Product Description
Finally, THE building and maintenance reference book you have been looking for...... information galore!An amazing new shirt pocket reference designed specifically for handymen, maintenance people, engineers, scientists, industrial workers, contractors, and builders. It contains 768 pages of facts, tables, and vital information AND it fits in your shirt pocket! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Way Over My Head
The "handyman" must be an engineer and you need to be one too!I was really disappointed as I was hoping for a "how to" manual.The are literally hundreds and hundreds of tables of, for me, totally useless numbers and specs.I don't even have any friends who might find this level of technical detail useful that I could give the book to.This is NOT the resource for your everyday handyman/woman.

Handyman in Your Pocket
This book is not what I expected.I saw it advertised in a newspaper for a good gift idea for a new homeowner.I thought it was a "how to" book for things around the house.I got two for my grandsons.But it is a very technical book; some of the topics it covers in the index are, Anchors, Belts, Pulleys and Gears; drafting symbols etc. and etc.I think it is for an engineer.

Great resource
This book and it's companions are packed full of useful information and are great references for almost any project you may take on.

very handy
My husband is a construction worker, and this book is very helpful.

Worth every penny!
This book is fantasic for those of us who don't have degrees in construction or engineering.Great to have for the occasional carpenter, electrician, plumber, etc. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

sumamente iluminador, desafiante
En terminos financieros, de administración de los recursos económicos, pocos libros me han sido de tanto beneficio e iluminación.

El trabajo es una investigación, con esto, implicamos que es mucho más que la opinión de uno o dos autores bien intencionados, ni de teorias de cómo hacerse rico sin esfuerzo (autores que generalmente quieres hacer dinero vendiendonos su teoria y su libro). No, ellos escriben, basados en datos, encuestas, estadisticas, número, etc. En ocasiones este aspecto puede ser tedioso para algunos lectores; no obstante, es importante ya que establece cientificamente los puntos tratados.

Los millonarios, qué millonario, los millonarios norteamericanos -EEUU-; no de cualquier país. Los millonarios que han logrado, por lo menos, acumular un millón de dólares (parece redundante) y no necesariamente en la cuenta bancaria, sino entre su cuenta, sus bienes raices -como la casa que ya pagaron- y otros activos. Los millonarios que se hicieron millonarios durante su propia generación, no los millonarios que heredaron su millon o millones. Estos son los millonarios analizados en este libro -tampoco son los multimillonarios.

El libro es un trabajo excelente, ya que describe las caracteristicas de estas personas. No se enfoca en la riqueza como cosa, sino en quienes la han adquirido, sus hábitos de vida y de pensamiento, los porqués de su logro. El titulo: "Es el millonario de al lado", ya revela una de las conclusiones del trabajo, porque los verdaderos millonarios, generalmente son gente que vive como la mayoría, trabajan, la pasan cómodos, sí, pero no visten ropa super cara, ni automóbiles lujocísimos, ni otras cosas extravagantes... motivo por el cual, dicho sea de paso, es que son millonarios. Suelen ser personas que tienen una mini empresa de dos a cinco empleados -o algo similar-; no tienen tantísimos estudios (ya que quienes estudian mucho, gastan mucho dinero en sus estudios y comienzan a hacer el dinero tarde en la vida); y son gente SUMAMENTE ahorrativa, frugal, gente que no derrocha sino que procura INVERTIR... Por ejemplo, los autores presentan una ilustracion del punto al decir que el millonario puede regalarle un tapado de piel a su esposa como regalo de aniversario -ya que es una buena inversión y un toque emocional delicado-, pero que se enfurece si alguien olvidó la luz del baño encendida durante toda la noche.

En fin, usted mismo podrá comprobar la validez de este libro, pero desde ya le advierto, no promete nada parecido a "como hacerse millonario en una semana" ni nada semejante. Es un trabajo serio, una investigación, medianamente bien escritA y sumamente util, si se está dispuesto a aprender y, por sobre todo, a poner en practica.

Suerte.

Ah... para un enfoque cristiano del asunto, vea: cómo Llego A Fin De Mes?

Una exelente exposición del concepto de frugalidad
Este es una excelente investigación acerca de la forma en que viven los verdaderos millonarios. Los autores comentan que iniciaron esta investigación buscando a los millonarios donde todos esperamos encontrarlos: en los suburbios de grandes residencias. Grande es la sorpresa cuando no dicen que todos conocemos algún millonario y no sabemos que lo es, porque llevan una vida frugal.
Todo esto debidamente respaldado por tablas y datos que nos dan una buena idea de como ponernos en el camino a la riqueza.

... Read more

Book Description
An analysis of the history of juvenile justice over the last two hundred years, this innovative study shows how juvenile justice policy has gone through cycles of reform advocating either lenient treatments for juvenile offenders or policies supporting a "toughening up" process, both approaches resulting in little or no improvement in the treatment of delinquency.Bernard stresses the importance of breaking this repetitive cycle and makes recommendations for a stable juvenile justice policy, one that would not be continuously reformed in the never-ending search for a solution. Analyzing the "best" and "worst" aspects of various policies, as well as the state of the present system, this book will provide an controversial and challenging look at the issues involved in juvenile justice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Ultimate Reference For Anyone
This book has any technical information you could imagine using. I boughtit for use in technical theatre where welding temperatures and materialweights and other such info is important. But, heck, the EXTENSIVEmeasurement conversions at the back are useful around the house for cookingand even getting the right oil/gas mixture in my lawn mower. Everycarpenter, geologist, mechanic, etc. must have this book! ... Read more

Book Description

• Contains exercises that will provide an in-depth understanding of the material as it relates to your specific circumstances.
• Logically organized so that the workbook chapters cover the same material as the corresponding chapters in the book.
• Works as an effective group learning tool to use with your peers and managers to help you collectively think about the concepts and relate them to your efforts.
• Provides chapter summaries through definitions, charts, and lists.
• Includes valuable forms that can be copied and used to work through the change process.
• Contains numerous writing exercises, checklists and work activities, helping to clarify the issues that exist within your organization.
• Includes an ongoing case study with exercises revolving around a fictitious company.

Customer Reviews (1)

The Workbook is a must if you buy the book
The book is of immense value if you are middle management trying to implement change.The workbook will even further support your efforts by using exercises that can get people's attention.

... ... Read more

Book Description
When you start a new job, you are in a “temporary state of incompetence,” faced with having to do the most when you know the least. Tom Neff and Jim Citrin, two of the world’s experts on leadership and career achievement, know what it takes to succeed in a new position. Through compelling, first-hand stories, from CEOs like Jeffrey Immelt of GE and Bob Eckert of Mattel, You’re in Charge—Now What? offers an eight-point plan to show you how to lay the groundwork for long-term momentum and great performance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Get a leg up on the competition
An executive how-to kit for the first 100 days suitable for both small and large businesses - a hard nut to crack. Thomas Neff and James Citrin offer a seven-step action plan for any new executive: do your homework, align expectations, build a management team, develop a strategy, explore and define the culture, find the source of power and set a vision for the company. Few other reviewers have claimed these to be `self-evident' and motherhood and pie, but the examples provided by the authors are well worth the time on their own. The book may not revolutionize your thinking, but it has certainly helped me identify a few underwater stones - experience is cheapest second hand, do not overlook this book.

Czarnecki's "You're In Charge..What Now?" Better for non-CEOs
When I saw the "Recommended for You" email, I thought Gerald Czarnecki hadcome out with a sequel. Instead, I find a not as elegant knock-off.

Czarnecki offers a much better, more digestible plan for those who are newly appointed in positions of management. His "Seven Essential Steps for Work Leader Success" are useful and proven techniques for those who need it the most: the everyday people in an organization who get the job done, not the Stanford-grad CEOs who have already spent years in management and academia learning the ropes. I have recommended his book to friends in just about every industry, from IT to the military. I, myself, found Czarnecki's book extremely useful as a new senior non-commissioned officer in dealing with people who became my subordinates overnight. Unfortunately, this book did not address that sort of issue.

This book isn't a terrible book by any means, and perhaps for a CEO or high-level manager it is something good. As I am neither, I didn't find it appealing. It's essentially the same information you can find elsewhere, and as a previous reviewer pointed out, the tips and techniques are more for those already in the boardroom. Go back to Czarnecki's original if you are a new manager, especially one who was promoted from within, or looking for a gift for the grad or newly promoted.
You're In Charge...What Now?

Very Helpful in Starting Off on the Right Foot
My executive coach recommended this book and she was right.It is very well organized with lots of examples on how to get started as the new leader in a large organization.Suitable for small but oriented towards large business of all types.Did not provide Government examples but was still very helpful.I read the book cover to cover and made lots of notes.Try to read at least 3 weeks before reporting.I am three weeks into a Government IT job with a staff of 650 and $100M in budget and all the signs are there that this book was helpful for accelerating my early take-off.

