change Books

How to describe this book? Beyond anything you can imagine in a Christian book. This is not a self help book, but is the very heart of the scriptures that reaches out to touch and connect to the very presence of the Father God. The author is real, true and honest. She takes you to the very presence of the living God. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a closer, more intimate relationship with God. You will not be disappointed.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO WANTS A PERSONAL RELATION WITH YOU GOD.

What a blessing this book has been. A beautiful addition to my morning worship and praise.

When life seems hopeless with no place to turn for encouragment, Stormie encourages you how the power of praising and talking to God in prayer can give you the power you need to lift you out of some of life's most difficult pits. She reminds you that GOD ALMIGHTY is ALWAYS there ready to listen and act upon His Word. She teaches you through examples of how to talk to the Heavenly Father and make Him your Father in time of trouble. Often times we say, "I can't talk to God because I don't know how to pray." After reading this book, you will be set free from the LIE that keeps you trapped in your pit stating, "you can't receive FREEDOM or BLESSINGS from the HEAVENLY FATHER because you don't know how to pray." There is great power to overcome in prayer and praising God by quoting HIS WORD.The Prayer That Changes Everything®: The Hidden Power of Praising God (Omartian, Stormie)

I found this book so interesting that I incorporated many of the concepts described in a business course I taught. I believe that "Corporate life cycles" should be a must read text book in every business school and a recommended reading to entrepreneurs managing startups and managers of large corporations as well.

If you are thinking about setting up your own business, or have actually started up yours, you better read this book. It could really save you many a headache.

I did not quite understood why companies would behave in given ways. Even worse, I had not realized how to cope with common entrepreneurial problems until I came accross Dr. Adizes' work.

"Lifecycles" is written in an enjoyable style. Once you start reading it you will not put it down. Dr. Adizes book deserves all praise.

Lots of common sense. A few good insights. But all buried beneath mountains of endless repetition. Simple ideas obscured by turning them into psudo-mathematical formulas. Endless repetition. Dozens of made-up acronyms. Did I mention endless repetition. Of the same ideas. Repeatedly. Author laments no room for specific case studies, which might have actually given some color and life to the book. Of course there was no room for real-life examples. He was too busy turning simple ideas into obscure psudo-math and impossible-to-follow diagrams. Repeatedly.

If you are a person who desires to create change in your organization, improve profitability, manage the implementation of Strategic or Succession plans, or build a management development process, This book is for you! Most of my clients cannot put the book down as they read about their organization and how predictable companies grow and die.

I insist my clients read this book in order for me to help them build strategic or succession plans, as well as implement them. I do not have a CEO or Senior Exec, who has read the book and found it usesless or meaningless. This book helps me communicate with executives, as to what they see and experience within the company, in order for me to help them.

This is a "MUST READ" before you begin a "Change or Strategic Implementation Process." This is not a "touchy-feely" book. It is right to the point, and has good examples of each element. My favorite part is the Insultant vs Consultant discussion.

Adizes really does explain how and why corporations (indeed all organizations) grow and die...and what to do about it. He has identified a series of specific "lifecycles. His analysis of each (within a sequence) is especially valuable because, as he explains each with meticulous care, each lifecycle is best understood within a broad as well as deep frame of reference. A careful reader of Corporate Lifecycles can thus determine (a) where his or her organization is now within the sequence, (b) what will be required to reach or return to Prime or Stable (the two most desirable locations within the sequence), and (c) what to expect in terms of obstacles, perils, etc. en route.

Because the ideal combination, the ideal balance, of four critical "factors" (ie performance, administration, entrepreneurship, and integration) will always be a "moving target" under constant "attack" by internal as well as external forces, each organization must constantly be aware of what that ideal combination is for it at any given time, what that ideal balance should be. Change is the only constant.

There really isn't another book quite like Corporate Lifecycles. My brief comments can only begin to suggest Adizes' knowledge, wisdom, and experience which enable his reader to understand how and why organizations grow and die...and what to do about it.

This book gives a clear and very understandable outline of most common and uncommon religious traditions we experience today. Important for anyone interested in understanding what each religion teaches without bias. The writer does a great job giving the facts without passing judgment.

Arrived on time & in great condition (better than I even expected- minimal wear, no marks). This older edition was basically identical to the later one, so worked great for my Religions of the World class. Facsinating. Good price. Thanks!

