Broc's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:22:42 -0700 60 Broc's bookshelf: all 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill]]> 40545314 New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Gitomer brings you the very foundation of Napoleon Hill’s self-help his long-lost original notes, letters, and lectures—now compiled, edited, and annotated for the modern reader.

Twenty years before the publication of his magnum opus Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill was an instructor, philosopher, and writer at the George Washington Institute in Chicago, where he taught courses in advertising and sales. These rare, never-before-seen lectures were thought to be lost to history. Until now.

Given exclusive access to the archives of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, Jeffrey Gitomer has unearthed Hill’s original course notes containing the fundamental beliefs in hard work and personal development that established Hill as a global leader of success and positive attitude.

In Truthful Living, Gitomer has captured Hill’s foundational wisdom for the twenty-first century. These easy-to-implement real-world strategies for life, family, business, and the bottom line prove as energizing and inspiring today as they were nearly one hundred years ago.]]> 288 Napoleon Hill 1503997006 Broc 5 4.28 Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill
author: Napoleon Hill
name: Broc
average rating: 4.28
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rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life]]> 58100575
Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs.

What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and yes, success?

At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life.

Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.

Read this book and you, too, can go from strength to strength.]]> 270 Arthur C. Brooks 0593191498 Broc 5 3.92 2022 From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Broc
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2026/03/28
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]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life]]> 231148075 From the bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same as Ever, lessons on harnessing the power of money to live a happier life

Can money buy happiness? Yes. Can spending it make you happier? Absolutely. Yet, many of us struggle to unlock its full potential—either by spending on things that don't bring as much joy as they should or by avoiding investments that would truly enhance our mental well-being.

In The Art of Spending Money, award-winning author Morgan Housel offers a refreshingly practical approach to managing wealth while finding deeper meaning and contentment. Instead of cookie-cutter financial advice, Housel provides you with psychological tools to navigate your personal relationship between money and optimizing for happiness. Discover why people often mistake envy for admiration, how to align your expectations with your income, and ways to invest in future happiness while avoiding regret. Learn about the dangers of social debt and embrace the radical idea that the fastest way to build wealth is by going slow.

The Art of Spending Money delves into the complexities that surround money—envy, social aspirations, identity, and insecurity—crucial aspects often missed in traditional financial books. Armed with new insights into money and wealth, you’ll learn to sidestep common spending traps, make smarter investing choices, and wield money to its fullest potential to enhance your enjoyment of life.]]> 233 Morgan Housel 0593716620 Broc 5 4.06 2025 The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life
author: Morgan Housel
name: Broc
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race]]> 38728977 Why is addiction "perfectly logical" to an addict?
Why does love change so quickly from passion to indifference?
Why are some people diehard liberals and others hardcore conservatives?
Why are we always hopeful for solutions even in the darkest times--and so good at figuring them out?

The answer is found in a single chemical in your brain: dopamine. Dopamine ensured the survival of early man. Thousands of years later, it is the source of our most basic behaviors and cultural ideas--and progress itself.

Dopamine is the chemical of desire that always asks for more--more stuff, more stimulation, and more surprises. In pursuit of these things, it is undeterred by emotion, fear, or morality. Dopamine is the source of our every urge, that little bit of biology that makes an ambitious business professional sacrifice everything in pursuit of success, or that drives a satisfied spouse to risk it all for the thrill of someone new. Simply put, it is why we seek and succeed; it is why we discover and prosper. Yet, at the same time, it's why we gamble and squander.

From dopamine's point of view, it's not the having that matters. It's getting something--anything--that's new. From this understanding--the difference between possessing something versus anticipating it--we can understand in a revolutionary new way why we behave as we do in love, business, addiction, politics, religion - and we can even predict those behaviors in ourselves and others.

In The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity--and will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, George Washington University professor and psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, and Georgetown University lecturer Michael E. Long present a potentially life-changing proposal: Much of human life has an unconsidered component that explains an array of behaviors previously thought to be unrelated, including why winners cheat, why geniuses often suffer with mental illness, why nearly all diets fail, and why the brains of liberals and conservatives really are different.]]> 240 Daniel Z. Lieberman 1946885118 Broc 3 4.10 2018 The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race
author: Daniel Z. Lieberman
name: Broc
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 3
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date added: 2026/03/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity]]> 29939161
"I raced through Radical Candor --It’s thrilling to learn a framework that shows how to be both a better boss and a better colleague. Radical Candor is packed with illuminating truths, insightful advice, and practical suggestions, all illustrated with engaging (and often funny) stories from Kim Scott’s own experiences at places like Apple, Google, and various start-ups. Indispensable." ― Gretchen Rubin author of New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project

"Reading Radical Candor will help you build, lead, and inspire teams to do the best work of their lives. Kim Scott's insights--based on her experience, keen observational intelligence and analysis--will help you be a better leader and create a more effective organization." ― Sheryl Sandberg author of the New York Times bestseller Lean In

"Kim Scott has a well-earned reputation as a kick-ass boss and a voice that CEOs take seriously. In this remarkable book, she draws on her extensive experience to provide clear and honest guidance on the fundamentals of leading others: how to give (and receive) feedback, how to make smart decisions, how to keep moving forward, and much more. If you manage people--whether it be 1 person or a 1,000--you need Radical Candor . Now." ― Daniel Pink author of New York Times bestseller Drive

From the time we learn to speak, we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. When you become a manager, it’s your job to say it--and your obligation.

Author Kim Scott was an executive at Google and then at Apple, where she worked with a team to develop a class on how to be a good boss. She has earned growing fame in recent years with her vital new approach to effective management, Radical Candor.

Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to Care Personally at the same time that you Challenge Directly. When you challenge without caring it’s obnoxious aggression; when you care without challenging it’s ruinous empathy. When you do neither it’s manipulative insincerity.

This simple framework can help you build better relationships at work, and fulfill your three key responsibilities as a leader: creating a culture of feedback (praise and criticism), building a cohesive team, and achieving results you’re all proud of.

Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses. Taken from years of the author’s experience, and distilled clearly giving actionable lessons to the reader; it shows managers how to be successful while retaining their humanity, finding meaning in their job, and creating an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues.]]> 336 Kim Malone Scott 1250103509 Broc 5 4.03 2017 Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
author: Kim Malone Scott
name: Broc
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Know Thyself, Love Thyself: A Practical Roadmap for Optimizing Performance Through Mental Fitness, Cultivating Healthy Relationships, and Creating Your Own Heaven on Earth]]> 211789957 102 Mike Wandler 1636802680 Broc 4 4.25 Know Thyself, Love Thyself: A Practical Roadmap for Optimizing Performance Through Mental Fitness, Cultivating Healthy Relationships, and Creating Your Own Heaven on Earth
author: Mike Wandler
name: Broc
average rating: 4.25
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rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Accidental Superpower: Ten Years On]]> 173404082
 

Near the end of the Second World War, the United States made a bold strategic gambit that rewired the international system. Empires were abolished and replaced by a global arrangement enforced by the U.S. Navy. With all the world's oceans safe for the first time in history, markets and resources were made available for everyone. Enemies became partners.

 

We think of this system as normal - it is not. We live in an artificial world on borrowed time.

 

In The Accidental Superpower , international strategist Peter Zeihan examines how the hard rules of geography are eroding the American commitment to free trade; how much of the planet is aging into a mass retirement that will enervate markets and capital supplies; and how, against all odds, it is the ever-ravenous American economy that - alone among the developed nations - is rapidly approaching energy independence. Combined, these factors are doing nothing less than overturning the global system and ushering in a new (dis)order.

