Economic-Life Books

I recently re-read "Setting The Pace For Business Success" again after my boss gave me copy over a year ago. I was experiencing some difficulites in dealing with adversity at work and remembered the valuable insight this book contained. "Setting the Pace" has proved to be very valuabe to me over the past year as I have often referenced it for strategic advice. What has been most valuable is learning how Mr. Lanier succesfully navigated through the many difficult experiences in his career. His advice is practical and timely. I hope that at some point in the near future that my Boss will invite Mr. Lanier to our company to provide us with leadership training.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Mr. Lanier gives the reader the benefit of his 28 years of corporate experience in a way that entertains yet educates anyone aspiring to climb the corporate ladder. He suggests his book is for those readers who have at least 5 years of corporate experience; but I contend this should be required reading for MBA's students who are first time workplace entrants and anyone desiring a career in corporate america. The book also gives a glimpse to some of the inter workings at Lucent and AT&T. I plan to buy a number of copies to give to my employees and employees I mentor who are striving to be successful in their corporate careers.

"Setting The Pace For Business Success" provides a combination of high level strategic advise of a personal nature while at the same time delivering a very practical ten step approach to the fulfillment of personal goals. The book is fraught with valuable insights and experiences for Preparing, navigating safely and successfully through the Scylla and Carybdis of corporate career channels.

Mr. Lanier's book shares an honest, straightforward and pragmatic (no tricks or strings attached) approach to establishing, navigating and managing career goals and objectives. The book illustrates how corporate success can be achieved without resorting to an unethical or "survival of the fittest" approach.

This book is well written and is easy to read. I believe "Setting The Pace For Business Success" can be valuable to the graduate student as well as the seasoned career professional. In these times of troubled moral and ethical standards in the workplace the corporate world needs to be reminded that success is not incompatible with good business ethics. How to prepare your self to get there is just as important as getting there. I look forward towards future titles from this author.

Marshal Mills
CEO Human Capital Management Solutions, Inc.....

There have been books on shaking up the usual Corporate hierarchy, but this is the best I've read. It's a different way at looking at things, and Peter Cook not only pushes the envelope, but ROCKS the envelope! Informative, innovative, fun, whimsical..this should be required reading for ALL business majors! I would recommend this to anyone, whether they are in a business atmosphere or not!

I once heard a guy called Frank Douglas, a Senior HR VP at Shell, say of large organizations, "We recruit for an orchestra, then berate people for not innovating like a jazz band." Which is, essentially, the theme behind this very enjoyable book. Though the author favors Rock'n' Roll as a balance between structure (orchestra) and chaos (jazz)

Businesses need to reflect the markets they serve and those markets are now less structured, predictable and rule-bound than ever before. And employees and customers are more questioning and challenging than ever before. "Leading in such a business environment," says Peter Cook in this book, "is no longer like conducting an orchestra, where the band has the same sheet music, players know what instruments they must play and the audience accept what they are given. In 21st century society, leaders must move from being score writers to becoming improvisers."

The author then uses the analogy of leading a rock band for creatively leading your organization today, including such nice turns of phrase as "have more productive fun at work, i.e. 'aha' (inspiring), 'ha, ha' (laughing) and 'cha, cha' (moving) moments."

The book title refers to three critical areas in leading an organization today - Relationships (the Sex), Motivation & Leadership (the Drugs) and High Performance (the Rock 'n' Roll).

Cook sustains his riff admirably throughout the book and manages to sneak in beneath the entertaining approach a series of important subjects - from complexity theory and structured ambiguity to Fred Herzberg's findings on motivation and demoralization at work.

I have to read a lot of business and leadership books for my work. I even write them occasionally. This one was a refreshing change: combining entertainment with serious business reading, as Cook has done with this book, is definitely the way to go. Phil Dourado, www.TheLeadershipHub.com

With the obvious exception of books like Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Bossidy et al., I've always thought that the modern, prescriptive style of management learning emphasized the thinking part of business (what I call the clean front end) at the expense of the doing it (the dirty back end). And everyone who's been there and done it realizes that the latter is a pragmatic quagmire, a long way from those idealized two-by-two matrices, simple-to-understand (and difficult to apply?) models, and convenient checklists. So Sex, Leadership and Rock & Roll: Leadership Lessons From The Academy Of Rock provides an interesting, alternative perspective to this paradigm.