Good Guide
I bought You're in Charge... on Amazon.com.I am interested in the leadership process, how to approach new roles, some of the pitfalls, etc and thought this was a good book on the subject.I do believe that the best place to get leadership ideas and tips is from Michael Watkins' The First 90 days, but I think Thomas Neff and James Citrin provide aspiring leaders with a worthwhile book.

The best feature, although sometimes over done are the real life examples of CEO's who took the reigns, and what they did.Whether it was a turnaround situation, or continuing a legacy of success, there are some standard approaches that each of these leaders used.The premise of the book is that there are 8 steps to the new leadership process -

1.Prepare yourself before taking over
2.Align expectations (internally, externally)
3.Build a management team you can rely on
4.Build a strategy (Which includes just refining the old one)
5.Transform the culture to aling it with your expectations
6.Manage up and where influence lies (Board, boss, whoever has more power... and also manage those who have institutional influence.)
7.Communicate your vision, your steps in the process, strategy
8.Avoid common pitfalls.

Nothing really earth shattering here, but certainly good advice.The focus of the book are the steps every leader should take within the first 100 days of your tenure.

One of the more interesting parts of the book goes back to the CEO's and what they did.Since this was published in 2005, some of the CEO's haven't turned out to be the captains fo industry that they are potrayed to be (At least from a market perception perspective.).You read about Paul Pressler and Bob Nardelli and what they did in their first 100 days. Needless to say, as time passed, their reputations are somewhat tarnished now.There are others referenced as well that haven't been treated very kindly by the marketplace.

Anyhow, there is no harm in picking this up, although like I referenced before, I think there are other leadership books out there that I more worthwhile.You're in Charge tends to get a bit over done, but if you can overlook that, there are some worthwhile tips to pick up.

Written only for CEOs
If you are a brand new CEO and need to know how to run your organization, buy this book.If you are at any lower level, this book is not meant for you.

The authors state directly from the beginning that they focus more on CEOs than most other positions but the lessons learned are applicable to anyone.This is not true.The author focus too much on the role of a CEO.The examples and suggestions are unique to that role.In one section the book describes how to find your management blind spots such as research and development, marketing, etc.If you are a software development manager in a large firm, your knowledge of marketing or R&D will most likely do little for your career.Yet this book highlights that as areas you should improve.

Another example on how the book focuses too much on CEO is displayed in the how-to-work-with-your-boss chapter.They entire chapter discusses how you should interact with the board of directors!This is a complely different relationship than what 99.9% of workers engage in.The relationship you have with your boss is possibly the most important relationship in your career.To focus this chapter on working with the board makes it absolutely useless to anyone who is not an officer or anyone that does not work for a private firm. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com
What do you do after you've written the No. 1 bestseller The Millionaire Next Door? Survey 1,371 more millionaires and write The Millionaire Mind. Dr. Stanley's extremely timely tome is a mixture of entertaining elements. It resembles Regis Philbin's hit show (and CD-ROM game) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, only you have to pose real-life questions, instead of quizzing about trivia. Are you a gambling, divorce-prone, conspicuously consuming "Income-Statement Affluent" Jacuzzi fool soon to be parted from his or her money, or a frugal, loyal, resole your shoes and buy your own groceries type like one of Stanley's "Balance-Sheet Affluent" millionaires? "Cheap dates," millionaires are 4.9 times likelier to play with their grandkids than shop at Brooks Brothers. "If you asked the average American what it takes to be a millionaire," he writes, "they'd probably cite a number of predictable factors: inheritance, luck, stock market investments.... Topping his list would be a high IQ, high SAT scores and gradepoint average, along with attendance at a top college." No way, says Stanley, backing it up with data he compiled with help from the University of Georgia and Harvard geodemographer Jon Robbin. Robbin may wish he'd majored in socializing at L.S.U., instead, because the numbers show the average millionaire had a lowly 2.92 GPA, SAT scores between 1100 and 1190, and teachers who told them they were mediocre students but personable people. "Discipline 101 and Tenacity 102" made them rich. Stanley got straight C's in English and writing, but he had money-minded drive. He urges you to pattern your life according to Yale professor Robert Sternberg's Successful Intelligence, because Stanley's statistics bear out Sternberg's theories on what makes minds succeed--and it ain't IQ.

Besides offering insights into millionaires' pinchpenny ways, pleasing quips ("big brain, no bucks"), and 46 statistical charts with catchy titles, Stanley's book booms with human-potential pep talk and bristles with anecdotes--for example, about a bus driver who made $3 million, a doctor (reporting that his training gave him zero people skills) who lost $1.5 million, and a loser scholar in the bottom 10 percent on six GRE tests who grew up to be Martin Luther King Jr. Read it and you'll feel like a million bucks. --Tim AppeloBook Description
After its first publication, Dr. Thomas J. Stanley's second best-seller The Millionaire Mind spent over four months on the New York Times best-seller list, rising to position #2, and has sold over half a million copies. Here is the first paperback edition of Stanley's second groundbreaking study of America's wealthy.The Millionaire Mind targets a population of millionaires who have accumulated substantial wealth and live in ways that openly demonstrate their affluence. Exploring the ideas, beliefs, and behaviors that enabled these millionaires to build and maintain their fortunes, Dr. Stanley provides a fascinating look at who America's financial elite are and how they got there. What were their school days like? How did they respond to negative criticism? What are the characteristics of the millionaire's spouse? Is religion an important part of their lives?The author uncovers the surprising answers to these and similar questions, showing readers through concrete examples just what it is that makes the wealthy prosper when others would turn away dejected or beaten.The Millionaire Mind promises to be as transformational as Dr. Stanley's previous best-seller. This book answers universal questions with solid statistical evidence in an approachable, and anecdotal style. The number of copies sold of this soon-to-be-classic will surely be in the millions.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (184)

Another great book by Thomas Stanley
Interesting insights into the typical millionaire personality.If you liked the Millionaire Next Door, this is an interesting book written along the same lines.

Statistical truth is half truth
I actually bought this by mistake.I was looking for Harv Ecker's book Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind, which I liked even less.

Want to become a millionaire?Forget it if you're a single woman.Forget it if you're a man who chooses to marry a woman with dreams of her own.This book winds up being so supportive of the 'father knows best' stereotype of what leads to success that I found it annoying.This book looks for, and finds, great successful MEN who own businesses, go to church, have "supportive loving" wives and families.They turn out to be the largest group of the rich.What a surprise.

Save your money and buy "The Millionaire Next Door" instead
I love "The Millionaire Next Door" (TMND) so much that I buy it 100 copies at a time to give away as gifts.That book is a financial planner's dream book because it explains in detail what we as a profession know about how most people become wealthy in America.Do buy that book -- it is fabulous.

This book is a disappointing follow-up. The typical millionaire that Stanley profiles here has a $600,000 income and a $9 million net worth.There are not too many people that I know that could believe they will ever earn that kind of income or have that kind of net worth.However, I do know many people who make $60,000, $80,000, $125,000, $150,000 or some other achievable income who do become millionaires or even multimillionaires. There is not much that they are going to find in this book that they are going to connect to, while TMND is chock full of "how to's" to become an "every day" millionaire.

This book is much too long, it is poorly edited, and as a result it is plain old boring.It reminds me of the boring textbooks I had to read in college.I was often incredulous that the person who wrote TMND could have written this book!He has obviously lost the good editor he used in the past. The book says in 400 pages what easily could have been said in 150 pages.It is full of mind numbing details and statistics.

I love to tell people that if you want to become a millionaire, then imitate millionaires.Dr. Stanley does a fabulous job in TMND delineating what millionaires really do:

1.Get out of debt and stay out of debt.

2.Save money; always pay yourself first. Spend less than you make.The typical millionaire saves 15-20% of their income.

3.Buy used cars and do not lease cars.You'll have plenty of time to drive luxury cars after you are rich -- don't do it while you were becoming rich as it will really slow down your efforts.

4.Buy a house and live in it for 20 years.If you upgrade every five years to keep up with the Joneses, you will never become rich.

5.Track your spending.Live frugally.Spend your money on what is important to you and not what will impress the Joneses. Do not spend money on "status artifacts" as Stanley calls them.

6.You do not need to make a ton of money to become a millionaire.If you follow steps one through five above long enough, you will eventually become a millionaire.

If you are in a business where your target market is people with at least a $10 million net worth and an income of at least $600,000, then it might be worth your time to slog through the tiresome details in this book.Otherwise, buy TMND and you'll know how Tom Stanley earned such a good reputation.

Jan Dahlin Geiger, Certified Financial Planner(tm), Author of "Get Your Assets in Gear! Smart Money Strategies" Get Your Assets in Gear!Smart Money Strategies

The Millionaire Mind
Highly Recommended read - it will change the way you think & spend your money.

