|
Browse categories
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 Product Description
Personal finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated, but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out his the philosophy behind his relationship with money. Although Kiyosaki can take a frustratingly long time to make his points, his book is nonetheless a compelling advocate for the type of "financial literacy" that's never taught in schools. Based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs, it explains how the former might be acquired so that the latter eventually can be shed. --Howard Rothman, Amazon.com
Customer Reviews
Finding Gold in a Book!, 18 Nov 2008
Despite having a high school education and a college degree, I was never educated on the subject of money. As I leapt into adulthood I found myself in debt 10 years later with no clue how to get out and no clue how to produce wealth in my life. A friend suggested that I read Robert T. Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad". This book has opened my eyes to the logistics of how money works and how I can make it work for me. This book has helped me to take control of my finances and now, at age 39, I am out of debt. I have a deeper understanding of money, like never before, on what I need to do to make my money work for me. Now I am clear on the difference between assets and liabilities.
It's so exciting that Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing his wisdom of financial education. It is one subject that should be added to the educational curriculum. Another subject that was not offered in any of my educational experiences was how to achieve and experience well being. As Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing the gems of financial freedom with the world, authors Ariel and Shya Kane are sharing the priceless knowledge of instantaneous transformation in their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. In their writings, I have discovered the ease that is possible in living. I didn't know much about finances and I found Robert T. Kiyosaki. I searched for enlightenment and I found the Kanes. It's a gift to find authors that can write about what works!
A Transformational Approach to Money, 16 Nov 2008
I really enjoyed the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad". It was a new way of looking at money for me. This book narrated by Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of Robert's real father and his best friends dad. His real dad, "poor dad", worked for his money, while his "rich dad" had his money work for him.
Kiyosaki explains even a person with a lot of money in the bank can be poor, though they have financial wealth in the bank, they are still poor mentally as now they are afraid they are going to lose all their money.
I loved that Kiyosaki says "It's not what you make, it's what you keep" If you make $100K and spend $125k you are poor. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" teaches you to act like, be like and think like a Rich person instead of a poor person.
Another transformational book I really enjoyed was Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane. It is a book of short stories that are inspirational.
THE "RICH DAD" THINKS THAT POOR IS NOT SO CLEVER , 03 Nov 2008
The book offers an easy and enjoyable read. When I was reading the first couple of chapters, it kind of made me feel really excited and I was reading faster and faster as it was giving me the impression that the book was going to give me the "magic formula" to make millions and millions. Unfortunately, the book only gives an overview of the financial and behavioural difference between the rich and the poor. Although it is a very interesting read, it writes about the obvious. The obvious i.e. the difference between the rich and poor, is written in a way as if it is a hidden secret revealed manner and everyone reads it will be ever rich.
Obviously there will be an obvious difference between the rich and poor because one has money and another hasn't. Furthermore, there will be a behavioral and spending difference between the the rich and poor. Another thing that made me feel odd is that I got the impression that the author or "the rich dad" thinks that the poor is stupid and because they are so stupid they are poor.
Please do read this book, it is entertaining but don't expect too much. IT WON'T GIVE YOU THE MAGIC FORMULA TO MAKE MILLIONS!
Must Have Book!, 11 Oct 2008
With probably the weirdest choice of a cover and a title!! Comes an amazing read!
TO be honest with you never have i ever bothered to review anything be that a book or a movie; however this book to me deserve the effort. After i got over the choice of cover and title, choosing not to judge the book by that, i started reading from page one, little did i know i will finish it within days!! No bus journey or train journey went by without this book. The style, emotion and moments captured so elegantly in the book; that no matter how knowledgeable you are- you WILL learn something different.
Rich dad, poor dad - never failed to force me going into a thinking frenzy and review my life and direction as well as agreeing to Every point made. Made me look at finance and my dreams in a different light. Further to it encourage the made theme of the book: Financial IQ!!!
Truly is a life changing book.
Pathetic, 05 Oct 2008
Okay first of all (for those of you who have already read it), how many 9 year olds do you know who have in depth conversations about finances? The author has already stated that 'rich dad is about as real as santa'. This is a very obvious con. I know it has recived 5 stars from many people, and i do understand where they are coming from - this book is inspirational! It really is! And i have given it 2 stars because it does make you realise about making money work for you. but thats it! How many readers have become millionairs? To be honest i think most of this should be common sense anyway.
But what fustrates me the most is this is an obvious con. Just get this so you know what i mean (or you could spend the money putting it into bonds! i hear bradford and bingly are doing great!).
|
|
|
 |
|
The Richest Man in Babylon
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
|
*Amazon: £0.77
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Finding Gold in a Book!, 18 Nov 2008
Despite having a high school education and a college degree, I was never educated on the subject of money. As I leapt into adulthood I found myself in debt 10 years later with no clue how to get out and no clue how to produce wealth in my life. A friend suggested that I read Robert T. Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad". This book has opened my eyes to the logistics of how money works and how I can make it work for me. This book has helped me to take control of my finances and now, at age 39, I am out of debt. I have a deeper understanding of money, like never before, on what I need to do to make my money work for me. Now I am clear on the difference between assets and liabilities.
It's so exciting that Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing his wisdom of financial education. It is one subject that should be added to the educational curriculum. Another subject that was not offered in any of my educational experiences was how to achieve and experience well being. As Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing the gems of financial freedom with the world, authors Ariel and Shya Kane are sharing the priceless knowledge of instantaneous transformation in their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. In their writings, I have discovered the ease that is possible in living. I didn't know much about finances and I found Robert T. Kiyosaki. I searched for enlightenment and I found the Kanes. It's a gift to find authors that can write about what works!
A Transformational Approach to Money, 16 Nov 2008
I really enjoyed the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad". It was a new way of looking at money for me. This book narrated by Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of Robert's real father and his best friends dad. His real dad, "poor dad", worked for his money, while his "rich dad" had his money work for him.
Kiyosaki explains even a person with a lot of money in the bank can be poor, though they have financial wealth in the bank, they are still poor mentally as now they are afraid they are going to lose all their money.
I loved that Kiyosaki says "It's not what you make, it's what you keep" If you make $100K and spend $125k you are poor. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" teaches you to act like, be like and think like a Rich person instead of a poor person.
Another transformational book I really enjoyed was Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane. It is a book of short stories that are inspirational.
THE "RICH DAD" THINKS THAT POOR IS NOT SO CLEVER , 03 Nov 2008
The book offers an easy and enjoyable read. When I was reading the first couple of chapters, it kind of made me feel really excited and I was reading faster and faster as it was giving me the impression that the book was going to give me the "magic formula" to make millions and millions. Unfortunately, the book only gives an overview of the financial and behavioural difference between the rich and the poor. Although it is a very interesting read, it writes about the obvious. The obvious i.e. the difference between the rich and poor, is written in a way as if it is a hidden secret revealed manner and everyone reads it will be ever rich.
Obviously there will be an obvious difference between the rich and poor because one has money and another hasn't. Furthermore, there will be a behavioral and spending difference between the the rich and poor. Another thing that made me feel odd is that I got the impression that the author or "the rich dad" thinks that the poor is stupid and because they are so stupid they are poor.
Please do read this book, it is entertaining but don't expect too much. IT WON'T GIVE YOU THE MAGIC FORMULA TO MAKE MILLIONS!
Must Have Book!, 11 Oct 2008
With probably the weirdest choice of a cover and a title!! Comes an amazing read!
TO be honest with you never have i ever bothered to review anything be that a book or a movie; however this book to me deserve the effort. After i got over the choice of cover and title, choosing not to judge the book by that, i started reading from page one, little did i know i will finish it within days!! No bus journey or train journey went by without this book. The style, emotion and moments captured so elegantly in the book; that no matter how knowledgeable you are- you WILL learn something different.
Rich dad, poor dad - never failed to force me going into a thinking frenzy and review my life and direction as well as agreeing to Every point made. Made me look at finance and my dreams in a different light. Further to it encourage the made theme of the book: Financial IQ!!!
Truly is a life changing book.
Pathetic, 05 Oct 2008
Okay first of all (for those of you who have already read it), how many 9 year olds do you know who have in depth conversations about finances? The author has already stated that 'rich dad is about as real as santa'. This is a very obvious con. I know it has recived 5 stars from many people, and i do understand where they are coming from - this book is inspirational! It really is! And i have given it 2 stars because it does make you realise about making money work for you. but thats it! How many readers have become millionairs? To be honest i think most of this should be common sense anyway.
But what fustrates me the most is this is an obvious con. Just get this so you know what i mean (or you could spend the money putting it into bonds! i hear bradford and bingly are doing great!).
How to get rich slowly, 20 Sep 2008
This is just about the best non fiction book I have ever read and most certainly the best £4 I ever spent.
There are many thousands of books out there which claim to make us millionaires over night, many of which are sold here on Amazon. But while they quite often have overall 5 star ratings, you never actually see any customer reviews informing us they did indeed become a millionaire over night. What The Richest Man In Babylon does though is instead tell us that through using common sense and a bit of self discipline, we can all become rich over time.
