1 comments about Sound Wormy: Memoir of Andrew Gennett, Lumberman.

1. Being raised a few miles from one of the first Gennett sawmills, I found this to be one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Gennett describes in fair detail various logging practices, and the technical vernacular is even footnoted to assist the reader with terms he/she has probably never heard.

   The brothers' Gennett certainly had a knack for making money, but it was always after much investigation and hard work, and certainly risk. It was interesting to me how Andrew, from the upper crust of society, rolled his sleeves up and learned the art of cruising timber and sawmilling. Accounts of the long nights in the cold camping or boarding with mountaineer families while on timber cruises and logging operations were fascinating.

   Gennett's views of the long arm of Uncle Sam and issues regarding private property rights are still echoed today.

   I highly recommend to this book to anyone interested in the history of the Southern Appalchians, natural resource management, logging, or the American entreprenural spirit.

1 comments about Thirty Years of Sausage, Fifty Years of Ham.

1. A great insight look into the life of Jimmy Dean. The king of sausage! Jimmy is responsible for the success and exposure of Jim Henson and The Muppet's. Big Bad John is jimmy's most famous hits. Read his life and you will be amused and entertained.

5 comments about Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren.

1. The book gives a fairly good overview of the major stages of Lauren's life and accomplishments. While the chronology is fairly informative, I feel that it focuses more heavily on the personal relationships in Lauren's life. The book falls short in its description of the creative process that Lauren uses and the source of his inspiration and his ability to reinvent itself. The discussion on the business and financial aspects of Lauren's success is fit more for a magazine article than a serouos biographical study -- don't look for any insights here either.



2. I wonder if "reader" who wrote the first review below works for Ralph Lauren. I bet so. What a personal attack on someone who has obviously worked hard to write a balanced, thorough and honest book. Which this is. Despite Lauren's flip-flopping, first asking for a biography with integrity, then refusing to cooperate when the writer tried to give him what he wanted--a story told in the hysterically funny and revealing author's note at the beginning of the book--Gross not only illuminates Ralph Lauren's business, but also his complex and fascinating character, his tremendous drive and entrepreneurial spirit and the whole world of fashion. He should be proud--not ashamed. And Lauren should count himself lucky that he got a biography of such a high caliber.



3. I agree with other reviewers who complained that there were not enough pictures and that one could hardly avoid getting confused about all of the different names in Gross's book. It probably is not Gross's fault but to write about Lauren without plentiful photographs is a disservice to any reader. Gotta give it to Gross though. His report is thorough. He deserves 4 stars. His publisher deserves 2 stars.

   The book is well worth reading for the education it gives the reader about the clothing business and "designer" labels as well as the telling insights into RL himself. In short, RL has cashed in on the preppy WASP persona but, to this day, doesn't really "get it" himself. Upon being questioned about art in his "WASP" designed house, he cannot identify artists on his wall and brags that he just goes by "feel." Clearly, he doesn't understand that the way of life he imitates includes education and culture, neither of which he has to this very day.

   The book is also a wonderful education for the clothes buyer. You know those outlet bargains? I guess they are not, since a whole line goes straight from the factory to the outlet. Did you think that you were the only one who did not buy the $100 blouse at the department store? Looks like no one else buys much either. The money gets made from those pique shirts. Buyer beware.




4. I agree with other reviewers who complained that there were not enough pictures and that one could hardly avoid getting confused about all of the different names in Gross's book. It probably is not Gross's fault but to write about Lauren without plentiful photographs is a disservice to any reader. Gotta give it to Gross though. His report is thorough. He deserves 4 stars. His publisher deserves 2 stars.

   The book is well worth reading for the education it gives the reader about the clothing business and "designer" labels as well as the telling insights into RL himself. In short, RL has cashed in on the preppy WASP persona but, to this day, doesn't really "get it" himself. Upon being questioned about art in his "WASP" designed house, he cannot identify artists on his wall and brags that he just goes by "feel." Clearly, he doesn't understand that the way of life he imitates includes education and culture, neither of which he has to this very day.

