As a student of religions, I came away from this volume with some paradigmatically key concepts: the contributing role of economics and sociology to the development of transcendent ideological power, early christianity as a response to a crisis in imperial social identity, the political and social threats christianity presented the Roman empire; and the importance of the normative role of the church in the early middle ages, and of the christian ecumenical identity that helped glue Europe together beginning with the Carolingians. There is much more in Mann's book than these lessons, such as his expositions of the four sources of social power and their application to human history. I enjoyed his exposition of the contributions of classical Greece to the dialectic of history. On the negative side, I found tedious the author's constant defense of his theory vis-a-vis other sociologists. This book requires serious study, but pays off handsomely in stimulating new insights into the sociology of history.

This is one of the three most stimulating books I've read in the last 20 years. Mann posits civilizations as overlapping networks of power -- ideological, military, economic, and political. He described the extensive and intensive capabilites of each type of network from place to place over time, and is pretty good about minimizing any Eurocentrism, though there is room for improvement.

Although written in an intensely academic style -- not a book for the faint of heart or the short of attention span -- it will well reward the considered reader.

What if the President of the United States is unwilling to use the military to protect U.S. citizens, and defend the nation 's rights and ideals from attack? What if Congress used a hidden clause in the Constitution to authorize military action without the President's approval? That's the spectacular theme of Balance Of Power, the thrilling debut novel from James W. Huston.

For me, Balance Of Power's unique blend of the fascinating world of today's military technology with the intricacies of high-octane politics and legal maneuvering, makes it a new kind of intellectually-challenging, can't-put-it-down thriller. If you like military/political/adventure thrillers, you won't want to miss this book! It's like Tom Clancy and Stephen Coonts meet John Grisham on Patrick O'Brian's high seas. Balance Of Power's only flaw, albeit a minor one, is that it does not develop well enough the character of the bad guy, George Washington.

Huston has the potential to be a new master in this genre. I can't wait to read The Price Of Power,the sequel to Balance Of Power, to see if Huston can deliver a solid "one-two punch." Look over your shoulders Clancy, Coonts and Grisham-- there's a new player in town!

James W. Huston has garnered a bunch of fans with his debut novel. Along with Rush Limbaugh and the thousands of others who have read this interesting story of a constitutional crisis between a dovish President as Commander in Chief and a hawkish Speaker of the House, I found myself liking this book.

Huston does some interesting things with his characters. His fictional President, like the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has no military experience. His Speaker of the House, unlike his real life model, Newt Gingrich, is a former naval officer who saw combat in Vietnam as a brown water sailor in the navy's riverine forces. As a veteran, I found both the President and the Speaker unlikable. The President was an un- realistic idealist and the Speaker a jingoistic opportunist. Mr. Huston did a good job of developing both of these figures well enough to make me dislike them and in that, I felt he did a creditable job.

Perhaps the most valuable lessons learned from this book, especially to the unitiated, were the descriptions of the workings of the various branches of the federal government. Despite the fact that the book is a novel, I think it could be used as a primer on federalism for high school students. If used at the college level, I would recommend that it be used in political science courses covering both the Presidency and the Congress.

Mr. Huston's credentials as an F-14 NFO and Intelligence Officer shines through. His training as a lawyer shines through as well when he discusses the various constitutional issues that develop as a result of his plot. I would like to correct some of the other critics who wrote here on a point of fact. Mr. Huston was not an F-14 pilot. The dust jacket points out that he was an F-14 NFO (Naval Flight Officer). That's the Guy In Back. Remember Goose in TOP GUN? Needless to say, while he may not have actually flown them, he was trained to fight in them and that background lends him a credibility not available with other authors.

Mr. Huston, like a lot of lawyers has taken to writing and I think his debut novel was a fine first effort. I look forward to his next effort because this one reminds me of the early Tom Clancy. I just hope that he doesn't run out of steam (or plausible story lines) like Tom Clancy seems to have done of late. While Mr. Clancy seems to have invented the techno-thriller as a genre, there have been many who followed his example and provided the reading public with hours of reading entertainment.

I wish Mr. Huston good fortune in his writing career. He may well be Tom Clancy's heir in the political-military thriller arena.

Truly fantastic political and military thriller, one of my favorite works of fiction I have read the last few years. Author James W. Huston, drawing skillfully both upon his military background as an F-14 fighter pilot in the US Navy and his legal background as a lawyer, has crafted a tightly woven yarn about terrorism in the South Pacific - Indonesia to be exact - and what the President and the US Congress do about it.

