4 comments about Never the Last Journey.

1. For many years my mother's family was presumed completely obliterated by the Holocaust until I found Dr. Zandman and his book. I was finally able to put fates with the faces of the people I knew only through aging photographs.
   
   This is a book of horrors and of triumph over adversity. That Dr. Zandman was able to survive what he did and still go on to become the fine international businessman that he did is nothing short of miraculous. Where others would have just ceased to go on he found the courage and the strength to live his life to it's fullest.
   
   The personal stories that he tells of his Great Aunt Sonya and his Grandfather Nochum are absolutely heartwrenching and leave you wondering simply how so many people could hate so much.



2. An ageless and inspiring story of determination, survival, and ultimately triumph. Zandman's story brings home minute details about being Jewish during this horrific period of time--right down to the mindset of most Jewish families in Poland. This book clearly illustrates how subtle, calculating, and conniving Hitler was as he, not all at once, but gradually moved the Jews from their homes, to the ghetto and finally the death camps.
   After I read this, the first time, I wanted nothing more than to meet Felix Zandman personally. Even the title inspired me to always push forward and to never give up.



3. As a stock analyst, I've seen many CEO's and heard many success stories. This is a heartwarming story of dedication and triumph unlike that of any other business executive. Despite spending his youth in hiding from Nazis, Dr. Zandman manages to get a PhD., move to America and found a small engineering company that ends up being one of the world's largest suppliers of electronics components.



4. Zandman's historical part of this book is great. It gives you a great perspective of his life during the Holocust. More background would have been great. Got the feeling that his business associates have been less than desirable chaps.

1 comments about Peggy Guggenheim: A Collector's Album.

1. Peggy Guggenheim was a privileged and independent woman who was in the absolute middle of the international art transformation from Surrealism in pre-WWII Europe to the Abstract Expressionism of post WWII New York.
   She had many astute friends and her own independent view of art collecting. Never-the-less she's a hard person to love or idolize, due to the many personality quirks she loudly exhibited. Her insecurities about her looks compelled her to sleep with anyone she could, as validation that she was not that unattractive. Her art philanthropy was cancelled by her public regrets later, that she gifted so much art she never felt would be THAT valuable.
   Still, this is an inside look into the Grand Dame on the Grand Canal in Venice that is a fairly balanced view.
   The cover photo of Peggy is not a good choice for a first-time reader: Peggy often put on exagerated sunglasses when someone tried to photograph her, to hide her discomfort about the prospect. A better choice would have been a photo of her when she had let her guard down.

5 comments about How to Sell Anything to Anybody.

1. I heard about this book years ago, but I never took time to read it. Actually, I thought the book was too old to be relevent. I saw the book in Charlotte recently and was suprised when I thumbed through it. First of all, the comments on the cover got my attention: "World's Greatest Salesman" and "The Guiness Book of Records." If that wasn't enough, his writing captured my interest immediately. Joe Girard is straight up and honest. I love his style. I have to admit, some of it is a little bitter to swallow because he tells the truth and hold no punches. He hits the soft spots of procrastination and fear of rejecton, however, most of his teaching goes down easily, tickling my funny bone in the process.
   
   Joe Girard knows what the everyday salesperson goes through and his teaching style easily reflects it. When he is in "teaching mode," I can easily imagine him standing in an auditorium, possibly pacing the floor with his wireless microphone on how to become a better salesperson. When he is in his "storytelling mode," I can picture him sitting beside me telling one of his great stories about what he went though on his way to the top. For example, he mentioned his very first car sale. He didn't remember his customer's name or even the name of the car he sold, but what he remembers was that the customer worked for Cocoa-Cola. He associated Cocoa-Cola with groceries because he had to make that sale so he could feed his kids! He was "hungry" for that sale in more ways than one. Every time I opened the book, his words would grab my attention, and every time I closed the book, his teaching points would stick with me. One of the most important parts of the book was the story about his dad. While Joe was young, Joe's father would beat and berate him constantly, telling Joe that he would never amount to anything. At the end of the story, he writes: "you're probably wondering what this has to do with how to sell. Well it has everything to do with how attitudes get planted in your head." That is deep.
   
   I am faced with many people how have a problem with getting over self-esteem issues and fear of failure. Selling is fun, especially with a product that you are passionate about. However, it has its stuggles too. Sometimes we are surrounded by those who have lost their own dream in life. It has been a struggle of my own, living in the South, seeing those who do not see beyong their own struggles in life, day to day, year to year. The point about his dad and overcoming those self-defeating attitutes was so deep I had to close the book and "digest that nugget for awhile." It is hard to see people with the potential to achieve greatness to give up on their dreams and quit. No, selling is not always easy, in is the process of working hard, treating people right, and working with integrity, we are in fact, achieving greatness, even if those riches have not yet manifested. That is one of the great keys in this book. I am a bit ashamed that I have not read it earlier. Kudos, Joe Girard. You knocked this one out the ballpark, and thus, I recommend this book to every salesperson.