 

For most, that is a disaster-in-waiting, but not for the Americans. The shale revolution allows Americans to sidestep an increasingly dangerous energy market. Only the United States boasts a youth population large enough to escape the sucking maw of global aging. Most important, geography will matter more than ever in a de-globalizing world, and America's geography is simply sublime.]]> 432 Peter Zeihan 1538767341 Broc 5 4.45 2023 The Accidental Superpower: Ten Years On
author: Peter Zeihan
name: Broc
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2023
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Accidental Superpower: Ten Years On]]> 228771640 With a new "10 years later" epilogue for every chapter, comes an eye-opening assessment of American power and deglobalization in the bestselling tradition of The World is Flat and The Next 100 Years. Near the end of the Second World War, the United States made a bold strategic gambit that rewired the international system. Empires were abolished and replaced by a global arrangement enforced by the U.S. Navy. With all the world's oceans safe for the first time in history, markets and resources were made available for everyone. Enemies became partners. We think of this system as normal - it is not. We live in an artificial world on borrowed time. In The Accidental Superpower, international strategist Peter Zeihan examines how the hard rules of geography are eroding the American commitment to free trade; how much of the planet is aging into a mass retirement that will enervate markets and capital supplies; and how, against all odds, it is the ever-ravenous American economy that - alone among the developed nations - is rapidly approaching energy independence. Combined, these factors are doing nothing less than overturning the global system and ushering in a new (dis)order. For most, that is a disaster-in-waiting, but not for the Americans. The shale revolution allows Americans to sidestep an increasingly dangerous energy market. Only the United States boasts a youth population large enough to escape the sucking maw of global aging. Most important, geography will matter more than ever in a de-globalizing world, and America's geography is simply sublime.]]> Peter Zeihan Broc 3 4.00 2023 The Accidental Superpower: Ten Years On
author: Peter Zeihan
name: Broc
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Modern Metal Cutting: a Practical Handbook]]> 145318450 0 Sandvik Broc 5 5.00 Modern Metal Cutting: a Practical Handbook
author: Sandvik
name: Broc
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
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This text book helped me way better understand the processes of Metal Cutting. I use it as a reference on the regular some 25 years after it was printed.
]]> <![CDATA[Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It]]> 123857637 A former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating – effective in any situation.

After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders, and terrorists. Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most – when people’s lives were at stake.

Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion.]]> 274 Chris Voss 1847941494 Broc 5 4.28 2016 Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
author: Chris Voss
name: Broc
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2016
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The ultimate guide to GET productivity, SHIT procrastination, DONE & profitability]]> 55004094 0 Jeffery Gitomer 1119660300 Broc 5 3.08 The ultimate guide to GET productivity, SHIT procrastination, DONE & profitability
author: Jeffery Gitomer
name: Broc
average rating: 3.08
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rating: 5
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date added: 2025/06/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Uncopyable You: Create a Personal Brand that Gets People to Know You, Like You, Trust You and Remember You!]]> 202985361
Inspired by iconic personal brands like Steve Jobs, the authors teach you to build a brand that transcends trends and time.

Each chapter is filled with actionable advice, real-life examples, and engaging anecdotes, making the art of personal branding both accessible and enjoyable.

Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a professional looking to stand out, or someone exploring personal branding, this book is your perfect companion.

Uncopyable YOU is a journey into the heart of what makes a personal brand successful and enduring. Steve and Kay Miller guide you step-by-step to not just step out of the box but to create a box of your own. Embrace this journey to create a personal brand that's not only successful but truly, unmistakably uncopyable.]]> 192 Steve Miller 1640955259 Broc 4 3.57 Uncopyable You: Create a Personal Brand that Gets People to Know You, Like You, Trust You and Remember You!
author: Steve Miller
name: Broc
average rating: 3.57
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rating: 4
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date added: 2025/05/13
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]]> Moby-Dick or, The Whale 153747 "It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it."

So Melville wrote of his masterpiece, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history. In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.

This edition of Moby-Dick, which reproduces the definitive text of the novel, includes invaluable explanatory notes, along with maps, illustrations, and a glossary of nautical terms.]]> 720 Herman Melville 0142437247 Broc 3 3.55 1851 Moby-Dick or, The Whale
author: Herman Melville
name: Broc
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1851
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island]]> 173166
With a Clancy-esque talent for fascinating technical detail and a Keillor-esque eye for the drama of small-town life, Greenlaw offers her take on everything from rediscovering home, love, and family to island characters and the best way to cook and serve a lobster. But Greenlaw also explores the islands darker side, including a tragic boating accident and a century-old conflict with a neighboring community. Throughout, Greenlaw maintains the straight-shooting, funny, and slightly scrappy style that has won her so many fans, and proves once again that fishermen are still the best storytellers around.]]> 238 Linda Greenlaw 0786885912 Broc 4 3.63 2002 The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island
author: Linda Greenlaw
name: Broc
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2002
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual]]> 53113287 The ultimate guide on leadership from the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Extreme Ownership.

In the military, a field manual provides instructions in simple, clear, step-by-step language to help soldiers complete their mission. In the civilian sector, books offer information on everything from fixing a leaky faucet to developing an effective workout program to cooking a good steak.

But what if you are promoted into a new position leading your former peers? What if you don't get selected for the leadership position you wanted? How do you overcome imposter syndrome, when you aren't sure you should be leading? As a leader, how do you judiciously dole out punishment? What about reward? How do you build trust with your both your superiors and your subordinates? How do you deliver truthful criticism up and down the chain of command in a tactful and positive way?

These are all questions about leadership--the most complex of all human endeavors. And while there are books out there that provide solid leadership principles, books like Extreme Ownership and The Dichotomy of Leadership, there is no leadership field manual that provides a direct, situational, pragmatic how-to guide that anyone can instantly put to use.

Until now. Leadership Strategy and Tactics explains how to take leadership theory, quickly translate that theory into applicable strategy, and then put leadership into action at a tactical level. This book is the solution that leaders at every level need--not just to understand the leadership game, but also how to play the leadership game, and win it.]]> 320 Jocko Willink Broc 4 4.36 2020 Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual
author: Jocko Willink
name: Broc
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Predicting the Markets: A Professional Autobiography]]> 39087391 608 Edward Yardeni 1948025000 Broc 3 4.20 2018 Predicting the Markets: A Professional Autobiography
author: Edward Yardeni
name: Broc
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Front-Line Leadership: How to Eliminate Complacency and Build All-In Engagement]]> 204356967 Expand your leadership toolkit and help others achieve their full potential with these empowering stories and lessons from the battlefield

In Front-Line How to Eliminate Complacency and Build All-In Engagement, experienced leader and veteran Patrick Nelson delivers an inspiring and exciting discussion of real-world leadership that changes lives and gets results. Born out of his experience as a paratrooper in the US Army—where he led soldiers during three combat deployments and earned a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart—the book will explore first-hand accounts of the author's time in combat that shed light on how you can lead men and women in academic, business, non-profit, military, and governmental settings.

The book offers deep insights into developing a growth mindset, service-based leadership, forward-looking accountability, and how to build self-awareness. The stories within make it clear that leadership is not just a position or title, but rather the behaviors that we demonstrate. Additionally, each chapter culminates with a practical takeaway for the reader to challenge themselves daily. You'll also

Strategies for getting “unstuck” in your personal and professional life Techniques for developing a clear understanding of who you are and what you can bring to an organization as a leader Ways to propel your leadership skills forward by focusing on what you can offer others, instead of what others can give you
Perfect for managers, executives, directors, and other business leaders, Front-Line Leadership is also a must-read for active military service members, non-profit professionals, government workers and leaders, athletes, teachers, and anyone else tasked with shaping and encouraging the efforts of others.]]> 240 Patrick Nelson 1394240759 Broc 5 4.22 Front-Line Leadership: How to Eliminate Complacency and Build All-In Engagement
author: Patrick Nelson
name: Broc
average rating: 4.22
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rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey]]> 173165
Greenlaw also happens to be one of the most successful fishermen in the Grand Banks commercial fleet, though until the publication of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm , "nobody cared." Greenlaw's boat, the Hannah Boden , was the sister ship to the doomed Andrea Gail , which disappeared in the mother of all storms in 1991 and became the focus of Junger's book.

The Hungry Ocean , Greenlaw's account of a monthlong swordfishing trip over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea, tells the story of what happens when things go right -- proving, in the process, that every successful voyage is a study in narrowly averted disaster. There is the weather, the constant danger of mechanical failure, the perils of controlling five sleep-, women-, and booze-deprived young fishermen in close quarters, not to mention the threat of a bad fishing "If we don't catch fish, we don't get paid, period. In short, there is no labor union."

Greenlaw's straightforward, uncluttered prose underscores the qualities that make her a good captain, regardless of fairness, physical and mental endurance, obsessive attention to detail. But, ultimately, Greenlaw proves that the love of fishing -- in all of its grueling, isolating, suspenseful glory -- is a matter of the heart and blood, not the mind.

