Fail

Reading this book was like a check list for me. My marriage has gotten to the point that my husband's councelor suggested we both read this book, then meet together with him. I found this helpful for me to see exactly where I was in my opinion of our marriage. The occasional "tests" helped me to see myself honestly and admit the mistakes I've been making for the past 22 years. It was difficult to admit that I was in such an unsuccessful relationship, but when I was the one taking the tests and answering the questions, it was obvious that I needed to take some of the advice the author suggests for each "problem". Now I can only hope that my husband will do the same. Atleast for me, I know that I really need to consider a divorce as an alternative to being lonely, depressed and unhappy. Even though it was not easy, I am glad I read this book.

This book is very applicable to anyone who is married or about to be, and it is based on scientific research. My main problem : since it is the first book the author wrote for the general public (rather than journals) he tends to treat the reader like a child and repeat every single point 4-5 times! This made the reading go a little slowly. But by skipping a few paragraphs at a time, I learned a great deal about different types of conflict-solving, and have already used my new knowledge in my relationship with my fiance!

A friend recommended that my husband and I read this book just after we got married six years ago. We did and I am so grateful to that friend for suggesting it. Knowing that how we manage conflict is the key issue for a successful marriage has been critical for us, since we have different styles of dealing with conflict. I would highly recommend it to any one who is married, whether you feel like you have difficult issues to deal with in your relationship or not.

Terror and its consequences have always bubbled near the surface of our collective consciousness, but it took the events of 9/11 to make us view terror as openly as had the Israelis since 1948. As the Saudi-guided jets crashed into the World Trade Center, Americans instantly began to perceive the nature of the menace that had previously lain dormant in what was supposed to be the only country on earth free of such concerns. In THE LESSONS OF HISTORY, Caleb Carr disabuses the reader of the seeming sanctuary that he surely must have felt solely by virtue of his being an American. Carr sees the current emphasis on combatting terrorism as far more than the radical Islamic tint that has commonly if not incorrectly been associated with it. Carr's thesis is that terrorism has been an enduring part of hostilities ever since combatants first began to toss rocks at one another. He begins with a chronological sweep of terrorism, beginning with the Roman destruction of Carthage, and continuing with analyses of how future emprire-states used state-sponsored terrorism as the means to defeat opponents who may or may not have themselves been using it. Carr suggests that terrorism is not only ineffective in the short run in that it does not even accomplish its stated goals, but that it is also ruinously counterproductive in the long run in that those nations who inflict terror on others inevitably find that they are subject to worse terrorism in the future. Thus, terrorism as an adjunct to more traditional war-making activities has always failed and will continue to fail. I have no problem accepting this basic premise, but the manner in which he states his case makes his thesis less convincing than it might otherwise have been. To begin with, the brevity of his book (256 pages) does not allow him sufficient space to give each example of failed historical terrorism the consideration it needs. What Carr does it to give his topic an overly superficial once over. War is so inherently chaotic and the distinctions between accepted battle between uniformed combatants and irregular terrorists who mask their terrorism under the banner of freedom fighters is often so fuzzy that the reader needs more than Carr's undocumented say so that Franklin Roosevelt's and later Harry Truman's decision to put Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the nuclear torch was clear 'evidence of the self-perpetuating vengeful nature of terror.' (page 181) Further muddying the issue was his cultural bias against the French, the English, and the United States in what he sees as their long-standing propensity to use terror as a means to wage war. Carr shows an unabashed admiration for Ho Chi Minh and Mao Ze Dung's waging of a guerrila warfare that somehow never crossed the line between legitimate acts of insurgency and illegitimate acts of self-serving terrorism. Carr's basic thrust, however, is clear, even if I disagree with his presentation. The United States had better learn to refrain from lashing out at a largely civilian sector in any future wars, for if American military might is used to send a message to those civilians of a hostile power, then that message might be far different from the one intended.

Terrorism is terrible, and never less than shocking, but Caleb Carr puts it in the light of history.

