Tag Archives: Business Books

The Tazie Effect – Turning Life’s Defining Moments Into Personal and Professional Greatness

Posted on by
Reply

TheManager’s Leadership Book Review

In what may become a regular feature of AskTheManager.com, we tackle the sometimes thankless task of reviewing the work of a published author. While you could argue that we’ve provided book reviews in the past with our Ten Best Leadership Books or our Ten Best Decision Making Books lists, this time it’s different… this time it’s about a single book: whether we love it or hate it, you’ll know where we stand.

The Tazie Effect, by Heather Whittaker

The first thing you realize when you are about to crack open The Tazie Effect is its incredible lack of girth. Just 66 pages separate the beginning of the first chapter and the end of the last – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Too often leadership books are written for the glorification of the writer, not the education of the reader. The Tazie Effect focuses concisely on nine specific areas where leaders can develop their craft. More pages would be unnecessary.

Written with the belief that we can learn much about leadership from a six-pound blind dog who is called, among other things, Tazie Roo, The Tazie Effect attempts to weave solid leadership advice with examples about how this pooch lives her life. This, unfortunately, is where the book barks up the wrong tree. (Fortunately, this is the only place where it falters.) The connections between this little dog and the leadership advice doled out by Ms. Whittaker are tenuous at best. At worst, those who don’t love dogs the way the author does might be turned off by the amount of attention paid to and credit given this pup. In some ways it’s like the tail wagging the dog.




Stop Dogging this Book!

Okay, now let me throw the author a bone… Once I got past the precious Tazie Roo’s inability to teach me real leadership skills and simply read the material provided, I was impressed. Ms. Whittaker is clearly a gifted leader and a gifted writer, and her book deserves the attention it will surely receive.

Whittaker weaves in real world (human) leadership examples very well and provides lessons that any leader – young or old – can easily understand and incorporate into their work lives. Her words are well chosen and the advice she provides is solid. The Tazie Effect is void of unnecessary magic bullets, tips or tricks, and instead focuses on long term, life changing principles in the simplest form.

While The Tazie Effect is not the next One Minute Manager, I can see the value organizations will likely place on this book as a housebreaking tool for new managers and as a reinforcement of the skill sets of their senior leaders. (You can’t, obviously, teach an old dog new tricks.) It also seems likely that progressive companies could build their leadership development programs around its concepts, using the book as a cornerstone of their efforts.

The Recommendation

If you are a canine-loving leader who can’t resist speaking baby talk every time you come face-to-face with a four-legged friend, then this book is definitely for you. If you’re like most managers in the American workplace, and you’re more concerned about what happens to you than to some little dog, then this book is… still for you.

Let’s face it, with so much psychobabble BS passing itself off as leadership development; it’s nice to find a quick, effective read that meets the needs of its intended audience – even if they’re not all dog lovers. With that, I can confidently and doggedly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their leadership skills.

(To order The Tazie Effect, visit Amazon.com.)

NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers – April 2009

Posted on by
Reply

New York Times – Hardcover Business Best Sellers – April 2009

 

It’s déjà vu all over again as the April 2009 New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list looks a lot like what we saw in March and February. Just as those months revealed America’s concern over the economy through our reading choices, April continues this trend. In fact, both of the newcomers to the April Top Five deal specifically with the current financial turmoil; making Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers the only outlier on the list.

 

Besides Gladwell and the newbies, The Great Depression Ahead, by Harry Dent and Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover round out the Top Five. We, of course, recommend neither of these books, so we find it quite strange that they remain in the Top Five. Perhaps if we quit pointing out what we dislike about them, they will just go away.

 

Outside of the Top 5, we feel compelled to highlight Jonathan Lehrer’s How We Decide at Number 6. This terrific read is moving the NY Times list likely because we named it to our Ten Best Decision Making Books Ever list last month.

 

How We Decide, as we revealed last month, introduces the reader to many concepts surrounding behavioral psychology and economics, and how these affect our decision making. This book is loaded with entertaining information that will stimulate your thoughts about how we think and make decisions in response to the complex situations we face. Although this book is enjoyable, it falls a little short in helping the reader uncover clear rules for making better decisions. (Still a recommended read, however.)

 




The Top Five – NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers April 2009 (to view the entire list, follow this link):

 

This
Month

 

Last
Month

1

OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”

1

2

HOUSE OF CARDS, by William D. Cohan. (Doubleday, $27.95.) The fall of Bear Stearns and the beginning of the Wall Street collapse.