   The book is also a wonderful education for the clothes buyer. You know those outlet bargains? I guess they are not, since a whole line goes straight from the factory to the outlet. Did you think that you were the only one who did not buy the $100 blouse at the department store? Looks like no one else buys much either. The money gets made from those pique shirts. Buyer beware.

   Another interesting aspect of RL's personality is his "over the top" out of proportion opinion of himself. He actually imagines that JFK, Jr. does not have as famous/interesting of a father as his own son. He hates to party with royalty or even the White House unless he is the star. Can you say Narcissist?




5. I have now read all of Michael Gross' books and each has been a pleasure - all I can ask is, "What next?" All the hallmarks of Gross' style are here, incredibly readable, covering a wide range of topics in a comfortable manner and with a sweeping sense of the history of the subject. Gross is equally at home in the technical details of the garment business, the sociocultural aspects of growing up Jewish in the Bronx and the aesthetics of high fashion photography and his tone is never shrill or polemic. I would have liked to have known more about Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein but at 369 pages the book is already weighty, and I absolutely loved every page on Lauren's childhood. I could have used a bit less business writing. But this is my bias. Who knows maybe there is another Gross book about to spring upon us about Hilfiger, whom Lauren repeatedly mispronounced Hilfinger early on, a perfect example of Gross' eye for the exquisite detail. Gross is a master at his trade and this book is a gem.

5 comments about Reclaiming My Soul From The Lost and Found.

1. Lots of things you will think about as you read this book. Most women will probably see themselves in parts of this story. This woman took her life back and it took a lot of courage. A terrific read. Enjoyed it very much.



2. I read this week over a weekend. It was funny, moving and inspirational. So much to learn from... thank you!



3. I read about Lisa in the September issue of Essence Magazine and immediately bought the book. I was so moved by her story. This is a book that is a must read for everyone.



4. After reading the article about Ms. Whaley in the April 2006 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine, I immediately bought and read her book. I could not put the book down. Whaley tells a story that most of us can identify with. I was so inspired by her book. She difinitely sparked me to re-evaluate my own choices and start living my life for me and not everyone else. I recommend this book to everyone.



5. 
   I'm really surprised at all the positive reviews this got. She did give some guidelines which are nice, but I found it very hard to drum up much sympathy for the author, who seemed very full of herself and self-focussed. Her life was, in general, not a struggle; she seemed to get everything she wanted easily and more than most people can dream of getting. She had a few bumps and now she's back on track and that's why she wrote the book. I would not recommend it.

5 comments about Business as Unusual: The Triumph of Anita Roddick.

1. ....This is the story of that woman and the company she founded.

   Today, with over 1,800 Body Shops worldwide, and many a dissenting corporate CEO cursing at the very mention of her name, she commands an empire that still stands for something of value in this world. Anita is one of the very few people I have read or studied, that truly "walks her walk". The others merely pay lip service to the environment or other cultures less 'civilized' than ours. Like Anita, this book really "tells it like it is."

   This book should be mandatory reading for every MBA student in the world. Perhaps being exposed to Anita's philosophies, examples and case studies of how to build from a start-up to an international retailing empire, will help save a few of them from the "nothing matters but the quarterly bottom line" syndrome. Anita's book lays out a positive path and a myriad of methods one can use to identify, analyze and address business problems and opportunities in a sane manner.

   It is a way of doing business that first takes into consideration people, not just profits.

   It's a company with "attitude".




2. Body Shop is a household name and a corporation with an atttitude. Anita built the company on her beliefs and always stood for what she believed in.

   I was a little disappointed with this book. I was expecting to read about how she started the company, what drove her to start, her fears, etc but what I found was a book filled with her philosophies mixed with her story on how she grew her business. If you're doing an MBA, yes by all means, this is a great book as it gives you different and fresh business perspectives but if you're looking for a "how I made it book", you may be a little disappointed.




3. A dynamic book, reflecting page by page a visually creative presentation that challenges the reader to step beyond the words to discover multiple layers of interrelationships and values. The book undertakes to demonstrate her life's purpose of protecting and valuing humanity and the environment whilst still developing a profitable business.

