Read Our Minds

Authentic Leadership

Tech Image's Tim Boivin shared the book Authentic Leadership with me to help out with an internal reading assignment we've been doing. I just needed a few pages of it for the main assignment, but as I paged through it I thought "This looks like a book worth reading." And I was right.

Author Bill George is the former CEO of Medtronic, a Minnesota company that manufactures medical devices such as pacemakers. But the book isn't about those, or even about manufacturing. Instead, it's a treatise on how to lead others, whether you're part of a company, a sports team, a local organization or some other group.

In a post-Enron and Lehman Brothers world, the things he has to say make a lot of sense. The reason companies have these problems is they put short-term gains and the concerns of Wall Street ahead of their core mission, which is to serve their customers. Here's where the Medtronics background comes in handy.

They aren't just making products to sell. They're changing lives. It's an extreme example, but one that should be at the heart of every business leader. If you look at the impact your business has on your customers, you should be willing to sacrifice short-term gains or hitting a particular number for long-term benefits, for your customers, your employees, and the business.

The books talks about various phases, and uses a lot of stories (both his own and those of others) to illustrate the points he's making. In the end, that sage advice "To thine own self be true" lies at the core of what Bill George has to say.

Reviewed by Ken Krause

A Captivating Look into the Lives of “The Help”

I’m fortunate to not only have a lot of friends who love to read, but at least one book a year to recommend that I’m confidant all will adore. My current pick is “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett.

In her debut novel, Stockett expertly interweaves the narratives of three women (dialects and all) whose lives intersect in early 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. Abileen, a veteran maid who has raised dozens of other people’s babies; Minny, a feisty maid whose big mouth keeps her perpetually on the job hunt; and Skeeter, an awkward recent college graduate who is anything but the typical Southern Belle. The alternating voices of the African-American maids, and the white woman so unlike her friends who run the households, make you feel as if you are opening the pages of a diary or standing in the room as the scene unfolds.

While racial tension is certainly at the heart of the story, it’s the venue and manner in which Stockett explores the topic that sets it apart from those you’ve encountered before. Stockett has a knack for showcasing the complexities of relationships—whether it’s black/white, mother/daughter, employee/employer, boyfriend/girlfriend, friend/friend. You quickly become invested in each woman’s struggles and triumphs, events that suck you in without crossing the line into the over-the-top or melodramatic.

It’s an engaging read, not without its moments of sadness, shock, humor and joy. I eagerly devoured most of it during travel to and from a friend’s wedding. Considering the abnormally loud man sitting two rows behind me on the plane, that’s saying a lot about how easy it is to get lost in the pages.

-- Reviewed by Kristin Petersen

Lucky

It’s not often that I search the shelves of Barnes & Noble for a memoir. But after reading Alice Sebold’s two bestselling fiction novels, “The Lovely Bones” and “The Almost Moon,” I was left wanting more. The only Sebold novel left for me to read was her first published book, “Lucky.”

In this memoir, Sebold tells the crude story of her brutal rape, near death experience and her long road to recovery while she was attending undergraduate school at Syracuse University. Sebold doesn’t miss any of the chilling details of her ordeal from the moment the book is opened with the line, “this is what I remember,” to the close of her still attempt at recovery years later.

“Lucky” started as a 10-page and then 40-page assignment for a class Sebold was enrolled in during graduate school at University of California, Irvine. Over time this assignment turned into a bone chilling memoir that not only helped Sebold overcome a horrific and life-changing experience, but serve as the base to her two bestselling fiction novels.

After reading “Lucky” it was clear to me that several key components to Sebold’s other books were derived straight from her life. After speaking with police after her rape as a college freshman in “Lucky,” Sebold learned that the woman raped by the same man before her was killed. In Sebold’s first bestseller now turned movie, “The Lovely Bones,” she told the tale of a young girl who was raped and killed, as she spoke about the hunt for her killer in her afterlife.

In a nutshell, “The Almost Moon” was about a woman who could no longer deal with her dysfunctional mother and her anxiety “flaps,” let alone her life. In “Lucky,” Sebold often talked about her real-life mother’s own anxiety and social issues.

Although I didn’t read “Lucky” until after I completed Sebold’s other novels, I wouldn’t have gone about reading the books in any other way. I thought “Lucky” did a wo nderful job of tying the other two books together, while giving the reader a personal glimpse into the bestseller’s life and creativity.

--Reviewed by Christine Rojewski

Bathroom Reader -- #1 in great, useless trivia, not #2

You’ve heard the old saying, “Slow as molasses in January,” right? Back in 1919, the citizens of Boston found out the dangers of fast running molasses when a tank of two million gallons of the sticky stuff erupted.

