2004 Reading List (38 books)
Michael Angelo Caruso read 38 books in 2004, including two hefty biographies on Teddy Roosevelt, basketball coach Phil Jackson’s autobiography, The Last Season and The DaVinci Code.
38. The Art of the Start
by Guy Kawaski
Guy Kawasaki, former Apple publicity hound is now managing director at Garage Technology Ventures. “The Art of the Start” offers some interesting nuggets about starting a company or for that matter, starting a project.
Long known for his creative and sometimes radical marketing techniques, Kawaski is strongest when writing about strategy, networking and presentation tips. He has lots of good ideas. For example, he recommends replacing toothless mission statements with key tasks and estimated completion dates.
If you’ve got a great idea, find a way to let your boss come to you with it. If your projector bulb blows during a presentation and you are unprepared to deal with it, you failed to plan properly. Kawasaki suggests limiting presentations to 20 minutes plus Q & A.
If presenting as a team, consider having the best presenter do the talking instead of sharing the microphone. Use Arial fonts for headings and Palatino for text. Capitalize the first and last name in e-mail address for readability, i.e., MichaelAngeloCaruso@EdisonHouse.com.
Finally, you should learn to work with ideas until they work for you. Novocain was originally developed for doctors, not dentists. Networking is not about what others can do for you, it’s about what you can do for others.
37. The Last Season*
Audio book by Phil Jackson
If you want to learn more about the how professional basketball really works, this book is for you.
Phil Jackson, former head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, decided to keep a journal of his thoughts and experiences during the 2003-2004 season. This was Jackson’s last year in the sport and he writes with a type of candor that would have made it hard for him to stay in the basketball business.
In “The Last Season,” Jackson chronicles his thoughts on the highs and lows of coaching the Lakers’ during their quest for another in a series of championships. Jackson is the most winning coach in professional basketball with nine championship rings.
He holds nothing back as he documents the invigorating successes and amazing failures of the team. The Lakers had four future hall of famers on the roster during the 2003-2004 season, including Kobe Bryant (anger issues, trouble with authority figures, the Denver rape trial) and Shaquille O’Neal (fragile ego, unwilling to practice free throws, ongoing feuds with Kobe). Jackson shares the challenges of managing these talented and sometimes immature young men.
One way to motivate athletes, he writes, is to limit the person’s playing time. The last season was a tough season. Jackson even hired a psychologist specializing in narcissist behavior.
36. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference
Audio book by Malcolm Gladwell
According to Gladwell, three things constitute a tipping point: contagion, fast pace and a dramatic shift. Terms such as the law of the few, stickiness, context, mavens, connectors and salesmen explain how we make decisions and how ideas are converted to massive moments. Don’t be turned off by Malcolm’s intellectual approach. He is a former staff writer for the New Yorker who uses analogies and stories to help the reader understand little things like how the world works.
35. Into the Mirror: The Life of Master Spy Robert P. Hansen
audio book by Lawrence Schiller
This true story is stranger than fiction. Look for intrigue, psychology, lurid sex, family woes and financial challenges. The book is much better than the movie, which starred Chris Cooper.
34. The DaVinci Code
by Dan Brown
After digesting months of hype, I finally took the plunge into Dan Brown’s world of symbols and clues. Brown’s writing style is fun because it moves quickly and nicely merges the world of fiction and non-fiction.
One cannot read “The DaVinci Code’ without learning a lot about art, Europe and the Catholic religion. More than 80 gospels were written, including a gospel according to Mary Magdalene, but only a few were chosen for the Bible. The person who selected the gospels was a Roman emperor named Constantine the Great. Constantine was a pagan who was baptized on his death bed, probably against his will. Apparently lots of Gods were born on December 25.
Christianity “borrowed” lots of ideas from the Jewish and even the pagan tradition. Pagans used to worship the sun and now most Christians formally practice religion on Sunday.
I learned or was reminded of the following bits of information:
The Louvre is the longest building in Europe (3 Eiffel Towers end-to-end, 63,500 pieces of art.
DaVinci was at once admired and reviled by the Catholic church.
A Phibonacci sequence is an intriguing number pattern that is practically useless and famous at the same time.
“Containment security” keeps the thief in.
The word “heretic,” which enjoys a nasty connotation today, was derived from the Latin word “haereticus” or choice.
33. The 36 Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make and How to Correct Them
Audio book by George M. Kahn
I found this book to be corny and old-fashioned.
