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The Seven Storey Mountain

Thomas Merton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 98 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

After "The Confessions," maybe the best-ever 'autobiography of Faith' 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Today I delivered a gift copy of this book to a widow, "Grace" whose husband had been my late father's closest childhood friend. A week earlier, Grace had asked: "Have you ever read Thomas Merton's SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN? I read it in 1953; and found it very moving. I'd love to find a copy and read it again."

When I presented her with a new copy of this edition, I asked if I could read aloud my favorite passage (early in the book) concerning Thomas Merton's `little brother' John Paul (five years younger) who, like his older brother was a French-born, American citizen.

Late in the book Thomas Merton tells us how John Paul was compelled early in WWII to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (and trained right here in Manitoba! John Paul Merton had been flying bombing runs over a real sandy desert on the prairie just outside nearby Camp Shilo, where today's Canadian Artillery Officers still train. My late father was flown at Canadian Army expense each year, late in life, to address the graduating officers at that camp: Small world!)

Just before leaving for overseas, John Paul flew to see his older brother Thomas and, not incidentally, be Baptized, and welcomed into the Catholic faith. Then he left for England (and was killed in action the next year, when his RAF bomber went down over the English Channel).

His death provides the moving culmination to this book - bringing the reader `full circle' from the moment (back on page 25) when Thomas Merton introduces us to John Paul. (What follows is the passage that moves me to tears when I read it aloud to a friend.)

------

"One thing I would say about my brother, John Paul: My most vivid memories of him, in our childhood, all fill me with poignant compunction at the thought of my own hard-heartedness, and his natural humility and love.

"I suppose it's usual for elder brothers, when they are still children, to feel themselves demeaned by the company of a brother, four or five years younger, whom they regard as a baby, and tend to patronize and look down upon.

"So when Russ and Bill and I (older brothers all) made huts in the woods out of boards and tar paper . . . we severely prohibited John Paul, and Russ' younger brother Tommy and their friends from coming anywhere near us. If they did try to come and get into our hut, or even to look at it, we would chase them away with stones.

"When I think now about that part of my childhood, the picture I get of my brother John Paul is this: standing in a field a hundred yards away from our hut, is this little perplexed five-year-old kid in short pants and a kind of leather jacket, standing quite still; his arms hanging down at his sides.

"He is gazing in our direction, afraid to come any nearer on account of the stones, as insulted as he is saddened, and his eyes full of indignation and sorrow. And yet he does not go away. We shout at him to go away, beat it, go home, and wing a couple more rocks in that direction. We tell him to play some other place. He does not move.

"And there he stands, not sobbing, not crying, but angry and unhappy and offended and tremendously sad. And yet he is fascinated by what we are doing, nailing shingles all over our new hut. And his tremendous desire to be with us and to do what we are doing will not permit him to go away.

"The law written in his nature tells him he must be with his elder brother and do what he is doing, and he cannot understand why this law of love is being so wildly and unjustly violated in his case.

"Many times are like that, and in a sense, this terrible situation is the pattern and prototype of all sin: the deliberate and formal will to reject disinterested love for us, for the purely arbitrary reason that we simply do not want it. We `will' to separate ourselves from that love; we reject it entirely and absolutely, and will not acknowledge it, because it does not please us to be loved . . . "

[Thomas Merton immediately recalls an astounding event] "when our `gang' tried to antagonize the extremely tough Polish kids who had formed a gang in nearby Little Neck (approaching their headquarters) and "from a very safe distance we would challenge them to come out and fight" (but) "nobody came out - perhaps (that day) there was nobody home."

But then came the day, Merton recalls, "one cold and rainy afternoon, when we observed that numbers of large and small figures, varying in age from 10 to 16, most of them very brawny" gathered outside the Merton home, "20 or 25 of them. There were four of us."[hiding inside].

"The climax of the situation came when Frieda, our German maid, told us that she was very busy with housecleaning and we must all get out of the house immediately. Without listening to our extremely nervous protests, she chased us out the back way . . . we made our way through back yards to the safety of Bill's house" [a block away, with a clear view across a field, of the Merton home].

"And then an extraordinary thing happened. The front door of our house opened. My little brother John Paul came walking down the steps with a certain amount of dignity and calm. He crossed the street (and) walked toward the Little Neck gang. They all turned towards him. He kept on walking and walked right into the middle of them.

"One or two of them took their hands out of their pockets. John Paul just looked at them, turning his head to one side and then the other. And he walked through the middle of them and no one ever touched him.

