change Books

Great book! Has a wonderful history of fundraising element to it that I was not expecting. It really is fantastic to feel as if the work you are doing for a non-profit is really making a difference, doing things Egger's way will get you there.

Egger dismisses the work of fundraising revolutionaries like Dan Pallotta without really understanding what Pallotta was about. With Egger's "vision" non-profits would stay small, pay their workers miserly wages, and the next generation of fundraisers would be wise to look for better paying work. Pathetic lack of fundraising innovation.

As a person inexperienced with community foundations or nonprofit organizations and now on a foundation committee, I found Mr. Egger's book to be colorful, amusing, down to earth and imminently practical. To think that someone in the seemingly shallow entertainment business could turn around and use his knowledge to change nonprofits and foundations into dynamic enterprises with enthusiastic participants at all levels is exremely inspiring.

Egger's book is an excellent combination of facts, cause-effect logic and practical suggestions on how to make charity much more life-changing for the recipients. As a Hurricane Katrina victim, I know first hand how little meaningful help comes from big not-for-profits and government. The system is crying for reform. Eggers has an approach that works better than many current ones. People in positions of authority need to listen and change behaviors.

Eighty-four Americans volunteer with a charity, and $200 billion is contributed every year. "Begging for Change" summarizes Robert Egger looking back on his experiences (first running successful night clubs, then a non-profit kitchen and training program) and offering his critique of the $800 billion non-profit world in general.

A key Egger point is that non-profits need to ask: "Are you perpetuating a cycle of need and dependency?" Today charity is governed by innumerable individuals and their egos, many of which are "business-as-usual" career do-gooders who've never run their own company. Many duplicate each others' services and fight each other for funding. They talk of how many were fed or sheltered, but not about how many got out of dependency.

There now are more than 1.5 million non-profits, and their latest evolution is to "realize" that they have to pay those at the top well to attract good people. Thus, in D.C. there are about 25,000 non-profits, requiring over $1.5 billion just for CEO and executive director salaries! Yet, over 70% have revenues less than $500,000/year, and neither government nor Adam Smith's "Invisible Hand" act to make those that are ineffective go away. Many should.

In addition, there is the needless complexity added by multiple funding sources and their frequent "strings." One non-profit gets its $20 million from 161 sources - think of all the attention required to mind all those masters!

Egger started a training program for cooks, food-handlers, and servers - thus, both offering them a "hand-up" (instead of just a "hand-out") and substantially reducing the need for full-time assistants. Many fail, but many more succeed; even a substantial number of those that fail initially (drug tests, absences) reform, come back, and later complete the program.

Another important Egger point is that companies interested in helping the poor should first focus on paying their own employees well enough so that they can succeed, rather than paying them so little that they cannot succeed and then wondering how to help others that are downtrodden.

Another Egger innovation was to realize that local catering services were always being leaned on by non-profits to provide deeply discounted services. Egger offered to take that business over with his staff in training - and thus relieved them of a burden while providing his trainees with an important opportunity to demonstrate their talents first-hand to society's higher-ups. He also briefly illustrates examples where organizations provide for-profit services while focusing on hiring those with checkered or limited backgrounds.

Egger points out that the aging Baby Boom will soon provide a test of our social services as they move into old age and increasingly require more services.

Finally, Egger suggests that "more" is not always "better." For example, if his organization held a fund-raiser to renovate or acquire new facilities, that would deplete resources available in the community for other needy organizations.

Egger's examples of systems thinking and sacrifice by those at the top (Egger took only a $50,000 salary while heading the D.C. United Fund) should be taken to heart by all non-profits (especially the Red Cross) and the government (with its many overlapping and conflicting programs).

North starts his book out emphasizing the important role played in economic development by the uncertainty of the future that impacts the decision makers whose actions will create technological and institutional change over time.This uncertainty is the uncertainty emphasized by Schumpeter,Keynes,Knight,Ellsberg,and Mandelbrot( or mild risk versus wild risk),as opposed to the risk emphasized by neoclassical economics in the form of the standard deviation of a normal probability distribution.Throughout the book North correctly emphasizes uncertainty and not risk as being the environment in which decision makers make choices that will determine future economic growth and change.Unfortunately,North devotes only one small paragraph on p.13 to this vital distinction(uncertainty versus risk).North needs to have spent much more time and pages carefully covering this distinction since it is crucial to understanding the process of economic change .North needs to provide the reader with at least two chapters devoted to covering the risk versus uncertainty topic.The only readers who will benefit from this book would be readers who have already read the relevant works of Knight ,Keynes,Schumpeter,Ellsberg,and Mandelbrot that deal with this topic.I would recommend that a potential reader first cover chapters 7 and 8 of Knight's 1921 book,Risk,Uncertainty and Profit ,and then read chapter 7 on the business cycle from Schumpeter's 1912 book The Theory of Economic Development.North needs to substantially revise the book .His preliminary chapter on cognitive psychology can be filled out more completely once he has added the chapters on uncertainty and its impact on the irreversible nature of investment in long run,long lived, physical,durable capital goods which is " cast in concrete " and essentially irrevocable.

