History Books

I expected so much from this book! People at my book club RAVED about it. I trudged through it, expecting it to get better, and it finally did--in the last quarter of the book. Why did I have to trudge through 350 pages of Greek history to get to the meat of the book? I don't get it, and I certainly don't get what makes this book Pulitzer-worthy.

I enjoy reading this novel, but it would be a lot better told from a different (consistent) perspective. The mingling of 1st person narrative with an omniscient narrator jars me from my belief in the story. Also the characterization is pretty loose and 2D. These are not very convincing people - they're more like minor characters on television. For a much better book with some similarities in the story line (immigrant families, race mingling in the lower classes, a period covering the early to the late 20th century)I recommend I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb, which is an amazing book and far superior to this one, which is more dependent on its gimmicky hero/heroine and basically just a fun read at best.

This book has a large mid book lull. For me it started out great and I enjoyed the background material from the "Old Country". Then in mid book I nearly gave up finishing. Glad I didnt, because it picked up speed nearing page 291, and actually I suppose a person could start reading on page 291 to get most of the points of the book. I however, did enjoy the initial setting of the plot. And how many people are voting on the author actually being Cal?

On the surface, a story about a Greek-American hermaphrodite. Calliope/Cal narrates this tale of birth and rebirth.

Cal describes the family history and traces the journey of a rare, recessive gene over about 80 years. Cal's grandparents flee from their burning home in a small village in Turkey. Desdemona and Lefty, brother and sister, reinvent themselves during their journey to America and get married. When their son marries his cousin, two recessive genes collide. The result? Calliope, raised as a girl until an emergency room doctor notices something different about her. A visit to a famous specialist in New York sets Calliope on a completely new path and she is reborn as Cal.

Excellent character development and the intricate details of Cal's convoluted family history will keep readers turning pages. The normal adolescent angst and sexual exploration take on a whole new dimension, yet these issues are handled with grace, sensitivity, and, often, humor.

I did not expect to like this book, as it was on my "have to read" list, rather than the "want to read" list. Nevertheless, Cal's story grabbed me from the very first lines. Excellent read.

I drive 2 hours round trip each day to work. As such, I listen to LOTS of audio books. Middlesex was a treat!!! The story itself is beautiful, but it really comes alive with the narrator's depiction of the characters.

If the book is too big and time is too short, try the audio version. You won't be sorry!!

The Peaver/Volokhonsky translation makes this classic accessible and quite readable. The book is about the people and dynamics around the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in 1812; it is filled with interesting people and thoughtful insights. This topic needed the 1215 pages. If you have ever wanted to be able to brag about reading this book, I would highly recommend this translation.

This was my first time to read Tolstoy and this book is staggering in its breadth, skill and insight. Tolstoy wears many hats in this book--historian, theologian, psychologist, philosopher, military strategist, political scientist, ethicist--and he wears them all exceedingly well. The sheer scope of this novel (if indeed one can call it merely a novel) is remarkable. The battle scenes are stark and real, stripping off the tidy veneer that history puts on such events; not graphic or gruesome, just showing the human side of soldiers in the face of danger and death. The affairs of the Bolkonskys and Rostovs provide profound insights into good and evil, life and death, and those universal things that comprise human nature. Tolstoy's satirical comments on Napolean and the genius historians ascribe to him are well-founded and thought-provoking.

When all is said and done, however, it is the spiritual journey of Pierre Bezukhov that is the highlight of the book for me. You see clearly in this characater the expression of Tolstoy's own sirituality and the parallels are magnificent. This is a wonderful story about life, history, family and what it means to be human. While incredibly dense, this book is worth the time and effort. Highly recommended.

The translation itself is very good, but I agree with other reviewers that maps of the places described would be very helpful. For the price of the book, and the prestige of the translators, this shortcoming is noticeable. And, I agree with those who bemoan the tiny print in which the numerous French passages are translated. I think a better way to indicate when the characters speak French is to use italics (but in English).

I read War & Peace when I was 18 years old and now that I am 70 I have read the new fantastic translation and I think it should be required reading for every college graduate and then be read again with age. Tolstoy has much to inform us on the folly of war and love and a narrative that is a sheer pleasure to read. My only complaint is the weight of one volume ... one needs a dictionary stand.

I found my way to Tolstoy circumvently by way of other Russian authors. It seems all roads lead to the count one way or another when it comes to Russian literature.
Certainly in my youth the expression, "It isn't 'War and Peace'!" was a sarcastic and thoughtless epitaph when trying to get through a book or writing something. Well, this edition takes the academic intimidation off the novel and makes it a completely readable and (who'd of guessed?)enjoyable experience.
Make no mistake- it's long. The joke holds water in that regard but if it's any help even Tolstoy himself wrote it in sections and volumes published seperately.
Like any work of vision, this book teaches you how to read it. Some have argued about the extensive french in this edition (overstated in my opinion) but the author's have placed the direct translation at the bottom of the page. It isn't an elaborate endeavor to avert one's eyes downward to read it's equivalent. Tolstoy (and thus his translators) thought it important that the Russian's spoke french extensively to exemplify how prevalent that culture was saturated into the aristocracy before it was their deadly enemy.
Volokhonsky and Pevear, the translating team, retain the original poetic intention of Tolstoy's writing in various points to some readers disdain. I find it beautiful and correct.
Tolstoy made clear he wasn't writing a novel (of european invention)or trying to obey any form besides the very expression he felt apporpriate to convey his story and characters. It is essentially Russian and is simply to be taken or left for it's own worth.
Aside from the artistic and ambitious translation (an art unto itself), I found the book inspiring, despairing and beautiful. A history lesson, a contemplation of the divine and a love story.
If that doesn't appeal then don't place this brick on your lap for the weeks or months it takes to consume. But if you do, I doubt you'll regret the journey.

I consider that nowadays Pope Benedict XVI is currently "an universal moral reference" for mankind, the Catholic Church is all over the world the only one of churches growing vigorously among the young and the intellectuals .. The message of Jesus is as fresh as always !!!

