Recent Books I've Read (Part II)

A few weeks ago I posted about some of the books I had read. Since I have plowed through a few more books it's time to give my unsolicited thoughts, again.

Managing the Dragon by Jack Perkowski

First, with books like this you do have to be aware about self-promotion and white-washing as the author is writing about his company. At several points, there are relatively obvious parts about how great his company is. That said, the book is very interesting--provided you are interested in business in China (if you are not interested then skip it). I have a lot of respect for the author an what he has been able to do and I think that I did manage to gain some insights while confirming other observations of mine.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey

As you can tell from my "book reviews," I do not read too many novels. But I have to say right now this is probably my new favorite novel. It helped that I haven't seen the movie as there were a lot of times I found myself laughing. The confined setting, character development, narration, and struggle all made for an absolutely fantastic read.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Like the first book in this review, you have to pay attention to white-washing and shameless self-promotion when you read books that are about the author's work. To be sure, there were absolutely times where the book became a volume about how Greg Mortenson is a saint (several people were quoted as saying he would win a Nobel Peace Prize). But the truth is, I agree. The guy is an absolute saint. The things he has been able to accomplish--much of the time with a shoestring budget are incredible. I think this is the side of American power that is far too often neglected (compare our military budget to the State Department's). If we really want to address world poverty, terrorism, or the multitude of other ills in the world then this is an example to follow. If you want to be inspired read this book.

Joker One by Donovan Campbell

The book was interesting and I have incredible respect for the author (nearly 7 months of daily combat in Ramadi), but there was just something missing for me. I felt like a lot of events were left untold. For example, he talks about one battle in which 10-12 Marines died (but none in his platoon) but only speaks of the events he personally saw. I felt the author needed to spend more time in this situation, and others, to give the reader a feel for the larger picture that was playing out (beyond his own vision). I am sure the daily grind blended together but the author could have used more examples of this. Personally, I would have been interested to know what happened to some of the major players when they returned from Iraq. In the end, the book is interesting and gives an intense picture of fighting, but left me with a lot of questions about the story.