 

3

THE GREAT DEPRESSION AHEAD, by Harry S. Dent Jr. (Free Press, $27.) A financial prognosticator anticipates further market crashes and an extended downturn, but sees a way for savvy investors to prosper.

2

4

PEAKS AND VALLEYS, by Spencer Johnson. (Atria, $19.95.) Making both good and bad times work for you personally and pro­fessionally. (†)

 

5

THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)

4

 

The Ten Best Decision Making Books of All Time

Posted on by
2

The Ten Best Business Decision Making Books Ever Written

Gaining insight into how the editors of AskTheManager.com chose the Ten Best Decision Making Books Ever can itself be a lesson in decision making. While the list of qualified books on this subject is quite long, we decided early on to exclude any and all that read like an encyclopedia, dictionary or college textbook. While many of these types of books do provide useful decision making information, we decided we wouldn’t feel right sending our readers in search of dull or boring reads.

And just as we did with our popular Ten Best Leadership Books Ever, we struggled more with where to place each of the Top Ten on our list than we did deciding which titles actually made our Top Ten. After several heated discussions and lots of backroom deal making, we decided on the following order for the terrific tomes topping our list of The Ten Best Business Decision Making Books Ever Written:

10. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions; by Dan Ariely – A mostly fun read that details why we decide what we decide and when, Predictably Irrational immediately grabs your attention through a very strong and entertaining start. While this tome won’t necessarily turn you into a top decision maker overnight, it does offer insight into some of the most common and odd choices we make. From a purely social or behavioral economics standpoint, this book is nowhere near the read of Freakonomics, though its explanation and application of these economic principles detailing why people make irrational decisions easily earns it a spot on our Top Ten.


9. How We Decide; by Jonah Lehrer – Very much like Number 10 on our list, How We Decide introduces the reader to many concepts surrounding behavioral psychology and economics, and how these affect our decision making. Also like Number 10, this tome is loaded with entertaining information that will stimulate your thoughts about how we think and make decisions in response to the complex situations we face. While slightly more enjoyable than Predictably Irrational, this book still falls a little short at helping the reader uncover clear rules for making better decisions; and although both are very, very good and deserve their mention on this list, you only need to read one (you make the decision).

8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey – Number One on our list of the Ten Best Leadership Books of All Time, Covey’s coverage of Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, earns him the right to crack this Top Ten list, as well. While not a primer on avoiding analysis paralysis or helping teams makes better decisions, the chapters covering Habit 2 in this book do provide a great lesson for anyone who’s known for making bad decisions. The best part about this title is it also provides the reader with a clear plan of attack for making and executing better decisions.

7. Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions; by Zachary Shore – Using examples of some of the biggest blunders in history, Shore provides an entertaining, historical and hard-hitting examination of bad decisions. Probably due to Shore’s fantastic ability to tell a story, we fear we may have been too easily swayed by style and not substance in including this title in our Top Ten. That said, Shore provides enough practical thought (and some very concise causation theories) to carry this read.

6. Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions; by John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa – One of the truest books ever to its title, Smart Choices is indeed a practical guide to making better decisions. Unlike some of the novel-like reads on this list, this book clearly outlines steps readers can take when faced with both minor and major decisions in their work and personal lives – and because the authors do so without sounding like academicians, it was an easy decision to add this to our Top Ten list. 

5. Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average; by Joseph T. Hallinan – As much as a title this long may make you want to skip to the last page just see how it ends, we advise against this because you’d miss a great read. Although Why We Make Mistakes takes us in a slightly different direction than many of the books on this list, it strikes a cord with us by proving that we are flawed and that internal changes aren’t enough to repair these flaws. (If nothing else, this read provides a classic example as to why so many books published in the last two years made this list: We are just now becoming aware of how we make decisions and what we can do to improve them.)

4. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior; by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman – Probably the quickest 224 pages you’ll ever read, Brothers Brafman deliver some very compelling arguments regarding our innate irrationality. Though very similar in content to Predictably Irrational, Sway stands on its own by never bogging the reader down in too much detail (while delivering enjoyable detailed analysis throughout). Overall, Sway does an excellent job of showing us how to make better decisions by understanding the irrational forces that want to sway us otherwise.

3. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement; by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox – A business classroom classic that was originally published in 1984 as part organizational management and part production operations management; this novel was one of the very first to use fiction to illustrate a business point. While the decision making lessons delivered here are often veiled in other concepts, the fictional factory turnaround that is engineered by the book’s protagonist provides a step-by-step plan for managers in crisis to follow when faced with difficult decisions. A must read for anyone in business. (Editor’s Note: We’re often asked which book would rank at Number 11 on our list of the best leadership books ever, and The Goal is clearly the favorite for that spot.)

2. Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators; by Patrick M. Lencioni – It’s one thing to rant about what’s wrong, it’s quite another to detail how to make things right. In Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, the master at team dynamics Lencioni offers specific, practical advice for overcoming the five dysfunctions he details in his earlier book. And while many will argue this is strictly a book about leadership or team dynamics, we say then you’ve never really read it. Among other things, Lencioni’s advice expertly helps teams become more effective by making better decisions. Clearly the best book for improving team decision making and effectiveness ever published; earning it our Number 2 spot.

1. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking; by Malcolm Gladwell – You either love this book or you hate it; there is no middle ground with Blink. By naming this the Best Decision Making Book Ever, we know we’ve probably lost half our readership – of course, had we not named it Number One, we would have lost the other half. (Because we read Blink, we went with our gut and named it Number One.) On a serious note, Blink is one of those “must reads” for anyone in business… end of story. Not only because it explains the power and accuracy of first impressions, but because it also provides data and examples to prove that over-thinking our problems is often the problem. Analysis paralysis and self doubt are the greatest enemies of management decision making today and Gladwell cuts to the quick better than anyone ever has (or likely ever will). Read Blink, it will be the best decision you ever made.

…

On the bubble: Tipping Point; Freakonomics; Execution; and Gut Feelings.

Never even in the consideration set: Nudge and The Paradox of Choice.

NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers – March 2009

Posted on by
1

New York Times – Hardcover Business Best Sellers – March 2009

 

The March 2009 New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list looks a lot like what we saw in February. Just as last month began to (finally) reveal America’s concern over the economy, March continued this trend. While the March list contains no credible financial survival guides (sorry, Dave Ramsey, we’re not a fan), the The Great Depression Ahead, by Harry Dent vaulted to Number 2, while fellow gloom-and-doomer Paul Krugman, a former Nobel winner, saw his tome fall to Number 7.

 

It didn’t seem to matter that we warned you not to buy Dent’s book last month – we even pointed out that his previous book (The Next Great Bubble Boom: How to Profit from the Greatest Boom in History: 2006-2010) predicted the Dow would hit 40,000 in 2009 – you attacked Amazon and bricks-and-mortar retailers to push his latest prognostication-filled tome higher than it deserved. (Truthfully, his stuff doesn’t deserve to be anywhere on this list.)


 

Contrast Dent’s collection of more wild guesses with Number 1 on the NY Times’ list for the fourth consecutive month, Outliers. This is one great read and deserves a look by anyone interested in the psychology of success. (Outliers could very well be the best book released in 2008.) In Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell poses the question: why do some people succeed, while those with more talent, brains and/or brawn never reach their full potential? We don’t want to give away the answer here, so like we do with the rest of Gladwell’s work, the editors of AskTheManager highly recommend you read it for yourself.

 

After Outliers, the next best read on this month’s list is probably Number 15’s The Snowball by Alice Schroeder. Schroeder delivers the most recent in a long line of Warren Buffett biographies; and although the list is long, her book easily made our list of the Ten Best Warren Buffett Books of all time.

 

The Top Five – NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers March 2009 (to view the entire list, follow this link):

 

This
Month

 

Last
Month

1

OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”

1

2

THE GREAT DEPRESSION AHEAD, by Harry S. Dent Jr. (Free Press, $27.) A financial prognosticator anticipates further market crashes and an extended downturn, but sees a way for savvy investors to prosper.

6

3

THE BIG RICH, by Bryan Burrough. (Penguin Press, $29.95.) The four wealthiest Texas oil families across several generations.

 

4

THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)

3

5

HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist.

2

 

NY Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers – February 2009

Posted on by
Reply

New York Times – Hardcover Business Best Sellers – February 2009

Unlike January’s NY Times list, the February 2009 New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list begins to reveal America’s concern over the economy. While the February list is still void of credible financial survival guides, there are two “the end is near” tomes using the “D” word to (we assume) shock us into purchasing a copy.

