Marc's Musings

December 2001
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast
Wonderful book about coffee. I highly recommend it!

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Incredibly accurate. I try to read this annually.

The Nutcracker and the King of Mice by E.T.A. Hoffman
After seeing the ballet again, I decided to finally read the story. Pretty grotesque!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
Rereading this book was a treat! I’m glad I refreshed myself on the details before I saw the movie.

Mattimeo by Bryan Jacques
Another great book in the Redwall series.

Women of Influence, Women of Vision: A Cross-Generational Study of Leaders of Social Change by Helen S. Astin & Carole Leland
Not what I’d expected. I thought this was going to be a book on leadership. Instead, it was a book more on the history of the women’s movement in 20th century America. Did touch on leadership but not in a satisfying way.

November 2001
The Reflective Executive: A Spirituality of Business and Enterprise by Emilie Griffin
This is a wonderful book! Griffin is pysched about the role the marketplace can have in transforming the world. A must read. If you can’t get it through Amazon.com, look for it on Bookfinder.com.

Mossflower by Brian Jacques
This second book in The Redwall Series is prequel to Redwall. It’s mercifully not as intense as Redwall but even more wonderful.

A Prayer Cover Over Your Life by Oral Roberts
A quick work about the importance of prayer and the reality of God’s Kingdom in day-to-day life. I could nit-pick about the details but it’s a good reminder.

Sex Begins in the Kitchen: Because Love Is an All-Day Affair by Kevin Leman
Who wouldn’t want to have a title like this on their bookshelf! Leyman’s book is virtually a reader’s digest form of his own work and half a dozen other classic marriage books. This book would be good both for the person who’s never read a marriage book and for the person that’s read a ton but just needs a maintenance check.

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk
Hopkirk’s history of Central Asia in the nineteenth century is amazingly readable! His work reads like a cloak-and-dagger mystery. It’s particularly relevant in light of 9/11.

October 2001
Organizational Behavior and Management by John M. Ivancevich & Michael T. Matteson
This was the only text assigned for LEAD 615 “Motivational Leadership and Organizational Modification Techniques.” This is probably the most readable textbook I’ve ever been assigned. I highly recommend it as a great overview of organizational design, management, and leadership.

Virtual Teams: People Working Across Boundaries With Technology by Jessica Lipnack, Jeffrey Stamps
Another required text for LEAD 613. Many good insights into the process of virtual teaming.

Redwall by Brian Jacques
When my wife started reading this book to me, I didn’t want her to stop! Jacques’ world is a delightful and scary place to visit!

The Arab Mind by Ralph Patai
Patai’s love of the Arab people and their culture birthed this very in-depth, and convincing, analysis. I was particularly surprised by how much of the “arab mind” is shaped by pre-Islamic forces. I highly recommend this book as a resource to acclimating to our post-9/11 world.

Life is Tremendous by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
This is one of my top 10 favorite books!

The Rule of the Society of St. John the Evangelist
As a member of the Fellowship of St. John, I try to read and mediate on this annually. SSJE did an amazing job writing about ancient principles for the 21st century.

Team Building: An Exercise in Leadership (The Fifty-Minute Series) by Robert B. Maddux
This book probably delivers what it offers: teambuilding in less than an hour. I had the distinct feeling I was flipping through a seminar workbook. If you’re looking for in-depth reading on teams and team-building, there are better books than this.

September 2001
Understanding and Changing Your Management Style by Robert C. Benfari
This is an o.k. book. Check out the review I wrote for CharityChannel’s WeReview. About this review, CharityChannel wrote:

“Last week’s review of ‘Understanding and Changing Your Management Style,’ reviewed by CharityChannel discussion leader Marc Pitman, caused that book’s Amazon sales rank to move from 38,325 on Friday afternoon to 4,380 the following Monday.”

Successful Team Building by Thomas L. Quick
Read this for an MA course, LEAD 613: Team Leadership for Organizational Optimization. Nothing new but it’s an easy read and Quick offers good insights.

August 2001
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wills and Estates by Stephen M. Maple
This is a great book. Click here to read the review I wrote for CharityChannel.com.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams
I’m thoroughly enjoying wending my way through the five books of this trilogy!

The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age Without Good and Evil by James Davidson Hunter
Hunter’s work is profoundly affecting (and affirming) the work we do here at SBS. I wanted to read this before he and Thomas Lickona are coming here to dialogue in the fall.

July 2001
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein
Wanted to reread this amazing classic before the picture hits theaters!

If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll Probably End Up Somewhere Else by David Campbell
I’ve heard the title quoted for years so I was excited to see a copy of this book at my inlaws. Probably the best book I’ve read on goal setting and positioning yourself to increase your options in life.

June 2001
The Project 50 (Reinventing Work): Fifty Ways to Transform Every “Task” into a Project That Matters! by Tom Peters
Just finished reading this book on my Visor. (The PalmReader version is available from PeanutPress.) I love the way Tom breathes life into the “mundane”!

The Death of Character: On the Moral Education of America’s Children by James Davison Hunter
Hunter’s book is having a profound impact on SBS. He and Thomas Lickona are coming here to dialogue in the fall.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle
Reading this out loud as a family!

The Art of Family: Rituals, Imagination, and Everyday Spirituality by Gina Bria
My wife read this and highly recommended it to me. Bria’s insights as an anthropologist, and her delightful prose, make this a great book.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Read this out loud as a family!

Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership
by James O’Toole
This is my second time through O’Toole’s book. It’s fantastic! (See the note below from my first time for more info.