The tank, operated by the Purity Distilling Company, blew apart, and the two million gallons rushed down the street at 35 miles an hour, having a tidal wave effect on the citizens who were in the city. Not only did the weight of the molasses crush people to death, but it also ripped down the supports holding up the elevated train on Atlantic Avenue and the track collapsed. Fortunately, the conductor was able to stop the train before it fell through the break in the tracks.

This freak accident unfortunately killed 21 people and injured more than 150. And, it had a lasting impact on the city – as the smell of molasses lingered into the 1960s.

That’s not the type of story you’ll read in a regular history book, but you’ll see it in the pages of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, a series of books issued by The Bathroom Readers’ Hysterical Society for more than 20 years.

Each year, at least one new edition of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is released. The molasses story above was from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Plunges into History, but there are also books dedicated to the US Presidency, another one on music, but most of the books are a potpourri of various facts that are interesting, informative, and will help to make you a vat of useless knowledge that you can use to impress your friends with at the bar or relatives at your next family reunion.

For instance, did you know that there have been two first ladies named Lucretia (John Quincy Adams and James Garfield)? That the Tremont House in Boston was the first hotel in the country with an indoor modern bathroom? Or that the phrase “To lay an egg” originated as part of the British sport of cricket (when you get shutout a zero looks like an egg).

Bathroom readers give you the real story behind fact-based movies like Braveheart and Spartacus, gives the origins behind horror books like Frankenstein and Dracula, and how TV shows like Star Trek and I Love Lucy came to be.

The best part is that all of the stories are less than four pages long, and usually run between one and two pages, so that you can easily read a story or two in one sitting – which is why the series of books is meant to be enjoyed on the porcelain goddess.

Each page also has a fast fact to help build your knowledge of all things pointless – like one page that says that people in China don’t eat cheese.

So, if you’re hard-pressed finding a Christmas gift for that hard-to-shop-for relative, think about picking up one or two of the 20+ Uncle John Bathroom Readers.

Book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Before The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is made into a movie (yes, it’s in the works,) get a copy and read it. For good reason, it’s been a “hot potato” on the bestseller list. It’s witty, charming, funny, poignant and hard to put down. 

Set in post WW II England, 30-something Juliet Ashton is suffering from writer’s block when she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a pig farmer on the British Channel island of Guernsey.  Dawsey has come into possession of a book Juliet once owned. The story of how Dawsey acquired the novel and the creation of the Society intrigue Juliet, who has become a bestselling columnist and author during and after the war. She begins corresponding with Dawsey and the other Society members. Friendship, compassion and a sense of discovering new stories about the war draw them together.

Written entirely in letters, the great strength of this novel is the character development. Everyone's so English and clever and likable in their quirky ways, except for on crotchety Islander. They come to life through their letters and I truly felt like they were real, not fictional. I laughed out loud throughout many portions of the book, and I felt sorrow within some chapters.

The novel tugs at our heartstrings and doesn't shy away from exploring some of the darker aspects of the war, including the cruelty of some German soldiers and the vulnerability of others. Captivated by this small groupof people, Juliet learns about the terrible conditions they endured during the five-year Nazi occupation and how their lives were forever changed. As she grows attached to each Islander, Juliet discovers a life she never knew existed.

I don’t recommend making a potato peel pie, but I do recommend you read this book!

--Reviewed by Donna Gaidamak

Book Review: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

If there was one negative thing I would have to say about author Alice Sebold, it would be that she hasn’t written enough books. I was first introduced to Sebold’s writing when I read her award-winning fiction novel, “The Lovely Bones” a couple of years ago. After reading it, there is no doubt in my mind why it was a national bestseller. Naturally, when I was looking for a great summer read I picked up her other fiction novel, “The Almost Moon.”

One car trip and a train ride later I sadly retired the book next to the completed “The Lovely Bones.” I didn’t put it down, however, because it was dull and difficult to read, rather I couldn’t put it down and I finished it faster than I thought I would. While it isn’t a book for those that don’t like crime thrillers, it is a book that I think can act like an emerald diamond and quickly draw a reader into its pool of action.

The novel opens with an intense tale of a woman wanting to do harm to her delusional mother. It doesn’t take long for Sebold to set the plot and quickly get into the conflict of the story. After a murder is committed, so begins the tale of the woman that is a mother, daughter, friend and adulteress. The woman dreaded her mother with every ounce of hate, yet love, she had in her but as the story unfolds, she finds she truly resembles her mom more than she would have ever guessed.

One might imagine that since the first few chapters are so action-packed that the rest of the book might not carry the same tone, but it did up to the last page. The entire book takes place in a 24-hour period that is filled with murder, anxiety, mystery and thrill that keeps readers wanting more. I thought of it like watching an intense sitcom where you never want to wait until the next week to see what happens next.

If there is one complaint about the book, it’s the ending. I felt like it abruptly ended and left me wanting more while wishing it wasn’t 300 pages but the likes of the “Lord of the Rings” series. Since I only have Sebold’s memoir “Lucky” left to finish reading until I have completed all of her books, I am hoping she writes a sequel to “The Almost Moon” and finishes where she left off.

