Christian Life - Character & Values    2. Christianity - Theology - Ecclesiology    3. Christianity - Theology - General    4. Christianity - Theology - Protestant    5. Grace (Theology)    6. Religion    7. Religion - Christian Living    8. CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION    9. Religion / Christian Life   

Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation
by Mcgraw-Hill
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 October, 1997)
list price: $22.95
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Editorial Review

Don Tapscott, author of The DigitalEconomy, turns his attention to the way young people--surrounded by high-tech toys and tools from birth--will likely affect the future. In Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, Tapscott parlays some 300 interviews into predictions on how today's 2- to 22-year-olds might reshape society. His observations about this enormously influential population, which will total 88 million in North America alone by the year 2000, range from the kind of employees they may eventually be to how they could be reached by marketers. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

N-Geners are Heroes
This book will definitely appeal to young people.The author creates the term 'N-Generation' obstensibly because Generation-Y was owned by another author.The book creates a super youth culture that is underappreciated and misunderstood.If you want to write a book that will appeal to young people and get a good rating on the college campus ... just trash the previous generation and the youth will scramble on board the turnip cart.This book does a disservice to youth and to the previous generation by promoting stereotypes, underscoring obscure opinions, and understating the contributions made by the Boomers.
The author should keep in mind that the N-geners didn't create computers and for the most part, they are clueless when it comes to coding.They do not qualify as experts ... not by a long shot.To encourage youth today to believe that they are experts in computers ... and the people who designed them are not ... is setting them up for real disappointment.
The author's opinions on TV and media are also absurd.He creates a model in which the state of everything that is not N-Gen is fixed and unchanging ... while the opposite is true for his heroes.Perhaps the most convincing argument that can be made against this author's opinions is that a good deal of his computer-based examples are already 'off-the-air'.Moreover, his characterization of the pre-web media era as being fearful of the new technology is way off base ... and today's integration of technologies is proof of this.
The book was written to promote sales rather than good, usable, and thoughtful ideas.Young people will adore this author ... not because he makes a good case ... but because he writes what they want to hear ... and makes them feel the way they want to feel ... like heroes.

A slanted perspective on it...
When I first read it years ago, and rereading it today, I find a lot in this book that is insightful and, moreso, true. The author gives a look into the trends, ways, and lives of the N-Gen that is intriguing. Being one of this generation, it is like looking into my past and recalling my childhood.

Best of the best.
This is absolutely one of the best researched, most interesting, well written, and easy to read books on this topic. A must read for educators ofInfo-Age youngsters. It will enlighten the pre- Info-Age generations to a whole new world and way of thinking! ... Read more

Isbn: 0070633614
Subjects:  1. Business And Society    2. Children's Studies    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    5. Computer networks    6. Computers    7. Computers and civilization    8. Future Studies    9. General    10. Popular Culture    11. Sociology    12. Technology and youth   

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Harry Potter)
by Arthur A. Levine Books
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (08 July, 2000)
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Editorial Review

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.

Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?

But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace, complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."

Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried ... Read more

Reviews (4911)

the best
Out of the five books so far, this is the best hands down.

The Boy Who Lived
In the fourth installation of this amazing series, Harry once again finds himself face to face with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and lives through a duel with him.In the begining of this book Harry is entered into the Triwizard Tournament by Barty Crouch Jr., a supporter of Voldemort, who is posing as ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody.Despite a lack of enthusiasim and support from his fellow students at first, including Ron, Harry does surprisingly well through the tasks, and enters into the third and final task tied for first with Cedric Diggory.They take the cup together which turns out to be a portkey to Voldemort's rebirthing party, where Cedric is immediately killed and Harry duels the Dark Lord.The only good thing that comes of this is that now atleast Voldemort's plans are spoiled as Harry was not supposed to survive and Dumbledore now knows of his return.

Excellent Read
I have to admit that it took me some time to start the book.I picked this book up at least 6 times before actually reading past the first chapter.My wife had read it when it first came out and has been telling me to stick with it.I'm glad I did.