 

Paul Krugman’s The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 cracks the Top 5, with The Great Depression Ahead, by Harry Dent coming in at Number 6. These gloom and doom reads come to us from a Nobel Winner (Krugman) and a man whose last book (The Next Great Bubble Boom: How to Profit from the Greatest Boom in History: 2006-2010) predicted the Dow would hit 40,000 in this year. Our conclusion: while we will read neither book, if you plan to read one, we recommend Krugman’s. (Random thought, but if my name was Harry Dent, I’d probably change it.)

 

Number 1 on the Times’ list for the third consecutive month, Outliers could be one of the best books released last year. In this great read, author Malcolm Gladwell poses the question: why do some people succeed, while those with more talent, brains and/or brawn never reach their full potential? For those of us who still think we can grow up to be anything we want, Gladwell’s challenge of our belief in the self-made man is as uncomfortable as it is depressing. Like we do with the rest of Gladwell’s work, the editors of AskTheManager highly recommend this book.

 

After Outliers, the next best read on this month’s list is Number 14’s Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity, by Michael Lewis. In this book, Lewis, author of the must-read Liar’s Poker, provides great insight into many of the economic speed bumps from the last twenty-plus years, from the ‘87 stock market crash and the bursting of the Internet stock bubble, to the recent implosion of the financial markets. This book is highly recommended for any Lewis fan and for those looking for an insider’s unedited perspective into market forces.




 

The Top Five – NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers February 2009 (to view the entire list, follow this link):

 

This
Month

 

Last
Month

1

OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”

1

2

HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist.

3

3

THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host.

8

4

THE ASCENT OF MONEY, by Niall Ferguson. (Penguin Press, $29.95.) A financial history of the world, stressing the link between politics and economics.

4

5

THE RETURN OF DEPRESSION ECONOMICS AND THE CRISIS OF 2008, by Paul Krugman. (Norton, $24.95.) The recipient of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics revises his earlier work from 1999 to reflect current economic crisis.

6

 

NY Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers – January 2009

Posted on by
Reply

 

New York Times – Hardcover Business Best Sellers – January 2009

 

A quick review of the January 2009 New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list and you wouldn’t know we were in a recession. Where are all the financial survival guides? Where are all the “end is near” and Nostradamus tomes?

 

Instead of the expected flight to junk journalism full of the “how to” books that actually apply to no one, this month’s list is surprisingly loaded with many decent biographies, smart historical perspectives and controversial statistical analyses that require a deeper level of thought than we need for, say, Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover (Number 8 this month).

 

Of the quality highlights on January’s list, Outliers at Number 1 could be one of the best books released in 2008. In this great read author Malcolm Gladwell poses the question: why do some people succeed, while those with more talent/brains/brawn never reach their potential? For those of us who still think we can grow up to be anything we want, Gladwell’s challenge of our belief in the self-made man is as uncomfortable as it is depressing. Like we do with the rest of Gladwell’s work, the editors of AskTheManager highly recommend this book.

 

Another January highlight can be found in a great Warren Buffet biography by Alice Schroeder at Number 2. In fact, The Snowball is not only in the Top 5 on the NY Times list, it was also named to our list of the Ten Best Warren Buffet Books of All Time. Why would we release a list of the Top 10 Buffet Books? At last count, there were forty-seven Warren Buffet biographies currently in print, so we felt you needed a guide to decide which ones are worthy of your time. (To see our list of the 10 Best Warren Buffet Biographies, follow this link.)


 

The overall best read on this month’s list (showing its staying power more than three years after its release) is Number 11’s Freakonomics. As loyal readers of this blog know, Freakonomics is expected be released as a feature-length documentary later this year. (To read our recent interview with Freakonomics producer Chad Troutwine, follow this link.)

 

The Top Five – NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers January 2009 (to view the entire list, follow this link):

 

This
Month

 

Last
Month

1

OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”

1

2

THE SNOWBALL, by Alice Schroeder. (Bantam, $35.) The life of Warren Buffett.

2

3

HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist.

3

4

THE ASCENT OF MONEY, by Niall Ferguson. (Penguin Press, $29.95.) A financial history of the world, stressing the link between politics and economics.

