|
ã 2002 Hopkins and Company, LLC
Note re: links---certain
hyperlinks assume that you are registered as a subscriber to the site. If you
are not a subscriber to certain sites, the links will fail. If you register,
the links should work. Also, certain hyperlinks expire and may not be
available when you try to go to the site.
Gratitude
The business press
delivered scores of stories about individual and corporate philanthropy in
recent weeks, presenting a variety of perspectives about giving. Business
Week’s 12/2 cover story (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_48/b3810001.htm)
focused on the increased involvement of individual executive givers in the
causes and organizations supported. BW ranked wealthy donors by an
estimated percentage of net worth given, and added a list of laggards. Do the
editors expect that this comparative approach will lead to more giving? We’ll
see. Robbie Shell, editor of Knowledge@Wharton, proposes a
corporate challenge in The Wall Street Journal (11/26/02) (http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1038252499367398428.djm,00.html) that would pit hard-driving executives against
each other in producing results by personal involvement in measurable
community service projects. The topic of corporate philanthropy is raised in
the 12/9 issue of Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/home/2002/11/21/cx_aw_1121give.html) that lists companies by both percentage of
operating income donated and cash amounts given. This is a great time of year
to think about your personal and corporate giving, and plan for 2003
donations.
Thanks to revenue from Executive Times subscribers, buyers of
books through our amazon.com links, and clients of Hopkins & Company,
we’ve continued our annual practice of making a donation to a non-profit
organization as a special holiday thanks to our clients and friends. This
year’s donation was 18% higher than last year’s, and was made to the House
of the Good Shepherd, which helps women and children break the cycle of
domestic violence through participation in an intensive three-month
residential program. The House produced an 88% success rate during 2002. If
you’d like to join us in supporting this fine organization, you can send your
contribution to:
House of the Good Shepherd
P.O. Box 13453
Chicago, IL 60613
This month we present our
annual book issue. Sixteen new books are rated in this issue, beginning on
page 2. We read, reviewed and listed 179 books in Executive Times during 2002. We recap the
best and worst books we read this year. We also include a section listing
some of the books we look forward to reading in 2003. This is also the time
of year when we update our Shelf of Reproach: the books we started to read
this year, but set aside for one reason or another. For space reasons,
pictures of book jackets are eliminated from the print version of Executive Times. To follow all links, and
see the version with jacket pictures, visit www.hopkinsandcompany.com/archive/archive1202.htm.
You can also visit our
2002 bookshelf at http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/bookshelf.html
and see the rating table explained as well as explore links to all 2002 book
reviews.
Latest Books Read and Reviewed
|
Title
(Link to Review)
|
Author
|
Rating
|
Review
Summary
|
Purchase
|
|
Tricky
Business
|
Barry, Dave
|
•
|
Treading Water. 12 funny pages out of 300,
the best of which are sidebars to the plot. Barry does better when brief. Eclectic
cast of South Florida weirdos.
|
|
|
P.G.
County
|
Briscoe, Connie
|
••
|
Appearances. Briscoe uses all the
demographics of the real D.C. suburb, Princes Georges County, Maryland, to
portray characters who fit the locale and for whom appearances make all the
difference.
|
|
|
No
Way to Treat a First Lady
|
Buckley, Christopher
|
•••
|
Chuckles. Laugh out loud as Buckley
returns to DC and the trial of Lady Bethmac, who’s on trial for the murder
of her husband, a philandering U.S. President. Sex, lawyers, media, and the
Lincoln bedroom.
|
|
|
Summerland
|
Chabon, Michael
|
•••
|
Take Me Out. Master writer Chabon tries a
children’s book, fails to reach the heights of E.B. White or J.R.R.