As the title alludes, it's not a normal book; it's jargon-free (no buzzword bingo here), and focuses on a pop culture-influenced version of business, specifically anchored by modern music (not just rock & roll). And the subject matter is closely defined, based around the central tenet of creative leadership. Following the establishment of some basic concepts that link music to business, the book is structured around what Cook terms as the practice: sex (relationships), drugs (motivation and leadership) and rock & roll (performance). It concludes with an epilogue on application, a list of lists that summarize and extend these ideas.

Nothing too crazy about that, but what is unusual is the attention to case studies, often taken from Cook's extensive career facilitating sessions with Fortune 500 companies, and examples that resonate on first encounter. Another break from the normal for a business book is the division between left brain and right brain concepts, applied quite literally to the page; the left page features the meat - the concepts, ideas, theoretical underpinnings all linked to music - while the right has illustrations, pictures and typographical embellishments to reinforce the message. It's fair to say that it's unlikely you'll ever see James Brown quoted ("Any problem in the world can be solved by dancing") alongside Albert Einstein ("Love is a matter of chemistry, but sex is a matter of physics") in your usual management tomes.

To think this book is too accessible, too much of a fun read to provide benefit is to do it a disservice. It does help to have an understanding of pop culture (for instance, knowing the significance of the replica Stonehenge in This Is Spinal Tap is a useful life skill, let alone crucial business competence, in my opinion), and there is a section for recommended reading, listening, seeing and, a first for me, doing to aid in your enhancement of street cred-ness. But there is substantive theory, applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs to motivation, for instance, to riffs on newer ideas like neuro-linguistic programming, to key points, on which the reader can reflect or take action.

Full disclosure: Peter Cook was my course tutor for part of my MBA, and subsequently I commented on a draft of this book (without payment and I won't receive any benefit from sales). This notwithstanding, at a time when business (teaching) is becoming more grey and uniform, an alternative view on reality is sometimes required. Think of this as a splash of color to help you in this quest.

This book should be required reading in all large companies. I liked the author's style of writing -- felt like he was talking to me in plain english, not typical lawyer-talk. I am Sales Manager in a large marketing firm and most of the things that the author writes about were already happening in our firm. Now we will be able to take immediate steps to correct them. I don't understand why our outside counsel never admonished us about these things. Mr. Tapper's advice is so much more valuable than the cost of this informative guide to the world of litigation. He really does show you how what you don't know CAN hurt you and your company. Get this book, and keep it handy for continual refreshers.

I just finished reading this highly informative book, and recommend it without reservation. What I liked about it was its no-nonsense approach to showing you how easy it is to say and do the wrong things in your everyday work routines. It's written in plain-speak, laymen's terms. The author is an expert in advising you how to avoid the trouble spots that can make your words backfire. We all use emails and never think twice about their effect, but this book will change all that if you heed the author's advice about the traps in email use that can cause you and your company a lot of trouble, particularly when your company gets sued and your emails are resurrected during the discovery and document production phases of litigation.
What's nice is the realization that you're getting advice from a former in-house counsel who has seen the effects of managerial blunders, so the perspective is from the inside. You're not only alerted to email trouble spots, but to all kinds of concerns involving voicemails, how you handle confidential information, including laptop negligence, access to computer records, the way you write up reports, and an alarming wake-up about how we don't think twice about giving outsiders carte blanche to walk through our offices at night, touch our loose papers, and maybe even copy them--these are the janitorial service crews who clean our offices at night and empty the wastebaskets that may contain very confidential information as throw-aways. The chapter discussing this is worth the price of the book.
It's also a great read to learn about what your company should have in its Email and Internet Use policies, and how you can adopt a legally recognized program for "document retention," which allows you to clean out the accumulation of old, unneeded files and records. There's also a review of the McDonald coffee burn case and the Firestone tire defect debacle to show you the contrast of how to handle a media public relations crisis the right way, and how to keep trial lawyers from achieving punitive damage awards against your company.
I'm in an electronics firm with a staff of 10 supervisors and managers, and I'm buying a copy for each of them. It just makes sense for them to know how their words can have far greater consequences than what they think at the time they write them.

