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The Ultimate Book of Business Gurus: 110 Thinkers Who Really Made a Difference (Ultimate Business Series)
Stuart Crainer Manufacturer: American Management Association ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0814404480 |
Customer Reviews:
Follow that star - the key thoughts of the key thinkers.......2000-01-02
The ultimate business guru book, by Stuart Crainer
Management came of age in 1954, with super guru Peter Drucker's book, `the practice of management'. Since then it has made up for lost time, and as Stuart Crainer writes, we have all become managers, whether we manage hospitals, schools, funeral parlours, farms or football teams. Management has become "the art and science of our times, and management thinkers have become its high priests, the guru's".
Despite this, there is still no one ultimate truth. Theories mushroom, each one promising more than its predecessor. The growth is fed by aspirant managers "seeking recipes for success and ideas that can distinguish them from the crowd." Many managers occupy their time "inflicting ill-advised ideas on their organisation."
Yet most organisations are being run the way they were when Drucker began to study them. "We have a lot of new tools" says Drucker", but not very many ideas." The resulting cynicism, we learn, has made Dilbert the best selling business book of all time. As, Dilbert himself puts it, "re-engineering was invented by Dr Jonas Salk as a cure for Quality Programmes".
This is not to write off the guru mega-industry. Nor can it relieve us of the pressure to keep abreast of the latest fashion. As Crainer points out in his introduction, "if your son or daughter discovers you have not heard of the latest pop sensation, they are incredulous. ... Managers behave similarly when they discover a colleague, who knows nothing of the latest addition to the management vocabulary." The only thing worse that slavishly following management theory, is ignoring it completely.
In his ultimate business Guru book, Crainer summarises one hundred (fifty in my soft back edition) of the most significant contributors to the management literature. As befitting a young discipline, he has spread his net appropriately wide.
Thus we find academics such as Michael Porter, Philip Kotler, Edgar Schein and Douglas McGregor whose theories are studied in business school. We find executives such as Henry Ford, Alfred Sloan, Harold Geneen, and Thomas Watson Junior who, through practice and theory, put their stamp firmly onto the corporate world. And we find the consultants Marvin Bower, Tom Peters, Bruce Henderson and James Champy, who produce "the best ideas", while in the corporate equivalent of a research laboratory.
Also appropriate is the wide spectrum of belief. Arch conservatives such as Frederick Taylor and Igor Ansoff are included, along with the liberal left such as Peter Senge, and Frons Trompenaars. We find Charles Handy "who has an unerring tendency to state the obvious", but also with Richard Pascale, who tackles the tension of real life contradictions, head on.
Each guru is introduced with a quote, their breakthrough ideas in key words and their most important book. This is followed by three to five pages discussing their contribution and putting it into the context of current thinking. Crainer presents each guru with an appropriate mix of sympathy and scepticism.
Crainer has interviewed and worked with many of the worlds top business thinkers, and this is evident in his work. He presents enough to enable the reader to hold his own, then shows us where look should we want to delve deeper.
Dilbert, the one great thinker not included, said: "everything I've learnt in my entire life can be boiled down to a dozen bullet points, several of which I have already forgotten". This book presents the dozen bullet points of the other 100 thinkers who 'made management'. Some of these points are indeed worth remembering.
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Adversarial Legalism: The American Way of Law
Robert A. Kagan Manufacturer: Harvard University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0674006216 |
Book Description
American methods of policy implementation and dispute resolution are more adversarial and legalistic when compared with the systems of other economically advanced countries. Americans more often rely on legal threats and lawsuits. American laws are generally more complicated and prescriptive, adjudication more costly, and penalties more severe. In a thoughtful and cogently argued book, Robert Kagan examines the origins and consequences of this system of "adversarial legalism."
Kagan describes the roots of adversarial legalism and the deep connections it has with American political institutions and values. He investigates its social costs as well as the extent to which lawyers perpetuate it. Ranging widely across many legal fields, including criminal law, environmental regulations, tort law, and social insurance programs, he provides comparisons with the legal and regulatory systems of western Europe, Canada, and Japan that point to possible alternatives to the American methods.
Kagan notes that while adversarial legalism has many virtues, its costs and unpredictability often alienate citizens from the law and frustrate the quest for justice. This insightful study deepens our understanding of law and its relationship to politics in America and raises valuable questions about the future of the American legal system.