The book's main conjecture can probably be best described backwards: at the end of a number of steps, the political and economic outcomes may be observed. These outcomes are the result of the behavior of a number of relevant actors. Their incentives are structured by the prevailing institutions, which, in North's understanding, consist of formal rules, informal norms, and their enforcement characteristics. Institutions themselves, however, are not exogenously given; they are created by humans who act intentionally. North argues that institutions are created based on the relevant actors' beliefs. If the results of the institutions people create are not as expected, people will update their beliefs--they will learn--and institutional change will continue endlessly. To understand the process of institutional change, then, one must understand how beliefs come into being, receive updating, and form the basis of human action. Such understanding is North's current goal....

North tries to deal with the question by delving into cognitive science. To understand how beliefs are formed and how humans learn, he asserts, we must first understand better how our brains work. Thus, he enters territory where, owing to the academic division of labor, economists are amateurs. However, rather than seriously engaging the relevant issues, he barely scratches the surface. Far from familiarizing the reader with the relevant issues by a thorough survey of recent discussions in cognitive science, he barely mentions two or three competing standpoints and then ends the chapter....

In sum, at the outset of my reading of this book, I hoped to find further substantial progress in the new institutional economics. While reading it, however, I realized that it lacked the rigor of the same author's previous books in this field of research. Instead of offering intriguing new arguments, North repeats questions without offering any real answers.

I think everyone interested in general business, economics or business strategy should read this book. For some a topic as big as the one Professor North is tackling here might require thousands of pages and a great deal of analytical complexity.

Most students of economics recognize Nobel Prize winner Douglass North and his work. As a specialized student of management, finance and accounting, I am not qualified to analyze the work in relation to its place in the professional field of economics -- although I understand its intentions and direction. My review rather focuses on the relevance of Professor North's statement in this book as a guide for my students of corporate strategy, business policy, finance and accounting; including as well my many clients in executive positions and the practice of law.

The systems view of economic change provided by Professor North casts light on long-term organizational thinking and helpful to our search for corporate and business strategy models in the increasingly efficient capital market environment revealed by modern financial economics.


More to follow....

This book is geared too much towards IT process changes and can never escape its software base of knowledge to address general business process change in a meaningful way. It was required reading for a business process improvement class and I never went beyond the required reading because it just wasn't useful. This might be useful for an IT project lead but anyone else would be better served by any one of the many books on Toyota, Six Sigma, or Lean.

It came in on time and in the condition stated. Would buy from this seller again.

This is a very good book. I am a Data Warehouse / Business Analysis Architect and one of the keys to my profession is maximizing technology in order to solve business problems. Harmon writes about how IT is a key enabler of BPM.

Harmon really does a good job of documenting the importance of BPM and process redesign, rather than wholesale reengineering of processes through the implementation of ERP systems. Harmon writes about how business processes can be considered assets of a corporation. This is important. Another key thread in the book is that all processes in an organization should map back to the value propositions of the company and therefore map directly to strategic goals.

Mapping all processes to the value propositions of the company is important to ensure that nothing the company does is done solely for the sake of the institution, but maps to a business goal.

This book was recommended by several of my lean consulting friends, who specialize in agile project management, as an excellent source for documenting and analyzing process workflows in complex environments. I agree, this book is a must read for people tasked with redesigning informational workflows in service systems. I have read it twice and continue to learn new ways to analyze business processes.

When I purchased the book early 2003 I agreed with most of the reviews.

However, having it read again. It really shows that a lot of stuff has been outdated and certainly requires updating.

Especially on the new trends like Six Sigma, compliance and innovative technology solutions.

