Book Description
In Mavericks at Work, Fast Company cofounder William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre, a longtime editor at the magazine, give you an inside look at the "most original minds in business" wherever they find them: from Procter & Gamble to Pixar, from gold mines to funky sandwich shops. Want to stop doing business as usual? Then take some lessons from the 32 maverick companies Taylor and LaBarre profile.
Questions for William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre
Amazon.com: Whom do you think this book will appeal to?
Taylor and LaBarre: This book should appeal to a wide "coalition" of business leaders and innovators--impatient, change-minded executives in big companies, senior leaders in smaller, entrepreneurial companies, young people with big dreams about their future and their careers. This book should inform and energize anyone and everyone who wants to do big things in business by shaking up the status quo and challenging the powers-that-be. One important point: We strongly believe that this book should appeal to women as well as men. It is not meant to be an uptight, starched-shirt type read--your typical all-male business book. The book doesn't target women executives per se, but we believe it will appeal to men and women alike.
Amazon.com: What's the story behind the book?
Taylor and LaBarre: In one sense, Mavericks at Work has been 18 months in the making. That's the amount of time that the two of us spent totally focused on the travel, research, interviewing, and writing to create Mavericks at Work. In another sense, this book reflects more than a decade's worth of learning, thinking, and writing about the best way to do business and the new cast of companies and individual leaders that represent the face of business at its best. First at that classic voice of the business establishment, Harvard Business Review, and then at the new-generation magazine that he cofounded, Fast Company, Bill Taylor has been traveling the world, visiting companies, and interviewing great business leaders. Much the same goes for Polly LaBarre--first at the venerable IndustryWeek magazine, and then as one of the original members of the Fast Company team, Polly has made it her speciality to discover, understand, and chronicle the most exciting and innovative leaders in business.
With respect to Mavericks, the book reflects our in-depth access to the 32 companies featured in the book. This is anything but an "armchair" business book. We logged tens of thousands of miles and spent countless hours visiting, conducting interviews at, and participating in meetings, training sessions, and events inside a wide variety organizations. We went deep inside these organizations, looking to understand the ideas they stand for and the ways they work. We participated in a filmmaking class at one of the world's most successful movie studios. We attended a closed-to-the-public awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, where employees of what has to be the world's most entertaining bank sang, danced, and strutted their stuff. We sat in on a crucial monthly meeting (the 384th such consecutive meeting over the last 32 years) in which top executives and front-line managers of a $600-million employee-owned company share their most sensitive financial information and most valuable market secrets. We walked the corridors of a 120-year-old research facility where a team of change-minded R&D executives is transforming how one of the world's biggest companies develops new ideas for consumer products. We walked the streets of Manhattan with teams of employees from a hard-charging hedge fund, who were sizing up ideas about stock-market picks.
Amazon.com: What makes this book relevant today?
Taylor and LaBarre: We believe that this is the right book at the right time, with a set of messages and a collection of practices that will inspire business executives and entrepreneurs to bring out the best in their companies, their colleagues, and themselves. Why this book now? Because business needs a breath of fresh air. We are, after five long years, coming out of a dark and trying period in our economy and society--an era of slow growth and dashed expectations, of criminal wrongdoing and ethical misconduct at some of the world's best-known companies. But NASDAQ nuttiness already feels like time-capsule fodder, the white-collar perp walk has become as routine as an annual meeting, and the triumphant return of me-first moguls like Donald Trump feels like a bad nostalgia trip, the corporate equivalent of a hair-band reunion. We've seen the face of business at its worst, and it hasn't been a pretty sight. This book is intended to persuade readers of the power of business at its best.
Which speaks to one of our major goals for Mavericks at Work--to restore the promise of business as a force for innovation, satisfaction, and progress, rather than as a source of revulsion, remorse, and recrimination. Indeed, despite all the bleak headlines and blood-boiling scandals over the last five years, the economy has experienced a period of transformation and realignment, a power shift so profound that we're just beginning to appreciate what it means for the future of business—and for how all of us go about the business of building companies that work and doing work that matters.
In industry after industry, organizations and executives that were once dismissed as upstarts, as outliers, as wildcards, have achieved positions of financial prosperity and market leadership. There's a reason the young billionaires behind the most celebrated entrepreneurial success in recent memory began their initial public offering (IPO) of shares with a declaration of independence from business as usual. "Google is not a conventional company," read their Letter from the Founders. "We do not intend to become one."
Nor does the unconventional cast of characters readers will encounter in this book. From a culture-shaping television network with offices in sun-splashed Santa Monica, California, to a little-known office-furniture manufacturer rooted in the frozen tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin, from glamorous fields such as advertising, fashion, and the Internet, to old-line industries such as construction, mining, and household products, they are winning big at business--attracting millions of customers, creating thousands of jobs, generating tens of billions of dollars of wealth--by rethinking the logic of how business gets done.
Alan Kay, the celebrated computer scientist, put it memorably some 35 years ago: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." We believe the companies, executives, and entrepreneurs you'll meet in the pages that follow are inventing a more exciting, more compelling, more rewarding future for business. They have devised provocative and instructive answers to four of the timeless challenges that face organizations of every size and leaders in every field: how you make strategy, how you unleash new ideas, how you connect with customers, how your best people achieve great results.
Amazon.com: Can you give us a brief summary of your book--in 250 words or less?
Taylor and LaBarre: This book is a report from the front lines of the future of business. It is not a book of best practices. It is a book of next practices--a set of insights and a collection of case studies that amount to a business plan for the 21st century, a new way to lead, compete, and succeed.
Our basic argument is as straightforward to explain as it is urgent to apply: When it comes to thriving in a hyper-competitive marketplace, "playing it safe" is no longer playing it smart. In an economy defined by overcapacity, oversupply, and utter sensory overload--an economy in which everyone already has more than enough of whatever it is you're selling--the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for a truly distinctive set of ideas about where your company and industry can and should be going. You can't do big things as a competitor if you're content with doing things a little better than the competition.
