change Books

If you are a serious Christian interested in this topic then you will like this book. For me, I am disappointed that I wasn't warned about the biblical references and overall Christian perspective taken. While I admire this boy's passion and resolve, I'm tired of being preached to by Christians. I returned the book.

This book has shown me that there is something that kids can do to help the human trafficking.
After just the first chapter, I was awakened to the needs in this world. because I didn't really know how much human slave trafficking is going on in this world. Zach Hunter ( the author) asks you what do you think you can do. And at the end of every chapter there is a place where the author asks you questions and recommends Bible passages.
This is a book that is perfect for people 12 and up.
By the way, I am 12 and I think the book is very interesting and very God oriented.
Truly a book that could change this teenage generation.

Zach Hunter's youthful writing style brings home a very real and timely point to all. Is does not take "Age" to make a difference in this world, only passion and a committment to see your vision through to the end.

Zach's book speaks to adults as well as teens. So far I have purchased, read and given away three copies of this book, including one to my 12 year old daughter. Every person I have spoken to about this book has been impressed, and many have gone on to buy a copy for themselves and/or their own teenager.

This is a great selection for a teen or adult book study group.

When I first heard of Zach Hunter and sought out this book, I was very impressed by his cause and ambition. That remains unchanged after reading. He truely is a great role model for the up and coming generations. However, I was discouraged to find so much reference to religion, god's plan, and passages of scripture throughout the book. I understand this is where Zach must get his strength and values, however he needs to make it clear that even an athiest can be passionate for social justice. He should just stick to the historical and sociological implications of slavery, rather than try to convince the reader what a "true christian" he is.

As teen myself, with a heart to challenge my generation to excellence, Zach Hunter is a warmly-welcomed voice of vision, maturity, and biblical truth. His book speaks to his peers right where they are, and inspires them higher.

To the previous reviewer: Zach has demonstrated the ability to work with others to accomplish social good without compromising the convictions that motivate him to act. That is to be commended, not criticized.

This is an inspiring book that gives a good sense of 'complexity theory' and how social change can come from many directions.

I head about this book at the 10th Regenstrief Biennial conference on system transformation of healthcare in the United States. It was mentioned particularly by Paul Biondich and Burke Mamlin with regards to their work to create effective treatment for people with HIV/AIDS in Africa through an open source electronic medical record. (See more at http://www.slideshare.net/bmamlin/openmrs-transformation)

The book essentially describes a Zen-Canadian approach to social change. Although loosely based on complexity theory (the one where a butterfly creates a hurricane), complexity theory is very complex, so I would have to say that it is very loosely based.

Reading its stories of how profound changes had occurred in social systems such as Muhammad Yunus' Grameen Bank and anti-poverty and anti-racist activists in Canada, it makes a case the change proceeds from a number of phenomena:

A deep and human level understanding of social ills nurtured over time which leads to tentative hypothesized solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all quick fix or a certain recipe.

A sense of being called to action in a way that almost makes taking action a non-decision for the change agent.

An openness to feedback in the problem solving work (a fair amount of time is spent pointing out the ultimate futility of structured plans given the complexity of the world.)

A willingness to confront the powerful - be that oneself, ones fears or other social stakeholders who may oppose change.

Of interest to me as program staff person at a medium sized US foundation, there is a fairly extensive discussion of the sins of philanthropy with regards to social change. We tend to require more specific objectives and reporting than is realistic given this model of change. We tend to over-evaluate our grantees in terms of these foolish metrics and quantifiable outputs rather than using methods of appreciative inquiry or developmental evaluation to understand the process. I get the sense that at least one of the authors is an evaluator and is tired of being hired to do the wrong thing.

Most moving to me were the observations that change is so very hard. Most social innovations fail in important ways. Even when they do succeed, that success is only temporary or limited - it can be reversed by changed circumstances or become a new baseline from which to aspire very quickly. Social innovators in this view face enormous challenges - they are fundamentally alone, necessarily always questioning everything, and doomed by the complexity of the world and human limitation. Is there such a thing as Zen-Existentialism?