32. Pursuit of Wow!
Audio book by Tom Peters
Tom Peters is perhaps the most distinctive business speaker of our generation. He is alive with manic energy. He spits his consonants, disgusted with average and angry enough to pick a fight. He flits easily between the shallow opinions that are the very sustenance of so many speakers and hardcore data.
Peters says he is amused when the media refers to him as a “guru,” since he is quite convinced that he knows nothing.
31. If Business Is War, Learn to Think Like a General
Audio book by John C. Maxwell
This audio has good intentions but there just isn’t enough original material to make it worthwhile. Maxwell draws the obligatory comparisons between the battlefield and the boardroom and drops the names of enough war heroes to underscore his point. The tenants, however, are incredibly simple. I like to be able to take notes when I listen to books but didn’t hear enough to pick up a pen and paper.
30. Let’s Talk About Books
Audio book by John C. Maxwell
Dr. Maxwell has a new audio series called, “Maximum Impact” that is perfectly suited for his popular approach. This particular topic of books is enjoyable, although it doesn’t cut very deep or offer any real new insight. Maxwell offers his opinions on how books can mark your life, how to get the most from books and perhaps his most worthwhile piece of advice, his Top 10 Books of all time.
29. Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34
Audio book by Bryan Burroughs
The great American crime wave known as the “gangster years” lasted less than 36 months. Burroughs has assembled a clever book that traces the time line of this time period by narrating the activities of infamous gangsters such as John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, “Baby Face Nelson,” Machine Gun Kelly and Alvin Karpis.
28. The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful PeopleWhat Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It
by David Niven, Ph.D.
Dr. Niven assembled an interesting book. Each of the secrets contains three segments: a paragraph or two of introduction, a true-life story that illustrates the concept and a few sentences to cite scientific research on that topic. The 100 secrets include useful reminders that we should take care when listening, speak slowly and the merits of being more efficient.
What Niven doesn’t tell us are perhaps the bigger secrets. This book has little info as to how we can take care when listening, how we can learn to speak more slowly and how to be more efficient. That’s okay. Scientific findings have always been more informational than instructional.
27. How to Control Your Anxiety
Audio book by Dr. Albert Ellis
This book is a treasure. How else can one describe a tool that helps reduce anxiety? Dr. Ellis, father of cognitive behavior therapy, systematically talks the reader through the steps to a better lifestyle. Along the way, he introduces some major stumbling blocks for most people including “conditional self-acceptance,” the danger of “self-rating” and “musterbation.”
26. All I Did Was Ask
by Terry Gross
The host of Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” program presents conversations with writers, actors, musicians and artists. The mix is eclectic and includes, Nicholas Cage, John Updike, Mickey Spillane, George Clinton, director Paul Schrader, Isabella Rosellini, Gene Simmons and Jodie Foster.
I was surprised to learn that Terry’s guests are usually not in the studio with her and that the interviews are heavily edited for continuity and sometimes for coherence.
25. Alexander the Great: The Art of Strategy
Audio book by Partha Bose
I listened to this book in advance of the big-budget movie by Oliver Stone. It was great to learn more about what happened during Alexander’s life span, which was about 375 years B.C.
I enjoyed this program for many reasons. I’m a sucker for James Langton’s British accent, which is easy on the ears. The Bose book is a little repetitive, but otherwise a comprehensive biography of one of the most impressive leaders of all time.
24. Over the Edge
Audio book by Greg Child
This true-life adventure about four Americans kidnapped by terrorists grabbed me from the moment I started listening to it. At time, it’s a little heavy on the history of terrorism. But it’s not Childs’ fault that a lot of Muslim names sound alike or that the “new” countries of Kurgistan (sp) and Ubekistan (sp) are so unfamiliar to most readers.
23. Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It
by Peggy Klaus
The title is better than the book and the book is pretty good. Young people will find the format particularly useful. Klaus begins each chapter with some “real-life” quotes that represent the reader’s cynical thoughts on why bragging just won’t work. Then, she systematically gives a success story for each example.
22. Effective Coaching: Build Better Employees & Create High-Performance Relationships & Teams
audio book by Michael Angelo Caruso
The title is grammatically suspect, but I didn’t name it. National Press Publications asked me to write and record an audio program on how to be an effective business coach. The resulting six compact-disc set is very well done, if I do say so myself. The audio quality is terrific and the liner notes are extensive.
I recorded the program in December of 2003 and listened to it when it was released in August of 2004. I am my own worst critic and I am very happy with this product.