Tolkien, but delivers a enjoyable, magical story of baseball, good and
evil, and coming of age. Great to read aloud to kids over many weeks.
|
|
|
Unnatural
Leadership: Going Against Instinct and Experience to Develop Ten New
Leadership Instincts
|
Dotlich, David L. and Peter C. Cairo
|
••
|
Buzz. Long on the what, short on the
how, but some solid concepts and thought-stimulating ideas. Up to you to
figure out how to accomplish what they suggest, and what doesn’t come
naturally.
|
|
|
Showdown
|
Elder, Larry
|
••
|
Jeffersonian. If you’re looking to read an
articulate, clear and direct presentation of Libertarian ideas on race,
education, welfare and politics, this is the book for you.
|
|
|
Agap Agape
|
Gaddis, William
|
•
|
Last Words. Stream of consciousness and
multi-page run-on sentences by late author who saw player piano as harmful
to artists.
|
|
|
In
America’s Court
|
Geoghegan, Thomas
|
•••
|
Quirky. Civil lawyer Geoghegan
agrees to help a criminal attorney with a case. Despite a writing style
that’s often distracting, Geoghegan’s observations and reflections leaves
readers thinking about society.
|
|
|
Q
is for Quarry
|
Grafton, Sue
|
•••
|
Junk Food. Detective Kinsey Millhone returns
to eat loads of junk food and solve an old murder that leads her to
connections with her own family.
|
|
|
Hesselbein
on Leadership
|
Hesselbein, Frances
|
•••
|
Few and Powerful Words. Collection
of essays full of thoughtful and provoking, clear-headed thinking,
well-grounded in values.
|
|
|
Extravagance
|
Krist, Gary
|
•••
|
To Market, To Market. Masterful story of
the market and players in 1690s London and 1990s New York. Clever, timely,
witty presentation of character and moral behavior.
|
|
|
The
Miracle
|
L’Heureux, John
|
•••
|
Journeys. Superb writing with multiple
levels of meaning, rich cadences of language and clear images. Readers
looking for a story of life and death, redemption and transformation will enjoy
every page.
|
|
|
July,
July
|
O’Brien, Tim
|
•••
|
Now, and Then. Rich portraits of a dozen
characters who gather in Minnesota for their 30th college
reunion, and how events from 1969 formed their characters. Realistic
dialogue and poignant revelation of real people.
|
|
|
Shrink
Rap
|
Parker, Robert B.
|
••
|
Therapeutic. Sunny Randall returns to
protect a writer from the stalking of her ex-husband and psychiatrist. If
you can overlook Parker’s male clumsiness in writing as a female narrator,
give this some attention.
|
|
|
Toward
Commitment: A Dialogue About Marriage
|
Rehm, Diane
and John Rehm
|
•
|
Eavesdropping. Listen in on reflections and
dialogue about marriage from radio talk show host and retired lawyer.
Unless your own relationship is in deep trouble, or unless your morbid sense
of curiosity about someone else’s marital reality is strong, take a pass.
|
|
|
December
6
|
Smith, Martin Cruz
|
•••
|
Loyalty. Fine writing revealing human
nature from characters steeped in different cultures. Life in Japan prior
to the Pearl Harbor attack, mostly through the eyes of the black sheep son
of American missionaries.
|
|
Best Books of 2002
|
Title
(Link to Review)
|
Author
|
Rating
|
Issue
|
Review
Summary
|
Purchase
|
|
Primal
Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
|
Goleman,
Daniel, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
|
•••••
|
Jun 02
|
Outstanding presentation of the effective use of leadership styles.
Authors present a strong case for why organizations need resonant leaders,
and provide practical, usable information to help one become a better
leader.
|
|
|
Leading
Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing
|
Badaracco, Jr., Joseph L.
|
••••
|
Apr 02
|
Lots of leadership books focus on heroes. Badaracco presents those
everyday challenges that ordinary people face with all life’s ambiguity.