There seems to me to be a lot of truth in these views. However, I have to say that these change agents' program officers are lousy. In addition to handing out checks and demanding unreasonable reports and evaluations, our major job is to support the grantees. No grantee should ever feel alone, if their program staff person knows what he or she is doing.

I still don't know what to make of this book. I look forward to seeing more reviews from others.

This is an extraordinary book that changed my view of the world in the first 25 pages. While the main focus of the book is a set of principles and approaches to adopt if one is trying to make the world a better place, the principles can be applied more broadly to everyday life. The authors show how small interactions with complex systems can produce disproportionately significant results if one first understands the system, using examples such as Yunus's micro-lending in bangladesh.
Everyone should read this book.

I just want to say how wonderful this Self hypnosis revolution book is. I bought it because of the great reviews and it is true, this book is different than his first book. It is life changing. It teaches you how to make self suggestions so that you will never see your life the same way again. You will do the same mundane, boring, repetitive, habitual things of daily life and will be able to inbue them with meaning, magic, wonder, awesomeness. This is the life we were meant to live. This is the way we were as innocent, children - viewing life in wonder and absorbing it with gladness and joy.

this dude's got nothing new to say whatsoever. he's got a good marketing machine behind him...that's it. don't bother.

Instead of a self-hypnosis method, this book is in fact a presentation of hundreds of affirmations grouped by subject. Even the reading of the table of content is a waste of time.

July 28, 2007 was a lucky day for me. My brother had just come from his very first hypnosis session and was telling me how fascinated he was with the process. Later, I wandered into our local bookstore and headed for the self-help section. A book entitled, "Self-Hypnosis Revolution," had been placed horizontally on the shelf, staring right at me. Having just talked to my brother about hypnosis, I was curious. I picked up the book and was so fascinated with the intro that I immediately purchased it. Was it true that, as the author said, "Everything you do has an underlying meaning that provides an opportunity to plant seeds within your mind to promote healing, change, and growth?" To my delight, yes, it was and is true! Forbes Robbins Blair's simple, eloquent explanation of how anyone can use the hypnosis process to promote positive self-growth is a treasure! I began using the techniques almost immediately. Within a very short time, I began to see sometimes subtle, sometimes major changes in my thought patterns, and consequently, my behavior. As someone who has read hundreds of self-help books, I rank this among the most effective for content. Definitely a 5,6,7, 10 star rating from me! Oh, yes, how did I remember that date? I recently picked up the book again to re-read a couple sections and the purchase slip fell out. I have had one full-year to test its effects. It works! Linda Cassell, Washington, DC

As a hypnotherapist of over 15 years, I have read many self-hypnosis books, most of them rehashing the same old stuff. While there's nothing wrong with "the same old stuff," it was exciting to read something that is was so unique and original.

Forbes' idea of utilizing natural trance states to make changes is outstanding. It updates and brings Coue's concept of repeating "every day in every way, I'm getting better and better" into the 21st Century! Some people just don't have the time to sit down and do self-hypnosis, and some people don't feel they can go into trance. Forbes' figured out a way that folks don't have to do either!

Very exciting. A revolution, indeed.

Stephanie Rothman, Certified Hypnotherapist
http://www.lets-talk.com

It's obvious with so few reviews written they were more than likely written by acquaintances of the authors. One particular author of this book sticks out in my mind as questionable and that would be Ron Fournier. I have read his journalistic diatribes in the past and as he is a reporter for the Associated Press, in my opinion he is less than impartial and more biased toward the liberal stance. It's one thing to publish the Truth but another to slant the Truth. This review in no way is intended to lessen the credibility of the other authors of the book as they may be sincere in their work and I'm not all that familiar with their other work.

I bought Applebee's America when it came out in 2006 but I just now got around to reading it. I'm sorry I waited so long, but the book took me less than a week to read and I do feel that it was worth it.

The authors took liberty in creating terms like Gut Values and Navigators. However, I don't know that they created these terms as much as they used new, quirky words to say the same thing. The authors referred to a book called The Influentials many times throughout. I wonder if I should have read that book first. The Influentials is also a good example of what I mean when I say that the authors didn't really create terms, as they basically called previously known Influentials, Navigators.

There was some overkill with some of the concepts, especially the concept of community and the phrase "people want to belong to a community".