I got my book in record time. I ordered it on a friday, and got it on Monday, when I needed it for school. I did not have any problems during the entire process. I highly recommend this seller to everyone.

i like it, got here in perfect condition, just took about 2-3 weeks

I've used several college religion texts through the years. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. EXPERIENCING THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS is no exception. I especially like the chapters on Hinduism and modern religious expressions. This book comes close to labeling post-modernity without actually going out on a limb to predict the future. The last chapters elevate this book beyond the norm for religious textbooks. The author includes a personal experience (which I like) in each chapter and a hypothetical experience for the reader (which I find distracting) opens each chapter. It doesn't put quite as much emphasis on basic (oral) religions as some texts. For instance, I wish it had a little more on Native American and Traditional African religions.

This is an excellent text for the instructor who is able to bring supplemental material into the classroom. Someone embarking on a private study of world religions should not feel as if the surface has been scratched until more than one text is read. I also reviewed RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD by Hopfe & Woodward. The two texts compliment each other nicely.

As a Workforce Development professional, I have administered a slew of career assessment instruments with varying success. Some of the newer quizzes and questionnaires aim to reveal the Dream Job: that one is best suited for. This job is also most likely to provide high job satisfaction. However, it is often difficult to find a job that fits both models.

Today's trend is to find a person's "calling." This is accomplished through paper and pencil tests like the Keirsey Temperament or Meyers-Briggs, online surveys, and even some effective card-sorting games. Some online measurements reveal one's "work personality" as being closest to a particular Star Trek® or Star Wars® character. These are fun, though a bit gimmicky - and not always correct. In the end, all this "work personality determination" can seem akin to casting horoscopes, while Young Adult Professionals (YAPS, as I call them) prefer something fresher. All these instruments have their due applications, but Ms. Levit's system outshines each one.

In a survey of workers aged approximately 20-39, Levit determined qualities that reveal Work Passions - more likeable and fun than "work personalities." Self-administered and self-scored, the associated quiz can be retaken yearly to determine changes throughout the lifespan (my own test results were spot on). The careers of passion, so to speak, are Adventurer (that's me), Creator (also me), Data Head (me, too), Entrepreneur, Investigator (me), Networker, and Nurturer. As with other quizzes, most users will likely score a "highest three categories" cluster that provides a range of lucrative career choices. Overall, the system is easy and based on facts.

Levit includes actual interviews with workers for clues on how to break into exciting careers that match the Passions, and she provides descriptions and in-depth information about the Top 60 Most Attractive Careers desired by young professionals today. Easy to read and engaging, the text is an exciting journey through a Disneyland type of Career Space Ride. For a neat finish, it all seems very effective.

Every high school and college grad should receive a copy of this book as a gift. This is one of the best books of its kind I have ever read or used. I am recommending it to many people.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.

As the author points out, a vanishingly small number of us grew up and went to college to work in a vast, impersonal cubicle farm doing work we have no passion for and that has no more than short term utilitarian importance. We didn't set out to be faceless and anonymous worker-bees. Yet, most of us end up in such jobs. There's nothing wrong with paying the bills and funding your life and life's passions outside work. In fact, many people actually enjoy this kind of work because of what it funds at home and at play.

What's wrong is living a life that makes you feel frustrated, trapped, and sinking deeper into a sense of uselessness. Alexandra Levit provides you with a bunch of alternative careers you can at least consider. A wise boss once said to me that we should enjoy 80% of our job and the other 20% is what we get paid for. That seems about right to me. So, if you hate roughly 80% of your job, maybe you well into the area for reconsidering how you spend your time putting bread on your table and a roof over your head.

The first chapter is a self-assessment to help you see what broad category might bring your more satisfaction than the situation that is leading you to seek out this book. After you take the assessment, you will be given advice about which of the seven broad categories may suit you best. The seven categories are The Adventurer, The Creator, The Data Head, The Entrepreneur, The Investigator, The Networker, and The Nurturer. You will notice that these aren't jobs. However, within each category she describes some possible jobs, what those careers are like, and how you go about getting them.