The synopsis is simple, through a series of very brief stories taken from recently excavated scrolls perportedly found in the ancient lost city of Babylon, you are told how to manage your money. Each little tale has one main message and pretty much all of them ring true today.
The startling thing about the success of this book for me was that there isn't actually anything new in it. The classic example of this is one of the early messages: 'Spend less than you earn and you will become rich.' Duh! Blatantly obvious really but if you think about it how many of us in this day and age actually do this? Where credit is so easy to obtain, how many of us now live beyond our means? I genuinely feel this should be given to kids and taught in schools as they are the ones who would most benefit from it.
One of the tales did stick in my throat a little bit and is slightly more difficult to apply in today's society: A chap in considerable debt who has decided to turn his life around is advised to go and see all his creditors to inform them that he is sorting it out and that they will get their money back gradually over a certain period, all the while still maintaining his 'spend less than he earns' mantra.
A good idea indeed but not very practicle in today's economy. Let's say an individual owes a large amount on their credit card and their minimum payments plus their other outgoings amount to more than they earn. (sound familiar?!) If he goes to his credit card company and says "look, sorry - I can't pay what you want each month but can give you £100 a month until it's cleared." The credit card company will probably agree to this in some form or another, after all £100 is better than nothing and this is pointed out in the book. But this kind of Individual Voluntary Arrangement today now becomes a social stigma and official black mark against our name, effectively stopping us from getting mortgages or any other type of ligitimate credit in the future.
The author of the 'scrolls' would say that this was not an issue as we should never use credit but today it is a necessary part of life and certainly about the only way most of us would be able to buy a house.
This minor quibble aside, I still wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who listens (and a few who don't, especially if they have kids too young to have made their parents' financial mistakes). Unlike one previous reviewer, I found the style very easy to read and even managed to get through entire chapters while waiting for my kettle to boil!
While there isn't really any true method to follow as such, I've applied the messages to my finances where possible for nearly 2 years now and have reduced my debt to a 10th of what it was and saved up a tidy few quid. I know it won't make me rich over night on it's own but I also know that I certainly won't be working for the rest of my life!
Get it, read it, follow what it says and you will become rich evetually.
Motivating a Wealth Mentality!, 25 Aug 2008
I read this book back in 1994. It has much timeless knowledge.
The Richest Man in Babylon is an inspirational book on helping to create an investment mentality by using parables of how the Richest Man in Babylon would have invested. It is for beginning investors who need good reasons to develop a proper mindset to start working towards becoming financially independent. It also is a good book for recharging a wealth mentality in any investor.
The concepts in the book are simple, but their effects on wealth are profound! For example, George Clason covers The Five Laws of Gold . From the version I read, they are:
I. Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantities to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
II. Gold laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks in the field.
III. Gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
IV. Gold slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keep.
V. Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.
Overall an excellent book for beginners though advanced investors.
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
Financial detox!, 19 Aug 2008
'The Richest Man in Babylon' is inspirational and has radically changed my outlook on my finances. It begins by using a parable about a poor man in Babylon who seeks the advice of a wealthy man to let him know the secrets of his seemingly never ending pot of gold. He discovers that these secrets are actually quite straightforward and easily put into practice, which he does with proven results. Pitfalls are overcome and all the while we are learning the core rules of accumulating wealth, maintaining wealth and, most importantly, multiplying wealth.
Although this book is set in Ancient Babylon the rules still apply today, although now we are talking about money in the bank as opposed to bars of gold or shekels in your purse! Overall this has given me a far more balanced view of my money and life in general. It almost feels like you are cleansing your soul as you read it - a sort of mind detox! So for anyone who dreads opening letters from the bank or buries their head in the sand, this book is for you!
Brilliant, 09 Aug 2008
This book is quite simply brilliant. I have bought copies for other people as presents and all of them really enjoyed it. Yes its message is simple, but simple ideas are nearly always the best. Do your self a favour and just buy it now.
Excellent, 25 Jul 2008
Very good book to help you examine your way of thinking to finance. Ideal for the beach when on holiday or a long plane flight as the book is difficult to put down, one of the few really good books on finance. The government should make this a part of the national curriculum in school to make future generations more responcible and sucessful with their own personal finances.
|
|
|
 |
|
Tribes
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
|
*Amazon: £4.98
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Finding Gold in a Book!, 18 Nov 2008
Despite having a high school education and a college degree, I was never educated on the subject of money. As I leapt into adulthood I found myself in debt 10 years later with no clue how to get out and no clue how to produce wealth in my life. A friend suggested that I read Robert T. Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad". This book has opened my eyes to the logistics of how money works and how I can make it work for me. This book has helped me to take control of my finances and now, at age 39, I am out of debt. I have a deeper understanding of money, like never before, on what I need to do to make my money work for me. Now I am clear on the difference between assets and liabilities.
It's so exciting that Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing his wisdom of financial education. It is one subject that should be added to the educational curriculum. Another subject that was not offered in any of my educational experiences was how to achieve and experience well being. As Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing the gems of financial freedom with the world, authors Ariel and Shya Kane are sharing the priceless knowledge of instantaneous transformation in their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. In their writings, I have discovered the ease that is possible in living. I didn't know much about finances and I found Robert T. Kiyosaki. I searched for enlightenment and I found the Kanes. It's a gift to find authors that can write about what works!
A Transformational Approach to Money, 16 Nov 2008
I really enjoyed the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad". It was a new way of looking at money for me. This book narrated by Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of Robert's real father and his best friends dad. His real dad, "poor dad", worked for his money, while his "rich dad" had his money work for him.
Kiyosaki explains even a person with a lot of money in the bank can be poor, though they have financial wealth in the bank, they are still poor mentally as now they are afraid they are going to lose all their money.
I loved that Kiyosaki says "It's not what you make, it's what you keep" If you make $100K and spend $125k you are poor. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" teaches you to act like, be like and think like a Rich person instead of a poor person.
Another transformational book I really enjoyed was Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane. It is a book of short stories that are inspirational.
THE "RICH DAD" THINKS THAT POOR IS NOT SO CLEVER , 03 Nov 2008
The book offers an easy and enjoyable read. When I was reading the first couple of chapters, it kind of made me feel really excited and I was reading faster and faster as it was giving me the impression that the book was going to give me the "magic formula" to make millions and millions. Unfortunately, the book only gives an overview of the financial and behavioural difference between the rich and the poor. Although it is a very interesting read, it writes about the obvious. The obvious i.e. the difference between the rich and poor, is written in a way as if it is a hidden secret revealed manner and everyone reads it will be ever rich.
Obviously there will be an obvious difference between the rich and poor because one has money and another hasn't. Furthermore, there will be a behavioral and spending difference between the the rich and poor. Another thing that made me feel odd is that I got the impression that the author or "the rich dad" thinks that the poor is stupid and because they are so stupid they are poor.
Please do read this book, it is entertaining but don't expect too much. IT WON'T GIVE YOU THE MAGIC FORMULA TO MAKE MILLIONS!
Must Have Book!, 11 Oct 2008
With probably the weirdest choice of a cover and a title!! Comes an amazing read!
TO be honest with you never have i ever bothered to review anything be that a book or a movie; however this book to me deserve the effort. After i got over the choice of cover and title, choosing not to judge the book by that, i started reading from page one, little did i know i will finish it within days!! No bus journey or train journey went by without this book. The style, emotion and moments captured so elegantly in the book; that no matter how knowledgeable you are- you WILL learn something different.
Rich dad, poor dad - never failed to force me going into a thinking frenzy and review my life and direction as well as agreeing to Every point made. Made me look at finance and my dreams in a different light. Further to it encourage the made theme of the book: Financial IQ!!!
Truly is a life changing book.
Pathetic, 05 Oct 2008
Okay first of all (for those of you who have already read it), how many 9 year olds do you know who have in depth conversations about finances? The author has already stated that 'rich dad is about as real as santa'. This is a very obvious con. I know it has recived 5 stars from many people, and i do understand where they are coming from - this book is inspirational! It really is! And i have given it 2 stars because it does make you realise about making money work for you. but thats it! How many readers have become millionairs? To be honest i think most of this should be common sense anyway.
But what fustrates me the most is this is an obvious con. Just get this so you know what i mean (or you could spend the money putting it into bonds! i hear bradford and bingly are doing great!).
How to get rich slowly, 20 Sep 2008
This is just about the best non fiction book I have ever read and most certainly the best £4 I ever spent.
There are many thousands of books out there which claim to make us millionaires over night, many of which are sold here on Amazon. But while they quite often have overall 5 star ratings, you never actually see any customer reviews informing us they did indeed become a millionaire over night. What The Richest Man In Babylon does though is instead tell us that through using common sense and a bit of self discipline, we can all become rich over time.
The synopsis is simple, through a series of very brief stories taken from recently excavated scrolls perportedly found in the ancient lost city of Babylon, you are told how to manage your money. Each little tale has one main message and pretty much all of them ring true today.