It's a wake up call on how to deal with your colleagues and the public. Loaded with useful information that s/b required reading for any mgr to avoid major problems in today's corp. environment. It is well written by someone who obviously has seen executives put their foot in their mouth.
I passed on my copy to my CEO and HR Head and told them to read this book asap. It was my recommendation that we weave the contents of this book into our mgmt training program.
I am a SR VP with a financial services firm and and had it instantly change my methods on dealing with people.

"Social Marketing: Improving the Quality of Life" is a comprehensive, systematic and user-friendly social marketing resource.

The book includes case studies written by practitioners from education and health currently working in the field, an abundance of illustrations and examples, as well as templates and worksheets for developing and implementing social marketing campaigns.

If you want to create a pro-social marketing campaign or just want to deepen your knowledge of social marketing, media campaigns, target audiences, advertising, etc., this is the book to have.

First, in the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I contributed a case study to this work. I had nothing else to do with the book, however! Always eager for a new resource, I was very interested in looking over the whole work when it was published.

When I received my copy, I poured over the book, and I must say I was very impressed (irrespective of my conribution)! The authors did a very good job of presenting the richness of social marketing in a simple, understandable way.

The page formating makes it very inviting and easy to read. It is very visual, with many examples and figures. The text flows well and is very readable.

I think the book will have a lot of applicability. The key questions and concepts, and the summaries and issues for discussion, certainly will make it useful as a textbook. It also will be useful to anyone picking it up for themselves, or to augment some other training. I think the book fills a niche for an easy-to-understand, "user-friendly," yet comprehensive presentation of social marketing. I commend it to your reading.

I found this to be an extraordinary book.
How these authors covered so much material
in such a comprehensive, clear way is amazing.
The visuals, case studies, and research
is a must for all of us in the field. I will
recommend it not only to my staff, but also
to all students and professionals. This is the
Social Marketing book that will be the benchmark
for the future. I would like to see someone try
to top it.......

This is an outstanding book! I highly recommend it!

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

I found this book to be informative, motivational, and very impactful. I highly recommend it.

This book must have been read by every successful person. Its intriguing as well as informative style is one that can be found no where else. Nido is an extremely intelligent human being that ought to be listened to. Anyone that reads this book will definitely improve their lifestyle. All of Nido's books have been wonderful, and this one surely did not let me down. Everyone should get this book.

During the 1980s and 1990s, in an initiative led by World Neighbors in Guatemala, there were encouraging signs as farmers adopted low-cost improvements such as hedges to control erosion, crop rotation with legumes to add nitrogen to the soil, and covering the ground with vegetation year round to reduce soil and water loss, with the result that harvests jumped without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides as the capacity of farmers to innovate, experiment, and become the protagonists of their own development increased and they explored better ways to farm. Incomes improved, emigration to the cities declined, nutrition, health, literacy, soil quality, resistance to drought, water quality, and resistance to extreme weather conditions all improved; tree planting increased and more families were involved in local decision making. But this was in stark contrast to the type of farming that prevails in much of the world which delivers a great deal of food but wears down ecosystems while people go hungry and rural communities wither. Changing from destructive systems to regenerative or multifunctional or agroecological systems was part of the vision and goals of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit but implementation fell far short. Modern farming has increased production and lowered commodity prices but at the price of environmental and social dysfunction. When food production is the sole yardstick, it is difficult to comprehend the price paid by ignoring other criteria such chemicals in drinking water, soil erosion, food poisoning, subsidies, and mad cow disease. People pay three times for their food - at the checkout counter, for subsidies, and to clean up polluting farm practices. Often producing more food did not reduce hunger. Much of the growth in food production has been built on irrigation but at the price of pressure on water resources as described by Sandra Postel in "Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last?" The strongest evidence that our food system is dysfunctional is the fact that farmers, as a group, are the poorest people on the planet, hunger is concentrated in rural areas, worsened by poor access to safe water and sanitation. As most of the money in the food business flows to the cities and factories, a mass exodus from rural areas has resulted. In 1950 American farmers captured 50 cents on the food dollar but in 1997 it was 7 cents with most of the money going to processing, marketing, and agricultural input suppliers - a pattern mirrored around the world. How can so many remain hungry when food production soared and was ahead of population growth?