Although I am a Protestant, I found the Pope's book enlightening and interesting. The first two chapters are rich in wisdom, pointing out our blessing of the Lord's very presence as we minister, and the living tradition which the Apostles and subsequent ministers have passed on to us. Throughout this book, the Pope pointed out the greater symbolism of various events in which the Apostles participated. For example, the theological significance of the great catch of fish. He also summarized the theological importance of his points, emphasizing key matters such as what constitutes a good witness: those that compel us to "come and see." His command of the first century evangelistic campaign and the order of events was revealed in an easy to follow manner. He identifies various characteristics of the Apostles and relates them to Christ's overall ministry. Furthermore, he draws from early church writings. Most importantly, the Pope supported his teachings with scripture and flatly stated that we are saved by faith alone. This should be appreciated by both Catholics and Protestants.

Curtis Mosley
Houston, Texas
May 25, 2008

"They are blind and their leaders are blind. And when the blind follow the blind they all fall into the pit." Jesus the Messiah and Lord from the Gospels

Unfortunately and tragically Pope Benedict XVI has done it again. His deception has no limits, which is fitting for a modernist. Joseph Ratzinger has continually denied and still denies the Christological Doctrines of the Catholic Christian faith as defined by the Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church. He does not assent to the Doctrines of the Catholic faith as defined by the Ecumenical Council of Trent against the Protestant heresy and he describes Martin Luther as one of his theological mentors. Finally, on the Vatican website gives approval to biblical modernism which teaches that the Apostles invented the Christian religion from their subjective experiences. His religious subjectivism ends up denying the objectivity of the public Divine revelation of the Christian religion. Deniars of these facts, please research them for yourself and this won't be the end to Ratzinger's heresies but just the beginning. Yet how is he able to deceive people into thinking that he is a Catholic Christian. The answer is that he is a modernist and in fact a moderate modernist as described by Pope St. Pius X's encyclical On Modernism(Pascendi Dominici Gregis) for which on one page they will read "... as a Catholic and on the next page as a rationalist(which includes in contemporary times religious subjectivism)." Unfortunately, the consequences of this grave deception is great as it is a matter of human salvation. "They are blind and their leaders are blind. And when the blind follow the blind they all fall into the pit."Jesus of Nazareth Tragically it is only true traditional Catholics who recognize that we have had only modernist popes starting with Pope John XXIII and consequently refuses to be blind and thereby fall into the pit of a modernist Novus Ordo Construct outside the Historical Catholic Church and which ultimately leads to hell. The only way this situation will change is when a traditional Catholic pope is elected and yes every traditional Catholic is praying and working for this day to come. The day of deception will be over modernists, religious necoconservatives(Our Sunday Visitor), and indultarians. Yes, laus tibi Christe, when the day of deception will be over!Then History will not judge lightly the modernists and appeasers of modernists, the reliogious neocons and indultarians. History and the Lord of history will vindicate their faithful servants who passed on what they have received: the traditional Catholic remnant and the truth about modernism and this great apostasy led by modernist popes will be known and accepted by all. Ratzinger has done it again but not for long! The truth can not be held back!

Pope Benedict XVI does a beautiful easy to understand in depth look into the apostles. He pulls from Scripture and opens up insights into their lives and personalities as only one guided by the Holy Spirit can do.
The reader benefits from his gifts as teacher and scholar, which he uses to meet us at the place of knowledge where we are, and raise us up to a greater understanding of these 12 disciples/apostles of Christ.

This book is well-written but its title is deceptive. The early chapters front-load what follows with the theological premises of the Roman Catholic Church so it is less about the Apostles than we might hope. BXVI is known as a scholar, and certainly his scholarly bent shows in what he writes, leaving many people who haven't personally dug into the current scholarship feeling impressed. If one believes in apostolic succession and Christ's entrusting the apostles with maintaining fidelity and truth (and this reviewer does accept this concept), then there are those of us who feel that the mandate for truth has failed. I have to assume that the Bishop of Rome believes what he has written, but the world has changed in that the world of scholarship is open to those of us in the pews. We don't have to accept a distorted and incomplete scholarship. We're no longer illiterates who are dependent upon the Church to tell us what to believe. We can dig it out and weigh its efficacy for ourselves. It cannot be that the Bishop of Rome is unaware of the extensive scholarship, as he has the unfathomable riches of the Roman Catholic Church that would make it easy.

I will only briefly address two overwhelmingly glaring areas. We note that women disciples are discussed in the very back of the book. BXVI lists many of the women, but he is only able to magnify the works of those who are coupled, such as Priscilla and Aquila. He makes no note of the importance that in scripture, Priscilla is listed first. And he manages to get through chapters on St. Paul's co-workers and the chapter on women without mentioning the Apostle Junia (Romans 16:7). The scholarship here is clear: There was one named female Apostle. See Eldon Jay Epp (2005). Junia: The First Woman Apostle. Minneapolis: Fortress Press (available on Amazon).

Then, the gospel material on St. Peter is, as would be expected, seriously selective, reinterpreted and reworked. What is lost is that the meaning of "Apostle" was being fought in the first century, and we know who won out in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Luke carves out a view that the 12 are the only trustworthy witnesses of the Resurrection.

Luke's "twelve" is a select group and it is ONLY in Luke they are specifically chosen FROM a larger group of followers, a group not present in Mark and Matthew [see Luke 6:13]. Matthew uses the term, "apostolic" only once [10:2-5]. Mark uses it only once [6:30]. Luke uses the term 6 times in the Gospel, and 34 times in Luke-Acts. The author of Luke and Acts writes several decades after Paul and adds new requirements for apostleship, limiting it to the Twelve, excluding Paul, James the brother of Jesus, who rose to head the Jerusalem Church, and all female apostles. The restriction of "Apostle" seen in Luke-Acts is not seen in Paul. Luke downplays the functionality of the role or mission of Apostleship and makes it more symbolic.