For example, in The Adventurer category you get to look at being a conservationist, documentary photographer, ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, foreign service officer, news correspondent, oceanographer, outdoor adventure guide, and travel journalist. Each of the categories are similarly broad. You will probably want to look through all of them regardless of what your assessment results are because each job is interesting to contemplate.

Remember, this is a book about getting ideas and leads for new jobs and is not about providing directives for your life. You will get ideas and you might become energized to go look at something completely different from your present path or from what is provided in this book. Even if you decide to stay where you are, reading through this book and considering other things may well help you see your job with new eyes and appreciation.

A good book for anyone of any age considering where to work for your first job, for a career change, or what to do after you have already had a career but aren't ready for the rocking chair or watching daytime soaps.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

You might want to also look at:

Delaying The Real World

Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams

I really enjoyed this book! It clearly broke down dozens of careers in a digestable manner, and it was fun to read. I'm a 20-something who doesn't feel entirely fulfilled in my current job and am using this book as a platform for finding new paths. There are so many interesting jobs that I had never even heard of...it was so fun to read about all the new opportunities!

One of the toughest times in life is getting to that stage where you're expected to go out on your own and make a living, but yet you don't have a clue as to what your dream job would be (or at least a *realistic* dream job). Alexandra Levit helps to cut through some of that confusion in her book How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them. Using this book as a guide, you can start to move in a particular direction where your passion and personality meshes with your occupation.

Contents:
Self-Assessment
The Adventurer: Conservationist; Documentary Photographer; ESL Teacher; Foreign Service Officer; News Correspondent; Oceanographer; Outdoor Adventure Guide; Travel Journalist
The Creator: Actor; Book Author; Fashion Designer; Interior Designer; Landscape Architect; Movie Screenwriter; Performance Musician; Restaurant Chef; Video Game Designer
The Data Head: Computational Linguist; Environmental Engineer; Financial Adviser; Information Security Specialist; Meteorologist; Pharmaceutical Scientist; Urban Planner
The Entrepreneur: Bed-and-Breakfast Innkeeper; Blogger; Boutique Owner; Event Planner; Health Club Owner; Internet-based Business Owner; Inventor; Pet Sitter; Professional Organizer
The Investigator: Antiques Dealer; Art Curator; Classic Car Restorer; Criminologist; Field Archaeologist; Forensic Scientist; Futurist; Historian; Psychology Lab Assistant
The Networker: Book Editor; Congressional Staffer; Image Consultant; Lobbyist; Marketing Executive; Pro Sports Team Manager; Speechwriter; Talent Agent; Television Producer; Wine Merchant
The Nurturer: Doula; Elementary School Teacher; Life Coach; Nonprofit Administrator; Nutritionist; Physical Therapist; Social Services Caseworker; Zoologist
Afterword; Acknowledgments; Bibliography

Levit starts out with a short self-assessment test. It's designed to root out your likes and dislikes, with the goal towards placing you in one (or more) of the main categories listed above. After you score the test and determine your type(s), there's a brief description of the personality attributes for those types, along with a list of jobs that they would quite often do well in. Once finished, you can start exploring the job write-ups in your particular area of interest.

Each job write-up gives a realistic sense of what to expect. There are quotes from people who currently do that job, explaining what they like and don't like about it. She explains the general requirements of the job, the type of work to expect, resources to get more information, and most important (for many), how much one could expect in terms of pay. As you'll quickly learn, it may be that the money you want to be able to earn doesn't normally come to those in a particular occupation. Don't expect to be pulling down $100K a year as a social services caseworker, for example. But to some, the emotional and psychological pay-offs of the job offer far greater compensation than the actual paycheck. Figuring this out beforehand can save you some time and effort (and heartache) when picking a career path.

I would expect that most people reading this would be the 20-somethings who are trying to figure out their place in the world. But, if you're approaching retirement or looking to make a career switch, this book will also serve you well in terms of decision-making for the Career 2.0 phase of your life.