Once I got about 150 pages in, I was hooked.Excellent read.Leaves you wanting more and more and the climactic end, oh!!You had better be able to set aside enough time to finish once you reach the ending chapters or you'll lose sleep thinking about it, wondering what happened.You have to know, so you keep reading and you won't be disappointed!

Good from beginning to end and ties up nicely in preparation for the fifth book.I'll start that one next while this one is fresh in my head.

***** 5 Stars! ... Read more

Isbn: 0439139597
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft    4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place)    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Magic    8. School & Education    9. Schools    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Wizards    12. Fantasy   

Power Game
by Ballantine Books
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (29 September, 1996)
list price: $16.95 -- our price: $11.53
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Reviews (17)

Why did Hedrick Smith waste years of his life writing this?
I have to read this for my AP government class.It is the worst thing I have ever read.Smith goes on for pages and pages repeating his point over and over again.It has become excruciating to read.Some of the stories that he tells are interesting but the rest, about 700 pages, is a complete waste of time.

Pig Circus On The Potomac
Talk about your weighty tomes. Hedrick Smith's "The Power Game" takes on the story of politics in Washington, D.C., circa the 1980s. Not only does he dig into every subject imaginable, like the importance of staffers, the intricacies of foreign policy work, and the behemoth of defense spending, but he takes more than 700 pages doing so.

"The Power Game" works best as a series of anecdotes about political life, and the passions that ran riot across the national landscape at various times in the second half of the 20th century. Smith gets some tremendous candor from many of his subjects, like former Massachusetts senator Paul Tsongas, who tells Smith that his "substantive work" suffered most when he was most in the public spotlight. "I was probably a lesser senator when my numbers were going up," Tsongas confesses.

There's great anecdotes about presidential power, too. The book begins with preparations to convert a senator's rambler-style ranch house into a bunker as Ronald Reagan plans a sleepover there, and then dovetails into an account of the symbolic importance of the office. Smith's style is to present such an anecdote at the start of each chapter or section, then offer some insights and overview.

The anecdotes are great, like the one that features Lesley Stahl anchoring a CBS attack piece on Reagan. After, she gets a call from a White House senior official. She expects a tirade, but instead the guy thanks her. Stahl's acid commentary was aired over image after image of Reagan in carefully staged feel-good set pieces, sort of by way of ironic contrast. But the senior official told Stahl no one cared what she said, it was the images that would resonate with the viewer, and those images supported Reagan. Alas, to her chagrin, he was right.

The problem I have is with the analysis and overview. At times Smith is very dry, writing at length about congressional backroom games, staff work, and supplemental appropriations in a way that's probably too elementary for the poly sci student and too dull for everyone else. Elsewhere, he is just wrong, nowhere more so than when he talks about the presidency as a debilitated institution. He discourses on such things as the Democratic control of Congress and the dominance of PAC money as if they are things that will always be with us, when time has shown him wrong.

The last chapter is the book's weakest, not because Smith attempts to offer prescriptions for the ills he ably depicts in the rest of the book, but for the "this could work, but then again..." tone he takes as he offers them up. Smith is a typical reporter; he wants to find fault but not commit himself to anything that smacks of a solution, since his inner cynic tells him such nostrums only bite you back in the end.

There's a great book about Ronald Reagan and his impact on D.C. in "The Power Game" which I sort of wish Smith had hacked from the rest of this book and released in its stead. Smith is no fan of Reagan, but he's a keenly perceptive critic, not blindly partisan but very mainstream media in his generic liberal disdain. He makes some strong points about Reagan's less-than-positive legacy on the economic front, specifically by channeling the artful turncoat David Stockman, who ran the numbers for the early Reagan budgets, then turned around and told everyone Reagan was just in business to give tax breaks to the wealthy. Reagan also got run around by Congress more than popular history remembers, and Smith is there with the play-by-play.

But did Reagan's first term in office see less growth in the national economy than the lone term of his predecessor, Jimmy Carter? Smith says so, but I sure don't remember it that way. He also lambastes Reagan for things that history proved him right on, like his handling of the Soviets, the Contras, and tax relief, and for Star Wars, where the jury is still out. By the end, Smith has worked up such a head of steam that he lumps Reagan and Kennedy alongside Carter, Ford, Nixon, and Johnson as failed presidents. [Here's a clue: When they name a major airport after a president, it probably means he did something right.]