2. If you are looking for a big on tips, tricks and tactics for improving your sales then this may not be the best for you.
   
   If on the other hand you believe that some basic fundamentals, executed continuously and well is the road to success, then read on.
   
   Joe Girard is in the Guiness Book of Worlds Records as the worlds greatest salesman. Working at a Detroit area Chevy dealership he has sold more cars than anyone, and it is really based on fundamentals.
   
   Focus on the customer, ask for the referral, word of mouth, and making a memorable impression. That may sound simplistic and there is much more to the book than these few things.
   
   Girard treats being a salesman as a calling and profession not just a job and his results speak for themselves.
   
   Read Girard, put it down for a time, then read it again and let it sink in, and the wisdom of his experience will come to light for you.
   
   Cheers!



3. This book is called "How to Sell Anything to Anybody," but it should be called, "How to Sell Cars." All the examples and all the author's experience is related to selling cars. I know there are a lot of similarities between selling cars and selling other things, but this book centered on a lot of things that are only relevent to the auto industry. The title is definitely deceiving!



4. My husband works in car sales. Several of his co-workers spoke highly of this book, and said it was a "must" read. Amazon offered it at the very best price. It has received rave reviews from my husband who states it is very well written, and has had a positive impact on his profession.



5. There are some good tips for selling in this book, and people who are in the car-sales business would probably enjoy it and benefit from it. Aside from that audience, however, this book is likely to disappoint. First of all, the information and the way its presented are extremely out of date. The book was originally written in the late seventies, and if it's been updated, it's hardly evident. There is a very sexist tone to the book -- not a malicious one, but just a product of its times. Nevertheless, it is pretty offputting. Secondly, a major portion of this book is dedicated to author Joe Girard working out his abusive childhood. This may have been therapeutic for Mr. Girard to write, and may be interesting for some to read, but if you're looking for sales tips, this whole portion of the book is going to be quite frustrating. And thirdly, although some of the sales tips can be applied to any type of selling, for the most part, this is a book for car salesmen -- period. Mr. Girard seems like a nice guy and one heck of a salesman, but this book did not even begin to live up to my expectations.

2 comments about Wall Street People: True Stories of Today's Masters and Moguls.

1. I understoodd that it would be stupid to expect something close to the  "Market Wizard" standard from a 342 page book covering over 80 big names intriguing enough for 180 more books. However, I did expect a summary or two about the life, trading or investment methods of the people covered in the book. The passage devoted to Bernard Baruch is a rare exception to the above. A pity that it was mostly copy and paste from the work of other authors. Even worse, the content is not timely. For e.g., the article of Robertson was written nearly a decade before the Tiger Fund got drown in Russia. It would be much better if the author had written several volumes and covered more and timely of each guru.



2. Writing with James R. Vertin, author Charles D. Ellis presents brief profiles of 85 Wall Street leaders who contributed to the growth of the world's major financial marketplace. The authors divide these individuals - all men, which tells a tale right there - into four slightly arbitrary groups: masters of investing, movers and shakers, business builders, and wisemen and rascals. The collection is drawn from the other writers' pieces about these men, and includes occasional articles the featured financiers wrote themselves. Apart from a few brief notes about some patterns that the author observed, these excerpts from various sources stand alone, with no overarching theme or exposition. We [...] keenly feel the lack of a few analytical essays that might have pulled the collection together and integrated it thematically, but even so, this serves as a useful research tool and an interesting introduction to a unique confluence of powerful men.

2 comments about Adventures of an Economist.

1. Franco Modigliani is definitely among the handful of top economists of the 20th century. This book is his autobiography in which he not only describes the events that shaped his very interesting life, but also describes in the detail the fundametals of the theories that eventually led him to receive the Nobel prize.
   
   He is well known for two ideas, the lifetime cycle of savings and the Modigliani-Miller finance theorem. Both are described in depth in the book in a simple enough way that someone with only a basic knowledge of economics will be able to understand. He also makes good arguments for the Keynesian economics camp, versus the classical economics of the Chicago school.
   
   His is a inspiring tale of an escapee from fascist Italy who accomplishes much in his new land, the US. Modigliani is torn between his homeland, Italy, and his adopted land, the US. He has maintained close ties with Italy, devoting much of the book to describe his involvement in Italian economics and a bit of politics. He also focuses on his love for America and the lasting impressions of his welcome in the country had in his life, research, and philosophy.
   
   To any economist, Modigliani should be a well known household name; his autobiography is a precious document that ought to remind economists what economics is all about, namely making the world a better place.