This book was a fun read. I liked it in a superficial kind of way. It features 60 jobs that may be worth pursuing. The author has grouped the 60 jobs in seven of the book's 8 chapters as follows:

1. Self-assessment
2. The adventurer
>>Conservationalist >>Documentary photographer >>ESL teacher
>>Foreign Serviceofficer >>News correspondent >>Oceanographer
>>Outdoor adventure guide >>Travel journalist
3. The creator
>>Actor >>Book author >>Fashion designer
>>Interior designer >>landscape architect >>movie screenwriter
>>Performance musician >>Restaurant chef >>Video game designer
4. The datahead
>>Computational linguist >>Environmental engineer >>Financial advisor
>>Information security specialist >>Meteorologist >>Pharmaceutical scientist
>>Urban planner
5. The entrepreneur
>>Bed-&-breakfast innkeeper >>Blogger >>Boutique owner
>>Event planner >>Health club owner >>Internet-based business owner
>>Inventor >>Pet sitter >>Professional organizer
6. The investigator
>>Antiques dealer >>Art curator >>Classic car restorer
>>Criminologist >>Field archeologist >>Forensic scientist
>>Futurist >>Historian >>Psychology lab assistant
7. The networker
>>Book editor >>Congressional staffer >>Image consultant
>>Lobbyist >>Marketing executive >>Pro sports team manager
>>Speech writer >>Talent agent >>Television producer
>>Wine merchant
8. The nurturer
>>Doula >>Elementary school teacher >>Life coach
>>Nonprofit administrator >>Nutritionist >>Physical therapist
>>Social services caseworker >>zoologist

Chapters 2 though 8 cover occupations that are grouped by the personality type of the person suited for them. For example, someone who is creative (a creator) might want to be a book author or movie screenwriter. See Chapter 3. And the reader is expected to use Chapter 1 to determine which personality type they have. After reading Chapter 1 they can then turn to the chapter that applies to them and skip the rest of the book. In that case, the book can be a very short read.

The author says this book was written to help the reader embark on the journey toward career fulfillment. And the target audience is really smart, ambitious, goal-directed kids. I'm sorry, but the list of jobs featured in this tome for the most part do not seem to match the target audience. And they don't seem to be entry-level jobs that will help someone get on with a career full of fulfullment.

If you are looking for a book that will give you some insight into how to land a job featured in this book, then this book is for you. It is well-written and informative. However, if you are really smart, ambitious, and goal directed, then I suspect you have already planned your career moves long before graduating from college and you will get little from this book. Generally speaking, entry-level jobs are not fulfilling. And a book that provides career advice shouldn't really be advising on particular jobs for new recruits. Instead, it should be advising on CAREER TRACKS that will lead to a fulfilling occupation that can adequately support a worthy lifestyle financially. If the author had done this latter thing, then I would have really liked the book. 4 stars!

This book is going to going to rub some people the wrong way. More than the others in the series, it attacks current political dogma and demands a change. It does, in fact, ask why when the US government is doing so much to stabilize the economy, the world, and help people in general, why we still think that government help is bad. New Orleans needed more help, and Texas couldn't wait for the federal government. So this level of the book is going to be liked or disliked based on personal political beliefs. I think we have seen that from past reviews.

However, this book like the others is only tangentially about politics. Like mant works of science fiction it is a way for to think of how out technology will effect the world and how we might preemptively prevent negative consequences. When it thought we would have robots wandering around the street, the three laws of robotics were proposed. Star Trek proposed the Prime Directive for dealing with new cultures. The list goes on. This series presupposes a traumatized world that has not happened yet, and may not happen, and proposes some alternatives. It may not be the best idea to expend government funds to pump and mine every bit of fossil fuel and burn it for energy. It may be better to spend money on Solar. The same goes for accounting methods that do include ancillary costs of acquiring that oil, such as the $1 trillion for the war in iraq. Who knows if any of this will transpire, or if any of this work? This is science fiction.

Even this technological consequence thing is secondary to the real crux of the story, which is what Robinson, like so many other science fiction writers, excel in. That is people and relationships. Each character in the story is certain archtype, and each represents a specific manner of interacting with the world. Charlie is the domestic political, feeding ideas to those in charge in hopes of making a change, while at the same time knowing that family is what makes a country. Ann is the dedicated scientist, looking for a silver bullet to solve the problem. Diane is the scientist administrator who believes that world can be saved through science, a constant theme through most science fiction, and in the real world, politics is who one saves the world. Ergo, the thrust of all three books.