The startling thing about the success of this book for me was that there isn't actually anything new in it. The classic example of this is one of the early messages: 'Spend less than you earn and you will become rich.' Duh! Blatantly obvious really but if you think about it how many of us in this day and age actually do this? Where credit is so easy to obtain, how many of us now live beyond our means? I genuinely feel this should be given to kids and taught in schools as they are the ones who would most benefit from it.
One of the tales did stick in my throat a little bit and is slightly more difficult to apply in today's society: A chap in considerable debt who has decided to turn his life around is advised to go and see all his creditors to inform them that he is sorting it out and that they will get their money back gradually over a certain period, all the while still maintaining his 'spend less than he earns' mantra.
A good idea indeed but not very practicle in today's economy. Let's say an individual owes a large amount on their credit card and their minimum payments plus their other outgoings amount to more than they earn. (sound familiar?!) If he goes to his credit card company and says "look, sorry - I can't pay what you want each month but can give you £100 a month until it's cleared." The credit card company will probably agree to this in some form or another, after all £100 is better than nothing and this is pointed out in the book. But this kind of Individual Voluntary Arrangement today now becomes a social stigma and official black mark against our name, effectively stopping us from getting mortgages or any other type of ligitimate credit in the future.
The author of the 'scrolls' would say that this was not an issue as we should never use credit but today it is a necessary part of life and certainly about the only way most of us would be able to buy a house.
This minor quibble aside, I still wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who listens (and a few who don't, especially if they have kids too young to have made their parents' financial mistakes). Unlike one previous reviewer, I found the style very easy to read and even managed to get through entire chapters while waiting for my kettle to boil!
While there isn't really any true method to follow as such, I've applied the messages to my finances where possible for nearly 2 years now and have reduced my debt to a 10th of what it was and saved up a tidy few quid. I know it won't make me rich over night on it's own but I also know that I certainly won't be working for the rest of my life!
Get it, read it, follow what it says and you will become rich evetually.
Motivating a Wealth Mentality!, 25 Aug 2008
I read this book back in 1994. It has much timeless knowledge.
The Richest Man in Babylon is an inspirational book on helping to create an investment mentality by using parables of how the Richest Man in Babylon would have invested. It is for beginning investors who need good reasons to develop a proper mindset to start working towards becoming financially independent. It also is a good book for recharging a wealth mentality in any investor.
The concepts in the book are simple, but their effects on wealth are profound! For example, George Clason covers The Five Laws of Gold . From the version I read, they are:
I. Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantities to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
II. Gold laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks in the field.
III. Gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
IV. Gold slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keep.
V. Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.
Overall an excellent book for beginners though advanced investors.
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
Financial detox!, 19 Aug 2008
'The Richest Man in Babylon' is inspirational and has radically changed my outlook on my finances. It begins by using a parable about a poor man in Babylon who seeks the advice of a wealthy man to let him know the secrets of his seemingly never ending pot of gold. He discovers that these secrets are actually quite straightforward and easily put into practice, which he does with proven results. Pitfalls are overcome and all the while we are learning the core rules of accumulating wealth, maintaining wealth and, most importantly, multiplying wealth.
Although this book is set in Ancient Babylon the rules still apply today, although now we are talking about money in the bank as opposed to bars of gold or shekels in your purse! Overall this has given me a far more balanced view of my money and life in general. It almost feels like you are cleansing your soul as you read it - a sort of mind detox! So for anyone who dreads opening letters from the bank or buries their head in the sand, this book is for you!
Brilliant, 09 Aug 2008
This book is quite simply brilliant. I have bought copies for other people as presents and all of them really enjoyed it. Yes its message is simple, but simple ideas are nearly always the best. Do your self a favour and just buy it now.
Excellent, 25 Jul 2008
Very good book to help you examine your way of thinking to finance. Ideal for the beach when on holiday or a long plane flight as the book is difficult to put down, one of the few really good books on finance. The government should make this a part of the national curriculum in school to make future generations more responcible and sucessful with their own personal finances.
All-Inclusive Invitation to Lead Combined with Rants about What Not to Do, 28 Nov 2008
This book's theme is unconventional leadership, taking a cause or idea and gathering support without a firm institutional foundation by finding like-minded individuals and connecting them. If that's a new idea to you, you will find the book to be flattering in its encouragement and motivational in its tone. If you are an unconventional leader already or know a lot about how to do this, you will search in vain for anything new in Tribes.
The book's substance is rather thin beyond the few examples and rants.
Here it is:
People are turned into a tribe by "a shared interest" and "a way to communicate" ("leader to tribe, tribe to leader, tribe member to tribe member, and tribe member to outsider"). A leader increases effectiveness for the people by"
"transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change;
"providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications; and
"leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members."
As you can see, he's describing the way causes, nonprofits, political pressure groups, and save the world organizations operate.
Some will be offended by the rants. For example, he takes off rather hard on all religions while being all in favor of faith that you can accomplish whatever you want. There's no real basis for his position other than generalities about how no religions ever favor any changes. Well, if that were the case, there would still be rampant slavery in many nations. It was religious organizations that led the antislavery movement from the beginning.
Mr. Godin is very well informed about things that happened recently on the Internet (or in his own life), but he doesn't seem to have a broader understanding of leadership or change leadership. If either subject interests you, I suggest that you read better informed authors like John Kotter (Leading Change, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, and A Sense of Urgency), John Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, and Developing the Leader Within You), and Peter Drucker (Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
I found his commentary that getting ideas is unimportant to be particularly unhelpful. He feels that leadership is all about passion and communication. But with the wrong ideas, you can be passionate about communicating harmful changes.
Ultimately, this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who cannot stop admiring themselves enough. Mr. Godin will encourage them to take actions so they can admire themselves even more. Whatever happened to servant leadership?
Seth Godin fans can't seem to get enough exhortations and rants directing them to be bigger, bolder, and more assertive than ever before about anything that occurs to them. I suppose I should review these books by comparing them to what New Age gurus suggest rather than serious books about accomplishing useful things.
I was intrigued to see that Mr. Godin addressed those who give his books critical reviews by noting that he's pleased that anyone takes the books seriously. Perhaps they aren't meant to be taken seriously. My mistake.
Essential reading for anyone to understand the web and its power, 26 Nov 2008
Seth Godin has captured the story of many of us out on the web. People who have gathered like minded individuals through sharing, through leadership. Anyone can do this if they want to. This is not a self help book, it is a series of anecdotes that should empower anyone to just get on with it.
For me it is the story of my tribe eigthbar in virtual worlds retold through countless other stories.
The changes are already happening, we are already all connected and able to form these tribes and movements. We can all make the difference we need to, just by doing it.
By far, the best book I have read this year!, 16 Nov 2008
If you want to change the world, or change your bit of it, this is the book for you!
Seth Godin focuses on the role that LEADERSHIP plays in change and makes some powerful observations about the difference between MANAGEMENT and LEADERSHIP. Management is about maintaining stability, about perpetuating the status quo, it is about ensuring that things are done the same way that they have always been done. It is about avoiding change. For managers, change equals risk. Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change that people can believe in. Leadership doesn't avoid change, it thrives on it. For leaders, change equals opportunity.
The book is incredibly well written. It feels as if every page has been handcrafted. Some many find the lack of chapters disconcerting. For me, it just helped the whole flow of the book. Ironically, it almost reads as a set of blog entries (no surprise for anyone that has read "Small is the new Big" or Seth's blog). I find it amusing that many said that the online world would kill off traditional publishing. Well, here is an example of the online world inspiring traditional publishing!
It is very easy to read. I read it in a couple of sittings and the only thing that slowed me down was the fact I made so many notes in it! I highly recommend it. If you are interested in leadership, then you MUST read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I wish I could think and write like Seth Godin. However, I suspect the only thing we have in common is our initials! Great book. Inspiring reading. Thank you, Seth.
Learn how to become a Tribal Leader, 09 Nov 2008
Tribes is the newest addition to Seth Godin's ongoing work of easily readable ideas on "Changing The World". Godin uses a number of real world examples and a number of short stories to underpin the ideas within Tribes. There is nothing in the book, that many of us don't already know, at least on a subconscious level. In certain situations, we must find the initiative to lead. Many of us lead tribes, even if we don't always see it that way.
The book begs the reader into thinking about how we can all challenge the status quo. Both, in our everyday personal and professional lives by taking the lead. Godin is a master at dusting off conventional concepts and presenting them in an enlightening and refreshing new way. He demonstrates the importance of not only leading a tribe of followers, but also nurturing the relationships within it. One of the most powerful aspects of the book is how it is written to speak directly to the reader.
Tribes, is not written as a conventional book with chapters. The book is written more in the style of a conversation, resulting from ideas and conversations from Godin's blog. The book is a essentially a collection of those thoughts, presented beautifully in print. The book is a quick read and does inspire the reader to look at ways where he/she can make a real difference and empower groups of people.