This edition of State of the World, issued prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002was prepared to help define the agenda by focusing on seven key areas which should be the priorities for delegates - agriculture, energy, climate change, chemicals, international tourism, population growth, resource based conflicts and global governance. In addition, this volume evaluates what has been achieved since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio when world leaders agreed to a plan to create a sustainable global economy - one that met human needs while protecting and restoring the natural environment. Unanimous recommendations of the report "Our Common Future" established sustainable development as the central organizing principle for societies around the world. Although these recommendations were confirmed at Rio and despite two landmark global treaties on climate change and biological diversity, the world continued with business as usual. Agenda 21, a 40-chapter plan for achieving sustainable development, lacked clear implementation plans and binding legal requirements. Two questions need to be addressed - why has so little progress been made? And what must be done to ensure that the next decade is one of sustainable development and environmental progress? "The answer to the first question is both simple and complex: governments and individuals around the world are still treating issues such as population growth, the loss of biological diversity, and the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as if they were the equivalent to local air or water pollution - problems that could be solved simply by ordering the addition of control devices. Humanity has not yet shown the ability to deal with fundamental global and long-term changes in the biosphere, particularly when they require a systemic response - the creation of fundamentally different technologies, the development of new business models, and the embracing of new life styles and values."

The eight chapters in this book are:
- The Challenge for Johannesburg: Creating a More Secure World;
- Moving the Climate Change Agenda Forward;
- Farming in the Public Interest;
- Reducing our Toxic Burden;
- Redirecting International Tourism;
- Rethinking Population, Improving Lives;
- Breaking the Link Between Resources and Repression; and
- Reshaping Global Governance.

The 1980s was a decade of unprecedented economic growth during which over $10 trillion a year was added to the global economy but it left the number living in poverty nearly unchanged at more than 1 billion. The problem is not money but political will in dealing with problems that will come to haunt us in the years ahead. This book is invaluable in defining the problems, proposing solutions and helping each of us identify where we should try to make a difference.

_State of the World_ is the flagship publication of the Worldwatch Institute. When people want information on massive global trends, they turn to two places -- this book and the United Nations Development Report. In fact, the book was written as a guide for the upcoming UN World Summit in Johannesburg, and is even forwarded by UN Secretary-General, Kofi A. Annan.

Clearly, Kofi and the rest of the UN will have a lot to consider in Johannesburg, as many of the problems that were mentioned in _State of the World 2001_ have only gotten worse in the commercially intense and ecologically devistating -- albeit relatively short -- 365 day interim. If you are looking for the most up-to-date information on glObal food, water, health care, education and environmental trends, this is your book. Perhaps the most finely crafted information tool in our kit.

General Topics Included:

Science breakthroughs, climate change, politics, dysfunctional farming, world hunger (amidst plenty), rural areas, cities, ethical eating, the new chemical economy, metal poisoning, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), environmental democracy and markets, technology changes, glObal industry, development theory, environmental impacts of tourism/sustainable tourism, population, reproduction, healthy families, gender myopia, the relationship between resources and conflict, resource pillage, economic sanctions, international governance, and democratizing glObal governance.