Some of the chapters were fascinating and that made them very quick to read. As others have said here on amazon, the "history" of the megachurches was incredily interesting. The authors did do some serious work to write AA. While they did use a lot of prevously published sources and they document them well, they also did a good number of interviews. If you're looking for a lot of answers or a place to go for them, this book will guide you to a plethora of sources.

Fast read, easy to understand the concepts being presented, good examoples of gaining a following and how it was done in each case.

By examining developments in business, church and politics, the author opens a fascinating view on how people respond to belonging, form community, and make relationships in our new age, and how new communication methods and deliberate efforts by institutions to use them are re-shaping traditional processes and systems, and yielding remarkable success. As a new political leader who thought he understood how these things worked, it opened my eyes (once again) to an ever-changing world. Highly recommended. It will get you thinking ... a lot!

I enjoyed this book overall. The Navigators were an especially compelling article included. It reminded me of DuBois and The Talented Tenth and that a few people often make decisions for the entire community. I especially liked the section on Generation 9/11. As a grad student I intend to study this generation and this gives me a great starting point. One of the things I disliked was the linking of church, community, restaurants and many other points that were not covered enough or should be covered with additional books. Each topic deserved more coverage but I understand why he was trying to link them all. It seemed a little cluttered. Overall it is a well written book and I am sure it will be assigned to participation classes in the future. I give a grade of B.

In a culture where global warming and being green are becoming household names, A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids helps to deshroud some of the mystery of these terms-- and in language that we can ALL understand without having a science degree.

If you are a parent- buy this book. If you are an educator- buy this book. If you are a kid- get your parent's permission- and then buy this book. Definitely if you are a politician... please BUY THIS BOOK.
The pictures are terrific, and it's chock full of great activities to expand upon the text. A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids is a great resource for the classroom, or the family library.

Written by two authors who practice what they preach in green living, this book will empower you to make green choices in your life, but also to know WHY they matter. A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids isn't scary and full of doomsday-- it's a book full of common language explanations and sends a message of hope for our planet, written for our future--our kids.

This seems to be a fine and timely book. I confess I did not read it in its entirety, I only browsed the random selections offered online. However, I was greatly disturbed by the assertion in the very first selection offered that carbon monoxide is the ugly black smoke that comes from...whatever. It contrasts carbon monoxide with carbon dioxide, which is invisible, has no odor, etc. WRONG WRONG WRONG! Carbon monoxide is every bit as invisible and odorless as carbon dioxide! This is a very concerning error, and I hope there are no more of them to weaken the book.

This is an important and accessible book that clearly defines climate change and explores the many ways it is adversely affecting our world. It provides interesting examples of things people are already doing to fight climate change. Even better, it suggests positive action items that will inspire and teach children and their families how to become part of the solution. A valuable resource and idea book that belongs in every library, as well as every 6th, 7th and 8th grade science and social studies classroom!

I want my grandchildren to read this book, and I hope their parents will too. All our futures are involved.

The scope and depth of coverage of an especially important business subject in this volume are unsurpassed by any other single source of which I am familiar. (There are 952 pages of material provided within 47 entries, followed by References, Name Index, and Subject Index.) I acknowledge that I have not read all of the entries selected and edited by Joan V. Gallos, who also provides an excellent Introduction and contributed an article, "Reframing Complexity: A Four Dimensional Approach to Organizational Diagnosis, Development, and Change" (Pages 344-362). Rather, I carefully reviewed the table of contents and selected those of greatest interest to me, some of which I had read previously. I suspect that many others will take the same approach.

Gallos organizes the organization development (OD) material within eight Parts.