This book is devoted to the proposition that the best way to out-perform the competition is to out-think the competition. Maverick companies aren't always the largest in their field; maverick entrepreneurs don't always make the cover of the business magazines. But mavericks do the work that matters most--the work of originality, creativity, and experimentation. They demonstrate that you can build companies around high ideals and fierce competitive ambitions, that the most powerful way to create economic value is to embrace a set of values that go beyond just amassing power, and that business, at its best, is too exciting, too important, and too much fun to be left to the dead hand of business as usual.
Who are these mavericks? The core ideas in this book are rooted in the strategies, practices, and leadership styles of 32 organizations with vastly different histories, cultures, and business models. But all of them are business originals, based on the distinctiveness of their ideas and the power of their practices. They are rethinking competition, reinventing innovation, reconnecting with customers, and redesigning work. Together, they are creating a maverick agenda for business--an agenda from which every business can learn.
Book Description
In the last decade the business world has been dogged by bad leadership, CEO greed and the excesses of the dotcom craze. Now, as the authors of this lively new book suggest, companies and corporations are moving away from traditional methods of how to lead, manage and compete, towards a more 'maverick' management style that has proved highly successful.
Mavericks at Work is the first book to document this change – and to give readers a glimpse into the ideas and techniques behind fast–growing but unconventional companies such as Google, HBO, Lendlease and Southwest Airlines. It profiles some of the most exciting – and often eccentric – CEOs in the US, and details their strategies for success.
With its accessible tone, Mavericks at Work is both serious and fun; business 'edutainment' for a smart, ambitious readership.
Customer Reviews:
Become a Maverick.......2007-10-10
"Mavericks at Work" hit a home run for me. I love to think and act like a Maverick. I love to do "work that matters". This book introduced me to others who think like I do and have found business success. Thanks!
"Mavericks at Work" starts off with great a great introduction and keeps on going. I love the quote from Alan Kay (introduction): "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Why does business spend so much time trying to figure out what the competition will be bringing to the market place instead of trying to "invent the future"? Why not invent the market? Then you don't have any competition!
My favorite chapters were Chapters 1, 3, 4, and 10.
Chapter One - "Not Just a Company, a Cause: Strategy as Advocacy." This chapter does a great job of explaining why YOU need to create a Cause, not just a company. Causes make raving fans. Raving fans bring profits
Chapter Three - "Maverick Messages (1): Sizing Up Your Strategy". Take notes on this chapter, you will be glad you did. The authors give five questions every company should ask when sizing up your strategy.
Chapter Four - "Innovation Inc.: Open Source Gets Down to Business". Do you need some "innovative" ideas on how to get your company to embrace innovation as a way of life? This chapter shows you how. Don't be shy about putting some of these ideas to work.
Chapter Ten - "The Company You Keep: Business as if People Mattered". Great chapter on TALENT! Business today needs to put Talent at the top of the agenda for every strategy meeting, every business plan, every performance review, etc... All company's say that their people are their most important asset. Few prove it through their actions. This chapter shows some organizations that know and act as if People Matter and the payoff are increased profits.
Larry Kevin Adams
Author of "Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success".
theactionator.com
Stories to inspire - Lessons to Learn.......2007-08-10
Interesting stories and concrete examples are one of the most powerful ways to learn and be inspired. If you want to learn to succeed in the new world of work, then the collection of stories and examples in the book Mavericks at Work is a great starting point. The book profiles 32 remarkable US entrepreneurs who have battled bureaucracy and challenged the status quo, and won, while redefining success in their industries. The authors William Taylor, founding editor of Fast Company, and Polly LaBarre, a former writer for Fast Company, uncover some remarkable examples of how businesses are succeeding in hypercompetitive industries by being distinctively different.
Their findings are centered on 4 key themes:
1. Be different and pursue more than just money: Successful mavericks are fearless about breaking with outdated traditions and confining standards. Making money is only a small part of a bigger mission which they are deeply passionate about. Examples include Southwest Airlines, the company that pioneered low cost air travel and democratized the skies. The book highlights how Southwest saw it as their mission to make air travel accessible to all and by going after this wholeheartedly they innovated on different ways to save cost such as using second tier airports, not serving food and seating people on a first come first serve basis. Keeping this mission at the centre of the organisation has differentiated them from the competition and enabled them to consistently make profits is a loss making industry.
2. Tap other people's brains: The innovators of today rely on more than just their own insight and intelligence. They create systems to enable and encourage others to help them solve problems and come up with ingenious solutions. Examples include TopCoder Inc., a software development house for many large multinational organisations. They create competitions for technology geeks from all over the world to come up with solutions for software problems in return for lucrative prizes and prestigious ranking points. In this way they are able to use the wisdom of many to solve very specific software development challenges.
3. Connect deeply with customers: Connecting with customers is about a lot more than just traditional advertising, it is about really understanding what customers' value and connecting with that value system in a deep and meaningful way. Jones Soda asks customers to contribute photographs to be used on the labels of their cool drink bottles. Customers submit photos plus the story attached to each photo. Many photos are selected and placed on the bottles to be distributed in the region in which that customer lives. This creates a massive interest in the community as they discover "who is on the label?" and "what their story is?"
4. Partner with your employees: Maverick business enable employees to really understand what drives the business. They are given the opportunity to freely contribute to the overall mission of the business and be rewarded for doing so. At Cranium, a fast growing, innovative board game manufacturer in Seattle, the Chief Financial Officer holds companywide meetings on the company's numbers. He tutors the staff on cash flow and financial ratios, and every employee then assesses his or her own productivity. He recognizes that this helps keep the whole company focused on the right priorities
These are just a few of the many insightful, uplifting and inspiring examples that are highlighted in this energetic and well written book.
Great book!.......2007-07-25
This is one of the best business books I have read. Though it is written principally for managers and entrepreneurs, the book is truly inspiring for those starting up their own business. You will learn some very unconventional ways of managing your organization and innovating! "Playing it safe" is no longer playing it smart. The only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for a truly distinctive set of ideas about where your organization should be going.
Follow Southwest airlines' example by not hiring industry veterans in your organization. Industry veterans are harder to retrain, and come to your organization with preconceived ideas. Hiring people new to the industry fills your organization with fresh ideas.
Don't hesitate to fire your customers if they don't fit into your organization's culture. ING, a bank unlike others, does exactly that. ING also innovates by being different from other banks. They open on Sunday for example, and deposits are in a person's account within 24 hours (other banks take up to 3 business days). If groceries and malls can open on Sundays, why not banks?
