The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
May 17th, 2010Title: The Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawande
Publisher: Metropolitan Books (2009)
Hurray for Atul Gawande! I have already reviewed one of his earlier books (Better…almost 2 years ago!) and absolutely loved it. So I was expecting the same from this book, and was not disappointed!
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande is an excellently written book that shows how important something as basic as a checklist can be to do tasks correctly. Since Gawande is a surgeon, he focused mostly on how checklists can be used in hospitals to make sure everything is done consistently and properly. But he doesn’t limit the potential uses to just medicine – instead proving that it can be used in almost any application.
One of the main premises of the book is that seemingly obvious tasks get overlooked — because they are seemingly obvious. Gawande says this was prevalent in operating rooms. For example, while it wasn’t too common to perform the wrong surgery on the wrong patient…it still happened. This is because everyone just assumed that someone had checked those details! Gawande wanted to figure out a way to stop easily fixable mistakes. He took inspiration from other industries that already use checklists. The most obvious example is the aerospace industry. They are famous for having binders of checklists for every possible situation. The key, after much trial and error, was to make sure the checklists were short and simple so they could be followed even during extreme situations.
Gawande goes on to tell examples of other successful checklists in action throughout the world, while also telling the story of his attempt to create standardized checklists for use all over the world. The goal is to dramatically cut down on mistakes, which would save lives. (He was successful…otherwise it probably wouldn’t be a very interesting book.
Gawande has developed a wonderful skill at storytelling. Every example throughout the book has interesting people who have innovated interesting ways of improving their craft. From the surgeon to the pilot to the construction team, people are using one of the most simple tools to save time, money and lives.
I would recommend this book to pretty much everybody. There is much to be learned by reading it…and it will encourage you to read his other books as well!
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book and this post contains affiliate links.
I’m Back!!!!
May 15th, 2010OK…it has been a LONG time since my last post. Like 4 months. I decided to take some time off from reviewing as we got closer to the end of my wife’s pregnancy.
Well, I am happy to announce that a couple of weeks ago our baby daughter finally came! Her name is Avery Scarlett and she is the most beautiful baby that has ever existed. I’m sorry if you believe you have the most beautiful baby. You are very mistaken.
Anyway, I’ve decided that I want to start reviewing non-fiction books again. So you can expect to see some more reviews coming in the near future!
I hope I didn’t put anybody off with my long absense, and I look forward to exploring these books again with you!
So…spread the word…Letters on Pages is back!!!
Amazon Warehouse Awesomeness
January 8th, 2010Please excuse my total nerdishness on this one…but I think factory tours are the coolest thing ever. I will watch practically any show about a factory and how they make different stuff. I also think high tech warehouses are awesome.
No. YOU are a Nerd! YOU ARE!
Sorry…so for those interested, here is a cool video about one of the Amazon.com warehouse and how they work. Pretty amazing!
My Top Books of 2009
January 6th, 2010I thought I would look back at the reviews that I wrote in 2009 and see which books were my favorite. So that’s what you’ve got below:
Columbine by Dave Cullen – This is probably the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It is wonderfully written and was picked on a lot of “Best of 2009″ lists. None as important as mine of course!
The Machine by Joe Posnanski – This was a fantastically written book about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. This is probably a somewhat limited market…but Posnanski is a fantastic writer. Easily the best sportswriter out there right now.
Drunkard by Neil Steinberg – This was a very well written memoir of the struggle of an alcoholic. Very good read…though be prepared to be sad.
Home Game by Michael Lewis – Just because I like every book he writers. This was no exception!
Follow the Roar by Bob Smiley – This is a book about Tiger Woods’ 2008 golf season. The book is even more interesting now because you have to try to figure out exactly when Woods was having his various trysts. I don’t know how he fit them in his schedule!
They Dared Return by Patrick K. O’Donnell
January 3rd, 2010Wow. It’s been a really long time since I have written a review. I didn’t realize it had been that long. I am incredibly sorry for keeping you from reading my insightful reviews. It’s just irresponsible of me. I’d give you some excuses, but you don’t care…that’s not what you come here for. So…here is a new review!
Title: They Dared Return
Author: Patrick K. Donnell
Publisher: Da Capo (2009)
I like action stories. I like war stories (which almost always are action), and I especially like WWII stories. I also like stories about German Jews escaping from Germany, joining the United States military, and re-entering Germany to do counter intelligence work. If you make a Venn Diagram out of those three things…you get this book!
