Cutting for Stone is the sweeping, vibrant story of twin boys, Marion and Shiva Stone. The book begins with a history of how their parents, English physician Thomas Stone and Indian nun Sister Mary Joseph Praise, came to know each other while working in "Missing" hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We as the readers are mostly unaware of any romantic relationship between these two characters, but Sister Mary begins a complicated labor that results in her death and the abandonment of the twin boys by their father. The first part of the story is told by these two characters, as well as the eventual parents of Shiva and Marion, Missing physicians Hema and Ghosh. Both of these doctors are originally from India, but live and work in Ethiopia, treating the destitute when no one else will. The rest of the story is told from Marion's point of view; his childhood with brother Shiva and de-facto sister, Genet. Marion eventually leaves Ethiopia where he's been training to be a doctor, as is Shiva. The remainder of the story, the last 1/3, takes place in New York City.
This book was quite interesting on several levels. First, the author is himself a physician. He writes with a great deal of medical perspective, which is both fascinating, and a bit off-putting to the average lay-person. His analogies can be quite graphic, as he compares movement to swarming maggots, or graphically depicts the reconstruction of a vaginal fistula. Personally, I am very interested in medicine and surgery. Most of these similies and descriptions didn't bother me, but I could see how they might be a turn off to some. Also, Dr. Verghese's use of language is erudite in the extreme. He is obviously an accomplished writer, but again, your average reader might be turned off by the numerous trips to the dictionary just to understand a couple of pages of text.
I found the first section of this story, at least 100 pages, to be very slow moving. The author was telling the story of a very violent, bloody birth and took an absurd amount of pages to get to the point. I was not optimistic for the rest of the story, but I found that after that point, it was a much smoother tale.
I did very much enjoy the unpredictability of his story; nearly everything was a surprise. Perhaps if I had some background knowledge of Ethiopian history, I might have been better able to predict some of the events. I did get to learn a bit about a different culture, which is always enjoyable. Dr. Verghese must be intimately familiar with the cultures and languages of this African country and capital city that he depicts in such rich detail.
In all, I would recommend this story but with caution. Some of the issues I noted might cause readers to become discouraged or bored reading this tale. I found it worth the diligence that was needed to get through the beginning, as well as the vocabulary. I was very glad to have spent time with these characters.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Reading as fast as I can!
Ok, I am reading Cutting for Stone, but I have to admit, it's slow going. The book is around 700 pages, and I am only up to 100 pages. I am finding it hard to get into, so I am not sure if that bodes well for the rest of the book. I will try to finish it and post my review. I have many other books to read and review for the summer. Looking forward to it!
Regards,
GBG
Regards,
GBG
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Next?
Hello everyone,
These next couple of weeks are the end of my school year. I am not going to be able to post much. I am still looking for my next book to review or perhaps a topic to write about. As soon as the year is out, you will definitely be hearing from me again!
Regards,
GBG
These next couple of weeks are the end of my school year. I am not going to be able to post much. I am still looking for my next book to review or perhaps a topic to write about. As soon as the year is out, you will definitely be hearing from me again!
Regards,
GBG
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A review of Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
After reading Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh, I only have one word to say. WOW! Mostly, I read fiction. One of the things I enjoy the most is living in the world the author has created for a while. Usually, the more unrealistic the world, the harder time I have 'reintegrating' back into the real one. Well, the world of Zappos, the online shoe empire, is a real one. And after I finished reading this account of the life of Tony Hsieh and the creation and rise of Zappos, I want to live in his world!
Tony Hsieh and I are exactly the same age. We went to college at the same time, in the same state even, but my experiences were very different from his. His desire to recreate a tribe of people who support each other is an admirable one, and one I remember having myself after college was over. I would never have believed it possible to sustain this sort of experience, but he has done exactly that. He has created the ideal business world in Zappos, one in which the individual is valued and seen as a valuable commodity to be invested in, rather than squeezed for every last drop of life before the person quits from burnout.
The descriptions of Tony's early childhood experiences as an entrepreneur are very vivid, and for a (I hesitate to use the word, since it doesn't quite feel accurate) contemporary, I can picture his labors over worm farms, lemonade stands and the like while picturing my own childhood endeavors (a jewelry business with my sister, and once even a junk store on vacation in Canada!).
Tony claims to be a terrible writer, but contrary to that claim, he tells his story with both flair and vivid detail, engaging the reader right away. The story begins with his personal life and how it evolved into his early business, LinkExchange. It then begins to detail the early years of Zappos and how it came to be, utilizing interesting bon mots from employees as well as the other honchos of the business.
Toward the end, the book felt less like a story, and more like a manual of how to make your business one like Zappos, which is a fine thing to strive for, in my opinion. I don't personally work in corporate America; I have heard the stories from others of situations and work environments that sound mind numbing and horrible. It is one of the reasons why I did not lean in that direction for a career. However, while reading about the "culture" of Zappos, one of the things that the company prides itself on very strongly, I found myself wondering if I'd fit in, if the people there would see me as a good fit. I think that is a huge accomplishment for someone who is not interested in working in a corporate environment to wonder if it wouldn't be a fine idea to work for this corporation. It shows that they must be on to something very special.
