Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime
by Bill Gates Sr.
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
With a 34-word “Forward” by “Trey” (the name the family called Bill Gates III), I knew immediately I was in for a fun read. In 192-pages, and 49 chapters (averaging less than 4 pages each), Gates Sr. pens a book that can take just a couple of hours to read, but holds your attention throughout because of the light, breezy writing style, the interesting, and entertaining, anecdotes, and the implied instructions on how to live a good life—life’s most enduring lessons.
Incidentally, if you want some “juicy” insights into how Bill Gates III (Trey) grew into the kind of multi-billionaire he is today—from a compassionate father’s perspective—this book offers a valuable and insightful perspective. It gives you a step-by-step program for raising a multi-billionaire son! (This is the appropriate place for an emoticon that shows a wink!)
This book isn’t profound. It isn’t particularly illuminating. It isn’t the least bit complicated or challenging. As I was reading it, the thought crossed my mind that it was written for one reason only: Bill Gates Sr. is the father of Trey! But, if you’re looking for a quick, interesting, engaging book to take up a short amount of your time, this one is an excellent choice.
Feeling Good Together: The Secret of Making Troubled Relationships Work
by David D. Burns
Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
There are four qualities that make this book stand out. First, it is extremely readable—what I’ll call user-friendly. Second, the chapters are brief, to the point, and easily grasp readers’ attention. Third, his examples are interesting, useful, and keep readers intimately involved in the text. Fourth, so much of what Burns says—like his emphasis on listening and self-expression skills for example—reaffirm and underscore the information I have in my book, Relationship Rules: For Long-Term Happiness, Security, and Commitment. It is as if the two volumes are companion texts that will offer ways to improve interpersonal relationships—and then some.
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Get these books at Amazon.com Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime Feeling Good Together: The Secret to Making Troubled Relationships Work
I'm having a hard time finding a reason to actually buy into this. It's just really self righteous. You get this self righteous priestly feel to the way he phrases things, like "good family life." "Getting it done right." And a lot of false humility. And Bill Gate's "forward," it's a like 150 characters. It's a less than a paragraph. The publisher's milking this one to its bloody pulpy ends.
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