Great information, and good on the commute (audio version)
Aside from usefulness of content, one factor I always take into consideration into how easy it is to listen to is the reader, in this case, Cotter Smith is very enjoyable and easy to listen to. In terms of content, we get to look into more of Thomas Stanley's reasons for researching the affluent, and even some of his students. There is a lot of useful information here, although it isn't quite as good as The M Next Door, which I'm sure the other reviewers have already mentioned. Recommended, whether it's for reading or listening to on the way to work. ... Read more

Book Description
"Everyone who's involved in financial markets must understand Point and Figure charting in order to get the full picture, whatever your view of technical analysis". - Jim Rogers, author of Hot Commodities and Investment Biker

"An invaluable road map for managing risk in the markets. Tom's methodology has given us the discipline and confidence to look around corners for our clients for almost twenty years." - James A. Parish, President and COO, Morgan Keegan & Co., Private Client Group

"Tom Dorsey continues to be one of the foremost authorities on Point and Figure charting. His relative strength analyses are essential for investors and traders alike. Furthermore, I always want to know what his NYSE Bullish Percent Indicators is "saying." - Lawrence G. McMillan, President, McMillan Analysis Corp., www.optionstrategist.com

"Tom Dorsey has done it again... he has taken his 30-plus years of unending devotion, talents, and insights in technical analysis and applied them to Exchange Traded Funds. He begins with the history of ETFs, explains how different they are from mutual funds, and then applies his expertise in Point and Figure charting to help traders and investors time their purchases and sales." - Ralph J. Acampora, CMT, Director of Technical research, Knight Capital

"Reading Tom Dorsey's Point & Figure Charting is the like procuring a road map before you begin a journey. It's a comprehensive look at how to succeed in the markets. This book is not only essential but easy to follow for everyone." - Paulo Pinto, CEO, Dif Broker

"Point and Figure Charting has become a valuable part of my daily trading routine. As an investment professional, it makes perfect sense to use Tom's methods in conjunction with fundamental analysis." - Damion Carufe, Investment Professional ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Point & Figure ChartingThird Edition

Very good book, except for the paper quality.Paper Back quality.
2nd Edition book better paper.

Creating insight even for a novice.
Market pressures are no more than supply and demand.It is eye opening to see how these play out on a given stock or finanical transaction. Charting leads to a simplified strategy to make timely buy and sell decisions.

Profitable $$$
Dorsey,DeRosier & the rest of the Dorsey Wright Crew continue to amaze and improve with each edition.The bottom line is an outstanding system which takes the emotion out of investing and if followed makes money. Its an easy read and system to apply whether you're a novice or experienced investing professional.A must read and better yet a must system if you're serious about making money.Joe D., Everett, Wa.

Great resource for anyone sick of pie chart investing...
I have been studied Tom's material on the Dorsey Wright website for several years now. And this book is a cumulation of many of the great ideas he talks about in his podcasts and daily notes section. As much as some people like to think technical analysis is the holy grail to riches, it is not.The main goal is risk management and not to hold on to the big losers in your portfolio that will destroy your investment return. How many investors have suffered since 2000 by having a majority of their portfolio in Large Cap Growth, and are now just getting back to even?Point and Figure doesn't call the top or the bottom, but it will alert you to when the trend changes. Tom's book goes over many of these techniques. Well done.

Warren Buffett would disagree
Warren Buffett would surely disagree with the basic premise of this book: That technical charting analysis can ensure a successful stock investment.

You really do have to already believe that charting has an underlying validity, before venturing to this book. I found it difficult to distinguish this from any other technical investing text. Invariably, there are the cute slogans. Double Top. Triple Top. Diagonal Triple Top. Triple Bottom. High Pole. Low Pole. Broadening Top. Bearish Signal Reversed.

With all this jargon, there is little proferred objective evidence of efficacy. Yes, certain patterns might in some examples give rise to a prediction about future price performance that turned out correct. But what about other cases, where the predictions failed? Dorsey addresses this by saying that the most important thing is your judgment, about when to apply his methods. What objective measures are there, about developing and applying this judgment? The text is so vague on this, that every case where someone who tries out the book's methods and gets poor results, can simply be said to have been using poor judgment. Notice that this lets the methods off the book.

A cynical view is that all this charting is akin to seeing patterns in clouds or stars. The best investment advice vis a vis this book is to spend your money on something else. ... Read more

Book Description

From thieves and extortionists to mass murderers and warmongers, up-close and embarrassingly personal snapshots of those sanctified people with the most unsaintly pasts in the history of Christianity.
Saints are not born, they are made. And many, as Saints Behaving Badly reveals, were made of very rough materials indeed. The first book to lay bare the less than saintly behavior of thirty-two venerated holy men and women, it presents the scandalous, spicy, and sleazy detours they took on the road to sainthood.In nineteenth- and twentieth-century writings about the lives of the saints, authors tended to go out of their way to sanitize their stories, often glossing over the more embarrassing cases with phrases such as, “he/she was once a great sinner.” In the early centuries of the Church and throughout the Middle Ages, however, writers took a more candid and spirited approach to portraying the saints. Exploring sources from a wide range of periods and places, Thomas Craughwell discovered a veritable rogues gallery of sinners-turned-saints. There’s St. Olga, who unleashed a bloodbath on her husband’s assassins; St. Mary of Egypt, who trolled the streets looking for new sexual conquests; and Thomas Becket, who despite his vast riches refused to give his cloak to a man freezing to death in the street. Written with wit and respect (each profile ends with what inspired the saint to give up his or her wicked ways), Saints Behaving Badly will entertain, inform, and even inspire Catholic readers across America.

Customer Reviews (16)

A Neat Little Book about Saints
This is wonderfully small, concise book about human beings who stumbled in life then redeemed themselves. Few of us will ever accomplish or achieve such a feat.I like the back stories and the interesting way in which the author kept interesting yet short.

Boring.
I was disappointed in this book in that it covers virtually unknown and/or extremely obscure Saints of which little is known.Put this book next to your night stand - you'll be asleep before the second page.

Hope for All!
If Saints can behave badly, there is hope for all of us!

Like many people, I have always found the lives of the Catholic saints fascinating. If you succumb to this fascination as I do, this is the book for you.

Saints from every walk of life abound - thieves, liars, an extortionist, even a former prostitute. What I really loved, was that as bad and as really human as some of these saints were..at the end they found redemption.

Hope for us all!

Sainst as Real People
Thomas J. Craughwellmust have enjoyed doing the research for this book, because he made the people that he told about just like you and me.He in a timely manner began to tell ofthose saints who inthe earlier part of their lives were notorious for wrong doing such as St. Moses the Egyptian whowas a Gang Leader and a Cutthroat until was befriended by monkls and began a new life.The anti-pope St.Hippolytus was unique in that he would not give up his claim to the Holy See until he was sent to hard labor in Sardinia.St. Thonmas a'Becket was shown in his original life before his troubles with Henry II as a somewhat wicked and selfish man.Saints go from the early history of the Church until the l920's with the life of the Venerable Matt Talbot who was for many years was an alcoholic.

The book makes one want to inquire abouyt the saintsand to realize that we can if we choose becomepart of the elect.

The author is witty and the prose is easy to read
Non-Christians may have trouble with this book as it tells of the lives of a very diverse group of Christian saints.(But, if they are not anti-Christian, they may enjoy the reading and benefit from the book.)Catholics, Protestants, and Greek and Russian Orthodox readers should find these saints' lives encouraging.I mention this as there are exemplary life stories here from all their respective geographical areas.

These individuals were never "lukewarm".By God's grace, they converted from being hardcore sinners to being heroically self-sacrificing, courageous and charitable people (in other words - saints).They put their strong faith into constructive actions that helped others.

This book reminds us that God really does care about what is going on down here on earth.Buy it for a friend or loved one who is struggling with his/her Christian faith in these difficult times.
... Read more

Book Description
The Valley Campaign conducted by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson has long fascinated those interested in the American Civil War as well as general students of military history, all of whom still question exactly what Jackson did in the Shenandoah in 1862 and how he did it. Since Robert G. Tanner answered many questions in the first edition of Stonewall in the Valley in 1976, he has continued to research the campaign. This edition offers new insights on the most significant moments of Stonewall's Shenandoah triumph. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Thrilling, informative, the best
A well-written and thoroughly researched account of one of the most impressive military campaigns in history. Mr. Tanner's portrayal is an enjoyable read without the sappy hero worship yet with all the details that gave us the Stonewall legend.No one can doubt the genius of this unlikely military leader nor his place in military history. Few could compare to the Elder Jackson's pious and quiet humility in victory and genious of maneuver. The valley campaign is studied to this day as a model of the indirect approach and the importance of maneuverability. Mr. Tanner gives us the best account yet of that campaign to thrill and inform.Very highly recommended.

A Remarkable Book!

I have always been fascinated by the Valley Campaign, and surprised that nothing appeared to have been written specifically on the Campaign itself - at least nothing definitive.