Pixar Animation, unlike other companies in its industry (who hire on contract basis), hires full time crew. This creates a team atmosphere where everyone gets to know each other, and thus can be more productive.
Use open source. A Gold mining company in Canada did just that when it asked people from all over the world over the internet for their insight on where gold could be found. With worldwide expertise available, they found their answer! Cirque du Soleil similarly scouts the whole world for talent. Talent is everywhere, and you have to go everywhere to find it.
Any entrepreneur should be asking the following two questions: (a) If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would really miss you and why? (b) Why would people want to work for you?
Don't hire great people, or else you have to change your whole work environment into greatness. Hire good and smart people, but they don't have to be great. You have to be able to shun traditional ideas.
Finally, just in case some of you are wondering, Samuel Maverick, a Texan lawyer and politician, is the namesake of the eponym maverick, meaning an unbranded range animal. Gradually the term was enlarged to include anyone who could not be trusted to remain one of his group.
Alan Kay, the celebrated computer scientist, said some 35 years ago: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
Gets the creative juices flowing.......2007-07-05
A very inspiring book in helping think outside the box. Loads of real-world examples throughout. Starts with great energy and passion by the authors, and (maybe) runs out of steam in the end. Or maybe I just wasn't as interested in the subject covered. Anyway... I bought three more copies as gifts for clients.
Describes what it takes to have a breakthrough corporate success in the new millennium..........2007-06-20
Like a host of the new "psychosocial" business books, Mavericks at Work describes what it takes to have a breakthrough corporate success in the new millennium. The focus is not so much on the business styles of the 50's and 60's, as illustrated by the work of, say Peter Drucker, but rather it focuses on the new gestalt of branding through an intense devotion to customer service. By examining companies from the large scale of Proctor & Gamble and the World Bank, as well as new upstarts like Craigslist and ING Direct to open source communities like Wikipedia and TopCoder, authors William Taylor and Polly LaBarre take a new approach to finding out what the basis of the new energy and focus of companies who's products or services allow them to differentiate themselves and pull away from the pack. As veterans of the cutting edge business magazine Fast Company, the authors are well suited to have the inroads and knowledge in witnessing what works (and what doesn't) for the new breed of entrepreneurs or those within established enterprises trying to re-write the rules of business in the new world order. In addition, the pair operate one of the best follow-on websites we've seen featuring outtakes from the book, a blog, podcasts, interviews and information about their 'Mavericks Live' special events around the country [...]. A must for anyone thinking about Business 2.0. - Tim Devine
Book Description
In this first new and totally revised edition of the 150,000–copy underground bestseller, The E–Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed. He then shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business 執hether or not it is a franchise. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in. your business. After you have read The E–Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.
Customer Reviews:
Best yet!.......2007-10-20
This is simply required reading for anyone who is in business or is thinking about being in business for themselves. No-one tells a better business fable than Michael Berger and when you then add his expertise in the business arena, you have a winner. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was an easy, fairly quick read with a powerful punch. Thank you.
Know Yourself.......2007-10-19
I have read and re-read this book (and the original) many times over the past 15 years.
With the first reading I was struck at how many people I knew that fit perfectly into the nutshell descriptions of individuals with locked in mind-sets presented!
The entrepreneurial seizure; The Fat Guy & The Skinny Guy; The Entrepreneur & Manager & Technician; customers Sam Tommy and Mary; Bookkeeper Harry; the suppliers, the improperly trained helpers, the desperate owner, and many others. I KNEW these people! Or at least the essence of them.
With later readings I became aware of ALL of them as being aspects of my own self, and the possibilities each offered. Attitude is Everything! Change the attitude, change the outcome!
For me, this is the main value of the book, learning to understand myself, and why I do the things I do.
I feel the overview presented by the E myth should be understood by each new business owner BEFORE making that first leap.
No one book can be all things to all people, but for those interested in starting or improving a business, this one comes close.
In my mind, there is only one minor failing in the book. It does not examine in great enough detail why people would want to work for you. Success comes from helping other people get what they want. What are their interests, dreams and goals? How can you help them reach what THEY want? Why would they want YOU to succeed?
Great businesses can only exist if they have great people.
All in all, this is my most valuable Business Book.
Grade School Lessons & E-Myth Acadamy Advertisement .......2007-10-04
This is, at best the beginning part of a working business solution. Yes, Gerber makes a valid point about the E-myth concept (read other reviews if you don't know the concept) but it's really for beginners (newbs). All his books are really just advertisements,for his E-Myth Academy consulting business in the back of all his books. There is nearly no practical information. He makes his point about the E-Myth, then masterbates it endlesly, re-making that point six ways to Sunday, add nausium and leaves you wondering, well, but what should I do? Well, little lost lamb (newb), go to E-Myth web site or call the 800 number where they have a fast talking sales crew and sign up for 2 years of 700 plus a month (I haven't checked lately) consultation/classes.
After you get the point that to make your technical skill pay/function as a business you need to have business skills/know how. You can sign up for the 700 plus per month for 2 years advertised in the back of his books. Start looking elsewhere for actual practical information. Because there are no E-myth books or tapes that have that information. You can do a lot for your business with that kind of money. I'm always shocked at how newbs starting businesses throw money around. Something to buy and a place to buy it, no matter how pretty it all is, doesn't make a successful business, In my observations, it's the major reason new businesses fail. I'm sure some of you with deep pockets or You corperate types who have never had to find the guts or earn the money to build a small business without Sugar Daddy Warbucks help will think I'm wrong. This E-Myth stuff is valid but it it's grade school lessons made to look like some kind of super-profound truth/solution. Well, it is, grade school true, now what Mr. Gerber, where's the solutions, spend, what, nearly 17,000 Sign up for what I thought I was getting when I bought the Books and tapes? What a greedy little tight wad! When are you going to write a book with substance? Hey Newbs! Trust me, yes you need real business skills, there are plenty of great business books out there, take some of that 17,000 and buy some and be careful with the rest you're going to need it.
