1. John Adams by David McCullough

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 13th, 2012 Categories: Biographies, The Founding Comments: 0

    Overview (from Amazon.com)
    In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as “out of his senses”; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.

    This is history on a grand scale — a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.

    Why the President Should Read This Book
    John Adams, at least prior to the writing of this book, could have been termed “The Forgotten Founder” as far as most Americans were concerned. Washington, Jefferson, Madison–these are the names we think of when we think of … Read the rest of this entry »

  2. The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 13th, 2012 Categories: Economics, Health Care Comments: 0

    Overview (from Publisher’s Weekly)
    Pollan (The Botany of Desire) examines what he calls “our national eating disorder” (the Atkins craze, the precipitous rise in obesity) in this remarkably clearheaded book. It’s a fascinating journey up and down the food chain, one that might change the way you read the label on a frozen dinner, dig into a steak or decide whether to buy organic eggs. You’ll certainly never look at a Chicken McNugget the same way again.Pollan approaches his mission not as an activist but as a naturalist: “The way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world.” All food, he points out, originates with plants, animals and fungi. “[E]ven the deathless Twinkie is constructed out of… well, precisely what I don’t know offhand, but ultimately some sort of formerly living creature, i.e., a species. We haven’t yet begun to synthesize our foods from petroleum, at least not directly.”Pollan’s narrative strategy is simple: he traces four meals back to their ur-species. He starts with a McDonald’s lunch, which he and his family gobble up in their car. Surprise: the origin of this meal is a cornfield in Iowa. Corn feeds the steer that turns … Read the rest of this entry »

  3. Lean Solutions by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 13th, 2012 Categories: Business Comments: 0

    Overview (from Amazon.com)
    A massive disconnect exists between consumers and providers today. Consumers have a greater selection of higher quality goods to choose from and can obtain these items from a growing number of sources. Computers, cars, and even big-box retail sites promise to solve our every need. So why aren’t consumers any happier? Because everything surrounding the process of obtaining and using all these products causes us frustration and disappointment. Why is it that, when our computers or our cell phones fail to satisfy our needs, virtually every interaction with help lines, support centers, or any organization providing service is marked with wasted time and extra hassle? And who among us hasn’t spent countless hours in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, or driven away from the mechanic only to have the “fix engine” light go on?

    In their bestselling business classic Lean Thinking, James Womack and Daniel Jones introduced the world to the principles of lean production – principles for eliminating waste during production. Now, in Lean Solutions, the authors establish the groundbreaking principles of lean consumption, showing companies how to eliminate inefficiency during consumption.

    The problem is neither that companies don’t care nor that the … Read the rest of this entry »

  4. Life by Keith Richards

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on September 4th, 2011 Categories: Biographies Comments: 0

    Overview (from Wikipedia)
    Life is a memoir by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, written with the assistance of journalist James Fox. Published in October 2010, in hardback, audio and e-book formats, the book chronicles Richards’ love of music, charting influences from his mother and maternal grandfather, through his discovery of blues music, the founding of the Rolling Stones, his often turbulent relationship with Mick Jagger, his involvement with drugs, his relationships with women including Anita Pallenberg and his wife Patti Hansen. Richards also released Vintage Vinos, a compilation of his work with the X-Pensive Winos, at the same time.

    Why the President Should Read This Book
    Reading biographies of the founding fathers, past presidents, influential leaders in economics, politics, and business–that’s all grand, but what about staying in touch with normal people. Sure, Keith Richards isn’t exactly the first person who might come to mind when you try to think of an average Joe, but upon reading his autobiography you realize he is more or less a normal type of guy who has had some rather abnormal experiences. Or you might say he’s had normal experiences, but they were on the extreme side of normal. For example, when I was … Read the rest of this entry »

  5. Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on September 4th, 2011 Categories: Business, Management Comments: 1

    Overview (from Amazon.com)
    Imagine a workplace where employees can do whatever they want whenever they want, as long as the work gets done. No more pointless meetings, racing to get in at 9:00, or begging for permission to watch your kid play soccer. You make the decisions about what you do and where you do it.

    It sounds like a fantasy, but Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson are leading a movement to make it a reality at companies around the country. They show how a Results-Only Work Environment not only makes employees happier, but also delivers better results.

    Filled with passion and common sense, their book will change the way you think about your job, your company, and your quality of life.