"The Lessons of Terror: A History of Warfare Against Civilians: Why It Has Always Failed and Why It Will Fail Again" shows us how terrorism has been used, and why terrorist efforts like the World Trade Center tragedies will accomplish nothing but carnage.

While America sees the evil ugliness of world terrorism, Carr notes how, thoughout the years, terrorism has been a tool by most militaries, even our own in the US. His emphasis on the military side of terrorism, as opposed to a few radicals will be alarming. His analysis of various US civil and international wars and conflicts isn't pretty, and, on such a short book, not easily agreed with at face value. Still, he forces the reader to see past the result of the war, and see the process of war with moral and ethical truth, one way or another.

It is a frustratingly short book, but necessary nonetheless. His points are substantiated, but with his thesis so broad-stroking, it would be good, if in subsequent editions he likewise broadens his support of these points. Timelines, charts, tables all would help.

Just the same, Carr courageously asserts that terrorism is not unique to foreign political and miliary entities. He tries to avoid the public relations skews that we have put on our own actions. Boldly, his is unafraid to say what both liberals and conservatives already are too keenly cognizant of, that we've not always played wargames fairly.

Don't accept Carr at his word, nor expect to agree with every argument. I certainly don't. I do agree, however, that we need to consider the defining and perspective of terrorism with a honest look at what the US has done and is doing.

I fully recommend "The Lessons of Terror: A History of Warfare Against Civilians: Why It Has Always Failed and Why It Will Fail Again" by Caleb Carr.

Anthony Trendl

This second (third, if we count America Invulnerable) of Carr's historical books focuses on warfare against civilians from the razing of Carthage in 146 BC to the present day. Impeccably researched and beautifully composed, Carr's book provides what is arguably the best analysis of the history of warfare against civilians ever penned. Making good use of his prodigious historical research, Carr marshals a rich array of carefully chosen and fluently presented vignettes to create a daunting portrait of the history of warfare against civilians. Carr acts as the perfect guide through the enactments of the tactics of terror; he leads the reader into the field to see where the philosophies of war held by Augustine, Vitelli and Colonna, Grotius and Vattel, Hobbes, Frederick the Great, Clausewitz, and Moltke were applied and where they were ignored. From the Truce of God to the Geneva Protocols, from Hannibal through Giap, Carr tells a winding, enthralling story of personalities and culture, morals and law. As the narrative proceeds and we get closer to men of our time, Carr laces his discussion with a kind of defiant psychologizing - Woodrow Wilson was "criminally narcissistic" in his brutalization of Germany after World War II, France has never let a century go by without producing a egomaniac bent on hegemony, the National Security Act of 1947 was promulgated by the "clinically deranged" Secretary of the Navy Forrestal, and so forth. But that is a minor aspect of the book - just one of its amusements. I would have liked to hear Carr discuss the role of the instructors at ACTS (Mitchell, Miller and Sherman) in shaping rules of conduct for aerial bombardment between WWI and WWII. I would have liked to see him take a clip at the coterie that shaped America's so-called strategic air doctrine-Olds, George, Wilson, et al. I would have loved to see what Carr would do with the operational lawyers in the Black Hole during Desert Storm. In the end, Carr succeeds brilliantly at capturing all of terrorism's many sides, producing a book that is complex, engaging and invigorating.

This book as well as its sequel are the product of the author's imagination. Mrs. Relfe claims that she received revelation from God concerning this. However, her logic is skewered.

For example, she says that stamping a product with any number containing 666 means that the "666 system" is present in the nation's economy. But those three numbers can be found anywhere and NOTHING TO DO WITH the so-called "mark of the beast" found in the 13th chapter of the book of Revelation!

This is a perfect example of premillennial delusion. It is characteristic of the futurist interpretation of Revelation.