5

5

CALL ME TED, by Ted Turner with Bill Burke. (Grand Central, $30.) The entrepreneur’s personal story.

4

 

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Freakonomics, The Movie

Posted on by
2

Freakonomics: The Movie

During my extended time off between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I sat down with accomplished entrepreneur and filmmaker Chad Troutwine to discuss the most ambitious documentary ever to pique the interest of the editors of AskTheManager.com.

For those of you unfamiliar with Chad’s work, he is a founder (along with Markus Moberg) of Veritas Prep, one the finest and most prestigious GMAT preparation and graduate school admissions consulting companies in the world. In addition to his business interests, Chad has served as a producer or executive producer for many wonderful films.

His latest project involves taking one of the most interesting and controversial business books ever written and turning it into a feature length documentary. Freakonomics, for the few of you who’ve not yet read it, is likely one of the five best business books ever written. Although not a leadership development or management training book, Freakonomics is both a fun read and an eye-opener into real world economics. More social commentary than Economics 101, Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, is one of those rare books that provides something for everyone, especially for those outside the field of economics.

While the editors are not seeking to turn AskTheManager.com into a blog about Freakonomics – the book’s authors Levitt and Dubner already maintain a terrific one at NYTimes.com that (like the book) is both an economics lesson and a quirky look at humanity – we are very interested in the upcoming documentary and we do highly recommend the book.


To satisfy some of my own curiosity around the Freakonomics documentary, I cornered producer Chad Troutwine – keeping him from his Holiday shopping – and peppered him with ten tough questions:

TheManager (TM): What made you think that Freakonomics would make a good film?

Chad Troutwine (CT): The real answer is that I thought it deserved to be a film, more than I was convinced it would be a good one. I’m pretty evangelical when it comes to this subject. I want as many people as possible to learn about Freakonomics. Film is a remarkable medium to reach a mass audience. It gives people who don’t really read much the chance to enjoy the material, but it also offers the three million readers a way to enjoy Freakonomics in a brand new way. Besides, I really wanted to meet some of the amazing characters that Levitt and Dubner found for the book.

TM: Have there been any other projects that made you feel this way?

CT: Yes, but none as strongly as Freakonomics. I’d still like to adapt Liar’s Poker, the brilliant Michael Lewis autobiography about 1980s Wall Street excess. It seems particularly timely today. Brush With the Law would make a spectacular film. It’s the joint memoir of a Harvard Law School student who became addicted to gambling and a Stanford Law School student who occasionally smoked crack during his third year. It’s Fight Club and Trainspotting meet The Paper Chase, but it’s a true story. 

TM: Freakonomics is such a great read with many desirable topics, how did you select the main topics for the film?

CT: I let the prospective directors pitch me. First, I had to get them to agree to join the project. I described my cinematic vision with as much clarity as possible, and shared my passion for the material with them. I suggested several possible topics – including ideas that emerged after the book was published. Morgan Spurlock was great. He said something like, “As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with food or terrorism, I’m in, man.” Because Morgan was willing to commit to the project so early, it gave me instant credibility when I approached Academy Award winner Alex Gibney and the other accomplished filmmakers.   

TM: What influence, if any, did the directors play in selecting the topics?

CT: The directors chose their own topics, but I retained a veto position. I required each director to submit a treatment. If I approved, that was the topic. I rejected a couple of ideas, actually.

TM: What influence, if any, did the authors play in selecting the topics?

CT: That’s a good question. Co-authors Dubner and Levitt have shown interest throughout, particularly Dubner. They trusted me to oversee that part of the process, so our contract gives me sole responsibility. One director team pitched a story idea that required a lot of participation from Levitt. He graciously agreed, and I think it will turn out to be one of the most engaging segments.

TM: Was there a topic covered in the book that you felt was too taboo for film or too hard to deliver to a traditional audience?

CT: No. Abortion, racism, cheating, classicism, crime, terrorism, and myths about child safety were all fair game. The main premise was enough of a hindrance: taking economic analysis and making it entertaining. Fortunately, Levitt and Dubner already conquered that challenge in grand style. We’re simply emulating the model that they created. One subject was off-limits. Because Sudhir Venkatesh was writing his own book, “Gang Leader for a Day,” we were contractually obligated to avoid using material in the chapter “Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?”

TM: What is the most important thing you hope audiences take away from this film?

