ALA Booklist Top Ten Business Books 2011 It's hardly a secret that the corporate ladder is no longer the path to success it once was. Wayne Rogers-star of the classic TV series M*A*S*H*-has had even more success as a businessman and entrepreneur than as an actor. Applying his own unique viewpoint to a wide range of businesses (a restaurant, a vineyard, a chain of convenience stores, the world of banking, real estate, a film distribution company, and even a famous bridal boutique), the iconoclastic star has steadfastly refused to accept limitations, and boldly forged a path for himself beyond the stifling constraints of the corporate system. Filled with insights and engaging stories, Make Your Own Rules paints a fascinating portrait of how Rogers excelled precisely because he didn't have prior experience in each of these businesses...or any preconceived notions of how they should be run. Rogers reveals the keys to his success over the past four decades-lessons thatare even more important today. After all, in the current economic climate, learning to be creative, challenge convention, and seize unexpected opportunities is not only liberating-it can make all the difference to success. Anyone who yearns to succeed without the burdens of corporate culture can thrive outside the establishment. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a small business owner, changing careers, or just entering the workforce, Make Your Own Rules delivers the inspiration and guidance youneed to climb the ladder of your choice.

Once considered among the best and brightest of his generation, Donald Rumsfeld left office as the most controversial Defense Secretary since Robert McNamara, widely criticized for his management of the Iraq war and for his difficult relationships with Congress, administration colleagues, and military officers. Was he really the arrogant, errant, controlling Pentagon leader frequently portrayed-or, a brilliant visionary caught in a whirl of polarized Washington politics, dysfunctional federal bureaucracy, and bad luck? Bradley Graham, a longtime Washington Post reporter who closely covered Rumsfeld's challenging tenure at the Pentagon, offers an insightful biography of a complex and immensely influential personality.

Actor and rap artist LL Cool J reflects upon his life, telling about the violence he and his mother endured during his childhood, discussing how he became involved in rap music, and sharing the lessons he has learned from his experiences.

An epic examination of the life of one of the most confounding American political figures of the past half century . Once considered among the best and brightest of his generation, Donald Rumsfeld was exceptionally prepared by successful careers in politics and business to assume the Pentagon's top job in 2001. Yet six years later, he left office as the most controversial Defense Secretary since Robert McNamara, widely criticized for his management of the Iraq war and for his difficult relationships with Congress, administration colleagues, and military officers. Was he really the arrogant, errant, over controlling Pentagon leader frequently portrayed - or as his supporters contend, a brilliant, hard charging visionary caught in a whirl of polarized Washington politics, dysfunctional federal bureaucracy, and bad luck? Bradley Graham, a longtime Washington Post reporter who closely covered Rumsfeld's challenging tenure at the Pentagon, offers an insightful biography of a complex personality. In the tradition of Karen De Young's Soldier and Bart Gellman's Angler, By His Own Rules is a layered and revealing portrait of a man whose impact on U.S. national security affairs will long outlive him.

Once considered among the best and brightest of his generation, Donald Rumsfeld left office as the most controversial Defense Secretary since Robert McNamara, widely criticized for his management of the Iraq war and for his difficult relationships with Congress, administration colleagues, and military officers. Was he really the arrogant, errant, controlling Pentagon leader frequently portrayed-or, a brilliant visionary caught in a whirl of polarized Washington politics, dysfunctional federal bureaucracy, and bad luck? Bradley Graham, a longtime Washington Post reporter who closely covered Rumsfeld's challenging tenure at the Pentagon, offers an insightful biography of a complex and immensely influential personality.

“This country's leading hell-raiser" (The Nation) shares his impassioned counsel to young radicals on how to effect constructive social change and know “the difference between being a realistic radical and being a rhetorical one.” First published in 1971 and written in the midst of radical political developments whose direction Alinsky was one of the first to question, this volume exhibits his style at its best. Like Thomas Paine before him, Alinsky was able to combine, both in his person and his writing, the intensity of political engagement with an absolute insistence on rational political discourse and adherence to the American democratic tradition.