   Roddick presents her story, "Business as Unusual" by modeling the same constructs that have underpinned the ethical, moral and business essences of "The Body Shop".

   The sometimes humorous but always poignant captions, quotes and pictorial representations through out the writing, demonstrates the importance Roddick places on communication. The book also scaffolds the in depth discussion that is used to deconstruct "The Body Shop" story.

   Roddick does ascribe and briefly describe basic no nonsense commonsense information and elements inherent for all business. She also explores a range of interesting anecdotes, practical problems and ethical values.

   The reader is encouraged and dared to ponder and reflect on basic elements such as child care, gender discrimination and female beauty whilst being whisked away to analyse the heavier issues of the Amazon and Hemp.

   Roddick concludes the writing by sharing ten lessons that describe practical information which she suggests may guide the reinvention of the "The Body Shop" of the future.

   An "unusual" story; certainly worth a read; definitely challenges the creative mind and makes no bones about business responsibility to humanity and the environment.




4. I agree this book is incredibly inspirational and empowering. It is however a shame that Roddick fails to credit the Art Student (me) who was paid GBP25 in 1977 to design the now famous logo. I also printed the original product labels for the first shop. When I mentioned this to her in 2003 her only comment was; "That must have been a coup for you". Inspirational indeed.



5. Roddick is a very successful business woman, environmental advocate, socially responsible coporation builder, die hard worker, and outspoken renegade. Lots of hats for a woman who just thought that having a skin care shop with products from natural ingredients would help supplement her income. Roddick shaped the way that we look at business, she upholds the principal that businesses should alway give back to the people and land they were built on. Roddick cites many examples of the best and worst business practices, and the people (and areas) that have been affected. She cites as a CEO in a certain company's annual income is more then all the workers in their Haiti sweatship will recieve in their life. Yet they refused to give these workers a startling $0.54/ hr minimum wage. While Samsung gives much of its profit to helping fund schools, homes, and decent living conditions for its workers. Roddick gives one chapter on the effect that non-governmnetal groups ar having on changing business's outlook such as the popular rally against Nike for sweatshop activity.
   Roddick includes more then just socially responsible purchasing, the effects of big businesses, and NGOs- she also includes business strategies that have helped make her successful, essential criteria for becoming an entrepreneur, emotional strains, spiritual beliefs, and a great chapter regarding the ethics and management of the Body Shop.
   This book is unlike other stuffy "how to in business" books, because it includes notes, quotes, ads, lists, and photos. Its full of informative pieces that are easy to read and you really glean wonderful information about becoming successful yet compassinate in business.
   I am anxoius to read her other book as well but this one was a really wonderful read that exceeded my expectations. This would be actually a great book for a young adult with consciousness for environmental needs. It really was revolutionary how the Body Shop was created back in the 1970s, but its rewarding to see how new shops are embracing natural products, and giving back to the people. Please enjoy.

5 comments about The Bronfmans: The Rise and Fall of the House of Seagram.

1. This isn't a bad book but Nicholas Faith has a problem acknowledging the gangster beginning of the Bronfman fortune. Pure and simple Sam B et all were thugs and likely murders. Mr. Faith goes to grea great endless endless lengths to explaine how anti-semnitism shaped the Bronfman's. Huh. It never seems to occur to him that the alleged anti- Jewish sentiment could have been whipped up precisely because the Bronfmans made such a big deal of their religion/heritage solely to cover up their ways. That most of the people they dealth with and enriched were also Jewish thugs doesn't help. Mr. Faith's inability to deal with this fact almost ruins the book.
   
   Luckily however he is honest enough to move the story along and present many of the dirty facts even if he does always try to gloss over them There is also a little too much info on whiskey blends. A more detaled analysis of the ethnic root of prohibition and a clearler focus on the political bribery that grew the Bronfman fortune might put some of their alleged present day charitable acts in a clearer focus. Since Edgar is big on reparations how about reparations for the lives ruined by thier crooked empire? You might want to read this book but keep one eye over your shoulder wide ope for the whole truth.