I know Amazon says this is a book for 9-12 year olds but I'm older and I loved it. I started reading the Heartland books in like 5th grade but like now I really think this is a book that people my age would enjoy. However, if you haven't read at least the last five books first it won't mean as much to you. I am one of those people that isn't really sensitive and has never cried in a book before but this book made me cry. Everyone should read this book! It's fantastic!

Another awesome example of Lauren Brooke's admirable ability to relate to our-age teen equestrians. With the new and challenging mustang on her hands, and Ty still in the hospital, quite a few surprises spring up, and Amy has to deal with many things she hasn't yet dealt with- such as a horse completely and totally not responding. I won't tell you whether or not Ty wakes up, if he is in a wheelchair, if he is fine, or if he is... dead. One bit of information I can spare without ruining the numerous surprise scenes is that this book is far more emotional and in-depth than Lauren Brooke's previous works, but I can not say I am opposed. Amy seems to still be herself, but more sentimental and emotional at the same level. (...)

I absolutely love the Heartland books since they're all so great and this one was no different.

In Everything Changes, Amy deals with alot. She has to since Ty's still in a coma and there's an un-backed stallion (Dazzle) straight from the plains of Nevada. Plus dealing with all of the other damaged horses by herself and the barn chores.

This was a great book and I hope Lauren Brooke continues on writing.

About the book: Life is slowly returning to normal at Heartland. Amy continues doing the daily chores at Heartland, but without her boyfriend, Ty. Ty is still in a coma at the hospital from a tornado that hit heartland in the previous book. Heartland has a mustang stallion arriving, and Amy is excited. She never got to work with a horse quite like that before, and she cant wait to get started. But when she does get started, the stallion, Dazzle, finds it difficult to warm up to Amy. She realizes she's in for a long haul with this horse. Ty eventually recovers and forms a bond with Dazzle.

My Opininon: Awesome book, awesome series! For horse lovers all around the world! And i know the reading level says ages 9-12, but im 16 and i STILL read this series. I've been a loyal fan since book #1 came out (Coming Home). I recommend this book and all the others in the series to any horse lover.

Oh yeah, and before i forget: This series is ending after book #20 (Always there). But check out Lauren Brooke's BRAND NEW series: Chestnut Hill. The first book is called "The New Class".

I have been reading the Heartland books for quite a long time and they have been all good but this book is DEFINITELY my favourite. This book has alot of things going on in it and at the end it leaves you on a cliff hanger. I can't wait to read the next book(Love is a gift) and anyone who is a horse lover will simply adore this book.

Better Thinking Better Results is not just a case study on how Wiremold implemented lean; it is a fascinating manual for leaders on lean transformation. Thorough and yet extremely readable, this really should be one of the top three "must reads" of lean (along with the Toyota Way Fieldbook and Lean Transformation; finance professionals should also read Practical Lean Accounting). This paperback second edition has an short update about developments since 2002. The book has the added benefit of extensive footnotes full of further references, useful tools (such as the 20 question employee survey) and lean trivia (when did the term "lean production" first appear in print ?). It is an excellent book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I've always considered the first edition of this book to be the best real-world example of how to execute a lean enterprise transformation. The story of Wiremold is one of the unfortunately rare cases of a group of executives that understand that lean is not only about continuous improvement, but also respect for people. The operational and financial results that Art Byrne and his Wiremold team achieved are stunning and inspirational. This second edition also includes an update that describes what has happened at Wiremold after Legrand purchased the company. Unfortunately it's a sad story of reverting back to the old batch and queue methods and losing operational excellence. But Bob Emiliani is able to turn that negative outcome into a very thought-provoking lesson for all of us on how tenuous and fragile lean enterprise excellence can be.

If you are looking to get the best advices about how lean can transform a business and its profound implications within a company and its market, please read this book. You will understand how leadership and lean knowledge at the top is of paramount importance, how humor make lean transformation simpler, and how, besides the production floor, Lean affects product development, accounting and can make profitable an acquisition faster. I strongly suggest this book to everyone in an executive position.

This is the best overall book on lean management since Lean Thinking. An excellent methodical description and analysis of the Wiremold lean journey, demonstrating the tools and leadership required to execute a lean transformation. Like Lean Thinking, you have more "a-ha!" moments each additional time you read it. Very highly recommended.