I just knew Tanner's book was what I was looking for, just by the appearance of it. And in fact it is THE definitive account of the Shenandoah Campauign of 1862.

This is a remarkable campaign history. Never does Tanner's pacing seem off. He tells the reader precisely what he or she wishes to know. At proper moments he gives a literary touch to th writing; at other times he tells us what the soldiers were thinking; and at other times he tells amusing anecdotes.

THe sheer amount of research that must have gone into this book is phenomenal. Most books on civil war battles and campaigns tend to rely on accrued secondary evidence, and those pieces of primar evidence that are already widely known.

Tanner, on the other hand, has miraculously discoverd sources NEVER before seen. He is so thorough that the bibliographu and notes take up a seriously large portion of the book. And the information is important - a good deal of it clarifies points that have always been puzzling. For example, he proves that the famous Staunton maneuver, where Jackson seemed to deliberately leave the Valley on foot, only to return by train, was actually ad hoc, and probably not intended.
On the other hand, the new evidence regarding the march south from the Battle of Winchester really makes you feel sorry for the Valley soldiers - my feet really almost felt sore even reading about walking that fast, and going without sleep for so long.

Jackson himself comes across as a flawed genius, which he undoubtedly was. While he was a remarkable soldier, one must admit that there were certain aspects of his character that nearly defeated him on occasion; his almost continuous friction with his subordinates, his extreme strictness, his extreme inflexibility, his religious fervour, his inability to know when his soldiers were past breaking point.
Yet we also see Jackson's incredible energy, his strategic genius, his unerring instinct for what to do next.

Ultimately Tanner's book is about as definitive as a campaign book can get, and is highly recommended to anyone interested in the Civil War.

Excellent History of the 1862 Valley Campaign
Tanner has written an excellent summary of the Valley Campaign that established Jackson as a Civil War legend.He manages to describe the experiences of privates and officers who fought in the campaign.While the majority of the book focuses on the Southern side, Tanner is fair and objective in his description of the abilities of the main characters.

Before going into the campaign study, Tanner describes the early history and importance of the Shennandoah Valley and why the area was such an important objective during the Civil War.The maps were okay but could have been more detailed and numerous to enable the reader to better understand the campaign movements and locations.

I particularly appreciated Tanner's fair treatment of Jackson:while we Southerners tend to idolize Jackson, Tanner points out Jackson's most serious flaws:secrecy and inability to get along with subordinates.Indeed, both tendencies probably would have kept Jackson (had he survived the war) from attaining the status of Lee, Grant, Sherman, Thomas, and Johnston.Admittingly, I have read of Jackson's tendencies in several other books.

I highly recommend the book as the standard for a study of the 1862 Shennandoah Valley Campaign.Read and enjoy!

Awesome
I'm only about 1/3 through, but I can tell that this is an awesome piece of work.I'm surprised not to seemore feedback here.

Tanner does an excellent job of presenting the Confederate deatils of the early valley campaign.He gives an excellent quick history of the valley as far as original colonization, American Revolution tie-ins, etc.He also paints a good picture of the strategic importance of the valley.So far reading, I'm surprised that more action did not take place within the 2 mountain ranges that make this "valley."

Tanner covers every level of the campaigns from simple private, to captains, to regimental colonels, to brigadier generals, all the way up to division commanders and of course General Jackson.Detailed troop movements are given, yet I did not find myself lost in details.Maps are excellent and numerous.

Also, very important, is reference to other Eastern developments which caused the ebb and flow in the Valley.You get the details as to why certain troops found themselves headed in or out of the valley, especially for the Union side.

The writing is very clear, concise, and at times very poetic.I wouldn't say Tanner is another Catton or Foote, but he comes pretty darn close.Much better than a typical dry account of campaigns you usually see out there.

I've been doing a lot of reading on ACW lately.I wasn't quite sure whether to read this because there seemed to be so many other more important works out there.But I'm glad I'm reading it as Tanner does an excellent job of briging this often forgot and vital campaign to life.

Remember it is Jackson's brilliance in the campaign which delays McCellan from striking Richmond by causing panic in Washington and delaying troop concentrations, and more importantly, it is his superiority in the Valley which allows him to break loose and help kick off the 7 Days (although he was MIA in helping).

Any serious ACW student should read this book.

I feel like I was there in the valley
Very well written, detailed account of Jackson's dazzling Shenandoah valley campaign.The valley campaign, Jackson's last significant independent activity before attaching himself to General Lee, makes for great civil war history.The author writes in a way that makes you feel like you're a part of Jackson's army, from lowest private to brigadier general. The maps, most of which are reproductions of Jed Hotchkiss's maps drawn at the time, could stand a little more detail but the narrative fills in most of the gaps pretty well. Focuses entirely on Jackson during the campaign and his place in the overall picture at the time.While this book is probably not for novices, it is an excellent and informative read for those with an interest in Jackson and/or the Northern Virginia theater of the war. ... Read more

Book Description
Integrated Design and Construction

The house of your Dreams does not have to be expensive. The key is all in the planning. How much a house costs, how it looks, how comfortable it is, how energy-efficient it is—all these things occur on paper before you pick up even one tool. A little extra time spent in the planning process can save tens of thousands of dollars in construction and maintenance.That is time well spent!

Living Homes takes you through the planning process to design an energy- and resource-efficient home that won't break the bank. Then, from the footings on up to the roof, author Thomas J. Elpel guides you through the nuts and bolts of footings and foundations, slipform stone masonry, tilt-up stone walls, log home construction, building with strawbales, windows and doors, concrete and fly ash countertops, masonry heaters, terra tile floors,wood framing, solar hot water, plus plumbing, painting, and more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The down and dirty on alternative home building
Most of the housing being built today is shoddy. Volume homebuilding corporations breeze into town, rape the land, slap up substandard cardboard-quality "houses" on postage stamp-sized lots and charge hundreds of thousands of dollars per unit. Many of these contractors get run out of the state, change their corporate name and then move on the next urban sprawl boom.

If you're sick and tired of seeing beehive neighborhoods spring up in your town with siding walls you can put your fist through, do yourself a favor and take this crash course on alternative homebuilding. This book will give you an excellent starting place to learn about how you can build your own high quality, inexpensive home with low environmental impact.

There is a lot of detail in this book on the methods presented. The "butt and pass" log home building chapter alone is worth 20 times the cost of the book. You won't easily find that information anywhere else outside of taking a log home building class from the Log Home Builders Association in Monroe, Washington, which is the only place I know of that teaches that method.

How integrated design works with planning
The house of your dreams needn't be unaffordable: integrated design and construction methods can help in the planning process and can result in much savings, and LIVING HOMES: INTEGRATED DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION is the perfect guide to that process. Chapters cover everything from calculating energy usage and efficiency to considering water supply and waste system options, bonding walls, and more. Black and white photos throughout reinforce instructions on how to cut construction costs along the way. LIVING HOMES deserves ongoing recommendation as an excellent choice for any who would pay attention to cost-efficient design.

K. Wilson
Touches on a variety of "green" living homes.Not too many specifics on each type of construction. Good for an overview of options available.Not for the builder who has a particular form of construction already in mind.Good for starting the research process of green living.

Looking for Slipform (slip form) stone masonry info?
While the author is a knowledgeable on the subject, if you are looking for a book that covers the topic in greater detail then check out Tomm Stanley's book "Stone House: A Guide to Self-Building With Slipforms".The material is covered in greater detail and in a well thought out manner.

A gold mine of construction specifics

Most would-be home builders believe a dream house would cost a fortune to construct from scratch: that isn't true, maintains author Elpel, who built his dream house with his wife. The planning of such a home is the key - and is the key to Living Homes: Integrated Design & Construction. Chapters cover energy efficiency concerns, home construction basics, and water supply and management with an eye to revealing how design and construction can work together to fit into both a budget and a dream plan. From strawbale walls to interior finishing, Living Homes provides a gold mine of construction specifics for any neophyte builder.
... Read more

Book Description

Once America's "arsenal of democracy," Detroit over the last fifty years has become the symbol of the American urban crisis. In this reappraisal of racial and economic inequality in modern America, Thomas Sugrue explains how Detroit and many other once prosperous industrial cities have become the sites of persistent racialized poverty. He challenges the conventional wisdom that urban decline is the product of the social programs and racial fissures of the 1960s. Probing beneath the veneer of 1950s prosperity and social consensus, Sugrue traces the rise of a new ghetto, solidified by changes in the urban economy and labor market and by racial and class segregation.

In this provocative revision of postwar American history, Sugrue finds cities already fiercely divided by race and devastated by the exodus of industries. He focuses on urban neighborhoods, where white working-class homeowners mobilized to prevent integration as blacks tried to move out of the crumbling and overcrowded inner city. Weaving together the history of workplaces, unions, civil rights groups, political organizations, and real estate agencies, Sugrue finds the roots of today's urban poverty in a hidden history of racial violence, discrimination, and deindustrialization that reshaped the American urban landscape after World War II.