    Why the President Should Read This Book
    Curiously, George Washington might not have had to overcome the problems this book attempts to solve. Many of the problems in the modern-day workplace are the result of the Industrial Revolution and the days when many people worked in factories, wherein if you weren’t there at your post from 8 am to 5 pm, then you weren’t working or getting anything done. Although most of us no longer work in factories, … Read the rest of this entry »

  6. 12: The Elements of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on August 31st, 2011 Categories: Business, Management Comments: 0

    Overview (from Amazon.com)
    12: The Elements of Great Managing is the long-awaited sequel to the 1999 runaway bestseller First, Break All the Rules. Grounded in Gallup’s 10 million employee and manager interviews spanning 114 countries, 12 follows great managers as they harness employee engagement to turn around a failing call center, save a struggling hotel, improve patient care in a hospital, maintain production through power outages, and successfully face a host of other challenges in settings around the world.

    Authors Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter weave the latest Gallup insights with recent discoveries in the fields of neuroscience, game theory, psychology, sociology, and economics. Written for managers and employees of companies large and small, 12 explains what every company needs to know about creating and sustaining employee engagement.

    Why the President Should Read This Book
    What helps an employee enjoy their job? Oh, we all have our speculations, but this book is based on 10 million employee and manager interviews, so it’s a bit more science-based, and while that’s not a foolproof way to answer the question, it seems pretty darn good in this case, in my opinion. We don’t often think of the President as an employer, but … Read the rest of this entry »

  7. Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on August 31st, 2011 Categories: Leadership, Management Comments: 0

    Overview (from Harvard Business Review)
    An influencer motivates others to change. An influencer replaces bad behaviors with powerful new skills. An influencer makes things happen.

    This is what it takes to be an influencer.

    Whether you’re a CEO, a parent, or merely a person who wants to make a difference, you probably wish you had more influence with the people in your life. But most of us stop trying to make change happen because we believe it is too difficult, if not impossible. We develop complicated coping strategies when we should be learning the tools and techniques of the world’s most influential people.

    But this is about to change. From the bestselling authors who taught the world how to have Crucial Conversations comes Influencer, a thought-provoking book that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high-powered influencers from all walks of life. You’ll be taught each and every step of the influence process-including robust strategies for making change inevitable in your personal life, your business, and your world. You’ll learn how to:

    • Identify a handful of high-leverage behaviors that lead to rapid and profound change.
    • Apply strategies for changing both thoughts and

      • … Read the rest of this entry »

  8. The Odyssey by Homer

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on August 31st, 2011 Categories: Classics, Human Nature Comments: 0

    Overview (from Wikipedia)
    The Odyssey (Greek: Ὀδύσσεια, Odysseia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon. Indeed it is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature. It was probably composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia.

    The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths) and his long journey home following the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres (Greek: Μνηστῆρες) or Proci, competing for Penelope’s hand in marriage.

    It continues to be read in the Homeric Greek and translated into modern languages around the world. Many scholars believe that the original poem was composed in an oral tradition by an aoidos (epic poet/singer), perhaps a rhapsode (professional performer), and was more likely … Read the rest of this entry »

  9. The Illiad by Homer

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on August 31st, 2011 Categories: Classics, Human Nature Comments: 0

    Overview (from Wikipedia)
    The Iliad (sometimes referred to as the Song of Ilion or Song of Ilium) is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege, the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war and similar, tending to appear near the beginning, and the events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles’ looming death and the sack of Troy, prefigured and alluded to more and more vividly approaching the end of the poem, making the poem tell a more or less complete tale of the Trojan War.

    Along with the Odyssey, also attributed to Homer, the Iliad is among the oldest extant works of Western literature, and its written version is usually dated to around the eighth century BC.[1] The … Read the rest of this entry »

  10. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on August 31st, 2011 Categories: Economics Comments: 0

    Overview (from Amazon.com)
    This is the REAL source of THE SECRET to Wealth! Published in 1937 and written during the depths of the Great Depression, this book contains the wisdom of 25 years of research into the mindset of the most brilliant, wealthiest and most powerful men of the 20th Century…. Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and many more. These are the men who made the United States the powerhouse of wealth that we know it today. With easy to follow, step by step directions, this book is the TRUE inspiration for every book on creating wealth and prosperity ever since! Learn the TRUTH about THE SECRET to creating fabulous and lasting wealth from the man who wrote the book!

    Personal Notes
    It was with great reluctance that I read this book. First of all, it’s hard for me to trust anyone named “Napoleon”. Second, the title sounds like a get-rich-quick scheme. I don’t like thinking about “getting rich”. Starting and running a successful business, sure, that sounds great, but being “rich” in and of itself isn’t the attraction. I don’t want a big house or expensive cars, fancy vacations and the like. So I didn’t think this book … Read the rest of this entry »