Don’t Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned [UNABRIDGED]by Kenneth C. Davis
This is the first audio book I’ve put on this list but after listening to it for 14 or so hours, I feel I’ve earned it! In addition to reading, my wife and I like to listen to books read by the author. Both the abridged and unabridged versions of this book are fun and informative. The unabridged is better. Although I love being an American, I tend to be a U.S. history snob. We’re only a couple centuries old, how much “history” can we really have? I don’t alway agree with Davis’ “take” on the interpretation of events but I am very glad I invested time in learning more about our country.

Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets
Fascinating book on prayer. Though I’m not always comfortable with Sheets’ method of mixing Hebrew, Greek, and English definitions and synonyms to get at the meaning of words, this book is definitely worth reading. Sheets’ style is refreshingly conversational and addresses controversial issues with a healthy respect for people that may not agree with his views.

Beyond Corporate Transformation: A Whole Systems Approach to Creating and Sustaining High Performance by Christopher W. Head
This book didn’t impress me the first time through. Glad I had to read it more than once! I like Head’s commitment to having the people affected by change have a voice in the change. I also am glad he took a section to deal with how to reinforce change through compensation structures.

May 2001
The Big Red Fez: How to Make Any Web Site Better by Seth Godin
I paid for this book even though I read Godin’s Ideavirus for free and it’s in a format I’ve never used before. It’s definitely worth the nominal charge. The ebook format allows Godin to offer his web design advice with hot links augmenting his ideas. I think every school should have to read this book!

Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein
Picked this up at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in mid-May. I love reading primary source material. This is supposed to be relatively understandable!

Leading Change by John P. Kotter
Another text for my summer MA course. Read it twice this month. Kotter’s a prof at the Harvard Business School. Similar to the Leading Change book below. I like that Kotter offers a linear pattern even though he knows change is non-linear.

Introduction to Rabbinic Literature by Jacob Neusner
For years I’ve said I wanted to study rabbinics. I finally decided to do something about it! This isn’t the easiest reading but it’s VERY thorough and informative. It’ll take me a while to work through this one!

Finding Faith by Brian McLaren
Todd Hunter recommended this book as one I’d be able to give a non-Christian without feeling like I had to apologize for part of it. McLaren’s tone is wonderfully conversational and non-confrontational. A great book for any seeker of truth–whether they believe in Jesus or not.

Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership
by James O’Toole
This is required reading for my next MA course. O’Toole takes a lot of time to make his point. His basic thesis is that leaders need to frame change in the context of the organizations already agreed upon values. I find his critique on Jack Welch particularly interesting.

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
This is one of the best books on parenting I’ve ever read. It goes beyond simply pop-pyschology and behavior modification to deal with character–both the child’s and the parents!

April 2001
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
This book has been highly recommended to me. A great book for helping small business owners think like business owners instead self-employed people.

Gathering the Next Generation: Essays on the Formation and Ministry of GenX Priests by Nathan Humphrey
The essays in this book are about an exciting movement within the Episcopal Church (and the Church at large). GenXers are definitely cool. Check out GTNG’s website.

The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life by Bruce H. Wilkinson
I’ve heard of this book from so many people I finally had to buy it. It’s a great reminder that we serve a BIG God so we ought to pray big prayers.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell
Maxwell’s books are easy to read and full of great information. This book is definitley not an academic textbook but it’s obvious he’s writing from years of experience.

The Brethren by John Grisham
Just finished my two MA classes so I’m treating myself to another work of fiction! Pretty good book. It’s seriously impacted how I view politics!

Ragged Dick and Struggling Upward (Penguin Classics)
by Horatio Alger, Jr.
Alger’s no Shakespeare but he never claimed to be. He’s inspired more boys to greatness than almost anyone else. These stories are great and I can’t wait for my son to read them.

Targeted Fund Raising: Defining and Refining Your Development Strategy
by Judith E. Nichols
Another one that’s been on my shelf. Though some of the stats are 10 years old, the principles are still valid.

March 2001
The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky
I love Kurlansky’s ability to intertwine history, lore, and recipes–and make it all relevant! I love the Basque ability to adopt customs from others but still retain their own identity.

Managing by Values by Ken Blanchard & Michael O’Connor
Blanchard has a knack for making a point by telling a story. MBV lives up to that tradition.

Women Mystics in Medieval Europe
by Emilie Zum Brunn, Georgette Epiney-Burgard
This book’s a great introduction to mysticism and an inspiring reminder that women have always been innovators in all areas of life–whether the men of their age like it or not!

Ethics: Approaching Moral Decisions by Arthur F. Holmes
I’m plowing through the MA recommended reading list! This book is much better than Geisler’s (in January below)–especially in the section dealing with specific cases. Holmes wrote this in ‘84 but his years of teaching undergrads at Wheaton must’ve helped him keep it simple and timeless. I recommend this quick read.

Critical Reasoning by J. B. Cederblom & David Paulsen
Another MA text book. Not as engaging as Babbie but definitely interesting. I love having my way of thinking challenged.

Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney’s Success
by Thomas K. Connellan
I’m fascinated by Disney’s way of doing business. This book is a joy to read! Written in story form, it is packed with insights that can affect how we approach alumni work.

The Practice of Social Research by Earl Babbie
This textbook will tell you all you ever wanted to know about the why and how of research and social science. It’s even engaging!

The Road to Redemption: Lessons from Exodus on Leadership and Community
by Burton L. Visotzky
Rabbi Visotzky teaches at JTS. This is a fun book! I love reading how the rabbis have read and wrestled with Scripture and Moses! Vistozky uses his own translation of the Hebrew and the rabbinic midrash to make interesting comments on leadership and community along the way.