Barbara A. Rainey

If you're a Christian, perhaps the author of this book needs no introduction but, if you are a universalist, serious spiritualist seeker that is looking for more answers and study, the contents of this book may tire you at first as it quickly leans heavily into US Christian beliefs and vocabulary. This and a some repetition can put off the less determined reader. The positive sides are the author's credentials as a learned person regarding the Bible -which is very helpful for those of us who have not wanted to, or been able to, get so familiar with the Bible-, the valuable info throughout and the last chapters that wraps up the message meaningfully for those already aware of many things. If you also read the Bible Code book, even more can be understood as they reach converging valuable conclusions. A must know-about, nonetheless. Tip: used copies are a fine choice for this book.

I was amazed at the accuracy of Dr. Relfe in depicting events which would take place in the remainder of this century. I also agree with her opinions concerning the rapture of the church in the end times; at the last trump and before the wrath of God. Great book. One which people interested in the last days ,should buy ,and read ,and keep....Carol Staggs

A fictionalized, but chillingly realistic depiction of the men and machines who nearly brought the world to extinction during the height of the Cold War. An unidentified blip approaching North America appears on an automated tracking system. Is this the long-feared attack, or just another in an endless series of false alarms? Rather than find out after it's too late, the bombers are once again sent out, none of them certain if it's just another drill, or the real thing. But this time a mechanical failure in the automated system causes the bombers to go beyond their Fail Safe points, past which there is no return. Should we go ahead and launch an incapacitating first strike, since retaliation is assured anyway? Or do we help the enemy to shoot down our own planes, hoping to avert nuclear holocaust?

Among the cast of spare-drawn characters is Peter Buck, a natural linguist who is the White House's Russian translator despite his acute disinterest in politics, General Bogan, commanding officer of the information center known as the War Room, Colonel Cascio, who can't quite escape the poverty of his working-class roots, Lieutenant Colonel Grady, commander of a group of Vindicator bombers, and the President, who is faced with a situation that could win the Cold War - or destroy human civilization. The action takes place amidst the bomber group and in the War Room, but especially in the calculating minds of the men charged with making the most dangerous of all possible decisions.

As one might expect from a forty-year-old novel, the technology is rather out of date, but the moral lesson is as strong as ever. Every system, no matter how redundant, will eventually break down, making nuclear weapons far too dangerous to keep around. The president's final, grim decision is a lesson in moral courage, but even that may be insufficient in the dangerous years ahead, as nuclear proliferation continues. Written very convincingly in simple and straightforward prose, this book is not so much an entertainment as a call for political action. Let's get rid of these things before it's too late for all of us.

Although it is now close to FORTY years old, "Fail-Safe" puts today's crop of political novelist to shame. A more compelling story has not been written.

The story is simple: a mechanical error send a group of U.S. Bombers towards the Soviet Union. The President tries mightily to recall them, in an effort to avoid the inevitable Soviet retaliation. He has to make an incredible sacrifice to keep the world from World War III.

Forget about the incredibly complex turns of my favorite writer of this genre, F. Forsyth. T. Clancy 's interwoven stories and mind numbing detail does not even come close to this simple, chilling story. Could it happen? Of course not, because of the fail-safe system. Or so they tell us...

Like Coke, this is the real thing.

A routine procedure is activated when an unknown plane is spotted on radar; luckily is quickly identified as non-hostile. However, due to a mechanical error, a group of bombers fail to respond to the order to stand-down from the false alarm. Instead, the bombers fly past their fail-safe point on a direct course for their target: Moscow. Unable to recall the bombers, the President of the United States is faced with an extremely difficult situation.

This is the plot for this 1962 novel by Eugene Harvey and Burdick Wheeler. Fail Safe takes a look at a frightening, yet plausible, "what if" scenario. Imagine being the President of the United States, completely aware that due to a mechanical error, in a matter of hours one of your bombers will drop four nuclear bombs over Moscow-and its all an accident. How do you inform the Premier of Russia? How can a leader of a nation respond when his largest city is destroyed by nuclear weapons-even if it was an accident? This is a truly frightening "what if."