The problem is that the premise of "The Power Game," that Congress is winning, is flawed. Since Smith keeps hitting on that point, it keeps sounding a false note.

But Smith is a solid journalist, and at its best, which it frequently is, "The Power Game" is a fine inside-the-Beltway account of what went on in Washington during a time of great change. In some ways, the book is valuable historical reading as much for what it gets wrong as for what it gets right.

Not Government 101
Forget everything you were ever taught or told about how government works. Rick Smith has captured the reality. Though it was written about Washington much of The Power Game is also true of state and sometimes even local government. A must read for anyone with an interest in government or politics. ... Read more

Isbn: 0345410483
Sales Rank: 120271
Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. Political Process - General    4. Politics - Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)   

The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding
by University Press of Virginia
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 June, 1991)
list price: $19.50 -- our price: $19.50
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Reviews (3)

A refreshing stroll through the amendments!!
This book is an amazing study. The book is ordered by amendment (or clause.) Within each part, the first essay focuses on the amendments original meaning and early history and the last essay focuses on the amendment today. Buyer beware. It seems that there is definitely a bias towards original meaning here, as each finishing essay comes to the conclusion that we've strayed from that original intent. But bias or not, can you blame them.

Of course that opens up an interesting dilemma that is unexplored in this book. Yes, we have strayed from original meaning (we've even FORGOTTEN the tenth amendments existence!) but this is only negative if you subscribe to 'original meaning' jurisprudence. As an aside, it seems most legal scholars and jurisprudential thinkers do not. Even Scalia and Posner, supposed conservatives, reject it; Scalia calling it 'the lesser evil.' This book assumes that readers share sympathy with original intent.

Where this book DOES prove its worth is in the attention payed to the fourth, fifth, ninth and tenth amendments- all of which are sadly neglected in legal dialogue of today. In fact, my favorite four essays were the ones focusing on amendments nine and ten.

So overall, this book's quality is high. On the whole, the essays are well written and exciting.But whether or not you've made up your mind on original meaning vs. broad principle jurisprudence, do check out "Interpreting the Constitution" edited by Jack Rakove.

A Must Read
Anyone involved in law or public policy must read this book.Hickok, perhaps one of the leading political scientists of our time, brilliantly describes the origin of the Bill of Rights, what it meant to the early Americans, and how we should understand it today.It's not often that you have a guide to take you back in history to such an important time and to look at the historical context of a document as crucial as the Bill of Rights!

Great book
This book is a great book for pre-law students. I was considering law and this book really got me interested in researching law more. ... Read more

Isbn: 0813913365
Sales Rank: 304962
Subjects:  1. 1st-10th Amendments    2. Civil Procedure    3. Civil rights    4. Constitution    5. Constitution.    6. Constitutional history    7. History - General History    8. Interpretation and constructio    9. Interpretation and construction    10. Politics/International Relations    11. United States    12. United States - Revolutionary War    13. United States.   

Leadership Without Easy Answers
by Belknap Press
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 September, 1994)
list price: $28.95 -- our price: $18.24
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Reviews (14)

Disappointing Read
The most disappointing part of this book is its blatant political slant.The book is NOT about a theory of leadership, but about an ideological judgement of the performance of leaders.Heifetz starts by insisting that leadership is necessarily tied to values because if you disagree....then the rest of his book is meaningless.Heifetz believes that to be a good leader you have to adopt positions that he advocates and if you don't, then you aren't a good leader.So, in Heifetz's world, Reagan wasn't a good leader, but LBJ was.

Do yourself a favor and keep surfing....