--Reviewed byChristine Rojewski

Brave Companions: Portraits in History by David McCullough

Many people know author David McCullough for his award-winning tomes, John Adams and Truman. It was McCullough’s desire to be an artist early in his life that drove him to “paint” the portraits of interesting people throughout history. His book Brave Companions does just that. The book is a compilation of various essays written throughout his illustrious career to give readers a sense of history, and to experience the perseverance and ingenuity of explorers, artists, politicians, activists and inventors. Some essays are the much-abridged versions of his longer works.

The book underscores the importance of life-long reading and learning. There are always new people to meet and new places to explore through the writings of gifted authors.

For example, I was not aware of the contributions of people such as Louis Agassiz and Alexander von Humboldt to science and natural history, or Washington Roebling, who picked up after his father’s death to complete the Brooklyn Bridge, the largest of its kind in the 1880s and an engineering marvel. Or Harry Caudill, who raised awareness of strip mining, and fought the destruction of the Cumberland Mountains and Appalachia. How about Miriam Rothschild from whom I learned about the predator defense mechanisms of the ladybug! Or the people who built the Panama Railroad in the mosquito-infested jungles of Panama – a precursor to the Panama Canal!

If you’re interested in innovation and the sheer drive of individuals, then McCullough’s book is a must on your reading list.

--Reviewed by Philip Anast

“On Writing” By Stephen King

Family, friends and colleagues know that my retirement plans include writing novels. (My wife enjoys my writing so much that she wants me to quit now and start living the life of the creative mind. But I have explained that, despite her romantic desire to support a struggling author, I don’t expect to tire of strategic business communications for at least another decade.) Close friends also know I am a raving fan of Stephen King, the geeky troublemaker of a kid who transformed his macabre fantasies into millions of dollars as a horror-fiction novelist.

Given the two facts above, I felt I had better read his best-selling memoir “On Writing.”

I didn’t approach the book on bended knee, as one might expect of a long-time fan. Rather, I expected to be bored. Take a master out of his work shop and watch him flail, I thought. I had read his much earlier non-fiction work “Danse Macabre” and was not impressed – or interested. I remember only one piece of advice for aspiring writers from that book, and it actually didn’t come from him. It came from some other author, whose name escapes me now. The gist was that writing fiction was like driving 60 miles-per-hour down a winding road in fog at night with your headlights off. In other words, if you’re not comfortable without a fully articulated plan and a guarantee of survival, then don’t get behind the wheel.

In “On Writing” King tells some wonderful stories of his youth, which really make the book worth the time for any fan. I was shocked that I didn’t know that he had battled alcoholism and cocaine addiction. Sure explains a lot. But to tell the truth, nothing else surprised me. I felt as though I knew what was coming on the next page most of the time. Especially when he digs into the writing tips section. He tells us – just as every one of my writing teachers since high school did – to read “Elements of Style” by Strunk & White. (I’ll make a confession here: I deliberately never read that book just because I was supposed to do it. Well, I suppose that’s entirely accurate. I skimmed it.) King also tells us that good writers read voraciously (Whoops! He says good writers avoid adverbs) good writers heed grammar and punctuation, they write every day, they are rebels at heart…. zzzzz… Oh, sorry.

Don’t get me wrong. I still love Stephen King. And I enjoyed the book. Maybe I was restless because I have read so much of his work that very little he wrote inspired an epiphany for me. In fact, he probably spoiled it for me by giving me so many insights into the writer’s profession in his novels. For example, I know that professional authors work to make money – not because they are dedicated to their art – and sometimes they do average work. Not that this is a sin in my opinion, as professional communications strategists work to make money, too. But perhaps I couldn’t shake the feeling that King knew all along that whatever he wrote with the title “On Writing” on the cover would hit the best-seller list and make millions. He really didn’t seem to be working very hard. Unlike his greatest novels, he just couldn’t hook me, make me stay up too late night after night wondering – and truly worrying – what would happen next.

Still, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I will add my voice to the chorus of other critics. If you aspire to writing, King’s “On Writing” is required reading – if only to assure yourself that you are on the right foggy road with your headlamps turned off. And OK, I’ll admit that he did inspire me to step on the gas.

--Reviewed by Bob Dirkes

Fallen Founder: An Aaron Burr Lovefest

A four-hour flight delay gave me the opportunity to finish reading Nancy Isenberg’s Fallen Founder, The Life of Aaron Burr. Overall, it was a very interesting read, but Isenberg’s penchant to justify everything Burr did in his life becomes nauseating and takes away from what could have been a great book.