This is why I like this book the best. In the previous books it appeared that Robinson was going to take the traditional trajectory and claim that science would allow to live at our current standard of living, or even better, and still save the world. While it is a nice fantasy, I did not think it fit in with overall tone of the book, which was more reality based. However, in this last book with the increasing focus on the refugees from Khembalung and Frank, and the freegans, it is clear that he does realize, and is trying to promote, a change in relationship to our planet. This is another reason why some may find it to be their most hated book. Even Ann, the absolute scientist, has moments where she realizes that science alone cannot help us.

Which we see in the allegory of Frank dropping off the grid, people leading decent lives by eating what others waste, and an entire village raising Joe to become not what his father desperately wants, a son he can call his own, as Nick is definitely his Mother's son, but whatever Joe is. And this may be the lesson of book. We cannot, science cannot, religion cannot, make something that which it is not. The world happens. We can change it for a while, but at some point we just have to adapt.

Terribly boring, a sorry way to end such a promising series on environmental climate change. Again, Robinson focuses on the bureaucracy dealing with climate change which can be interesting, but the plot was tedious and drawn out. The lame side story of a secret government agency fixing the election via a Diebold like fixing is pointless. I have no doubt Diebold has done some nasty stuff, but I did not see the relevance of it in this book. This entire series dragged for me and this last book was such an utter disappointment, I really wanted to like it but it was not good.

In Sixty Days and Counting, Robinson closes his stupendous climate trilogy. In this series, Robinson gives us a fascinating look into very realistic scenarios of politics and science in a not too-far-away future. But what gives these books an added depth, I believe, is his wonder on human nature, on who we are, and why we are the way we are. One of the aspects that I most enjoyed in these books was his delving into evolutionary biology and sociobiology. That is, how to explain in a scientific way the way we are, based on the understanding that we are apes that evolved in the African savannas. We're apes with very special abilities, for sure, but apes in the end. Robinson goes further and connects ideas that have come from an evolutionary point of view with Tibetan Buddhism. I was surprised to see how close they are, how they've come to similar conclusions by way of very different methods. I believe that he was able to set out these two sets of complex ideas in an understandable format, and I'm very glad that he included these topics in the books. This is the reason that I give 40 Signs of Rain (and this trilogy) 4 points.
I could also add other high points of these books. First is Robinson's ability to create fascinating characters and go deep into their thinking and acting. By the end of this book, we know the characters as if they had been our friends all our lives. In his first book, Forty Signs of Rain, Robinson starts with several characters whose lives at first appear disconnected, but later on become more intertwined in a complex and interesting drama. On the second book, the author focuses more on Frank, a professor from UCSD who is at leave from the university and working at NSF. This character is rich, complex and realistic. The second book is the strongest of the three for me, with the most entertaining plot, and where he covers these philosophical ideas more deeply. In the third book my understanding is that he focuses more on change, and how what we believe to be permanent things turn out to be ephemeral.
I do have some criticisms! I think that the first book starts out too slow, and the third book looses steam at one point, and, for a while, it is hard to see where the author wants to go. But it is on this seemingly non-changing plot in 40 Days and Counting that suddenly everything is different by the end of the book.
In this climate trilogy you will find a realistic story of climate change, not a Hollywood story The Day After Tomorrow-like, where in a single day a cold front buries all North America in 1000 feet of ice. But in that realism relies, for me, the strength of this book. Robinson was able to create such a good story out of ordinary people in extraordinary times. And although this trilogy might have its slower parts, I highly recommend it.

Neatly wraps up the three-book series, but perhaps a bit too neatly. While the major issue -- the effects of global warming and efforts to mitigate it -- continues to be the most fascinating "what if" of the third book, and is convincingly dealt with (saying more would be a spoiler), the resolution of the human relationships in the book is a bit pat in some cases and some plot twists are of the "I wonder when he was going to throw that in" variety. Still, Kim Stanley Robinson is a fine writer with an eye for realistic detail, and the odd turn on that detail, and this book is worth reading for the thought-provoking aspects alone.

Those of you who read the previous two books in this series will remember that, at the end of the previous book, Fifty Degrees Below, Senator Phil Chase was elected President of the United States. Chase was elected, thanks to the combined efforts of NSF scientist, Frank Vanderwal, his spook girlfriend, Caroline Barr, and a number of Frank's clandestine colleagues around the country -- all of whom joined forces to prevent the right-wingers, including Caroline's (ex?) husband, from yet again stealing the presidency for their own personal gain and evil ends (but the author never clarifies what exactly are the goals of these evil people, I guess he assumes we all are privy to this information, although I certainly am not).