2. For anyone who'd like to know what the professional life of an acclaimed economist is like, this is a great book. But two things will surprise you. First, Modigliani had an extremely poor grasp of the importance of free markets. Much of his railings against Italy's over-regulated economy were, you quickly gleam from the book, based on his opinion that it wasn't being over-regulated properly. (!!!) Secondly, he apparently never bothered to have someone edit the book. Typos, grammer mistakes and missing graphs abound, to the point where you wonder how in the world the book got published.

   I wouldn't recommend the book unless you are specifically looking for works on Modigliani's economics, or are generally curious about the career of a Nobel economist.

2 comments about Newhouse: All the Glitter, Power, & Glory of America's Richest Media Empire & the Secretive Man Behind It.

1. This is a biography as much of a media empire as it is of a man. While Maier spends as much time as he can on the private side of S.I. Newhouse Jr., he in the end focus on what is most seen of this most private of media moguls-- his media properties.
   
   Maier uses the device of choosing figures and brands important to Newhouse history (Roy Cohn, Random House, Tina Brown, the New Yorker) and spending a chapter on each one, tracing their history in relation to both Newhouse and Advance Publications. While a good device for giving a thorough overview, be warned that it does make for a slightly disconnected read. I found that I had to flip back through the chapters to remember how events relating to particular chapters related to each other in time.
   
   Nonetheless, one of the more complete media biographies you are likely to encounter and a must read if interested in magazine history.



2. The book shows how American media are controlled by a single family company. It owns many of the famous and influential publishing companies, magazines, and newspapers. It is a very dangerous situation that American media are under control by the handful people. As a matter of fact, the author mentioned in the paperback edition that the Newhouse company banned any mention of this book in their publications. The book, which won the 1995 "best media book" prize, seems to be neglected, but this is a very important book that more people should read. A sole purpose of media isn't a simple means of entertainment for people, and isn't mere profit organizations for the owner either. Media have the responsibility to execute the social role, and its fair execution is questionable under such a monopoly situation. The author proposes not-for-profit newspapers, and I believe it is time to consider to go back to such a fundamental point. Through various incidents the Newhouse company have initiated, the book leads us to consider what media mean to us. It is a very good book to think what true journalism means to us.

2 comments about The Rexall Story: A History Of Genius And Neglect.

1. THE REXALL STORY: A HISTORY OF GENIUS AND NEGLECT covers the rise and fall of a pharmacy which became a name brand across the country before big business was a common name. Rexall was the brain child of genius Louis Liggett, who began the company in 1903. The Rexall name grew to become an accepted institution of families across the country until drug manufacturers entered the business and sunk them. Learn about not only Rexall's business and health importance, but about the marketing strategies and ideas that made it a respected name.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. I remember the Rexall stores in the late Fifties, not here in Knoxville, but doted around in the small towns of Middle Tennessee. Louis Liggett started the company in Boston in 1903 and they compounded drugs back then, as aspirin was almost the only thing available in pill form. When I was in my young teen years, the only thing I could swallow was Carter's Little Liver Pills. I still can't get the generic Calcium down!
   
   The Rexall products were all high quality and inexpensive. Then the drug manufacturing companies came along and, after 75 years, put them out of business. That's why prescription medicines are so expensive today, and why we have to depend on them. The generics are worthless as far as I'm concerned as they are not regulated and not the same as brand names -- no way! If they were, they would cost more. Everyone knows you get what you pay for.
   
   On radio in 1937 there was a Rexall Magic Hour. In 1949, they presented the 'Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show.' It included a full cast with two young girl singers and ten men doing sundry things in addition to the two stars. Something like Garrison Keilor's 'Prairie Home Companion' show.
   
   In early television, NBC sponsored the half-hour program, 'The Rexall Theatre' on Sunday nights during the summer months which starred Pat O'Brian as your corner drug store pharmacist. The had a 'talking penny' in some of their ads. Comedian Louis Nye advertised their products on t.v. with the motto: "All for One and One for All." Edgar Bergen and his dummy, Charlie McCarthy, appeared on the cover of 'The Rexall Magazine.'
   
   The streamlined Rexall Train criscrossed the United States from Boston to L.A. and served most states (exceptions were Nevada and West Virginia) but skipped Knoxville for a route going from Chattanooga to Nashville to Memphis. We had the Southern and L&N railways for this area; the ticket shown was similar to mine every summer to Washington, D.C. on Southern Railway. We still have an active freight railroad in Knoxville, locally owned and making noise day and night. Sometimes, it wake me up as I sleep with my window open as I did in the old days. It works out of the old L&N terminal renovated for the 1982 World's Fair.
   