Highlights include why job descriptions and performance reviews actually de-motivate employees and what you can do about it. I also offer some cool ideas on how to use e-mail and voice mail as coaching tools. If you’ve attended my live seminar, you’ll remember my segment on how to deal with the “difficult animals.”
21. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot
Audio book by Richard Restak, M.D.
The title of this book is creative and full of imagery. The content of the book is not. Dr. Restak presents a serviceable overview of how the human brain works, including a review of brain parts, a compendium of relaxation techniques and lots of what such experts refer to as “mental hygiene.” Restak is an accomplished writer on the subject, but his reading is flat and dry.
I particularly enjoyed his take on energy (calm and tense) and tiredness (calm and tense).
20. How to Be Even More Attractive (working title)
audio book by Michael Angelo Caruso
In 2004, I spent considerable time writing and reading, re-writing and re-reading my audio book on how to cope with challenging personalities. The concept is rooted in what I call being “psychologically attractive.”
19. Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
Here are 5 Cool Ideas on leadership that came to me while reading Ron Chernow’s chart-topping book, Alexander Hamilton.
1. Anyone can rise above an unlucky childhood.
Alexander Hamilton was born illegitimate. Early in his life, Hamilton’s father vanished, his mother died and at least two guardians committed suicide.
2. Teach yourself whatever you really need to know.
Largely self-taught, this orphan from the Caribbean achieved amazing stature in the new United States of America. Arguably, the most important person in American history that never attained the Presidency, Hamilton had a far more lasting impact than many people who did.
3. A mentor can help you.
Hamilton became George Washington’s aide-de-camp during the Revolutionary War. Known as the “father of our country,” General Washington (and his wife Martha) had no children. It’s been suggested that Alexander Hamilton was a surrogate son to Washington in the army and then in government.
4. Time management is essential to success.
As our nation’s first treasury secretary, Hamilton forged America’s tax and budget systems. He fashioned the first U.S. coast guard and perhaps most importantly, arranged the central bank—all before he turned 46 years old.
5. Even smart people make bad decisions.
Hamilton’s constant feuds with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Adams were a precursor to the two-party political system. Hamilton often felt it necessary to defend his honor. A brilliant strategist and one of the top three political leaders of his country, Alexander Hamilton died when he decided to settle a score with pistols in 1804. Hamilton is perhaps our most important, non-President; his portrait is on the $10 bill.
18. The Power of Persuasion*
Audio book by Jordan Davis
[Disclosure: Jordan Davis and I are pals in the speaking business.] There are hundreds of books on persuasion. I don’t connect with many of them either because they are too mundane or too esoteric. Jordan speaks to me with his southern style and his plain talk. Disc 5 and 6 are chock full of killer information on how to be a better sales consultant, a better communicator and a better person.
17. Master of Disguise
By Antonio J. Mendez
Mendez has a tendency to over-write, but I enjoyed his story. His tales of the CIA helped me understand more about the history of the organization, history in general and of course, the art of deception between operatives.
16. Selling InformationHow You Can Create, Market and Sell Knowledge in Any Field*
By Fred Gleeck
Fred Gleeck is not a writer as much as he is an information marketer. Gleeck makes no bones about the fact that he sells information. He taught me a lot about how to market myself. I highly recommend his seminars, too. Let me know and I’ll be happy to introduce you to Fred.
15. Hollywood Animal*
Audio book by Joe Eszterhas
Read by Eric Bogosian, “Hollywood Animal” is the lively autobiography of Joe Eszterhas, a comet that burned brightly as a Hollywood screenwriter but burned out quickly and famously as a man who torched bridges with his high-profile bad habits and bad decisions. This audio program, read by actor Eric Bogosian, has the flavor of producer Robert Evans’ memoirs. Evans read his own audio book and is fun, but Bogosian as Eszterhas is compelling.
14. Feel This Audiobook
Audio book by Ben Stiller and Janeane Garafalo
Ben Stiller and Janeane Garafolo take turns poking fun at the self-help industry. Ultimately, I suppose they are poking fun at the consumers of the self-help industry, as well.
13. The Best and the Brightest
Audio book by David Halberstam
Okay, what war am I describing? Americans wanted to help the citizens of another country. The people we wanted to help were not interested in fighting for themselves. The more we committed to winning, the more difficult it was to withdraw. American bombs seemed to only strengthen the enemy’s resolve. Once again, Americans had to learn the tough lesson that when fighting on opponent where they live, the enemy just needs to wait for us to eventually leave.