In a new preface, Sugrue discusses the ongoing legacies of the postwar transformation of urban America and engages recent scholars who have joined in the reassessment of postwar urban, political, social, and African American history.

Customer Reviews (12)

An incredibly important book about racial tensions in the North
Thomas Sugrue, in his classic work The Origins of the Urban Crisis, has given us a case study of a Northern City that has fallen from grace:Detroit, Michigan.Sugrue promotes the theory that the decay of urban America can be explained by reviewing the situation in Detroit.

Prior to and during World War II, Detroit was a hopping metropolis - one of many jobs and a mecca for blacks migrating from the South in search of work and a better life.Economics drove this city's growth in industry and population.Unfortunately for the city, however, there was only one industry in town - the auto industry, and such critical events as automation of the plants and the movement of the plants out of center city Detroit led to the economic collapse.

Sugrue spends much of the book focused, rightfully so, on the plight of housing in Detroit - with the great influx of migrants, housing was at a premium, and because of racism, many of the migrants were restricted only to certain areas of the city, which then turned into overcrowded residential zones, thus perpetuating a crisis of where to house all of these people.

This book is a fascinating work studying an urban area that has indeed come crashing down; one of the most important facets of the book is that it forces Northerners to face something that they may not be interested in hearing; that racism was very active in post-war Detroit, and often it was even more prevalent than in the South.

Racism in America Doesn't Come Out of Nowhere
Thomas Sugrue's book The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit aims to take a closer look at the cause and effects of racism and poverty specifically within the context of Detroit.Sugrue's main argument was to debunk previous scholarship that rooted the cause of racial turmoil and poverty within Detroit and other large metropolitan cities in the United States as "excesses of the 1960's liberalism, black power, and identity politics" which unraveled the New Deal gains. (p. xix) Sugrue instead turned the tables of the cause of racial turmoil and poverty from liberalism and the black people to resting the blame on the other side of racism from government policies, white activism against racial equality, and politics.Surgue even blames the New Deal itself for being part of the catalyst for racial inequality and poverty among blacks in Detroit because it promoted among the white population a sense of empowerment and entitled rights that they felt they were owed as citizens and had the right to defend. Sugrue uses sources from the U.S. Government, local politics, Unions, civil rights activists, homeowner associations and real estate brokers to prove the point that it was a concerted effort on all fronts long before the 1960's that kept blacks in isolation in which they lacked opportunities to better themselves that has only become worse over time and continues to the present.

Sugrue certainly uses the sources effectively to illustrate how all white forces were purposefully trying to keep black people in their supposed place.Unfortunately there is not a counterbalance or another side of the story.The book is written with the tone, that for the most part, all white people were evil racists except for a handful of enlightened activists that belong to civil rights movements from the 40's onward.As a Caucasian reader it is getting very old to feel as though all scholars portray white people as the root of all evil and racism and that every single white person besides a handful of activists against racism played a part in keeping the "black people down". It is truly offensive to have scholars imply all white people whether they admit it or not deep down have racist tendencies.One counterbalance to make the portrayal of racism and poverty more even would be to juxtapose the black poverty experience with the white poverty experience and look where the experiences are different or the same. This book implies that all white people were at least somewhat better off than all black people.Sugrue references poor blacks, lower middle class blue collar blacks, middle class blacks, well to do blacks, lower middle class blue collar whites, middle class whites, and well to do whites, but never mentions the experience of poor white people.Does Sugrue feel that there is not such a thing as poor white people?Did he ever investigate any records or oral histories from white people who were not activists, but just part of a regular white community, that did not feel that blacks should be kept in their place?Usually people that don't feel the same about a particular issue who are in a larger group who feel strongly about an issue are too afraid to raise their voice of discontent because they feel that they will suffer ostracizing from the group they are in.Sugrue never mentioned community pressure within white groups to keep white people that thought racism was wrong in their place.Certainly without a doubt black people in general have had a far more difficult experience in this country than white people.Furthermore, it seems rather obvious to a person who doesn't know in detail the previous scholarship Sugrue was referring to in which all of today's current inner-city problems stemmed from the 1960's is false and that it has far older roots.Racism and group class does not drop out of the sky at one particular moment.All situations have long history of circumstances that leads to the current state of affairs and on that point the book does a good job of revealing the history which led to the present day situation of Detroit's inner-city as well as other cities in the Untied States.Unfortunately, counterbalance even in small amounts was lacking.

Excellent history of urban decline
This was required reading for a graduate course in American history.
Thomas J. Sugrue attempts to prove that resistance to the civil rights movement had much deeper roots than the white backlash of the 1960s and 1970s. The author contends that resistance to the civil rights actually emerged as opposition to the New Deal coalition. Urban, anti-liberal, northern whites, as well as corporate leaders, unionists and politicians limited the possibilities of reform. Sugure maintains that northern urban white workers initially were the "backbone" of the New Deal coalition. And they found a common cause as the New Deal unified varied constituents in America. Yet, Sugure argues that underneath the seeming unity of the new coalition, were unresolved questions of racial identities. These unresolved issues began to fester, and were then exacerbated by liberal policies, specifically, public housing. And it is here that Sugure places the ''white rebellion" against the New Deal and liberalism, in the urban north.

From the 1940s until the 1960s, Detroit's racial geography changed dramatically. Sugure refers to Detroit as a "magnet' for African Americans after World War II, due to the lure of the defense and
automobile industries. When increasing numbers of African Americans began to search for housing in the predominantly white sections of the Detroit, racial tensions began to increase. Post World War II was described at "dark ages of Detroit." Riots and white flight occurred, coupled with a decline in the Detroit's post war economy. As layoffs mounted, and a national housing shortage, white homeowners feared foreclosure on their homes, as the economic ability to own home became increasingly precarious.

Sugure claims that race and housing became inseparable in the minds of white Detroiters.Basically, he contends that white homeowners feared that the influx of blacks would ruin their fragile economic security. Familiar racial fears and myths emerged; blacks were associated with crime and vice.White Detroiters even cited Jim Crow as a model for "successful race relations." In response to the "black invasion" and their increased economic stability, working class whites began to form neighborhood associations. Essentially, these associations were political organizations aimed at stymieing black constituents from moving into white neighborhoods. Sugure contends that these associations espoused the notions of values, protection, achievement and tradition, and were aimed at paternalistically protecting the neighborhood from vice-ridden blacks. They also served to foster a sense of "whiteness" among members (silent majority etc). These organizations corresponded with public officials and real estate agents (who played to both black and whites) to block African Americans from certain neighborhoods in various ways, including violence and intimidation.

By examining this, I believe the author uncovered a very prominent theme in American history and politics. What should be the level of government assistance in a capitalistic society? In this specific case, should the government have supplied urban housing for its poorer constituents, or should it have upheld the rights of privacy and association of its more affluent constituents? The affluent white constituents criticized the government when it tried to "force people" (blacks) down their throats," they cried for their freedoms of privacy and association, yet they called on that same "tyrannical" government to aid them in blocking the settlement of African Americans in their neighborhoods. Sugrue hits on this contradiction but does not pursue it. Which constituents should the government help and when should it help them? When is the government infringing on the rights on its citizens, and when is it fighting to uphold their rights? A fine line is drawn and illustrated by the struggle in post war Detroit.

I think the author is extremely misleading when he discusses the "black invasion" of Detroit. He presents blacks as a stifling, crime-ridden, vice infested monolith. I understand the aim of the article was to examine the position of the urban white class, but nonetheless, the quotes the author uses to describe migrating blacks is extremely derogatory, and in some cases, the author makes the white backlash almost seem justified. The black race is not a monolithic entity, no race is. I believe Sugrue should have at least written a few sentences dispelling the notion of the "black invasion" as a monolithic entity.

In summation, Sugure challenges the historian to probe deeper when trying to locate the backlash to the civil rights movement and liberalism. Instead of just viewing it narrowly as southern whites, Sugure contends that resistance developed among a very unlikely group, a group which initially formed the "backbone" of the New Deal coalition. Yet, as the housing shortage pressed, old racial tensions flared up and urban, working class whites banned together to resist liberalism and the "black invasion" in the 1940s and 1950s, a generation prior to the civil rights movement.


Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, civil rights history.

Bad thesis but a story that still needs to be looked at
Sugrue takes a look at one of the crisis to hit not only Detroit but the rest of the country in his book on race and inequality. While there have been a lot of disturbing factors that have occurred during urban renewal Sugrue takes his text a little far. His flagrant bashing of urban planning gets old after the first two chapters and the book tends to drag on. This is an important issue that bears further studying but hopefully it will be done in a more academic way. This book does have all the information you need to start studying the subject and is a good way to begin looking at urban renewal.

