I’m really not much of a book reviewer…. however here are a few quick notes on my favorite reads so far this year:
“Tribes” – Seth Godin B+
Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Inc awards with the founder of my company and a group of senior execs. These awards are put on by Inc Magazine, and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing the fastest growing private companies in the US. Many of these companies had awesome schwag that the Inc folks were happy to give me upon my arrival. Hello, gift bag. Contents included a card game, artisanal salts, chewing gum, those little magnets that make a cool noise when you throw them in the air…oh, and a book called “Tribes” by Seth Godin.
Seth is the founder of Squidoo.com and a prolific author. He has written a number of books and has a blog. I’d heard of him prior to reading this book but was not familiar with his material. Here is my quick review of “Tribes.”
“Tribes” is about organizational leadership. In it, Seth makes the case that individuals in any organization, assemble themselves into formal or informal “tribes” that are lead by people (hopefully “you”). Tribal leaders and org. chart leaders are not necessarily the same people.
Pros:
-Lots of leadership brain fodder in only 147 pages. Example: “Lots of people worry about getting credit for an idea. Real leaders don’t care.”
- Industry agnostic.
- Very concise.
- Concepts are applied to real-world scenarios using examples from current industry leaders, rather than obtuse business-school concepts.
Cons:
- Seth’s writing style is herky-jerky and tough to follow. I found it tough to get into a mental rhythm with his irregular cadence.
“Fool” – Christopher Moore A+
Christopher Moore is a literary genius. I was first introduced to him with his book “Lamb,” which is a ‘lost gospel’ of Christ as written by his childhood best friend, Biff. “Fool” is yet another priceless work from Moore. This time he covers the story of King Lear, re-written from the perspective of the King’s idiot. Great story, fast read, and hilarious. Not just chuckles hilarious…more like “don’t read this while drinking lest your fruit punch land on the floor” hilarious. I have never laughed as hard as I do while reading a Christopher Moore book. Nary stand up, nor sketch act, nor Will Ferrell movie gets me going like Moore does. Check him out.
Next time I’ll be handling a couple of Mark Levin books. Don’t have the energy to put the words together at the moment. Off to knock out a couple hundred pages of Ayn Rand.