The preeminence of Peter is not uniform across the Gospels so we can see the struggle for authority that was going on. In 4G, Jesus never specifically chooses Peter as a member of a subgroup of disciples. He does not have any special resurrection appearance until Chapter 21, which is a later add-on redaction.

Contrary to BXVI, Peter is not depicted as the first to see the Risen Christ across the Gospels. Matthew, Mark and John give prominence to Mary Magdalene. It is only in Luke that Peter is gifted with an individual appearance of the Lord [Luke 24:33-34]. In the other three Gospels, Jesus or angelic messengers send Mary Magdalene alone or with other women to proclaim the Resurrection. This is such an inconvenience to Rome that it must be obscured. So, at a minimum, the history as recounted in the canonical Gospels shows that the conflict for authority was going on in the 1st century.

If you want to see some of the available scholarship for yourself, read Ann Graham Brock (2003). Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle: The Struggle for Authority. Harvard University Press (available on Amazon). Based on her PhD dissertation at Harvard, she has very effectively demonstrated in the canonical Gospels, with supplementary non-canonical sources including the Acts of Peter and Acts of Paul, that where Peter is made prominent in the Gospels, Mary Magdalene and the other women are diminished, and vice versa.

The Apostles reads easily if you accept the underlying premises, and if you don't, the book well captures official Roman Catholic views. It is not an unbiased account of the early history of the church. There is good information in this book, but it should not be read in isolation or as an accurate picture of the first century of Christianity.

This whole Florida "revival" situation is a real dilemma for Christians. Either Andrew is right and Todd Bentley and others are the Pied Pipers, leading men away from the Lord - or Andrew is the one who is misleading people. It is black and white with no middle ground. How do you decide what is right (not who) This could be the biggest wake up call in the history of Christianity. I watched a video of Bentley in action and it was enough for me to doubt. I'd love to believe that the Lord is pouring out his Spirit on people - but compare a healing by Todd with a healing from Jesus. I was on the fence in this matter until today when I read this book. Andrew's is a voice of reason in a storm of controversy. Calling him a self-righteous Pharisee because he reluctantly blows the whistle on a very potential deceptive flank attack of the enemy is a bit extreme. He is not overemotional about this situation but logically lays out the evidence for issuing his warnings. He will not be popular with those with itching ears.
The problem with this book in my eyes was a lot of repetition from an earlier book. Much of the info on Todd Bentley was already posted on the internet. So I might have wasted some money buying this. I ran into one segment in the middle of the book that might have been worth the price, however. It was a quote by A.W. Tozer about God's specialists who come to reprove,rebuke, and exhort in the name of God. I have recently entered this arena myself and was starting to feel a little hesitant knowing that I will alienate those who have or might have called me "friend." I am resolved now to stand firm with a face of granite despite the naysayers and the one star drive by reviewers.
Donald James Parker
Author of Reforming the Potter's Clay and All the Voices of the Wind.

thank you andrew for being a true prophetic voice in a time when truth is so much resisted. why is there such a lack of dicerenment in the body today? it is because of a lack of maturity in the "church", especialy in the leadership!so many are like babys who crawl around on the floor picking up everything they find and stick it in their mouth. true sheperds would be there to protect the sheep but instead you see them laying hands on and giving their aproval to those who are throwing poison in front of them. God help us to have the courage to stand up aginst falsehood in these last days even when that means at times standing alone. thanks agin andrew, our prayers are with you. bro dave

This book is a timely message for those seeking true revival. It does not contain a message of "Christian" hype or manipulation that has inundated the Church today. The author has, through his own experience in this false movement, exposed a counterfeit move called the "new wind of revival" and shows through sound biblical teaching the outworkings of true revival that is Holy Spirit inspired. A must read book for all who seek to know biblical truth on revival.

This book speaks of things that I wish I had know years ago. Now, I have friends who are lost to deception, or had their faith shipwrecked by the multitude of lies that are infiltrating the church. Lies, spoken thousands of times, begin to sound like the truth. (Consider what happens every election year!) But they still remain lies. And no one on earth is immune to hearing the voice of the father of lies, even those who preach. We are like sheep--we follow whoever will feed us or speak nicely to us. And MANY pastors are leading people down paths that are not biblical. We need the watchman on the walls to speak truth to us, and to point out unbiblical practices that have become commonplace within the church. We are, indeed, destroyed for lack of knowledge. Mr. Strom has done a great job of pointing out truth to us--Thank you!

After reading all of the comments regarding this book, I will never get this book. The self-righteous, pharisee-like attitude has stop in the Body of Christ. The enemy's biggest strategy is to divide us. You are looking in the wrong place for false prophets. There are plenty of so called churches out there that believe there is more than one way to God, that are for abortion and are advocates of gay marriage. This is where the church is going down the drain, not in people that are sincerely following Jesus and healing the sick. If you are looking for perfection you will not find it anywhere, if you are looking for people who are striving for holiness, Todd Bentley is one of them. I suggest that the author has a dialogue with Todd before publishing anymore harmful material. The enemy just loves us Christians blasting each other to bits on the internet.

It is also interesting to me that most Charismatics have left other denominations and movements to live more powerful Holy Spirit filled lives, at least in their opinion. I do not see them writing books about why I left this movement or that movement.

When people start criticizing the annointed people of God, they are subject to judgment. Judge lest you yourselves be judged. Come on, Body of Christ, get it together, get in unity and address the sins of our society -- the redefinition of marriage, the killing of babies, the "many paths" to God. Walk in love, not slander.

I am taking BSN courses and this text is required. The book includes a CD which I have not had the time to review.

The text is very good. It has a great flow from system to system. There are many color photos to explain the various findings. The book is through and I especially love the red text in the borders that explains the criticial thinking of the assessment coupled with the finding.

I own a Mosby's guide from my previous Nursing classes. I thought it was good until I purchased Bates. This is my new favorite examination text and one I will keep in my personal library for years to come.