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Trying to have it both ways: Local discretion, central control, and adversarial legalism in American environmental regulation (Working paper)
Robert A Kagan Manufacturer: Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California at Berkeley ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0006QZQYS |
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Manufacturing Ideology: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan.
William M. Tsutsui Manufacturer: Princeton University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0691074569 |
Book Description
Japanese industry is the envy of the world for its efficient and humane management practices. Yet, as William Tsutsui argues, the origins and implications of "Japanese-style management" are poorly understood. Contrary to widespread belief, Japan's acclaimed strategies are not particularly novel or even especially Japanese.Tsutsui traces the roots of these practices to Scientific Management, or Taylorism, an American concept that arrived in Japan at the turn of the century. During subsequent decades, this imported model was embraced -- and ultimately transformed -- in Japan's industrial workshops. Imitation gave rise to innovation as Japanese managers sought a "revised" Taylorism that combined mechanistic efficiency with respect for the humanity of labor.
Tsutsui's groundbreaking study charts Taylorism's Japanese incarnation, from the "efficiency movement" of the 1920s, through Depression-era "rationalization" and wartime mobilization, up to postwar "productivity" drives and quality-control campaigns. Taylorism became more than a management tool; its spread beyond the factory was a potent intellectual template in debates over economic growth, social policy, and political authority in modern Japan.
Tsutsui's historical and comparative perspectives reveal the centrality of Japanese Taylorism to ongoing discussions of Japan's government-industry relations and the evolution of Fordist mass production. He compels us to rethink what implications Japanese-style management has for Western industries, as well as the future of Japan itself.
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Japanese industry is the envy of the world for its efficient and humane management practices. Yet, as William Tsutsui argues, the origins and implications of "Japanese-style management" are poorly understood. Contrary to widespread belief, Japan's acclaimed strategies are not particularly novel or even especially Japanese. Tsutsui traces the roots of these practices to Scientific Management, or Taylorism, an American concept that arrived in Japan at the turn of the century. During subsequent decades, this imported model was embraced--and ultimately transformed--in Japan's industrial workshops. Imitation gave rise to innovation as Japanese managers sought a "revised" Taylorism that combined mechanistic efficiency with respect for the humanity of labor. Tsutsui's groundbreaking study charts Taylorism's Japanese incarnation, from the "efficiency movement" of the 1920s, through Depression-era "rationalization" and wartime mobilization, up to postwar "productivity" drives and quality-control campaigns. Taylorism became more than a management tool; its spread beyond the factory was a potent intellectual template in debates over economic growth, social policy, and political authority in modern Japan. Tsutsui's historical and comparative perspectives reveal the centrality of Japanese Taylorism to ongoing discussions of Japan's government-industry relations and the evolution of Fordist mass production. He compels us to rethink what implications Japanese-style management has for Western industries, as well as the future of Japan itself.
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Why We Eat What We Eat: How Columbus Changed the Way the World Eats
Raymond Sokolov Manufacturer: Touchstone ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0671797913 |
Customer Reviews:
Rationalizes Genocide Because of New World Food "Discoveries".......2007-09-27
Cuisine for the Mind.......2003-09-23
The premise offered here is quite revolutionary: Namely, that it was Spain, through its colonization in the New World and particularly Mexico, initiated a culinary melting pot that has been bubbling ever faster since Columbus's voyages. At first, the idea sounds preposterous but the evidence is overwhelming. He shows that many "African" foods were orginially New World foods, that the chili we associate with Thai, Indian and Korean cooking had its origins in colonial Mexico. The latter also provided chocolate, corn, the tomato, various fruits and another colony (Peru) gave us the potato.
He goes on to demonstrate that French, Italian, Spanish, German and the other national European cuisines are rather recent inventions. The tomato plays an exceptionally large role in the world of food and this despite the tirades and "scientific" arguments against it well into the 19th century. Spanish food affected South America which affected Africa. Some foods, paprika for example, traveled a circuitous route - from Brazil to Iran to the Arab lands to Europe. Thus, the underbelly of Europe - Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia - to this day use the stuff in huge amounts.
Final chapters covered "American" food, what the term really meant and what our future portends. Especially endearing were the tales of lonely innovators, scientists, industrialists and plain folk who - through sheer ingenuity and curiousity - added to the pleasure of mankind.