One of the top business books.......2007-09-29
This book gives both inspiration and practicals to make any small business a successful venture. It certainly changed the course of my business and got me to work at making my business something that can be reproduced through the processes that I create.
A two-piece orange suite in a blue jacket.......2007-09-28
"And a silver belt buckle with his initials in green jade acrosss in face. ... Can you see it? Do you get the picture?" And no, he is not out of business.
For me it is a number of good ideas and a hard sales pitch. Next time less pitch more workout please.
Book Description
It's Sunday morning. Where are all the men? Golfing? Playing softball? Watching the tube? Mowing the lawn? Sleeping? One place you won't find them is in church. Less than 40 percent of adults in most churches are men, and 20 to 25 percent of married churchgoing women attend without their husbands. And why are the men who do go to church so bored? Why won't they let God change their hearts?
David Murrow's groundbreaking new book reveals why men are the world's largest unreached people group. With eye-opening research and a persuasive grasp on the facts, Murrow explains the problem and offers hope and encouragement to women, pastors, and men.
Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to the church-it calls the church back to men.
Customer Reviews:
Undusting the church to make it more attractive to men.......2007-09-01
I just finished the book trying to find the reason why there are so few men in church today. More over, why there are so few men my age group (single and around 30).
The book gives a thouroughly researched based study going far down to the bottom of the matter to understand, illustrate and also give advice how to reach the Church-shy Male of today. It's gotta real healthy dose of humour and christian self criticism that would make even a "stout" Christian crack up and recognize the truth behind the comments.
For me it's an inspiration and an eye opener to understand my own male church goer needs (and at times the lack of fullfillment) and what I can do to bring my unchurched buddies to God without having to make them sit through a sermons that really does not reach them and an environment that could make them feel uncomfortable.
My quest goes on to reach my masculine spiritual needs and the wish to reach my circle of friends, work, social, but also church buddies to discover the adventure of being an upright christian and becoming "Sons of God".
Thanks to this book and the inspiration it has given me, I hope that I can start influencing my own church, country (Switzerland) and beyond. Would be great if this book was translated to German ASAP because the market in Europe is huge and the (male) church attendance (as the book illustrates) devastating!
Have a go at this book and see what the reasons are for the malre absence and what can be done already, with small adjustments in your life and/or Church and see how the men start coming back!
Some good points, but it missed the mark........2007-08-20
I have mixed feelings about this book. In part, it is because I agreed with the author when I read the book, but after I had some time to think about it, I concluded that he missed the mark. Murrow has a writing style that is easy to read, so I had no trouble reading the book from cover to cover. What is missing from Murrow's book is the proof. His basic premise is that men do not like church because it is not manly enough. Where is the proof that churches are not manly enough? Is it enough to say that there are elements that are better suited for women? I do not think so.
Part of the reason that I initially agreed with Murrow was that I can look at my own church and see some of the things that he suggests favors women. There are people within our church who take special care to see that the building looks attractive. On any given Sunday, a person can hear discussion of the Christian romance novels that grace several shelves of the church library. There are plenty of social gathering activities that are primarily handled by women. It is easy to look at these things and conclude that since we have these things, that is the reason that men are not coming to church, but there is a problem with this.
The problem that I see with the premise is that I can look at our church and I see men who are attending church. I see men who are actively involved in church. I have neither counted, nor do I intend to, but it would not surprise me if we found that there are more men then women who are actively involved in church activities. The actual numbers would probably fairly close, but we have many men who are involved in many different tasks. Some of these tasks fit within those that Murrow seems to think are not manly enough, while others may be.
Murrow's book may be a good way to start the discussion of why some men do not like church, but it should not be taken to be the definitive guide. I believe there is more work that needs to be done before we draw any firm conclusions. There may be some need to revamp some of the programs in churches, but I cannot help but think that if more men were involved the programs would automatically take on a more manly flavor rather than revamped programs being what is needed to draw men back to church.
I finally get it!.......2007-08-20
After years of not understanding why the masculine men in my life can have strong faith and yet hate going to church, I finally get it. Church is geared toward women. Simple? Yes. But it took this book to explain it to me. This book offered concrete examples of feminine practices I see in every church I attend but never recognized as reasons why my men avoid church. Read it; think about it; use it.
A bit narrow.......2007-08-13
The book has some good principles at the end about the needs of men. But, it is terrible in application and simplifies things so much so. I think it could cause another worship war. The publishers are probably glad for the "shockjock" type tone. I am not. What about hispanic or other cultures? The author really did not think too well about how diverse our nation is and did not acknowledge that he sees beyond a white-middle class culture.
Besides the negative, I do think he brings out a very important discussion. I just wish he was more culturally aware since he most likely is preaching to a choir that already hates anything that is too creative and is looking for validation.
This book is SPOT ON!.......2007-06-21
I am posting this under my wife's account, but I swear I am a man! :)
Murrow has definitely nailed men's ministry and he understands men and their needs. If you lead a church or are involved with ministering to men, this is a MUST read. I bought his DVD and his book, the dvd was great, agreed with 99% of it, and I am currently half way through the book. I am underlining probably 30-50 words per page. 5/5 STARS!!!
Book Description
A complete guide to the healthiest foods you can eat - and how to cook them!
Why get your nutrients from expensive supplements when you can enjoy delicious, nourishing foods instead? From almonds to yucca, readers will find out what nutrients each of the 150 featured foods contains, what form contains the most nutrients, if it's been recommended to combat any diseases, where to find it, how to prepare it, and how much to eat - plus wonderful recipes using these sometimes obscure foods! Indexes by nutrient, by disease, and by food make finding what you need a snap, and the at-a-glance format makes the information as easy to digest as the foods themselves.
Customer Reviews:
The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth.......2007-10-17
The best book I have read in this subject matter. I have given this book to friends and family who eat very poorly and all of them have loved it. They have thanked me and are all trying to eat a lot better. Remember...you are what you eat. You won't go wrong in buying this book.
This Book Has Helped Me So Much.......2007-10-11
The information in this book has helped me refocused my thinking about losing weight.Instead of always thinking about calories and fat grams Johnny has helped me redirect my thinking to what's healthy and good for my body.I find I'm now choosing my foods based on this valuable information.In the process I've lost 10 pounds and have more energy and feel the best I have in years. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to refocus on their health but also lose weight and not fall into another "diet trap" The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why
the 150 healthiest foods on earth.......2007-09-19
The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why I enjoy this book so much that telling friends and family about it I have ordered more to share with friends and family.
