Book Review Mondays

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The pixar touch: The making of a company
by David A. Price

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

I do not like animated films, and I don’t go to see them (with the exception of taking my grandkids when those situations dictate my presence). The only reason this opening comment is relevant is because Price’s book “is a story of technical innovation that revolutionized animation.” This is truly a Cinderella story, a rags-to-riches phenomena, and a triumphant business experience that began with a dream (It is the dream of Pixar’s technical genius and founding CEO, Ed Catmull), remained true to the ideals of its founders (antibureaucratic and artist driven), and ends up a multibillion-dollar success (adapted from the front jacket). Not knowing anything about animation (and having no interest in it at all), I found Price’s book fascinating. I love the stories he tells and how he incorporates biographies of people like Catmull, who turned down Disney when it approached him to help design the Walt Disney World attraction Space Mountain. He talks of Steve Jobs who was thrown out of Apple Computer and bought Pixar Studio for just $5 million, then immediately discovered he had to spend twice that to keep it afloat. Price also mentions John Lasseter who advances from a skipper on Disneyland's Jungle Cruise to the principal creative advisor of Disney and Pixar animation. I loved his discussion, as well, of how computer animation developed. This is a superb book full of well-supported facts (there are 16 pages of notes), that is both engaging and entertaining.

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Smart Cookies: Guide to Making More Dough
by Jennifer Barrett

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

In this 211-page book, five women first tell the Smart Cookies’ story — the story of how they formed their money group. This is a book specifically designed for “successful women struggling to get control of [their] finances” (p. xvii). They admit, “within a year of starting the Smart Cookies Money Group, we’d already made substantial progress — and without sacrificing our social lives, our sanity, or even our Starbucks lattes! Even we were surprised at how much we’d learned, how much we’d accomplished, and how much fun we had doing it” (p. xix). This book is about how they did it: “the strategies [they] used, the lessons [they] learned through [their] own experiences, and the expertise [they] gained through research and interviews with successful, self-made women [they] sought out along the way.” The book is full of advice and support, specific exercises to keep readers on track and accountable, and a great deal of inspiration — the inspiration necessary for you to turn your financial situation around and, at the same time, improve every aspect of your life. It is a frank, readable, entertaining book in which each of the five young ladies takes part in sharing her insights and observations. This is an enjoyable and worthwhile read.

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Through our reading, researching, and writing, And Then Some Publishing (and our extended family of readers) mine volumes of books representing a wide variety of tastes. We use the books in our writing, test and try suggested techniques, and we read for enjoyment as well. We wouldn't spend the time reviewing the books if we didn't get something out of it. Read more reviews on other fantastic books at our BookWorksRules.com website.