Subzero Blue

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (Jimmy Carter)

This morning I finished reading former US President Jimmy Carter’s book by the name “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid“. I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since it was published, I found it in Tunisia in the Al Kitab bookstore but it was too expensive, so I posptponed and bought it from Prime Megastore on my last trip to Jordan.

In this book, Jimmy Carter tackles the Middle East crisis and the question of Israel’s peace with its neighbors–in particular, how Israeli sovereignty and security can coexist permanently and peacefully with Palestinian nationhood.

It is a comprehensive and well-informed chronicle documenting the history and events of the Israeli/Palestinian crisis since its beginning to our present times from an insider who was the architect of the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and who has closely followed and been part of the events for decades.

I personally think that Jimmy Carter was as unbiased as an ex-American President could ever be in this book, trying not to take sides and to document the events as he witnessed them as objectively as possible.
It’s true that I did feel, at certain points, that he was being a bit soft on the Israeli side, but overall I think he was very honest and frank, and I respected that.

Weirdly (or naturally in these times), he was attacked because of this book and accused of assigning ultimate blame to Israel, being one-sided, …etc, etc, etc.
But then again we all know that’s what anyone gets for saying the slightest thing about Israel, even if it’s true and said in a nice and excusing way like Carter did in this book.
Again, personally, I think the book is unbiased, and if it is then slightly towards the Israeli side not against them.

I think everyone who is interested in the Middle East crisis should read this book for an objective and comprehensive view of the conflict, the events revolving around it, the different proposals for peace and more.

Personally, even though I’ve followed the conflict for years and know a lot about it, mainly because of studying its history at school and living in Jordan for years right next to the center of the storm; I came away from the book with a clearer view of it all, and a better understanding of the several peace proposals, agreements and UN resolutions related to this conflict.

[Amazon: Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (Jimmy Carter)]

The Art Of The Start (Guy Kawasaki)

Today I finished reading “The Art Of The Start” by Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple Computer and current Venture Capitalist.

This is the second book I’ve read by Guy, the first being “Rules For Revolutionaries“.

This book, as its name suggests, is about the art of starting a business and how each and every task at hand should be handled from; from identifying your customer base and writing a business plan to raising capital and bootstrapping to recruiting, establishing partnerships and building brand identity.

I think the book is very useful for someone starting a business, giving them all the points they have to focus on and consider to get their startup off the ground and running; and so for people in that position, I recommend this book.

At different points, it does feel like the book is more targeted at technology startups seeking venture capital; but if a person focuses more on the lessons and less on the specific details, the book is a very good and useful startup resource and guide that should help in any business from any domain of activity.

If you’re interested, you can buy the book here: The Art Of The Start.

Another book I recommend in this category is “Common Sense Business” by Steve Gottry.

Winning (Jack Welch)

Last night I finished reading “Winning” by Jack Welch, Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001, transforming the industrial giant from a sleepy “Old Economy” company with a market capitalization of $4 billion to a dynamic new one worth nearly half a trillion dollars.

“Winning” describes the management wisdom that Welch built up through his four and a half decades of work at GE, focusing on actual management techniques.

The book is divided into five major sections that cover management from all sides:

Underneath It All: Here he talks about missions and cultural values, as well as candor, differentiation among employees, and inclusion of all voices in decision-making.
Your Company: Here he covers issues around one’s own company or organization: things like leadership, hiring, letting go of people, the people management in between, as well as crisis management.
Your Competition: This discusses competition, and the external factors that can influence a company’s success: strategy, budgeting, growth, mergers and acquisitions, and the implementation of Six Sigma.
Your Career: This takes it a bit more personal with a focus on individual career issues; how to find the right job, get promoted, deal with a bad boss and go about work-life balance.
Tying Up Loose Ends: Here he answers some general interesting questions that don’t fit into any of the previous categories and that he’s received in the last several years while traveling the globe addressing audiences of executives and business-school students.

“Winning” is a great management book based on the true and successful experience of one of the best managers of our time. It’s a very worthwhile addition to any management bookshelf, and I personally recommend it to everyone who is interested in the subject.

[To buy: Winning – Jack Welch]

Rules For Revolutionaries (Guy Kawasaki)

I just finished reading Rules For Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services by Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple Computer and current Venture Capitalist, in collaboration with previous coauthor Michele Moreno.

This is the first book I’ve read by Guy Kawasaki, and I know it won’t be the last; I really liked his entertaining light style of writing, that is clear and straight to the point.

The book is divided into three parts, whose titles alone show the book’s style and tone.
1. Create Like a God: This part discusses the way that radical new products and services must really be found, thought of, developed and updated.
2. Command Like a King: This one explains what kind of leaders are truly necessary in order for such revolutionary products and developments to succeed, the best way to market them and how to avoid the usual big mistakes.
3. Work Like a Slave: This last part focuses on the kind of commitment that is actually required to beat the odds and change the world, and how clients should be dealth with and treated.

A concluding section presents us with a bunch of entertaining and inspirational quotes on topics like technology, transportation, politics, entertainment, and medicine that illustrate how even some of history’s most successful ideas and people have prevailed despite the scoffing of naysayers.

This book is a very interesting read that I recommend for everyone looking to create a new product or service; it really has some very useful advice and tips.

Check this book out: Rules For Revolutionaries (Guy Kawasaki)

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (David Allen)

This weekend I finished reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, the personal productivity and self-management guru.