The title, Delivering Happiness, has a dual meaning. As a steady patron of Zappos myself, I was unaware of their "culture" as a company. I love shoes, and they definitely delivered that happiness to me on multiple occasions. The description of this culture in the book reminds me of the old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Tony Hsieh delivers happiness to his customers while simultaneously encouraging his employees to find it within their work. The emphasis is on customer service, but it is clear that he is also very interested in his employees finding happiness of their own, not just delivering it to others.
This book is inspiring; I found myself thinking of ways I could incorporate Zappos 10 Core Values into my workplace, although in education, many of these are integral to what we do already. My favorite core value is definitely "Create Fun and A Little Weirdness". That sounds a lot like what I strive for on a daily basis, and it's nice to know others do, too.
I was sent two advance copies of this book by the Delivering Happiness team after hearing of the promotion from another blogger. I admit, I thought it was a bit too pushy, but after reading this book, I am wholeheartedly advising others to visit Tony Hsieh's world as well. I recommend this book to shoe lovers, corporate workers, and pretty much everyone else. You won't be sorry after visiting the world of Zappos. I promise.
See below for a link to the book at Amazon.com
or visit:
http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com
Tony Hsieh and I are exactly the same age. We went to college at the same time, in the same state even, but my experiences were very different from his. His desire to recreate a tribe of people who support each other is an admirable one, and one I remember having myself after college was over. I would never have believed it possible to sustain this sort of experience, but he has done exactly that. He has created the ideal business world in Zappos, one in which the individual is valued and seen as a valuable commodity to be invested in, rather than squeezed for every last drop of life before the person quits from burnout.
The descriptions of Tony's early childhood experiences as an entrepreneur are very vivid, and for a (I hesitate to use the word, since it doesn't quite feel accurate) contemporary, I can picture his labors over worm farms, lemonade stands and the like while picturing my own childhood endeavors (a jewelry business with my sister, and once even a junk store on vacation in Canada!).
Tony claims to be a terrible writer, but contrary to that claim, he tells his story with both flair and vivid detail, engaging the reader right away. The story begins with his personal life and how it evolved into his early business, LinkExchange. It then begins to detail the early years of Zappos and how it came to be, utilizing interesting bon mots from employees as well as the other honchos of the business.
Toward the end, the book felt less like a story, and more like a manual of how to make your business one like Zappos, which is a fine thing to strive for, in my opinion. I don't personally work in corporate America; I have heard the stories from others of situations and work environments that sound mind numbing and horrible. It is one of the reasons why I did not lean in that direction for a career. However, while reading about the "culture" of Zappos, one of the things that the company prides itself on very strongly, I found myself wondering if I'd fit in, if the people there would see me as a good fit. I think that is a huge accomplishment for someone who is not interested in working in a corporate environment to wonder if it wouldn't be a fine idea to work for this corporation. It shows that they must be on to something very special.
The title, Delivering Happiness, has a dual meaning. As a steady patron of Zappos myself, I was unaware of their "culture" as a company. I love shoes, and they definitely delivered that happiness to me on multiple occasions. The description of this culture in the book reminds me of the old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Tony Hsieh delivers happiness to his customers while simultaneously encouraging his employees to find it within their work. The emphasis is on customer service, but it is clear that he is also very interested in his employees finding happiness of their own, not just delivering it to others.
This book is inspiring; I found myself thinking of ways I could incorporate Zappos 10 Core Values into my workplace, although in education, many of these are integral to what we do already. My favorite core value is definitely "Create Fun and A Little Weirdness". That sounds a lot like what I strive for on a daily basis, and it's nice to know others do, too.
I was sent two advance copies of this book by the Delivering Happiness team after hearing of the promotion from another blogger. I admit, I thought it was a bit too pushy, but after reading this book, I am wholeheartedly advising others to visit Tony Hsieh's world as well. I recommend this book to shoe lovers, corporate workers, and pretty much everyone else. You won't be sorry after visiting the world of Zappos. I promise.
See below for a link to the book at Amazon.com
or visit:
http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Still Waiting
I am told by Tony Hsieh's book team that my copies of Delivering Happiness are on their way, but I have yet to receive them. Unfortunately, the review is supposed to be posted on my blog by June 6! I do read fast, but if I don't actually have the book, I'm thinking I won't be getting it up there by then. I will try to post some other things in the meantime.
Regards,
GBG
I wanted to edit this to write that when my books didn't arrive as promised, I emailed the people several times, and they always responded personally and courteously. I think that is the perfect example of the customer service Zappos is famous for. And I wasn't even buying shoes!
Regards,
GBG
I wanted to edit this to write that when my books didn't arrive as promised, I emailed the people several times, and they always responded personally and courteously. I think that is the perfect example of the customer service Zappos is famous for. And I wasn't even buying shoes!
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