When terrorists capture the US flagged merchant ship Pacific Flyer, kill most of the crew, kidnap the captain, and then booby-trap the ship to kill potential rescuers, the world is stunned. Though the world expects President Manchester (a fictional president who serves after the President Clinton of this novel's timeline), to react, he does not order a military strike, instead announcing he is against continuing the "cycle of violence" and that while he will order a carrier battle fleet to help find the terrorist's island hideout, will not act militarily, instead seeing it as an internal Indonesian police matter.

Many are outraged as his reaction, none more so than Speaker of the House John Stanbridge. Furous over what he sees as a failure to act and accusing the President of pacifism, he tries to get around the President's orders regarding the terrorists, hidden on a foritified island which the battle group centered around the carrier USS Constitution under Admrial Billings locates.

Brash and brilliant aide to Standbridge, Jim Dillon, comes up with a little known provision in the US Constituion in Article I, Secton 8, relating to the power of the Congress to issues Letters of Marque and Reprisal. Researching it, he finds that the power was formerly used to grant legal authority to armed merchantmen in times of war, authorizing private ships to act as war ships. Instead, with Standbrige's support, it is proposed, voted on, and passed, the Letter instead issued to the Constitution battle group!

I won't comment much more on the course of the novel, other than to say it is great political thriller to see the constitutional crisis that comes to embroil all three branches of the federal government, and the struggle of Congress and the President to get the battle group to act how they see fit. It is also a great military thriller, to see a US carrier battle group, with fighters, attack craft, helicopters, and Marines operating against terrorists, a true joy to read particularly in the wake of the tragic and horrid attacks of September 11, 2001.

Highly recommend this work to all fans of military fiction, technothrillers, political thrillers, and fans of Tom Clancy. Pay close attention to the events in the novel, as there is truly excellent follow up in the riveting sequel, The Price of Power.

This is a POWERFUL book. A good, quick read from some of our premier modern-day American historians. This collection of essays gives us an inside look at most of the presidencies of the second half of the 20th century. A must read for any history buff.

• Edmund Morris - Last fall, Morris published the controversial biography Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan. His book The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

• Ben Bradlee - Author of That Special Grace, a tribute to John F. Kennedy, Bradlee is a vice president at the Washington Post. He previously was the executive editor at the Post who oversaw reporting of the Watergate scandal.

• David Maraniss - A reporter at the Washington Post since 1977, Maraniss earned a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his coverage of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. He subsequently wrote the Clinton biography, First in his Class. His latest book is When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi.

The "Power and the Presidency" series was created on behalf of the Montgomery Endowment by alumnus Robert A. Wilson of Dallas, a communications consultant who put together a similar series, "Character Above All" (dealing with the impact of character on presidential leadership) in 1994 at the University of Texas at Austin.

These well written essays provide vivid glimpses of varying Presidential personalities, with thoughtful discussion of individual strengths and weaknesses. To me, especially in an election year where character is a major issue, it was an enthralling read, with highlights of qualities such as "Reagan's voice, which was a large part of Reagan's power..." or the speaking style of TR, with plosive P sounds, which "would pop with Gatling-gun force. The effect of his oratory was to bury every word in the psyche of his listeners." or the political genius exhibited by FDR who talked "at a level at which very few people could follow him and understand what he was really saying" that FDR also recognized in a young congressmen, LBJ, as "he saw Johnson understood _everything_ he was talking about." I enjoyed reading these examples of behavior and the illuminating contrasts such as: "It is hard to imagine two more different men than Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy..." or "despite the major differences in their temperaments--indeed, I would argue, because of these differences--Eleanor and Franklin forged their historic partnership..." I would recommend to readers the book "Presidential Temperament" by Choiniere and Keirsey, another well researched volume which gives an explanation of "how each President's temperament inevitably expressed itself in his behavior, both in office and in his personal life."

Poisons sting twice: once on the way in and again on the way out.

Expect to experience the toxins leaving your body in the form of headaches, light-headedness and fever.

A one-day fast hardly interrupts your schedule, but it give's the body's organs a moment of peace in a hectic world to remove toxins and NOT be busy with the work of digestion. A one-day-per-week fast gives your body 50 days out of the year to cleanse and heal.

