Cullen’s Instant Book(Jacket) Reviews (or: Business Book Giveaway Part Du!)

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The batch is growing, so here again are my thumbnail reviews of business books–or, more accurately, of their covers. I review the jackets. You review the contents. I’m that lazy. The rules:

1) Write a comment telling me which book you want, and fill in the e-mail box so I can write and get your address.
2) Receive book in mail.
3) Read book.
4) Write a snappy, pithy, opinionated review.
5) E-mail review to Lisa.
6) See your snappy, pithy, opinionated review posted on Lisa’s blog.

And just so you all don’t think I’m totally slacking on my perceived duties as a workplace writer at TIME (thank you, anonymous commenter), I have two upcoming reviews of books I will actually read:
a) Getting From College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World, by Lindsey Pollak, and
b) One Perfect Day, by Rebecca Mead.

Awesome. Let’s get going.

What Made jack welch Jack Welch
How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Leaders

by Stephen H. Baum with Dave Conti
The thing I get from this title is that it’s damn hard to think of good business-book titles. Baum is an executive coach; after a quick perusal, it appears to me he didn’t actually talk to either jack welch or Jack Welch, and also that he keeps this annoying lower-case gimmick going throughout the book.

Connect
Building Success Through People, Purpose, and Performance

Keith Harrell and Hattie Hill
This title makes me want to hang myself, but I do like the big photo of Keith Harrell on the back of the jacket, his hand out in a gesture that says either “hey, check me out” or “hey, give me money.” He’s smiling, so I guess it’s the former.

Time Power
A Proven System for Getting More Done in Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible

by Brian Tracy
Well, a good start would be paring down that subtitle.

I Didn’t See It Coming
The Only Book You’ll Ever Need to Avoid Being Blindsided in Business

by Nancy C. Widmann, Elaine J. Eisenman, Ph.D., and Amy Dorn Kopelan
The authors have interesting résumés: Widmann was the first woman president at CBS; Eisenman is dean of executive education at Babson College; Kopelan is also a TV exec who now coaches execs. See, in a new era, these kinds of people would do like a series of webinars on the subject and post it on YouTube.

You, Inc.
The Art of Selling Yourself

by Harry Beckwith and Christine Clifford Beckwith
Harry Beckwith is apparently the best-selling author of Selling the Invisible and What Clients Love. Which leads me to a question. Almost all the books in my pile claim their authors are “best-selling.” What exactly does that mean? Best-selling, as ranked by whom? Does anyone know? I mean, my own book is probably a best-seller somewhere, like among funeral directors in New Jersey.

All right, folks. That’s five–and it didn’t even make a dent in my pile. Dammit. More bookjacket reviews/giveaways TK (that’s journalistic shorthand for “to come”).