Riding with the window down…

I guess when you are trying to sell books, you need to say things that grab attention. I think that when you are selling self-help books however, you need to tone down the hyperbole and focus on facts.

Suze Orman was on the Today Show stating information about information for women related to money in her book Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny. She stated that, “Women need to learn to put themselves first. They spend their money on their kids first. Men spend their money on themselves first.” While I agree that you need to take care of the source of the income first, there is nothing wrong with spending your excess on your children. More importantly though, she is male bashing. “Men spend their money on themselves first?” Come on.

She could have said that they “feel it is important that their children learn to manage money themselves,” or that they “feel their kids should learn that money is something that you have to earn,” but to paint all men with the blanket that they “think of themselves first” is a bit disingenuous.

Good luck to Suze on her book sales as I am sure that 90% of the content is solid information that is very useful - just take it easy on the man-bashing.

First off, you have to know that I am a sucker for self-improvement books. It started back when I was about 12 and I picked up my first Tony Robbins book and hasn’t slowed since then. Jim Rohn, Dr. Dennis Waitley, Robert Kiyosaki, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Robert Allen, Jack Canfield, Zig Ziglar - you name it… the list goes on and on. I have read and/or listened to them all.

A couple years back, “The Secret” was published following a series of mysterious ads, websites that didn’t give any info etc. and although it didn’t seem to make the splash that some of the great self-improvement books have, it was still intriguing. I say “book” but it is also a documentary film. (Don’t want any haters giving me a hard time.)

I picked up a used copy of the audio version of “The Secret” free from a friend and decided it was time to give a listen.

The first thing that struck me was how annoying it is to hear “the secret” in every other sentence. “When you hear the secret, your life will be great,” “The secret will change your life,” “Anything is possible once you know the secret.”

I’ll save you the mystery - the secret is the Law of Attraction. Many books have been written on the subject and although it is something I strongly believe in, all of this has been written and said in hundreds of books before “The Secret.”

I’ll continue to listen because I get off on this stuff, but I am a bit disappointed in the snake-oil marketing used to promote a well known theory as something secret handed down throughout the ages.

I have one close friend that could actually change his life if he read up on the Law of Attraction - maybe I will share it with him.

When I picked up Basic Economics: A Citizens Guide to the Economy, I thought it was going to be a bit higher level than it turned out. The subtitle should have read “A 5th graders Guide…” I am not sure if I was more disappointed that it wasn’t up to my level of economic understanding or that the author thinks so little of the average citizen to assume it is applicable.

If you know little or nothing about economics, this is a great primer. If you already understand Keynesian theory, the gold standard, and neo-classical theory of economics… you could write this book without any research.

In 2005, I created my 100 Point Book Challenge.
The point system is as follows…

Read a fiction book - 2 point
Read a nonfiction book - 3 points
Read a classic fiction book - 3 points
Listen to a fiction book on audio - 1 point
Listen to a nonfiction book on audio - 2 points
Listen to a classic fiction book - 2 points

The idea behind the point system is that hopefully the nonfiction books are more informative and do a bit more to develop your intelligence. The reading scores more over the audio mainly due to the fact that it takes more of a time investment.

It is time for me to start my 2007 edition. You can too… participate in the 100 Point Book Challenge and leave me a comment when you’ve read a good one.

Wow! There is really no other way to put it. The book Confessions of an Economic Hitman is a definite page-turner. It is a rip-the-bandaid-off-quickly look at the world of US corporate dominance and control of third-world economies. The author’s (John Perkins) job was to sell these countries on the idea of borrowing money from the US to invest in modernization. That modernization would be outsourced to US companies and when the countries were unable to payback loans (also part of the plan) they would be useful in such things as UN votes, military bases, etc.

The political intrigue exposed in the book is staggering. The tie-ins to Robert McNamara, (as head of Ford, Secretary of Defense for Nixon, and President of World Bank) George Bush, (as head of CIA under Ford, Zapata Oil, International Fruit Co., Vice-President, and President) and a cadre of others including George Schultz, Dick Cheney and many more are startling. Oh yeah, and a little company called Bechtel.

If you are content to feel that the world is full of fluffy bunnies and you should always trust those in power, this is not the book for you. If you can handle knowing the truth about our leaders, their actions, and that NO, Virginia, there is no Santa Claus… this is a must read. As G.I. says… “Knowing is half the battle.”

I just completed the audio college course Energy & Climate: Science for Citizens in the Age of Global Warming by The Teaching Company.

