Mark LaGrone

"The Noticer" by Andy Andrews

As I was reading “The Noticer” I was carried back in time to when I first read “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard.  There is something very appealing about a book written in story form. “The Noticer” takes place in Gulf Shores, Al.  Having spent many vacations there, I found myself trying to figure out some of the local places Andy Andrews described.  For me this made the story all the more real.  One of the reasons I like books written in story form is that I can recall the information readily.  I found this book to be both inspiring and instructional at the same time.  One of the key questions that the author asked is “What is it about me that other people would change if they could?”  This question has less to do with living at the whims of others and more about looking at my own actions and myself from their perspective.  The book gives sage advice on dating, marriage, communication, and living a better life.  When I finished reading the book, I immediately thought of two or three people who I would want to share it with.  The only feedback I would give to the author is that for the time and space he used he could have gone deeper in some of the specific areas he addressed.  Maybe this is leading up to his next book.

Book Review: "The Truth About You" by Marcus Buckingham

I signed up to review the book “The Truth About You” by Marcus Buckingham from Thomas Nelson.  I was excited and anxiously awaited for the book to arrive.  The book came in a non-traditional format of a DVD, interactive book and a pad that was also used in conjunction with the book and DVD.  When the book arrived I sat down to begin reading. I read the introduction and was then instructed to stop and view the DVD.  This was my first roadblock.  Granted the book came during my most hectic time of year, but I had a hard time fitting in the 20-minute video.  According to the book I needed to view the DVD before I could proceed.  It took almost 2 weeks before I could block out that kind of time when I also had my computer with me to watch the DVD.  When I did watch the DVD a lot of the information that was conveyed was exactly what I had read in the first part of the book.  I read 25-30 books a year so there is always a book with me, in the car, briefcase; somewhere near by.  This book, for some reason, seemed hard to carry around even though it is only slightly thicker than a normal book.

 

Before you think this review is all negative let me assure you that I got several useful pieces of information from Mr. Buckingham’s book.  I loved his definition of what a “strength” and what a “weakness” is.  Mr. Buckingham did a great job of providing a roadmap that led you to determine your passion.  His five main points are pieces of information that everyone either needs to learn or needs to be reminded of.

 

Overall I like the book and the information it gave.  I also like the idea of a book with a DVD included.  I might make the DVD more about reinforcement than part of the material, which has to be sequential.  This is a great book for people who may be thinking about a career change.