"I knew that the ocean had stories to tell me, all I needed to do was listen." -- Svenja Soldovieri]]> 265 Linda Greenlaw 0786885416 Broc 5 3.84 1999 The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey
author: Linda Greenlaw
name: Broc
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1999
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World]]> 40718726 352 Jack Weatherford Broc 4 4.09 2004 Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
author: Jack Weatherford
name: Broc
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2004
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/05/12
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]]> From Beirut to Jerusalem 3559 Friedman wrote a 17-page epilogue for the first paperback edition (Anchor Books, 1990) concerning the potential for peaceful resolution in Israel and Palestine.
In a book review for The Village Voice, Edward Said criticized what he saw as a naive, arrogant, and orientalist account of the Israel–Palestine conflict.]]> 541 Thomas L. Friedman 0385413726 Broc 3 4.14 1989 From Beirut to Jerusalem
author: Thomas L. Friedman
name: Broc
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1989
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The House of Krupp: The Steel Dynasty that Armed the Nazis]]> 89955 350 Peter Batty 0815411553 Broc 4 3.85 1969 The House of Krupp: The Steel Dynasty that Armed the Nazis
author: Peter Batty
name: Broc
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1969
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/05/12
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]]> The English and their History 23569457 The English and their History, the first full-length account to appear in one volume for many decades, Robert Tombs gives us the history of the English people, and of how the stories they have told about themselves have shaped them, from the prehistoric 'dreamtime' through to the present day.

If a nation is a group of people with a sense of kinship, a political identity and representative institutions, then the English have a claim to be the oldest nation in the world. They first came into existence as an idea, before they had a common ruler and before the country they lived in even had a name. They have lasted as a recognizable entity ever since, and their defining national institutions can be traced back to the earliest years of their history.

The English have come a long way from those precarious days of invasion and conquest, with many spectacular changes of fortune. Their political, economic and cultural contacts have left traces for good and ill across the world. This book describes their history and its meanings from their beginnings in the monasteries of Northumbria and the wetlands of Wessex to the cosmopolitan energy of today's England. Robert Tombs draws out important threads running through the story, including participatory government, language, law, religion, the land and the sea, and ever-changing relations with other peoples. Not the least of these connections are the ways the English have understood their own history, have argued about it, forgotten it, and yet been shaped by it. These diverse and sometimes conflicting understandings are an inherent part of their identity.

Rather to their surprise, as ties within the United Kingdom loosen, the English are suddenly beginning a new period in their long history. Especially at times of change, history can help us to think about the sort of people we are and wish to be. This book, the first single-volume work on this scale for more than half a century, and which incorporates a wealth of recent scholarship, presents a challenging modern account of this immense and continuing story, bringing out the strength and resilience of English government, the deep patterns of division, and yet also the persistent capacity to come together in the face of danger.]]> 1024 Robert Tombs 1846140188 Broc 4 4.19 2014 The English and their History
author: Robert Tombs
name: Broc
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King]]> 13166586 A legendary tale, both true and astonishing, from the author of Israel is Real and Sweet and Low

When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, a banana hauler, a dockside hustler, and a plantation owner. He battled and conquered the United Fruit Company, becoming a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof that America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures. In Latin America, when people shouted “Yankee, go home!” it was men like Zemurray they had in mind.

            Rich Cohen’s brilliant historical profile The Fish That Ate the Whale unveils Zemurray as a hidden kingmaker and capitalist revolutionary, driven by an indomitable will to succeed. Known as El Amigo, the Gringo, or simply Z, the Banana Man lived one of the great untold stories of the last hundred years. Starting with nothing but a cart of freckled bananas, he built a sprawling empire of banana cowboys, mercenary soldiers, Honduran peasants, CIA agents, and American statesmen. From hustling on the docks of New Orleans to overthrowing Central American governments, from feuding with Huey Long to working with the Dulles brothers, Zemurray emerges as an unforgettable figure, connected to the birth of modern American diplomacy, public relations, business, and war—a monumental life that reads like a parable of the American dream.




 ]]> 288 Rich Cohen 0374299277 Broc 5 4.05 2012 The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King
author: Rich Cohen
name: Broc
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All]]> 12675109 183 Jim Collins 0062121006 Broc 5 4.11 2011 Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All
author: Jim Collins
name: Broc
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bear and the Dragon (John Clark, #3; Jack Ryan Universe, #11)]]> 19687 Time and again, Tom Clancy's novels have been praised not only for their big-scale drama and propulsive narrative drive but for their cutting-edge prescience in predicting future events.

In The Bear and the Dragon, the future is very near at hand indeed.

Newly elected in his own right, Jack Ryan has found that being President has gotten no easier: domestic pitfalls await him at every turn; there's a revolution in Liberia; the Asian economy is going down the tubes; and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to take out the chairman of the SVR--the former KGB--with a rocket-propelled grenade. Things are unstable enough in Russia without high-level assassination, but even more disturbing may be the identities of the potential assassins. Were they political enemies, the Russian Mafia, or disaffected former KGB? Or, Ryan wonders, is something far more dangerous at work here?

Ryan is right. For even while he dispatches his most trusted eyes and ears, including black ops specialist John Clark, to find out the truth of the matter, forces in China are moving ahead with a plan of truly audacious proportions. If they succeed, the world as we know it will never look the same. If they fail...the consequences will be unspeakable.

Blending the exceptional realism and authenticity that are his hallmarks with intricate plotting, razor-sharp suspense, and a remarkable cast of characters, this is Clancy at his best--and there is none better.

]]> 1137 Tom Clancy 0425180964 Broc 4 3.86 2000 The Bear and the Dragon (John Clark, #3; Jack Ryan Universe, #11)
author: Tom Clancy
name: Broc
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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]]> Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #1) 32682 Tom Clancy's Patriot Games is filled with the exceptional realism and authenticity that distinguished the author's two previous bestsellers, Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising. Patriot Games puts us on the cutting edge of another type of war — the international battle of terrorism.

It is fall. Years before the defection of a Soviet submarine will send him hurtling into confrontation with the Soviets, historian, ex-Marine and CIA analyst Jack Ryan is vacationing in London with his wife and young daughter, when a terrorist attack takes place before his eyes. Instinctively, he dives forward to break it up, and is shot. It is not until he wakes up in the hospital that he learns whose lives he has saved -- the Prince and Princess of Wales and their new young son -- and which enemies he has made -- the Ulster Liberation Army, an ultra-left-wing splinter of the IRA.

By his impulsive act, he has gained both the gratitude of a nation and then enmity of hits most dangerous men -- men who do not sit on their hate. And in the weeks and months to come, it is Jack Ryan, and his family, who will become the targets of that hate.

]]> 503 Tom Clancy 0425134350 Broc 5 4.17 1987 Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #1)
author: Tom Clancy
name: Broc
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1987
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)]]> 19691 Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on...

]]> 432 Tom Clancy 0425172902 Broc 5 4.11 1984 The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)
author: Tom Clancy
name: Broc
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1984
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier]]> 43345615 A riveting, adrenaline-fueled tour of a vast and lawless world that few have ever seen: the high seas.

There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. Perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world’s oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation.

Traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, wreck thieves and repo men, vigilante conservationists and elusive poachers, seabound abortion providers, clandestine oil dumpers, shackled slaves and cast-adrift stowaways – drawing on five years of perilous and intrepid reporting, often hundreds of miles from shore, Ian Urbina introduces us to the inhabitants of this hidden world. Through their stories of astonishing courage and brutality, survival and tragedy, he uncovers a globe-spanning network of crime and exploitation that emanates from the fishing, oil, and shipping industries, and on which the world’s economies rely.

Along the way, Urbina vividly re-creates his own experiences at sea. He recounts a dramatic near-mutiny miles from shore and a tense showdown with the Vietnamese navy, and he captures the squalid conditions of everyday life aboard a ship. Urbina also explores the complex social world of sea workers, where he had to earn the trust of cautious men accustomed to long and profound silences.

Both a gripping adventure story and a stunning exposé, this unique work of reportage brings fully into view for the first time the disturbing reality of a floating world that connects us all, a place where anyone can do anything because no one is watching.]]> 544 Ian Urbina 0451492943 Broc 5 4.37 2019 The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier
author: Ian Urbina
name: Broc
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It]]> 643449 In this best-selling book, Kouzes and Posner (authors of The Leadership Challenge), explain why leadership is above all a relationship, with credibility as the cornerstone. They provide rich examples of real managers in action and reveal the six key disciplines and related practices that strengthen a leader's capacity for developing and sustaining credibility. Kouzes and Posner show how leaders can encourage greater initiative, risk-taking, and productivity by demonstrating trust in employees and resolving conflicts on the basis of principles, not positions.]]> 368 James M. Kouzes 0787964646 Broc 5 3.89 1993 Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It
author: James M. Kouzes
name: Broc
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1993
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Streets of Laredo (Lonesome Dove, #2)]]> 54812 Streets of Laredo is classic Texas and Western literature at its finest.