The book raises several questions and issues. At one point in the book, the President notes that the accident was caused due the faith both the USA and USSR had in the fail-safe system. When did we give up control of our own weapons?

This book is a quick read-under 300 pages. The writer manages to build suspense throughout the novel, while at the same time developing the backgrounds, mannerisms, characteristics, and beliefs of several of the characters that add to the impact of the conclusion. "Fail Safe" keeps building up suspense, and the surprise ending does not disappoint. The ending leaves you wondering what you would have done in the same situation. What if you were the President? Khrushchev?

Fail Safe is quick-but excellent-read that takes you back to the world climate of the Cold War. I highly recommend it.

This is the most ridiculous premise to base a book on that I've ever had the humiliation to read. I say humiliation because I believed the positive reviews above and bought the book.
To write a book by giving opposite opinions is confusing enough but, in some instances, he forgets the format. For example, he says to, "aim for an average of ten words or fewer, per sentence, and an average of 1.2 syllables per word." Then, in the very next paragraph he says, "if you can average 40 words per sentence and perhaps two syllables per word you will be incredibly safe." Now, if he is sticking to his ridiculous method of recommending the opposite of what he says, which should the budding writer go with. I'm done with this review...the book doesn't deserve another word.

Michael Crawley teaches the basics about how to write a novel that sells, in a way that entertains. I never knew that writing amusing fiction could be so easy! My buddy Felix recommened this book to me, and I'm glad he did.

I heard about How to Fail As aNovelist from another writer and purchased my own personal copy less than a week later. Michael Crawley is hilariously funny, making this a page turner that has to be read from cover to cover without stopping. On the last page, you want nothing more than to start over again. The novel is so entertaining it's hard to believe you are actually learning something...but you definitely are!There is not a better writing teacher for new writers to turn to than Mr Crawley. I was going to keep it on my writing desk, to use when I'm sweating through my own novel but I have to go get another copy. I loaned it to a friend and she refuses to return it.Caresse

Call me manipulative, but you can't accuse this book of the same quality. I was expecting something telling me how to do some down-and-dirty "social engineering"...but...alas, no. It did give me a few tips/tricks that were cool, but it was hokey ... on how to make people feel better and garbage like that. Nothing to make someone insecure about their looks all day...or how to make someone trust you with a few carefully placed words. It doesn't even cover simple things like surveying people, and how to determine body language. Not worth the buy, AT ALL. If you can borrow it from a friend, it's fun for a couple minutes.

The best part first: this is a fun book. It has straight-forward tips on dealing with 62 different situations, all of which are...more or less...founded in psychology research.

But...

It's not particularly good for providing *general* information as implied by the sub-title ("What to Do When Hard Work, Honesty, and Perseverance Fail"). For readers interested in those issues, wider reading is necessary.

The title holds true. Sometimes hard work is overlooked and the kinder you are the worse you feel you are treated. The advice in this book helps to put everything in perspective in a very straight and to the point fashion. From avoiding feeling dizzy in an amusement ride to keepnig the flame in your love life; the pointer are little lessons to remember your entire life. A book to cherish, for you will read it many times over.

Being a Libertarian myself, I have been a huge fan of H.Browne for almost 10years. Books such as "How I found Freedom in an Unfree World" really has changed my outlook on a lot of issues.

That being said, this book is basically the Cliff notes to his 1987, 550plus page tome entitled "Why the Best-Laid Investment Plans Usually Go Wrong". I had been hesitating in breaking up my nest egg into the specifications of the "Permanent Portfolio", so I ordered this book in order to have an update of his methods.