By the time Chase is elected president, it is clear that the planet's climate is going to hell in a handbasket. Not only is the weather in Washington DC wildly unpredictable -- warm one day, freezing the next -- but there are other daily indications that things are not going well, such as widespread housing and food shortages, flooding, drought, loss of biodiversity and numerous other problems. However, there is some reason for optimism: scientists have at least managed to restart the Gulf Stream, for example.

Because Chase was elected President, his principle advisor, Charlie Quibler, must go to work full-time at the White House instead of spending his days yelling advice into his cell phone while running through the city's parks, chasing after his toddler son, Joe -- a proposition that Charlie hates. But he finally does give up his mister mom role by entrusting his precious younger child to the White House daycare staff, and works down the hall from the President himself, helping Chase make key appointments to his cabinet.

One of those choices was appointing NSF head, Diane, to the role of Presidential Science Advisor. Diane, of course, asks Frank and Anna Quibler to join her, but Anna refuses, wisely preferring to stay at the NSF. Frank is suffering from a brain injury that renders him indecisive, and further, he is also in love with Diane, so he accepts her invitation, although he'd rather return to his previous job in California.

The novel mostly focuses on Frank, once again, although why it does, I do not know -- so would it be trite of me to mention at this point that even though he is working at the White House, Frank is still officially homeless? Hello?? Has the author ever heard of Homeland Security? Okay, it's true that Frank often stays with the expat Khembalese on their estate in Maryland instead of in his van or in his treehouse in a downtown park in Washington DC, and that he rarely hangs out with his homeless friends anymore and only tracks escaped zoo animals when he has spare time, instead of every evening as he did in the second book when he was working at NSF. I should also point out that when Frank stays with the Khembalese, he is properly nourished too, instead of living on refuse retrieved from dumpsters throughout the greater Metro area.

Anyway, after this idiosyncratic beginning, the novel rapidly devolves into a silly 500-plus page cat-and-mouse political spy thriller where poor, indecisive Frank is stuck in the middle of two women (neither of them knows about the other, of course), unable to decide who he is really in love with; the powerful, articulate and intelligent Diane, or the nearly invisible and flighty, but occasionally sexually available Caroline? Of course, there is Caroline's (ex?) husband to consider, too. He's the man who gave Frank his little brain injury in the second book by smashing him in the face with a tire iron.

The book occasionally comes up for air from the contrived Frank-Diane-Caroline emotional menage a trois to examine other topics that were introduced in the two previous books, such as the effect that the Khembalese ah, "exorcism" had on Joe's personality. Basically, in the second book, the Khembalese perform a so-called "exorcism" ritual that transforms the toddler from a complete brat into a more affable kid. But his parents, Charlie and Anna, are troubled by this sudden docility, realizing that they prefer their little Joe to be banging innocent playmates on the head with steel dump trucks that are the size of footballs. So by the end of this book, poof, the Quiblers get their wish: the Khembalese undo their hocus-pocus and little Joe is once again happily terrorizing his parents, their friends and all the children within city blocks of where he is located.

Additionally, this book includes a brief but nonetheless unsatisfying glimpse at the so-called "ferals" and homeless people (mostly men, mostly mentally ill) whom Frank spent so much time with in book two, giving me the impression that these people were not very important to Frank (nor to the story, and definitely not to the author). Further, I was especially disappointed with the thoughtlessly casual way that the author dealt "the problem" of the homeless teenager, Chessman: the author hinted that Chessman might have an important role in the development of the story as early as the middle of the second book, since Frank repeatedly wondered about Chessman's mysterious disappearance from that point onwards. But Chessman's disappearance had nothing whatsoever to do with the story's development or resolution, making it appear that the author didn't know what to do with this particular character, which makes me wonder why Chessman was introduced into the story in the first place.

In addition to all those little quibbles, I have a few other things I'd like to mention: I thought that Frank's brain injury, which made him unable to think clearly and to make decisions, was an absolutely ridiculous plot device. Ditto for Frank's entire lifestyle as a homeless, tree-dwelling, dumpster-diving, frisbee-flicking, animal-tracking primate who happened to be employed as a scientist at NSF. I mean, really, this was such an overt insult to all those truly hard-working scientists out there who actually do work at NSF or elsewhere!

