Book Reviews

Education

The Monster Under The Bed By Stan Davis and Jim Botkin. Touchstone. The stewardship of education in America, when viewed on a historical timeline, looks something like this: From the home, to the church, to government, and now to business. This book is an investigation of the subversive relationship between business

The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less By Richard Koch. Doubleday. The 80/20 principle asserts that a minority of causes, inputs or efforts usually leads to a majority of the results, outputs or rewards. In other words, 80 percent of what you achieve in your job comes from 20 percent of the time spent. This look at an economic principle from the 19th century has the opportunity to revolutionize the practice of education today.

Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America By John H. McWhorter. Free Press. A controversial look at three areas plaguing black America -- the cult of victimology, separatism, and anti-intellectualism. A great book for teachers to understand the culture and psychology of African American students.

The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race In America By Shelby Steele. Harperperennial Library. While more than a decade old, this book still has its finger on the pulse of race relations in America. It is a perfect tool to help teachers, especially Anglos, understand the volatile relationship between white guilt and race holding -- two terms that Dr. Steele has coined to describe the delicate dance of blacks and whites in the volatile area of race.

The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life By Laurie Beth Jones. Hyperion. History clearly bears evidence that the adoption of personal and organizational missions is the real secret to all successes. In fact, it is safe to say that we know of none in our past who have achieved or fulfilled great dreams who did not have a personal mission statement. This is a great book to help groups and individuals identify personal mission statements, vision statements and plans of action.

Freakonomics : a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. William Morrow.

If You Want to Be Rich & Happy: Don't Go to School? : Ensuring Lifetime Security for Yourself and Your Children By Robert T. Kiyosaki. Aslan Publishing.

Leaving School: Finding Education by Jon Wiles. Matanzas Press.

Think! : Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye by Michael R. LeGault. Threshold Editions.

Winning the Race : Beyond the Crisis in Black America by John McWhorter.

(James T. Harris is available to conduct 1-2 day Path seminars or generational workshops as part of his Seminars and Workshops program.)