Food History Detective.......2003-09-06
The event that backed most of today's eating habits was the world exploration and development by the Portuguese and Spaniards. From Mexico to the Americas, from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean, they served as the carriers of exotic foodstuffs to the far corners of the earth and then back again.
Potato to tomato, chocolate to manioc, the gourmet ingredients are traced out from their roots to adaptation.
Nouvelle cuisine and american regional cooking are essayed as to their development.
Great reading to shed light on how Chinese had originally no hot spices to why Italians had no pasta.
Enlightening and entertaining for the interested reader.
Much food for thought.......2001-01-16
very readable, entertaining and authoritative.......1998-01-13
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The Management Guide to Understanding Behaviour: The Pocket Manager
Kate Keenan Manufacturer: Oval Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1902825837 |
Book Description
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Investing With Young Guns: The Next Generation of Investment Superstars
James Morton Manufacturer: Financial Times/Prentice Hall ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0273652648 |
Customer Reviews:
Worthwhile reading - from the subject of the book..........2001-07-21
To make the task nearly impossible, the author, James Morton, included me in the list of young portfolio managers he wanted to interview.
The process was remarkably straightforward. He did a pile of reading - I write a fair amount, got up to speed on what we we're trying to do at MetaMarkets.com, and then hopped on a plane from London to Boston. We spoke for a few hours in the lobby of the Boston Marriot, and I never really thought about it again.
What James captured is a portrait of youth in a bull market. The bear market had yet to enter the picture and start grinding us all down, inch by inch. The dreams we dreamt were grand. The air was intoxicating. Nothing seemed impossible.
At times I find the chapter about MetaMarkets.com and my role here hard to read. I wax poetic for half a page about the fabulous innovation engine known as Lucent. Lucent! For Pete's sake! To be fair, I also opine on the virtues of Qualcomm and Home Depot, two companies I continue to believe are long term winners. It's the tone that's striking - the arrogance. Investing is an inherently hubristic endeavour. Whether you are in a bull market or a bear market, active investing is standing on a constant promontory in the middle of a raging sea, screaming at the top of your lungs that you know better than the market. During bear markets, this shouting can take the tone of a plea. In bull markets, it comes across as arrogance. But ultimately, it's the standing out their on the promontory at all that counts.
In the end, I think it's a book worth reading. It's worth reading to recognize those parts of the New Economy paradigm that are in fact still intact, albeit tested and bruised. We are indeed still citizens of a day trader nation - one that changes tick by tick whether we personally choose to react or not. We are still all venture capitalists to a degree never before experienced in the history of commerce. Companies at the forefront of information technology, pure innovation, and corporate tribalism still drive us forward, even in these hard times.
Perhaps the lesson is that yes, Virgnia, it is a New Economy. But "New" does not mean "Perfect".
Young Guns Comes Out Firing.......2001-07-14
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Between Enterprise and Ethics: Business and Management in a Bimoral Society
John Hendry Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0199267553 |
Book Description
We live in a 'bimoral' society, in which people govern their lives by two contrasting sets of principles. On the one hand there are the principles associated with traditional morality. Although these allow a modicum of self-interest, their emphasis is on our duties and obligations to others: to treat people honestly and with respect, to treat them fairly and without prejudice, to help and care for them when needed, and ultimately, to put their needs above our own. On the other hand there are the principles associated with the entrepreneurial self-interest. These also impose obligations, but of a much more limited kind. Their emphasis is competitive rather than cooperative: to advance our own interests rather than to meet the needs of others. Both sets of principles have always been present in society but in recent years traditional moral authorities have lost much of their force and the morality of self-interest has acquired a much greater social legitimacy, over a much wider field of behaviour, than ever before. The result of this is that in many situations it is no longer at all apparent which set of principles should take precedence. In this book John Hendry traces the cultural and historical origins of the 'bimoral' society and explores the challenges it poses for the world of business and management. The developments that have led to the 'bimoral' society have also led to new, more flexible forms of organizing, which have released people's entrepreneurial energies and significantly enhanced the creative capacities of business. Working within these organizations, however, is fraught with moral tensions as obligations and self-interest conflict and managers are pulled in all sorts of different directions. Managing them successfully poses major new challenges of leadership, and 'moral' management, as the technical problem-solving that previously characterised managerial work is increasingly accomplished by technology and market mechanisms. The key role of management becomes the political and moral one of determining purposes and priorities, reconciling divergent interests, and nurturing trust in interpersonal relationships. Exploring these tensions and challenges, Hendry identifies new issues for contemporary management and puts recognized issues into context. He also explores the challenges posed for a post-traditional society as it seeks to regulate and govern an increasingly powerful and global business sector.