Meyerowitz believes that fasting is the fastest way to restore your health. He goes into detail on short fasting and what it takes to safely experience long fasts of more than two weeks. Give your cells and yourselves the opportunity to cleanse, nourish, rejuvenate and heal.

(1) Increase Energy and Improve Mental Alertness (2) Heal Chronic Ailments without Drugs (3) Lose Weight without the Hassle of Diets (4) Maintain Stamina without Hunger (5) Fast at Home or at Work --- Perfect for a Busy Lifestyle (6) Make Quick and Delicious Juice Recipes

How Long to Fast According to Meyerowitz, the duration of a fast depends on:

(1) Fasting Experience (2) Physical Strength and Condition (3) Nature of ailment if Any (4) Previous diet (5) Mental Attitude (6)Level of Toxicity (7) Schedule of Work and Activities (7)Environment and Weather (8) Age

Chemically speaking, a long fast is divided into three stages, which Meyerowitz describes in some detail. The first few days is primarily devoted to body reorientation, as your system starts to change the pH of your stomach. During the second phase, the liver starts to purge itself of its chemical and toxic load. The third phase involves deep tissue cleansing.

Drinking only water is what most people think of when fasting is mentioned. Rest and inactivity is very important during a long water fast. Choose clean fresh air in a relaxing environment for this kind of fast. There are good suggestions and guidelines in this chapter for both water and juice fasting.

Juice Fasting is an ideal way for first timers to start. The juice supplies nutrients and calories and thus protects you if you must continue to work during the fast. This chapter contains valuable information on the various fruit and vegetable juices, including Weatgrass --- The Queen of Juices.

Remember your water must be pure! Whether filtered water that contains all the minerals or distilled water that many describe as dead water ---- do not drink water from your tap without removing the chemicals from it.

Coming off the Fast According to our author, fasting is easy --- but the transition back to eating is what is hard. He has suggestions for your transition from a long fast and which foods are good to start eating first. Knowing when to stop is discussed as is the phases in the road back. Break fasts with soft, high water content foods like juicy fruits, light soups, etc. Watermelon is a good choice.

This is the second book that I purchased by Steve Meyerowitz. I was so impressed with "Power Juices Super Drinks", that I had to order "Juice Fasting & Detoxification". At 137 pages, this is not a very big book. But I highly recommend it if you are considering fasting as a part of your lifestyle. Each page is full of valuable information. It is a reference guide.

Steve Meyerowitz Background In the mid-1970's. Steve Meyerowitz was nicknamed "Sproutman" ...He found no help for his allergies and asthma via traditional methods and turned to a vegetarian and fruitarian diet. He lives in the city yet grows much of his own food.

This book is both informative, and an easy, pleasant read. In sharp contrast to several other books I've read, Meyerowitz doesn't force feed raw food diets or fasting down your throat with threats of disease and disaster. His approach is simple, direct and well-organized. The book begins with a discussion of what fasting is and why it can be beneficial and continues on to descriptions of how to begin, how long to continue and how to come off a fast. Other important sections include a systematic description of how the body detoxifies, what to expect as this occurs and what can be done to help the body during the cleansing process. All in all I found this to be a well-balanced and informative book that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who is new to the concept of water or juice fasting.

This book was a great intro in to juice fasting. It was very informative and easy to read. The author has a real passion for juice fasting.

In July of 2000, at our family reunion, my aunt told me about the Adkins diet and how impressed she was with it. I hadn't seen her in about 5 years, and she looked damn good for a woman of 70. At the last reunion she complained that she just couldn't get rid of her hips, no matter how hard she tried. That convinced me to try the Adkins diet. But, after reading his book and following it for a month, I wanted a second opinion, even though I felt better than I had for 15 years on the diet. It was extreme and there was a commercial element that didn't set well with me. I ordered the Protein Power Lifeplan from the BOMC to see what the Eades had to say. Their book was a revelation. I had been treated for 5 years for depression. That has gone away. I don't nod off at 3:00 in the afternoon aymore. My energy level has increased. My brother in Germany "had" ulcreative colitis. I sent him a copy of the book. Within 2 weeks, he called and said that his symtoms had disappeared, his blood sugar was down, and he'd be phased off of the steroids the doctor prescribed for his condition. Personally, I used to have a blood pressure problem - no more. I also am on thyroid medication. I went from 100 mcg to 50 mcg after the change to a low carbohydrate diet. Is this another manifestation of a low carb diet? I gave up caffiene - gradually - and for the first time in my life, I want breakfast. Pretty damn amazing. I do know that I am able to wake up in the morning now, which was always an ordeal for me and I have the mind to do whatever needs to be done. The issue I want to address is the effect on children. I have two. We hear so much in the news about overweight and depression and ADDH. How much of this is caused by diet? I spent 8 years with the same doctor and he never caught the problem. It was a ENT who was referred becase of my ear problems who found the thyroid problem. Diet related symptoms look so much like documented afflictions that most doctors are actually treating you for the symptoms, not the root cause.