The OD Field: Setting the Context, Understanding the Legacy
The OD Core: Understanding and Managing Planned Change
The OD Process: Diagnosis, Intervention, and Levels of Engagement
OD Consulting: leading Change from the Outside
OD Leadership: Fostering Change from the Inside
OD Focus: Organizational Intervention Targets
OD Purpose and Possibilities: Seeing the Forest for the Trees
OD And the Future: Embracing Change and New Directions

Here are several of the articles I had read previously:

"Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail" John P. Kotter
"Enlist Others" James Kouzes and Barry Posner
"Business Strategy: Creating the Winning Formula" Edward E. Lawler
"The Leader's New Work: Building learning organizations" Peter M. Senge
"Knowledge-Worker Productivity: The Biggest Challenge" Peter F. Drucker

Here are other articles I read for the first time:

"What Is Organizational Development?" Richard Beckhard
"Teaching Smart People How to Learn" Chris Argyris
"Team Development" Glenn M. Parker
"Emerging Directions: Is There a New IOD?" Robert J. Marshak

I share these merely to indicate my own interests but also to suggest the variety of perspectives among the business thinkers. Of course, it remains for each reader to select those entries that are of greatest relevance to her or his own needs and interests.

Credit Joan V. Gallos for making excellent selections and then for organizing the material so well. To repeat, the scope and depth of coverage of an especially important business subject in this volume are unsurpassed by any other single source of which I am familiar. Bravo!

This was one of the texts used in my Organizational Development course in my MBA program. It packed a punch since it was a large reader, but had Readers Digest versions of very important OD related readings almost in a Reader-style (for those of you familiar with purchasing readers for class). All of the readings were beneficial, and by authors who are the fathers of the field. I highly recommend this for reference reading (look at the number of pages, its not a quick read) and for teaching organizational behavior type courses.

Energy Leadership is a book that reads deceptively easily and enjoyably given the amount of powerful information within it. This book explains the impact of energy in our life. It clarifies energy blocks and ways to move past them. Energy Leadership shows the way to anyone who wants to create the life they desire to live, professionally and personally. It's the kind of book you benefit from reading many times, and each time, you take something new away. Waste no time in getting your copy. Improve your life today!

Bruce Schneider's book Energy Leadership is the best book I have read in 31 years in business. It is easy to read, interesting, and provides information that is immediately useful. Energy Leadership describes the turnaround of a company that was in danger of financial failure. The step by step approach and use of the Self-Perception Energy Chart are invaluable in teaching us to live better lives and run our businesses more successfully. This book is an A+++.

You know how you go through life meeting others and feeling their energy, and knowing how their energy effects you and others, but not being able to describe it without sounding foolish? Well, Energy Leadership is that description...that answer.

I do not think I have ever read a book so quickly. I really did not want to put it down. What I enjoyed most about it was feeling like I was in the room with with Bruce, feeling as if I was coaching these individuals. I had faces for them; I could see their reactions. And, best of all, I could see how transformational the process was...is.

I cannot wait to use this tool (I already am) and change my life and the lives of others with it.

Thanks, Bruce!

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

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

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

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

Book received in excellent condition and in timely manner. I would recommend using this site to other parents buying textbooks.

Is change failing? Are multiple leaders' initiatives foundering? Is vast energy being expended on change projects by roving teams of the best and the brightest? Maybe the approach is all wrong. Maybe you need ... more people.

So argues Richard Axelrod, democrat and change consultant. Believing that current change practices are too slow and bureaucratic, Axelrod asserts that there simply isn't enough engagement. In other words, after forty years in the business world - a world in which "it sometimes seems as if everything is changing at the speed of light" - the author has concluded that change efforts fail when people don't feel involved.

Whether this is a brilliant insight or a beacon of the trite and obvious is for the reader to determine. In the meantime, consider Axelrod's "engagement paradigm": widen involvement, connect people, create communities, and embrace democracy. All laudable in theory, and the author goes to great lengths to prove that such an approach doesn't cost or waste or confuse as much as a skeptic might imagine. But what does it mean? Larger meetings, fine, open-ended questions, certainly, flip charts and round tables, marvelous, but do these a paradigm make? When you look for details here you find yourself grasping at shadows. Ask for a specific action and Axelrod recommends "creating a compelling purpose." Some might find this a little vague.

Yet lying beneath the misty surface are basic assumptions, assumptions about pluralism and democracy all the more intriguing for remaining untested. Axelrod asserts for example that in large group change meetings, individuals frequently set aside their self-interest for the benefit of the organization. Perhaps, but couldn't we look to our founding fathers for another explanation? Examine the Federalist Papers and their hallowed brethren among American documents, and you'll find that democracy's strength grows not in spite of individual self-interest, but because of it. The negotiated settlement, the win-win solution, the efficient organization: people support such a "democratic" achievement because there's something in it for them.