Captain Woodrow Call, August McCrae's old partner, is now a bounty hunter hired to track down a brutal young Mexican bandit. Riding with Call are an Eastern city slicker, a witless deputy, and one of the last members of the Hat Creek outfit, Pea Eye Parker. This long chase leads them across the last wild stretches of the West into a hellhole known as Crow Town and, finally, into the vast, relentless plains of the Texas frontier.]]> 547 Larry McMurtry 0684857537 Broc 4 4.08 1993 Streets of Laredo (Lonesome Dove, #2)
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Broc
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1993
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)]]> 256008 Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.]]> 960 Larry McMurtry 067168390X Broc 5 4.58 1985 Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Broc
average rating: 4.58
book published: 1985
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life]]> 1999475 Full of beautiful, heart-wrenching, and hilarious stories, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years details one man's opportunity to edit his life as if he were a character in a movie.

Years after writing his best-selling memoir, Donald Miller went into a funk and spent months sleeping in and avoiding his publisher. One story had ended, and Don was unsure how to start another.

But he gets rescued by two movie producers who want to make a movie based on his memoir. When they start fictionalizing Don's life for film--changing a meandering memoir into a structured narrative--the real-life Don starts a journey to edit his actual life into a better story. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years details that journey and challenges readers to reconsider what they strive for in life. It shows how to get a second chance at life the first time around.

]]> 255 Donald Miller 0785213066 Broc 5 4.12 2009 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
author: Donald Miller
name: Broc
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1)]]> 252577
"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood."

So begins the Pulitzer Prize winning memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank's mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father's tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.

Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank's survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig's head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness.

Angela's Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.]]> 452 Frank McCourt 0007205236 Broc 5 4.16 1996 Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1)
author: Frank McCourt
name: Broc
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1996
rating: 5
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]]> Driven: An Autobiography 7997566 When he was sixteen years old, Larry Miller came home one summer night to find all his possessions sitting in three bags on the porch of his darkened house. The door was locked. From those troubled and humble beginnings rose a man whose influence has touched, according to reliable pollsters, more than 99 percent of the population of Utah as well as myriads of people worldwide. Seven months before Miller passed away, he began working with Doug Robinson on this biography. Written in first person, the book talks about the many facets of Larry's life and legacy and speaks candidly about the people and experiences that influenced him. It doesn't just tell Larry Miller's story, it shares lessons—painful as well as joyful lessons—he has learned from his experiences. This fascinating and inspiring biography includes:

• A moving foreword by Utah Jazz great John Stockton
• An epilogue written by Gail Miller, Larry's wife
• Numerous photographs
• A firsthand look at the incredible breadth of Larry Miller's work and contributions—in business, in sports, in the arts, in his support of the Joseph Smith Papers Project, as well as his personal humanitarian service
• A full section addressing the question Larry was most often asked: "How'd you do it?"

]]> 0 Larry H. Miller 1606417878 Broc 5 4.12 2010 Driven: An Autobiography
author: Larry H. Miller
name: Broc
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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]]> Assisted: An Autobiography 17871355 400 John Stockton 1609075706 Broc 5 3.96 2013 Assisted: An Autobiography
author: John Stockton
name: Broc
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Merchants of Debt: KKR and the Mortgaging of American Business]]> 687575 364 George Anders 1587981254 Broc 3 4.34 2013 Merchants of Debt: KKR and the Mortgaging of American Business
author: George Anders
name: Broc
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2013
rating: 3
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]]> Poland 769896 Poland teems with vivid events and unforgettable characters. In the sweeping span of eight tumultuous centuries, three Polish families live out their destinies and the drama of a nation—in the grand tradition of a great James Michener saga.]]> 616 James A. Michener 0449205878 Broc 4 4.03 1983 Poland
author: James A. Michener
name: Broc
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1983
rating: 4
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]]> Alaska 42953 Alaska traces a bold and majestic saga of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.]]> 868 James A. Michener 037576142X Broc 4 4.13 1988 Alaska
author: James A. Michener
name: Broc
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1988
rating: 4
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]]> Centennial 133430 is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story of Colorado—the Centennial State—is manifested through its people: Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chieftain and warrior, and his Comanche and Pawnee enemies; Levi Zendt, fleeing with his child bride from the Amish country; the cowboy, Jim Lloyd, who falls in love with a wealthy and cultured Englishwoman, Charlotte Seccombe. In Centennial, trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters are brought together in the dramatic conflicts that shape the destiny of the legendary West—and the entire country.]]> 1056 James A. Michener Broc 4 4.25 1974 Centennial
author: James A. Michener
name: Broc
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1974
rating: 4
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]]> Hawaii 12658 An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Pulitzer Prize–winning author James A. Michener brings Hawaii’s epic history vividly to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959. As the volcanic Hawaiian Islands sprout from the ocean floor, the land remains untouched for centuries—until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers make the perilous journey across the Pacific, flourishing in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life. Based on exhaustive research and told in Michener’s immersive prose, Hawaii is the story of disparate peoples struggling to keep their identity, live in harmony, and, ultimately, join together.]]> 1136 James A. Michener 0375760377 Broc 5 4.21 1959 Hawaii
author: James A. Michener
name: Broc
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1959
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant]]> 4898
In Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne argue that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves (spanning more than 100 years across 30 industries), the authors argue that lasting success comes not from battling competitors, but from creating "blue oceans"—untapped new market spaces ripe for growth. Such strategic moves, which the authors call “value innovation,” create powerful leaps in value that often render rivals obsolete for more than a decade.

Blue Ocean Strategy presents a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant and outlines principles and tools any company can use to create and capture their own blue oceans.]]> 240 W. Chan Kim 1591396190 Broc 5 4.01 2005 Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
author: W. Chan Kim
name: Broc
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Free Flight: Inventing the Future of Travel]]> 152984 272 James M. Fallows 1586481401 Broc 3 3.78 2001 Free Flight: Inventing the Future of Travel
author: James M. Fallows
name: Broc
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[SPIN Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff]]> 833015 224 Neil Rackham 0070511136 Broc 3 3.99 1988 SPIN Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff
author: Neil Rackham
name: Broc
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1988
rating: 3
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]]> First Things First 36071 From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to prioritizing your personal and professional goals.

I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?

Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why we so often prioritize things that are unimportant to both our larger goals and our inner happiness. From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to building your work on the principles of effectiveness so that your life can spent cultivating genuine relationships, investing in pursuits you enjoy, and achieving balance in both your personal and professional lives.

In First Things First, Stephen M. R. Covey advocates categorizing tasks by urgency and importance so that you can focus on what actually needs to be done in the limited amount of time that you have. Using personal examples and insight from years of business experience, he argues for a new way of looking at your “to-do” list. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.]]> 384 Stephen R. Covey 0684802031 Broc 5 4.13 1996 First Things First
author: Stephen R. Covey
name: Broc
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus]]> 1413941 680 Samuel Eliot Morison 0316584789 Broc 5 4.13 1942 Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus
author: Samuel Eliot Morison
name: Broc
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1942
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus]]> 39020 In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.

Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

]]> 563 Charles C. Mann 1400032059 Broc 4 4.04 2005 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
author: Charles C. Mann
name: Broc
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Valley Forge (Revolutionary War, #2)]]> 8652283 To Try Men's Souls, New York Times bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen cast a new light on the year 1776 and the man who would become the father of our nation, George Washington. Valley Forge picks up the narrative a year after Washington’s triumphant surprise attack on Trenton, and much has changed since then.

It’s the winter of 1777, and Washington’s battered, demoralized army retreats from Philadelphia. Arriving at Valley Forge, they discover that their repeated requests for a stockpile of food, winter clothing, and building tools have been ignored by Congress. With no other options available, the men settle down for a season of agony. For weeks the dwindling army freezes under tents in the bitter cold. Food runs out. Disease festers. The men are on the point of collapse, while in Philadelphia the British, joined by Allen van Dorn, the Loyalist brother of the dead patriot, Jonathan van Dorn, live in luxury.

In spite of the suffering and deceit, Washington endures all, joined at last by a volunteer from Germany, Baron Friederich von Steuben. With precious few supplies and even less time, von Steuben begins the hard task of recasting the army as a professional fighting force capable of facing the British head-on—something it has never accomplished before—and in the process he changing the course of history.   