Emiliani et al have written a very readable, easy to understand and thorough case study of the West Hartford, CT based (at that time) privately held, Wiremold Companies lean transformation.
In 1991, the formerly successfull but now declining wire management products producer began a lean transformation which changed Wiremold into an acquisition machine that by 1999 was generating ten times the operating profit and eleven times the net profit of pre lean operations. During this period, Wiremold boasted a 23.2% compound annual growth rate.
The real benefit of reading this book are the comments by the management team explaining in their own words the reasoning behind each step in the lean transformation process.
The book includes:
1. An analysis of strategic models leading to the selection of the lean management model.
2. A financial strengths and weaknesses analysis leading to the lean transformation plan.
3. The actual lean transformation plan.
4. A discussion of the whys and wherefors of the adopted lean organization strucure.
5. How to move from an MRP push production control system to a lean flow/pull system sensibly.
6. How to practically dispose of excess inventory during the lean transformation.
7. The best way to align the workforce with the requirements of the lean organization.
8. A detailed description of a growth through acquisition strategy financed internally with the lean management process.
9. A comparison of standard cost accounting with actual cost accounting.
All in all - an absolute must read for the lean manager. Not a book for the lean practitioner.
Relevance to the lean practitioner 4/10
Relevance to the lean manager 9/10
Clarity and organization 9/10
Original content 9/10

You can feel the great experience the three authors have on this topic! They focus on the how (change management within the organization) rather than the what (scope of PMO functions).
I found the following particularly interesting: the Project Environment Assessment Tool and the L²M² model for change management.
Unfortunately, I could not implement any of the ideas in the book.

I belive, if the book would have metrics and templates for the process start, it is very usefull.

Excellent service

I purchased this book on recommendation from a previous reviewer and was amazed by the breadth, depth, and more importantly pace of the book. The book moves quickly and does not spend a lot of time on theory, more time on examples (drawn mainly from Englund's work at HP).

The high level process applies as a general change management agenda, but applied through the lense of a PMO or project office. The annecdotes and lessons learnt provide an excellent framework for either internal "change agents" or external consultants to structure a successful organizational change and increase in proejct delivery quality.

The examples and frameworks in the book are easily understood and presented in a way that they can be reused or applied to many different project management challenges. I highly recommend this book to program managers or IT consultants who are intereste in affecting change in any organization.

This book takes the leading thinking in implementing organizational change and applies it directly to the challenge of implementing project management. The authors then advance the art through the application of their extensive experience and original thought that leaves the reader-practitioner with a step-by-step guide to implementing a project management office.

The major strength of this manuscript is its revelation of the organizational challenges in creating a project office, their causes, and straightforward advice on navigating the pitfalls. The knowledge and experience of the authors comes through with `been there, done that' credibility. The reader leaves with a deeper understanding of their organization and the means for achieving their goal of implementing a project office.

I thought Part One was one of the best discussions I have seen of the organizational change factors involved in implementing a project office. It provided thorough overall coverage on the existing body of work in organizational change and provided an application to project management. The author's contribution of speaking truth to power is valuable.

I found the manuscript replete with illustrative material. I particularly liked the anecdotes from Greek mythology and literature. This book is unusually rich in supporting the principles advocated with clear `how-to' instructions. As a practitioner reading the book, I found myself saying: "Yes, that works," "I wish I had thought of that sooner," and "I am going to use that tomorrow." - a manuscript reviewer

David keys examines the dark ages and sees the foundations of our modern world, which, he says, emerged from a tremendous volcanic eruption 1500 years ago. The last section of the book is on this calamity, thought to have blocked out sunlight and changed climate around the globe, creating ecological and social conditions that promoted great changes.

The discussion of this volcanic event here is reasonably interesting. Keys also gives a fascinating description of how an asteroid impact would look to us earthlings. His thesis is plausable, but certainly not proven. After all, social changes can take place for any number of reasons. A writer in 3008 could just as easily point to the violent 20th century and ascribe everything to global warming.

This book is a good read in any event, if just for the first half, where Keys covers the early history of England, France, Arabia, China and Japan. It is unlikely many can say they are too familiar with much that occurred then.

This book has an intereting premise, that the world as we know it today developed in part from a volcanic eruption that shifted the balance of power.