Exceptional from start to finish
I read this book in 1994 when it was first published and then again recently. It is excellent and establishes a philosophical approach to leadership that is grounded in problem solving rather than visionary mission. The visionary hero is a threat to democracy as evidenced by such leaders as Adolph Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte. Ronald Heifetz draws a portrait of the leader that is far different from the heroic leader who tries to convince society of easy answers and moves people to action through prejudice and stereotypes.The modern leader takes actions that allow people to adapt to challenge so as to survive. The modern leader recognizes that social problems are embedded in history, custom, special interests, and competing interests. This leads to the two analogies that Heifetz employs to draw a picture of his model. The first analogy is that of the balcony and the dance floor. Heifetz says the leader must emerse themselves in the lives and challenges of the people, experience the chaos and competing interests. They must dance on the floor. However the leader must also leave the dance floor and go to the balcony where they may observe the pattern of the waltz and thus reflect on the direction that the community/society is taking and how this may be adaptive or dangerous. The second analogy is the image of the pressure cooker. The leader must apply enough pressure to bring people together to solve problems even if they have competing interests and ideas. There must be enough pressure to bring people to thenegotiation table and to keep them at the table while at the same time keeping the pressure from building to the point of blowing up. Adaptive leaderships is far different from visionary leadership.

I especially enjoyed the sections on informal and formal leadership and the way these two forms of leadership may join forces to move society to more adaptive strategies. The example of LBJ and MLK was masterful.

In some ways this book does support great men ideas of leadership in that there is considerable talent needed to reflect on adaptive strategies needed for societal survival and progress, bring opposing forces to the negotiation table, and play roles of informal or formal leadership.

In other ways the book supports challenging times approaches to leadership theory in that challenging times call for societal adaptation, never an easy step for any society to make.

If you come to this book with the idea that leadership is imposition of ideology on the masses; if you think Ronald Reagan or Lenin were great leaders, then this book is not for you. Leadership is messy business because it means solving real difficult problems in a world of conflicting interests.

If you come to this book with the idea that leadership is based in the ability to motivate the masses with slogans and simplified answers to complex problems; if you think George W Bush is a great leader, then this book is not for you. Social problems are complex and slogans and simple answers only increase the complexity.

Franklin Roosevelt would stand out as the type of leader that Heifetz would identify as adaptive and successful in his leadership. He moved a broken nation out of the depression and he moved an isolationist nation into a just war against Hitler. Both required that he reflect from the balcony and maintain the pressure on the pressure cooker without creating an explosion.

liberal agenda
does anyone else think Heifetz is pushing a liberal agenda...Every liberal politian/action is praised, and every republican is demonized.What else can we expect from a Harvard professor? ... Read more

Isbn: 0674518586
Sales Rank: 2786
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Leadership    6. Leadership In Business    7. Political Process - Leadership   

The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad
by W. W. Norton & Company
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (April, 2003)
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Reviews (96)

Elections without freedom is not a democracy.
As a political scientist, I used to teach democracy. The basic 'minimalist' definition says, democracy, to put it briefly, is free elections plus concomittant political rights and civil liberty. What he calls 'illiberal democracy' has to be called authoritarianism. If the book is titled 'the rise of authoritarianism' then all the democracy-bashing goes in vain. Yes, elections without rights breed dictators, but this is NOT a democracy.
Then, the author brings some bizarre examples to justify his case. For some reason, he considers former Kyrgyz president Askar Akaev, ousted in the recent tulip revolution, an example of freely elected authoritarian leader. Not true. He was NEVER freely elected. Akaev was, at some point of his career, an example of enlightened autocrat - that is why West liked him - but then, enlightenment faded. Blow for Zakaria's argument again.
Seemingly most irrefutable example - Boris Yeltsin. But once again, Yeltsin destroyed democratic institutions in 1993 putch - in the name of FREEDOM.
The only reasonable thing Zakaria emphasizes is the danger of election without freedom - I would say, election without democracy. But then he comes to a conservative, I would call Levi Straussian, and extremely naive, in my belief, solution - enlightened elites guiding ignorant masses. A wishful thinking. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Elites lose any motivation to govern wisely and moreover to promote freedom once they are not accountable by the masses. Moreover, even if it is true that masses can chose illiberal leaders, Zakaria forgets to mention that the first thing they destroy is actually democratic process and free elections. And when they do not? Then the people have a chance to restore their freedom - through elections, once again. That is what happened in Serbia and Ukraine. In the end, if it is not from the people, there will be no democracy - and no freedom.