As you may know the Permanent Portfolio is broken into 25%Gold, 25%Cash, 25% Stocks, and 25% bonds. The book quotes 10% rate of return, but specifics about how he derives those numbers weren't too clear... Strangely, I wan't able to find any quotes/charts on the Motley Fool website (or anywhere else on a cursory Google search) so, I took out a piece of paper, went through the data available to a layman like myself on the prices of Gold, T-bills, Bonds, and Stocks (from index funds) in the 25% breakdown spelled out in the book. The verdict? Well, at the end of the period from 1993-2002, if you had invested 4K in an SP 500 index fund, you'd still be 19% ahead of where you started (peak was 88% two years ago). If you had invested in 5% CD compounded yearly, you'd be 55% ahead of the initial investment.
And, if you had a Permanent Portfolio, reorganized as directed every year, you'd be negative 21%...That's right. A ...investment was now worth [money].

I admit maybe I somehow made a mistake in my calculations... but I followed his instructions pretty closely in my calculations reaching back in the 9yr time frame. I arranged the research portfolio as I would have if my money had been riding on it. I also think if the performance of the Permanent Portfolio was better, I'd be able to find some kind of quote by a 3rd party.

In Mr Browne's defense, if you closely read the first half of his book, Rule #5 recommends the reader to beware of the "experts"...I suppose that may be his subconsious way to offset the guilt of making the sort of recommendations which may ultimately cost his readers thousands of dollars.

But don't take my anonymous word for it. Go back a few years and do a test Portfolio to see if you do better. As for myself, I'm convinced that I'd be better off hiding it all in my matress.

Honestly, while it takes longer than the thirty minutes advertised on the jacket and first few pages of the book to read through all seventeen rules, the extra time spent is well worth it. Mr. Browne offers the reader simple rules to learn and help one preserve and grow money wisely. As such, it tells you the easiest ways to lose money, and how to avoid them. Although I do not agree with his recommended approach to investing, I do agree entirely with the essence of his seventeen rules which superbly present common finance and investment misconceptions and skillfully refute them.

Speaking of his seventeen rules, the first five can be condensed into one simple rule: Forecasting = Fortune Telling. From Browne, we learn that no one can predict the future, yet many of us entrust our hard-earned money without any hesitation to modern day Gypsies- financial planners, emoneyf (mutual fund) managers and stockbrokers, who constantly tell us that they can predict the future using sophisticated eeconometricf forecasting tools. Browne reminds us that our wealth begins with what we earn, not with what we invest, and before we can invest, we have to earn. Although we can always borrow our way to bankruptcy with ease, we can borrow our way to prosperity only in our dreams. In the end, basing our earnings won through blood and sweat on the elaborate crystal-ball gazing of financial witch-doctors is the surest path to losses and total ruin.

Browne also delivers plain talk on risk, investment and speculation, and tells the reader that no one can ever hope to eliminate risk entirely. The best anyone can do is to develop realistic strategies for dealing with risk. As such, it becomes painfully clear that there is no such thing as a risk-free investment. This even includes for example so-called erisk-freef US Government Securities backed merely by the full faith and credit of the United States Government (I personally wonft think any less of the reader who laughs at that last sentence). Who knows what the future holds, and just because the worst-case scenario- a default or bankruptcy, has never happened does not necessarily mean that it can not happen tomorrow. In keeping with this, his thirteenth rule exhorts us to keep some assets outside of our native country, and is a brilliant touch. I had to laugh when I read the various calamities- natural and unnatural, which could befall our investments in our native country. However, one should keep in mind that such calamities can occur in ANY country. Also, holding some assets outside the US may not provide the secrecy or safety Browne says it will impart, simply because of the inter-connectedness of the global economy and the incredibly long reach of the US government.

At no point does the book let the reader off of the hook. We ultimately bear the responsibility for our investment decisions, and Mr. Browne is absolutely right when he says to never assume that what you have earned today can be easily earned tomorrow. Throughout the book, Mr. Browne wants to remind the reader of three things. First, it is hard to earn a dollar, yet even in the face of this generally accepted truism, there are those who want you to believe that you can get rich quick simply by making bets based on their uninformed, though highly elaborate, predictions about unpredictable events. Second, you know more than the so-called eexpertsf want you to think you know. The experts want you to disregard your common sense and put your trust in their opinion. Third, in the world of investing, what goes up eventually comes down, and even more important, what goes down does not necessarily have to go back up. As Browne pointedly remarks over and over again, in the world of investing, nothing is supposed to happen, and anything can happen. As such, the last five of his seventeen rules can be summarized as: Sophisticated = Stupid and Simple = Smart.