Controversially, Godin describes most people within organisations as "sheepwalkers," those who "have been raised to be obedient" and those that are comfortable "with brain-dead jobs and enough fear to keep in line." For at least a few, leadership brings empowerment and brings opportunities to challenge traditional ways of doing things for the better.
There is a feeling that Godin is in fear. Fear of a world without "everyday" leaders who continue to change things for the better. These everyday leaders are not big CEO's, but rather people like you and me. The book is indeed a call to action.
Godin cites five different reasons as to why people should look for everyday opportunities to lead:
1. "Everyone in an organisation, not just the boss is expected to lead".
2. [Today] "it's easier than ever before to change things [and] individuals have more leverage than ever before". Especially, with tools such as Facebook and Twitter
3. Individuals, and their organisations that "change things and create remarkable products and services" are rewarded in the marketplace.
4. Change is a catalyst and can empower each of us to do something truly remarkable. It is "engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun,".
5. Finally, there is a "tribe" of other people waiting for a leader, "to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go."
Godin states that, great leaders "create movements by empowering the tribe to communicate". They establish the foundation for people to make connections, as opposed to commanding people to follow." Powerful leaders connect members of a tribe by a common interest (e.g. by sharing a passionate goal), and a determination to create things that did not exist before.
Don't be fooled into thinking, Tribes is a technical manual, or a practical step-by-step guide. Because while it encourages you to "lead", it doesn't go into specifics, (which is a good thing). Godin challenges the reader to accept full responsibility for becoming a tribal leader.
"No one gives you permission or approval or a permit to lead, You can just do it. The only one who can say no is you."
Critics may argues that the book lacks "concrete data". However, long time Seth Godin readers will understand that his books are a presentation of ideas. Ideas that spread and win. Tribes is no different. The book could also be criticised for being too short. However, it is extremely well written and in my opinion the right size for the material it covers.
After reading the book, I was left thinking that Tribes was Volume 1. Certainly, another book could soon be followed up. For example, what effects are realised, when tribes collaborate with other tribes forming a "Super Tribe"? Or, what does the leader do when his role is challenged within the tribe?
It's hard to escape the religious metaphors in the book. References to "heretics" and "fundamentalists" echo throughout. In centuries passed, heretics were burned for their religious views. However, in Godin's 21st Century world, heretics may just be the ones that save us from an unremarkable world.
Overall, Tribes is an inspiring read and well worth adding to your Seth Godin collection! Get your copy of Tribes from Amazon
[UPDATE]
Seth was kind enough to answer my three quick questions below:
Q. What inspired you to write Tribes?
A. I see a world where just about everyone is pushed to conform, to fit in, to do what we're told. A workforce filled with sheepwalkers... at the same time, I see people desperately in search of leadership, eager to be connected and to matter. I was hoping to point those two things out and encourage people to take a breath and lead.
Q. How does Seth Godin spend his day?
A. I write, answer email, bother people, notice things, and run my company, Squidoo and my closed online site, triiiibes.
Q. For readers who haven't read Tribes, can you explain the general themes of the book and why you think everyone should buy it?
A. The best thing to do is visit squidoo and see what other people had to say!
Why everyone is now - or can be - a leader but only if...., 05 Nov 2008
Seth Godin's books and blog provide a wealth of information, observations, opinions, and (especially) challenges that can help others to overcome what James O'Toole so aptly characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." In this, his most recent book, he urges his reader to consider and then take full advantage of unprecedented opportunities to become a leader. He cites five different but related reasons: "everyone in an organization - not just the boss - is expected to lead," in today's workplace "it's easier than ever before to change things [and] individuals have more leverage than ever before," those and their organizations that "change things and create remarkable products and services" are rewarded in the marketplace, change initiatives are "engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun," and most of all, there is a "tribe" of other people waiting for a leader "to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go."
In this context, I am reminded of a passage from Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching:
"Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves. "
This is precisely what Godin has in mind when asserting that great leaders "create movements by empowering the tribe [i.e. those with a shared interest] to communicate. They establish the foundation for people to make connections, as opposed to commanding people to follow." The communication to which he refers is between and among the leader and members of a tribe who are connected by a shared interest, a common cause (i.e. "a passionate goal"), and a determination to create things that did not exist before, to achieve something that could happen but hasn't yet. Godin stresses the need for leaders with imagination. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, those who "dream things that never were and say why not."
In his recently published book, Iconoclast, Gregory Berns examines a number of leaders, each of whom was a "breaker or destroyer of images," who in recent years accomplished what others claimed could not be done. When doing so, these modern iconoclasts attacked orthodox beliefs and, in some cases, institutions. "The overarching theme of this book is that iconoclasts are able to do things that others say can't be done, because iconoclasts perceive things differently than other people." Berns goes on to explain that the difference in perception "plays out in the initial stages of an idea. It plays out in how their manage their fears, and it manifests in how they pitch their ideas to the masses of noniconoclasts. It is an exceedingly rare individual who possesses all three of these traits." One of Godin's most important points is that almost anyone can be an iconoclast if she or he creates a movement by empowering a tribe and motivating its members to attack and then destroy the status quo, meanwhile connecting them to each other to leverage their combined strengths.
I agree with Godin that leaders "make a ruckus." So did Alcibiades' drunken seamen who, while ashore and roaming the streets of Athens late one night, smashed sacred icons. But they were vandals, not leaders. They comprised a mob. It is important to keep in mind that Godin's "tribe" is not a mob, nor is it a crowd. "A crowd is a tribe without a leader. A crowd is a tribe without communication." It is easy to collect a crowd. The objective, Godin, suggests, is to create a tribe. Will it be easy? Of course not. That requires more time and effort to motivate, connect, and leverage its members. Also, it is necessary for leaders to overcome fear, not of failure but of blame. "We chose not to be remarkable because we're worried about criticism." Recent research conducted by the Gallup Organization indicates that 29% of the U.S. workforce is engaged (i.e. loyal, enthusiastic, and productive) whereas 55% is passively disengaged. That is, they are going through the motions, doing only what they must, "mailing it in," coasting, etc. What about the other 16%? They are actively disengaged in that they are doing whatever they can to undermine their employer's efforts to succeed. They have a toxic impact on their associates and, in many instances, on customer relations.
Godin would describe the passively disengaged as "sleepwalkers," those who "have been raised to be obedient" and are comfortable "with brain-dead jobs and enough fear to keep in line." For at least some of them, leaders provide the will to make something better happen. (I could be wrong but I doubt if he would characterize actively disengaged as "heretics." That is, those who are "engaged, passionate, and more powerful and happier than anyone else.") Those whom Godin calls to action are chalenged to threaten the status quo, demonstrating what Joseph Schumpeter describes as "creative destruction." With effective leadership, they support and are supported by their tribe to achieve, together, beneficial change whereas the actively disengaged seek only disruption and destruction.
In my opinion, this is Seth Godin's most important book thus far because he challenges his reader to accept full responsibility for becoming a tribal leader of principled and productive agents of positive change. "No one gives you permission or approval or a permit to lead, You can just do it. The only one who can say no is you." But he doesn't stop there. He also challenges his reader to share his book with others. "Ask them to read it. Beg them to make a choice about leadership. We need them. We need you. Spread the word. Thanks."
Now what? I presume to suggest that you read this book. Then what? That's up to you.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Finding Gold in a Book!, 18 Nov 2008
Despite having a high school education and a college degree, I was never educated on the subject of money. As I leapt into adulthood I found myself in debt 10 years later with no clue how to get out and no clue how to produce wealth in my life. A friend suggested that I read Robert T. Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad". This book has opened my eyes to the logistics of how money works and how I can make it work for me. This book has helped me to take control of my finances and now, at age 39, I am out of debt. I have a deeper understanding of money, like never before, on what I need to do to make my money work for me. Now I am clear on the difference between assets and liabilities.
It's so exciting that Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing his wisdom of financial education. It is one subject that should be added to the educational curriculum. Another subject that was not offered in any of my educational experiences was how to achieve and experience well being. As Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing the gems of financial freedom with the world, authors Ariel and Shya Kane are sharing the priceless knowledge of instantaneous transformation in their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. In their writings, I have discovered the ease that is possible in living. I didn't know much about finances and I found Robert T. Kiyosaki. I searched for enlightenment and I found the Kanes. It's a gift to find authors that can write about what works!
A Transformational Approach to Money, 16 Nov 2008
I really enjoyed the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad". It was a new way of looking at money for me. This book narrated by Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of Robert's real father and his best friends dad. His real dad, "poor dad", worked for his money, while his "rich dad" had his money work for him.
Kiyosaki explains even a person with a lot of money in the bank can be poor, though they have financial wealth in the bank, they are still poor mentally as now they are afraid they are going to lose all their money.
I loved that Kiyosaki says "It's not what you make, it's what you keep" If you make $100K and spend $125k you are poor. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" teaches you to act like, be like and think like a Rich person instead of a poor person.
Another transformational book I really enjoyed was Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane. It is a book of short stories that are inspirational.