I’m not referring to recent wars in the Middle East, but rather the Vietnam War. Halberstam tells the story of how McNamara, Kennedy, Johnson and Rusk delivered us the debacle that became the precursor for so many Middle East conflicts.
12. How to Communicate With Power, Diplomacy and Tact
audio book by Dr. Robert A. Tracz
[Disclosure: Bob Tracz is a speaker buddy.] This audio program is based on Dr. Tracz’s popular seminar. The program does a good job covering the basics such as verbal communication, non-verbal communication, double meanings and listening.
11. The Principles of Authentic Power*
Audio book by Joe Caruso
[Disclosure: Joe Caruso is my younger brother.] This is my brother’s first audio book with Nightingale Conant. Based on his book, “The Power of Losing Control,” Joe talks about how to maintain an even keel, even when your ship may be listing.
10. Theodore Rex*
Audio book by Edmund Morris
Theodore Rex is Morris’ sequel to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt was an amazing man and an amazing President.
9. How to Be a Better Person
Audio book by Michael Angelo Caruso
I needed to listen to my own audio book several times in order to get it to market. A market change, however, has prevented me from releasing this product with the live excerpts from my seminars.
8. Coping With Difficult People*
Audio book by Dr. Robert Bramson
I’ve read a lot of self-help books and Dr. Bramson’s is one of the best. His book is not highly organized but his techniques and strategies are terrific. For my money, there is no better book on the subject.
7. The Kid Stays in the Picture
Audio book by Robert Evans
Evans is not a talented author. He’s not even a good reader for this audio book. But the quality of his voice certainly suits the stories he tells. We’ll never know if anything in this book is true but if you like Hollywood, you’ll love The Kid. Evans delights in detailing his acting career and how he eventually produced some of the most popular movies of our time, including The Godfather and Love Story.
6. The Idiot’s Guide to Psychology
By Joni Johnston, Psy.D.
Okay, I guess reading this book makes me an idiot. This 454 page book didn’t make me much smarter. While The Idiot’s Guide to Psychology does a fair job of covering the basics of psychology, I quickly grew tired of the info-lite format. Features like Psychobabble, Shrink Rap and Brain Buster might be more beneficial to younger readers. Well, duh.
5. Communicate With Confidence: A Woman’s Guide
Audio book by Pamela Jett-Aal
[Disclosure: Pamela is a speaker buddy of mine.] The author’s program offers tips for both men and women. I especially like her theme of competence, confidence and focus. In addition, I learned about the value of power phrases and caution phrases.
4. Rise of Theodore Roosevelt*
audio book by Edmund Morris
Until reading this book, I knew virtually nothing about our country’s youngest President. Theodore Roosevelt is indeed a fascinating man.
Like most complicated people, Roosevelt had his share of contradictory traits. He was an early authority on Naval warships, yet he led the Rough Riders into Cuba during the Spanish-American war. He was quite the big game hunter, yet he started the first conservation club in the world. Sickly as a child, Roosevelt came to personify robust health. Teddy was one of the last cowboys, yet he was a man of letters1,500 letters at best estimate. He also authored 38 books.
Morris does an excellent job of giving Roosevelt dimension. The narrative of how Teddy’s mother and wife died on the same day in the same house will soften the hardest heart.
3. Joe Gilliam’s Words of Wisdom
(Audio book transcribed by Anthony Record)
[Disclosure: I know Joe Gilliam from the speaking business.] Coach Joe used to leave me motivational message every day. He’s a great motivator and a terrific speaker.
2. Of Dreams and Deeds
By Gordon S. Thompson
I’ve wanted to read the story of Optimist International for a long time. As a member of the Optimist Club of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, I’ve attended and spoken at the Optimist International convention in resorts all over the world. Of Dreams and Deeds tells of how the Optimists’ slogan became “Friend of Youth” and how they developed their fabulous Optimist Creed, which begins, “Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind . . .”
1. The Ten Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
Audio book by Will Durant
If you’re familiar with Will Durant, you know that this guy doesn’t fool around. He takes writing very seriously in that he takes on big projects and makes them look effortless.
My favorite quote from the book is that “happiness is destroyed by detection.” Durant’s Top 10 Thinkers include predictable entries like Confucius, Plato, Aristotle and Copernicus. The surprise name is Darwin. Durant once said that Darwin’s impact cannot be underestimated because in many ways, Darwin’s work has led to the decline of religion.
The Top 10 Ideas of All Time include speech, fire, agriculture and morality.
* Highly recommended