Valley Forge is a compelling, meticulously researched tour-de-force novel about endurance, survival, transformation, and rebirth. It chronicles the unique crucible of time and place where Washington and his Continental Army, against all odds, were forged into a fighting force that would win a revolution and found the United States of America.]]> 438 Newt Gingrich 0312591071 Broc 4 4.20 2010 Valley Forge (Revolutionary War, #2)
author: Newt Gingrich
name: Broc
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson]]> 22680 440 Joseph J. Ellis 0679764410 Broc 4 3.94 1997 American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson
author: Joseph J. Ellis
name: Broc
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[James Madison: A Life Reconsidered]]> 18668009 A major new biography of the fourth president of the United States by New York Times bestselling author Lynne Cheney
 
This majestic new biography of James Madison explores the astonishing story of a man of vaunted modesty who audaciously changed the world. Among the Founding Fathers, Madison was a true genius of the early republic.
 
Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution and crucial to its ratification. His visionary political philosophy and rationale for the union of states—so eloquently presented in The Federalist papers—helped shape the country Americans live in today.
 
Along with Thomas Jefferson, Madison would found the first political party in the country’s history—the Democratic Republicans. As Jefferson’s secretary of state, he managed the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the United States. As president, Madison led the country in its first war under the Constitution, the War of 1812. Without precedent to guide him, he would demonstrate that a republic could defend its honor and independence—and remain a republic still.]]> 576 Lynne Cheney 0670025194 Broc 5 3.95 2014 James Madison: A Life Reconsidered
author: Lynne Cheney
name: Broc
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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]]> Common Sense 161744 Pennsylvania Magazine. On January 10, 1776, he published his pamphlet Common Sense, a persuasive argument for the colonies' political and economic separation from Britain.

Common Sense cites the evils of monarchy, accuses the British government of inflicting economic and social injustices upon the colonies, and points to the absurdity of an island attempting to rule a continent. Credited by George Washington as having changed the minds of many of his countrymen, the document sold over 500,000 copies within a few months.

Today, Common Sense remains a landmark document in the struggle for freedom, distinguished not only by Paine's ideas but also by its clear and passionate presentation. Designed to ignite public opinion against autocratic rule, the pamphlet offered a careful balance between imagination and judgment, and appropriate language and expression to fit the subject. It immediately found a receptive audience, heartened Washington's despondent army, and foreshadowed much of the phrasing and substance of the Declaration of Independence.]]> 104 Thomas Paine 0143036254 Broc 4 3.97 1776 Common Sense
author: Thomas Paine
name: Broc
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1776
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Washington: The Indispensable Man]]> 254310 423 James Thomas Flexner 0316286168 Broc 5 4.09 1974 Washington: The Indispensable Man
author: James Thomas Flexner
name: Broc
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1974
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin]]> 52309
Few men could compare to Benjamin Franklin. Virtually self-taught, he excelled as an athlete, a man of letters, a printer, a scientist, a wit, an inventor, an editor, and a writer, and he was probably the most successful diplomat in American history. David Hume hailed him as the first great philosopher and great man of letters in the New World.]]> 143 Benjamin Franklin 0743255062 Broc 4 3.84 1791 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
author: Benjamin Franklin
name: Broc
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1791
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Abraham Lincoln: With Malice Toward None]]> 20734404 38 Willard Sterne Randall 1612306594 Broc 4 3.33 2013 Abraham Lincoln: With Malice Toward None
author: Willard Sterne Randall
name: Broc
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[By Roy Jenkins Churchill - A Biography (1st Thus.)]]> 129576239 0 Roy Jenkins Broc 3 4.17 By Roy Jenkins Churchill - A Biography (1st Thus.)
author: Roy Jenkins
name: Broc
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan]]> 83060 352 Peggy Noonan 0142001686 Broc 4 4.23 2001 When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan
author: Peggy Noonan
name: Broc
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[South Pass: Gateway to a Continent]]> 18697756 328 Will Bagley 0806144424 Broc 5 3.80 2014 South Pass: Gateway to a Continent
author: Will Bagley
name: Broc
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend]]> 17571536 432 Bob Drury 1451654669 Broc 5 4.10 2013 The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend
author: Bob Drury
name: Broc
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier]]> 45546 592 Stephen E. Ambrose 074347788X Broc 5 4.22 1996 Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier
author: Stephen E. Ambrose
name: Broc
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1996
rating: 5
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]]> Trump: The Art of the Deal 1032  
“I like thinking big. I always have. To me it’s very simple: If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”—Donald J. Trump
 
Here is Trump in action—how he runs his business and how he runs his life—as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and changes the face of the New York City skyline. But even a maverick plays by rules, and Trump has formulated eleven guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest deals; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker’s art. And throughout, Trump talks—really talks—about how he does it. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur and an unprecedented education in the practice of deal-making. It’s the most streetwise business book there is—and the ultimate read for anyone interested in achieving money and success, and knowing the man behind the spotlight.
 ]]> 384 Donald J. Trump 0345479173 Broc 3 3.65 1987 Trump: The Art of the Deal
author: Donald J. Trump
name: Broc
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1987
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly, and the Making of the Modern Middle East]]> 17262206 A thrilling and revelatory narrative of one of the most epic and consequential periods in 20th century history – the Arab Revolt and the secret “great game” to control the Middle East

The Arab Revolt against the Turks in World War One was, in the words of T.E. Lawrence, “a sideshow of a sideshow.”  Amidst the slaughter in European trenches, the Western combatants paid scant attention to the Middle Eastern theater.  As a result, the conflict was shaped to a remarkable degree by a small handful of adventurers and low-level officers far removed from the corridors of power.

Curt Prüfer was an effete academic attached to the German embassy in Cairo, whose clandestine role was to foment Islamic jihad against British rule.  Aaron Aaronsohn was a renowned agronomist and committed Zionist who gained the trust of the Ottoman governor of Syria. William Yale was the fallen scion of the American aristocracy, who traveled the Ottoman Empire on behalf of Standard Oil, dissembling to the Turks in order gain valuable oil concessions.  At the center of it all was Lawrence.  In early 1914 he was an archaeologist excavating ruins in the sands of Syria; by 1917 he was the most romantic figure of World War One, battling both the enemy and his own government to bring about the vision he had for the Arab people.

The intertwined paths of these four men – the schemes they put in place, the battles they fought, the betrayals they endured and committed – mirror the grandeur, intrigue and tragedy of the war in the desert.  Prüfer became Germany’s grand spymaster in the Middle East.  Aaronsohn constructed an elaborate Jewish spy-ring in Palestine, only to have the anti-Semitic and bureaucratically-inept British first ignore and then misuse his organization, at tragic personal cost.  Yale would become the only American intelligence agent in the entire Middle East – while still secretly on the payroll of Standard Oil.  And the enigmatic Lawrence rode into legend at the head of an Arab army, even as he waged secret war against his own nation’s imperial ambitions.

Based on years of intensive primary document research, Lawrence in Arabia definitively overturns received wisdom on how the modern Middle East was formed.  Sweeping in its action, keen in its portraiture, acid in its condemnation of the destruction wrought by European colonial plots, this is a book that brilliantly captures the way in which the folly of the past creates the anguish of the present.]]> 577 Scott Anderson 038553292X Broc 4 4.06 2013 Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly, and the Making of the Modern Middle East
author: Scott Anderson
name: Broc
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals]]> 13260184
For fans of Good to Great and The First 90 Days , The Four Disciplines of Execution is the foundational text for creating lasting organizational change. A #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller with more than 500,000 copies sold, The Four Disciplines of Execution will radically change your business.

Do you remember the last major initiative you watched die in your organization? Did it go down with a loud crash? Or was it slowly and quietly suffocated by other competing priorities? By the time it finally disappeared, it’s likely no one even noticed. What happened?

Often, the answer is that the “whirlwind” of urgent activity required to keep things running day-to-day devoured all the time and energy you needed to invest in executing your strategy for tomorrow. The 4 Disciplines of Execution can change that forever.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a simple, repeatable, and proven formula for executing your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the whirlwind. By following the 4 Disciplines—Focus on the Wildly Important; Act on Lead Measures; Keep a Compelling Scoreboard; Create a Cadence of Accountability—leaders can produce breakthrough results, even when executing the strategy requires a significant change in behavior from their teams.