Molly -- There are literally hundreds of reviews of the Protein Power books from people who tried it and are amazed at the results. The health benefits have been confirmed by their doctors. As a nurse, don't you think you should give it a fair try and see the medical results for yourself before you condemn it? It seems that your attitude is shared by much of the medical community -- knock it before you investigate and throw it out because it isn't in line with the popular belief. Check your medical textbooks for the principles Drs. Eades espouse. They are right there in black and white and have been for many years. I lost almost 50 pounds and an amazing number of inches in just a few months on the original Protein Power diet. And within weeks I could walk uphill without breathing hard. People were surprised at the new roses in my cheeks; long shiny hair with no split ends -- the evident signs of good health.

You owe it too yourself to try it Molly -- have a friend explain it to you if you can't understand the book yourself.

If you're a thinking person, and you care about your length of lifespan, spend the time to understand the science in this book. Even a person who isn't a dietician can apply some brain power and it will really help when you are making food choices--I find I remember the description of what sugar does to my cells and avoid it BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND. The fact that the authors treat real people successfully for some pretty scary health issues gave me a lot of comfort. In about 3 weeks of following the plan, my husband and I (it helps to have a conscience sitting across from you at dinner) have each lost fat around the middle and feel better--no more drowsiness and you'll find that once you begin to control the carbs, they won't have the addictive appeal. If all you're looking for is a diet book, go elsewhere. Is your life important enough to you to educate yourself about how your body works? Go for it!

The book develops a healthy respect for the sea. Stories are thrilling, and excite one's imagination to possibly extend the limits of one's own exploration of the sea. It is not a textbook to teach how, but rather helps to decide whether to pursue the more extreme aspects of the sport.

This extreme book provides a well presented and informative guide to paddling under extreme conditions. I could not put it down as it was both informative and exciting. The stories mentioned throughout the book complement the clear and concise instruction given. Even if you never intend kayaking under extreme conditions, the book is well worth a read just simply for the amazing stories and photos

As a developing ocean kayaker, I found this book to contain a wealth of valuable information about an aspect of the sport which is rarely represented in the literature. I have long been aware of the Tsunami Rangers' reputation and products, having seen their work on television and having purchased their rock garden techniques video. This book is a continuation of the quality educational tools they are producing. Anyone who kayaks, whether a beginner or an advanced boater, will find something to learn. I found the section on essential skills especially useful, and the discussion of "subjective naviagation" in the chapter entitled "The Mighty Sea" confirmed what I have long believed--true understanding of ocean conditions is developed only through long periods spent on the water, until within us we carry the rhythms of the sea. The Tsunami Rangers obviously do.

Powers scores major points for providing a fesh look to the super-hero genre. Brian Michael Bendis' sharp dialogue, coupled with a healthy dose of hip-cleverness, gives readers insight into what it would like to walk the beat in a town filled with super-heroes. The only thing that keeps this book from being rated higher is that one story thread - the one involving the young girl - doesn't quite reach the dramatic pay-off it was intended to reach. Nevertheless, Powers is a book worth looking at if you got the time. Not a classic but a notable contribution to the genre.

I recently read a Superman comic from 1991 which was a typical action-based story, exactly the type of tale that most non-comic readers probably imagine all comics to be like. Ten years on, although the traditional super-hero genre is still alive and well, there are other mainstream comics that break new ground, presenting accessible stories in a fresh and innovative style. Powers is one such comic. It's ironic, given my earlier reference to Superman as an example of the traditional style of hero, that Powers' inspiration seems to partly come from the Man of Steel himself....with a heavy dose of Hawaii 5-0's Steve McGarrett. Writer Brian Michael Bendis has transformed well-known titles including Spider-Man and Daredevil, in addition to penning his own original publications such as Alias and Jinx. Here he expertly tells the story of a former super-hero turned cop, Christian Walker, who specialises in cases involving the super-hero fraternity with the help of his fiesty sidekick Deena Pilgrim. Walker is an imposing figure, tall, square-jawed and dedicated. The artwork by Michael Avon Oeming is suitably untraditional - very cartoonish, much more so than the majority of comic books, and very distinctive. I would rank Powers alongside the Preacher series as a good example of slightly left-field but still highly readable comic book writing. Read it alongside the latest Superman while watching those 5-0 re-runs and you'll soon get the point.