How much of human history has been shaped by catastrophic events? This exhaustively researched document seems like a natural place to find the answer. Unfortunately, the author's fascination with lurid details of human torture and dismemberment caused me to put the book down after just 60 blood-soaked pages. It's pretty clear that Mr. Key's interests in history do not run parallel to my own. I also found myself wondering about Key's qualifications as "Archaeological Journalist." I guess there are plenty of people who like reading tabloid-style history, and good luck to them, but I much prefer a calmer and scientific perspective of Derek Ager, in his book "The New Catastrophism, The Importance of the Rare Event in Geological History." -- Auralgo

In Catastrophe, author David Keys builds a convincing case for sudden climate change having occurred in the early 6th century, an abrupt dip in worldwide temperatures that would have had massive long-term consequences for civilisations all over the globe. Results could have included the weakening of the Byzantines, the downfall of Teotihuacan and the rise of Islam. This is a fascinating book, and the author's identification of a super volcano as the culprit is highly plausible. However, I think Keys possibly over-estimates this event as a shaper of our modern world, given the existence of so many other important factors.

This is truly one of the most fascinating theories in ancient history. A volcano that shaped the modern world by forcing the migration of the huns, the crop failures in the Middle East that led to the rise of Islam and the start of the barbarian migrations towards Rome. It is almost too hard to summarize but if you believe that climate can change history than this is the book that will provide excellent evidence on that idea. Truly a masterpiece of an idea.

Linden is a science journalist with a long history of work in the area of climate. This book is more about the history of climate change than global warming per se. It details many past instances of climate change events and how they affected civilizations at the time. It is an excellent overview of past events and gives the feel of being well-researched. There are decent references to other studies and works. The main concern ends up being worries about rapid climate change, including the potential for a rapid cooling spell. At times the book seems to bog down a bit in endless details or examples, but in the end it comes off as being fairly complete. Along the way there is decent coverage of some of the key figures and events in climate research. His conclusion is that there is ample reason to believe that current climate change trends could lead to devastating effects for civilization. Most of the explicit coverage of global warming comes near the end and seems almost tacked-on with regard to the focus of the main narrative. This is just one of many books on climate change available. The strong points of this one are that it covers the whole range of issues related to climate change, not just global warming, and it does a pretty good job of summarizing and giving references to many issues that get thrown around in discussions of climate change without being well understood in context.

I thought it was a very good introduction to climate change. It covers:
1) The history of the young science of climate change;
2) Basic concepts in how energy from the sun is distributed by the world's oceans and atmosphere, and how this creates weather patterns and affects the earth's climate;
3) How scientists currently believe the earth's climate has changed through the ages;
4) Techniques that are used to determine how the earth's climate has changed over the past thousands of years;, and
5) Reasons why understanding climate change is so important.

The book's main theme is that a stable climate has been vital to the development and survival of civilization. If the climate had not been fairly stable for the past 4,000 years the human race would not be where it is today. But this stability cannot and should not be taken for granted. In fact, a very large body of evidence indicates that in the past the earth's climate has changed quickly and radically many times through the ages, and we may be on the verge of another radical shift. The effect of such a shift (or shifts, as the the climate 'flickers' back and forth between brief warmer and cooler periods before stabilizing again) would be calamities unprecedented since the dawn of civilzation.

This is not a book about green-house gasses. The first two-thirds of the book hardly mention C02 and methane at all. And in the final chapters the focuses on the evidence that the climate IS changing, and the consequences of that change, and doesn't spend much time on the debate about humankind's part in it, other than citing studies showing that of 700 peer-reviewed journal articles between 1993 and 2003 regarding modern climate change, "not one took issue with the consensus that humans are changing climate."

Minor criticisms: some sections of the book include technical explanations that were so complicated that I glossed over them; certain parts of the book emphasize that much of what we 'know' about what the climate was doing thousands of years ago are just theories, while in other places he states them as 'facts'; and many of the little charts at the start of each chapter look very technical and official, most label only one axis, so that they're essentially meaningless.

I learned a lot from this book, and recommend it to others. People should read it (or a similar book on the same topic) before becomping opinionated on the issue of global warming and climate change.

I was pleased, overall. The author has the credentials to discuss the topic with some authority (unlike some other books I've read recently...) The beginning is somewhat slow; it seemed to re-cover historical ground (i.e. the Norse experiment in Iceland and Greenland) that was already discussed at length by Jarred Diamond in "Collapse."

The best part of the book was the explanation of the mechanics of the oceans: how temperature and salinity work to create currents and climate.

I agree with those other reviewers who though the book could have used a bit more focus. Overall, however, WoC is a very informative read: scientific without being technical and boring. As a non-scientist, I thought this was very accessible. Quality material in a sea of rhetoric and junk-science.

Very educational. Recommended.

Using the known history of climate change, together with a discussion of the kinds of scientific evidence, provides the basis for conclusions regarding the human factor.