THE "RICH DAD" THINKS THAT POOR IS NOT SO CLEVER , 03 Nov 2008
The book offers an easy and enjoyable read. When I was reading the first couple of chapters, it kind of made me feel really excited and I was reading faster and faster as it was giving me the impression that the book was going to give me the "magic formula" to make millions and millions. Unfortunately, the book only gives an overview of the financial and behavioural difference between the rich and the poor. Although it is a very interesting read, it writes about the obvious. The obvious i.e. the difference between the rich and poor, is written in a way as if it is a hidden secret revealed manner and everyone reads it will be ever rich.
Obviously there will be an obvious difference between the rich and poor because one has money and another hasn't. Furthermore, there will be a behavioral and spending difference between the the rich and poor. Another thing that made me feel odd is that I got the impression that the author or "the rich dad" thinks that the poor is stupid and because they are so stupid they are poor.
Please do read this book, it is entertaining but don't expect too much. IT WON'T GIVE YOU THE MAGIC FORMULA TO MAKE MILLIONS!
Must Have Book!, 11 Oct 2008
With probably the weirdest choice of a cover and a title!! Comes an amazing read!
TO be honest with you never have i ever bothered to review anything be that a book or a movie; however this book to me deserve the effort. After i got over the choice of cover and title, choosing not to judge the book by that, i started reading from page one, little did i know i will finish it within days!! No bus journey or train journey went by without this book. The style, emotion and moments captured so elegantly in the book; that no matter how knowledgeable you are- you WILL learn something different.
Rich dad, poor dad - never failed to force me going into a thinking frenzy and review my life and direction as well as agreeing to Every point made. Made me look at finance and my dreams in a different light. Further to it encourage the made theme of the book: Financial IQ!!!
Truly is a life changing book.
Pathetic, 05 Oct 2008
Okay first of all (for those of you who have already read it), how many 9 year olds do you know who have in depth conversations about finances? The author has already stated that 'rich dad is about as real as santa'. This is a very obvious con. I know it has recived 5 stars from many people, and i do understand where they are coming from - this book is inspirational! It really is! And i have given it 2 stars because it does make you realise about making money work for you. but thats it! How many readers have become millionairs? To be honest i think most of this should be common sense anyway.
But what fustrates me the most is this is an obvious con. Just get this so you know what i mean (or you could spend the money putting it into bonds! i hear bradford and bingly are doing great!).
How to get rich slowly, 20 Sep 2008
This is just about the best non fiction book I have ever read and most certainly the best £4 I ever spent.
There are many thousands of books out there which claim to make us millionaires over night, many of which are sold here on Amazon. But while they quite often have overall 5 star ratings, you never actually see any customer reviews informing us they did indeed become a millionaire over night. What The Richest Man In Babylon does though is instead tell us that through using common sense and a bit of self discipline, we can all become rich over time.
The synopsis is simple, through a series of very brief stories taken from recently excavated scrolls perportedly found in the ancient lost city of Babylon, you are told how to manage your money. Each little tale has one main message and pretty much all of them ring true today.
The startling thing about the success of this book for me was that there isn't actually anything new in it. The classic example of this is one of the early messages: 'Spend less than you earn and you will become rich.' Duh! Blatantly obvious really but if you think about it how many of us in this day and age actually do this? Where credit is so easy to obtain, how many of us now live beyond our means? I genuinely feel this should be given to kids and taught in schools as they are the ones who would most benefit from it.
One of the tales did stick in my throat a little bit and is slightly more difficult to apply in today's society: A chap in considerable debt who has decided to turn his life around is advised to go and see all his creditors to inform them that he is sorting it out and that they will get their money back gradually over a certain period, all the while still maintaining his 'spend less than he earns' mantra.
A good idea indeed but not very practicle in today's economy. Let's say an individual owes a large amount on their credit card and their minimum payments plus their other outgoings amount to more than they earn. (sound familiar?!) If he goes to his credit card company and says "look, sorry - I can't pay what you want each month but can give you £100 a month until it's cleared." The credit card company will probably agree to this in some form or another, after all £100 is better than nothing and this is pointed out in the book. But this kind of Individual Voluntary Arrangement today now becomes a social stigma and official black mark against our name, effectively stopping us from getting mortgages or any other type of ligitimate credit in the future.
The author of the 'scrolls' would say that this was not an issue as we should never use credit but today it is a necessary part of life and certainly about the only way most of us would be able to buy a house.
This minor quibble aside, I still wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who listens (and a few who don't, especially if they have kids too young to have made their parents' financial mistakes). Unlike one previous reviewer, I found the style very easy to read and even managed to get through entire chapters while waiting for my kettle to boil!
While there isn't really any true method to follow as such, I've applied the messages to my finances where possible for nearly 2 years now and have reduced my debt to a 10th of what it was and saved up a tidy few quid. I know it won't make me rich over night on it's own but I also know that I certainly won't be working for the rest of my life!
Get it, read it, follow what it says and you will become rich evetually.
Motivating a Wealth Mentality!, 25 Aug 2008
I read this book back in 1994. It has much timeless knowledge.
The Richest Man in Babylon is an inspirational book on helping to create an investment mentality by using parables of how the Richest Man in Babylon would have invested. It is for beginning investors who need good reasons to develop a proper mindset to start working towards becoming financially independent. It also is a good book for recharging a wealth mentality in any investor.
The concepts in the book are simple, but their effects on wealth are profound! For example, George Clason covers The Five Laws of Gold . From the version I read, they are:
I. Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantities to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
II. Gold laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks in the field.
III. Gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
IV. Gold slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keep.
V. Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.
Overall an excellent book for beginners though advanced investors.
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
Financial detox!, 19 Aug 2008
'The Richest Man in Babylon' is inspirational and has radically changed my outlook on my finances. It begins by using a parable about a poor man in Babylon who seeks the advice of a wealthy man to let him know the secrets of his seemingly never ending pot of gold. He discovers that these secrets are actually quite straightforward and easily put into practice, which he does with proven results. Pitfalls are overcome and all the while we are learning the core rules of accumulating wealth, maintaining wealth and, most importantly, multiplying wealth.
Although this book is set in Ancient Babylon the rules still apply today, although now we are talking about money in the bank as opposed to bars of gold or shekels in your purse! Overall this has given me a far more balanced view of my money and life in general. It almost feels like you are cleansing your soul as you read it - a sort of mind detox! So for anyone who dreads opening letters from the bank or buries their head in the sand, this book is for you!
Brilliant, 09 Aug 2008
This book is quite simply brilliant. I have bought copies for other people as presents and all of them really enjoyed it. Yes its message is simple, but simple ideas are nearly always the best. Do your self a favour and just buy it now.
Excellent, 25 Jul 2008
Very good book to help you examine your way of thinking to finance. Ideal for the beach when on holiday or a long plane flight as the book is difficult to put down, one of the few really good books on finance. The government should make this a part of the national curriculum in school to make future generations more responcible and sucessful with their own personal finances.
All-Inclusive Invitation to Lead Combined with Rants about What Not to Do, 28 Nov 2008
This book's theme is unconventional leadership, taking a cause or idea and gathering support without a firm institutional foundation by finding like-minded individuals and connecting them. If that's a new idea to you, you will find the book to be flattering in its encouragement and motivational in its tone. If you are an unconventional leader already or know a lot about how to do this, you will search in vain for anything new in Tribes.
The book's substance is rather thin beyond the few examples and rants.
Here it is:
People are turned into a tribe by "a shared interest" and "a way to communicate" ("leader to tribe, tribe to leader, tribe member to tribe member, and tribe member to outsider"). A leader increases effectiveness for the people by"
"transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change;
"providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications; and
"leveraging the tribe to allow it to grow and gain new members."
As you can see, he's describing the way causes, nonprofits, political pressure groups, and save the world organizations operate.
Some will be offended by the rants. For example, he takes off rather hard on all religions while being all in favor of faith that you can accomplish whatever you want. There's no real basis for his position other than generalities about how no religions ever favor any changes. Well, if that were the case, there would still be rampant slavery in many nations. It was religious organizations that led the antislavery movement from the beginning.
Mr. Godin is very well informed about things that happened recently on the Internet (or in his own life), but he doesn't seem to have a broader understanding of leadership or change leadership. If either subject interests you, I suggest that you read better informed authors like John Kotter (Leading Change, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, and A Sense of Urgency), John Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, and Developing the Leader Within You), and Peter Drucker (Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
I found his commentary that getting ideas is unimportant to be particularly unhelpful. He feels that leadership is all about passion and communication. But with the wrong ideas, you can be passionate about communicating harmful changes.
Ultimately, this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who cannot stop admiring themselves enough. Mr. Godin will encourage them to take actions so they can admire themselves even more. Whatever happened to servant leadership?
Seth Godin fans can't seem to get enough exhortations and rants directing them to be bigger, bolder, and more assertive than ever before about anything that occurs to them. I suppose I should review these books by comparing them to what New Age gurus suggest rather than serious books about accomplishing useful things.
