restoring americans improbable information

books:

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

328 reviews
Chip Heath, Dan Heath

Random House, 2007

Make your idea MEMORABLE!
Successful ideas, stories, and products are so because of one thing they all have in common... they're memorable. Something about them has remained lodged in our memory and quite often the thing which has made them memorable is that they are SIMPLE. Let Chip and Dan Heath help you find out how to make your ideas compelling for others to catch on to! A GREAT resource for helping you further the ...

Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour

36 reviews
Lynne Olson

Random House, 2010

A Great Story Told as a Great Book
This may be Lynne Olson's finest book. Not only is it well written, but it is well researched and packed with information without feeling like you were reading a book report or a textbook. Wartime London comes alive in her descriptions of the 'Blitz' and the way the average person went about their lives during this time of fear, death and privation. Thrown into the mix are three Americans ...

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel

28 reviews
Helen Simonson

Random House, 2010

Clever, Charming, Endearing
Assuming you have read the previous plot summaries on this page, I will add only my unreserved admiration for this fine debut novel. How rarely I find a novel with so much sheer heart, flair and wit. Although the world around me has swiftly degenerated to decadence and vulgarity, I take comfort in knowing Helen Simonson realizes it, too, but has deftly turned depressing current mores to literary ...

Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War

4 reviews
Ted Morgan

Random House, 2010

Ted Morgan has wriiten a perfect History of DBP
Valley Of Death, is a well written and striaght shooting book on DBP it fills in so many blanks and answers many questtions that Dr. Bernad Fall asked over 40 years ago. It will become a classic book about early Vietnam and the growth of the Vietminh and the fall of the French. Ken Schneider

The Information Officer: A Novel

37 reviews
Mark Mills

Random House, 2010

The Battle of Malta?
I see a lot of people are complaining this book doesn't neatly fit into one particular genre. I say so what? I like Mark Mills' historical mysteries, and the background of war adds excitement to a story. One of my favorite things about his books is that he can take you there, even if it's a time and place neither you nor he have actually been. That's good research. I like fiction (and especially ...

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

508 reviews
Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Random House, 2007

Read the book for the philosophy of risk
I consider The Black Swan one of the most influential books in my life. I reread it several times, and each time I discovered some nuances relevant to whatever I was working on at the time. The book is truly timeless. The Black Swan does not teach you *what* to do. It crisply describes the concept in the Introduction and then presents this concept from different angles -- many angles, ...

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

312 reviews
Dr. Seuss

Random House, New York, 1990

great book!
This is a great book for any age group! It is very motivating and meaningful. Enjoy, good read!

Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility

14 reviews
David M. Walker

Random House, 2010

Not an easy "read" but incredibly important for every citizen
Ok, the subject matter is dry, but this book is so important that it should be required reading for every citizen. If you can't bring yourself to read it, then at least watch the documentary film I.O.U.S.A., which prominently features the author and at least reveals the basic financial problems facing all of us. The book gives some possible solutions. He tackles every sacred cow in government.

Strength in What Remains

117 reviews
Tracy Kidder

Random House, 2009

Moving and insightful
"Strength in What Remains is the story of Deogratias," as the author writes (more succinctly than I could) in his post on Amazon.com, "a young man from the central African nation of Burundi. In 1993, through no fault of his own, he was forced onto a terrifying journey, a journey that split his life in two. First he made a six-months-long escape, on foot, from ethnic violence in Burundi and from ...