Beyond Talent

From the publisher: People everywhere are proving him right. Read the headlines, watch the highlights, or just step out your front door: Some talented people reach their full potential, while others self-destruct or remain trapped in mediocrity. What makes the difference? Maxwell, the go-to guru for business professionals across the globe, insists that the choices people make--not merely the skills they inherit--propel them to greatness.

I had heard of John C. Maxwell from my mentor in high school but had never actually picked up on of his books. This book was great. Each chapter held your attention, allowing the reader to be engaged and hopeful for what they could potentially do with their talent. What I really appreciated about the book was that at the end of each chapter he had a very practical application to get the reader on task to what the chapter had been talking about. The “application exercises” is what I feel really made this book great. Theory and ideas by authors are great to read but when an author makes it very practical that is when a book becomes great.

I would recommend this book to anyone—especially if you have a dream that you want to become a reality.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Please Stop Laughing at Me...

From the publisher: This powerful, unforgettable memoir chronicles how one child was shunned--and even physically abused--by her classmates from elementary school through high school. It is an unflinching look at what it means to be the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent disaster, and how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by the mental health community.

Please Stop Laughing at Me definitely kept the reader’s attention. I wanted to see if her next school, or new situation would help change the horrible cycle Jodee found herself in. As a teacher the book challenged me to continue to take seriously what my students say and to be ever aware of bullying. Something I struggled with in the book was how it seemed impossible to stop the cycle of abuse that she was in because it came from her having morals and standing up for what was right. Her mature stance was what most parents would want from a child, especially going through all the temptations of high school. Yet, as the book progressed it seemed that the “normal” things that “everyone was doing” was what Jodee craved. As a Christian it was hard for me to read about her excitement over a boy’s sexual interest to her as a positive thing. The book makes you want Jodee to fit in and be normal that when things are progressing with her boyfriend in ways that aren’t appropriate, as the reader you almost are happy with her. I struggled with that.

It was still an interesting story that should make teachers, physicians, and parents really take a look at what is going on in students’ lives and evaluate how they are responding.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Fight of Our Lives

The Fight of Our Lives is a call to stop being “politically correct” and instead call things by what they need to be called so that America does not destroy the values that it was built upon and has fought for. William J. Bennett and Seth Leibsohn discuss what happened after September 11 and how since then America has become weakened by our fear of speaking the truth and acting on that truth. Through the course of the book the authors boldly call out radical Islam for the things that have happened that our government is afraid to label. However, they do not label any situation without reasonable and reliable resources.


A major focal point was that President Obama has tried to have open communications to stop terrorism and the like from happening but instead more terrorist attacks have happened since he has tried his foreign policy. America is seen as weak by those countries who would destroy us and turning a blind eye to the real issues has only made things worse.


While I though Bennett and Leibsohn did a good job and laying out what had happened in the past and how America was going to disintegrate what ideals it has as a country, I did not feel that they gave us anything that we could do to change the problem. Yes, we can vocalize what we see as truth but when our government is headed in a direction that goes against standing up for the truth, it seems that voting is the only thing to do—and even then nothing is guaranteed.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Sneeze

Hello!

This blog is going to be for book reviews in conjunction with Book Sneeze.

Basically you pick a book from their list, read the book, write a review on their blog and on the cycle goes!

I'm excited to start!