4DX is not theory. It is a proven set of practices that have been tested and refined by hundreds of organizations and thousands of teams over many years. When a company or an individual adheres to these disciplines, they achieve superb results, regardless of the goal. 4DX represents a new way to think and work that is essential to thriving in today’s competitive climate. The 4 Disciplines of Execution is one book that no business leader can afford to miss.]]> 296 Chris McChesney 145162705X Broc 4 4.05 The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals
author: Chris McChesney
name: Broc
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)]]> 7315573
This is an epic of love, hatred, war and revolution. This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.
It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. In a plot of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, "Fall Of Giants" moves seamlessly from Washington to St Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty.]]> 985 Ken Follett 0525951652 Broc 4 4.32 2005 Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Broc
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)]]> 5043 Ken Follett is known worldwide as the master of split-second suspense, but his most beloved and bestselling book tells the magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time the twelfth century; the place feudal England; and the subject the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape.

Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.

The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.

For the TV tie-in edition with the same ISBN go to this Alternate Cover Edition
]]> 976 Ken Follett 045122213X Broc 5 4.35 1989 The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Broc
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1989
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Oil Man: The Story Of Frank Phillips & The Birth Of Phillips Petroleum]]> 999112
Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum, was one of the greatest self-made business tycoons of the twentieth century. Here in Oil Man , Michael Wallis, the best-selling historian of the West, present Phillips against a pageant of luminaries and outlaws that includes Will Rogers, Harry Truman, Edna Ferber, J.Paul Getty, and Pretty Boy Floyd. Spanning the finals days of America's frontier West through the Roaring Twenties and two world warn, Oil Man is a bold, colorful biography of the original American entrepreneur. A classic work that continues to gather accolades since its original publication in 1988.]]> 218 Michael Wallis 0312131356 Broc 5 4.10 1988 Oil Man: The Story Of Frank Phillips & The Birth Of Phillips Petroleum
author: Michael Wallis
name: Broc
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1988
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[My Share of the Task: A Memoir]]> 13588403
That trip was typical of McChrystal’s entire career, from his first day as a West Point plebe to his last day as a four-star general. The values he has come to be widely admired for were evident: a hunger to know the truth on the ground, the courage to find it, and the humility to listen to those around him. Even as a senior commander, McChrystal stationed him­self forward, and frequently went on patrols with his troops to experience their challenges firsthand.

In this illuminating memoir, McChrystal frankly explores the major episodes and controversies of his eventful career. He delves candidly into the intersection of history, leadership, and his own experience to produce a book of enduring value.

Joining the troubled post-Vietnam army as a young officer, McChrystal witnessed and participated in some of our military’s most difficult struggles. He describes the many outstanding leaders he served with and the handful of bad leaders he learned not to emulate. He paints a vivid portrait of the traditional military establishment that turned itself, in one gen­eration, into the adaptive, resilient force that would soon be tested in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the wider War on Terror.

McChrystal spent much of his early career in the world of special operations, at a time when these elite forces became increasingly effective—and necessary. He writes of a fight waged in the shadows by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which he led from 2003 to 2008. JSOC became one of our most effective counterterrorism weapons, facing off against Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Over time, JSOC gathered staggering amounts of intelligence in order to find and remove the most influential and dangerous terrorists, including the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The hunt for Zarqawi drives some of the most grip­ping scenes in this book, as McChrystal’s team grappled with tricky interrogations, advanced but scarce technology, weeks of unbroken surveillance, and agonizing decisions.

McChrystal brought the same energy to the war in Afghanistan, where the challenges loomed even larger. His revealing account draws on his close relationships with Afghan leaders, giving readers a unique window into the war and the country.

Ultimately, My Share of the Task is about much more than war and peace, terrorism and counterin­surgency. As McChrystal writes, “More by luck than design, I’d been a part of some events, organizations, and efforts that will loom large in history, and more that will not. I saw selfless commitment, petty politics, unspeakable cruelty, and quiet courage in places and quantities that I’d never have imagined. But what I will remember most are the leaders.”]]> 464 Stanley McChrystal 1591844754 Broc 5 4.09 2013 My Share of the Task: A Memoir
author: Stanley McChrystal
name: Broc
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Fifth Army in Italy, 1943–1945: A Coalition at War]]> 25439043 446 Ian Blackwell Broc 4 3.64 2012 Fifth Army in Italy, 1943–1945: A Coalition at War
author: Ian Blackwell
name: Broc
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2012
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[General Mark Clark: Commander of U.S. Fifth Army and Liberator of Rome (The Generals Book 2)]]> 20937803 272 Jon B. Mikolashek Broc 4 3.83 2012 General Mark Clark: Commander of U.S. Fifth Army and Liberator of Rome (The Generals Book 2)
author: Jon B. Mikolashek
name: Broc
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society]]> 78127
Upon its initial publication, On Killing was hailed as a landmark study of the techniques the military uses to overcome the powerful reluctance to kill, of how killing affects soldiers, and of the societal implications of escalating violence. Now, Grossman has updated this classic work to include information on 21st-century military conflicts, recent trends in crime, suicide bombings, school shootings, and more. The result is a work certain to be relevant and important for decades to come.]]> 367 Dave Grossman 0316191442 Broc 4 4.08 1995 On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
author: Dave Grossman
name: Broc
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1995
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #3)]]> 16044941 The magnificent conclusion to Rick Atkinson's acclaimed Liberation Trilogy about the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II

It is the twentieth century's unrivaled epic: at a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his bestselling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted how the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now, in The Guns at Last Light, he tells the most dramatic story of all―the titanic battle for Western Europe.

D-Day marked the commencement of the final campaign of the European war, and Atkinson's riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Operation Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich―all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters. Atkinson tells the tale from the perspective of participants at every level, from presidents and generals to war-weary lieutenants and terrified teenage riflemen. When Germany at last surrenders, we understand anew both the devastating cost of this global conflagration and the enormous effort required to win the Allied victory.

With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Atkinson's accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West.]]> 877 Rick Atkinson 0805062904 Broc 4 4.45 2013 The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #3)
author: Rick Atkinson
name: Broc
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #1)]]> 541920
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WW II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.

Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.

Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.]]> 681 Rick Atkinson 0805062882 Broc 4 4.29 2002 An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #1)
author: Rick Atkinson
name: Broc
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2002
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #2)]]> 716532
In An Army at Dawn―winner of the Pulitzer Prize―Rick Atkinson provided an authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa during World War II. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then, mile by bloody mile, fight their way north toward Rome.

The decision to invade the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was controversial, but once under way, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, the Rapido River, and Monte Cassino were particularly lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula. And with the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory at last began to seem inevitable.

Drawing on a wide array of primary source material, written with great drama and flair, The Day of Battle is a masterly account of one of history's most compelling military campaigns.]]> 793 Rick Atkinson 0805062890 Broc 4 4.35 2007 The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #2)
author: Rick Atkinson
name: Broc
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> Here is Your War 328536 246 Ernie Pyle 0803287771 Broc 4 4.37 1943 Here is Your War
author: Ernie Pyle
name: Broc
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1943
rating: 4
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]]> Brave Men 328529
 

There were really two wars, John Steinbeck wrote in Time one of maps and logistics, campaigns, ballistics, divisions, and regiments and the other a "war of the homesick, weary, funny, violent, common men who wash their socks in their helmets, complain about the food, whistle at Arab girls, or any girls for that matter, and bring themselves through as dirty a business as the world has ever seen and do it with humor and dignity and courage—and that is Ernie Pyle’s war." This collection of Pyle’s columns detailing the fighting in Europe in 1943–44 brings that war—and the living, and dying, moments of history—home to us once again.]]> 513 Ernie Pyle 0803287682 Broc 5 4.43 1944 Brave Men
author: Ernie Pyle
name: Broc
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1944
rating: 5
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]]> Flags of Our Fathers 10058
In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima—and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island's highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.

Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.

To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. Following these men's paths to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific's most crucial island—an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the victory. The men in the photo—three were killed during the battle—were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. Only James Bradley's father truly survived, displaying no copy of the famous photograph in his home, telling his son only: "The real heroes of Iwo Jima were the guys who didn't come back."

Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 382 James D. Bradley 0553384155 Broc 3 4.22 2000 Flags of Our Fathers
author: James D. Bradley
name: Broc
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2000
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Ronald Reagan, D-Day, and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion]]> 229635 274 Douglas Brinkley 0060565306 Broc 3 3.76 2005 The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Ronald Reagan, D-Day, and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion
author: Douglas Brinkley
name: Broc
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2005
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[They Called Him Stonewall: A Life of Lieutenant General T. J. Jackson, CSA]]> 39936627 The New York Times–bestselling biography of the South’s most brilliant and audacious military commander

With the exception of Robert E. Lee, no Confederate general was more feared or admired than Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Once derisively known as “Tom Fool,” Jackson was an innovative battlefield strategist who struck terror in the hearts of Union army commanders and inspired Confederate soldiers to victory after victory in the early days of the Civil War.