2. Unbelieveably badly written. How can you make this family boring? Also, seemed to "borrow" from a lot of other authors. Don't waste your time.



3. First my biases: I'm a Canadian by birth who once lived just a couple of miles from the Bronfman house in Regina. I now live in the NYC suburbs and stood marvelling at the Seagram bldg on Park Ave only 2 weeks ago. In the interim, I've been a consumer market researcher and Seagram has been a client off and on for more than 10 years. I'm also more than a bit interested in booze.
   
   Given the above, I find this book tremendously interesting with literally hundreds of details that were absolutely new to me... and I probably know more about the Bronfman family & Seagram than the average bear. If you're at all interested in the Bronfmans, Seagram or booze, you'll find this to be a fascinating read.
   
   But there are a lot of stylistic problems here as well. First, as other reviewers noted above, Faith's constant references to other authors / biographers is almost annoying. It's like he's personal friends with the other writers for goodness sake.
   
   Second, for some reason, Faith treats the Richler book (Solomon Gursky Was Here) as a more important reference source than personal interviews, biographies or other non-fiction sources. I read the Richler book and loved it but not sure why Faith needs to keep coming back to it?
   
   Third, the editing in this book is simply a mess - there's just no other word for it. Usually I don't even think about editing but with this book, it was so bad I almost stopped reading after the first 50 pages. In the first 4-5 chapters, Faith not only makes the same point multiple times but sometimes uses the same sentence! It was like deja-vu all over again. It's this last point that is most confusing to me - Faith is a former senior editor of The Economist so if anyone should get the editing right, its him.
   
   Anyway, I'll still give it 4 stars. Its a great story and filled in a lot of blanks for me.



4. I agree with the previous reviewers that Faith brings in too many quotes from other authors. This is strange, because he has really done a lot of "homework" so that he could make the material his own. I was slowed down by his long awkward sentences and unending attributions. I guess it's better to acknowledge your sources rather than plagiarizing, but the book reads like a long term paper.
   Some of his conclusions are just thrown out there, such as this one about Sam's two daughters: "The girls were not even given Hebrew lessons--which makes one wonder if Mr. Sam secretly hoped that they would 'marry out.'" My experience as a young Jewish girl growing up in mid-century America was that it wasn't de rigeur for girls to attend Hebrew School; the boys went because they were preparing for an eventual bar mitzvah. The author previously discussed Mr. Sam's lack of religiosity (he held business meetings on Saturday and had only a nominally kosher kitchen at home). His son Edgar ignored Jewish ritual for a large part of his life, and "married out" several times. So much for the value of Hebrew School!
   An example of the multitude of sentences needing the touch of an editor is this one: "In 1971 his mother, Ann--who remained a staunch supporter--had left his father when he was in his teens after a period in which his father had paid little or no attention to his family."
   Despite my desire to turn the pages a lot faster, I kept with the book and learned a lot about Canadian Jews, bootleggers, Scotch, anti-Semitism, and more. I wish that I had read this before I read "Solomon Gursky Was Here," since that roman a clef would have had a lot more associations for me.



5. Attention aspiring authors! If you have a mediocre book to peddle, get yerself Nicholas Faith's agent to sell the book to St. Martin's Press. That way you'll be assured of glowing reviews in the national periodicals. As best as I can tell, that's what happened with this book.
   
   I had a difficult time getting through this jumble, and I chose to skip many pages. Part of the problem lies in Nicholas Faith's disdain for simple declarative sentences in favor of serpentine sentences with many subordinate clauses (and lengthy parenthetical asides) - so much so that I'd often have to reread a sentence to determine what, exactly, was being said about whom. I've previously seen such tortured prose only in books by economists or psychologists, and I suppose that explains this book, as Nicholas Faith attempts to be a little of both.
   
   As far as I can determine, Nicholas Faith did no original research for this potboiler. Instead, it's a digest of several previous books about the Bronfmans, predominantly Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler, which may or may not actually be about the Bronfman family. My advice is to avoid this book and get Richler's novel which will certainly be less of a chore to read.

No comments about By Chance or by Design.

