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1984 by George Orwell. Written in 1948, influenced by British Colonialism, WWII and its aftermath, the near bankruptcy of England and fear of the next war by most people. (Only the US had the bomb and the USSR had a 5 million man army occupying most of Europe). The US and USSR were terrified of each other for the wrong reasons. The cold war ensued for nearly fifty years. Orwell's masterpiece introduced new terms into our vocabulary Big Brother is watching, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, the Thought Police and many more. 1984 is a prophetic and haunting tale even 60 plus years after it was first published. Today there are new enemies of freedom that make this novel still poingnant today. Top |
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2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. When an enigmatic monolith is found buried on the moon, scientists are amazed to discover that it's at least 3 million years old. Even more amazing, after it's unearthed the artifact releases a powerful signal aimed at Saturn. What sort of alarm has been triggered? To find out, a manned spacecraft, the Discovery, is sent to investigate. Its crew is highly trained--the best--and they are assisted by a self-aware computer, the ultra-capable HAL 9000. But HAL's programming has been patterned after the human mind a little too well. He is capable of guilt, neurosis, even murder, and he controls every single one of Discovery's components. The crew must overthrow this digital psychotic if they hope to make their rendezvous with the entities that are responsible not just for the monolith, but maybe even for human civilization. Clarke wrote this novel while Stanley Kubrick created the film, the two collaborating on both projects. The novel is much more detailed and intimate, and definitely easier to comprehend. Even though history has disproved its "predictions," it's still loaded with exciting and awe-inspiring science fiction. The acting in the movie is dreadful. The story is excellent and the special effects were awesome for the time. |
| Top | 2020 Vision by Stan Davis and Bill Davidson. Information management and biotechnology are reshaping the basic structure of American enterprise. In this bold and innovative analysis, Davis and Davidson explain what these changes mean and how entrepreneurs and executives can preparelenges of tomorrow. I used this book for a Master's paper in 1992. The book is uneven in its ease of reading, but has some great reasons why often companies don't survive past age 40. It is well worth the effort to read. Top |
| Top | 50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James. Well, I read this book and didn't like it. So you are asking, "Gary if you didn't like it why is it in a list of books you recommend?" Well too many of my female friends liked it. I am hoping that someone will explain its value to me. It seems like basic "mommy porn" to me. I am not a prude, but I want an author to get me quickly invested in the characters. This did not do that. I do see how there could be redemption for them in the third book. Please share your thoughts if you have read this book. I am tempted to write a satrical piece called: 50 Shades of Beige Top |
| Top | The 59 Second Employee: How to Stay One Second Ahead of Your One-Minute Manager by Rae Andre. A humorous look at management. A Dilbertesque view of the world. There are many management books. There are few books on how to be a good employee. Maybe people already know how to do that. If you are a new manager I highly recommend both books to you. If you are an old manager this will give you a great laugh. Top |
| Top | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Covey gives you a simple how to guide to be successful. It isn't easy but the system works. Ever notice how some people get a lot done but still have time to do more work. Here you will find out about their secret. Short Version:
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