Once a muslim always a muslim!
My gripe is with sections of the book that deal with Indian Politics. I agree about the corruption and the criminal records of a lot of politicians..but it didn't occur to him to highlight that India is the only democratic country in the world to actually have electronic voting even in the most rural of areas and instantly results are out. In america on the other hand they still use obsolete voting machines from the 18th century and she is a superpower.
Also, he talks about the gujarat riots and the fact that thousands of christians and muslims are massacred ...no doubt such horrible incidents happen ..but he neglected to mention that several hindu pilgrims were burned in a bomb blast on a train placed by muslim fundamentalists and that is what triggered the riots in the Gujarat no doubt the BJP and congress politicians preyed on sentiments and instigated a massive tragedy. But scores of hindus are killed by muslims..muslims and christians are not so holy as it is claimed in his book. There are fanatical hindus, muslims, and christians..muslims aided by dubai based dons constantly cause bomb blasts/shootings in mumbai and delhi. And who can forget kashmir were muslims from pakistan kill hindus and then hindus kill muslims its a deadly cycle..but there are always two players..
Christian missionaries spend their time converting hindus..into christians by bribing poor, innocent, victimized people ..what can one expect these people convert so that they can eat. This annoys other hindus and that results in killing of christian missionaries. There are always two sides to a story. Unfortunately the western world only gets the muslim and Christian version. After all hindus are a minority and sadly never speak up for their religion in a collective voice. More examples, Charity and christian missionaries ..that is non-existent..Fareed left india long ago and as always like typical non-patriotic indians gives a myopic view. Does he know that christian run schools do not allow any hindu hymn to be sung ..most christians, or anglo-indians consider themselves to be western and not indian - so also the muslims in many parts of india who still consider themselves to be pakistani but because they are called as mujahadeen in pakistan and have no liberty stay in india and crib.

BJP and Shiv Sena are fanatics..but sometimes there has to be a balance..and fanatics balance fanatics..Most hindus like me like all muslims but we just can't stand so called american bred indians forgeting what really goes on..Does he know that christian run universities do not have seats for hindus..they come last on the list..there are first 14 or more variants of christians..adventists, baptists, protestants..etc, and the last so aptly named other caste is for hindus. Secularism has been misused by muslims and christians and that is why people who have been victimized believe that atleast there is party for them ..and hence the support for BJP..but like all political parties they exploit this support. It is a sad plight.
We have problems and they involve several factors..but there are also some amazing achievements..i would love to see at least one indian author describe india the way it should be ..not a one-sided westernized view.

Ok and some good points - but assuming history will repeat
This is a good book that does a very good job of showing the difference between democracy and liberalism. And he makes a very good argument for how putting liberalism first has tended to work better than putting democracy first.

And while he finds India an exception to this, I think India to a certain degree followed this model as England did bring them a liberal system before they became a democracy.

With all that said however, he makes no allowances for the fact that the world has changed. Nationalism has become more and more critical in the post WWII era. And at the same time democracy has taken on an almost mythical mantra as the prime goal to shoot for.

In the world we have now, democracy, in some form, must come with liberalism or even preceed it. In places like the Ukraine and Lebanon democracy has a very good chance of leading to liberalism.

And in Iraq, elections were the only way to give the government a cloak of legitimacy. Without the elections we would not have a prayer.

So as a history lesson, good book.

As a look forward to what will work in the future, of some interest.
... Read more

Isbn: 0393047644
Sales Rank: 9621
Subjects:  1. Democracy    2. Freedom    3. Liberty    4. Philosophy    5. Political Doctrines    6. Political Freedom & Security - General    7. Political Ideologies - Democracy    8. Political Science    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Political science & theory    12. Political structures: democracy   

The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
by Anchor
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (02 May, 2000)
list price: $15.95 -- our price: $10.85
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Editorial Review

One day in 1992, Thomas Friedman toured a Lexus factory in Japan and marveled at the robots that put the luxury cars together. That evening, as he ate sushi on a Japanese bullet train, he read a story about yet another Middle East squabble between Palestinians and Israelis. And it hit him: Half the world was lusting after those Lexuses, or at least the brilliant technology that made them possible, and the other half was fighting over who owned which olive tree.

