Leader

One of the more definitive books on Mother Jones,"Mother Jones, the Miners' Angel" provides readers with a discerning and penetrating look at one of America's more prominent labour agitators.

Joining the labour movement in Chicago after the death of her husband and daughters, Mother Jones became an prominent organizer due to her almost unparalleled oratory skills.

As one of the founders of the Social Democratic party (1898) and the Industrial Workers of the World (1905), Mother Jones was active in organizing miners, garment workers, and streetcar workers. Due to her effectiveness in organizing labour she was persistantly persecuted by authorities and in 1913 she was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder on trumped up charges. The sentence was commuted and in 1914 Mother Jones again played a prominent role in publicizing the massacre of 20 people by machine-gun fire during a Ludlow, Colorado miner's strike. Throughout her years of involvement in labour Mother Jones was continually a vocal advocate of laws to end child labour.

Author Dale Fetherling has written an eloquant account of one an union organizer and agitator that should inspire constructive social action in whoever reads it.

I read this book 2 chapters per night with my children, and they loved it! I did have to skip over the part that talks about the loss of her family because they would not have stuck with it after such horrible events. The stories about the children coal miners, factory workers and families affected during the labor struggles of the late 1800s and early 1900s are stories that children need to hear about to inspire them to continue this work. They were particularly moved by the chapter "The March of the Mill Children." It may not have been necessary to detail so many different campaigns when children were the target audience, but my kids were attentive and interested nonetheless.

This is a small book, 119 pages, that cuts a big swath. It is about an interesting period and a lively woman of the early 18th Century, someone who never made it into any of my history books. I certainly know about her now. Gottlieb pulls together threads from many sources into one rich fabric. This is a progressive book about colonialism, racism, feminism, about military srategy, about the West-African-rooted religious traditions and the use of supernatural powers that made their way into the Maroon Culture. Gottlieb obviously has great respect for her subject -- this remarkable woman, Nanny, part historical figure, part legend -- who represents a courageous struggle against oppression. The book is well-researched, illustrated, and spirited reading. Some of the historical documents can be bypassed if not interested. One is impressed with its relevance to the very same "isms" that continue to torment us in the 21st century.

Dr. Losoncy is one of the nation's best writers on leadership and motivation. He informs readers how to get people to do things without using power, fear, humiliation and expendability. It is clear that leadership is lacking in America and those in leadership positions in the 21st century will need to know ways to provide inspirational leadership. The now questioned top-down form of management is killing American productivity and allowing the rest of the world to make tremendous inroads into our success. Dr. Losoncy delivers a strong message regarding how to become an inspirational, encouraging manager so much needed in our businesses, schools and families. This book should be kept alive for years to come and will be on my book shelf forever.

Dr. Norman Jones-Author of Performance Management in the 21st Century: Solutions for Business, Education and Family.

I ordered this book because our parish has gone through a lot of transition in the last 2+ years and has suffered in its leadership. This book gives absolutely excellent advice for pastors and any parish leaders. Especially helpful is advice to leaders in a new place. I have underlined and highlighted many many passages in this book that were right on the money and excellent advice. I know I will continue to refer to it as time goes on.

As a Zimbabwean who had to leave the country due to it's current troubles, it was very difficult for me to pick up this book and look for answers to some of the many questions I had about what went wrong in my homeland. However, I came away fascinated by Martin Meredith's careful piecing together of the last three or four decades of Zimbabwe's history. He has assembled a brilliant account of the rise and rule of Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party, and has, for the most part, accurately detailed the major events that have occurred since Mugabe came to power in 1980. The book is not only an account for Zimbabweans, but is written so that any person who is not informed of Zimbabwe's present crises will receive an in-depth look of all that has gone wrong in what was once "the breadbasket of Subsaharan Africa."

On an aside, this book bears a strong resemblance to another Amazon listing: "Our Votes, Our Guns: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe" by Martin Meredith. Although I have not read this second book, I believe that they are one and the same book.
by Martin Meredith

My pastor taught a leadership class at my church from the teaching from Myles Munroe about leadership. His teachings on leadership are unlike any I have heard. He tells the truth in love. His teaching on leadership, I believe, is God's way of leadership. You will be blessed by his teaching! It's a must for every church leader and any person with leadership qualities.

This is the only business book that I have read from cover to cover and then gone back to use as a reference. The format of the book, life journeys and short sharp chapters keep you wanting more and reading on to find the next nugget. This book cuts through the jargon and its easy to read language make it accessible to all. You don't have to be a CEO to benefit from this book, it demonstrates that we can all be better leaders and provides guidance on how to make the most of each day and each situation. Even if you are not a line manager, if you work in a team or interact with others in the course of your work then you will benefit from reading this book. As well as providing some life changing guidence there are also some laugh out load moments along the way. In my experience this is unlike other business books in that you want to keep reading. Buy it for yourself and your best friend.

This book on leadership, well grounded in research, distinguishes itself by seeking to move the study of leadership forward through integrating literature from the strategic management area and psychological literature.

The book's key theme is that understanding leadership requires fathoming the contextual dynamics underlying and driving it. These dynamics give rise to critical periods when organizational effectiveness demands leadership-specific leadership moments.

The chapters explore seven leadership performance imperatives: (1) cognitive (information processing and problem-solving); (2) social (interpersonal skills, roles); (3) personal (e.g., career and image management); (4) political (cultivating and using of power); (5) technological (use and impact of technology); (6) financial; and (7) senior staffing (recruiting, assessing, developing people).

Each essay represents insightful thinking. The chapter on behavioral complexity and social intelligence, for example, concludes that there are the four key qualities of executive leadership work: co-option of stakeholders, foresight, systems thinking, and the creation of structure. This is just a snippet, but, hopefully, gives you some sense of the book's richness. This is a first-rate book on leadership! Stern's Management Review Online highly recommends it. We believe that this collection of essays provides a significant contribution to understanding the nature and dynamics of leadership. Its overall quality, organization, and, most importantly, wealth of thoughtful content make this book a top-notch addition to any business library.

the most inspirating study about the social structure of the Nazi Party.