Specific Items of detailed Statistical Consideration:

Infectious diseases, glObal pharmaceutical sales, legislative responses to recycling in the 1990s, greenhouse gas emissions and targets, land distribution and agribusiness lots, glObal chemical output, glObal atmospheric emissions, hotel "greening" success stories, gender disparity, Sierra Leone's Civil War, a progress report of the Rio Convention, small dams commissioned and removed in the U.S (1910-1999), regional deaths from AIDS (1990-2000), glObal average temperatures (1867-2000), glObal carbon emissions (1751-2000), carbon emission in U.S., China and Russia (1990-2000), per capita food production and commodity prices (1961-2000), world fertilizer use (1950-2000), glObal pesticide sales (1950-1999), certified organic and in-conversion land in the EU (1985-2000), toxic intensities of selected U.S. manufacturing sectors for the early 1990s, projected growth in world economy, population, and chemical production (1995-2020), international tourist arrivals (1950-2000) and projections for 2020, world population since A.D. 1 (yes, since year one!), cross-country analysis of contraceptive use and childbearing, official development assistance (1970-2000), foreign debt of developing and former Eastern Bloc nations (1970-2000), and private capital flows to developing countries (1991-2000).

You might also seriously think about subscribing to World Watch magazine. As with this book, it presents glObal environmental issues in the form of highly researched articles, useful for both policymakers and an informed glObal citizenry. Common topics include natural resource use, water and air quality, climate change, and human health issues. At six issues a year for something like twenty dollars, the magazine is a steal.

This is the latest annual edition of the indispensable "State of the World," and it should be at the top of your reading list. No coincidence, it is timed to correspond with the "State of the Union" address. The world we live in today can no longer afford limited nationalistic thinking -- we must learn to think and act globally, and this book is a key part of racing up that learning curve.

The 2002 edition contains 8 chapters, on topics including global warming, population, agriculture, toxic wastes, resource conflicts (such as wars over diamonds in Africa), and global governance. Beginning in August, the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held in Johannesburg, and the lead essay frames an agenda for that meeting.

"The Skeptical Environmentalist," the book that is the current favorite of libertarian anti-environmentalists everywhere, is subtitled "Measuring the Real State of the World," a none too subtle dig at the Worldwatch Institute. Lester Brown and the others at the Institute have been addressing the most important issues facing the world for many years now, and they deserve our respect and our thanks! This is no time to surrender the fight for the future -- what do we want to leave for the generations to come?

The software XTREMES was introduced by Falk, Husler and Reiss in their 1994 book "Laws of Small Numbers: Extremes and Rare Events". That book was mainly theoretical and the software was in an MS-DOS version for PCs. This text was published in 1997. For this text they supply a Windows (3.1 , 95, NT) version on a CD ROM.

In this book the emphasis is on applications in insurance, finance, hydrology and other fields. The first 10 chapters develop the theory and teach the use of XTREMES presenting dialog boxes and descriptions. The text is divided into 5 parts. Part I deals with modeling and data analysis, part II covers statistical infrence for parametric models, in part III elements of multivariate analysis are introduced, part IV emphasizes the application areas and part V is a collection of case studies using XTREMES. There are five case studies. One presented by Reiss but other presented by notable researchers including Tai Hsing, Jurg Husler, Ana Ferreira, Edgar Kaufmann and Cornelia Hillgartner. The appendices provide additional details on XTREMES. This is a very unique text that is valuable to anyone interested in doing research or applications of extreme value theory. Includes coverage of the parametric bootstrap.

The second edition came out in 2001 and although my previous review is listed here it refers to the first edition. Professor Reiss sent me a copy of the second edition and I browsed through it to see what has changed. Except for the words "Second Edition" in the upper left corner of the cover page the cover is the same as the original. A closer look through the text shows that there are substantial changes. The original text was 316 pages long with 35 references and a CD Rom on the back page. The new edition is 443 pages with 51 references and a CD Rom on the back page (this is version 3.0 of Xtremes).
The preface to the second edition tells you precisely what is added. There are 8 new contributing authors who are Stuart Coles , Jurg Husler, Daniel Dietrich, Dietnar Pfeifer, Humberto Vaquera, Jose Villasenor, Pieter van Gelder and Dan Lungu and apparently the two main authors will encourage more contributors for a third edition. The authors are very much interested in demonstrating applications of extreme value theory using their Xtremes software and generously invite others to join in.

The structure and theme of the book has not changed. Section I on modeling and analysis has replaced the section on robust statistics with a section called heavy and fat-tailed distributions. The sections are slightly longer in the second edition. Chapter 2 has an additional section called the auto-tail-dependence function.