How a Frightening Economic Powerhouse Became Just Plain Frightening
In 2005, Detroit looks more like a city awaiting reconstruction after a series of aerial bomber raids than the dynamo of manufacturing it was at the close of the Second World War.The combinations of white flight, race riots, massive deindustrialization by the automotive industry and the industries attached to it coupled with chronic unemployment and discrimination and racism in nearly every facet of life did a great a deal to make Detroit the wasteland it is today.

Thomas J. Sugrue's short study of Detroit, from the late 1930's through the 1970's is an attempt to understand the structure of Detroit's decline in racial, political, economic, and sometimes spatial terms.Through analysis of all these factors, Sugrue creates a cogent explanation of why so many formerly industrial cities of the United States are increasingly poorer, blacker, and more hopeless about their future with every passing year.

Sugrue sees the problems of Detroit stemming from a multiplicity of conscious and unconscious decisions made on the part of local and national government officials, corporate boards, union leadership, neighborhood associations, and self-interested individuals in day to day life.This is nothing new in the study of post-war urban and industrial decline.What is new, and rather eye opening, is that Sugrue traces the beginnings of Detroit's economic woes to be nearly co-terminus with the war and not after the disastrous riot of 1967.This analysis is incredibly important for understanding how a massive black underclass with only minimal connections to the job market came into existence, and expanded, in the 1950's.

By a combination of discrimination and bad luck, a large number of black workers missed out on the relatively high paying automotive jobs that allowed huge numbers of white blue collar workers to aspire to home ownership and middle class respectability.For a small number of black workers who were able to find auto jobs immediately before or during the war some measure of job security and the upward mobility.This was not the situation of most black workers though.Without the benefits of seniority, most often confined to jobs that were made redundant by automation or plant movements and closure, black workers were most likely to be the victims of the vagaries of Detroit's labor market.The vast body of black workers most often found themselves getting the hot end of the economic poker.

Sugrue's analysis of race and the meaning of postwar liberalism is the most succinct and cogent portion of the work.One of the great conundrums post-war Detroit politics with overwhelming presence of the militant and fighting union UAW-CIO could not prevent housing segregation from becoming so thoroughly entrenched.In recounting the wartime and post war fights over public housing, Sugrue points to the dual identities that white male union members had as rank and filers and bread winning home owners tenuously holding onto newly won middle class status and their own whiteness.

The part of Roman Catholic identity is something Sugrue finds to be very important to the territorial fights that occurred in residential Detroit, as well as the grass roots neighborhood organizing which occurred in white neighborhoods--both factors he identifies as being woefully under analyzed.Through Sugrue's descriptions of neighborhood attempts to stop racial turn over, or the pernicious practice of "block busting" by opportunistic real estate agents, the reader is privy to seeing grass roots mass mobilization which would have most likely have formally adopted segregation if there had been legal means to do so.The housing battles of the forties and fifties were a grim precursor of white working class abandonment of the city proper and savage and complicated forms of inequalities that plague the rust belt today.

One of the most interesting portions of Sugrue's work is his analysis of how the automotive industry, in line with a great many other industries the country over, left the cities in the Northeast, Middle Atlantic and Midwest portions of the country--cities whose advantages laid in their location vis-à-vis lakes, rivers, or railway hubs.In line with Cold War planning which expected major metropolitan areas to be first strike targets by the Soviets, and because of the massive highway system built during the Eisenhower administration, it became possible for industry to disperse over greater distances than ever before.Facing the prospect of negotiating with militant unions in urban areas with powerful allies in public offices at every, much of the auto industry was more than happy to relocate to areas where unions were either weak or simply not organized--after 1947 the Taft-Hartley act made this much simpler as even Southern states with strong union presence enacted "right to work" legislation.

Mixing national security rationales with a great deal of pecuniary interest, Sugrue recounts how huge sections of the automotive industry simply left Detroit without the slightest concern for what their departure would mean for the future of the city.Sugure shows how the UAW and other Detroit area unions were possibly lost a golden opportunity to redefine corporate responsibility when they did not oppose shareholder and corporate prerogatives about the free movement of property anywhere they pleased.Although any union would have had a difficult time attempting to halt the movement of corporate property from one area of the country, no international union gave their support to stopping what the militant members of Detroit's UAW Local 600 called the "Runaway Shop," and we call deindustrialization.Some restrictions on the free flow of corporate property may have insured that Detroit's colossal unemployment of the late twentieth century would not be so colossal and seemingly intractable.

The Origin of the Urban Crisis is possibly the most solid book on why so many areas of the United States sit in utter ruin today.The analysis of Detroit he gives can be extended de-industrialized cities in every region of the country with their largely black and poor inner cities and their outlying more prosperous suburbs.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Game Plan
Game Plan
By Thomas Dygard
Jordon Yotty
1/08/08
If you are a big fan of sports books the Game Plan, by Thomas Dygard, is one of the best that you could read.Everything is going well for Beano Hatton, when all of a sudden the Barton High School Tigers football coach is involved in a serious accident, and cant coach in the Tigers last game against the biggest rival, Carterville.Beano the team manager has to take over.
Beano is a nerd at Barton High School.He has some of the best grades in school, but isn't really liked by anyone.Beano thinks he can lead the Tigers to a win, but has to call some other coaches from around the area to ask for some help.Beano also gets to leave class to write a game plans everyday so that ha can have a successful afternoon practice.
Beano Hatton has to go through a whole week of practice with news cameras, and the fear of losing his starting quarterback.Beano handles the situation very well until, his star quarterback, Marty leaves the team.Beano has to look to his young sophomore quarterback, Dave, who has only taken about 10 snaps all year.
Beano also has to worry about what the town's people will think if he loses the big game against Carterville.Beano thinks that he can lead the Tigers to a victory.If you want to find out what Beano does in the last game, then go get the book Game Plan, by Thomas Dygard.

Game Plan
With the coach gone, who will coach the team for the hardest game of the season... Game Plan is about this high school football team that lost their coach before the last game and needed a coach. The team manager, Beano, stepped in to be coach. With a week to practice, Beano would lead the team to the last game.
The audience for this book is probably young teenagers. The audience is probably young teenagers because younger kids would probably not understand it, and older kids probably would not want to read it.
The writer writes with a normal tone. It isn't that confusing to read. For example, there aren't many words that you don't know, and the way he writes is easy to understand. This book kept me interested through the entire book. Everytime I picked it up to read it, I didn't want to put it down. One quote in the book was "You Coach, I'll play".
The author put the information in chronological order. He didn't put too much or too little, he put enough for it to make sense. In this book there were no pictures, or charts, but there were some facts. Some facts included scores of games, plays, and stats. The information in this book is perfect. It isn't confusing at all. All the information comes at the needed time.
In conclusion I liked the book. If you like football, or like to read good books than I would read this book. Game Plan was an overall good book.

Jeremy Gabrielson's Review for Game Plan
1. Thomas, J. Dygard. (1993). Game Plan.
New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.
2. This story is about a skinny senoir that is the student manager of the Barton High Tigers. The choach of the Tigers crashes in a terrible car accident and goes into intensive care. This leaves the pricapal to decide the new acting coach and he picks Beano, (thats what they call him and his real name is Hubert Hatten)the student manager, to coach the last game of the season against their heated rival, the Carterville Bobacts. He has to draw up a game plan and he doesn't know how because as student manager he only watched the game and he doesn't have a clue how to write a game plan or coach a game. Also the whole school is counting on him to win. Not only does he not know how to coach. He also has to deal with the jock quaterback who doesn't want to listen to the little wimpy student manager. The last thing he has to deal with is his own lack of cofidence.
3.The theme could be courage because Beano had to have courage to step up to the challenge of coaching the tigers in thier last game. He also has to stand up to the players who are twice his size.
4.I would recomend this book for my classmates becuase even though it starts slow it teaches about courage. It also shows that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
5.Sports Fiction 8 because it started slow and the beginning was boring

Awsome book
Game plan, By Thomas Dygard is a dramatic sports novel that offers excellent descriptions about everything that's happening.
It all starts out when Hubert Hatton Aka: Beano, the student manager of the Barton High football team received terrible news, Coach Pritchard, the head coach for the tigers got severely injured in a car accident.
After everyone had herd about Coach Pritchard's accident, they started to wonder who was going to coach the Tigers last game of the season.Then when Beano was in class he got called up to Principal Tyler's office and Principal Tyler told Beano that he would take over ashead coach for the last game of the season against the all talented Cartville Bobcats. Beano was in a state of shock.
Now Beano faced a huge task, Replacing Coach Pritchard as acting head coach for Barton High. Beano also faced another task, gaining everyone's respect who think he's a joke and couldn't possibly coach the "Big Game".
With only his parents and Principal Tyler backing Beano up, this sports novel is sure to bring an exciting ending. I highly recommend this book to any sports fanatic.

amazon.com customer
I would recommend this book to anybody who likes football. This is a story of how a student manager of a high school football team becomes head coach, when the real coach get's in a car accident. At the beginning all the players weren't sure if they were going to listen to the student manager as the coach. this how he got the players to belive in him and how he belived in himself. ... Read more

Product Description
For too long, professional services firms have relied on the producer-manager model, which works well in uncomplicated business environments. However, today s managing directors must balance often conflicting roles, more demanding clients, tougher competitors, and associates with higher expectations of partners at all levels.