Two Thumbs Up.......2007-09-11
"The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" is a carefully researched, well written book. The author gives you the complete nutritional lowdown on each of the 150 foods included in the book. A number of the 150 foods have a star at the beginning of the article on them, signifying that according to Jonny Bowden they are nutritional superstars (the best of the best).
The book includes chapters on vegetables, grains, beans, fruits, nuts, seeds, and nut butters, soy, dairy, meat, poutry and eggs fish, specialty foods, beverages, herbs and spices, oils and sweetners. It is chock full of useful nutrition information for those wanting to use food to prevent or help heal various diseases.
The author is careful to accurately state the facts about the nutritional benefits of each healthiest food included in the book. Bowden always backs his assertions about the health beneifts of each food with the scientific research that supports the food's health benefits. He is also quick to point out where certain excellent foods have been hyped to work miracles that they can't possibly preform. Bowden calls a spade a spade. He also has a good sense of humor.
While there is no recipe section in the book, the author gives many suggestions for ways to "simply" use each healthiest food. His suggestions are very uncomplicated and really doable.
A noteworthy book.......2007-09-04
The book presents many major natural foods but some are not common in some countries. The descriptions are good in general. The paper quality is good. Pictures, font sizes and types are appropriate. The contents are well presented. The CD at the back of the book contains very little information, don't expect too much from it.
Book Description
In this compact disc edition of the totally revised underground bestseller -- The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business -- from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed -- and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether or not it is a franchise. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business. After you have listened to The E-Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.
Customer Reviews:
Life Changing.......2007-10-19
This is NOT a "How To" book. Instead it is a platform for change packed with thought provoking ideas that will enable any seasoned small business owner to relate and take immediate action to re-engineer his business' organization. I only wish I had read or listened to this book when it was originally published 20 plus years ago.
Should have been another reader.......2007-10-11
I think that it should not have been the author that was reading. He reads on a monotone level and makes it difficult to follow or not fall asleep.
The book could also have been half the size that it was. The message is simple and that is build a system that you can duplicate.
Required reading.......2007-08-10
This is required reading for anyone considering going into business or currently in business for themselves, especially if their business is taking more of their precious time than they wished. You must know your numbers. It has been a real eye opener.
Jorick
E Myth.......2007-07-11
My husband and I have learned a lot from this book. We knew these things before the book, but never really thought they would influence our business. Very informative and interesting.
Will Turn Your Head Around (like the girl in The Exorcist) .......2007-07-09
The E-Myth is essential business knowledge, and I wish I had had this wisdom 20 years ago. Gerber basically busts the old paradigm that being "good" at what you "do" - i.e., being a good "technician" - is the most important critical factor in having a successful small business. As Gerber correctly points out, you will crash and burn if you spend too much time working *in* your business and not enough time working *on* your business and seeing it as something separate from yourself.
What I found most helpful was his explanation of how having precise and thoughtfully crafted job descriptions and operational methodologies can make all the difference between making true progress and floundering on a day-to-day basis. Likewise that a mission tied to deeply held personal values, understood by *all* persons in the business - top to bottom-, is absolutely necessary. And likewise that clients (in my case) or customers want a consistent, positive experience that meets or exceeds their expectations every time they do business with you, especially if you're in a profession or a service business. Let me tell you, truer words have not been spoken. It's news you can use immediately.
Gerber reads the E-Myth (unabridged) on this CD set. His delivery is avuncular and warm, and apart from the "pie" theme (see below) didn't grate the way many author-read works do. What drove me crazy (and why this is a 4-star instead of a 5 star review) was the conceit of a running dialog between Gerber and a "client" named "Sarah" and her floundering small business called "All About Pies." The take-away from this is valuable, but cheeze lou-eeze! I kept imagining Jimmy Cagney in Public Enemy, washing the face of his whiny girlfriend with a grapefruit over breakfast, only here, I was rooting for "Sarah."
I have the book also. Trust me - go with the CDs.
Average customer rating:
- helpful and readable
- Finally a book for me and my family!
- Worth it
- Important read if you've been unsuccessfully treated for depression...
- Nothing New In Spite of Title
|
Why Am I Still Depressed? Recognizing and Managing the Ups and Downs of Bipolar II and Soft Bipolar Disorder
Jim Phelps
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Depression
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Soft Bipolar: Vivid Thoughts, Mood Shifts and Swings, Depression, and Anxiety of the Mild Mood Disorders Affecting Millions of Americans
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Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know (Living Well)
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The Bipolar Workbook: Tools for Controlling Your Mood Swings
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Bipolar II: Enhance Your Highs, Boost Your Creativity, and Escape the Cycles of Recurrent Depression--The Essential Guide to Recognize and Treat the Mood Swings of This Increasingly Common Disorder
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The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
ASIN: 0071462376 |
Book Description
Tried everything but still not feeling better?
If your depression keeps coming back or is even getting worse, then you may be suffering from bipolar II or “soft” bipolar disorder. Commonly misdiagnosed, these mood disorders are characterized by recurring bouts of depression along with anxiety, irritability, mood swings, sleep problems, or intrusive thoughts.
Why Am I Still Depressed? shows you how to identify if you have a nonmanic form of bipolar disorder and how to work with your doctor to safely and effectively treat it.
Author James R. Phelps, M.D., gives you the latest tools and knowledge so you can:
- Understand the Mood Spectrum, a powerful new tool for diagnosis
- Know all your treatment options, including mood-stabilizing medications and research-tested psychotherapies
- Examine the potential hazards of taking antidepressant medications
- Manage your condition with exercise and lifestyle changes
- Help family and friends with this condition understand their diagnosis and find treatment
Customer Reviews:
helpful and readable.......2007-10-10
I found this book to be easily readable, and yet full of very important information. Dr. Phelps writes clearly and concisely. Clearly, he is concernced that people get the help they need and the RIGHT help. His book is a very big step in the right direction of proper care and proper understanding.