Part II on inference for parametric models includes a whole new chapter on Poisson Processes (Chapter 7). In Part III on multivariate methods, Chapter 9 on multivariate maxima includes a new section on the Gumbel-McFadden Model and Chapter 10 a new section on bivariate peaks over a threshold.

Part IV on topics in Hydrology, Insurance and Finance is totally revised and consists of Chapters 11-14 in place of the original Chapters 9-11. The old Chapters 9 and 10 are now Chapters 12 and 13 respectively.

In Part V there are again five case studies but they are totally new ones with the new authors that are acknowledged in the preface.

In the appendix they have replaced the description of the XPL programming language with the StatPascal language.

The second edition came out in 2001 and although my previous review is listed here it refers to the first edition. Professor Reiss sent me a copy of the second edition and I browsed through it to see what has changed. Except for the words "Second Edition" in the upper left corner of the cover page the cover is the same as the original. A closer look through the text shows that there are substantial changes. The original text was 316 pages long with 35 references and a CD Rom on the back page. The new edition is 443 pages with 51 references and a CD Rom on the back page (this is version 3.0 of Xtremes).

The preface to the second edition tells you precisely what is added. There are 8 new contributing authors who are Stuart Coles , Jurg Husler, Daniel Dietrich, Dietnar Pfeifer, Humberto Vaquera, Jose Villasenor, Pieter van Gelder and Dan Lungu and apparently the two main authors will encourage more contributors for a third edition. The authors are very much interested in demonstrating applications of extreme value theory using their Xtremes software and generously invite others to join in.

The structure and theme of the book has not changed. Section I on modeling and analysis has replaced the section on robust statistics with a section called heavy and fat-tailed distributions. The sections are slightly longer in the second edition. Chapter 2 has an additional section called the auto-tail-dependence function.

Part II on inference for parametric models includes a whole new chapter on Poisson Processes (Chapter 7). In Part III on multivariate methods, Chapter 9 on multivariate maxima includes a new section on the Gumbel-McFadden Model and Chapter 10 a new section on bivariate peaks over a threshold.

Part IV on topics in Hydrology, Insurance and Finance is totally revised and consists of Chapters 11-14 in place of the original Chapters 9-11. The old Chapters 9 and 10 are now Chapters 12 and 13 respectively.

In Part V there are again five case studies but they are totally new ones with the new authors that are acknowledged in the preface.

In the appendix they have replaced the description of the XPL programming language with the StatPascal language.

I second what another review stated: throw out all the other self-help books and follow the timeless advise in this little book.

This book cuts right to the chase of accomplishing your goals! Each page is full of stunning insights into life, and he writes it with such clarity, he doesn't need to ramble. No nonsense self help - don't waste your life reading self-help books, get out there and work! Accomplishing your goals will make you feel better, not endless navel-gazing, and journal writing. But, don't think Kiev's writing style is flat, dry, or downbeat. Not at all. He's practical, yet optimistic, uplifting. You can open any page and find terrific insights.

I carry this book in my pocketbook at all times, for a daily reminder that is grounded in reality, and inspirational.

Let's say you spent a decade or two poring over self-help literature from the likes of Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Brian Tracy, and even the venerable Napolean Hill (as I have done). You've studied eastern traditions and mystical western writings. You've pondered the big questions, but what you want most is to find moment-to-moment meaning in your daily routine. And by the way, it wouldn't hurt if you made a million bucks, mastered the piano, climbed K2 -- or achieved whatever that goal is, that is your own "ultimate intrinsic desire."

If so, then you might want to take a look at this little book.

Read through it once and you may discern (as I did) that you don't need Robbins' 3-day, $1200 seminar. (Sorry, Tony). You don't need a nine-day zen meditation retreat. You don't even need to read another self-help book. You can go on to other pursuits, feeling confident that you are stringing together a succession of days that will add up to a glorious life lived.

I keep "Strategies" on my desk and refer to it often. The daily list of 11 points at the back, which I reread with each morning's coffee, has helped me to achieve far more than I ever dreamed. I am confident it will do the same for anyone else who reads and understands, as it already has done for hundreds of thousands of others since 1973.

