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Book Club... And Then Some!
Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods
by Shel Israel
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
In the introduction, Israel writes, “There are several books that will tell you how to use Twitter and why you should. This book does a little of both, but neither is my central focus. I share with you stories of people using Twitter in the home office and in the global enterprise. People tweet to raise money for causes; to make government more responsive; to find and distribute news; to build personal or business networks; or just kill a little time with people you enjoy” (p. 6).
His theory is, rather than providing a simple “how to” book, people learn best from other people’s stories, so Israel crams his book full of stories, and he “argues the case for using social media instead of ads” to market a business. Israel spends more time with the current and potential business uses of Twitter than he does with personal uses.
It is through Twitter that Israel obtained three-fourths of the stories he shares. He “posted on Twitter what [he] was covering, and requested people tell [him] good stories on the various topics...” (P. 8). What his stories reveal and what impressed Israel, is that “Twitter lets us behave online more closely to how we do in the tangible world than anything that has ever preceded it” (p. 10).
The first chapters discuss the birth and evolution of Twitter or, as Israel calls it, “Migration of the Full Whale” (p. 27). These chapters offer an appropriate foundation for understanding the stories within these chapters and those that follow.
The writing is excellent and very readable, the descriptions clear, concise, and detailed, and the examples vivid, engaging, and valuable. From each story you gain a strong identification with the subject of the vignette; thus, there is a delightful immediacy you develop as a reader on a continuing basis.
As “the most rapidly adopted communication tool in history, going from zero to ten million users in just over two years" (front flyleaf), this is a book that deserves attention. First, it marks an important moment in the history of communication. Second, it demonstrates the role that technology plays in our society. Third, it reveals and underscores the importance and need for effective, instant communication. Fourth, it indicates (even confirms) how quickly people take to new forms of communication—or new forms of technology. Not just technofiles—everyone! What an insight! What an amazing revolution! What a great book this is.
Get the book now at Amazon.com Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods
Book Club... And Then Some!
Renegade: The Making of a President
by Richard Wolffe
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
Whether you followed the 2008 election campaign or not, whether you were a Barack Obama supporter or not, this an outstanding narrative worth reading. If you enjoy politics and, especially, if you find “behind the scenes” stories and revelations both interesting and entertaining, this book will hold your attention. Wolffe, a writer for Newsweek and a political analyst for MSNBC, is a lively, well-informed, clear, and concise writer. The insights into the political campaign, the twists and turns that Obama’s team negotiated, and the way his public and private obsession with Hillary Clinton wove in and out during all aspects of the campaign, make for fascinating—even compelling—reading. If you are a political junkie, or if you’ve enjoyed such writing as Theodore White’s The Making of a President, you will hold Wolffe’s book in high regard.
It is fortunate for readers that Wolffe adds his own asides and insights throughout the book, just as he does in his commentaries on MSNBC, and the additional bits of humor, along with the indented quotations, direct dialogue quoted from members of the Obama campaign staff (in addition to dialogue by Obama himself), and the expressions of feelings and emotions all add to the clear characterizations you acquire of the primary characters of his campaign: Michelle Obama, David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs, Valerie Jarrett, Marty Nesbitt, David Plouffe, Pete Rouse, and Eric Whitaker.
What is amazing about this book is first, how he was encouraged to write it by Barack Obama himself. Second, how much access he had to the future president. Wolffe was “one of a small handful of reporters to have a front-row seat from the very beginning: from his announcement in Springfield, to a summer and winter in Iowa, through the white-knuckle ride of the primates and the heavyweight contest of the general” (p. 329).
Wolffe “spent the best part of a year inside campaign planes, buses, and hotels” (p. 335). Insights, observations, and author’s conclusions were based on enormous amounts of time within the campaign itself. Wolffe writes in the acknowledgments, “...Barack Obama gave his time expansively, shared his thoughts freely, and planted the seeds of this book” (p. 335). There would be no way this book could come into existence without this.
If you do not know or haven’t known who Barack Obama is, why he thinks or acts like he does, or what his plans are for the future (clearly expressed and repeatedly highlighted throughout the campaign), there is no point in guessing. Read this book. Yes, it is about the 2008 presidential campaign, but it just as surely about the man himself. It is a terrific book!
Get the book now at Amazon.com Renegade: The Making of a President
Book Club... And Then Some!
The Years of Talking Dangerously
by Geoffrey Nunberg
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
In just over 50 vignettes on language and 265 pages, Nunberg offers witty and insightful reflections on the idiosyncrasies of the English language. More than anything else, he offers an “inside” (linguists’) look at the closing years of the Bush administration which, with respect to word usage, offered a plethora of examples to examine. It was—just as his presidency was—perhaps, the worst case of any president in history; thus, Nunberg had a great deal of information with which to work. Nunberg’s commentaries on language and politics appeared regularly on NPRs “Fresh Air,” in the Sunday New York Times, and in a variety of other newspapers across the country.
In each of the vignettes throughout the book, the original location of the short essay is mentioned, whether it be a “Fresh Air Commentary” or a newspaper. Nunberg’s insights offer an interesting—and sometimes provocative—insight into the culture of the Bush administration.
For me, his commentaries bring back a time that is easily and happily forgotten and along with it, the failed policies and ideas that not just reflect on a failed administration, but an administration, too, whose policies and corrupt practices (to the extent of deleting or altering scientific reports that opposed administration philosophies) that brought our society (and the world) to near total collapse. These are not pleasant memories. Just two examples were how Bush and Karl Rove used the phrase “people of faith,” or how the word “values” became the property of the right.
Get your copy of The Years of Talking Dangerously
now at Amazon!
How Did That Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way
by Roger Connors and Tom Smith
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
Based on more than 20 years teaching the concepts of accountability around the world and with 700 clients in 56 countries, Connors and Smith discuss the approaches to accountability that will contribute more to the success of individuals, teams, and organizational life than any other single attribute.
How did That Happen?
leaves no doubt in this reader’s mind, that following their specific and well-explained sequence of steps will enable anyone to establish the right expectations in a positive and principled way that will inspire people, make them feel good about their work, and get results.
Accountability is a personal “attribute” that exemplifies who a person is. It is “a way of being” that empowers and allows people to meet and surpass their expectations.
The authors do not provide generalities. For example, they discuss the four main causes of missed delivery: poor motivation, inadeequate training, too little personal accountability, and an ineffective culture. They offer specific solutions to these problems—among many other topics and issues.
This is truly a great book worth reading. It is written by two author who, clearly, know what they’re talking about and talk about it in a direct, readable, and memorable manner.