_Terms of Engagement_ is unsubtle boosterism: of democracy, of Theory Y, and of the Axelrod Group and its Conference Model, which the book more promotes than describes. (Similarly treated are the Group's "walkthrus," a curious colloquialism from an author who eschews contractions.) If you too believe that change happens best in multitudes, pick up a copy of the book today. If not, consider why this nation is not a democracy. It's a republic.

I first experienced this change model as a young management consultant in the late 1960s, and was overwhelmed by its effectiveness then. Over the years, I have made this approach a central tenet of how I work with client organizations and our own. Richard Axelrod's book is the best description I have seen to date of the key elements of this model and the reasons why they work. I heartily endorse that you become familiar with this book, which will undoubtedly be a standard reference for many years to come. I was particularly pleased to see how well he has combined the perspectives of many other business and nonbusiness thinkers in this area.

The key challenge to successful change is in communication. Everyone agrees on that from Axelrod to Bob Kaplan to John Kotter. The four-aspect model here is particularly well designed to overcome communication stalls and miscommunications. These aspects are widening the circle of involvement to get more ideas from more people (this is a corollary to the key observations of complexity science for self-organizing order at the boundaries of systems), connecting people to each other (in order to drop barriers to communication), creating communities for action (by establishing a mutual purpose and direction), and embracing our social concepts of democratic treatment of all (to overcome skepticism about the authenticity of engagement potential).

By way of analogy consider the writing of the original Constitution of the United States. How would this have worked out if George Washington had simply dictated what he wanted? As you can imagine, there is no way that George Washington could have come up with that document by himself. Well, that's the way most organizations try to make changes. The leader dreams up what she or he wants and tell or sells everyone else. Next, what if George had called in four of his buddies from Virginia and hired two consultants from New York? Would they have developed the Constitution we have? Probably not. It mostly would have reflected the perspectives of Virginia and New York. Even if they had, no one would have been very committed to it. The process the Constitutional Convention actually used is very similar to the one that Mr. Axelrod espouses.

The book's material is clear, the examples compelling, the warnings are timely, and the directions are appropriate.

What are the limitations then of this book? I see them in five areas: First, you have to experience this process to appreciate its power. So you can read this book all you want, and you may not "get it." My advice is to put yourself in a situation where you try out this model and find out how well it works. Second, there are a lot of other things that can go wrong that are not described here. Think about Russia. The country has gone a long way to create free markets but new enterprises are often floundering. Part of the reason is that people don't think and don't yet prefer to operate in entrepreneurial, participative terms. Many individuals and groups have that same problem. Third, the writing style of the book is too intellectual relative to its emotional intensity to engage many people in its message. Fourth, you may need a guide for the first few times you try this. Those with expertise are in relatively short supply. Fifth, if the people involved in the process do not develop their understanding of how to analyze systems-related issues and devise ideal solutions, you will still be missing a lot of potential for improvement.

You can think of this book as complementary to the ideas presented in the other superb new book on overcoming the communications stall, The Strategy-Focused Organization. I suggest that you read that book as well. The on-going measurements of the Balanced Scorecard process can be quite helpful in establishing all four aspects of the change model. If, independent of these perspectives, you also create a superior business model and strategy, you can be further aided by having irresistible forces consistently favoring your progress. Tie together those three perspectives, and you should be unbeatable.

After you have finished experiencing and applying this improved change model in your organization, I suggest that you consider how you can extend it into other organizations you care about, like the schools in your community, the charity you sit on the board of or volunteer for, and the local hospital.

May you always work openly and successfully with all stakeholders to build better solutions and implement them rapidly!