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The Power to Destroy
William H. Nixon , and William V. Roth Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Pr ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0871137488 |
Amazon.com
When Senator William V. Roth Jr., the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, initiated an oversight investigation of the Internal Revenue Service in 1996, it was the first time in two generations that the agency had been subject to serious review. The proceedings brought to light horror stories of taxpayers subjected to the IRS's unrelenting bureaucracy, stories recounted in the pages of The Power to Destroy. The book also discusses how these hearings led to the passage of the Internal Revenue Service Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, which "brings greater balance to the relationship between the IRS and the taxpayer--offering tools that taxpayers can use to ensure fairness for themselves and tools the Service can use to better police and protect the integrity of its operations." But, as Senator Roth and his executive assistant admit, this can only be the beginning of continued reform.Customer Reviews:
Tax Reform means more tax litigation.......2004-09-16
Cancer of Corruption in a Mountain of Malfeasance.......2003-09-01
The book, due to its date of publication, doesn't reveal, for example, the OMB finding that IRS employees stole over 4300 government computers in 2001 nor does it reveal the results of a 2003 investigation that shows when they aren't busy stealing computers, IRS employees are spending over half their Internet time at the office visiting porn and gambling sites. Because of the date of the research, Roth doesn't include references to many news articles about how IRS employees devote themselves to terrorizing American citizens, selling confidential information, breaking laws with impunity, and running scams like the famous Hoyt Fiasco (well-documented online).
Yet, the book is very useful and important. In it, Roth reveals how individual managers in the IRS are completely unaccountable to any civil authority. He gives case after case of horrendous abuses.
Roth also reveals the steps taken to reign in some of the abuse, and he explains some things ordinary citizens can do to protect themselves. But he also leaves us with an awareness that the IRS is still too powerful, too unaccountable, and too corrupt.
The book should be required reading. An update is long overdue.
Unbridled Imagination.......2002-05-27
Horrifying Problem - Worse Prognosis.......2001-08-23
The author of the book is a US Senator that headed a congressional oversight hearing looking into the problems in the IRS from '96 to `99. What he found will make you mad as hell and twice as frustrated. Basically he found out that the IRS has become a law unto itself that has grown into a mean-spirited 800 lb. gorilla that cannot now be controlled under the present form of the law.
Roth admits that this mess is the fault of the Congress in its shameful lack of oversight. He notes that basically Congress has given the IRS increasingly sweeping powers without accountability to the point now that they can break the law with impunity.
The book cites many horrifying anecdotes of IRS abuse of citizens' rights and basic human decency all in the name of "making the numbers". The IRS is nothing more than a legalized gang of shakedown artists who use intimidation, fear and nasty mean-spiritedness to squeeze every penny out of the taxpayer that they see as an enemy that must be brought to its knees.
What I found worse than the realization that the government is basically a criminal organization and that the representatives have allowed it to go on was the fact that they now have limited ability to control or reform the IRS. Like a Frankenstein monster that has broken loose and cannot be controlled, the IRS is now so well equipped with sweeping powers that the courts, Congress and certainly we are helpless to its whim despite so called sweeping IRS reform bills passed by Congress in the last four years.
So, in effect, the author shows us what a mess he and his political cohorts have made over the last fifty or so years and then admits that there isn't a heck of a lot that can be done other than limit your profile so the IRS doesn't notice you in the first place. He also talks about your "rights" and how you should act politely and professionally while the IRS is sticking it in and breaking it off even though the preceding 2/3rd of the book were about how the IRS basically ignores taxpayers' rights. While practical in a clinical sense this advice bothered me because it reminded me of the advice you'll get from cops sometimes regarding crime in general: "just give them what they want and they might not hurt you".
Come on! Why the hell aren't these thugs in jail? How can a US Senate committee sit there and hear this kind of testimony, see the figures and get admissions from the IRS itself that this kind of crud is going on and not start slapping on the cuffs? I was really disgusted by this book and it basically sums up what I feel is wrong with our government in general. Forget about "jack-booted thugs" with machine guns kicking down your door in the middle of the night; worry about some bureaucratic piss ant from the IRS with a calculator deciding that you are an easy mark to make his numbers for the month.