I also thought the "exorcism" (and its subsequent reversal) of Joe Quibler by the Khembalese was beyond stupid: It was an overt insult to the author's main characters, most of whom were scientists -- people who are steeped in rationality and logic, who are not about to believe in that sort of mumbo-jumbo. He thoughtlessly betrayed so many of his characters, beginning with the cooly rational Anna Quibler, with this truly ridiculous and dead-end story line.

Further, I was astonished at the audacity and lack of ethics displayed by the scientists who released an untested, genetically-engineered lichen that would supposedly reverse global warming by absorbing carbon [yes, there was a wee bit of science in this book, although you did have to look hard to find it]. And finally, I admit that I laughed out loud when the author suggested that nearly all (or was it all?) of the US military's funds be shifted to ecological programs -- puhleeze. I thought the author was writing a "hyper-realistic science-fiction novel" not a comic fantasy.

Okay, this is my last complaint: I didn't like ANY of the characters. After spending 1500 pages with all of the characters in this story, I ended up wanting to slap every one of them for various reasons, starting with Frank, because they were so annoying, so stupid, so out-of-character! Well, except for Diane and Phil Chase, but we, the readers, never get to know either of them because the author is too busy regaling us with yawn-inspiring anecdotes about how women look sexy when throwing softballs or rock-climbing or kayaking up dangerous waterfalls.

Oddly, after taking more than one thousand pages to develop the story, the author casually wraps up most of his plotline's wacky loose ends in only a few pages (three or four, to be exact), none of which are even remotely interesting or logical. In short, Sixty Days doesn't end with a bang, as I had expected, instead, it ends with a barely audible whimper, accompanied by a stinky sulfurous cloud as it quietly slides past the author's sphincter muscles and out of his bowels and onto thousands of dead trees that these stupid books were printed on.

I ready this book cover-to-cover last night! It was wonderful! Tons of ideas and real world examples given for almost every topic. Beautifully put together and an aboslute delight to read.

A definite must read for those in HR AND employees. Everyone plays a part in making a company a great place to work. I work in marketing and found a lot of the ideas are ones that we can use to make our company more customer-focused and a more fun place to buy and experience.

I plan on using several ideas and techniques provided. Very easy, simple concepts everyone can benefit from using them.

Thanks for the great book!

Get Wierd has quite a few good ideas on how to get more out of yourself and your work.

Get Weird is a book full of not-so-weird but some practical ideas on how to make your company better-recognized, your employees happier, and your bottom line stronger. The author of Get Weird is someone who believes creativity in management comes from the HR department, so he is the kind of person who keeps "techies", as he calls them, at arms length and tosses some Hot Pockets in periodically. But, as author Putzier points out, people go to three-day seminars thinking that if they get one or two good ideas from it, it will be worth it. By those standards, everyone will find Get Weird worth it.

My favorite: Family Day, when everyone brings in their children/parents/significant others, so they can see what the company and their loved one does all day. Everyone gets to leave with swag.

Stupider idea, could only come from HR: Casual get togethers that involved forced mingling featuring probing personal questions of fellow employees.

We do it better: Having the CEO take the entire company to a matinee, complete with complimentary snacks for all.

This was my 2nd business type book I've purchased.This book is all about how to being a good boss and looking after your staff and making your business a great place to work.Definitely a 101 type book.Plenty of advice here to help all business improve and keep good staff from leaving.

An ideal book that all business owners should have.

As an insatiable consumer of business books, I can confidently say that "Get Weird!" is the most engaging, entertaining, yet useful business book I've ever read. It's chock full of great ideas guaranteed to make your workplace the one people on the outside want to get into. Putzier's humorous writing style and knack for knowing a great idea when he sees one make this one of the most enjoyable and beneficial business books you'll ever buy. I've recommended it to hundreds of people and will continue to for the rest of my career.

I had used this book with a course I had taken in college. It is very interesting if you are unfamilair with urban problems. If you are slightly familiar(by living in the city) it is still informative if you have a good teacher.

