Books can only reveal us to ourselves, and as often as they do us this service we lay them aside.
Book Reviews
Joy is an avid reader of nonfiction and frequents her local library several times a week. Most of what she reads and writes reviews about is related to international economics and development, business, and finance.
Title: Mass Career Customization
Book authors: Cathleen Benko and Anne Weisberg
Book review by Joy Hopkins
Deloitte’s Cathleen Benko and Anne Weisberg team up in their book, Mass Career Customization, to apply a common concept in the consumer products industry to a new field – human resources. In seven concise, well-argued chapters, the two introduce a modern dilemma – our workforce is evolving to include individuals with a new genre of principles and habits, but our... Read more
Title: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Book author: John Perkins
Book review by Joy Hopkins
John Perkins makes a bold attempt to clear his heavy conscious in one confession after another in his book "Confessions of an Economic Hitman." In so doing, the author makes us privy to a sequence of events worthy of a twisted Alfred Hitchcock plot.
Perkins sets the stage by getting personal. He invites us into his psyche as an unhappy child in the prestigious... Read more
Title: The 4-hour Workweek
Book author: Timothy Ferriss
Book review by Joy Hopkins
I received Timothy Ferriss’ hot bestseller “The 4-Hour Workweek” for Christmas and, cautiously optimistic, proceeded to read what I hoped would not be yet another rendition of a worthless get rich quick scheme. While at times a bit pompous for my taste, I found the author succeeded to deliver readers an ambitious, executable plan that, with the right amount of effort, could... Read more
Title: Freakonomics
Book authors: Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Book review by Joy Hopkins
Freakonomics garnered a lot of attention when it was published back in 2005. Steven Levitt and lesser mentioned co-author, Stephen Dubner, certainly succeed at getting their points across in an easy-going, story-teller fashion. In fact, about half of the book is incredibly enjoyable and interesting as a result. The introductory chapters are full of one light-hearted account after... Read more
Title: The Green Book
Book authors: Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen
Book review by Joy Hopkins
Printed on 100% recycled paper, The Green Book reads more like an anecdotal children’s encyclopedia (minus the pictures) than it does a full-fledged book. The 12 chapters, each covering a common space or activity such as home, work, school, and travel, systematically present simple ways ways in which readers can decrease their ecological footprint in each space. Read more