When Professionals Have to Lead presents an overarching framework better suited to such complexity. It identifies the four critical activities for effective PSF leadership: setting strategic direction, securing commitment to this direction, facilitating execution, and setting a personal example. Through examples from consulting practices, accounting firms, investment banks, and other professional service organizations, industry veterans DeLong, Gabarro, and Lees show how this model works to
Align your firm s culture and key organizational components.
Satisfy your clients needs without sacrificing essential managerial responsibilities.
Address matters of size, scale, and complexity while maintaining the qualities that make professional services firms unique.

A valuable new resource, this book redefines the role of leadership in professional services firms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dimensions of High-Impact Leadership

In this volume, Thomas DeLong, John Gabarro, and Robert Lees present what they characterize as "an integrated leadership model" that is designed to "stimulate thinking and facilitate changes that high-performing firm leaders want to enact." Although their focus is on the professional service firm (PSF), all of the information and counsel in this book can also be of substantial value to other kinds of organizations. In fact, decision-makers in those (e.g. manufacturers) must also offer professional service of the highest quality, especially now when competing in what has become, as Thomas Friedman describes it, a "flat world."

First, DeLong, Gabarro, and Lees introduce their integrated leadership model and explain its background, "how it evolved out of the problems and opportunities that have bedeviled heads of firms in recent years." I agree with them that, for most PSFs, a fresh leadership approach is "mandatory." In fact, research and DeLong, Gabarro, and Lees in combination with their own experiences have revealed exemplary firms and what can be learned from them. That information helped to guide and inform the development of the integrated leadership model.

In the remaining eight chapters, DeLong, Gabarro, and Lees respond to questions such as these:

What are the dominant characteristics of the integrated leader?
To what extent are PSFs "a breed apart"?
What unique challenges and opportunities do they offer to their leaders?
What should a firm offer: products, services, or both?
How to define and then measure a PSF's market?
How to achieve and then sustain strategic differentiation?
How to attract, motivate, and then retain the talent needed?

Note: DeLong, Gabarro, and Lees identify and then discuss ten "motivational drivers" in Chapter 7, pages 150-155, and then suggest five reasons why high-achieving professionals stay motivated. In my opinion, this is some of the most valuable material in the book.

Why is the "essential B player" the "heart and soul" of an organization?
How to connect professionals to a PSF and then the firm to the future?
How to communicate expectations and provide the resources for meeting them?

I especially appreciate the provision of various checklists and "Figures" which consolidate key points throughout the narrative.Here is a selection of brief excerpts that suggest the thrust and flavor of the co-authors' insights and writing style.

"The integrated leadership model is incomplete if any one of the four core behaviors is left out. The model is powerful only if leaders set direction, get commitment to the direction, execute, and by their actions set personal examples as leaders." (Page 42)

"The challenge that each firm faces is how to answer the following four strategic questions about each of its practices, and then to remain true to the answers: What is the economic equation that will drive this practice? What will differentiate the practice from our competitors? What can we do better than anyone else? What are we absolutely passionate about?" (Page 97)

Financial performance can improve significantly "when a firm or practice aligns all of its internal structures, processes, and activities - its `organization' as whole - with its strategy. Organizational alignment has its roots in the work of Paul Lawrence and Jay Lorsch...who found that high-performing companies in different industries developed organizations and procedures that were uniquely adapted to the particular demands posed by the industry segments." (Page 141)

"For many partners and other senior professionals, on-the-spot corrective feedback, coaching, and mentoring are not seen [by the high-need-for- achievement personality] as central to the task trajectory of getting a project, deal, or matter done, so these aspects of leadership are ignored. We call this self-feeding dynamic the `PSF Paradox' [in that] because they too are high-achievement personalities, senior professionals are not disposed to give junior professionals what they need to stay motivated or develop - even though they too had the same needs early in their career." (Pages 163-164)

With regard to the last excerpt provided, I am reminded of what recent research conducted by the Gallup Organization revealed: only 25% of employees are engaged in their jobs, 55% of them are just going through the motions, and 20% of them are working against their employers' interests. How could it be otherwise when senior professionals are unwilling and/or unable to provide corrective feedback, coaching, and mentoring to junior professionals in the same firm?

To their great credit, after carefully identifying the "what" of effective leadership in personal service firms, DeLong, Gabarro, and Lees focus most of their attention on how to achieve and then sustain high-impact performance, especially now when leaders in PSFs face unprecedented challenges in a global marketplace and are engaged in a constant battle against disconnection. Integrated leaders are "connectors" who "create a safety net to catch those professionals who may be ready to leave the system or who are not [sufficiently] engaged in the enterprise.The dilemma for most PSFs is that they do not explicitly value or reward those professionals who spend the time and effort focused on the human side of the enterprise. Great PSFs need to confront this deficiency. The time has come to value the professionals who keep the culture dynamic and supportive through their ability to connect people throughout the firm."

Amen.

Those who share my high regard for this brilliant book are urged to check out David Maister's Managing the Professional Service Firm and his more recent Practice What You Preach, Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood's Brand Leadership, Justin Menkes's Executive Intelligence, Judgment co-authored by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis, Ram Charan's Know-How and his more recent Leaders at All Levels, Roger Martin's The Opposable Mind, The New American Workplace co-authored by James O'Toole and Edward Lawler, Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models, Frans Johansson's The Medici Effect, James Kilts's Doing What Matters, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement, and Enterprise Architecture As Strategy co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson. ... Read more

Book Description
"As usual, Tom Stanley hits the nail squarely on the head. No one better illuminates the 'who, where, and how' of the affluent market in America."-J. Arthur Urcioli, Chairman and Chief Executive, Merrill Lynch, Business and Financial Services, Inc. "This book is the best guide to success that I've seen."-Mary B. Lehman, Managing Director, Banker's Trust Company, The Private Bank. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very Illuminating
I never realized how easy it is to network with the high profile people. Like anythingelse, it can be learned.

Networking With The Affluent is a must read for all entrepeneurs, sales and business people. This is the book that your most successful competitors are reading, using and applying.

Especially good for people in financial services
I work for one of the big 3 insurance companies and getting to know the affluent and working their nests is critical to my success.

In Networking with the Affluent, Dr. Stanley shows how to get into this market and offer quality financial products and services. To serve the affluent and others in their network.

You won't find any tricky techniques. But you will find some powerful ideas on how to substantially increase your production.

I have recommended this book to dozens of people over the years. And I can tell by their productivity if they have actually read it.

Get this book. It's great.

Excellent book to penetrate the affluent market
Dr Stanley goes over and above the call of duty with this great work. Networking With The Affluent will show you how to penetrate the affluent market...network with it's members and key players within their group.

This book will create relationships that many have heretofore, been unable to penetrate.

Great book by Dr. Stanley.

A very under-rated book! Where are the readers?
I cannot believe that there is not at least three pages of reviews for this great book.Being able to link up with "Mr/Mrs High Credibility" is so essential to successand this is the only book that shows the why, who, where and how.Severall years ago I joined toastmasters and as a result was invited to join other organizations as well. I have to admit that I was [initially] very uncomfortable sitting with some of the top CEO's, Board Members and social elite of my city. This book was recommended to me then and I have never looked back.As a result, I have been able to increase my client base, penetrate the affluent market and network with their associates.As I said in the heading, I cannot believe that there are not more reviews here. Perhaps readers are hoping to keep this their secret. I know that when I first heard about this book, I was hoping that none of my competitors would find out about it.I also recommend Dr. Stanley's excellent "Selling To The Affluent" and "The Winners Circle" by Robert Shook.

Some good advice on how to be useful to the affluent
If you need to rub elbows with the affluent, who better to learn from than the man who made a career of studying the wealthy? Thomas Stanley, bestselling author of "The Millionaire Next Door," teaches us the networking methods of individuals who cater to the rich in "Networking With The Affluent And Their Advisors."

Stanley writes: "...always remember that you will succeed in marketing if you focus on the needs of your targets." What are the needs of the affluent? Stanley focuses upon eight valuable services that individuals can provide to the affluent.

According to Stanley, the "Eight Faces of Networking" are:

* Being A Talent Scout
* Being A Revenue Enhancer
* Being An Advocate (to your clients' industries)
* Being A Mentor
* Being A Publicist
* Being A Family Advisor
* Being A Purchasing Agent
* Being A Loan Broker

Noticeably missing from Stanley's list is walking poodles. What sort of pets do the rich have anyway? Are they largely cat people or dog people? Or do they tend to avoid pets altogether due to the cost of caring for the furry little fellows? Stanley is silent on the issue.

