I read this book immediately after Germaine Greer's "The Female Eunuch" because I was curious to know how much Battalia and Tarrant had modeled their metaphor after hers. Were they going to argue that masculine "power" stereotypes are just as harmful to authentic masculine identity as feminine "submission" stereotypes are to authentic feminine identity?

Indeed, the authors do use the phrase "corporate eunuch" to refer to male executives who are ineffective in business, incompetent in family life, and unfulfilled by their apparent success. The book is replete with anecdotes about fabulously prosperous men who are empty inside.

But the authors seem to have no substantive advice. On money-and prestige-driven yuppies: at least a materialistic man knows what he wants! On pointless conferences: just cancel them! On the sense of uselessness as a person: write and publish articles in your field (an excellent suggestion, until they recommend using ghostwriters to do all the work for you. How will employing a ghostwriter boost your creative self-esteem?) On balancing marriage and career: don't bother--it would be best if up-and-coming executives didn't marry at all! (Both of the authors are married and have nine children between them; I am disturbed if staying single is the best advice they can come up with. Perhaps their ghostwriters were single.)

To the book's credit, it is written in accessible language, has a sense of humor, and doesn't claim to be more substantive than it is. I whipped through it in an hour.

oh my god This is the only business book you ever have to read--go anywhere, do anything to buy this book---now!!