Leader

If you have Part 1 of Yerger's study, be sure to get this book. It follows up his previous book in the same fashion. Yerger obviously has great sympathy for his subjects, but is willing to criticize those Waffen SS commanders who in his view were less than professional soldiers, especially the Higher SS and Police leaders who were given commands because of their political loyalties rather than their skills in combat. This contrast is shown in the section on the Krueger brothers, the only two brothers to achieve general rank in the SS. Walter Krueger, who was renowned for his command of the Das Reich division is favorably mentioned, as befits his combat leadership and prowess in battle, while his brother Friederich-Wilhelm, who rose through the ranks of the Polizei, is described as "a career SS officer with an interest in power and was brutal in controlling his administration within the General Government (of German-occupied Poland)." Officers who conducted themselves as worthy soldiers in Volume 2 include Felix Steiner, Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, Sylvester Stadler who ordered an immediate inqiry into the events at Oradour, one of the war crimes which the SS was accused of-a controversial event even today. Stadler was temporary commander of Das Reich and ordered a court-martial of the officer accused of the massacre of civilians of that village) and many others. In Volume 1, commanders such as Paul Hausser, Otto Baum, Heinrich Harmel (whose professionalism and humane treatment of prisoners and civilians during the Battle of Arnhem was praised by the Allies) and Karl Kreutz, are praised for their military compentency and bravery in combat while commanders who never faced true combat formations, for example Friederich Jeckeln, Curt von Gottberg, Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski(who testified for the prosecution at Nuremberg not because of any remorse but instead out of self-preservation) are not looked upon with much sympathy.

Such criticism is refreshing, especially with regards to a subject as controversial as the Waffen SS. Certainly there were some SS commanders who were either overrated or extremely brutal, but the vast majority conducted themselves in as professional a manner as any commander on the winning side. That they served an ideology which was evil does not diminish their service to their country and Yerger depicts this in a non-judgmental way.

This book is a collection of stories that each center upon a big "life" issue--death, abuse, violence, relationships, divorce, etc. It is also informed from a Christian viewpoint. You would think that makes the book sound rather preachy, but it is the farthest thing from that. These stories are engaging, thoughtful, entertaining, and often funny; they leave you thinking about the questions and possible answers rather than shoving an answer down your throat.

The stories are also high quality, excellent writing. This is a lot better than the young adult junk that floods the market today. A great book!

A wonderful collection of early 20th century Native American interpretations of Western American History. Ottogary's fascinating career as a journalist is brought to life in this edition. This book is a must read for any one interested in the history of the American West.

This book contains many real-life scenarios from every camping situation imaginable. This is a great training tool for camp counselors and other staff members. Follow-up questions help to expand on the situational content and lead discussion in different directions. As a camp director, I chose the most applicable scenarios to our setting, and counselors found this type of exploration very helpful. Some topics include dealing with homesick campers or those who feel left-out, slacking counselors, overly-affectionate campers/staff, and dealing with job frustration and decision-making issues. Of all the resources I purchased to prepare for the summer session, this was the best investment I made. Every camping program should have at least one copy. Check it out!

If you're using the What Happens When Women Pray , you'll want this book for your Bible study. It adds a lot of scripture that amazingly enough, the What Happens... book is missing. I see it's hard to get now. You will want to pursue trying to get it.

This wonderful book discusses the process and principles of change as opportunity for transformation--personal and organizational; for rebirth into a place that is whole (holy). It lays before us the fact that most of us live from the outside in. And it presents the wonderful possibility of what happens when we live inside-out. That is, manifesting spirit into the world. This review doesn't do justice to either the work or the author (who is a spiritual director, consultant to major businesses, theologian and bit of a prophet). So pick up the book and give it a read.

Author Toni Chinoy, a leadership development expert, describes What To Do When It Rains as "A Handbook for Leaders in Crisis." Yet smart executives won't wait for a crisis to reach for this essential resource. Chinoy offers practical guidance for top executives in any work environment where there is ongoing pressure to do what they do faster, cheaper,and better. For people who feel like its "raining" every day, Chinoy provides more than an umbrella and overcoat to help survive the storm. She shows how the forecast can change dramatically if executives understand and master ten basic characteristics of effective leaders.

