G. Manuel states,
"This book is a must toward understanding how the delivery of goods and services are and will be delivered in the 21st Century."
There's hype and then there's the Internet. The widespread emergence of the World Wide Web and the idea of a network economy have set new records for excess in overheated marketing campaigns, breathless newspaper and magazine articles, and topsy-turvy financial markets. From his perch as founding editor of Wired magazine, Kevin Kelly has long been one of the new economy's chief hype spinners.
In New Rules for the New Economy, Kelly tries to encapsulate the characteristics of this emerging economic order by laying out 10 rules for how the wired world operates. The result is a dizzying, sometimes confusing, but always thought-provoking look at the behavior of networks and their effect on our economic lives. At the root of this network revolution is communication. As Kelly writes:
Communication is the foundation of society, of our culture, of our humanity, of our own individual identity, and of all economic systems. This is why networks are such a big deal. Communication is so close to culture and society itself that the effects of technologizing it are beyond the scale of a mere industrial-sector cycle.
Communication, and its ally computers, is a special
case in economic history. Not because it happens to be the fashionable
leading business sector of our day, but because its cultural, technological,
and conceptual impacts reverberate at the root of our lives.
Kelly's genius lies in synthesizing large amounts of information in unique and interesting ways. His ability to turn a phrase is reflected in the names he gives to his 10 rules, and it makes this book a pleasure to read. Some, for example, are: "Embrace the Swarm: The Power of Decentralization" (Rule 1); "No Harmony, All Flux: Seeking Sustainable Disequilibrium" (Rule 8); and "Let Go at the Top: After Success, Devolution" (Rule 6).
A few of his ideas have a kind of Teflon quality that makes them elusive and difficult to evaluate. But that's OK. Like other prognosticators of the future--Alvin Toffler and John Naisbitt come to mind--Kelly's job is to imagine a new world.
Far from hype, New Rules for the New Economy is
required reading for anyone pondering business in the not-too-distant
future. ---Harry C. Edwards
MY AMERICAN JOURNEY, GENERAL COLIN POWELL:
From School
Library Journal
YA-The eminently
readable journey of one African American boy from a close-knit neighborhood
in the South Bronx through his rise to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
to civilian retirement. Powell was neither an athlete nor a scholar; his
childhood centered around his home, friends, and church. Later, in college,
he found his niche. ROTC offered structure and purpose. A recounting of his
army career and the support offered by family and friends are the primary
focus of this work. Challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities opened by
each posting are shared. Commanding officers, selected business contracts,
and four presidents are introduced and evaluated, almost all in a positive
light. Powell's involvement with and analysis of national and international
affairs, from Vietnam to the Clinton administration, are succinctly and
objectively recounted. Scattered throughout the book are personal rules of
conduct and occasional incidents of particular kindnesses and of racism.
Teens are given an opportunity to spend some time with a thoughtful,
positive leader. They can share one participant's view of recent history and
gain one perspective on our country's current needs.-Barbara Hawkins, Oakton
High School, Fairfax, VA
PAUL A NOVEL, WALTER WANGERIN JR. :
With vivid imagination and scholarly depth, award-winning author Walter Wangerin Jr. weaves together the history of the early church with the life story of its greatest apostle - Paul. Wangerin begins to unfold Paul's incredible life by imagining the childhood and early family life of a boy then called "Saul". A fierce prosecutor of Christians before his conversion, Paul never lost his fiery dedication, boldness, and strong personality. After his shocking encounter with God on the road to Damascus, he applied his formidable strengths to spreading the gospel. Wangerin deftly reveals Paul's character through each stage of his life, and enables us to see Paul's character through each stage of his life, and enables us to see Paul the person, living and complex, viewed through the eyes of his contemporaries: Barnabas, James, Prisca, Seneca, and Luke.Paul's rich interaction and brilliant dialogue with friends and foes, leaders and slaves, Jews and Greeks, creates a swift and intense historical drama around the man who spread the seed of the Gospel to the ends of the known world.
LAWS OF LEADERSHIP, JOHN C. MAXWELL:
Leadership will not strike you like a bolt of lightning, rather it is a process of learning that never ends. This book and workbook offer you have the tools you need to dig deep into the 21 laws of leadership and not only learn the laws, but really understanding the laws and applying them. The principles you will learn in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership are magnified when you combine the book with the exercises involved in the workbook.
Like it or not, the laws of leadership govern your personal and organizational effectiveness. If you apply these laws, people will follow you. Violate or ignore them, and you will not be able to lead others. The good news is that every one of the 21 laws of leadership can be learned.