Finally, for those of us, including myself, who feel as if they have missed out on the Greatest Bull Market of All Time, fear not, for there will be other opportunities. After all, the last Greatest Bull Market of All Time occurred just before the Great Crash of 1929. As Browne tells the reader at the end of the book, you are not a failure if you missed the boat. To this I must add: You are not a failure if you missed the boat- especially if the boat was the Titanic! I think there are a lot of bruised and broken investors from the New Era Internet Boom (and subsequent Bust) that will wholeheartedly agree with me, as the last six years have been their figurative Titanic. These individuals especially need to read, and re-read this book as they invest going forward.

Bringing Las Vegas to a living room near you!

I rate this book five stars, less for the contents of this book on its own, but rather for the series of books that Mr. Brown put out in the '80's, _Why the best laid investment plans go wrong_ in particular. This book contains the heart of those earlier books without all of the explanation, which may be why the point of it missed the earlier reviewer. Browne suggests dividing ones portfolio into two sections -- a "variable portfolio" that you can speculate with and a "permanent portfolio" which should be set up to survive *any* possible financial disaster, war, revolution, natural disaster, or whatever. He achieves this by diversifying in several different classes of investment, at least one of which should be helped by whatever happens. So if it's hyperinflation that arrives, and stocks and bonds are tanking, the gold part of your portfolio will go through the roof -- if the great depression comes back, the bond part of your portfolio will skyrocket. Whatever happens, the overall value of your portfolio should move gradually upward. I know now that some people are laughing, what gold? Nobody invests in gold any more. You need to understand that Browne is advacating an investment strategy for the ages. So what if gold is in the dumps for a decade or two? When that disaster we can't even conceive of wrecks the world economy in 2020, won't you be glad you've got that gold bullion in an offshore account to help you rebuild your life. The "permanent portfolio" is not about getting rich quick, it's about avoiding becoming poor quick. The "variable portfolio" is about getting rich quick, if you can. I first read Browne's advice a couple of decades ago when I was living overseas and had just had the fun of going through a coup against the government that involved three days of firefights between govt troops and rebels *inside* the bank where every dime I owned was kept. Mr. Browne is right. Nobody knows what will happen next. If you have money you can't afford to lose, you have to be ready for anything, and Harry Browne gives you the tools to do so.

I saw the title on-line and thought the concept hilarious. However, when the book arrived I thought - YAWN - these get boring real fast and most of the others aren't as catchy as the book's title.

Some may love this and some may not. I'd suggest you flip through it at a bookstore before wagering $10 + shipping. I was going to give it to a friend for a 50th birthday gag gift but I was afraid people would flip it open and expect more sidesplitting remarks and be disappointed.

To each their own...

Cheers all!

While it's true, as another reader pointed out, that some of these lines are not as good as the sockdolager of a title, they have certainly been more successful for me than my old gambit of inviting women to feel my lobotomy scar.

A wonderful ice breaker for parties and group activities. Have males pick a female and lay one on them, and then the woman picks one and lays one on another guy, and on and on. It's a lot of fun!

I was assigned this book within my Education class at Macon State college. This book for me shifted back and forth between interesting and boring. Simply because it was very detailed at times and very repetetive at times. It really started getting better when I got to the section "how school's fail". I already work in the school system as a paraprofessional and I see a lot of what Holt talks about. I also agree with him that sometimes you have to slow down to a child's pace and back up to where the child is in order to bring them up. You can't just expect them to catch up with the same work the other children are keeping up with.

The idea with the balance beam experiment was good. It really gave the children something to think about. Children need to learn to think for themselves and not have everything just told to them. The Cuisenaire rods seemed like a good idea at a point, but Holt just went into too much detail and repetition in the book with them. It made it hard to read much of those sections.