Good book and a geat resource. This particular work places the patient History and exam in a logical and systematic approach with illustrations and study helps - a keeper.

I am a Physician Assistant Student and i have to admit that every semester we are required to buy books and at the end of every semester i sell my books buy. This was the only one i did not sell back. Its great for a person who is beginning the medical field and is great for someone who just wants to brush up on technique. The CD located in the back of the books is really not that helpful because it skips critical parts of the physical exam however its good to see how to do certain things. Most of the books chapters are well organized except for the HEENT chapter bc its all over the place. However i LOVE my Bates and i still use it on clinical rotations.

Great book on physical examination and history taking. Will recommend to other healthcare/medical providers.

I have found this book to be well organized and easy to read for such alot of information.

I am a huge Anglophile and generally eat up books about Tudor Era England. I loved Weir's take on the Six Wives of Henry VIII (this book was, in fact, the match that lit my passion for the period) and was excited when I saw this novel on the shelf in the library.

What a huge disappointment! I slogged my way through the first part of the book (up to the death of Henry) and had to stop. I found the behavior of the child Elizabeth and her younger brother Edward to be very unbelievable. The frank discussions of sex between an 8-10 year old Elizabeth and her governess also seemed very unbelievable. It is as if Weir was writing Elizabeth as the adult Elizabeth for the entire novel and refused to acknowledge that while highly intelligent and precocious, the child Elizabeth was just that - a child - as was her brother, Edward.

I skimmed a bit further, hoping that it got better **spoiler alert** but it only gets more preposterous with a Elizabeth becoming pregnant by Thomas Seymour and miscarries.

I hope that Ms. Weir returns to her usual realm of fact-based biography and leaves the fiction to those who can at least make it believable. I love a good historical fiction and am generally not a nit-picker when it comes to details, but this was just unbearable.

Yup! I LOOOVE IT. I loved "Innocent Traitor" and Alison Weir has not lost her spark with "Lady" It;s captivating and holds your attention. She includes historical facts with fun fiction. It's a different look at Elizabeth during the years that history generally forgets. I am not even finished it yet and I already plan to read it again!

There had been a great deal of drama and intrigue in Elizabeth Tudor's life. After all, she was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's second wife, the one who was beheaded for supposedly committing treason. The Lady Elizabeth focuses on Elizabeth's life from the age of three, when she was declared a bastard, to her reign in 1558. Rich with historical details, a little too much focus on history by my measure (more on that later), Alison Weir chronicles Elizabeth's life -- how she deals with a father who is at times affectionate and other times aloof, to growing up a woman in an era where men ruled, to her woes and joys with siblings Edward VI and Mary Tudor. Through it all, Elizabeth maintains the conviction that she will never marry, but she does develop a crush on someone during her teens. How had things been different had she not been the "Virgin Queen" who ruled alone? And was her childhood part of the reasons why she became the woman she turned out to be, one whose views (at least according to Weir and other historians) were ahead of her time?

Lately, it seems that everyone and her grandmother is writing a novel based on one of the Tudors. Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth I are the most popular. Some of it is good and well researched while others are so bad and downright inaccurate I wonder if they had paid the editors to have it published. The Lady Elizabeth falls into the former category. Weir knows her Tudor history, that much is certain. I love the Tudor era, especially the Elizabethan, which is why I gave this novel a whirl. I thought a novel about Elizabeth before she became queen would be interesting. I enjoyed Weir's fictional take on this historical figure and I'm glad that I read it. However, the author focuses so much on the historical aspect that she at times forgets about the fictional part. I agree with some reviewers that there are parts of the story that seem implausible, some things I don't think Elizabeth would have thought or done, but Weir maintains a faithful portrayal of the Virgin Queen for the most part, and that, coincidentally, is what put me off slightly. And that is why I give this three stars. I may give Innocent Traitor, Weir's debut novel, a whirl some time in the future though. Her writing is wonderful and I will give her another try.

I chose this book after going to a Book and Author Luncheon and Hear Alison Weir speak. She was interesting and I thought a historical novel would be a nice change. I am finding the book slow moving. Lady Elizabeth was the daughter of Ann Boyln and it starts when she is about 2 years old. I am about 115 pages into the book and it is slow moving. I will stay with it for a while and hope the action picks us. I can't help thinking that this is a story that could be written with half the verbage.

A great many novels have been written about Elizabeth I, and still the market is not yet satiated. I picked this novel up wondering what new insights or interpretations could Ms Weir possibly bring to the fictional portrayal of Elizabeth.

Ms Weir's novel opens with Elizabeth being told of her mother's death in 1536, by her half sister Mary, and takes us through Elizabeth's life until the time when the death of Mary in 1558 makes her Queen of England. Ms Weir addresses three distinct phases in Elizabeth's life: as the daughter of King Henry VIII; the sister of King Edward VI; and the sister of Queen Mary I.

What makes this novel interesting to me, and made the difference between 3 and 4 stars, is the portrayal of the tensions in Elizabeth's life as her status changes. The Elizabeth portrayed by Ms Weir is deeply impacted by events around her and is quick to learn about the relative value of women as daughters, wives and mothers. At the same time, she is aware of the value of learning, the politics of religion and becomes aware of her own role as a pawn in the political marriage stakes. The focus on the early part of her life, while it undoubtedly slows the novel down, is valuable because it illustrates so clearly the insecurity born of uncertainty.

Ms Weir's Lady Elizabeth is an intelligent and complex young woman. The novel is presented within the broad framework of known history and possible (if not always probable) speculation. I enjoyed this novel because I know the historical period well enough to be comfortable with fictional liberties.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Finally, a book that includes ideas that are based on research, not just someone's good ideas and stories. If this doesn't change what you are doing in your business, you'd better stop reading, start writing and tell us all your secrets.
Jim Collins is a great, inspiring author wh will engage you the whole way through.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. It seems the company and the organization as an organic system within a larger system, and which purpose is not simply to make money (although, companies managed this way always do). It brings also the importance of the human side into management and how important it is to have a solid system of core values, beliefs, principles and mission. I highly recommended together with Good To Great, even in spite of the fact that some of the covered companies (like Ford, Sony, and Motorola) not being able to keep their greatness consistently.