Brian Bendis has a great grasp of pacing and character development inhis storyteling, and they shine through here. Powers is the story ofthe police officers charged with investigating crimes related tosuperpowered individuals; in this book, the death of one of the city'smost beloved heroines sets off massive amounts of mourning and anintense search for the killer. The dialogue is superb, parcelling outinfo in just the right amount, and Michael Avon Oeming's art is verygood as well, setting the mood and tone of the story. Plus, the tradepaperback includes sketches, a copy of the script to issue one, andsome other goodies. (At the moment,... this book listed as achildren's book. That is decidedly not accurate.)

Parenti is a lesser known figure on the American Left (as opposed to Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky or Ralph Nader). Yet his work has gained enough popularity to be cited by progressives almost as much as those three.

That's unfortunate since none of Parenti's books are very convincing. Like "Democracy for the Few" (which I have also reviewed), "Dirty Truths" makes a great deal of bold assertions with scanty and questionable evidence to back them up.

However, there are some interesting and valuable chapters in this book. Parenti's discussion of the JFK's assassination is informative and I was pleased to see him take on Chomsky and Alexander Cockburn (the one leftist writer who I consider even worse than Parenti). His concluding narrative about the collapse of his father's bakery is a moving piece that reminds one of the unpleasant byproducts of American capitalism. In fact, that story probably does more to motivate progressives than the rest of the book.

One thing that worries me is that leftists/progressives seem too eager to accept uncritically anything that supports their ideology. I am very much on the left politically (member of YPSL, vote Green). I am not "chronically indoctrinated" (ref. to "Curtis_K's" angry rebuttal to my other Parenti review) by either the mainstream or the progressive press. And I am not willing to look the other way when an author makes questionable and unsupported claims, even if I'm sympathetic to them. Parenti does this an awful lot.

As with "Democracy for the Few", I don't think this book is worth buying. But it is worth reading in its entirety (since its short and not masquerading as a scholarly work like "Democracy...") for a radical critique of the often mediocre mainstream media.

The work is vintage Parenti. I would have liked to see more documentation on sources, but the lack of it doesn't take much away from this book. The chapters on the JFK assassination were extremely chilling. If the U.S. Government can do that to its president, then it can do it to anyone in the world.

Sometimes I wonder why so many people are turned off by conspiracy theories. Do they think that conspiracies don't happen in the U.S.? Sorry, non-believers. Conspiracies are real, and they can happen anywhere.

This is a wide-ranging book, covering topics as diverse as false consciousness, creating the poor, fascism in pinstripes, the strange death of Walter Reuther, personal reminiscence, with a defense of Oliver Stone's film "JFK" added to the mix. All are provocatively positioned to challenge assumptions of liberal and conservative alike. Unlike that ruling duopoly, Parenti is no friend of America's far-flung empire, disguised to the public as the "free world". His debunking commentary on this central myth constitutes the dirty truths of the title, and uncomfortable truths they are. He even has the guts to trace the current rollback of environmental and social reforms to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the free hand this has given the big money class to maximize profits regardless of human or ecological consequences.

Perhaps the book's most informative chapter is "Hidden Holocaust, USA", a compilation of negative social statistics drawn from the US Census Bureau. There the author makes a strong case against conventional claims that the US is a happy nation. The negative numbers paint a far grimmer picture, giving the lie to those Repubocrat politicians who loudly claim to love the country, at the same time they pursue profits over people.

Despite the author's scholarly background, this is not a scholarly work. There is very little foot-noting. Most of the chapters read like op-ed pieces; ones, however, that are never found in corporate news outlets, which is the real value of an informed work like this. For so long as the powers-that-be tolerate a fringe press, the public will have at least some access to the dirty truths filtered out of the mainstream. It is to Parenti's credit that he delivers the goods.

The author well states legal points of debate regarding the "non-trial" of Dr.Kaczynski. Provides interesting insight to the legal system and inparticular Dr. Kaczynski's plight. However, the book could have been reduced to 2-3 chapters if such points/observations were concisely and clearly stated once.