This book with its simple format and language has opened my eyes to possibilities and perspectives that I simply never thought of. As an educator, I think everyone in the world of education should read. From policy-makers to administrators to teachers to school psychologists, and very specially, parents, we all owe it to our children and to ourselves to become informed and critical about the efficiency (or the lack thereof) of our educational system. Especially at times, such as now, when our children seem to be failing more than ever. Holt's observations, although limited to private schools, provide one with a solid view of what is happening in the world of teaching accross the board. Holt makes and answers questions that are not only relevant to his subject but vital to the development of better teaching. Holt's idea that we don't know enough about student-teacher relationships could not be more accurate. I know this because I am an educator. I agree with Holt when he says that it is time that we look beyond ourselves and our own interest and begin looking at students with respect. As an insider, I couldn't help blushing while reading the reasons that Holt gives for children's failure in school. I was only able to nod my head positively when he said that teachers aren't listening to their students because they are only listening to what they want to hear. Another reason children fail, according to Holt, is that they are not being intellectually challenged enough at school. The conclusion made by Holt makes plenty of sense. Teachers definitely need to make every effort to free their teaching from ambiguity, confusion and self-contradiction. Besides teachers, the pointing finger also points to standardized exams. Standardized exams, I agree with the author, do not make our children more knowledgeable. Holt's final verdict is clear and pungent: Students are failing because adults-teachers, administrators, parents, policy-makers, etc.-are not doing their jobs. Although not a pleasant thing to hear (especially for those of us who have chosen to dedicate our lives to the education of our young), I am personally grateful to Mr. Holt for taking a bold stand to face us with our demons.

I have been homeschooling my 6 children for over 10 years. This is one of the best books on education that I've read.

Holt really just advocates that we treat children with respect, and allow them some self determinism in their own education.

It is a radical viewpoint, unfortunately - he really strips away many of the false notions regarding education that the teacher's colleges seem to promote - but I think it's a sane viewpoint, all the same. Children raised and educated this way are surely more whole, stable, self-confident and able.

The book is a series of essays, which is a great format for this kind of material. I found it really compelling reading.

While I don't agree with absolutely everything in this book (he recommends that we have children guess at word meanings, rather than having them use a dictionary, which I strongly disagree with), almost everything else he says rings true for me.

Highly recommmended!

This thouhtful book by Churchill's Grandaughter again reminds us of his influence in our world yesterday and today. Ms Sandys has once again captured the essemnce of this great but complex man whom she knew so well. Anyone interested in leadership or in assesing others capacity to lead would be well advised to read this imp[ortant book.

Most of us admire the great leadership of Winston Churchill, many of us would like to be more like him! This book is a very useful guide as to how we might get a few steps closer to that goal. I bought the book to find some ideas on leadership that I felt I could follow, it worked.
Celia Sandys has managed to condense her grandfathers thoughts and actions on leadership into a set of easy to follow Churchillian Leadership Principles. The book was easy to read and is well organized for quick reference afterwards.
The examples of modern leaders following Churchillian principles helped to make the book relevant to issues facing today's business leaders. I enjoyed it. It inspired me to want to learn more and also inspired me to never, never, never give in!

We all know Churchill was great, many of us would like to be more like him! This book gives us an insight into how we might go about accomplishing that goal. It was a good read, easy to pick up, easy to read and great for refering back to for reminders of the key 'Churchillian Principles' of Leadership which Celia Sandys has so ably condensed from all of her grandfather's words and actions.
There are plenty of other books about his speeches, what this gives you is a guideline to the type of leadership behaviors which made Winston Churchill such a great man. The value for me was that these are real, down to earth, practical principles which we can adopt to try to model the leadership behavior of such a great man. The book also has plenty of more recent business examples which lend substance to the leadership principles as things which modern leaders can use effectively.
This book really inspired me to want to learn more!