CT: Running regression analyses and mining rich data sets are extraordinarily valuable endeavors for brilliant people like Professor Levitt because the results offer so much utility for everyday life. He can interpret the data and impart findings – often directly contradicting widely held beliefs – that can help us all be wiser parents, more informed voters, savvier business people, and better decision-makers. If we succeed, our film will inspire audiences to see the merit in challenging conventional wisdom. I’m not sure I can turn economists and sociologists into rock stars, but I hope that “thinking freakonomically” becomes synonymous with sound judgment and high intelligence. That’s pretty sexy to me.

TM: What has been the most rewarding thing for you (personally) about working on this project?

CT: We’re not done yet, but I feel a real sense of satisfaction that I was able to orchestrate what is already being hailed as the greatest collection of documentary filmmakers ever assembled. Moreover, this is, ostensibly, my first film as a lead producer. If Freakonomics can permeate the popular culture and inspire people to think more like Levitt and Dubner, and then act accordingly, that would be the ultimate.   

TM: If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?

CT: I would be a deciduous tree in autumn. Is there any other answer?

TM: No, not really… As a producer, where do you get both your motivation and your inspiration?

CT: I’ve never fully understood where I get my motivation or my inspiration.  Maybe that question is best left to others to interpret based on what I create and how much I accomplish.

…

Troutwine is eyeing a late summer 2009 final cut for the film, with a theatrical release possibly later in the year. For those of you (like us) who cannot wait, here is a list of the named directors, the working titles of each segment and current status for their respective segment:

  • Morgan Spurlock: “Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?” (post-production)
  • Rachel Grady & Heidi Ewing: “Applying Freakonomics to the Young and Nimble Mind” (filming)
  • Alex Gibney: “Who Cheats and How Do We Catch Them?” (pre-production, filming begins January 2009)
  • Eugene Jarecki: “Abortion and Crime” (pre-production, filming begins in January 2009)
  • Fifth Segment: TBD  

We think we know who the will direct the fifth segment (and we’re thrilled if it turns out to be correct), but we were sworn to secrecy and despite our overall lack of journalistic integrity; we do plan to keep this secret. Sorry…

…

Between now and the film’s release, may we recommend you enjoy the books Chad Troutwine mentioned in his interview. We’ve read all three and highly recommend them:

·         Freakonomics

·         Liar’s Poker

·         Brush With the Law

Additionally, if you’re looking to get a daily fix of Freakonomics, we recommend you drop in on Dubner’s and Levitt’s blog.

NY Times Business Hardcover Best Sellers – November 2008

Posted on by
Reply

 

New York Times – Hardcover Business Best Sellers – November 2008

 

An historical election behind us and a bleak short-term future ahead, we find ourselves at a very interesting time. When will the market hit bottom? How high will unemployment ultimately reach? Will Chrysler and GM survive to see 2010? Can Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress do anything to solve the credit and housing crises?

 

With so many economic questions facing us, it seems natural that the NY Times list would have more than a few economic tomes in the mix. (We count nine.) Below you’ll find the Top 5 on the New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list for November 2008 – to see the complete list (and to see an interesting economic read at number 14 this month) follow this link.

 

At fourteen on the November list (second in October) is a good read by T. Boone Pickens. Part autobiography and part Boone’s plan for America’s energy independence, The First Billion is the Hardest is interesting if for nothing else than it provides a pretty solid plan for reducing our dependency on foreign oil. Obviously his views are less interesting to America now that gas is relatively cheap – though we believe it won’t take much for oil to top $140 a barrel again. (Last we checked Pickens was the only one putting forth a real plan.)

 

Number 1 this month brings a great Warren Buffet biography by Alice Schroeder. In fact, The Snowball is not only number 1 on the NY Times list, it was also named to our list of the 10 Best Warren Buffet Books of All Time last month. At last count, there are forty-seven Warren Buffet bios currently in print, so you need a guide to decide which ones are worth your time. To see our list of the 10 Best Warren Buffet Biographies, follow this link.

 

 




This
Month

 

Last
Month

1

THE SNOWBALL, by Alice Schroeder. (Bantam, $35.) The life of Warren Buffett.

 

2

HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist.

1

3

WHO, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. (Ballantine, $24.) How to attract and hire the right people for your business. (†)

 

4

THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)

6

5

THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss. (Crown, $19.95.) Because life isn’t all about work. (†)

3