Finally a book for me and my family!.......2007-08-24
I read this book at the suggestion of my doctor, who is a genius with bipolar 2. It addressed many of my concerns, misconceptions, and questions in a very reader-friendly way. It's a relatively easy read, considering the subject matter. Dr. Phelps has written in a comprehensive way about this often misunderstood subject, and he managed to make me laugh along the way. After my husband read it, he said he had a much better understanding of the way bipolar 2 works. Don't let the word "bipolar" scare you! I was misdiagnosed for most of my life because I never had "highs." Please read this book if you are not sure you have been diagnosed correctly or if your treatment is not working for you. I hope you will find it as helpful as I have.
Worth it.......2007-07-21
This was the first book my psych recommended when we first began toying around with the idea of Bipolar II vs. Major Depressive Disorder. It is an amazing book, especially for those people who just can't seem to shake their depression. Not every person who has treatment-resistant depression is bipolar, but this book helps delve into the topic. I have over 20 books about Bipolar II, and this is in my top 5.
Important read if you've been unsuccessfully treated for depression..........2007-07-20
My doctor suggested this book as good reading to familiarize myself with the various treatments for depression. Perhaps his recommendation was off, but clearly, this book IS about bipolar disorders. While I didn't gain much for myself, it did open my eyes about someone close to me and why various treatments have failed to improve that situation.
Phelps is very good with helping the layreader understand neuro/psyche disorders that are classified as depression and/or bipolar disorder. He gets a little 'out there' as far as splitting hairs; I concluded that most of the population, according to Phelps, must have some degree of mood disorder. But, I DO strongly recommend this book for anyone who has been diagnosed with depression but failed to respond to the many good medications developed to treat common depression. Phelps also offers a very good explanation as to why some anti-depressants have caused suicidal thoughts/actions in some. Very likely, they have bipoar disorder and the type of chemical support provided by this class of drug was just wrong.
If you've struggled with "depression" and its related treatments, trust your doctor and can take the time to read this book, you might find you don't really have depression, after all. Bipolar disorder and it's cousins are more common in society than we know. There are excellent drug and cognitive therapies available to help people who haven't been able to find the light at the end of their tunnel. Possible a different diagnosis will help them.
Nothing New In Spite of Title.......2007-06-12
If you're already diagnosed bipolar 2, you're better off getting The Bipolar Workbook or a better basic bipolar book than this. So much of it is directed at people who don't even know if they have bipolar 2 or soft bipolar disorder, it was a total waste of my money because I KNOW I have bipolar 2. The section on treatments doesn't cover some of the best medications I have experienced, gives the same old "walk" exercise advice, and has many chapters based on ruling out bipolar altogether. I think the author just wanted to say he wrote something new, when this is really a long-winded rehash on what we already know if we are already diagnosed correctly. I was terribly disappointed as I thought there would be some helpful, new information on treatments just for us with bipolar 2 that is different from bipolar 1. Boring.
Average customer rating:
- try it!
- I must be the only one...
- Excellent read
- Revolutionary book!
- Proves doctors are pill pushers
|
Why Stomach Acid is Good for You: Natural Relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux and GERD
Jonathan Wrihgt
Manufacturer: M. Evans and Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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No More Heartburn: Stop the Pain in 30 Days--Naturally! : The Safe, Effective Way to Prevent and Heal Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders
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Natural Medicine, Optimal Wellness: The Patient's Guide to Health and Healing
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Healthy Digestion the Natural Way: Preventing and Healing Heartburn, Constipation, Gas, Diarrhea, Inflammatory Bowel and Gallbladder Diseases, Ulcers, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and More
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How to Stop Heartburn: Simple Ways to Heal Heartburn and Acid Reflux
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Natural Stomach Care: Treating and Preventing Digestive Disorders with the Best of Eastern and Western Healing Therapies
Accessories:
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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 0871319314 |
Book Description
This groundbreaking book unleashes a brilliant new plan for permanently curing heartburn by relieving the root cause of the problem: low stomach acid.
Customer Reviews:
try it!.......2007-08-28
Ive been on hard core acid suppressent drugs for years and had huge problems every time i tried to go off them. Within a week i would have to start taking them again. Anyway i started reading this book and immediately stopped taking the nexium and started using superzymes. I dont quite understand how this works exactly but it does. Im just so relieved to not have to rely on those drugs anymore! Give it a go!
I must be the only one..........2007-08-26
whose heartburn was made worse by taking more acid. I suspect that much heartburn is caused by stress, which produces TOO MUCH stomach acid. It's always suspicious when EVERY review is 5 stars.
Excellent read.......2007-05-21
This book was recommended by my Internist as a must read. He was so right as this book was all about my problems and answered all my questions. The research was a plus as I always check my facts. I in the future I too will recommend this book.
Revolutionary book!.......2007-02-19
As a medical student, I've found this book to be spectacularly insightful and important. The book is simple, yet profound in it's explanations. The conclusions are logical and strongly substantiated.
Very important book.
Proves doctors are pill pushers.......2006-12-21
Highly rated by my clinical nutritionist. If a person has taken acid blockers for an extended period of time it's a must read. The downside is the authors try to overemphasize a point and the book gets a little boring.
Book Description
If your workplace feels like a battle zone and colleagues sometimes act like adversaries, you ore not alone. Today four generations glare at one another across the conference table, and the potential for conflict and confusion has never been greater.
- Traditionalist employees with their "heads down, onward and upward" attitude live out a work ethic shaped during the Great Depression.
- Eighty million Baby Boomers vacillate between their overwhelming need to succeed and their growing desire to slow down and enjoy life.
- Generation Xers try to prove themselves constantly yet dislike the image of being overly ambitious, disrespectful, and irreverent.
- Millennials, new to the workforce, mix savvy with social conscience and promise to further change the business landscape.
This insightful book provides hands-on methods to close the generation gaps. With effective tools to recruit, retain, motivate, and manage each generation, you can now create teamwork, not war, in today's highperformance workplace . . . where at any age, productivity is what counts.