I was intrigued to see that Mr. Godin addressed those who give his books critical reviews by noting that he's pleased that anyone takes the books seriously. Perhaps they aren't meant to be taken seriously. My mistake.
Essential reading for anyone to understand the web and its power, 26 Nov 2008
Seth Godin has captured the story of many of us out on the web. People who have gathered like minded individuals through sharing, through leadership. Anyone can do this if they want to. This is not a self help book, it is a series of anecdotes that should empower anyone to just get on with it.
For me it is the story of my tribe eigthbar in virtual worlds retold through countless other stories.
The changes are already happening, we are already all connected and able to form these tribes and movements. We can all make the difference we need to, just by doing it.
By far, the best book I have read this year!, 16 Nov 2008
If you want to change the world, or change your bit of it, this is the book for you!
Seth Godin focuses on the role that LEADERSHIP plays in change and makes some powerful observations about the difference between MANAGEMENT and LEADERSHIP. Management is about maintaining stability, about perpetuating the status quo, it is about ensuring that things are done the same way that they have always been done. It is about avoiding change. For managers, change equals risk. Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change that people can believe in. Leadership doesn't avoid change, it thrives on it. For leaders, change equals opportunity.
The book is incredibly well written. It feels as if every page has been handcrafted. Some many find the lack of chapters disconcerting. For me, it just helped the whole flow of the book. Ironically, it almost reads as a set of blog entries (no surprise for anyone that has read "Small is the new Big" or Seth's blog). I find it amusing that many said that the online world would kill off traditional publishing. Well, here is an example of the online world inspiring traditional publishing!
It is very easy to read. I read it in a couple of sittings and the only thing that slowed me down was the fact I made so many notes in it! I highly recommend it. If you are interested in leadership, then you MUST read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I wish I could think and write like Seth Godin. However, I suspect the only thing we have in common is our initials! Great book. Inspiring reading. Thank you, Seth.
Learn how to become a Tribal Leader, 09 Nov 2008
Tribes is the newest addition to Seth Godin's ongoing work of easily readable ideas on "Changing The World". Godin uses a number of real world examples and a number of short stories to underpin the ideas within Tribes. There is nothing in the book, that many of us don't already know, at least on a subconscious level. In certain situations, we must find the initiative to lead. Many of us lead tribes, even if we don't always see it that way.
The book begs the reader into thinking about how we can all challenge the status quo. Both, in our everyday personal and professional lives by taking the lead. Godin is a master at dusting off conventional concepts and presenting them in an enlightening and refreshing new way. He demonstrates the importance of not only leading a tribe of followers, but also nurturing the relationships within it. One of the most powerful aspects of the book is how it is written to speak directly to the reader.
Tribes, is not written as a conventional book with chapters. The book is written more in the style of a conversation, resulting from ideas and conversations from Godin's blog. The book is a essentially a collection of those thoughts, presented beautifully in print. The book is a quick read and does inspire the reader to look at ways where he/she can make a real difference and empower groups of people.
Controversially, Godin describes most people within organisations as "sheepwalkers," those who "have been raised to be obedient" and those that are comfortable "with brain-dead jobs and enough fear to keep in line." For at least a few, leadership brings empowerment and brings opportunities to challenge traditional ways of doing things for the better.
There is a feeling that Godin is in fear. Fear of a world without "everyday" leaders who continue to change things for the better. These everyday leaders are not big CEO's, but rather people like you and me. The book is indeed a call to action.
Godin cites five different reasons as to why people should look for everyday opportunities to lead:
1. "Everyone in an organisation, not just the boss is expected to lead".
2. [Today] "it's easier than ever before to change things [and] individuals have more leverage than ever before". Especially, with tools such as Facebook and Twitter
3. Individuals, and their organisations that "change things and create remarkable products and services" are rewarded in the marketplace.
4. Change is a catalyst and can empower each of us to do something truly remarkable. It is "engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun,".
5. Finally, there is a "tribe" of other people waiting for a leader, "to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go."
Godin states that, great leaders "create movements by empowering the tribe to communicate". They establish the foundation for people to make connections, as opposed to commanding people to follow." Powerful leaders connect members of a tribe by a common interest (e.g. by sharing a passionate goal), and a determination to create things that did not exist before.
Don't be fooled into thinking, Tribes is a technical manual, or a practical step-by-step guide. Because while it encourages you to "lead", it doesn't go into specifics, (which is a good thing). Godin challenges the reader to accept full responsibility for becoming a tribal leader.
"No one gives you permission or approval or a permit to lead, You can just do it. The only one who can say no is you."
Critics may argues that the book lacks "concrete data". However, long time Seth Godin readers will understand that his books are a presentation of ideas. Ideas that spread and win. Tribes is no different. The book could also be criticised for being too short. However, it is extremely well written and in my opinion the right size for the material it covers.
After reading the book, I was left thinking that Tribes was Volume 1. Certainly, another book could soon be followed up. For example, what effects are realised, when tribes collaborate with other tribes forming a "Super Tribe"? Or, what does the leader do when his role is challenged within the tribe?
It's hard to escape the religious metaphors in the book. References to "heretics" and "fundamentalists" echo throughout. In centuries passed, heretics were burned for their religious views. However, in Godin's 21st Century world, heretics may just be the ones that save us from an unremarkable world.
Overall, Tribes is an inspiring read and well worth adding to your Seth Godin collection! Get your copy of Tribes from Amazon
[UPDATE]
Seth was kind enough to answer my three quick questions below:
Q. What inspired you to write Tribes?
A. I see a world where just about everyone is pushed to conform, to fit in, to do what we're told. A workforce filled with sheepwalkers... at the same time, I see people desperately in search of leadership, eager to be connected and to matter. I was hoping to point those two things out and encourage people to take a breath and lead.
Q. How does Seth Godin spend his day?
A. I write, answer email, bother people, notice things, and run my company, Squidoo and my closed online site, triiiibes.
Q. For readers who haven't read Tribes, can you explain the general themes of the book and why you think everyone should buy it?
A. The best thing to do is visit squidoo and see what other people had to say!
Why everyone is now - or can be - a leader but only if...., 05 Nov 2008
Seth Godin's books and blog provide a wealth of information, observations, opinions, and (especially) challenges that can help others to overcome what James O'Toole so aptly characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." In this, his most recent book, he urges his reader to consider and then take full advantage of unprecedented opportunities to become a leader. He cites five different but related reasons: "everyone in an organization - not just the boss - is expected to lead," in today's workplace "it's easier than ever before to change things [and] individuals have more leverage than ever before," those and their organizations that "change things and create remarkable products and services" are rewarded in the marketplace, change initiatives are "engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun," and most of all, there is a "tribe" of other people waiting for a leader "to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go."
In this context, I am reminded of a passage from Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching:
"Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves. "
This is precisely what Godin has in mind when asserting that great leaders "create movements by empowering the tribe [i.e. those with a shared interest] to communicate. They establish the foundation for people to make connections, as opposed to commanding people to follow." The communication to which he refers is between and among the leader and members of a tribe who are connected by a shared interest, a common cause (i.e. "a passionate goal"), and a determination to create things that did not exist before, to achieve something that could happen but hasn't yet. Godin stresses the need for leaders with imagination. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, those who "dream things that never were and say why not."
In his recently published book, Iconoclast, Gregory Berns examines a number of leaders, each of whom was a "breaker or destroyer of images," who in recent years accomplished what others claimed could not be done. When doing so, these modern iconoclasts attacked orthodox beliefs and, in some cases, institutions. "The overarching theme of this book is that iconoclasts are able to do things that others say can't be done, because iconoclasts perceive things differently than other people." Berns goes on to explain that the difference in perception "plays out in the initial stages of an idea. It plays out in how their manage their fears, and it manifests in how they pitch their ideas to the masses of noniconoclasts. It is an exceedingly rare individual who possesses all three of these traits." One of Godin's most important points is that almost anyone can be an iconoclast if she or he creates a movement by empowering a tribe and motivating its members to attack and then destroy the status quo, meanwhile connecting them to each other to leverage their combined strengths.
I agree with Godin that leaders "make a ruckus." So did Alcibiades' drunken seamen who, while ashore and roaming the streets of Athens late one night, smashed sacred icons. But they were vandals, not leaders. They comprised a mob. It is important to keep in mind that Godin's "tribe" is not a mob, nor is it a crowd. "A crowd is a tribe without a leader. A crowd is a tribe without communication." It is easy to collect a crowd. The objective, Godin, suggests, is to create a tribe. Will it be easy? Of course not. That requires more time and effort to motivate, connect, and leverage its members. Also, it is necessary for leaders to overcome fear, not of failure but of blame. "We chose not to be remarkable because we're worried about criticism." Recent research conducted by the Gallup Organization indicates that 29% of the U.S. workforce is engaged (i.e. loyal, enthusiastic, and productive) whereas 55% is passively disengaged. That is, they are going through the motions, doing only what they must, "mailing it in," coasting, etc. What about the other 16%? They are actively disengaged in that they are doing whatever they can to undermine their employer's efforts to succeed. They have a toxic impact on their associates and, in many instances, on customer relations.