A fanatically religious man, Jackson prayed at the start and conclusion of every battle—yet showed no mercy when confronting the enemy. Eccentric, enigmatic, and fiercely intelligent, he became the stuff of legend soon after he died from wounds suffered during the Battle of Chancellorsville; his untimely death would help to change the course of the conflict. Based on a wealth of first-person sources, including Jackson’s private papers and correspondences, and the memoirs of family, friends, and colleagues, They Called Him Stonewall is a masterful portrait of the man behind the myth.]]> 490 Burke Davis 1504034430 Broc 3 4.33 1954 They Called Him Stonewall: A Life of Lieutenant General T. J. Jackson, CSA
author: Burke Davis
name: Broc
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1954
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For]]> 34006943 A New York Times Bestseller

A timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, the most honored historian in the United States—winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many others—that reminds us of fundamental American principles.

Over the course of his distinguished career, David McCullough has spoken before Congress, the White House, colleges and universities, historical societies, and other esteemed institutions. Now, at a time of self-reflection in America following a bitter election campaign that has left the country divided, McCullough has collected some of his most important speeches in a brief volume designed to identify important principles and characteristics that are particularly American. The American Spirit reminds us of core American values to which we all subscribe, regardless of which region we live in, which political party we identify with, or our ethnic background. This is a book about America for all Americans that reminds us who we are and helps to guide us as we find our way forward.]]> 176 David McCullough 1501174215 Broc 5 4.20 2017 The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For
author: David McCullough
name: Broc
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West]]> 42201377
As part of the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognized the new United States of America, Britain ceded the land that comprised the immense Northwest Territory, a wilderness empire northwest of the Ohio River containing the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A Massachusetts minister named Manasseh Cutler was instrumental in opening this vast territory to veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families for settlement. Included in the Northwest Ordinance were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the prohibition of slavery. In 1788 the first band of pioneers set out from New England for the Northwest Territory under the leadership of Revolutionary War veteran General Rufus Putnam. They settled in what is now Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River.

McCullough tells the story through five major characters: Cutler and Putnam; Cutler’s son Ephraim; and two other men, one a carpenter turned architect, and the other a physician who became a prominent pioneer in American science. They and their families created a town in a primeval wilderness, while coping with such frontier realities as floods, fires, wolves and bears, no roads or bridges, no guarantees of any sort, all the while negotiating a contentious and sometimes hostile relationship with the native people. Like so many of McCullough’s subjects, they let no obstacle deter or defeat them.]]> 330 David McCullough 1501168681 Broc 4 3.76 2019 The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West
author: David McCullough
name: Broc
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2019
rating: 4
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]]> Truman 2279
The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters—Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson—and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man—a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined—but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman’s story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman’s own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary “man from Missouri” who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history.]]> 1120 David McCullough 0671869205 Broc 5 4.16 1992 Truman
author: David McCullough
name: Broc
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1992
rating: 5
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]]> John Adams 2203
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- "the colossus of independence," as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second President of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.

Like his masterly, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Truman, David McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. It is both a riveting portrait of an abundantly human man and a vivid evocation of his time, much of it drawn from an outstanding collection of Adams family letters and diaries. In particular, the more than one thousand surviving letters between John and Abigail Adams, nearly half of which have never been published, provide extraordinary access to their private lives and make it possible to know John Adams as no other major American of his founding era.

As he has with stunning effect in his previous books, McCullough tells the story from within -- from the point of view of the amazing eighteenth century and of those who, caught up in events, had no sure way of knowing how things would turn out. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, the British spy Edward Bancroft, Madame Lafayette and Jefferson's Paris "interest" Maria Cosway, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, the scandalmonger James Callender, Sally Hemings, John Marshall, Talleyrand, and Aaron Burr all figure in this panoramic chronicle, as does, importantly, John Quincy Adams, the adored son whom Adams would live to see become President.

Crucial to the story, as it was to history, is the relationship between Adams and Jefferson, born opposites -- one a Massachusetts farmer's son, the other a Virginia aristocrat and slaveholder, one short and stout, the other tall and spare. Adams embraced conflict; Jefferson avoided it. Adams had great humor; Jefferson, very little. But they were alike in their devotion to their country.

At first they were ardent co-revolutionaries, then fellow diplomats and close friends. With the advent of the two political parties, they became archrivals, even enemies, in the intense struggle for the presidency in 1800, perhaps the most vicious election in history. Then, amazingly, they became friends again, and ultimately, incredibly, they died on the same day -- their day of days -- July 4, in the year 1826.

Much about John Adams's life will come as a surprise to many readers. His courageous voyage on the frigate Boston in the winter of 1778 and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits that few would have dared and that few readers will ever forget.

It is a life encompassing a huge arc -- Adams lived longer than any president. The story ranges from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam, from the Court of St. James's, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation, to the raw, half-finished Capital by the Potomac, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House.

This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.]]> 751 David McCullough 0743223136 Broc 5 4.08 2001 John Adams
author: David McCullough
name: Broc
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914]]> 2372
All that changed, writes David McCullough in his magisterial history of the Canal, in 1848, when prospectors struck gold in California. A wave of fortune seekers descended on Panama from Europe and the eastern United States, seeking quick passage on California-bound ships in the Pacific, and the Panama Railroad, built to serve that traffic, was soon the highest-priced stock listed on the New York Exchange.

To build a 51-mile-long ship canal to replace that railroad seemed an easy matter to some investors. But, as McCullough notes, the construction project came to involve the efforts of thousands of workers from many nations over four decades; eventually those workers, laboring in oppressive heat in a vast malarial swamp, removed enough soil and rock to build a pyramid a mile high. In the early years, they toiled under the direction of French entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt while pursuing his dream of extending France's empire in the Americas.

The United States then entered the picture, with President Theodore Roosevelt orchestrating the purchase of the canal—but not before helping foment a revolution that removed Panama from Colombian rule and placed it squarely in the American camp.]]> 698 David McCullough 0743262131 Broc 5 4.21 1977 The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
author: David McCullough
name: Broc
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1977
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story]]> 726125 The riveting story of one hero who defines courage under fire.

Experience the deadly din of modern warfare and the inspiring leadership and courage of legendary First Sergeant Brad Kasal in this riveting new book. It's a page-turning, first-hand account of Kasal's courageous mission to rescue fallen comrades under intense enemy fire during the Battle of Fallujah-actions that earned him the distinguished Navy Cross, America's second highest military award. This stunning, unforgettable account shows an American hero rising to the challenge of world events with leadership, valor, and loyalty.


]]> 287 Brad Kasal 0696232367 Broc 4 4.14 2007 My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story
author: Brad Kasal
name: Broc
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants]]> 15751404 The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell has explored the ways we understand and change our world. Now he looks at the complex and surprising ways the weak can defeat the strong, the small can match up against the giant, and how our goals (often culturally determined) can make a huge difference in our ultimate sense of success. Drawing upon examples from the world of business, sports, culture, cutting-edge psychology, and an array of unforgettable characters around the world, David and Goliath is in many ways the most practical and provocative book Malcolm Gladwell has ever written.]]> 305 Malcolm Gladwell 0316204366 Broc 5 3.97 2013 David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Broc
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> On China 9328314
Since no other country can claim a more powerful link to its ancient past and classical principles, any attempt to understand China's future world role must begin with an appreciation of its long history. For centuries, China rarely encountered other societies of comparable size and sophistication; it was the "Middle Kingdom," treating the peoples on its periphery as vassal states. At the same time, Chinese statesmen-facing threats of invasion from without, and the contests of competing factions within-developed a canon of strategic thought that prized the virtues of subtlety, patience, and indirection over feats of martial prowess.

In On China, Kissinger examines key episodes in Chinese foreign policy from the classical era to the present day, with a particular emphasis on the decades since the rise of Mao Zedong. He illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, Richard Nixon's historic trip to Beijing, and three crises in the Taiwan Straits. Drawing on his extensive personal experience with four generation of Chinese leaders, he brings to life towering figures such as Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping, revealing how their different visions have shaped China's modern destiny.