Friedman, the well-traveled New York Times foreign-affairs columnist, peppers The Lexus and the Olive Tree with stories that illustrate his central theme: that globalization--the Lexus--is the central organizing principle of the post-cold war world, even though many individuals and nations resist by holding onto what has traditionally mattered to them--the olive tree.

Problem is, few of us understand what exactly globalization means. As Friedman sees it, the concept, at first glance, is all about American hegemony, about Disneyfication of all corners of the earth. But the reality, thank goodness, is far more complex than that, involving international relations, global markets, and the rise of the power of individuals (Bill Gates, Osama Bin Laden) relative to the power of nations.

No one knows how all this will shake out, but The Lexus and the Olive Tree is as good an overview of this sometimes brave, sometimes fearful new world as you'll find. --Lou Schuler ... Read more

Reviews (347)

Impressive, but somewhat repetitive
Thomas Friedman definitely has an impressive repertoire of experiences all over the world.His knowledge of "how the world works" is unique in that he's seen almost everything politically there is to see.Friedman began as a reporter for the NY Times in the middle East with firsthand experience of the Arab-Israeli conflict that never ends.Yet while his accounts of that experience (see "From Beirut to Jerusalem") were more a historical analysis, the Lexus and the Olive Tree attempts to explain how the concept of globalization affects countries economy and the general well being of humans.

But it's simply too repetetive.I felt that in every chapter Friedman was making the same point: that globalization leads to a better economy.That in order to succeed as a company, you need to fully expand, open yourself up to complete scrutiny, and--if you decide to start a new country--be sure to have a proper set of laws in place before you allow free market capitalism to reign.His "software vs. hardware" is a good analogy, but in general he makes up too many terms for phenomena he's seen around the world.The "global herd," "globalution," and "electronic sheep" are just a few examples.

His writing style is very amusing and makes for an easy read for the most part--until you realize that you're reading the same thing you just read in the last chapter.He has vast experience and a good objective view of the world, but he doesn't really talk enough about third-world countries and how they are often negatively affected by globalization.

Still, a highly recommended read if you're interested in seeing exactly how technology is affecting the way the world works, and the impact on those who fail to live up to the trend.To get a more updated view of how he thinks globalizaton will affect the world in the future, check out his new "The World is Flat."

All in all, Friedman's a great writer and you will not be disappointed from reading this book.

Great observations
I read this book a couple years ago, and now I listen to the audio book now and then on my way to work. I love Thomas Friedman and his style of reporting. What I love even more are his wonderful observations of globalization and different interpretations of it around the world. Friedman does not just lay out blanket statements. He makes an effort to understand, and make others understand what other cultures think of world issues, and why they feel that way.

What's a Lexus?
The title of the book says it all. The Lexus luxury car is a well-known brand in the U.S. alone. His vision of globalization is a very narrow one because of his lack of exposure to the real world outside the U.S. and of the ivory towers of academia. ... Read more

Isbn: 0385499345
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Capitalism    4. Economic Conditions    5. Economics - Theory    6. Free trade    7. General    8. International - Economics    9. International Relations - General    10. International economic relatio    11. International economic relations    12. Politics - Current Events    13. Social aspects    14. Technological innovations    15. Business & Economics / General   

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
by HarperBusiness
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (16 October, 2001)
list price: $27.50 -- our price: $16.74
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last, concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider. Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (351)

Real Business Book for Real Businesses
This book was recommended to me by a colleague I respect very much who has built a very successful large company.

Good to Great breaks away from 99% of the anecdotal business books out there which simply detail the past actions of successful businesses or people or worse authors with no business knowledge.Knowing what a successful business did is not nearly as useful as knowing whether what they did was the actual reason they were successful.Collins does this only through a painstaking process that took several years and 25 researchers.His team identified companies that had gone from being above average to stellar and then worked to identify the reasons and research it in depth.