The authors spent six years studying visionary companies to see what accounts for their success. Their goal: to uncover the underlying factors that helped the visionary companies outperform the competition.

The authors chose eighteen visionary companies for their book: 3M; American Express; Boeing; Citicorp; Ford; General Electric; Hewlett-Packard; IBM; Johnson & Johnson; Marriott; Merck; Motorola; Nordstrom; Philip Morris; Procter & Gamble; Sony; Wal-Mart; and Walt Disney. These are the premier organizations in their field; firms that have a long record of having an impact on the world. They have distinguished themselves as a special and elite breed of institution. And, with an average founding date of 1897, and stock-return performance of fifteen times the general market since 1926, they are companies that have stood the test of time.

Some of the main factors for success were: To preserve the values that set your company apart from others; to set audacious goals; and to experiment freely.

The authors use the following analogy: Suppose you read of a person who could tell the exact time just by looking at the position of the sun or stars. "It's April 23, 1996, 2:36 A.M." Wow, you'd think. What a remarkable person. Yet wouldn't it be more remarkable--and useful for the world--if that person built a clock that anyone could refer to, even after the clockmaker had died? Having a great idea, or being a charismatic, visionary leader is like "time telling." Building a company that's healthy long after the visionary leader is gone, or after the great product is passé, is "clock building."

Visionary company founders concentrate first on the organization's systems and values, then on products. In fact, you don't need a great product idea to begin. William Hewlett and David Packard of Hewlett- Packard, for instance, had no product in mind when they got together in 1937. They just wanted to start a company together. Early products included a bowling foul-line indicator, a clock drive for a telescope, and a device to make a urinal flush automatically. They persisted until they figured out how to build a firm that could pump out great products. Likewise, Masaru Ibuka didn't have a single product in mind when he launched Sony in 1945. The company survived selling heating pads. Paul Galvin, Motorola's founder, didn't dream about making battery eliminators for radios, its first product. He dreamed foremost about building a great and lasting company. He did that by developing people. He encouraged dissent, discussion, and disagreement, and he gave people freedom to make contributions. He set challenges and gave people responsibility to achieve them.

Here are some interesting notes I took:

Though many visionary companies have had high-profile leaders like Henry Ford or Sam Walton, charismatic leadership is not necessary for success. 3M, for example, has never had a charismatic CEO.

The firm is not a vehicle for products or personalities; products are a vehicle for the company. Looked at in that light, Walt Disney's greatest creation wasn't Snow White or Disneyland, it's the Disney Company and its ability to make people happy.

Purposes are your organization's fundamental reasons for existing beyond making money. They are broad and enduring. For example, Robert W. Johnson founded Johnson & Johnson "to alleviate pain and suffering." Purposes are not about specific products or services. The Disney Company doesn't exist to "make cartoons for kids," for example. It exists to "use our imaginations to bring happiness to millions." Asked whether he started Marriott Corporation to create an empire, J. Willard Marriott, Sr., said no. He wanted to give friendly service to guests, provide good food at a fair price, and work hard to make a profit to create more jobs.

Merck has long used its values to guide its actions. For example, it once developed a drug called Mectizan to cure a Third World disease known as "river blindness." While it hoped to sell the drug to government and relief agencies, the return on investment would be small. When it came time to sell Mectizan, however, no one bought it. So Merck gave the drug away to the millions who needed it. This was good public relations that could pay off down the road. But it was also because the company has never forgotten George Merck's words: "We try never to forget that medicine is for people. It's not for the profits. The profits follow . . ."

To come up with a purpose, ask: What is our reason for being? What would be lost if we ceased to be?

Boeing's core value, "being in the leading edge of aviation; being pioneers" is permanent. Whatever your business, strategy and tactics, operations, culture, and products are they must change over time. The only thing that shouldn't change is core ideology. When Eastern Airlines said it needed a jet with precise specifications, Boeing took on the challenge. The plane had to land on runway 4-22 at La Guardia Airport in New York, a notoriously short runway. This jet also had to be able to fly non-stop to Miami without refueling, seat six abreast, and hold 131 passengers. Most agreed this was an impossible task. Boeing met the challenge with its 727. It succeeded because, once it got going, it had no other choice. Such goals are always aligned with a Boeing core value: to be on the leading edge of aviation.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing's initial idea, to mine corundum, failed, and the company searched desperately for something to do. 3M settled on sandpaper and grinding wheels, which kept it afloat. Such troubles led CEO William McKnight to insist on diversifying. But rather than chart the course himself, he built an organization that would continually change based on the initiative of employees. McKnight hired good people, let them alone to do their work, and encouraged experimentation. The result was many unplanned, successful products. For example, 3M employee Dick Drew was visiting an auto paint shop when he saw a problem to solve. Two-toned paint jobs had become popular, but shops had trouble separating the two colors. Drew went to work and came up with a solution: masking tape. Five years later, he used his experience to develop Scotch tape. Note that 3M hadn't planned to get into tape, now a huge part of its business. It was an outgrowth of the organization McKnight created.

Visionary companies don't ask, "How well are we doing?" They ask, "How can we do better tomorrow than we did today?" This question requires constant self-criticism and investment in the future for a race with no finish line.

Motorola has used an "innovate or die" technique. It has been known to cut off mature product lines that still account for significant sales volume in order to keep innovating.

Boeing uses a process called "eyes of the enemy." It assigns managers the task of developing strategy as though they worked for a competitor and wanted to wipe Boeing off the map. What weaknesses would they exploit? What markets could they invade? Boeing then figures out how it would respond to each threat.

A visionary company is like a great work of art--magnificent in detail, with all elements working together in concert.