With his singular vantage on U.S.-China relations, Kissinger traces the evolution of this fraught but crucial relationship over the past 60 years, following its dramatic course from estrangement to strategic partnership to economic interdependence, and toward an uncertain future. With a final chapter on the emerging superpower's 21st-century world role, On China provides an intimate historical perspective on Chinese foreign affairs from one of the premier statesmen of the 20th century.]]> 608 Henry Kissinger 1594202710 Broc 5 4.16 2011 On China
author: Henry Kissinger
name: Broc
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Uncopyable: How to Create an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition]]> 50607403
Better customer service? Guess what? All of your competitors say they provide the best customer service. It's a wishy washy phrase ... a vague generality with no meaningful specific.

Better pricing? You're kidding, right? The company that lives on price dies on price.

Harsher reality: Almost all industries today struggle with the increasing commoditization of their products and services, putting considerable pressure on prices and margins, leading to fiercer competition.

The Solution?

You must create an Uncopyable Attachment with your customers. They must see you as not only delivering a superior product but also as a high-value relationship they simply cannot get anywhere else. In Uncopyable, Steve Miller compellingly argues that new advantage isn't found by going "outside the box" - you must actually build your own box. Uncopyable will guide you to achieving an unfair and enduring competitive advantage.]]> 184 Steve Miller 1640951717 Broc 4 3.84 Uncopyable: How to Create an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition
author: Steve Miller
name: Broc
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't]]> 16144853 Why do only a few people get to say “I love my job”? It seems unfair that finding fulfillment at work is like winning a lottery; that only a few lucky ones get to feel valued by their organizations, to feel like they belong.

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled.

This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In his travels around the world since the publication of his bestseller Start with Why, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams were able to trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives were offered, were doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general.

“Officers eat last,” he said.

Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What’s symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: great leaders sacrifice their own comfort—even their own survival—for the good of those in their care.

This principle has been true since the earliest tribes of hunters and gatherers. It’s not a management theory; it’s biology. Our brains and bodies evolved to help us find food, shelter, mates and especially safety. We’ve always lived in a dangerous world, facing predators and enemies at every turn. We thrived only when we felt safe among our group.


Our biology hasn’t changed in fifty thousand years, but our environment certainly has. Today’s workplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best organizations foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a Circle of Safety that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.

The Circle of Safety leads to stable, adaptive, confident teams, where everyone feels they belong and all energies are devoted to facing the common enemy and seizing big opportunities.

As he did in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories from a wide range of examples, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking.

The biology is clear: when it matters most, leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to
advance their leader’s vision and their organization’s interests. It’s amazing how well it works.
]]> 350 Simon Sinek 1591845327 Broc 4 4.07 2014 Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
author: Simon Sinek
name: Broc
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Great Game of Business: Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management]]> 138298 252 Jack Stack 038547525X Broc 5 3.87 1992 The Great Game of Business: Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management
author: Jack Stack
name: Broc
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1992
rating: 5
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]]> Man's Search for Meaning 4069 Man's Search for Meaning has become one of the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living.]]> 165 Viktor E. Frankl 080701429X Broc 5 4.38 1946 Man's Search for Meaning
author: Viktor E. Frankl
name: Broc
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1946
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Little Green Book of Getting Your Way: How to Speak, Write, Present, Persuade, Influence, and Sell Your Point of View to Others]]> 252265 202 Jeffrey Gitomer 0131576070 Broc 5 4.03 2007 Little Green Book of Getting Your Way: How to Speak, Write, Present, Persuade, Influence, and Sell Your Point of View to Others
author: Jeffrey Gitomer
name: Broc
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2007
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times]]> 5449798
The man who revolutionized the world by giving it the plastic spoon, fork, knife and Styrofoam take-out food container will once again change how you live your life. I can say that because that’s what happened to me after reading Jon Huntsman’s Winners Never Cheat . In today’s world where it increasingly appears that we can’t trust our political or business leaders, this book is an unwavering reminder that traditional values never go out of style and are as essential today as they were forty years ago when Jon Huntsman launched a small chemical business that he grew into the world’s largest privately held chemical corporation. Jon Huntsman doesn’t like to be called a billionaire. He’s uncomfortable with that title. I’m convinced he also doesn’t like being one either because he’s committed to giving away his hard-earned fortune—not after he dies, but during his lifetime. I believe in this book’s message and its messenger. I have never in my life purchased any book by the case, except for this one. I give a copy to my friends who mistakenly believe that business can no longer be done with a look in the eye and a handshake. Many of the problems and much of the pain we’re currently experiencing on Wall Street and Washington could have been avoided if those we trusted with our money and our power lived what’s taught in these pages. If you’re looking for success, read this book. If you’re wondering if you can be successful while staying true to your core principles, read this book. If you’re wondering, like so many are, if capitalism has a bright future, read this book. I have and it’s changed my life. --Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck’s newest book, The Christmas Sweater , follows the challenges and growth of a boy who struggles with the choices he has made and the decisions he yet must make. Beck is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, An Inconvenient Book , and The Real America . He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Glenn Beck Program and will also be hosting his own television show on Fox News beginning in 2009.]]> 224 Jon M. Huntsman Sr. 0137009038 Broc 4 4.13 2008 Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times
author: Jon M. Huntsman Sr.
name: Broc
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing]]> 769443 252 Harry Beckwith 0446520942 Broc 4 3.94 1997 Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
author: Harry Beckwith
name: Broc
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients]]> 778650 Rainmakers are not born. They are made. And Jeffrey Fox's powerful How to Become a Rainmaker will get you there.


Now Updated and with New Success Tips!

Filled with smart tips given in the Fox signature style, counter-intuitive, controversial, and practiced, this hard-hitting collection of sales advice shows readers how to woo, pursue, and finally win any customer. In witty, succinct chapters, Fox offers surprising, daring, and totally practical wisdom that will help readers rise above the competition in any company in any field. A terrific resource for CEOs, as well as anyone looking to distinguish themselves in sales--be it books, cars, or real estate--How to Become a Rainmaker offers the opportunity to rise above the competition in any company, in any field.]]> 192 Jeffrey J. Fox 0786865954 Broc 4 3.87 2000 How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients
author: Jeffrey J. Fox
name: Broc
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy]]> 679399 173 Jack Trout 0070653283 Broc 4 3.74 1995 The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy
author: Jack Trout
name: Broc
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1995
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind]]> 760025 224 Al Ries 0071373586 Broc 5 4.03 1980 Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
author: Al Ries
name: Broc
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1980
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business]]> 25733966 how you think—rather than what you think—can transform your life.]]> 400 Charles Duhigg 081299339X Broc 4 3.88 2016 Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Broc
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption]]> 8664353
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.]]> 475 Laura Hillenbrand 1400064163 Broc 5 4.38 2010 Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
author: Laura Hillenbrand
name: Broc
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History]]> 11887020
A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war—of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.

American Sniper also honors Kyles fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts throughout, Kyles wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Chris.

Adrenaline-charged and deeply personal, American Sniper is a thrilling eyewitness account of war that only one man could tell.]]> 528 Chris Kyle 0062107062 Broc 5 4.00 2012 American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
author: Chris Kyle
name: Broc
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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]]> QB: My Life Behind the Spiral 32310202 419 Steve Young Broc 5 4.27 2016 QB: My Life Behind the Spiral
author: Steve Young
name: Broc
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Brave Companions: Portraits in History]]> 2367 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780671792763

From Alexander von Humboldt to Charles and Anne Lindbergh, these are stories of people of great vision and daring whose achievements continue to inspire us today, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.

The bestselling author of Truman and John Adams, David McCullough has written profiles of exceptional men and women past and present who have not only shaped the course of history or changed how we see the world but whose stories express much that is timeless about the human condition.

Here are Alexander von Humboldt, whose epic explorations of South America surpassed the Lewis and Clark expedition; Harriet Beecher Stowe, “the little woman who made the big war”; Frederic Remington; the extraordinary Louis Agassiz of Harvard; Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and their fellow long-distance pilots Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham; Harry Caudill, the Kentucky lawyer who awakened the nation to the tragedy of Appalachia; and David Plowden, a present-day photographer of vanishing America.

Different as they are from each other, McCullough’s subjects have in common a rare vitality and sense of purpose. These are brave companions: to each other, to David McCullough, and to the reader, for with rare storytelling ability McCullough brings us into the times they knew and their very uncommon lives.]]> 240 David McCullough Broc 4 3.96 1991 Brave Companions: Portraits in History
author: David McCullough
name: Broc
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1991
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!]]> 69571 195 Robert T. Kiyosaki 0751532711 Broc 4 4.08 1997 Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
author: Robert T. Kiyosaki
name: Broc
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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]]>