The course looks at the debate over whether or not global warming really exists… how earth’s climate regulates temperature… sources of energy… and many other topics related to energy. Professor Richard Wolfson of Dartmouth breaks things down to the component level and shows that detailed science can be understood without a background in the chemistry/physics etc. behind them.

The course is roughly ten hours in length and is 100% captivating as he puts into perspective things such as flipping the switch on a 100watt bulb and the conversion of carbon dioxide by plants into the waste product we all love - oxygen. It was one of the more interesting of the science based courses I have taken from The Teaching Company.

88 points

PS - For a limited time… The Teaching Company is offering two FREE audio lectures… How to Elect a Pope and Papal Elections:Then & Now.

The book How to Survive without a Salary is a refreshing look at the rat race. The focus is on living a “conserver” lifestyle rather than competing for more and more income. The truth is that you can live a nice lifestyle in middle-class style on MUCH less money than you think. In fact, the government-created ‘poverty line’ is actually more than enough IF you practice a debt-free, smart approach to living.

One simplified example is spelled out in the book:

“Consider the simple example of a $1,000 purchase: a holiday, a little furniture, or a replacement for the worn-out refrigerator. Nothing unusual or extravagant, but its more than the paycheck will cover. So put it on the credit card, right? And don’t forget the sales tax of, say, seven percent, or whatever it is where you live. If you pay it off in a year, at a credit card interest rate of 15 percent, that new fridge will end up costing you $1,230. Now, if you are in the 25 percent tax bracket, you will have to earn $1,640 in order to buy that $1,000 item.

Meanwhile, the cost-conscious conservers found a qualuity used fridge or a “no-name” holiday resort for half the price the Joneses paid. They paid cash (which is one of the reasons they got a better deal,) and to be fair, we’ll add the foregone interest they might have earned by charging the item and leaving their cash in a three percent interest account. So the fridge, or whatever, will cost the conservers $500 plus $35 sales tax, plus $15 in lost interest, for a total of $550. If they are in the same 25 percent tax bracket as the Joneses, they will have to earn $733 in order to buy that $500 item… while the Joneses had to earn $1,640 in order to buy the $1,000 model. A difference in earnings required of $907! So in this case, $500 saved is the equivalent of $907 earned!”

Sure, that is a simplified example, but the point is blindingly obvious when you look at start to add up the numbers.

The book goes on to describe how, with some good planning, you can walk away from the 9to5, the traffic, the idiot boss and all that hassle. Don’t mistake this for some feel-good, utopian, down-with-society book - it explains that you will still have to work - you will still have headaches - you will still feel the occasional financial crunch… but you just might do it with a lot less day-to-day stress.

Being self-employed, I walked away from a salary a dozen years ago and wouldn’t think of going back. Give it a read and open yourself up to the possibilities.

68 points

The book Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror is an interesting read. First, it is a great source of information on the behind-the-scene machinations of national security. Richard Clarke writes with feeling about his role in the countering terrorism for multiple administrations over the past two decades.

If you read this book with the goal of finding out the inner workings of national security, you will be greatly rewarded. I will caution you however to take a lot of what is said with a grain of salt. It is clear that Clarke has an agenda. I wouldn’t be surprised if his advance on the book came out of Clinton’s pocket. He takes every opportunity to point out that Clinton did all the right things and that everyone associated with the Reagan or either of the Bush administrations was either woefully in the dark or outright stupid in their response to the terrorist threat.

That being said, it actually is a very good book (for the first couple chapters)… just consider the source when subjective observations infiltrate the otherwise informative historical text - better yet, just read the first four or five chapters and scrap the rest…its all rant from that point anyway.

45 points

I just finished the audiobook Why Courage Matters by Senator John McCain. First off, I would have voted for him for Prez even before this book - it is just more assured now.

Just as in my review of President Clinton’s book, do NOT assume this is a book of politics. This book has even less to do with politics. It is, as the title states, about courage. It is a positive view on what courage is and why it is important in our lives.

McCain explains that courage is not just that which we see evident in the story of Roy P. Benevidez who though critically wounded in Vietnam, continued to do what was necessary to save his comrades. It is much more than that. It is standing up to a bully. It is doing what is right, even when you know you won’t get caught. It is suffering with dignity when there seems to be no hope. It is standing up for your beliefs without resorting to violence. It is being able to look in the mirror and be proud of the person staring back.

31 points