Customer Reviews:
All Supervisors should learn this!.......2007-08-30
This has been very enlightning to look outside one's own generation. Awareness is half the battle. Excellent resource.
good info on generations in the workplace.......2006-07-14
This is probably your best bet for a book on generations in the workplace. It's not long on data, but it does apply knowledge about generations in a very useful way. It's not a deep treatment, but it gets the job done. A fairly quick read, and good if you just want to understand people of different ages in the workplace.
If you are interested in learning more about generations overall, and applying the knowledge yourself (easy to do), there's the classic (_Generations_ by Strauss & Howe, strong on theory and the overall picture, though outdated with its 1991 pub date) or the more recent _Generation Me_, with data on how the generations differ psychologically.
All Business.......2004-11-12
I found this book to be very informative and readable. The book gives a number of good insights about the different values of four generations in the workplace today. There are lots of examples and solutions to making the workplace more productive and fun. Unfortunately, the book's focus is on business, making money and working together better. Guess that's what pays the bills. I guess the insights can help in relationships throughout society but for those who are looking for answers outside of business this might be a hard read to get through.
Interesting observations........2003-02-10
"When Generations Collide" is a book that describes the clashes of the four generations with practical solutions. The book is separated into five sections:
Section I: Descriptions of the Generations
The book first describes the four generations (birth years): The Traditionalists (1900-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation Xers (1965-1980) and Millennial (1981-1999). The book also mentions the "Cusper" generation, whom are born five years into or at the end of a generation. The Cuspers are the bridge builders.
Section II: Putting the generations to work
In this section, the authors describe the generations' focus on career. In summary, Traditionalists build a legacy, Baby boomers build a stellar career, Gen X build a portable career and Millennial build parallel careers. The book describes the generation careers with explicit detail including how to reward the generations without offending the "generational culture". This section is interesting since it gives examples from companies that have built various career paths and reward programs for the four generations.
Section III: Hiring generations
In this section, the authors describe in detail how to hire generations. Since the values of the generations are different, company value propositions need to be just as various. These values are established with the help of the specific generations. The proposition should be put into action and modified as time passes. If the values do not represent the various generations then the company would have issues to retain talent.
Section IV: Retaining and managing the generations
Once you have hired the individuals the book describes, in great detail, how to manage and retain your talent using different methods of involvement. Retaining the talent needed is not easy. The book describes that it is not only up to your company but companies should learn to use their talent to keep talent. Example, part-time alumni traditionalist are helping Xers understand the longer term growth of the firm which in turn the firm will be rewarded by Xers not leaving in 6 months. As the book notes it, job changing for Traditionalist is a stigma, for Boomers is getting behind, for Xers is necessary and for Millennials is a way of life.
Section V: What's next?
This section was a six page book conclusion.
If you are thinking of issues that we deal with our bosses, parents, co-workers and others take into consideration their generation before taking action.
Have fun reading.
Not Profound but Provocative.......2002-07-03
Review of When Generations Collide
The Book's Thesis: If you work with people from other generations, you need to understand that conflicting perspectives between the generations can generate workplace conflict.
Obviously, this is an old theme. There are plenty of quotable inter-generational digs and barbs recorded in the earliest writings of antiquity.
More recently, during my youth in the tumultuous late 1960s and early '70s, we spoke openly and frequently about the "generation gap."
This perennial topic has been treated seriously by credible writers in other business books over the past decade. (I have penned a few articles on it in recent years as well.)
Of the books on this now familiar theme, this one takes a less statistical and analytical approach in favor of a more anecdotal slant on the topic.
Lancaster, a Baby Boomer, and Stillman, a Gen Xer, are business partners who write in a chatty style. They lace their broad observations about generations with illustrations derived from their own personal lives. Often, they make their point by telling stories about the conflicts between the two of them---which they blame on their age difference.
And they never miss an opportunity to remind you that they speak and give seminars on this topic. While those frequent reminders border on annoying, the authors do not seem to be indulging in crass commercialism---search all you want and you won't find information in the book about contacting the author-consultants to purchase their services.
Instead, speechmaking (and speech coaching to the likes of pop business pontificator Harvey Mackay, who penned the book's anemic Foreword) seems to define the authors' rather limited frame of reference in the business world.
As other reviewers have noted, the authors' attention to detail, facts, and rigorous analysis have taken a back seat to their breezy narrative.
In an attempt to provide statistical data on generational differences, the authors point to results from an online survey they conducted. You don't have to be a career researcher or social scientist to recognize that such surveys are comprised of small, non-random, non-representative and therefore invalid samples. That is especially true when extrapolating tiny slivers of data to reach conclusions about an entire generation representing *tens of millions* of people!
Still, these flaws notwithstanding, this engaging, readable book makes some worthwhile observations about the rather amorphous and extremely broad topic of generational strife. Despite my reservations, I found myself highlighting pithy passages and dog-earring quite a few pages.
If you can look past the authors' indulgent style and occasional gaffs and lapses, "When Generations Collide" serves as an approachable and palatable overview of potential generational friction in the workplace---and wherever people of varying ages interact.
Book Description
Own Your Own Corporation reveals how private citizens can take advantage of incorporating themselves and their business to save thousands of dollars in taxes and protect themselves against financial disaster.
Download Description
Own Your Own Corporation reveals the legal secrets and strategies that the rich have used for generations to run their businesses and protect their assets. Written in a clear and easily understandable style, Own Your Own Corporation provides the necessary knowledge to save thousands of dollars in taxes and protect your family assets from the attacks of creditors.
Own Your Own Corporation illustrates how to:
• Select the best entity for your own personal strategy
• Maximize the incredible benefits of a C corporation
• Use Nevada corporations for asset protection and tax savings
• Raise money for your new venture
• Use employment agreements for your benefit
• Easily prepare and maintain corporate records
Customer Reviews:
A very cheap education, worth 10 times the price!.......2007-06-08
If you are looking for a book that will tell you what kind of corporate entity you should put your company in, this is as close as you're going to get.
The bad news is, you will still want to hire an attorney to set up the corporation for you. The biggest benefit with the book is, you will not have to have the attorney spend his time (at $200+ and hour)explaining to you what the differences are from one type of entity to the next. After reading this book, you should be pretty much up to speed, with maybe one or two additional questions needing to be asked.