Thank you, Dr. Kiev.

Dr. Thomas has written one the finest & certainly one of the most honest books on the subject of living fat in this fatphobic American culture that I have ever read, & I have been involved in fat acceptance for over 25 years, & have read every book I could find on the related subjects of fat & health, fat & legal rights, fat & social acceptance, etc. Dr. Thomas tells us what this "war on obesity" is like from the inside & she shows us the cost, in terms of time, money, health, & self-esteem, of trying to fight one's biology. I identify deeply with her struggle to accept her naturally fat body & learn to live in peace with & even to love it, as it has also been my struggle. I particularly identify with the multiple issues faced by those of us who are fat & disabled, & those who are aging (as indeed we all are) in a culture which so worships youth & its extremely dysfunctional view of health & beauty.

Taking Up Space will be one of the most valued & appreciated volumes in my personal library & it will be re-read many times. I applaud Dr. Thomas's honesty & I admire her courage. It is my sincere hope that many people will read this important book & that many minds & eyes will be opened & that the understanding between fat people & the thin world will be deepened. We all need to do whatever we can to explode these harmful myths, to end fat hatred & to call a ceasefire in this pointless & very destructive war on the bodies, souls, & psyches of the majority of our citizens.

This book is so full of information that it is an education in itself. I wish anyone with an opinion on "obesity" would read it. It might actually change one's perspective.

We all deserve regard and respect. Dr. Thomas states her case clearly and well. I'm grateful to her for writing this book.

Janet

Taking Up Space is a poignant saga of how one woman has come to grips with being large in a society where "thin" is worshiped as the ideal. Dr. Pattie Thomas uses her brilliant writing style to share the pain of her battles. Not just the emotional and psychological pain of being large in a small world, but the actual physical pain of two chronic diseases that she has to contend with. In Taking Up Space, Dr. Thomas often refers to herself as the reluctant warrior. But as she shares her battle with personal weight issues; as she bravely takes on the societal and medical stigmas that daily drain people of size, she truly becomes a brave sumo warrior who leads the way into battle against the poison darts that are constantly hurled at us.

I highly recommend this book. It really should be required reading, especially for couples before marriage and young people in general. While it does contain a chapter on how to get out of debt, even those who are not in debt would benefit greatly from the understanding they would gain about credit and debt.

Mr. Blue discusses "the magic of compounding interest" and how it can work for or against you. He also outlines four common sense rules that should be followed before going into debt of any kind. He specifically discusses credit card debt, car loans, and mortgages as well as church, business, and investment debt in light of the four common sense rules.

The book is well-written and easy-to-read with real-life examples. It will help those who are in debt to get out, and, if Mr. Blue's advice is followed, it will help anyone to make wise financial decisions in the future.

Anyone reading this book, and putting its ideas to work, can accomplish the goals set forth in this publication. Easy to read, practical, entertaining and truthful are but a few of the praises I place on this book. What it professes really works. I have tried it. Prior to reading this book, my wife and I had no hope of getting out of debt. Following Mr Blue's advice,with lots of faith, we are on our way out. Thanks Mr Blue.

Ron Blue is the founder and managing partner of Ronald Blue & Co, a financial advisory firm, and he has earned his Master's in Business Administration. Does this make him an expert? Well, maybe not, but his advice is incredibly timely, and written with a well-spring of wisdom for today.

His book reads like a roadmap to recovery - financial recovery - if one is interested in recovery, with some of the chapters such as:

Taming the Money Monster
The Road to Debt
Advertising Illusions

Financial Deceptions
A Biblical Perspective
The Road Ahead
How to Get Out of Debt
When Should You Use Credit? (How's that for timely?)
Understanding Credit (Most don't)
Installment Debt
Mortgage Debt
Other Debt

There are chapters on college loans, church bonds, house debt and business debt, and it deserves to be read and re-read. Don't let money rule your life. Read this book and see how Ron can help you manage your money wisely and you can find real financial freedom from the bondage of the Money Monster.