Richard H. Axelrod presents a model for creating more effective change in an organization by involving everyone in the change process from the beginning. He suggests setting up large conferences with cross-functional, multidisciplinary planning and implementation groups. As this implies, he advocates combining planning and implementation, rather than creating parallel processes. He argues that the top-down approach of having a leader who sells a vision to the organization doesn't work, although the leader should be involved in the conference process. It seems shortsighted to dismiss visionary leadership, with its successful track record in various settings, yet Axelrod has organized his ideas clearly. He provides tools for using his approach, including anecdotal success stories, how-to inserts, and guidelines for following this process. His model shares some characteristics of other conference planning approaches, including "Future Search." However, we [...] recommend this engagingly written book for its appeal to executives and top managers who seek intriguing planning and change strategies.

In his Foreword, Axelrod asserts that his "is the first book to challenge the widely accepted change management paradigm. It provides leaders at all levels of the organization -- all those who initiate, design,, and implement change -- with a set of principles for bringing about change in a turbulent world. It is not a methodology, nor is it a set of techniques; rather, it is a set of principles that everyone can fall back on when faced with new and different situations." In Part One, Axelrod identifies the problems with the current change management paradigm. In effect, he demythologizes conventional thinking on this subject. In Part Two, he examines four principles for producing an engaged organization, devoting a separate chapter to each. It is important to keep in mind that the nature and extent of production (or results) will be determined almost entirely by the nature and extent of engagement throughout an organization.

In Part Three, Axelrod shares his insights and suggestions which will assist his reader during the "Getting Started" phase of the process. Also, Axelrod discusses what he calls the "minefields" on the "road to [organization-wide] engagement." He concludes with a brief, especially valuable analysis of "eight specific issues the engagement paradigm can help you tackle, including the introduction of new technology, the increase in mergers, acquisitions, and alliances, and growing dissociation from communities."

If you are now involved in any of this or are about to become involved, I recommend this book highly. Carefully select those strategies which are most appropriate to your own organization's needs and interests. Axelrod can then help you to chart or to reformulate a proper course to implement those strategies.

Richard Axelrod has finally moved beyond the paradigm for change that has dominated this field for the last two decades. The inherent weaknesses of the current model are exposed. The four leadership challenges Axelrod defines if an organization is to cope with ongoing change: widening the circle of involvement, connecting people to each other and ideas, creating communities for action, and embracing democratic principles, are ideal for school communities. Through real life examples and clear writing he provides readers models of how they might contribute their multiple perspectives and skills to change in their schools.

If readers can connect Axlerod's insights with Senge's new book, "Schools that Learn," they will have superb guidance on how their schools might be redesigned to meet the needs of a new age.

I am the Director of Faculty Development at a Jesuit high school in San Francisco. We are currently using Axlerod's model with great success.

This is an amazing book with anecdootes and resources for anyone looking for an encore to their life's adventure. I recommend this to everyone and appreciatethe focus and passion. It is a perfect complimant for Three Cups of Tea!!!

As a career counselor for individuals in the second half of life, I found Encore to be an excellent resource for seekers as well as those of us guiding the next generation of "non-retirees". Freedman aptly describes the frustrations that this pioneering group faces as they attempt to identify their next endeavor and find or create an appropriate match in the marketplace. I hope that Freeman's comprehensive work is recognized by policy-makers, funders and employers who will support the evolution of encore careers and the generation of individuals who will serve in them.

Tabloid-style headlines have infected even mainstream magazines and newspapers in recent years. Articles about the coming "Social Security Disaster" vie for attention next to those on industry's inability to overcome the "Loss Of Baby Boomer Talent" or even fears that "Baby Boomers Will Retire Into Poverty." And these are not all the ravings of radio talk show hosts trying to build audience share. Experts like the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan have aired similar views on occasion.

Now comes author and social entrepreneur Marc Freedman to suggest that such doom and gloom are not necessary. In his new book Encore, Freedman insists that demography is not destiny. Sub-titled Finding Work That Matters In The Second Half Of Life, this excellent volume describes a number of alternative futures that could benefit us all. Freedman argues that actions we take today could simultaneously improve the national economy, strengthen our society, and improve the lot of aging Boomers throughout the land:
. For the sake of the economy, he asks that Boomers choose to - and be allowed to - remain productive;
. For the sake of society in general, he encourages Boomers to continue sharing their talents and experience; and
. For the sake of individual Boomers, he recommends changes that will allow them to remain gainfully employed, self-sustaining, and engaged in meaningful roles.

