Book Reviews
HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Business Model Innovation HBR Editors and Various Contributors Harvard Business Review Press (July 2019) Business models determine how well components of an organization work together, for better or worse This is one in a series…
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The Odyssey Homer; Emily Wilson, Translator W.W. Norton & Company (November 2017) A brilliant exploration of “both the origins of Western literature, and our infinitely complex contemporary world” The last time I checked, Amazon offers 221 English translations of Homer’s…
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The Expanding Blaze: How the American Revolution Ignited the World, 1775-1848 Jonathan Israel Princeton University Press (2017) A briliant examination of “the crucible of demographic modernity” As is often true of my reviewing efforts, I read this book in combination…
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The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing Michael J. Mauboussin Harvard Business Review Press (2012) How and why to “untangle” skill and luck to improve at “the art of good guesswork” when making decisions Note:…
Read MoreSmartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking Shane Snow HarperBusiness (September 2014) “Sacred cows make the best burgers.” Robert Kriegel As I began to read Smartcuts, I was again reminded of the fact that many (if not most) human limits…
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The Age of the Democratic Revolution: A Political History of Europe and America, 1760-1800 R.R. Palmer Princeton University Press (2014) A brilliant synthesis of immensely complicated historical issues In his highly informative Foreword, David Armitage quotes Franco Venturi ‘s opinion…
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Igniting the American Revolution Derek W. Beck Source Books (May 2016) Those were indeed the times that “tried men’s souls” I was reminded of that observation by Thomas Paine, as well as another: “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;…
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Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America Christopher Leonard Simon & Schuster (August 2019) One of Charles Koch’s greatest skills: “analyzing and mitigating risk” in order to achieve long-term success Until reading this book, I…
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The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell Paul Smith Sourcebooks (August 2019) How almost anyone can communicate with high impact every time Albert Einstein once suggested that if you cannot explain your “great idea” to a six-year-old, you really don’t understand…
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