Many leadership books draw their insights from the successes of famous leaders. Yet I can't easily place myself in the shoes of Attila the Hun or (Machiavelli's)The Prince and I can't imagine them spending a day in my shoes. Chinoy's advise, on the other hand, is grounded in the real world experience of top executives she has counseled in some of the country's leading corporations. For the first time, she deconstructs leadership into some fundamental qualities that may be found in many capable and motivated people -- not just a few exceptional leaders destined to change the course of history. Most importantly, Chinoy describes clearly and simply how executives can recognize and tap into those qualities and enhance their effectiveness.

Chinoy is an executive coach and this expertise comes through in the tonality of the book. She doesn't tell you what to do so much as guide you through a process of discovering if and how the principles in the book apply to you and your organization.

To feel confident and well-prepared in a business world with constantly changing conditions, just keep this book close at hand.

A great representation of the scripture by Dr. Joseph Coleson of the Nazarene Theological Seminary. It is a great book to keep forever, to share the story of Moses with your family. Pictures and scripture concerning the movie, are breathtaking. You will enjoy it!

An erudite and captivating book which draws upon, and analyses, with convincing insight, aspects of the loneliness of the lives of people - both famous and ordinary - and characters in literature as well as examining situations common to many members of either sex. In this book you are bound to find yourself and your feelings being exposed regularly. I warrant you'll find yourself remarking: "Is that what other people think/ expereince too??"

I enjoyed the way Leader - a polymath but not an intimidating one - could dip into people's lives to illustarte the points he wishes to make. For example:
"Brahms preserved this idealised love for Clara Schumann for so long while directing his sexual desires to prostitutes or their representatives. Goethe too... would keep, at certain points in his life, the idealized Lady at a distance while entertaining sexual relations with women of lower station whom he did not love. Often a man will find himself sexually fettered to a woman the moment he has finally established a love relation with someone else, showing this human necessity of doubling the object."

The illumination Leader affords often comes from his ability to examine and draw significant meaning from experiences and encounters which we may have cast aside as not meriting any probing. But he also takes on the perplexing. Speaking of the issue of the riddles set by princesses to young men in fairy tales he offers the following:
"To maintain the dimension of the riddle, for a woman, is to sustain desire, to keep the man from knowing too much and so guarantee that desire continues. The problem is that the choice between two options for a woman here is not always easy: finding the right person not to understand one, to respect the riddle, or the wrong person to understand. Perhaps the person who understands is always the wrong person, and the problem with the right person, is that, very simply he doesn't understand."

Leader has an ability to translate lucidly the thoughts of leading psychoanalysts (especially Lacan and Freud) so that those of us not steeped in such thinking, can perhaps begin to appreciate what is being pointed to in their works. For example:
"[Men] panic about the very possibility of getting into a panic, in other words, about losing their self-control, about disappearing as masters of themselves. Indeed... while a woman may organise her fantasy life so as to stress her own disappearing, a man does his best to avoid precisely this disappearance: it is the one thing he must devote his life to guarding against. To use Lacan's analogy, he constructs for himself an immense fortress to protect against this. The price to be paid is the tedium and discomfort of living in a town under seige. The better the defences, the worse this will be. He will always be imagining what this fortification looks like from the outside, without recognising what it means to be living on the inside."

Why this remarkable book is not much better known is a mystery in itself - on which Darian Leader himself may wish to speculate. I've suggested to several friends they get hold of the book and I'd say the same to you. It will engage and stimulate you - and supply you with much more material for those letters (or emails) which you might or might not send....

We have been trying to decide on some of the best wireless initiatives for our company for quite some time. This book was incredibly useful in understanding where some of the industry leaders see the future going. I especially liked the chapter written by the CEO of AT&T Wireless. This book is a must have for anyone interest in wireless opportunities or in the wireless industry.