Review: The Boy Who Changed the World

Great Gift Book, Weak Story Book



The Boy Who Changed the World

I was looking forward to reading this book out to my 5-year old from the time I ordered it. After reading the book, I had a mixed feeling.

First of all, I won't call it a story book in the usual sense. It's more of a short message. The core message is very powerful - Everything You Do Matters. Every action we take in our life, even a little one, can make a BIG difference. A small action of one person can have a "ripple effect" (or butterfly effect) on others who may go on to change the world in a big way.

The book claims to be an "engaging tale", but I disagree with that. It's too short to engage anyone. While I agree that the message is powerful, the story didn't touch my heart. It lacked the elements of a good story - the characters are not well drawn out, there are no emotions, no plot (conflict, climax etc.) and no "sticky" factor at all. I wonder if kids would even remember the message for long, to have a lasting effect on their lives. Moreover, the story is so convoluted that I doubt whether children below 8 would even understand it. Unless parents or guardians help reinforce the message (from this book) in other ways, the message may not seep into the children.

The far as the illustrations are concerned, the book is wonderful with lots of colors and pictures all throughout. It has a nice texture, and the overall quality is outstanding. As an adult, holding it in my hand made me feel nostalgic. It would make a great gift!

So, while I agree that the message in the book is really powerful and true, the book isn't really effective in reinforcing that message into children. In summary, it's a great gift book, but a weak story book.

My rating: 2/5

P.S.: I received this book free of cost from Thomas Nelson Inc. under their Book Sneeze program. I would like to thank them for offering me the opportunity to review this wonderful book.

Review: Lies the Government Told You

Outrageously Revealing



Lies the Government Told You

If you believed in "Government of the people, by the people, and for the people", then you are in for the shock of your life. Judge Napolitano does not mince any words in conveying his message. The American Government has been lying to its people since independence and curbing their liberty and fundamental rights ever so increasingly. In disastrous situations, Government utilizes the panic surrounding these situation to further limit the freedom of people and grab more power for itself. Fear is the biggest weapon that Government employs to take away our liberties. American public should be ashamed of letting the Government do so by buying into Government's lies.

This book is a true revelation for me. I'm not an American and have very little interest in politics and history. Though I've lived in America for a few years, I have not watched the Fox News Channel much and had not heard about Judge Napolitano before I came across this book. I ordered this book only because the title intrigued me, and didn't expect much. Just 300 pages and a few hours later, I think this is one of the most informative books I've ever read. I wonder how someone can put all this information in a book and feel safe. Judge Napolitano - I've joined your fan list.

This book talks in detail about how American public's fundamental rights have been encroached throughout history by using instruments such as Slavery, Gun Control, War on Drugs, Income Taxes, The Federal Reserve system, Social Security, FEMA, FDA, Rental Control Act, The Patriot Act and many more. Some of the astonishing revelations for me are that the Federal Reserve is a private organization, not controlled by the government, and it cannot be audited. Lincoln, who's hailed as one of the greatest American presidents was a tyrant. The American bipartisan system is a sham and what America has is a "Big Government Party". This book also exposes how American government has fabricated excuses throughout history to enter wars. Be it World War I, World World II, The Vietnam War, or even the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I have read several stories and watched many documentaries about the 9/11 conspiracy theories. After reading this book, those theories are not far fetched. I'm a bit surprised it doesn't talk much about 9/11. Some of the stories mentioned in this book are truly frightening.

As a non-American, I had some respect for the American democratic system, most of it coming from my ignorance and what I hear on television. This book has shattered it all. The way the American Government has abused the power vested in it by the people and blatantly violated the Constitution is simply disgusting. Put bluntly (excuse the harsh words), America is in deep **** and Uncle Sam has been scr*wing not just the rest of the world, but also his own people. It's a real eye-opener, and a must read for any one who can read English. Just a word of caution - this book can make you feel paranoid.

My rating: 5/5

P.S.: I received this book free of cost from Thomas Nelson Inc. under their Book Sneeze program. I would like to thank them for offering me the opportunity to review this wonderful book.

Review: The Power of Respect

The Power of Respect - Priceless !

The Power of Respect

This book is a good revelation of how something that cost absolutely nothing can make a huge impact in our life. Though for many of us, Respect is a part of our culture and our family values, the book helped me see it in a wider perspective. It shows how Respect is in play in all dimensions of life - family, work, education, business, leadership and self.

Overall, the book was a mixed bag for me. I really liked certain aspects of the book:

1. A powerful message, a revelation of sorts
2. Some interesting stories
3. Good layout with quotations spread throughout

However there were other aspects of the book that I didn't enjoy as much.

1. There are plenty of good stories in the book, but many of them are short and not drawn out enough to be memorable or have lasting impact.
2. Lot of redundancy - the message is repeated way too often. The book could have been 50 pages shorter without losing any value.
3. Some of the chapters remind me other books, which cover the respective topics much better. For instance, Chapter 2 reminded me of the "The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that really Works" from John Rosemond and Chapter 3 of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus".
4. There are way too much statistics and they only add noise. IMPO, most of them were useless. Deborah tries to prove every point with stats, which to me is unnecessary.
5. Most of the stories are in the American context. Deborah - there is a world outside of America too. Are you only writing for the American people? If only you had tried to look outside, the book could have had a more universal appeal.

In conclusion, the message in the book is powerful. It serves as a great reminder of how a basic element of human values - Respect - has such an important place in all dimensions of our life. I learned a great deal from this book, but it could have been more interesting.

My rating: 3/5

P.S.: I received this book free of cost from Thomas Nelson Inc. under their Book Sneeze program. I would like to thank them for offering me the opportunity to review this useful book.

10 Things I Learned from Steve Jobs's Keynote address

I want to share this key note address from Steve Job, CEO, Apple Computers delivered yesterday at a special event to launch the iPad. It's a 90-min presentation and probably one of the best example of how to deliver an important message.

Steve Job's Keynote address - iPad Launch

A few things I learned from his address:

1. He hardly ever looks back at the presentation.
2. There are hardly any words on the slides, leave alone lengthy bullet points.
3. Even when he's sharing the financial results of the company (in the beginning), he makes them fun to listen to.
4. He is driving the presentation, not the other way around. He's delivering the message, and the slides are giving the added impact to his message.
5. His words are in absolute sync with the slides.
6. There are no useless headers, footers or logos on every slide, that we often use on ours. It gives that extra space, flexibility and freshness to every slide.
7. You can hardly notice the remote controller in his hand. There are no other visible gadgeteries on him, distracting the audience.
8. He's so relaxed and calm, and that makes the audience comfortable and receptive to his message.
9. He's so focused on the message. Not even once did he stray from the topic.
10. He's unbelievably well familiar with the content on the slides. In the entire presentation, you won't see him going back on any slide even once. He did not fumble on a single word. Rehearsal, skills or simply the magic of a master craftsman? Perfection.

I wanted to stop at 10, but there's so much more to learn from him. One last thing I would say is that being a CEO of the company, he's demonstrating the key features of the product himself. That is a message in itself.

I'm sold !