Godin would describe the passively disengaged as "sleepwalkers," those who "have been raised to be obedient" and are comfortable "with brain-dead jobs and enough fear to keep in line." For at least some of them, leaders provide the will to make something better happen. (I could be wrong but I doubt if he would characterize actively disengaged as "heretics." That is, those who are "engaged, passionate, and more powerful and happier than anyone else.") Those whom Godin calls to action are chalenged to threaten the status quo, demonstrating what Joseph Schumpeter describes as "creative destruction." With effective leadership, they support and are supported by their tribe to achieve, together, beneficial change whereas the actively disengaged seek only disruption and destruction.
In my opinion, this is Seth Godin's most important book thus far because he challenges his reader to accept full responsibility for becoming a tribal leader of principled and productive agents of positive change. "No one gives you permission or approval or a permit to lead, You can just do it. The only one who can say no is you." But he doesn't stop there. He also challenges his reader to share his book with others. "Ask them to read it. Beg them to make a choice about leadership. We need them. We need you. Spread the word. Thanks."
Now what? I presume to suggest that you read this book. Then what? That's up to you.
Simply Brilliant - a must read if the collapse of Enron interests you, 22 Sep 2008
As someone from the media industry, when the Enron scandal was among us, I noted with unhinged irony how books, literature and exposés on the failed giant were simply mushrooming as the subject itself was in ruins. I wondered if there would ever be a book we could describe as the complete package. I am positively delighted to observe that this book is it.
The authors Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind read between the lines, probed and told the story with the sort of brevity and authoritative panache that few Enron insiders have managed, let alone mainstream observers. It would be prudent to remember that McLean, as a reporter, first asked the question about what makes Enron tick; something which had been troubling analysts in certain quarters for a while back in 2001.
Her probing mind and objective treatment of the subject is well reflected in this exceptional account following Enron's collapse. The authors promised to chart the "amazing rise and scandalous fall or Enron", and I feel that they have delivered.
This book is not one-dimensional, it is multi-layered. Whistle-blowing, leaked emails, hidden trading fiascos, evoking of the Fifth Amendment by Enron executives, overseas misadventures, deception, a culture of greed and human tragedy have all been treated at length. Fragile egos of its executives, traders' cockiness and even idiosyncrasies of the egregious Jeff Skilling (CEO of Enron) have been described in considerable detail. The brilliance of this work is that authors' insight into the minds of the Enron executives against a backdrop of the company's wider culture helps the reader understand what ultimately triggered its downfall.
I am inclined to think that Smartest Guys in the Room, is the best and the most definitive book on the Enron fiasco till date and it would take some Herculean effort to better it. It's a must read if the Enron scandal interests you, hit you or intrigues you. If you wish to know about the episode for the very first time, look no further than this riveting account.
Thoroughly engaging, 16 Jul 2008
I found this book to be extremely engaging. I knew nothing in advance of the details of the downfall of Enron but found the balance between the technical aspects and the personalities involved easy to follow and extremely interesting. A great read and a good warning of egos riding roughshod over reality.
Barbarians in the Accounting Department, 03 Mar 2007
This is a great book about a truly remarkable part of our economic history. I have a minor physical complaint I might as well get off my chest: In their desire to make sure readers get bang for buck (fear not: you do), the publishers have elected to set this book in miniscule type, meaning firstly that you may need reading glasses if not before then after reading it, and secondly that while this looks like a 400 page book, if it were ordinarily typeset it would have the heft of an MM Kaye novel.
On the other hand, if over-length in a business book is the sort of thing that dissuades you, don't let it: this is one of the most riveting books on the history of finance you'll read, and it gets more and more addictive the further you go on.
As a number of reviewers have noted, it is simply staggering that Enron can have ever got where it got to at all, let alone stayed there for the best part of a decade, with all the ostenisble checks and balances that sophisticated capital markets provide. Staggering. In checks and balances I don't mean regulators, who will always be the last ones to find out where market-based moral turpitude is concerned, but investors, stock analysts, brokers, lenders, rating agencies and fund managers: people who don't just earn huge remuneration, but stake their reputations on being sceptical in the face of unconvincing bluster.
But as McLean and Elkind make clear in chapter after chapter, barely disguised and unconvinving bluster was, in large part, all Enron was. For all the "black box" accounting, it is simply inconceivable that Enron's true internal wiring could be kept anything like properly secret, since far too many people had to know about it. Internal and external to Enron there must have been junior lawyers, accountants, auditors, traders and marketers who all had to know what was going on, and people *do* talk: they gossip, they change jobs, they make inappropriate remarks. What's more, the existence (if not the detail) of many of the more toxic situations - the LJM Partnerships, the prepay contracts - were on the public record, so the burning question to my mind, which McLean and Elkind do not address, isn't so much how people could have been so greedy and deceitful (that's not hard to understand at all), but what sociological and psychological factors caused everyone else, collectively, to entirely suspend the critical faculties which they used to evaluate risks in the market. This is no idle query: accurately calibrating and understanding risk is the very key to making money on Wall Street: it's hardly an incidental oversight.
Making a pejorative moral assessment of the acts of the Skillings and Lays with the benefit of hindsight is futile, self-serving, and actually unjust: our moral view of corporate behaviour *today* is conditioned and informed by the example of Enron; before Enron, our moral view was ipso facto different - if it hadn't been, Enron couldn't have happened.
If we assume that, in the context of the markets, "moral consensus" is aimed at making sure people don't needlessly mislead, deceive or unfairly disadvantage each other, the far more interesting question is *how could the prevailing moral framework have failed so badly*? Why was it so inadequate at dealing with outcomes of actions we can now see (with the benefit of hindsight and our newly adjusted moral binoculars) are transparently odious?
And that prompts a deeper question yet: what could it be about *our* prevailing economic mores which could allow a disaster on a similar scale to happen again?
Had Elkind and MacLean ventured into that territory this would have been an outstanding book (it is still worth 5 stars in my view): as it was - and with an admirable absence of judgmental prurience - the writers stick to pure reportage, to the point where the epilogue ends rather abruptly without so much as a conclusion.
But that's small beer: this is a fascinating, rewarding read.
Olly Buxton
You must read this astounding book, 27 Jan 2007
I knew a little of the Enron story but the hard facts are absolutely astonishing. The book shines a very harsh light on the world of high finance and exposes the shenanigans. This is a story of venal greed and corruption on an almost Biblical scale. Any confidence one might have in the investment industry is just swept away by this book.
It reads like a thriller and is a real 'page turner' although sometimes it takes a couple of reads before I vaguely understand some of the financial scams (maybe it's just me). I would recommend this book whole heartedly.
If you have a pension, be afraid, be very afraid, 19 Jul 2006
This book does exactly what it says on the cover - it charts the amazing rise and scandalous fall of Enron. It is well written, lucid, and chronicles the trail of havoc and destruction left by a gang of greedy and corrupt men. From the outset the company recruited as its executives only people of above average intellegence, and virtually to a man they used that intellegence to lie, cheat, and steal. Cynically, it was the very regulations put in place to prevent fraud that Enron and its collaborators used as inspiration to cheat their shareholders and employees. Their accomplices, the accounting firms, law firms, and investment banks, were all complicit. As long as the fees kept rolling in, everything was just fine.
But ironically, as zealous prophets of a free market, it was the free market that eventually brought Enron down. It wasn't the regulators, or conscience-stricken advisors, that sounded the company's death-knell - it was short sellers.