The end result is a very readable and easy to understand and use guide that is packed with enough solidness and backbone to please even the toughest academic.Useable knowledge with solid reason and research backing - this is what a business book should be.

No Rocket Science
Its very simple why MOST companies don't become great.They dont want to !!Its alot cheaper to just edge out your competition (if you even have to), than to start a price war, or any other kind of war.Also, most companies are clueless, since they cant tell the difference between an investment, and a cost.They would rather not invest in their people because, they either might take the jobs of the one who taught them, or go somewhere else, and get paid a higher salary, from a company that didnt have to invest in them, so then that other company can then steal what they didnt have to invest in.Lets face it, the company with the lowest cost wins.That one statement explains everything else.There will never be greatness as long as this is true.The race to the botton, trumps the race to the top.

SO MUCH TO OFFER HERE
If you liked Jim Collins' book, "Built to Last," you will love his follow up called, "Good to Great." This is one of those rare cases, where the sequel is actually better than the original. "Good to Great" is more than a business book. It is a book with principles applicable to many aspects of life. Collins challenges his readers to aspire to greatness rather than the mediocrity of being good. He says, "Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life."

In Collins' study to be considered "great," a company's stock had to earn more than triple the general stock market for fifteen consecutive years. The research found seven keys common with the eleven companies, which were able to make the "Good to Great" transition:

1. LEVEL FIVE LEADERSHIP - They had leaders who were a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.
2. FIRST WHO...THEN WHAT - People are not the most important asset. The right people are.
3. CONFRONT THE BRUTAL FACTS - They maintained unwavering faith that they would prevail in the end, and at the same time the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of the current reality.
4. THE HEDGEHOG CONCEPT - Their core business was that at which they believed they could be the best in the world.
5. THE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINE - When a company employs disciplined people hierarchy, bureaucracy, and excessive controls are not necessary.
6. TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATORS - Technology by itself is never a primary, root cause of either greatness or decline.
7. THE FLYWHEEL AND THE DOOM LOOP - Good-to-great transformation never happened in one fell swoop but as a relentless push to breakthrough and beyond.

A unique feature of Collins' work is that it is not from the perspective of a practitioner who models his "how I did it" formula. Such a formula is often based on an extraordinary person in a unique circumstance and, as such, it isn't easily transferable. Neither is it the postulation of an unproven theory by a philosopher. Rather it is the conclusions of a researcher, who found what has worked and is reporting it for our benefit.

I read the book when it was first released, then I purchased and listened to the audio book, next I heard Collins lecture on the subject and now I've gone back to re-read my highlights annually. I've found the principles to be effective in various avenues of life. Whether you are in the business world or a person wanting to experience higher levels of achievement and satisfaction, I highly recommend "Good to Great."
... Read more

Isbn: 0066620996
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    5. Leadership    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Organizational change    9. Strategic Planning    10. Technological innovations    11. Business & Economics / Management    12. Reading Group Guide   

TiVo R24008A 80-Hour Digital Video Recorder
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $299.99
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Editorial Review

Early Adopters Pick: November 2002. The only digital video recorder with a content ranking system, Season Pass program recording, and WishList program recording.

TiVo's Series2 DVR delivers more recording capacity at a lower cost and also offers the latest in networked home entertainment. TiVo DVRs record television programming directly to a digital hard drive, eliminating the hassles of videotape. The TiVo Series2 offers up to 80 hours of recording time in TiVo's small, sleek chassis (15 inches wide by 11.5 inches deep and 3 inches high).

TiVo automatically records your favorite shows.

The TiVo DVR Series2 is compatible with virtually every television available. It also works with VCRs, TV antennas, cable systems, and satellite systems. A patented remote control simplifies program recording and controls multiple TiVos within the home (two devices can share your existing phone line). Connections include three video inputs and outputs (S-video, composite-video, and RF coaxial), one set of stereo RCA analog audio inputs, and two sets of stereo audio outputs. A standard female RJ-11 telephone jack is the channel by which the Series2 accesses the TiVo service.