Useful and realistic.
|
|
|
Another
Planet: A Year in the Life of a Suburban High School
|
Burkett, Elinor
|
••••
|
Feb 02
|
Well-written chronology of Burkett’s participant-observation at
Prior Lake H.S. outside Minneapolis from 9/99 through 6/00. Breaks
stereotypes and helps readers think.
|
|
|
The
Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate
|
Caro, Robert A.
|
••••
|
Oct 02
|
Hands On. At 4 pounds and 1,040 pages
of text, there are ample stories and examples in this well written
presentation of how Lyndon Johnson transformed the use of power in the
United States Senate.
|
|
|
Good to
Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t
|
Collins, Jim
|
••••
|
Mar 02
|
“Much of what we’re doing is at best a waste of time.” Read Good to
Great and find out from this well-researched book what works and what’s
a waste of energy.
|
|
|
20/20 Foresight:
Crafting Strategy in an Uncertain World
|
Courtney, Hugh
|
••••
|
Jan 02
|
McKinsey and Company consultant Hugh Courtney proposes ways to
develop strategy within a context of four levels of uncertainty. He
presents approaches to answering five key questions.
|
|
|
When
I Was a Young Man: A Memoir
|
Kerrey, Bob
|
••••
|
Jul 02
|
When you read this book, you’ll understand why and how a patriotic,
loyal Republican, became a Democrat, and how a war changed the attitudes of
a generation about their government and its policies.
|
|
|
The
Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations
|
Kotter, John P. and Dan S. Cohen
|
••••
|
Oct 02
|
Pumping. Kotter proposes more feeling
and less thinking to accomplish large-scale change. Lots of brief and
memorable stories from real workers and managers to show how each proposed
step can be carried out.
|
|
|
dot.bomb:
My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath
|
Kuo, J. David
|
••••
|
Feb 02
|
Entertaining tale of how Craig Winn led Value America toward success
and failure, with Kuo trying to help.
|
|
|
Crow
Lake
|
Lawson, Mary
|
••••
|
May 02
|
Terrific first novel full of taut emotions, complicated
relationships, life and love set in Northern Ontario.
|
|
|
John
Adams
|
McCullough
|
••••
|
Apr 02
|
Read this outstanding biography of the second U.S. President and
watch yourself go from respect and admiration to liking him, despite how
hard he was to get along with.
|
|
|
Germs:
Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War
|
Miller, Judith
|
••••
|
Jan 02
|
A comprehensive investigative story about the development of
biological weapons that have the power to destroy all human life.
|
|
|
The
Dive from Clausen’s Pier
|
Packer, Ann
|
••••
|
Jul 02
|
Packer delivers characters, scenes, and dialogue with precision in
this great debut novel.
|
|
|
Unless
|
Shields, Carol
|
••••
|
Jun 02
|
Poignant novel of a woman’s struggle with loss. Extraordinary
writing about ordinary life from author dying of breast cancer.
|
|
|
What
Kind of Nation: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall and the Epic Struggle to
Create a United States
|
Simon, James F.
|
••••
|
Jun 02
|
Fascinating and interesting book that transports readers to the
crises early in U.S. history, especially Jefferson’s push for the supremacy
of state’s rights, and Marshall’s position on strong central government and
an independent judiciary.
|
|
|
Heart
of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism and September 11th
|
Stewart, James B.
|
••••
|
Nov 02
|
He Gave His Life. Each person who died on
9/11 had a personal story. Stewart presents a biography of one man, Rick
Rescorla, who died in the WTC. Finely written. If there’s only one 9/11
book you’ll read, make it this one.
|
|
|
The
Story of Lucy Gault
|
Trevor, William
|
••••
|
Nov 02
|
Moving. 235 tightly written pages
about love, loss, guilt and forgiveness in 20th century Ireland.
Depth of understanding of human nature combine with rich description and
character development.
|
|
|
Tepper
Isn’t Going Out
|
Trillin, Calvin
|
••••
|
Mar 02
|
Funny New York situation comedy with great dialogue, imaginative
situations, memorable characters and fine writing.
|
|
Worst Books of 2002
Books for 2003
|
Title
|
Author
|
Comments
|
Purchase
|
|
Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape
Leaders
|
Bennis, Warren G. and Robert J. Thomas
|
Leadership guru Bennis explores how era and values shape those who
lead, from the shadow of the Depression and World War II to the glow of
computer screens. Illustrated with interviews with executives over age 70
and under age 35.
|
|
|
The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler’s
Germany
|
Beschloss, Michael
|
New documents and almost a dozen years of work add new information
to old stories.
