Books I read in 2011.
Driven: An Autobiography by Larry H. Miller, and Doug Robinson
Larry Miller was a huge contributor to Utah. I loved this book. It explains a lot about Miller and his love of Utah.
My American Journey by Joseph E. Perisco
Collin Powell is one of America’s greatest military leaders. What a great example of over coming adversity and achieving.
Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history–Vietnam, the Pentagon, Panama, Desert Storm–but a history that until now has been known only on the surface. Here, for the first time, Colin Powell himself tells us how it happened, in a memoir distinguished by a heartfelt love of country and family, warm good humor, and a soldier’s directness.
Guadalcanal Diary (Modern Library War) by Richard Tregaskis
I love reading and learning about World War II. I have always known of this book but decided to read it after seeing World War II in HD and they talked about The battle for Guadalcanal. Its the first in theater war reporting book. Tregaskis describes combat first hand from forward positions in one of America’s bloodiest battles in the South Pacific theater during World War II. It is the de facto standard on war books.
Free Prize Inside: How to Make a Purple Cow by Seth Godin
This is my first Seth Godin book.
Seth Godin is convinced that anyone can come up with a free prize inside. The problem comes when we share it with others. Seth says our co-workers or boss, ask three basic questions:
1. Is this idea doable?
2. Is it worth doing?
3. Are you the one able to do it successfully?
If they aren’t able to answer “yes” to all three questions, they won’t join you, and the idea will die. The second section of the book is dedicated to specifically showing us how to keep our innovations alive by championing them and winning the support of others. After all, creating a free prize isn’t important if we can’t sell it to our organization.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
I have read this book at least 10 times and everytime it still amazes me. I believe it is a must read by everyone. It always makes me wonder what could have been.
Generation Kill by Evan Wright
I read this book before Guadalcanal but it was amazing the similarity in the stories. This is a modern day warrior’s account of a tour in the war in Iraq.
Decision Points by George W. Bush
I picked up this book at Walmart in a tiny town in Nevada where the book choices were extremely limited. I had seen an Oprah behind the scenes show where Bush came on the show and talked about his book. I became interested in it when Oprah described it and talked about how the book covers the hard decisions President Bush had to make and how he approached solving the problems. I made the choice to buy it and read it. I spent most of my free vacation time reading it. I was hooked.