MADE TO STICK: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

While this book had a lot of examples that involved management in a business environment, there were also plenty of examples that were taken from an academic setting and basically any other place you could think of where someone in a position of leadership needs to get things done. The main idea of the book is that we need to keep our minds open and be able to “think out of the box” by trying things that may seem to contradict common sense. This book is for anyone who is curious as to why some ideas become successful and others do not and tends to have a lot of ideas that can be put to use specifically in a business environment.

There were quite a few things I liked about this book. The clinics provided a different way to help the concepts sink in and the fact that there were cross-references was also helpful, but what I think really made this book stand out from the rest was the outline which is sort of like a “Cliffs Notes” version of the whole book; it’s easier to find something later on if you want to use it as a reference book.

The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth

This is a great book if you want to know what a midwife went through...back then, anyways. Obviously, a lot has changed today, and some of the things may not readily apply but that's the whole point.

This is sort of like a history book and takes you back to see how life was back then and how the midwife was treated. In the beginning, the job of the midwife was not looked upon as being very important; it was not until later, after many years of service, that they came to be appreciated a whole lot more.

Book Spotlight: Shattered Reality by Kimberly Cheryl

Shattered Reality is a book that is bound to have an impact on your life and someone you know. This is an important book to have because a lot of times, kids will not come forward with this kind of information but one can often tell if they need help by being able to point out common behavioral traits that abused children and teens often exhibit. A must read for everyone, especially those of us who work with young people.

The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

If you're familiar with the kind of movies that join together three or four stories and, somehow, combine them into one, with great ease, you'll have no problem following this novel. It's about different people living different lives but they all intertwine with one another.
The main theme is about how some women feel about leaving work behind and not
returning for one reason or another. The different characters reflect on their current lives and wonder whether or not it was worth it to leave their careers and stay at home to watch after the kid(s).
After reading this novel you should have a better idea about what goes through
the head of the average mom...whether she is currently working or not.

Rich Like Them: My Door-to-Door Search for the Secrets of Wealth in America's Richest Neighborhoods by Ryan D'Agostino

This is a pretty good book to read. No, it's not an instruction manual on how to get rich but it does give some (or should I say, a lot) of insight on how many people from different walks of life became wealthy.

At first sight, by reading the title, you might think that this book talks a lot about money...and I guess it does, in a way...but that's not necessarily the main point. What I liked most about this "door-knocking" project is that it just might give you the needed push you need to get out there and start doing something you actually enjoy.

The common theme throughout the pages I kept finding over and over is that the main motivation for the people being interviewed was not money...it just happened to come along. Sure, money is an important reason and it should be important, but it should not be the ONLY reason you are working in that job.

This is an inspiring book that talks about people who do what they love and are willing to take chances.

Deep Thinking the Human Condition

What I liked about the book:

- The author brings up a very important topic to our attention: persistent underdeveloped countries which have not been able to achieve full potential.

- Reading this book caused me to look at higher education in a different way especially when taking into account the perceptions that some people have of social science and natural science.

What I didn't like about this book:

- In my opinion, the author seems to be saying that the whole world should try to teach "Western" style academics because that's the best there is. This, to me, sounds a bit arrogant.

- The message I got from this book is that if you want to study something in college major in anything that has to do with natural science as social science is a waste of time.

I realize that this is the first book of a series so more are to come and all we can do is wait and see what will be next.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

This book was right on target when it talks about how we must take into account many different variables and not only IQ scores when talking about how someone was able to become so successful.

Malcolm Gladwell talks about how the environment has influence over us. For example, before Bill Gates even went to college he already has access to computers that were far more advanced and superior than the ones used by some university students because he was attending a very expensive school. By having been born into a wealthy family he was able to surround himself with things that others might not have access too.

While this is not to say that his success was handed over to him, it does cause one to think. I'd say this has been one of the more thought provoking books I've read lately.