TiVo subscribers can pay $12.95 per month or a one-time product lifetime fee of $299. Benefits of TiVo service include, but are not limited to, Season Pass (TiVo automatically finds and records every episode of a series all season long, even if the network schedule changes); WishList (TiVo finds and records programs that feature your favorite actor, director, team, or even topic); Smart Recording (TiVo detects lineup changes for you and suggests programs to match your interests, if desired); and Showcases (exclusive entertainment plus recording shortcuts from some of the most popular networks on TV).

Now, you through your home network you can access TiVo's Home Media Features. This services provides remote scheduling capabilities from anywhere you have Internet access; MP3 streaming from your PC to your TiVo so you can listen to music through your home theater sound system; digital image viewing from your PC so that you can create slideshows on your TV; and multiroom viewing, which allows you to connect two TiVo Series2 DVRs in your home so that you can record on one and watch on another. ... Read more

Features

• TiVo service fee is not included
• Up to 80 hours of digital audio/video recording capacity
• Works with antenna, cable, digital cable, satellite, and combinations
• Everything required for installation is supplied
• TiVo service eliminates the hassles of VCRs and timers

Reviews (198)

Must have for busy people and families
This product is great. We now have two. Transferring shows between them or to the computer is a breeze. Last Thanksgiving we had a slideshow of all of the pictures we'd taken in the last year showing on our TV in the background. This was a hit with everyone, especially with family we don't see often.

Great concept, problems with product, lots of hidden gotchas
I never had a DVR (aside from my computer) before, so when I finally managed to get my Tivo all hooked up, I was really impressed. I especially love the "Season Pass" feature which will pick out all the times your favorites program airs, and let you schedule recording for all of them in a few clicks.

But then the headaches began...

(1.) First of all, how many of us have the telephone line near our TVs? Normally, the TV and electronic gadgets are on one side of the room, and the phone is on the other - right? Tivo needs a phone line to get it's program information - at least initially. So if your house is configured like mine, be prepared to have phone line extensions strewn all across your living room while you spend up to a day downloading and installing all the program information by phone.

So of course, I almost began to drool when I read in the Manual that you can actually connect the Tivo to your local or wireless network.

(2.) Problem is, you most likely will NOT be able to connect your Tivo to your local or wireless network. I took Tivo's own approved list of hardware (direct network adapters or wireless receivers) to my local geek toy store, and bought the top recommended networking connection on the list. That didn't work, so I returned it and bought the next recommended item on Tivo's list. That didn't work either, so over the course of the next two weeks I tried three (yes, 3) more. Nothing. I finally gave up, and had to buy a long extension cord for my phone line and install it more perminent-like.

(3.) The main reason I'm here today, is because I found this page while searching for an explanation to the weird high pitched whistle noise my Tivo began making last night (after only 2 months of ownership). Turns out this is apparently an increasingly common problem - which I never heard of until today - and even more unfortunately seems to indicate that my Tivo will be totally dead in the next few days. Right now, it's literally delaying everything I do (trying to view my cable box's program guide, etc) by 30 seconds or more (the normal lag time should be around 1 or 2 seconds)

So, since I've already paid for the lifetime membership, I'm now searching for a relatively cheap way I can fix the problem myself. Do I need to replace the harddrive, the case fans, ..or what? By the way, if Tivo goes out of business, how will I get my program guide? Tivo doesn't grab the FREE TV Guide data from your cable like the no-subscription-required Panasonics can.

(4.) Oh, and also wanted to warn people about one more thing that only starts happening after you've had your Tivo for a few weeks - which is actually intentional on the part of Tivo - but which isn't mentioned anywhere in any of their manuals or documentation, for obvious reasons...

After a few weeks (if your Tivo still works), you'll start to get little on-screen pop-up alerts RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FAVORITE PROGRAM which stay there for atleast 30 seconds until you click it or patiently wait for it to go away. And what are these prompts? ADVERTISING which actually is made to look like a really important subscriber announcement from Tivo. Maybe it's important to THEM, but I'd rather NOT see it in the middle of my TV screen. Actually, that's yet another example of Tivo's dumb implimentation: You'll only see this advertising if you're watching live TV instead of the recorded programming... and since most people with Tivos are watching the recorded programs instead of live TV, Tivo's sponso