But, I guess offering to walk a potential client's poodle wouldn't enhance the image of a serious business professional anyway. So, we'll let Stanley off the hook on this point of omission. Each of his other networking suggestions would tend to enhance a businessperson's reputation as a savvy businessperson with the client.

Being a talent scout means providing your network with information about reliable suppliers and people who might be able to provide valuable services. For example, Stanley notes that the majority of the wealthy are business owners, so they are constantly looking for sources of supply for their businesses.

Suppose the fat cat you want to do business with owns a bakery chain. If you've focused your attention upon the food industry, you might just know a good supplier of doilies. That information will come in handy when fat cat laments the lack of reliable doily suppliers. By asking fat cat about his most important goals and concerns, you learn how you can be of service to him.

Of course, if the doily supplier delivers deformed doilies, you might lose the goodwill of the fat cat. Stanley tells us to only endorse people who provide quality services and products, otherwise we compromise the value of our personal network.

Stanley says that it's often wisest to focus upon networking within a few industries because positive word-of-mouth flows more rapidly through inter-industry communication than through intra-industry communication. We learn that one of the best places to learn about an industry are the industry's trade publications and associations.

So, while you're browsing through "Gingersnap Today," in addition to learning about the industry, you'll learn about the movers and shakers of the baking industry. More people to add to your potential food network.

What do most bakers really care about? In fact, what do most wealthy people care about? Dough, of course! Business owners, especially, are always looking to grow their revenue. So, if you enhance a business owner's revenue, you will become a valuable member of his or her network.

Would doily supplier dare drop doing business with you in favor of your competition if you are providing many referrals and enhancing his doily revenue? Especially, if other people providing the same core service don't enhance his revenue at all?

Stanley gives us the example of a financial advisor who was talking with the wealthy owner of a welding company. Rather than focusing upon the financial advisor's"me, me, me" interest of getting as much money under his grubby management paw as possible, the advisor focused upon his potential client's real concerns and priorities.

Upon meeting the wealthy welder, the financial advisor immediately said that he had several clients who owned oil rigs which needed welding services. He put the welder in contact with the oil riggers. The welder received much business and opened a multimillion dollar account with the financial advisor.

Of course, savvy networking is sometimes derogatorily referred to as "The Old Boy's Network," where members only tend to do business with other members. But, everyone has the opportunity to create their own network. Building networks is an equal opportunity endeavor. Unfortunately, sometimes, people have network envy.

Also, notice that financial advisors and others offering core services to the wealthy tend to benefit most from such networking. This is especially true if the basic service provided is largely undifferentiated, as it typically is with accounting services or financial advising, for example.

Stanley argues that the core service provided clients must be worthwhile to secure and retain business. But, core services being equal, the provider who excels at revenue enhancement will probably win.

While revenue enhancement is crucial, maybe, top dog's greatest concern is building his new home. He's a successful doctor who hates negotiating and doesn't have the time for it. But, it so happens that you know the building contracting business and are a strong negotiator. By acting as a purchasing agent for members of your network, you can save members money. And, as they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.

Stanley relates the story of a successful CPA who saved his wealthy client about [money] on the purchase of a new home. When the successful doctor told Mr. CPA about his new home plans along with its 15% builder's fee and extra fees and commissions here and there, Mr. CPA offered to negotiate the final purchase on behalf of his client. Knowing construction, Mr. CPA knew that a 10% builder's fee was fair. But, the commission, paid to the builder, on the sale of the lot, owned by the builder, had to go.

Saving members of your network money on expensive purchases is one more way to benefit them.

Overall, if you provide a service to wealthy individuals and you wish to increase the value of your networking skills, you might find this book useful.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur" and "Becoming An Investor." ... Read more

Book Description
First published in 1971 and now the best known book in the field, Supervision: A Redefinition continues to be the leading text for combining an in-depth view of theory and research for supervision with practical applications. The Seventh Edition continues a thirty-year tradition of breaking new ground by continuously redefining the field of supervision in response to changing school contexts, policies, and realities. The practical applications are supported by a conception of supervision as moral agency. The book continues to promote a new vision, or redefinition, of supervision from that of a top-down activity performed by higher-ups in the school hierarchy, to one in which supervision is a shared activity involving all stake-holders in the school including teachers, administrators, and parents. The book sees schools as communities rather than organizations, and emphasizes the student-teacher relationship rather than bureaucratic functions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Sergiovanni and Starratt offersolutions for the future.
Sergiovanni and Starratt bring to light wonderful ideas for supervision during the next century. They force the reader to consider doing away with school and evaluations as we currently know them.They suggest moving away from evaluation and instead replacing it withhealthy, supportive, and collegial supervision. These are all great ideas based upon what we have seen occur in many business settings.

The only problem I see with the authors' ideas is that one would have to basically recreate education as we currently know it in order to implement their vision of supervision.The change would have to be systemic all the way from the national level to the local levels.However, this may not be a bad thing.

The authors have very enlightening ideas contained in a very thought-provoking book ... Read more

Book Description
What accounts for the loyalty and zeal of Tom Dorsey's book-buying devotees? What traders and investors want is what Dorsey gives them -- the tools for making the right decisions -- not theory or an overly complex trading "system". Tom Dorsey's Trading Tips draws upon the collective wisdom of Dorsey and his colleagues -- whose closely followed newsletter and Web site provide a daily education of insights and research to legions of brokers and investors. Tom Dorsey receives constant feedback from traders who have built their success with Dorsey's techniques, so he knows that his strategies work.

Tom Dorsey's Trading Tips includes invaluable coaching on the general market, point-and-figure charting techniques, options strategies, as well as a portfolio of other valuable topics. And Dorsey's tips are simple to apply: self-contained, well chosen, tested strategies that can be confidently mastered because he has made them crystal clear, and shows his readers exactly when and how to use them.

This book condenses the author's most useful stock-and-option trading techniques in a highly accessible, conveniently organized playbook format that readers can and will easily consult again and again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A must for Point& Figure Chartist
Well worth the money if you are a proponent of point and figure charting. Tom gives practical advice on applying p&f. It is a good addition to his other book on p&f charting. Has many practical tips.

Outlines the Dorsey Wright Approach Very Well
Tom Dorsey and the other authors run the Dorsey, Wright & Associates investment advisory service. This book does a very good job of outlining and reviewing the point and figure based investment approaches they use.I am an individual investor and have been subscribing to their service for two years.This book gives a good review of their overall "game plan" for making money during the good times, and preserving it in the downturns.

I'd recommend it to other DWA subscribers.Additionally, this book is much easier to read than Tom's point and figure book.This book is well edited and sticks to the topic.

While this book may be of interest to non-subscribers, the bullish percent and relative strength techniques presented are specific to the DWA methodology and subscription web site.

A Playbook of X's and O's
With "Tom Dorsey's Trading Tips," Mr. Dorsey accomplished two things: he wrote a great brochure for his money management/investment advisory firm, Dorsey, Wright, & Associates, plus he imparted some excellent investing advice along the way.
His background as Director of Option Strategy at Wheat, First Securities, and his long-time professional work with point & figure charts combine to give the seasoned investor an excellent playbook for approaching the stock market with enough education to come out a winner.
This is an excellent book not only for the work Dorsey has done with point and figure charts (his bread and butter), but also for the insights he gives on sector investing, relative strength, momentum, and options.
His discussion of the logic behind relative strength is second to none, and morphs nicely into sector rotation. This is the way the stock market basically works, and investors would do well to listen closely to Dorsey's well-reasoned explanations.
Point and figure charting is vastly superior to bar charting from the point of view of finding congestion (support and resistance) areas. If you can take the time to learn P&F charting, you will be rewarded by being able to observe the stock market from a much simpler and realistic standpoint.
Additionally, there is an extended discussion of options, with an emphasis on buying rather than selling, although he does acknowledge, "Time is the silent killer of all options." He even adds in a little story of how in his earlier days he was right about a stock but still lost money buying its calls.
He correctly advises not to sell calls against stock you don't want to let go - "closet uncovered writing," he calls it. But very little space is given to covered option writing, which could be argued is the best investment strategy available to the public investor.
By the time you've consumed Dorsey's thoughts and observations, you will have gotten your money's worth, and hopefully plenty of useful advice on how the market really works.

Tommy isa Genius!!
This is one of four books by Tommy and his team. Thay have a logical, organized method for investing that does indeed work.
The best money you can spend is to either learn this method yourself or find an investment consultant who uses this method.

Double yuk...
I won't waste time with this.....

See my review of his book "Point and Figure Charting: The Essential Application for Forecasting and Tracking Market Prices" ... Read more