"And so he came to the house where we were. We did not chase him away."

-------

The book closes with a poem written by Thomas Merton upon learning of his brother's death in the North Sea: "I learned that John Paul was severely injured in the crash but managed to keep himself afloat, even tried to support the pilot who was already dead.

"He was very badly hurt; maybe his neck was broken. He lay in the bottom of the dinghy in delirium. He was terribly thirsty. He kept asking for water. But they didn't have any. It didn't last too long. He had three hours of it and then he died. His companions had more to suffer, and were finally picked up and taken to safety five days later. On the fourth day they had buried John Paul at sea."

The chapter concludes with Thomas Merton's poetic requiem for his "dear brother" asking their Maker to,

"Take my breath . . .
and buy yourself a better death . . .
And buy you back to your own land
The silence of Whose tears shall fall
Like bells upon your alien tomb.
Hear them and come,
They call you home."

Thomas Merton died 40 years ago (on the 20th anniversary of his book's first publishing) while attending a conference of Eastern and Western monks in Thailand (electrocuted by a faulty table lamp in his Bangkok hotel room).

This "Fiftieth Anniversary Edition" includes a delightful "Note to the Reader" from William H. Shannon, founding president of the International Thomas Merton Society, who recalls that, from the very first day in print (October 4, 1948) the book was "an instant success: Hailed as a modern day version of the `CONFESSIONS' of St. Augustine, it has continued to sell and sell and sell."

As Evelyn Waugh, no easy critic, wrote prophetically: It "might well prove to be of permanent interest in the history of religious experience."

Buy a copy and see for yourself (I highly recommend this edition).

Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Canada

Editorial Review:

A modern-day Confessions of Saint Augustine, The Seven Storey Mountain is one of the most influential religious works of the twentieth century. This edition contains an introduction by Merton's editor, Robert Giroux, and a note to the reader by biographer William H. Shannon. It tells of the growing restlessness of a brilliant and passionate young man whose search for peace and faith leads him, at the age of twenty-six, to take vows in one of the most demanding Catholic orders--the Trappist monks. At the Abbey of Gethsemani, "the four walls of my new freedom," Thomas Merton struggles to withdraw from the world, but only after he has fully immersed himself in it. The Seven Storey Mountain has been a favorite of readers ranging from Graham Greene to Claire Booth Luce, Eldridge Cleaver, and Frank McCourt. And, in the half-century since its original publication, this timeless spiritual tome has been published in over twenty languages and has touched millions of lives.

Running with the Giants: What the Old Testament Heroes Want You to Know About Life and Leadership

John C. Maxwell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

"You can't stay the same and learn at the same time." 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Buy this book on tape; it is only 90 minutes long, perfect for your commute to work. The questions for personal reflection after each section will be missing but if you like the audio then spend a few extra bucks and pick up the paperback for the questions if you think you are missing out.
This Maxwell book talks about finishing a marathon in a stadium with a crowd cheering you on. I have actually seen something like this at the Atlanta Olympics back in 1996 when the final runner was more than a lap behind and the race was all but over. The crowd cheered the loudest not for the winners but for this last lone runner. At each turn the crowd acknowledged the talent that got him there even if in comparison it wasn't enough to get him the gold. I don't think there was a dry eye in the stadium. Maxwell takes this type of encouragement a step further and brings 10 Biblical Giants down from the crowd one by one to help the racer (you). They are: Noah, Esther, an unnamed servant girl, Joseph, Moses, Rebekah, Abraham, Nehemiah, Jonathan, and David. Each has a powerful lesson to share with you. Don't pass this opportunity up. If you have ever thought to yourself it would be nice to have a mentor to help me along the way - Then this book is for you!
After completing this book you will come to realize that the real power of this book is not in its length it is in the way it will make you think and feel about your life and its purpose.

Become "an apple seed planter" like John talks about.

Editorial Review:

How would the legendary figures in the Bible advise us today? We're running the race of our lives and it's a long one. We need encouragement along the way-a cheering grandstand or a personal trainer or two. John Maxwell reminds us that even in a modern world, the greatest inspiration is still found within the pages of the Old Testament. In RUNNING WITH THE GIANTS, Maxwell brings those great personalities to life. David would remind us how to overcome adversity. Noah would tell us not to fear doing the impossible. And Rebekah would urge us to give and serve generously. Each of these and the many other biblical figures Maxwell examines can motivate believers toward their personal best in the marathon of life.