Took this book due to requirements of a course but found myself very engrossed to finish the book beyond course requirements. Author presents very diverse issues and perspectives to issues in urban life. There is a lot of appreciation to the cityscape in political and economic terms. It just makes you feel like these are things you see everyday in a city but fail to see why before this book. It's like peering into a painting and finally understanding how the artist created it. This is looking at your neighbourhood and realising the forces that shape the way your city look and feels like. Buy it!

I haven't read it in years, but it was one of three book that I would rate as life-changing for me. Since it was introduced to me in college, I've bought and given this book away so many times I cannot count, but each time it was gone I would seek out another copy (sometimes in bulk). What an important work!

This thin book is so refreshing. It is anything but predictable to the self-help junkie. This is not self-help. This a realistic look at the discipline that it takes to change oneself. It takes an unexpected turn, bringing the reader closer to the author's own struggles. A great compassion came over me after reading this book.

I loved this book when it dealt with very deep issues of personal choice in the therapeutic process, and I hated it when the author dated himself by insisting on treating homosexuality as if it were a mental disease. This was obviously written several decades ago, before the American Psychiatric Association finally removed homosexuality from its list of disorders. And Wheelis seems to bring up the issue a lot, even if he seems well-intentioned. I really would love to recommend this book to people, and have even given it out with apologies and explanations, but it really should be re-written with all homophobic comments removed.

Wheelis might argue that my writing this review is a conundrum: mandatory necessity versus arbitrary necessity. I cannot or will not answer that question. Suffice it to say that you the reader ought to make the time to read this slim book.

His writing is embarrassingly succinct and refreshingly frank. Thus, the book invites several readings; I have read it several times. Keep in mind that the subject of this book is self-directed change. "So long as one lives, change is possible; but the longer such behavior is continued the more force and authority it acquires." How then do we change? "Insight is instrumental to change, often an essential part of the process, but does not directly achieve it."

The author, to his credit, includes himself as a portrait of one who struggles with change. Read the chapter entitled "Grass." A friend, reading it, refused to borrow the book. She condemned the story as an example of child abuse. Superficially, it certainly seems so. One cannot avoid, however, the poignancy of the father's heartfelt remarks, "I wish you could understand, though, that I wouldn't be trying to teach you so fast if I knew I would live long enough to teach you more slowly." The father lay sick with tuberculosis, dying but months later.

Wheelis puts the story in context that will resonate with all who read it: "Thus I was made a psychological slave." But, "A slave is one who accepts the identity ascribed to him by a master." So, can one change? How? I cannot answer that question. I can give you one last quote from Wheelis, "The new mode will be experienced as difficult, unpleasant, forced, unnatural, anxiety-provoking. It may be undertaken lightly but can be sustained only by considerable effort of will. Change will occur only if such action is maintained over a long period of time."

Or, was B.F. Skinner more correct? "A person does not act upon the world, the world acts upon him."

This book was written in the early '70s and, as such, touches tangentially on issues of the day such as homosexuality. With hindsight, we can easily condemn Wheelis' statements on that topic; but I firmly believe that the author himself would think differently today. Criticism of this book on that basis is specious at best and dishonest at worst. Wheelis draws on his own insight to discuss in a wonderfully accessible way what can happen when we make profound change. It is a very small book -- Wheelis does not mince words. He gets to the heart of the matter and stays with it. Most of us shrink from change, we are afraid of the dark. Wheelis shines a light of hope that inspires courage without minimizing the difficulties of change. To a great extent, he demystifies it while keeping its wonder.

Bob Doppelt is the first sustainability expert to describe the nuances and challenges of successfully implementing a systemic sustainability program. Where others have said that "you need to get the people in the organization involved," Doppelt goes deeper and tells us how to do this.

His comprehensive approach, systems thinking, and concrete examples give us previously unavailable insights about successfully implementing sustainability programs in organizations.

I especially appreciate that he includes economic, population, and social equity concerns and not just the technical aspects of protecting and improving the environment.

I have recommended this book to all my sustainability Ph.D. students.

While the concept of sustainability and sustainable development is still ethereal, Bob Doppelt has his finger at the pulse of our best thinking, practices and strategy for implementation. I resonate with his view that the process of achieving sustainability is messy and non-linear and people enter it from many directions. This book has informed my understanding and has helped structure a subject that has a moving target component to it. Bob Doppelt's work has credibility and substance for me.