Briefly, Although this book was written some years back;yet it is still strongly valid and valuable for today's business cases.

"Built to Last" is an enlightening and interesting classic on business strategic management. The authors, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras spent six years in research and compared the practices of 18 visionary companies in the USA to those of a matched set of good, though not great, companies. Their fundamental observation is that average companies are driven by the power of "or:" You can have either short term profits OR long term growth, either stability OR progress. Visionary companies, in contrast, embrace the power of "and:" You preserve the core AND stimulate progress.

The authors then methodically, step-by-step proceed to explain how great companies erect structures that embrace these seemingly contradictory goals. The great companies the authors studied, contrary to conventional wisdom, are not profit focused at their core but rather, they are `value' focused. These values are a sort of nucleus, around which leaders in visionary companies grow the company. This was the case in such great companies as Disney, Wal-Mart, Merck, Ford, Hewlett Packard, 3M, Johnson and Johnson and others.

Among the core myths that Collins and Porras shattered are that visionary companies must start with a great product and be pushed into the future by charismatic leaders. Instead the great visionary companies they studied were characterized by total lack of an initial business plan or key idea and by remarkably self-effacing leaders. The authors are much more impressed with the great companies' almost cult-like devotion to a "core ideology" or identity, and active indoctrination of employees into "ideological commitment" to the company.

The book is interesting to read, is humorous, is among the best, easiest to follow guide to strategic management. The book also provides guidelines to help managers at all levels to apply the concepts. It is well written with compelling case studies. I highly recommend the book to those looking for a practical down-to-earth book that is readable and useful.

Outlander was an exceptional book. It was exciting, sad and sweet all at once. The idea to write such a book was phenomonal. The author is very good which is why I was excited to read the 2nd installment. I have to say I was sorely disappointed. The book was quite tedious to say the least. It could have been much shorter and would've been a great read. I got to the middle of the book and I skimmed the rest. I hated to do it but I just couldn't take it anymore.

There was just too much time spent on mundane things. It had the habit of getting exciting and then it would get drawn out. There just wasn't even of a storyline to keep the battle from happening.

I will give the third a try because like I said, Diana G. is a very good writer. I hope the next is better.

This is the second book in the Outlander series.

There is so much story in this book I honestly don't know where to begin...

The story starts out in 1968, Claire Randall is a doctor, her husband Frank Randall passed away two years ago. She is traveling in Scotland with her daughter Brianna. Traveling back to Inverness where she disappeared into the past twenty years ago. She returns to visit an old friend and to try to find out the fate of her other husband Jamie Fraser and his clansmen, wondering if they died with so many others on the battlefield of Culloden in 1746.

An engrossing read with lots of attention to detail, those of you who love details like I do will not be disappointed. I know that Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is sometimes categorized as romance, I think that is an incredibly limiting label to place on a story that is so rich with history and adventure. Reading this I often found myself humming dun dun dun dun dun dun dun...(the theme to Indiana Jones, couldn't you tell..). I loved the adventure, the treachery and the passionate love story between Claire and Jamie.

Gabaldon creates very vivid descriptions and very realistic characters and a wonderfully rich story. She's a talented writer and a gifted story teller and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

Most excellent!! A must read (listen) for those who enjoy Diana Gabaldon and the Outlander series. I had read the books years ago and found the listening of the audiobook to be exceptional! Narrated by Davina Porter, with style and emotion, you will want to collect every story in this series. Don't mess with the Abridged version, it leaves too much of the story out, and with this series, you do NOT want to miss a thing. Jamie and Claire are depicted with such clarity that you feel like you are there with them. Awesome adventure! Thumbs up on this one!!

All the pomp and intrigue of the French Court comes to life as Jamie and Claire travel to France to try to change history. Their efforts are laudable, but futile. Along the way with DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, Diana Gabaldon develops her vivid characters, carries two complete story lines and leads us up to the parting of the lovers as if we didn't know it beforehand.
The two stories flow seamlessly together: Claire's return to Scotland in 1968 and her relationship to her daughter who has been kept ignorant of the true circumstances of her birth, and the developing relationship between Claire and Jamie in another time and place.
OUTLANDER, the first in the epic will hook you, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER will insure you keep reading.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

I am in awe. These are the wonderful stories that keep me coming back to the same authors time and again. I love a story that I can still be thinking about for days on end. The scintillating romance and the captivating characters of Diana Gabaldon are my undying penchant forever. Thank you for the great reads. I must warn all readers; these books, are very addicting. Though look on the bright side...know that when sitting on the couch for days on end reading these fantastic Diana Gabaldon epics, the weight of these lengthy books do aid in a fair respect of exercise.

William Bernstein convincingly shows that trade is inseparable from human nature and has played a pivotal role in the history of mankind (pp. 15, 18, 89). Any effort to stifle trade is doomed to failure in the long run, to do so would invite smuggling, retaliation, and eventually a real war (pp. 261-65, 356, 367, 376).

Bernstein begins his history of trade around 3000 B.C.E. in Sumer in what is today Iraq and ends with the contemporary ambivalence about globalization. Climate, geography, natural resources, germs, openness to outside influences, technological advances, economically efficient institutions, political stability, and consumer preferences have all played a role in influencing trade (pp. 10-11, 34, 41-42, 53, 75-79, 86, 96-99, 103, 106-09, 129-51, 155-57, 167, 170-73, 187, 189-95, 199, 208, 215, 221-26, 232, 240, 243, 248, 254, 263, 270, 278, 286-87, 294, 307-12, 319-37, 356, 375-83).

Bernstein notes that in the absence of any authority beyond the tribe, entrepreneurs will prefer to raid instead of either trading or protecting trade (p. 67). Few things excite the envy and belligerence of the ruling elites of a nation as much as wealth derived from commerce (pp. 43-53, 90, 103-06, 116-29, 174-97, 214, 238-40, 284, 314, 354, 376).