They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind The Lines in Nazi Germany by Patrick R. O’Donnell is a wonderfully written narrative about a couple of REALLY brave Jews near the end of WWII. A team of Jews, lead by Fred Meyer, went through training in the very early stages of official American counter intelligence. They they dropped behind enemy lines in order to gain a bunch of intel and end WWII. It is absolutely incredible to read about the things they did. Especially for these guys to know that if they were caught, and identified as Jews, they would be tortured and murdered. Yikes.
This book reads really fast…very much like a good mystery novel. In fact, I would be very surprised if this story didn’t get optioned as a movie. We love good Nazi killing spy movies here!
Anyway…I would highly recommend this book. It is really fun to read and you’ll learn a little slice of history at the same time!
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Step Back From the Baggage Claim by Jason Barger
November 10th, 2009Title: Step Back From the Baggage Claim
Author: Jason Barger
Publisher: One Love Publishers (2008)
Recently I was asked to be involved with a blog tour to help promote this book, and it sounded interesting so I agreed. Plus…the author lives in Columbus, OH! Anyway, I had a work trip scheduled in Las Vegas the week after I got the book…so I thought it would be a good time to read it, and I’m glad I did
Step Back From the Baggage Claim: Change the World, Start at the Airport by Jason Barger is a fun, thoughtful book. The goal is to change the world one airport at a time! Well, actually, the point is that we can change the world by doing small things…but specifically the book is about how to change the world at the airport.
Barger decided to spend 10 days flying around the country and never leaving the airport. He wanted to observe the behavior of travelers as they made their way trough the airport. People get pretty stressed out and frustrated at the airport, so it was a good place to look. Based on the title, his goal was to get people to step back from the baggage claim so everyone can see and to help others with their bags. Great idea!
The book was thoughtful and a good idea…but I think the book could have used better editing. There were a number of places where the point could have been made more efficiently. The physical format of the book could have been done a bit better as well.
So, when my plane got back into Cincinnati…I figured I would give it a shot. I would tell everyone to back up a couple of steps! I was going to make a difference. I got off the plane and walked the 1,000 miles through CVG airport to get to the baggage claim. I approached the machine and prepared to change the world! I stepped up…and noticed everyone was a couple of steps back. Then one person helped someone with their bags. This was disappointing as I could not change the world. But I suppose it bodes well for society. But ultimately disappointing for me.
All in all…it was a very quick read…and sends across a good message. It is a book people should read if they are looking for encouragement to help make things better.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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The Odds by Chad Millman
October 19th, 2009Title: The Odds
Author: Chad Millman
Publisher: Da Capo Press (2002)
I was listening to a Bill Simmons (an ESPN columnist) podcast and he had on another ESPN columnist who handles the gambling beat. It was a really great interview as they talked mostly about sports betting. I like sports betting. I used to dabble in it at $5 per bet. I ended up doing OK…but also realized that having a $5 bet on a game makes me VERY involved in the outcome. VERY involved in the outcome means a lot of yelling at the TV…so I stopped. That said, I am still very interested in how it all works. On the podcast, Simmons mentioned a book that Millman wrote that eventually led to his employment at ESPN. Even thought it was written 7 years ago, I thought it was worth a review.
The Odds: One Season, Three Gamblers, and the Death of Their Las Vegas by Chad Millman is REALLY interesting look at the Las Vegas sports betting scene. As the subtitle suggests, Millman took a look at three different gambling situations: a big time gambler, a new gambler, and the sportsbook (at the Stardust) themselves. The contrast between the three was really interesting. Especially the relationship between the Stardust and the “wise guy”, named Alan Boston.
The interesting aspect of that relationship was that the Stardust and the wise guys are in direct competition, a zero-sum game. Yet at the same time, because of the massive amounts of money being bet by the wise guys…the sportsbooks want their business. So the dynamic between “customer service” and hoping painfully that the wise guys lose is an odd one.
One of the main themes that I found while reading this book was that being a Las Vegas sports gambler is a very sad and lonely existince. There didn’t seem to be a lot of happiness amongst that crew. Of course, gambling is an addiction…and most people addicted to things don’t appear to be a particularly happy group anyway. It was very sad to read the stories of people spending all day, everyday, at the sportsbook. Even when they won a bet, there didn’t seem to be much joy…just relief. Then the high would wear off and they needed to get another bet down. The book certainly didn’t make it seem like a very fun way to live.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology, sociology or sports. It really does mix all three aspects into an easy to read story. Millman is an excellent writer and storyteller. I haven’t read anything else he has written…but I’m sure I will soon.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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