From the beginning, Isenberg laces positive and loving adjectives on Burr, while at the same time she constantly derides his political foes; especially arch enemy, Alexander Hamilton. After reading books on Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington and Hamilton himself, I’ve come to expect bias from authors. It’s understandable, the writers gain an appreciation of the subject matter they are covering, and I’m guessing it’s more preferable to write about someone who has the qualities of a hero, rather than a villain.

That doesn’t excuse an author for using his/her own bias to shape history the way they want it to have happened instead of the way it really did happen. If they’re going to do that, they might as well write elementary school history books.

We learn about Burr’s upbringing, and how he rose against the odds to become a successful politician. Much like Hamilton, his intelligence and determination helped him become a political power; rather than just being put there for being part of the new American aristocracy.

Burr did achieve great things, but he also did some questionable things. To Isenberg, though, his poor decisions and moral failures were all excusable and justifiable, as were the failings of anyone in his family.

For example, in the Revolutionary War, feeling that he was not being promoted quickly enough for his achievements and heroism, he decided to leave the military altogether. Rather than looking at this as cowardly or an act of selfishness because he was putting his own career above the success of the nation’s fight for independence, Isenberg continues to refer to him as an overlooked war hero, and justifies his leave. She never said something like, “If you’re not going to be general, why keep fighting?” But, that’s what the reader comes away thinking.

Then, Isenberg justifies philandering between Burr and his future wife Theodosia. The future Mrs. Burr was married to a man in the English military when Burr started seeing her. That’s okay, though, because basically everyone was cheating back then, according to Isenberg. Aaron and Theodosia were in love, so who cares about this other chump.

Then years after Theodosia died, Burr went on a sex romp through Europe, sleeping with a number of prostitutes – but again, he wasn’t doing anything immoral because most of our founding fathers did that. I guess today Isenberg would say we should all do drugs because a large number of the population does it. Just because a lot of people are doing something doesn’t make it right, but goggles of historical bias can do that to an author.

The justification that is inexcusable is when Isenberg talks about Burr’s attempts to overthrow the Mexican government to create his own empire. Burr had sought out support from England and other monarchs in Europe to support his efforts. Isenberg compared this to Benjamin Franklin’s efforts in the French court to gain their support for America’s fight for independence.

There’s one clear difference here – Franklin was representing the government of a young colony that was fighting for its independence, Burr was working on his own, trying to gain support to overthrow the Mexican government. I’m no fancy historical author – but I can see the difference here – why can’t Isenberg?

Finally, the most riveting part of the book is the trial of Burr. Not for shooting Hamilton during their famous duel, but for treason. After Burr killed Hamilton he was a pariah in American politics – a great politician without a party to call his own. So, he moved west and started his efforts to build an army, so that he can move south to overthrow the Mexican government. But, he ended up being accused of plotting to overthrow the US government and planning the assassination of Thomas Jefferson.

Isenberg systematically lays out why Burr was basically a victim of heresy and innuendo, and the ambition of General James Wilkinson. The General was working with Burr on his Mexico endeavor, but was playing the US government, the Mexican government and Burr against each other in an intrinsic web of deception, so that whichever side was victorious, Wilkinson would be rewarded handsomely.

From reading Isenberg’s retelling of this story, it is clear that Wilkinson was framing Burr. Unfortunately, with her bias to protect Burr at every turn, you wonder how much key information she left out, and whether Burr did actually try to overthrow the U.S. government.

Isenberg’s level of research on Burr to write this book is admirable, but she needed to tone down the love affair with Burr to make it great.

--Reviewed by Dan Green

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini is a novel set against the backdrop of very real events over the last 40+ years in Afghanistan – including the 1979 Soviet invasion, the jihad that followed, the power struggle and fighting among various warlords, the rise of the Taliban, and the U.S. attack after 9/11. I had heard much about Hosseini’s first book, “The Kite Runner” from my wife and others, so I figured I better get with the program and read Hosseini’s latest effort. 

 It was not time wasted.

Hosseini, who draws his title from a 13th Century Afghan poem, writes in a very lucid style about the various tragic events in this Central Asian country. Concurrently, he educates readers on Afghanistan’s history and culture, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, while also bringing to life very real people who suffer under various regimes. Hosseini writes about two principal female characters in parallel stories for much of the first half of the book.

Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a businessman who forces her as a teenager into marrying a ruthless man 25 years her senior. When Mariam has several miscarriages and does not bear a son, Rasheed becomes increasingly brutal. Later, Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, who is orphaned following the death of her parents in a mortar attack. It’s at this point that the paths of the two women cross.

Although enemies at first, Mariam and Laila grow to become friends and allies against the violent Rasheed, who beats his wives without recourse. The birth of Laila’s son brings the two women together.

The novel speaks strongly to the friendships of these women and others, and their resilience in the face of brutal conditions. I would highly recommend the book for readers who want to learn about the history of this country while desiring a good read, too.

--Reviewed by Philip Anast