Today individual choices are often limited either to: a) 30 years of mind-numbing TV, golf and shuffleboard in the "Golden Years;" or b) greeting bargain-seekers as glorified doormen in the "Wal-Mart Years." While such retail sector bridge jobs might provide needed sustenance, they do little to maintain self-esteem or to benefit society in general. Freedman shows many ways in which tomorrow could be better than today, through a series of individual portraits of new American pioneers. As he describes them, "Instead of the freedom from work, they are searching for the freedom to work; instead of saving for a 'secure retirement,' they are underwriting an encore career."

So what could Boomers do in Freedman's bold new world? As he shows in his examples, they could:
. Stay on in their current roles instead of retiring, perhaps with more varied schedules or lesser work demands;
. Turn to helping professions such as teaching or nursing, which desperately need staff in many parts of the country;
. Learn and grow into entirely new careers, either in new interest areas or simply in response to changes in the economy; or
. Take on social entrepreneuring activities, much as Freedman has himself, in order to improve the world around us.

He also suggests ways in which today's rules about retirement could be modified, in order to help everyone involved. For example, retirees may now earn additional Social Security benefits by working from age 65 to age 68, but gain nothing more by continuing past that point. Further, they are discouraged from doing so by being forced to pay into Social Security even when they could be receiving payments from it. Similarly, employers are forced to provide equal benefits for all, even if some could be covered by Medicare. Changes to each of these policies, among others, could encourage both employers and employees to rethink today's typical forced-retirement scenarios.

Those facing medical or other issues should certainly be protected by the same options and benefits available today. Others, however, might value the opportunity to continue as productive citizens. Many, in fact, will have no choice but what Freedman calls "the practical necessity of extending working lives" - there's certainly more than a few grains of truth in all of those stories about Boomers not being financially ready to retire. Even those who do have adequate funds might not want to be set out to pasture, however. Leading-edge Boomers today, as a group, are healthier than any such age cohort which has come before them. They are likely to remain physically and mentally able to be productive for ten, twenty or even more years into the future.

Marc Freedman, by the way, does put his own energy where his mouth is. As founder and CEO of San Francisco's Civic Ventures, he has helped establish new activities including the Experience Corps, the Next Chapter, the Lead With Experience Campaign, and the Purpose Prize. You can learn more about these and other new ideas at his website, www.civicventures.org.

His book is a clearly-written and exciting vision of an alternative future that we can begin building today. Buy it now and start own encore career!

Society may never see another demographic group like the baby boom generation - people born between 1946 and 1964. During the 1950s, their great numbers dramatically changed everything, from manufacturing and construction to education and health care. The boomers' idealism and social activism branded the 1960s and 1970s. In subsequent decades, baby boomers changed the workplace and all other areas of life. Now, as this generation enters its retirement years, it is shaking things up again. Unlike previous seniors, boomers are not content to trudge quietly off the stage. Instead, many are choosing second careers in public service. In the process, boomers are redefining not only retirement but also work. Marc Freedman discusses this phenomenon and what it means for society by presenting profiles of baby boomers who took up second, service-oriented careers when they reached retirement age. Their stories are inspiring. getAbstract recommends this book to professionals in their late 50s and beyond who want to put their hard-won expertise to work on behalf of others.

With people living longer and having the opportunity to remain in the workforce longer, this is a book that needed to be written. Americans have more options than ever upon reaching retirement age. We can continue to work, we can retire, we can travel, etc. The author, Freedman, spells out in delicious detail those choices, and the result of whatever one we choose.

The book makes a point that others have made, but perhaps spells it out more directly. That point being that you may live longer, and be healthier, than your grandparents, and even your parents. Thus you had best be prepared, financially, mentally and emotionally.

I found the book to be a rather fast read and always interesting. I'd go so far as to say it's the best book about the second half of life I've read. The FUNNIEST book on the subject is Martha Bolton's "Race You To The Fountain of Youth." Hysterical. Race You to the Fountain of Youth: I'm Not Dead Yet (But parts of me are going fast)

I think Freedman's book about the second half of life is worth reading for anyone approaching retirement age. You have important decisions to make. Make then wisely or possibly pay for them later.