Books Recommended by Friends

I'm looking forward to reading these books recommended by friends:

The Truth About Leadership
by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. Jenn is going to lend me this one and it looks like a real winner!

Amazon review:

"A fresh look at what it means to lead from two of the biggest names in leadership

In these turbulent times, when the very foundations of organizations and societies are shaken, leaders need to move beyond pessimistic predictions, trendy fads, and simplistic solutions. They need to turn to what's real and what's proven. In their engaging, personal, and bold new book, Kouzes and Posner reveal ten time-tested truths that show what every leader must know, the questions they must be prepared to answer, and the real-world issues they will likely face.

• Based on thirty years of research, more than one million responses to Kouzes and Posner's leadership assessment, and the questions people most want leaders to answer.
• Explores the fundamental, enduring truths of leadership that hold constant regardless of context or circumstance-leaders make a difference, credibility, values, trust, leading by example, heart, and more
• Shows emerging leaders what they need to know to be effective; fans of The Leadership Challenge will find a dynamic new look at the real challenges leaders face today.

Drawing from cases spanning three generations of leaders from around the world, this is a book leaders can use to do their real and necessary work-bringing about the essential changes that will renew organizations and communities."


Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman was recommended by Aurora.

From School Library Journal (via amazon):
"Gr 7 Up–In 2002 in Argentina, Dani Bensimon weathers the political and economic crisis that is dragging her middle-class Jewish family into poverty and her formerly loving father into depression. They are all still grieving over the death of her pregnant aunt and her unborn child in the 1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA building, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Many of the teen's friends have left the country, including her novio, Roberto. Eventually, the Bensimons relocate to the New York suburbs and Dani must work hard to remain the dutiful, perfect, helpful daughter. While the plot is predictable, supporting characters are direct from after-school-special casting, and the narrator is at times a bit too wholesome, this affecting book works in its entirety. It shows a place and part of recent history left mostly unexamined in YA literature, highlighting an act of terrorism in Argentina and a Latin American immigrant. Dani's experiences give her insight and empathy into a community suffering the aftermath of 9/11. Littman's sprinkling of Spanish words and phrases throughout gives a genuine feel to her dialogue, and her references to Jewish customs also fit smoothly into the context."


Carol Morgan is an Alpha Chi I met through Twitter. Her novel Of Tapestry, Time and Tears was recently published and it looks fascinating.


"'Those who do not learn from the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.' George Santayana’s law of repetitive consequences is applicable not only in the context of history, but also in people’s lives. It is the underlying theme of the novel Of Tapestry, Time and Tears. Of Tapestry, Time and Tears is an epic story of a woman’s journey of painful self-discovery and her participation in the historical events of the twentieth century—the Depression, World War II, India’s Partition, and ultimately, 9/11. Edwina Kleberg is defined by her German and Irish immigrant parents and her life in the Texas Hill Country during the Depression and pre-war years of the 1930’s. As a female writer in the predominately male world of journalism, she is a unique observer to the myriad of hateful global changes through her work as a war correspondent in Italy, but meets an Indian soldier who not only saves her life at the battle of Monte Cassino, but piques her interest about India’s impending break from British rule. Her ultimate assignment takes her to 1946 India. Against the dramatic backdrop of India’s Independence and the violent cruelties of Partition, Edwina commits a series of poor choices, including a tragically poignant romance, all of which transforms her from a naïve egotistical young writer into a mature woman committed to saving the orphans of Delhi. Upon her return to Texas, she is faced with personal demons of loneliness, purposelessness, and alcoholism which miraculously results in her greatest blessing—just as Baba, her beloved sadhu predicted. Each of the characters woven through the story mirrors the complexities of life and how we are permanently affected by the historical era into which we are born."