|
|
|
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
|
Bossidy, Larry and Ram Charan
|
Honeywell Chair Larry Bossidy and consultant Charan team up to tell
executives how to execute, especially in the core processes of people,
strategy and operations.
|
|
|
Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron
|
Bruce, Robert
|
Will we read another Enron story? Pipe Dreams is supposed to be
funny and irreverent, and presents an answer to the question: why did Enron
fail?
|
|
|
Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science
that Changed the Course of World War II
|
Conant, Jennet
|
The story of Alfred Loomis, a Wall Street tycoon and amateur
scientist, whose interest in physics created a private lab and led to the
production of radar that helped the Allies win World War II.
|
|
|
Seeing in the Dark: How Backyard Stargazers Are Probing Deep Space
and Guarding Earth from Interplanetary Peril
|
Ferris, Timothy
|
If you’re at all interested in amateur astronomy, or getting to know
the night sky, Ferris presents a description of what’s out there, and what
others are seeing.
|
|
|
Leadership
|
Giuliani, Rudolph W.
|
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani lays out fourteen leadership
principles and practices that worked for him, and could work for others.
Peppered with stories and examples that should make this quick to read and
remember.
|
|
|
Benjamin Franklin
|
Morgan, Edmund S.
|
Prolific, distinguished historian Morgan presents the contradictions
of Ben Franklin in this new biography, and how consistently Franklin placed
the public interest above his own.
|
|
|
Memoirs
|
Rockefeller, David
|
First time that a Rockefeller has told his own story. Soft-spoken
former Chair and CEO of Chase, philanthropist, and influencer of world
leaders, speaks of his 87 years in this 500 page memoir.
|
|
|
Reversible Errors
|
Turow, Scott
|
It’s been three years, and finally, another novel from Turow. Can’t
wait to zip through this one over a weekend.
|
|
The Shelf of Reproach for 2002
|
Title
|
Author
|
Comments
|
Purchase
|
|
Koba the Dread: Laugher and the Twenty Million
|
Amis, Martin
|
Something about the combination of Stalin and Amis turned sour after
forty some odd pages, and we gave up.
|
|
|
Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Creative Minds
|
Bloom, Harold
|
The mosaic hung around for a few weeks unopened. Our creative mind
remained closed to this story.
|
|
|
The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and The New American Dream
|
Brands, H.W.
|
Liked Brands’ last book, so picked this one up, and then put it
down. Dreamed of other things.
|
|
|
Baudolino
|
Eco, Umberto
|
Kept repeating that we should read this, we really should, and paged
through a little, but never sat down with it.
|
|
|
Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers
|
Ellsberg, Daniel
|
Really wanted to read this reflection on what led Ellsberg to leak
the Pentagon Papers, but got as far as page 12, yawning all the way.
|
|
|
Swimming Across
|
Grove, Andrew S.
|
After eight chapters, got tired of cute, pudgy Andy, and wanted to
jump ahead.
|
|
|
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
|
Hillenbrand, Laura
|
Fatigue set in after five chapters, and even the jockey’s whip
couldn’t motivate us to move into the backstretch.
|
|
|
Churchill: A Biography
|
Jenkins, Roy
|
By page 89, I had opened my dictionary three times to check the meaning
of Jenkins’ well-chosen words. Like Churchill, but not enough to devote the
time and attention to this massive biography.
|
|
|
Family Matters
|
Mistry, Rohinton
|
Read a review or two, saw this short-listed for some awards, and
never bothered cracking the cover. Must have been preoccupied with own
family matters.
|
|
|
Prague
|
Phillips, Arthur
|
With struggle, achieved page 25 before losing all interest. The
1990s lost generation was lost on us.
|
|
|
Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich
|
Phillips, Kevin
|
Got as far as reading the book jacket. Sounded interesting, but not
worth the time.
|
|
|
Globalization and its Discontents
|
Stiglitz, Joseph E.
|
Reading this felt like taking medicine, but not while sick. Moved on
to tastier pages elsewhere.
|
|
|