Dismissing all chnage as somehow normal (or ignoring it regarding policy) clearly is unacceptable and dangerous. As "practical" people report to the government (only to be edited, delayed, given scant attention) other practical folks like the insurance industry and some investors show increasing awareness.

Draw your own conclusions; to me immediate and meaningful action are required with real policy changes. It may force some settled business interests to change but seems critical, healthy, and could provide new industries and jobs in the process. Many of these jobs by their very nature could not be shipped overseas so pracical politicians and business people for even selfish motives may come around. Will it be soon enough?

Linden goes to great effort to describe climate changes in the past, such as the Little Ice Age. He relates fallen civilizations such as the Vikings of Greenland and the Mayans to climate change. Linden calls climate change the serial killer of civilizations. It is more of a flicker than a change.

Because global warming is a different kind of climate change than the climate changes described here (as those during the Ice Ages) there has to be a modest jump that is impossible to avoid. Linden's approach is important in that it shows how climate change inevitably will occur. It suggests that increasing carbon dioxide emissions, caused by humans, is like teasing the serial killer.

The book should not be considered a complete guide to global warming, but it looks at climate change through a unique perspective.

I just read one of the stories from this book because my visiting cousin (16 years old) has it assigned for classwork. She said it was "the dumbest thing" she had ever read. Thinking she migh be missing something, I read the story myself. She is correct. This is the type of verbal diarrhea that causes young people to dislike literature. What a sad commentary on our culture that this is considered worthy of study in any context.

To me,the most notable aspect of Chabon's style of writing is his ability to describe disgusting things (notably food) in a disturbing manner. He describes sad human cases with a pretentious detachement and a punctilious care of ambient and objects details that can't replace a more profound analysis of the characters'stories: those would be interesting, if we knew less of tapestries and the content of suitcases and more of the inner turmoils and interpersonal conflicts of the unfortunate persons whose misfortunes are narrated. At the end of the stories I felt as I missed something.
As of the final horror story, that's a bit better,pretty chilling, Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith come to mind, but Cha
bon's elliptic style is once again frustrating.

I've been a fan of Chabon's since I borrowed "Wonder Boys" from a friend of mine. One of the reasons I like him as much as I do is because he draws a lot from his time in Pittsburgh which, due to my location, is interesting.

"Werewolves in Their Youth" is a good collection of stories. Chabon's an excellent writer, and that saves this collection a bit. Chabon's writing spares "Warewolves" from becoming too monotonious. I'm not saying all the stories are the same... but if you read it you'll probably see what I'm hinting at. If I recall correctly, all but two stories deal in some way with divorce. Is Chabon working through some issues? I'm not sure.

You would be hard pressed to find a short story collection that is this deverse, and all written by the same author. I own all of Chabon's books and this is by far my favorite, not to say I don't love them all. But if you're not familiar with the author this is a great place to start. Each story has it's own voice, which is refreshing, because if you don't like one story, just try another. Good reading!

This is the second work from Chabon that I have read - *The Final Solution* being the first. I was very disappointed with that book, but mostly because it didn't speak to me and couldn't follow it due to lack of interest. I do plan to read *The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay* and I did really like the movie version of *Wonder Boys*. That setup to this review said, this collection of short stories - Chabon's second I believe - is somewhat uneven. I would have given it 3 stars, but the first three of the nine stories were so good that they alone propel my rating to 4 stars.

The first three stories of this collection are fantastic. "Werewolves in Their Youth" is a nifty tale of boyhood and being an outcast at a school with someone even more of an outcast, which you still get to place yourself above. But, it is also the story of a boy who is dealing with the broken marriage of his parents and all of the turmoil and repercussions that follow. In "House Hunting", a young, recently married couple is shopping for the house that will fix all of their marital problems. Their guide on this journey? A broken down Real Estate agent friend of the family with marital problems of his own. This story is great in all of its subtle brutality. The third story in this collection is "The Wolfman's Son", another tale of marriage going bad, but this one centers on the impending birth of a child from the wife's rape. Not a particularly uplifting start for this story, but in the end, it is a story of redemption and acceptance. I can't believe I actually liked it.

The rest of this collection is mostly forgettable; so much so, that in the week since I finished the book, I can only remember one other story: "The Harris Fletko Story". This one had promise as it followed the slow downward spiral of a quarterback in a failing indoor football league and the shadow cast upon him by his somewhat equally down and out father/football coach. But, this story never really goes anywhere I want to and was a lost path by the end.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.