Man, what a mess!
Much painful truth in a book with title off target.......2001-06-29
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The Antibiotic Paradox: How the Misuse of Antibiotics Destroys Their Curative Powers
Stuart B. Levy , and M.D., Stuart B. Levy Manufacturer: PERSEUS PUBLISHING ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0738204404 Release Date: 2002-01-08 |
Book Description
Revised and updated with a new introduction by the author, the classic book that warns consumers about the overuse of antibiotics.In this totally revised and updated edition of the classic primer on the misuse of antibiotics, Dr. Stuart Levy reveals how our cavalier and naïve attitude about the power of antibiotics can have -and already has had-dire consequences. He explains that we are currently witnessing a massive evolutionary change in bacteria. This build-up of new antibiotic-resistant bacteria in individuals and the environment, mixed with our overzealous use of antibiotic soaps and the unregulated dispensing of antibiotics worldwide, is leading us into a dangerous territory where our "miracle" drugs will no longer help.
Customer Reviews:
Resistance can lead to disease outbreaks.......2002-04-12
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Power to Destroy: The Political Uses of the IRS from Kennedy to Nixon
John A. Andrew Manufacturer: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 1566634520 |
Book Description
How Democrats and Republicans alike used the IRS to accomplish political goals during the 1960s and early 1970s. Seemingly innocuous names like Operation Leprechaun and Project Tradewinds, together with an array of intelligence and surveillance activities, formed a pattern of abuse that threatened the foundations of American politcal culture. Based upon mind-boggling research...a monumental study.... The book will likely have a significant impact on how this key government agency and its role in American history is evaluated in the future. --Lewis L. gould. Powerful, trenchant, and ultimately wise. --Stanley I. KutlerCustomer Reviews:
Explains and explores methods and purposes.......2003-01-11
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PowerTalk!: The Power to Create, The Power to Destroy (Powertalk!)
Manufacturer: Audio Renaissance ProductGroup: Book Binding: Audio Cassette Similar Items:
ASIN: 1559272031 |
Book Description
A breakthrough in the psychology of personal and professional success!What are the secrets to creating lasting change and improving your personal and professional life? Anthony Robbins offers a wealth of powerful ideas and strategies that you can use immediately to increase your income, influence others more effectively, improve your health, eliminate your fears and experience more joy and fulfillment every day of your life!Tape # 1: The Power To Create, The Power To Destroy!Anthony Robbins pulls together a vast array of scientific experimentation in learned response and research into motivational theory--and blends them into his own unique message. This is the key to his proven method for choosing to succeed. Tape # 2: An Interview with Paul Zane PilzerAnthony Robbins interviews Paul Zane Pilzer, bestselling author of Unlimited Wealth. This amazing meeting of minds blows the dust off the textbooks, reanimates economic theory, and makes economics not only understandable but invaluable in making the decisions that guide your life. Special BonusA booklet summary of highlights from Rafael Aguayo's Dr. Deming: The American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality-a fascinating exploration of the philosophy and practices of one of the world's pioneers in the fields of quality control, quality production, and quality management.Customer Reviews:
Abundance Mentality.......2001-05-14
Powerful, inspiring message........1999-09-21
Great tape for Economists and Tony Robbins Fans!.......1999-02-14
You'll enjoy the interview with Paul Zane Pilzer, author of Unlimited Wealth.
I really appreciated Tony's vivid examples of how to jumpstart your life.
Learn how to create something new.