So, let's review: read a book, four hours and less than twenty bucks. Listen to an attorney: one hour, $200. Having done the math, I chose to read the book. Unless your business has too much money on its hands (in which case, I'll take some of it!) all of us corporate executive wannabes should read this book! :-)
This is a good overview of corporations for individuals.......2007-05-14
I found this to be a good overview of corporations usage for individuals. It has certain tilt to using Utah corporations that may be biased by the author's home state. But the insights offered are valid business considerations. The author's views should be discussed together jointly with your accountant and attorney.
Own Your Own Corporation.......2007-03-09
I realy got some good out of this book and I recommend to anybody doing their own business.
Good job.
own your own corp........2007-02-20
Perfect for the bigger businesses, but I'm not going to need this book for a few more years. Until then, it'll sit on my book shelf and wait for me to grow. I skimmed through it and it seemed very well put together.
Good business info.......2007-02-17
Typical of Kiyosaki's Rich Dad series, this book delivers a sound business concept in an easy to read format. Kiyosaki encourages us to create corporation, specifcally Nevada based corps, to achieve our financial goals and protect our assets from litigation and our income from taxes. This book also expands on the idea of being a business owner, as in the B quadrant of the Cashflow quadrant.
I also recommend you read "The Richest Man in Babylon," by George Clason, adn "The 17 Principles of Creating Wealth," by Phillip Collinsworth.
Amazon.com
Why Do Catholics Do That? by Kevin Orlin Johnson assumes nothing and tells all. As such, it's not only an ideal catechism companion but also a source of infinite wisdom for students of art history, politics, literature, philosophy, and pretty much any other subject connected with Catholic history. In a voice refreshingly free of condescension (and full of humor, witnessed in chapter titles such as "Saints: How You Get To Be One"), Johnson defines and expatiates upon hundreds of topics, including the Mass, the rosary, the cross, the eucharist, and the pope. Why Do Catholics Do That? is destined for the all-time top 20 list of indispensable desk references. Whether your interest in Catholicism is devoutly religious or defiantly secular, you'll be glad Kevin Orlin Johnson has fulfilled his vocation so faithfully. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
"Johnson offers lucid explanations of a dizzying array of customs and beliefs."
--Publishers Weekly
In Expressions of the Catholic Faith, renowned scholar and religion columnist Kevin Orlin Johnson answers the most frequently asked questions on Catholic faith, worship, culture, and customs, including:
* How the Church Makes Laws * The Hard-Fought Genesis of the New Testament * The Cycle of Redemption * A Short Guide to the Meaning and Structure of the Mass * Decoding Symbols of Scripture and the Sacraments * The Calendar as the Image of Christ's Life * The Rosary * The Stations of the Cross * Monks, Nuns, and the Rules That Guide Them * The Pope * The Laity in the Modern World * Saints * Fatima, Lourdes, and the Story of Apparitions * The Vatican: A Holy City * The Sign of the Cross, Christianity's Best-Known Symbol * Candles in Prayer and Liturgy * The Meaning of the Nativity Scene
Blending religious history, a deep appreciation for art and culture, and an enlightened reverence for the traditions of the Church, Expressions of the Catholic Faith is the definitive resource for any one who wants to learn more about the rituals, symbols, and traditions that can strengthen our faith every day.
Customer Reviews:
Extremely Informative!.......2007-08-24
I am a life long Catholic and I learned a great deal from reading this book. The book is well written, informative, interesting, humorous. I would reccommend this book to anyone interested in the Catholic faith.
A good primer.......2007-08-03
I grew up in a strict conservative Protestant church, then spent ten years describing as apathetically agnostic, before starting to explore Catholicism. When I went to a Catholic bookstore and asked for a book that's an introduction to the Church for the non-Catholic, this is what they gave me.
Pros: It's an excellent primer -- it answers a lot of the 'Why' questions I had that my Catholic friends weren't able to answer to my full satisfaction. It covers the basics while encouraging the reader to seek out clergy and other literature for more information.
Cons: The author is somewhat arrogant in his writing style, but not enough so to be obnoxious; he also assumes the reader knows more than the average Catholic-ignorameous does, and I'd have liked to see a glossary in the back with short definitions of Church-specific words and phrases. One thing that annoyed me was the constant references to biblical passages without providing the text of those in the back of the book -- if you don't have a Catholic bible, you're SOL.
First Book on Path to Catholicism.......2007-06-09
I walked into a Catholic Church once after 40+ years of frustration with the doctrinal inconsistencies and contradictions I lived with as an Evangelical lay leader. After three Sundays of going to Mass I realized there was A LOT I didn't understand about the Catholic Church, and even more I discovered I had been lied to by Protestant leaders. Two weeks later I picked up WHY DO CATHOLICS DO THAT at an airport bookstore. The historical perspective of this book, Johnson is an Art History professor, made a lot of sense to me, and placed the Roman Church in history, a history that was ignored by my Evangelical teachers. After 6 more months of reading a lot of Catholic material, I could hardly wait for Easter 1998 when I came into the Church. It's now 2007, and I'm producing television and writing Catholic projects in an attempt to tell others of the beauty I've found in Catholicism. It's wonderful...the book and the Church.
Not so good.......2007-06-08
I found this book more informational than other books on Catholicism I read, but I was looking for unbiased info on the religion, and I hard time with some of the things in the book. For example, the author explains that the hierarchy of the Church prevents "innovations" from being introduced into the teachings, which I understood. But then he adds, "and they've done a pretty superhuman job of it." He also states that some early Catholic figures were "some of the smartest people to ever have lived." I would find this book much more informative if it weren't peppered with statements like these. I thought from other reviews that I had finally found a good, solid book on the doctrine of catholicism. I wish it were more factual and unbiased. It is also important to know that you should have a Bible on hand when reading this book. The author frequently includes Bible verses to back his writing, and if you don't own a Bible (like me), you may get a little frustrated.
IF WANT A CONCISE SIMPLE EXPLANATION, NOT RECOMMENDED.......2007-04-22
This book is very complete and educational. However, it is historical and gives complex antecedents for topics such as: Faith, Worship, Culture and Customs. I do not recommended if you want simple, brief and easy to read explanations for Catholic Practices, but it is a good reference book for research purposes.
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