A very encouraging change from the typical stuff that foams up around high profile cases like Kazcynski's. He keeps away from murky psychological speculations about why he did it and describes the legal system, its tradition and the often personal agendas of its actors with a complexity and sense of perspective that we'll never get on television. Unlike Mello, I don't think that the Unabomber will ever get his day in court. That is sort of shocking, for if violent dissenters like Kazcynski absolutely should be tracked down and punished, society needs to understand that their acts are expressive of something besides mere individual insanity. Neither the extorted publication of a manifesto nor the silence of a coerced guilty plea make any real assessment possible. A trial might have, and Mello is very effective in explaining both why it did not take place, and why basic constitutional and ethical principles were compromised in the process. Of course, he has his own axe to grind, but it is a sharp and sturdy one.

I was expecting a somewhat dry recountal of judicial process and courtroom manuevers when I began reading this title, and was completely surprised to find a book which raises a multitude of thought provoking issues. Mello presents Kaczynski's case clearly and intelligently, and provides a strong argument to support his belief that Kaczynski was unfairly manipulated by his attorneys and Judge Burrell. Yet along the way, Mello also tackles significant topics such as the definition of insanity, media misguiding, euthanasia vs. state assisted suicide vs. consensual execution, personal agenda/ethics in the legal field, diaries and the right to privacy, et cetera. Many of these issues are intelligently discussed within the context of very interesting historical cases. Mello's writing style came across to me as somewhat lacking in personality, at first, yet I soon realized that his straightforward voice is most effective in communicating the issues at hand. In choosing a no-nonsense style, the author does well to include numerous quotes and excerpts from disparate notables such as Anne Frank, Camus, Walt Whitman, Nietzsche, Bram Stoker, Rilke, Socrates, et cetera to pepper the reading with a chorus of voices. By concluding the book with victim descriptions from the Government's Sentencing Memorandum, Mello provides a complete and haunting plot twist....rather unsettling. This book offers not only an incredibly fair, edifying and intriguing view of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the judicial players, but also solicits the reader into contemplation of important issues. I highly reccommend this book not only to those interested in the specifics of Kaczynski's experience, but to anyone interested in reading an evolved, well thought and thought-provoking book.

This book has changed my sales career. The ease and common sense, which is supplied, has provided me with an almost flawless method to getting into today's largest corporations. My success rate with the power letter is 95% Plus. I get calls back from SVP's who ask me when the best time for me to meet with them. I amaze my boss. He calls me and says, get us an appointment with XYZ company, and in a matter of days I have the appointment. This book is a must for any sales person that needs to gain access to key decision makers in today's e-mail and phone mail business environment. I will be presenting this selling style to over 600 sales people at our national sales meeting this January. If you want to see dramatic success in gaining access to the key decision-makers in today's largest organizations get this book.

Buy Michael Boyland's Power to get in. And make it your new secret weapon.

I've read "Visionary Selling" and "Selling to VITO" and while they're good books, they fail to provide what "The Power to Get In" offers: a systematic, methodical and proven approach to get in front of key executives within any organization. For years, we've been struggling with getting to the key stakeholder, often getting punted down the organizational chart. "The Power to Get In" changed all that by giving a detailed roadmap to get the attention - and interest - of A+++ prospects. If getting in at the top is crucial to your success, get this book.

This book was written for those who have serious problems with gaining access to others of special importance to them. Boylan offers a cohesive and comprehensive system to overcome all manner of barriers. He calls it The Circle of Leverage™ and explains it within six different sections entitled:

What's Been Keeping You Out

The Circle of Leverage™ System: What It Is, What's Behind It, and How It Works

The Circle of of Leverage™ System: The Ten Preparation Steps

Making Your Move: The Five Execution Steps of the Circle of Leverage™ System

Advanced Moves

Mastering the Circle of Leverage™ System

Obviously, this book can be very helpful to those in sales but if we expand our perspective to include other forms of persuasion, this book offers even greater value. For example, consider the potential relevance of the Circle of Leverage™ System to recruiting and hiring, M&A initiatives, competing with others in the same organization for its resources, use of customers as an extended sales force, use of "alumni" to locate talent, etc.

The Circle of Leverage™ System is sound. Boylan's explanation of it is thorough and lucid. I recommend this book highly to anyone who is both willing and able to make a sustained commitment to applying these principles. What else will you need? Tenacity and patience.