Bernstein also shows with much conviction that the controversy about a positive trade balance has been around since the Antiquity (pp. 41-42, 258, 264, 279, 287, 290). Prominent Roman citizens such as Pliny the Elder and Seneca were complaining in the 1st century C.E. that Romans were wasting precious metal on fleeting luxuries such as silk and pepper imported from China and India.

The perception that one nation's gain comes only at the expense of another pleads for both a positive trade balance and mercantilism. Ideally, a nation should import raw materials and export finished manufactured products, which has a positive impact on employment. Bernstein correctly points out that nations grow wealthy mainly by improving their industrial and agricultural productivity. A nation's true wealth is also defined by how much it consumes (p. 258).

Like Erik Reinert, Bernstein emphasizes that most industrial countries first industrialize behind a protectionist wall and are then slowly and systematically integrated economically with nations at the same level of development. The United States followed the example of England to industrialize behind such a wall for about 150 years based on Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (pp. 319-20, 349-51, 372-75).

Bernstein also reminds his audience that anti-globalization rallies are nothing new (pp. 199, 256-59, 270, 283, 302-05). Think for example about the dumping of tea into Boston harbor on December 16, 1773, under the pretext of "no taxation without representation." In reality, local smugglers and tea merchants feared the competition of the English East India Company that could import tea directly from Asia into America for the first time based on the Tea Act of May 1773. These local players couched their arguments in the predictable protectionist language of national interest. Protectionism benefits the economic agents who predominantly own a relatively scarce resource, say, labor, land, or capital, and harms those who own a relatively abundant one (p. 342).

Unsurprisingly, the losers of the Boston Tea Party were the end consumers who ended up paying more for their tea in the absence of more robust competition (pp. 241-43). Protectionist trade legislation usually strikes hardest at the weak and powerless (p. 307).

In addition, Bernstein cogently demonstrates that the Western powers, leveraging their superior military and maritime technologies, gave up on their armed monopolistic ways and embraced free trade, regardless of the wants and needs of non-western powers such as India and China (pp. 198-240, 294-95). The elites of these two countries have not forgotten how badly western-inspired free trade hurt their countries in the preceding centuries (pp. 297-300, 363, 383-84). To be fair, other factors unrelated to western trade policy also played a major role in the troubles of both nations (pp. 75, 99-103, 285, 300).

Although free trade benefited western powers in their interactions with one another, it also produced losers before WWI. Bernstein correctly points out that free trade offers modest benefits for most of the population while greatly harming small groups in specific industries and occupations (p. 358).

Before WWI, decreasing shipping costs led not only to the global convergence of commodity prices, but also to the leveling out of wages (labor), rents (land), and interest rates (capital) (pp. 338-42). Trade losers, who could not be expected to passively accept the situation, turned the tide against free trade between the 1880s C.E. and the middle of the 20th century C.E. (pp. 312-15, 337, 343-49). However, that increased protectionism did not stop the growth in international commerce until WWI (p. 349). The U.S. learned the hard way that protectionism and isolationism invite retaliation and can start a real war (p. 356).

The U.S. has spearheaded globalization through an American-dominated system, based on Pax Americana, since the end of WWII (pp. 356, 376). Contemporary existence is supported by ever-rising trade flows (p. 18). Bernstein reminds his audience that free trade and democracy have been hand in hand in most developed countries since that time (p. 361). However, agriculture and textiles, two economic heavy-weights, remain largely protected from foreign competition around the world for a variety of reasons (pp. 356-65, 376). Furthermore, resistance to free trade has increased in the U.S. since 1945 C.E. because some farmers, workers, and capitalists have more to fear from foreign competition than in the past (p. 357). Not treating these losers fairly and compassionately undermines the consensus needed to sustain free trade (pp. 377-83).

Finally, Bernstein draws the attention of his readers to the enduring importance of what he calls the maritime choke points such as the straits at Malacca, Hormuz, and Bab el Mandeb, on top of the two man-made Suez and Panama Canals. Guaranteeing freedom of the seas is a vital U.S. interest since about 80% of world commerce is carried on ships (pp. 367-71). Today's greatest threat to free trade comes from terrorism based in the world's failed states (p. 376).

To summarize, Bernstein compellingly demonstrates that for all its shortcomings, free trade is the worst form of trading except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time to paraphrase Winston Churchill (pp. 384-85).

Unlike Mr. Saperstein I find the book somewhat right of center. I became very uneasy when reading in the introduction, "Few readers found the books basic premise--that the recent wealth of the modern world was underpinned by the development of property rights, rule of law, capital market mechanisms, and scientific rationalism -at all controversial. The failure of the communist experiment and the current wealth and poverty of individual nations testify to the power of these critical institutions.
This book enjoys no such ideological shelter."
I thought this was indeed a shelter for the book and that I was going to read the history of the world as trade. I felt justified in my assumption when facile connections were drawn beteen events millenia apart, ancient and contemporary--one can always find similarities between distant things without proving anything. The implication that business lies at the basis of world history is too simplistic, despite the interesting anecdotal (and abbreviated) information, which, by the way, a historian largely knew already. Little things get to me: on p. 22 "Europe's first HOMO SAPIENS, probably fresh from wiping out their Neanderthal rivals....." Cro-magnon and Neandertal existed side by side for tens of thousands of years and there was no "wiping out" as the author indicates. On p. 23, I don't like reference to "the Yucatan," rather than "Yucatan." It is not the Yucatan any more than it is THE Mexico. The style is occasionally limping and prolix, for example in the sentence, p. 29, "This abundance mandated a shift toward the use of silver as a medium of exchange, or as we call it today, "money." His reference to Moses' "probably mythical crossing (p.37) reminds me of the old WORLDS IN COLLISION of Velikovsky mood several decades ago.
But what really got me was (p. 51) "Athens became the first of a long line of senescent Western empires to suffer the ignominious transformation from world power to open-air theme park, famous only for its arts, its architecture, its schools, and its past." What about its mathematics, its writing of history, its philosophy, its politics, its ethics, its literature, its drama cum religion (which provided a Dionysus for the later figure as Nietzsche would use him) That's not chopped liver. The power of Periclean Athens lasted long after the military collapse of the city-state. These are terrible things to say about a man who spent so much time relating so many good things. But I felt as if I might as well be reading H.G. Wells HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

A Splendid Exchange continues Bernstein's writing of excellent books. This book gives a rich history of trade through the ages, and provides a basis for our present world situations. The book is easy to read and gives a great many contextual facts.