3:16: The Numbers of Hope (3:16)

Max Lucado

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

If 9/11 are the numbers of terror and despair, then 3:16 are the numbers of hope. Best-selling author Max Lucado leads readers through a word-by-word study of John 3:16, the passage that he calls the "Hope Diamond" of Scripture.

3:16 will have a large, multi-faceted campaign, including:

• Multiple licensed products to further extend 3:16 at retail. Partners thus far include Hallmark, Dayspring, Kerusso, and Bob Siemon Designs
• 3:16 curriculum and church musical in development
• 3:16 consumer music CD featuring top Christian music artists
• 3:16 as the centerpiece of a global ministry initiative launched worldwide via simulcast on Palm Sunday, 3/16/08
• Unprecedented release in several languages, including Spanish, German, Swedish, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese
• Multiple ancillary publishing products to include evangelism booklet, DVD priced for giveaway, children's product, and gift book

Safe People

Henry Cloud

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

not what you think it is 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I was looking forward to reading this book and when I started to read it I realized it was a religious book disquised as a different type of book. I am very disapointed and might send it back. Be aware.

Forgettable, Uninspiring 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The first part of the book was okay, as it outlined the types of people who are "unsafe", but it completely wimped out on the reader. The authors give no solutions for improving relationships or finding safe people.

I expected that the book would be a lot more practical, and it just wasn't. It was very clinical and dry. Additionally, I find some of the concepts a tad spiritually "iffy". They seem to play fast and loose with scriptures, applying scriptures to situations that would have benefitted from any number of different scriptures. It was weird. His interpretation of scripture was a little odd. Also, most of they said was not backed up with a lot of scripture when you really evaluate it.

Also, it was poorly written. The sentence construction was poor. Technically it was correct, but overall a hindrance when you have to read a sentence three times to figure out its point. They just aren't versed in the art of writing.

In all a really dull and uninspiring read. Not at all helpful. I wish I had something better to say about it, but I don't. It was disappointing and forgettable.

Editorial Review:

Finding safe people provides the foundation for building healthy, lasting relationships. Here's how to identify safe people.

The Jesus I Never Knew

Philip Yancey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 168 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Jesus I used to know 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Philip Yancey, in THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW, lets slip with a few secrets that you never learned in Sunday School (nor even, for that matter, in THE DA VINCI CODE). Example: Have you heard the one about Jesus catching a bad case of leprosy? (p. 79). [He got it from rubbing spit-and-mud on an elderly leper, neglecting then to wash his hands before lunch. Two weeks later, when the lesions appeared, Jesus healed himself using the same trusted remedy, and Presto! he was good to go.]

Yancey's disclosures are precisely what make this book so important: Indeed, THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW has been "Critically acclaimed as the most significant book of the last ten years" (and it's not just Phil Yancey who says so, I take that quote directly from the book jacket).

Phil grew up long before the days of Christian video games, like that one in which you blast to smithereens the Jews who want to nail Jesus to the cross. As a child, Phil Yancey thought that Jesus was just some two-dimensional bearded figure in a boring flannelgraph story; after which, the teacher gave you KoolAid and sugar cookies. Later, as a teen, Phil was able to admire Jesus as a role model--a bootlegger who, when his Mom rebuked him, sassed her with such rude remarks as "Woman, what have I to with THEE?" But when Phil (as a grown man) finally came to know the true Lord of glory, he discovered "a Jesus who is brilliant, creative, challenging, fearless, compassionate, unpredictable, and ultimately satisfying"--not unlike Robert Powell in Franco Zeffirelli's film version (p. 77); in fact, I'd say almost EXACTLY like Robert Powell in Franco Zeffirelli's film version.

I actually like Jesus, quite a lot. Jesus, back when I first knew him, was (a.) the Son of Yahveh, and (b.) a very nice, well-adjusted person, which, when you consider those two facts side by side, is no small accomplishment. And I totally agree with most of what Phil has to say in this book about the real Jesus: "brilliant," yes; "creative," yes; "challenging," absolutely. I endorse all of his epithets except the last: "ultimately satisfying?" Not! Just ask Mary Magdalene, she'll back me up. "What would Jesus do?" is a fascinating question, but it's exactly what we never knew; and (trust me!) no one tried harder to find out the answer, than Mary Magdalene.