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The Book the Communists Tried to Destroy, Toward Soviet Power
Manufacturer: Elgin Publications ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000FLIKLK |
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Collective Bargaining: The Power to Destroy
Merryle Stanley Rukeyser Manufacturer: Delacorte Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000M0S21W |
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Collective bargaining: the power to destroy;: New and better ways to industrial peace
Merryle Stanley Rukeyser Manufacturer: Delacorte Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0007FCGSC |
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DARK FANTASY - Number 12 - April 1979: Fafnir; Lord of Lightning; Sea of Doom; Powers to Destroy; Shadows and Shades; Hand of the King; The Black Sword; Women of Wonder
Howard E. (editor) (Tom Egan; Gordon Derevanchuk; Joe Froehlich; Phillip Heath; Neal Wilgus; Galad Elflandsson; Larry Gay; Dan Day) Day Manufacturer: Shadow Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000LIDVZC |
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DESTROY THIS TEMPLE The Voice of Black Power in Britian
Obi Egbuna Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000MJ4FAK |
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Power Struggle: HOW IT ENHANCES OR DESTROYS OUR LIVES
WILLIAM T. SHANNON Manufacturer: Plenum Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0306454068 |
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I Think Im Outta Here: A Memoir
Carroll O'connor Manufacturer: Atria ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items: ASIN: 0671017586 |
Book Description
It is the genius of actor Carroll O'Connor that millions of fans will forever confuse him with his most unforgettable creation, Archie Bunker. But O'Connor has lived the kind of rich, momentous life that Archie could never have imagined. Now, emrerging from gehind the actor's mask for the first time, O'Connor writes eloquently and intimately about his great triumphs and terrible tragediesand a career that has been immortalized in television history.
Growing up in Depression-era New York, Carrol O'Connor made his way armed with the quick wit, mischievous bent of mind, and engaging Irish charm that flow through these pages. From his rough and tumbel days in the merchant marine during World War llmarked by big dreams, bar brawls, and bloody noses he moved on to salad days in Dublin. There he received an education in literature and in life, found his true calling in the theatre, and married his wife, Nancy...a fifty year success story that's still going strong.
O'Connor was soon invitied to Hollywood, the scene of his greatest achievements. His unique persective on the creation of All in the Family and his certainty at the start that is was destined for ratings disasterreveals television history in the making. And O'Connor vividly recalls scores of classic moments with Noman Lear, Rob Reiner and Jean Stapleton, as well a numberous other colleagues, including Howard Rollins (In the Heat of the Night), Clint Eastwood (Kelly's Heroes), and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra).
But Hollywood was also the source of O'Connor's most painful memory: the cocaine addition and suicide of his son, Hugh. As a grieving father, O'Connor was forced to asssume the most poignant and powerful role of his life, and he speaks honestly here about both his loss and his efforts to educate others about the horror of drug abuse.
Candid and insightful, spirited and funny, this is the story of all the families Carroll O'Connor has been able to call his own. And in a career graced with landmark achievements, I Think I'm Outta Here stands as on of the most moving and memorable of all.
Customer Reviews:
Great Memoir.......2004-10-23
Interesting, but not about All in the Family.......2003-12-19
The final chapter about his beloved son's descent into addiction, madness, and suicide, and a father's inability to stop it, is truly wrenching. That could have been a book by itself.
All In The Mind.......2002-03-24
I loved this book!!.......2002-03-19
Not any of the Family.......2002-01-11
I'm sure that O'Connor worked very hard to get where he did, to get the roles he did. But he makes it seem as if he deserved everything: he was born to his roles, and everyone in Hollywood thought so, too. I'd admire the man more if he told us how hard he did work to become a star. I'd enjoy hearing more about his friends in entertainment, and what he thought of working with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers.
O'Connor follows the path of others who are known for doing one great thing and then write about it: he skirts around his most important accomplishment. He tells us how brilliant he was when he recreated Norman Lear's Archie Bunker, about how great Jean Stapleton was as Edith (no argument there), but then says something like "Those of you looking for a rehashing of what happened during the production of that show won't find it here," then jumps to his life post-cancellation of the show. Nothing new here.
The final chapter of this book is pitiful, but also made me pity Carroll O'Connor, which I'm sure would have angered the man greatly. His son, Hugh, succumbed to his drug habit, committing suicide after O'Connor attempted numerous interventions with his family at his side. It wasn't enough. Only in this final chapter do we see O'Connor as just another person -- vulnerable, powerless to control the lives of others -- a real man. It's sad that he could not have broken free of the reins of pretentiousness and told us his whole story with such emotion.
If you're a fan of All in the Family, steer clear. If you're a fan of Carroll O'Connor, rent some of his movies, watch episodes of All in the Family and In the Heat of the Night, then turn off your TV. This book does him no justice.
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An Edge in Wordways
Richard Dyott Manufacturer: Authorhouse ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 1403328323 |
Customer Reviews:
An unusual autobiography.......2002-12-01
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