   In place of Rexall, we now have Walgreen's; the thing I dislike the most about this firm is the problem of "substituting" for the medicines your doctor prescribes -- not generic, but something totally different with unnecessary ingredients added. This could cause harm to a person's health. There are a handful of small locally owned drug stores, Long's in west side of town being the most popular. In Pulaski, Reeves's on the Square will still sell a nickel coke. Gregory Macdonald wrote about it in one of his books, A WORLD TOO WIDE. Check it out.

No comments about Master of the Big Board: The Life, Times & Businesses of Jack Massey.

5 comments about Proudly Serving My Corporate Masters: What I Learned in Ten Years as a Microsoft Programmer.

1. Barr acknowledges some well-known Microsoft idiosyncrasies, such as the overemphasis on puzzle-like tests during interviewing and the management affection (not so unusual among software management) for crazy long hours by programmers (apparently independent of results). However, all in all, who stays at Microsoft for 10 years and then has so much good to say but a die-hard? If you want to know everything you never wanted to know about API's and why your next release of a Windows release may have hundreds of API incompatibilties, this book may help you. I suspect an outsider could have written as "inside" a book on mattters of substance. It's not clear Barr has burned any bridges with Microsoft by what is revealed in this book: was that ever his intent? The title seems intended at face value.



2. I thought this was a great "trip down memory lane" in regards to the birth of the PC and Microsoft. Adam does a great job of providing history and context of the era.
   
   Although the text was long and often would stray from the intended topic, the extra info was pertinent and interesting.
   
   This was a great read for someone who grew up with the PC and Microsoft.



3. Adam Barr writes well. I found myself agreeing with several of his analyses: esp. his dissection of MSFT's evangelistic activities and his keen understanding of the api-itis that afflicts MSFT products today.

   The book is in four parts. The first is a look at MSFT hiring and interview processes, which is followed by a description of his time at Softimage (which includes a brilliant dissection of type-1 through type-4 demos), then a long and meandering recounting of his early involvement with computers and then an equally meandering final part which is a compilation of his observations about MSFT and the industry in general. I found the first two interesting enough to read, but found the final two not as compelling. He completely mis-understands the point about middleware and Java (see Lou Gerstner's book "Who said elephants can't dance?" for a different definition of middleware and business strategy). Perhaps his narrow, unappealing and unfocussed second half meanders so much because he didn't take his chances to widen his own career within MSFT as a manager or PM.

   Like Adam with his interviewees, I agonized over whether or not I should give this book a "four" or a "three" star rating :). Ultimately, I had to go with the lower rating because as a developer, I was hoping to read about what "he" had actually "learnt as a developer" when I picked up the book. Unfortunately, while he talks about a whole lot of things (such as the importance of testing for product quality, and the importance of programmers getting a 'life' as they mature, the contributions of MSFT to the open source movement, etc. etc.) he doesn't at all talk about what he worked on, what was exciting and new about NT code he may have contributed to, or how methodologies and practices changed while he was there. Maybe MSFT prevents people from talking about such stuff, but by cutting out such professionally interesting bits, the book becomes a "missed opportunity" (esp. since Adam is a self described "systems guy"). Perhaps he really was writing only for the non-programmer crowd (but I doubt it).




4. don't bother buying this book.

   For me, it was a bummer, too much ado about hiring practices, and the author does not escape his bias after having worked for Microsoft 10 years.

   There are too many inaccuracies, like Microsoft has won the database wars, Microsoft has won the networking wars, Windows NT is "clearly superior to Linux", etc, etc.....




5. I enjoyed the early pages of the book, highlighting the workings of Microsoft, but felt the author could have provided more insight into what it was like working with his team and working for B.Gates. I thought the book ended strangely. I read it cover to cover in less than 24 hrs.

1 comments about The Great Pierpont Morgan.

1. A surprisingly sympathetic biography of J.P. Morgan. He was a steadying force in the marketplace, especially in the area of the railroads where the competition was cut-throat. The author tells of cases where Morgan would re-acquire ownership of a Railroad at a loss, because Morgan thought the owner was not running it correctly. Time and again Morgan would risk money to uphold his business principals often losing money in the deal. Eventually in later years the government stepped in with their regulatory agencies and performed much the same task that Morgan was performing. The author gives some personal insights such as his style of art collecting and his lifestyle. It is very well written, interesting, and appears to be well researched, Morgan's scandals are also mentioned, but overall I am surprised at how straightforward and upright J.P. Morgan appears. I had scant knowledge of J.P. Morgan, and this is the first book I have read by this author, but the viewpoint of this book is so different from what I expected it left me a little skeptical. This book will make the reader think twice that maybe J.P. Morgan is receiving a bum wrap from the reputation he has with the average man on the street's opinion of him. Call it cynicism, but this reader can not shake the feeling that there must more to this guy.