5 comments about Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.

1. I was extremely impressed. Scouting the library, I saw the book and I thought, Hey, this might be good. That night, I read 45 pages, with the school the following day: it was almost a priority. He really is a multi-talented fellow. Of his biggest accomplishment, (arguably, I mean besides his 29 Grammys) was Michael Jackson's Thriller album, but this guy can do anything. The stories are humble, the style down to earth and approachable, and above all, the stories were great. This isn't your ordinary 900 page presidential autobiography. I recommend it to anyone who appreciates autobiographies, truly something worth reading.



2. I loved it! I'm learning the piano and thought I could learn something from the best. I learned more. I'm a big music lover and love Quincy and his music. He's worked with the best of the legends, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Dina Washington, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson etc. etc. He's had an incredible life! And not without tragedy and set backs and overcame them all. His family is beautiful. How he forgave the sad and unfair things done to him. Tears and laughter, so moving, especially about his brother Lloyd. Quincy's my hero. I knew he was great, but he's more. I'm so grateful he shared his life with us. I learned so much! Let the Light heal the dark places, and listen to God's whispers is where I want to be. Thank you Quincy!



3. I was amazed at how good this book is. This book makes you want to know what's going to happen next. I never knew Quincy Jones had a hard childhood. I think I would rather starve than eat rats. I love the fact that Quincy doesn't just talk about music all the time but Quincy went deep into his personal life. I admire the fact that Quincy never gave up on his dream to become a trumpeter. I'm surprised at how successful Quincy is with all the problems he had. Reading this book inspires me to always follow my dreams, no matter what. I recommend this book BIG TIME to anyone interested in his life!



4. This is a dangerously important and uplifting book. It is subversive in the sense that it reveals one of the darkest secrets about the "real souls of Black people:" That music provides the streetlights that illuminate "the royal road to hope and survival."
   
   This book recalls in my own mind, during the same times that Q's musical life literally exploded (the two years from 14 to 16) -- the years when he literally went from "street urchin to musical genius" in one giant step, that it so happens that this was the same period that my stepfather and his returning army WW-II buddies were teasing each other about "combat boots" being their first real pair of shoes. Being essentially true made the joke all the more painful.
   
   Yet, all of these Arkansas farm boys were in college on the GI Bill; and most importantly, they could all play musical instruments and could sing and dance and read music - especially the Harmonica, the piano, and the guitar. I naturally grew up thinking that doing these things was innate. It came as a great shock to me: when after getting a harmonic for Christmas, it did not play itself. I could not play a single song on the darn thing? I naturally thought that there was something terribly wrong with me: Maybe I was genetically defective? Although I did eventually learn to play the trumpet after a painful and lengthy apprenticeship, it still mystifies me, as to how it was that those in my father's and Q's generation picked up music as if it blew in through the window from off the wind?
   
   That among other reasons is why this book is so terribly important: right after the war, music and sports provided the cushions for finding a semi-normal existence in a world gone mad with poverty and its racist rules and traditions. Q's life was different than most other inner city black kids only in the fact that his mother had to be committed to an insane asylum while he was young. This of course made the urgency for music in his life an even more important existential imperative: As he notes, his discovery of music became, not just his mistress (as it was for Duke Ellington), but also his mother.
   
   But that is only part of the uplifting story told here, somehow, poverty, depravation, and humiliation during the era of "full" American Apartheid, could always be turned on its head: Somehow, there were always unguarded existential escape routes to both sanity and occasionally to success. Q followed his heart and found his talents, which as it turns out were considerable.
   
   Living on the margins, on the outskirts of mainstream society, can either empower you or embitter you, or send you to the insane asylum as it did Q's mother. But either way, music and sports (and not the bible, the only thing that Q's mother took with her to the insane asylum) will help illuminate the way.
   
   Five Stars



5. Great book. I really enjoyed it, and I would certainly recommend it to others. No way this book is NOT five stars plus.

No comments about Juan Vicente Gómez and the Oil Companies in Venezuela, 1908-1935 (Cambridge Latin American Studies).

No comments about Good Guys Finish First.