I’ve heard so so much about this book over the past years, read many reviews, went through so many productivity blogs that base their ideas and advice on the teachings of this book, and well, I just had to read it.

I can confirm that the hype is well deserved, this book can be a life-changing one if you choose to apply the simple ideas and tips in it. It will take you from being swamped with things to do and stress, to being well-organized, clear-minded and stress-free when it comes to whatever you need to do.

I’ve already started setting up two parallel systems based on the tips in the book, one for my work and the other for my personal life, and I’m already feeling how much potential they hold to enhance my productivity and relieve me from the extra stress of everyday life and the accumulated stuff I have to do.

This book is a must-read, I truly recommend it to everyone, and if it weren’t so damn hard to buy things online from Tunisia, I’d order a copy each for all my friends and colleagues; yes it’s that good.

Check it out yourself here: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Les Cendres De Carthage (Abdelaziz Belkhodja)

Last weekend I finished reading “Les Cendres De Carthage” (The Ashes Of Carthage) by Tunisian writer Abdelaziz Belkhodja.
This is the second book I’ve read by him, the first being “Le Retour De L’Eléphant” (The Return Of The Elephant) that I read a few years ago.

This work of fiction revolves around an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Carthage, close to the capital of Tunisia, where the great ancient library of Carthage is discovered, then taking an unexpected twist into a thriller putting politicians and intelligence services from Tunisia and the United States face to face.

It’s style is a bit reminiscant of “The Da Vinci Code” in how the main character keeps digging up historic facts in his investigation to find the truth, but well this book was written well before “The Da Vinci Code” was ever released.

It’s also pretty obvious the writer has a fascination with Carthage and the history of Tunisia as both books I’ve read by him up to now build upon that in their storylines.

I liked this book, it’s an interesting and light read, plus the fact that it’s by a Tunisian and has Tunisia as a character gives it a little extra taste for me.

Common Sense Business (Steve Gottry)

Last night I finished reading Steve Gottry’s book Common Sense Business : Starting, Operating, and Growing Your Small Business–In Any Economy!
I guess the title says it all and pretty much explains what the book is about.

I went through this book pretty quickly, it’s an easy simple read, in which the author pulls from his business experience and the ups and downs he’s been through to share his experience with the reader and give advice on how to start, operate and grow a small business.

It covers the whole life cycle of a small business, how to build on your assets, how to face your natural enemies and well how to take an alternate route if you’re forced to.

I think it’s a really good read and practical guide based on real personal experience, it’s very useful for any person planning to launch a business or already running one.
I would have liked it to get into a bit more detail on the initial phases of business concept creation and the launch details, but well I’m just being greedy I guess.

If you’re interested, you can buy the book here: Common Sense Business (Steve Gottry).

The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

A couple of days ago I finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point“, another business book about how the littlest of things can make a big difference.

The book explores the concept of “epidemics” and how ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do, and what it is that makes them tip over and become an epidemic; starting from the influential kinds of people who can spread the message, to the stickiness of the message itself and the context in which it came to exist.

It’s a very interesting read and provides a new way of thinking for how to handle promoting a product, idea or message; and how to eventually make it a success.

I already read Malcom Gladwell’s book “Blink: The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking“, even though this one came out first, and they both follow the same style, explaining the idea and giving a number of examples to illustrate it, which I really enjoyed and which makes the points even clearer.

I recommend this book to anyone in business or interested in business, it gives you a new line of thought that is very interesting and could help enormously in generating a buzz around your ideas and creating a hype around your products, which in the end should result in sales and success.

The Long Tail (Chris Anderson)

A couple of days ago, I finished reading Chris Anderson’s book “The Long Tail“, which explains and advocates why the future of business is selling less of more.

Chris Anderson, who is editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, wrote an article called “The Long Tail” in Wired that became so popular and famous, he started a blog about it and then expanded it into a book.

In short the phrase “The Long Tail” is to describe certain business and economic models where products that are in low demand or have low sales volume can collectively make up a market share that rivals or exceeds the relatively few current bestsellers and blockbusters, if the store or distribution channel is large enough and the necessary filters are available to drive people to find these products. Examples of companies using such a model are Amazon, Netflix, iTunes and Google.

The book and the concept are very interesting, and with the evolution of the internet it’s easier than ever to cater to all tastes and provide all products: general best-sellers and niche products, increasing the scope of products available for sale, and obviously the opportunities to make more revenue.

If you’re selling products, marketing them or just interested in business: I recommend you read the article as well as the book; they’re really interesting and provide several examples and rich insight into how the business world and markets are changing.

The Search (John Battelle)

I finally got around to reading John Battelle’s book “The Search“, which is about how Google and its rivals rewrote the rules of business and transformed our culture.

I heard a lot about this book, it’s a really interesting topic, and I also enjoy reading John’s searchblog quite often, so obviously it’s been on my reading list for quite a while.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I went through it so quickly; It’s very well written and it handles the topic of search, its history, its players (mainly revolving around Google and its history though), how much it affects us and business, the future and the ideas search could evolve into so well.

As someone who witnessed the rise of the internet, the dot-com boom then bust and its later renaissance, it was a pleasure to read the history of search and remember all the companies that played a role in making it what it is today.

The company stories included give a lot of insight into the mindsets of the entrepreneurs behind them and their approaches to pushing their businesses forward and making them successful.

I recommend this book to everyone interested in search, it’s a really good read that covers the topic from all its sides.