The frightening thing is that even after a few exemplary jail terms and fines, they are all still out there - managing your money. You would get a better, more honest, more open, bargain from a drug dealer than you would from the investment community. Be afraid, be very afraid - and if you are not, buy the book, because you will be after you've read it.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Product Description
Smart people often believe that the opinion of the crowd is always inferior to the opinion of the individual specialist. Philosophical giants such as Nietzsche thought that "Madness is the exception in individuals but the rule in groups". Henry David Thoreau lamented: "The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest member." The motto of the great and the ordinary seems to be: Bet on the expert because crowds are generally stupid and often dangerous. Business columnist James Surowiecki's new book The Wisdom of Crowds explains exactly why the conventional wisdom is wrong. The fact is that, under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them. Groups don't even need to be dominated by exceptionally intelligent people in order to be smart. Even if most of the people within a group are not especially well-informed or rational, it can still reach a collectively wise decision. Why? Because, as it turns out, if you ask a large enough group of diverse, independent people to make a prediction or estimate a probability, and then average those estimates, the errors each of them makes in coming up with an answer will cancel themselves out. Not any old crowd will do of course. For the crowd to be wise it has to satisfy four specific conditions, but once those conditions are met, its judgment is likely to be accurate. Surowieki concentrates on three kinds of problems. The first are cognition problems (problems that are likely to have definitive answers, such as: "How many books will Amazon sell this month?"). The second are problems of coordination (problems requiring members of a group to figure out how to coordinate their behaviour with one another) and the third are problems of cooperation (getting self-interested, distrustful people to work together-- despite their selfishness). The brilliant first half of the book illustrates this theory with practical examples. The second half of the book essentially consists of case studies with each chapter talking about the way collective intelligence either flourishes or flounders. Much of this part deals with business topics such as corporations, markets and the dynamics of a stock-market bubble. Surowieki has an engaging, direct style defending his surprising central thesis in entertaining ways by, for example, talking about laying bets on football games and political elections; traffic jams; Google; the Challenger explosion and the search for a missing submarine. The Wisdom of Crowds is an entertaining book making a serious point and by the end of the superb first half the reader has been made to accept that, while with most things, the average is mediocrity, when it comes to decision-making the average results in excellence. --Larry BrownSmart people often believe that the opinion of the crowd is always inferior to the opinion of the individual specialist. Philosophical giants such as Nietzsche thought that "Madness is the exception in individuals but the rule in groups". Henry David Thoreau lamented: "The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest member." The motto of the great and the ordinary seems to be: Bet on the expert because crowds are generally stupid and often dangerous. Business columnist James Surowiecki's new book The Wisdom of Crowds explains exactly why the conventional wisdom is wrong. The fact is that, under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them. Groups don't even need to be dominated by exceptionally intelligent people in order to be smart. Even if most of the people within a group are not especially well-informed or rational, it can still reach a collectively wise decision. Why? Because, as it turns out, if you ask a large enough group of diverse, independent people to make a prediction or estimate a probability, and then average those estimates, the errors each of them makes in coming up with an answer will cancel themselves out. Not any old crowd will do of course. For the crowd to be wise it has to satisfy four specific conditions, but once those conditions are met, its judgment is likely to be accurate. Surowieki concentrates on three kinds of problems. The first are cognition problems (problems that are likely to have definitive answers, such as: "How many books will Amazon sell this month?"). The second are problems of coordination (problems requiring members of a group to figure out how to coordinate their behaviour with one another) and the third are problems of cooperation (getting self-interested, distrustful people to work together-- despite their selfishness). The brilliant first half of the book illustrates this theory with practical examples. The second half of the book essentially consists of case studies with each chapter talking about the way collective intelligence either flourishes or flounders. Much of this part deals with business topics such as corporations, markets and the dynamics of a stock-market bubble. Surowieki has an engaging, direct style defending his surprising central thesis in entertaining ways by, for example, talking about laying bets on football games and political elections; traffic jams; Google; the Challenger explosion and the search for a missing submarine. The Wisdom of Crowds is an entertaining book making a serious point and by the end of the superb first half the reader has been made to accept that, while with most things, the average is mediocrity, when it comes to decision-making the average results in excellence. --Larry Brown
Customer Reviews
Finding Gold in a Book!, 18 Nov 2008
Despite having a high school education and a college degree, I was never educated on the subject of money. As I leapt into adulthood I found myself in debt 10 years later with no clue how to get out and no clue how to produce wealth in my life. A friend suggested that I read Robert T. Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad". This book has opened my eyes to the logistics of how money works and how I can make it work for me. This book has helped me to take control of my finances and now, at age 39, I am out of debt. I have a deeper understanding of money, like never before, on what I need to do to make my money work for me. Now I am clear on the difference between assets and liabilities.
It's so exciting that Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing his wisdom of financial education. It is one subject that should be added to the educational curriculum. Another subject that was not offered in any of my educational experiences was how to achieve and experience well being. As Robert T. Kiyosaki is sharing the gems of financial freedom with the world, authors Ariel and Shya Kane are sharing the priceless knowledge of instantaneous transformation in their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. In their writings, I have discovered the ease that is possible in living. I didn't know much about finances and I found Robert T. Kiyosaki. I searched for enlightenment and I found the Kanes. It's a gift to find authors that can write about what works!
A Transformational Approach to Money, 16 Nov 2008
I really enjoyed the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad". It was a new way of looking at money for me. This book narrated by Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of Robert's real father and his best friends dad. His real dad, "poor dad", worked for his money, while his "rich dad" had his money work for him.
Kiyosaki explains even a person with a lot of money in the bank can be poor, though they have financial wealth in the bank, they are still poor mentally as now they are afraid they are going to lose all their money.
I loved that Kiyosaki says "It's not what you make, it's what you keep" If you make $100K and spend $125k you are poor. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" teaches you to act like, be like and think like a Rich person instead of a poor person.
Another transformational book I really enjoyed was Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane. It is a book of short stories that are inspirational.
THE "RICH DAD" THINKS THAT POOR IS NOT SO CLEVER , 03 Nov 2008
The book offers an easy and enjoyable read. When I was reading the first couple of chapters, it kind of made me feel really excited and I was reading faster and faster as it was giving me the impression that the book was going to give me the "magic formula" to make millions and millions. Unfortunately, the book only gives an overview of the financial and behavioural difference between the rich and the poor. Although it is a very interesting read, it writes about the obvious. The obvious i.e. the difference between the rich and poor, is written in a way as if it is a hidden secret revealed manner and everyone reads it will be ever rich.
Obviously there will be an obvious difference between the rich and poor because one has money and another hasn't. Furthermore, there will be a behavioral and spending difference between the the rich and poor. Another thing that made me feel odd is that I got the impression that the author or "the rich dad" thinks that the poor is stupid and because they are so stupid they are poor.
Please do read this book, it is entertaining but don't expect too much. IT WON'T GIVE YOU THE MAGIC FORMULA TO MAKE MILLIONS!
Must Have Book!, 11 Oct 2008
With probably the weirdest choice of a cover and a title!! Comes an amazing read!
TO be honest with you never have i ever bothered to review anything be that a book or a movie; however this book to me deserve the effort. After i got over the choice of cover and title, choosing not to judge the book by that, i started reading from page one, little did i know i will finish it within days!! No bus journey or train journey went by without this book. The style, emotion and moments captured so elegantly in the book; that no matter how knowledgeable you are- you WILL learn something different.
Rich dad, poor dad - never failed to force me going into a thinking frenzy and review my life and direction as well as agreeing to Every point made. Made me look at finance and my dreams in a different light. Further to it encourage the made theme of the book: Financial IQ!!!
Truly is a life changing book.
Pathetic, 05 Oct 2008
Okay first of all (for those of you who have already read it), how many 9 year olds do you know who have in depth conversations about finances? The author has already stated that 'rich dad is about as real as santa'. This is a very obvious con. I know it has recived 5 stars from many people, and i do understand where they are coming from - this book is inspirational! It really is! And i have given it 2 stars because it does make you realise about making money work for you. but thats it! How many readers have become millionairs? To be honest i think most of this should be common sense anyway.
But what fustrates me the most is this is an obvious con. Just get this so you know what i mean (or you could spend the money putting it into bonds! i hear bradford and bingly are doing great!).
How to get rich slowly, 20 Sep 2008
This is just about the best non fiction book I have ever read and most certainly the best £4 I ever spent.
There are many thousands of books out there which claim to make us millionaires over night, many of which are sold here on Amazon. But while they quite often have overall 5 star ratings, you never actually see any customer reviews informing us they did indeed become a millionaire over night. What The Richest Man In Babylon does though is instead tell us that through using common sense and a bit of self discipline, we can all become rich over time.
The synopsis is simple, through a series of very brief stories taken from recently excavated scrolls perportedly found in the ancient lost city of Babylon, you are told how to manage your money. Each little tale has one main message and pretty much all of them ring true today.
The startling thing about the success of this book for me was that there isn't actually anything new in it. The classic example of this is one of the early messages: 'Spend less than you earn and you will become rich.' Duh! Blatantly obvious really but if you think about it how many of us in this day and age actually do this? Where credit is so easy to obtain, how many of us now live beyond our means? I genuinely feel this should be given to kids and taught in schools as they are the ones who would most benefit from it.
One of the tales did stick in my throat a little bit and is slightly more difficult to apply in today's society: A chap in considerable debt who has decided to turn his life around is advised to go and see all his creditors to inform them that he is sorting it out and that they will get their money back gradually over a certain period, all the while still maintaining his 'spend less than he earns' mantra.
A good idea indeed but not very practicle in today's economy. Let's say an individual owes a large amount on their credit card and their minimum payments plus their other outgoings amount to more than they earn. (sound familiar?!) If he goes to his credit card company and says "look, sorry - I can't pay what you want each month but can give you £100 a month until it's cleared." The credit card company will probably agree to this in some form or another, after all £100 is better than nothing and this is pointed out in the book. But this kind of Individual Voluntary Arrangement today now becomes a social stigma and official black mark against our name, effectively stopping us from getting mortgages or any other type of ligitimate credit in the future.
The author of the 'scrolls' would say that this was not an issue as we should never use credit but today it is a necessary part of life and certainly about the only way most of us would be able to buy a house.
This minor quibble aside, I still wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who listens (and a few who don't, especially if they have kids too young to have made their parents' financial mistakes). Unlike one previous reviewer, I found the style very easy to read and even managed to get through entire chapters while waiting for | | |