This book consists of a series of snapshot descriptions of world-wide trade (international in modern terms, although nations in the modern sense did not exist in most of history) at various historical epochs from pre-history to the present. There is an extensive bibliography of secondary sources. The author is an economist, not a historian, and it shows: the economic discussion is excellent, but the history is often speculative in the poorly documented ancient period and contains embarrassing errors (for example, Lincoln did not run as an abolitionist in 1860). There is a cogently argued economic thesis that free trade is generally beneficial, but no unifying historical theme or thesis beyond that.

There are a number of curious slips: ancient dates are inconsistently referred to as "after Christ" (a translation of the Christian "A.D.") and "C.E." (common era, the term preferred by non-Christians and many modern historians). The author confuses east with west, both in the ancient Agean and in American exports.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable work of popular economics and economic history, with much interesting color and detail. It isn't as good as some of the reviews (including one in the Wall Street Journal) indicate, but for the non-expert it is well worth reading.

This is a wonderful book, full of the history we have been taught but with an enormous twist; this gives us the background behind the various discoveries, battles for control of the seas, and much more.

The only thing I would change is the ending; it evolves into a gigantic economics lesson. This should have been put in more of an interesting context.

I love Jesse's non conventional views on politics. First book of his i read and was really impressed. Very Satisfied, i reccomend it to anyone!

First, let me be upfront with you- I am a wrestling fan. But not in the traditional sense, but rather, I love to watch what wrestling presents to its fans on TV, and then distill what is really happening behind the scenes. Fast forward to late May/early June, when Governor Ventura was making the talk show rounds, promoting this book. He landed on Hannity and Colmes on Fox, and had both of those two stammering for a response. He said some very controversial things; not just for the sensation factor, but because he believed these things to be true. Controversial topics like the Kennedy assassination, the Twin Towers disaster on 9/11. These comments intrigued me.
Add to that, his startling rise to the top of Minnesota politics in the early 2000's-- well, to me that cinched it. I wanted to know more, and this book purported to give me the low down.

About the book- if it were mine to publish, I would make sure that my editor cleaned up all of the typographical errors. There were many in the first third of the book, and it was kind of distracting. Aside from that, this book was a terrific read, told mostly as a first person recollection, with the narrative weaving between Gov. Ventura's personal history and his travel in his motor home to Baja. Along the story, his wife Terry adds some interesting observations from her perspective, and to me, that rounded out the narrative and indicated what a tight, great relationship the two share. This is a fun read, with interesting trivia and tidbits about third party politics that should make most Americans in the center realize that there is more going on in government that is reported in the news. Contrasted with Scott McClellan's book, this says many of the same things about the current political climate, but is a much more pleasurable read. (Sorry, I find Scott boring).

Pick this one up- you won't regret it. You will learn a lot about third party politics, and a man who wouldn't fall in line with the political climate of today.

The title says "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!," but I think Gov. Ventura is the one who has started the revolution already.

I used to watch Jesse on Monday Night WWF Wrestling. He was co-announcer with Gorilla Monsoon. Jesse was the 'Bad Guy' advocate. He wore a beret, feathers and shades and I thought he was pretty cool. I've semi-followed him since. I thought it was great when he was elected governor. In all fairness i'll say that this book was very readable and well written and the guy has a lot of good ideas. HOWEVER........
He brags about his part in Trade with China which has done nothing but hurt this country AS A WHOLE. Our industrial base is shipped to china,,,they become rich selling us their products, they buy steel, food, and fuel and all the prices skyrocket for Americans. Of course if you are a Pro Wrestler, Talk Show Host, or a Politician you don't have to worry about your job being shipped off to China.
His part on Mohammed Ali was 'touching' but how can a Vietnam Vet respect the guy. He was a DRAFT DODGER. That is an insult to Vietnam Vets,,black and white. Lots of guys didn't want to go for lots of reasons.....BUT THEY WENT. If you respect Ali, why not respect all the guys that bailed out to Canada, and all the other ways to beat the draft. How about Jane Fonda??? I was expecting some big recitation on her,,,after all,,she believed in what she did...
He has a picture of Che Guevara in his house,,,and he sounded like a kid that just saw Santa Clause when he met with Castro. Hey,,,those guys were the same Communists we were fighting all those years,,,along with China. They murdered millions and millions of people. They were bad guys then and they are bad guys now. You can tell alot about a person by the people that he respects. And it dosen't take a rocket scientist, Sherlock Holmes, or Fidel Castro to figure out that there was something funky about the JFK assasination. I think it hurt his feelings because RFK jr got to spend 4 hours with Castro and Jesse only got an hour.
I thought Jesse was going to be like a BREATH OF FRESH AIR,,,but from the book there is just another self-serving politician wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt, a dew rag and feathers.
Jesse is probably a good guy,,He'd be fun to party with,,,but after reading the book, I can't figure out why Jesse would want to have a Revolution,,, he has it made in the shade as it is...

Jesse, you're right about almost everything except immigration.
Illegal immigration is destroying the U.S. and legal immigration must be lowered if not ended completely...especially from the 3rd world.
Everything else I agreed with. You're almost up to par...keep researching the truth behind the invasion of our nation.

Informative when it came to reviewing his life and what happened during his governorship. Didn't expect a biography but that's basically what it is.
There were opinions and ideas that I agree with, especially the idiot war on drugs.
Not sure if the title of the book fits what was written. Disappointed that there were several typographical errors that distracted one.