South Los Angeles is often seen as ground zero for inter-racial conflict and violence in the United States. Since the 1940s, South LA has been predominantly a low-income African American neighborhood, and yet since the early 1990s Latino immigrants—mostly from Mexico and many undocumented—have moved in record numbers to the area. Given that more than a quarter million people live in South LA and that poverty rates exceed 30 percent, inter-racial conflict and violence surprises no one. The real question is: why hasn't there been more? Through vivid stories and interviews, The Neighborhood Has Its Own Rules provides an answer to this question. Based on in-depth ethnographic field work collected when the author, Cid Martinez, lived and worked in schools in South Central, this study reveals the day-to-day ways in which vibrant social institutions in South LA— its churches, its local politicians, and even its gangs—have reduced conflict and kept violence to a level that is manageable for its residents. Martinez argues that inter-racial conflict has not been managed through any coalition between different groups, but rather that these institutions have allowed established African Americans and newcomer Latinos to co-exist through avoidance—an under-appreciated strategy for managing conflict that plays a crucial role in America's low-income communities. Ultimately, this book proposes a different understanding of how neighborhood institutions are able to mitigate conflict and violence through several community dimensions of informal social controls.

Irrepressible, honest, bold and charming, very few can claim to have lived life on their own terms as Ma Anand Sheela has. Yet controversy continues to follow her. Whether it is her portrayal in Wild Wild Country or the Osho International Foundation's take on the Netflix series, a wide spectrum of opinions has cloaked for too long the real Sheela Birnstiel. In the 1980s, she was the personal secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and managed the Rajneesh commune in Wasco County, Oregon, USA. She was eventually sentenced to prison, served her time and walked out in three years. Today, she runs homes for the disabled and the elderly in Switzerland. Almost three decades later, she is still in love with Bhagwan and his teachings. From rebuilding her life from scratch in Switzerland to an interview with Karan Johar on her grand return to India, she is adored and vilified by the world at the same time. In her memoirs, By My Own Rules, Ma Anand Sheela bares all-her life, her lessons, her beliefs, her inspiration and what makes her live life on her own terms.

Why isn't life everything we expected it to be? And why doesn't our faith resolve our frustrations and problems? Kevin Myers, the founding pastor of 12Stone Church, a congregation of more than 30,000 active attenders near Atlanta, believes the reason we don't experience a transformed life is that we fail to grow up spiritually. We focus on developing physically, intellectually, emotionally, and financially, yet our faith remains immature and anemic. In this powerful new book, Myers offers a deep yet simple roadmap to a grown-up faith through understanding the whole context of the Bible, developing spiritual intimacy with God, and gratefully embracing holy obedience. As you understand the Bible and the big picture of God's story with humanity, you begin to find answers to life's most compelling questions. As you begin to understand God more, your longing and ability to experience spiritual intimacy with him increases, as does your desire to obey what God asks of you and your ability to follow through. This is the way to the bigger life, a life even better than you expected--or even dreamed possible.

Wayne Rogers, star of the classic TV series M*A*S*H*, has had even more success as a businessman and entrepreneur than as an actor. Rather than accepting the stifling constrains of the corporate system, the iconoclastic star applied his own unique viewpoint to a wide range of businesses (a restaurant, a vineyard, a chain of convenience stores, the world of banking, real estate, a film distribution company, and even a famous bridal boutique) and experienced major success. Now, in this award-winning book, he reveals the keys to his success over the past four decades and teaches readers how to thrive outside of their familiar establishment. Make Your Own Rules does this by painting a fascinating portrait of how Rogers excelled precisely because he didn't have prior experience before working in those many businesses--or any preconceived notions of how they should be run. Through insights and engaging stories, you’ll learn how to be creative, challenge convention, and seize unexpected opportunities that are not only liberating but make all the difference in your career. Whether you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner, changing careers or just entering the workforce, Make Your Own Rules delivers the inspiration and guidance you need to climb the ladder of your choice.