My favourite part of Phil's book is Chapter 4, "Temptation: Showdown in the Desert." Here's the story, which is one that Philip Yancey never used to know. In 28 CE, Jesus and I spent six weeks together, hiking in the wilderness and then taking a tour of Jerusalem. We talked. We reminisced. We shared our fantasies. My idea was for Jesus to have a little fun while he lived among humankind, maybe even commit a harmless sin or two, just as a life-experience; but he was not open to that suggestion (Mark 1:13). When he became hungry, I tempted him to turn stones into bread. He didn't bite. When he felt discouraged, I tempted him to throw himself off a pinnacle without getting hurt, thereby to prove his divinity. He didn't jump. Testing the limits of his courtesy, I offered him a sizable chunk of real estate - the entire planet - if he would pay me a single compliment of the sort Yahveh gets every day of the year. No thanks. And when he was horny - yes, Jesus was tempted in all points like any other man, but without sin - I'd catch his attention with some short-togaed Roman shiksa and whisper in his ear and say, "Hey, Jesus, how'd you like some o' that before returning to Heaven!" (Hebrews 4:15).

But Jesus would just his squeeze eyes shut in that cute way he has, and say, "Woe unto you, Lucifer, for trying to make me think about that!" (Matt. 4:1-11).

In retrospect, I have always felt my timing was off: for it was immediately after the baptismal service - right after he saw his Father looking down on us from Heaven - that I tempted Jesus to dabble in sin. I should have tempted him to dabble sooner, during his adolescence. Instead, Jesus' unassailable virtue struck a harmful blow to my self-esteem. It's quite unusual when I earnestly tempt someone to sin, for my suggestions to be rejected flat out. But with Jesus I hit a brick wall. I tried every rhetorical, Jesuitical, trick in the book. I could not even make Jesus WANT to dabble in sin. So I guess you could say that, between the two of us, Jesus proved himself the better man. He is certainly more obedient than I am. Well, more power to him! I've got no beef with Jesus. I just wish that I could have got to know him a little better before he scooted back up to Heaven and left us with a planet full of Christians.

--L

Editorial Review:

Philip Yancey reveals the real Jesus beyond the stereotypes, revolutionizing the reader's passion for Christ.

The Dream Giver

Bruce Wilkinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 106 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Dream Giver 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love this book! It is sooo amazing. It is very true. I have a dream and so do you. If you let it, this book can change your life. I highly reccomend it.

An Insightful, Delightful, and Quick Read 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This parable is about a person, 'Ordinary' who decides to leave his hometown of 'Familiar' to follow his dream. He is presented with many obstacles, which anybody pursuing their dream will encounter, and the book is written in an easy-to-follow and quick-to-read style.

Though the author writes from a Christian perspective, the only time this is apparent is for a little while mid-way through the book. Generally speaking, you can replace 'God' with any other universal energy that resonates with you and the words will still feel right... because having dreams is universal to all people.

A friend recommended this book to me at a pivotal time in my life... a time when I am pursuing my dream to help people grow spiritually. I am grateful to have found it when I did, and I am sure that one of you reading this right now will also find it to be the right book at the right time in your life.

Editorial Review:

Bestselling author Bruce Wilkinson shows how to identify and overcome the obstacles that keep millions from living the life they were created for. He begins with a compelling modern-day parable about Ordinary, who dares to leave the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream. With the help of the Dream Giver, Ordinary begins the hardest and most rewarding journey of his life. Wilkinson gives readers practical, biblical keys to fulfilling their own dream, revealing that there's no limit to what God can accomplish when we choose to pursue the dreams He gives us for His honor.

Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Small-Print Bible 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I'm very sorry I purchased this "Archaeological Bible". It's very interesting to look at, but impossible to read -- at least, for me. The type is quite small, and my 66-year-old eyes can't handle it. I can understand the reason they did this; with all the sidebars and footnotes, the thing would have been a foot thick in normal-size print. But what's the use in having all this information if you can't read it? I've given up and gone back to my Oxford Annotated Study Bible for my studies.

perfect gift 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

i ordered this bible as a birthday gift for my mother. it arrived promptly, was in even better condition than i had expected, and mom loves it. thank you for great service!

Unsure 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ok, so I am debating about whether to buy this study Bible or not. Maybe somebody can help me out. My concern is that the field of archaeology develops and changes so quickly that by the time something like this is printed it is already out of date. Could someone help me out here? What are the real advantages?

Editorial Review:

A unique study Bible filled with informative articles and full-color photographs that will take you on an illustrated walk through biblical history and culture.

Glorious Appearing (Left Behind)

Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 286 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Sunday school from Hell 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I'd like to say that my title is more than a little harsh, but frankly I can't. I skimmed through probably 2/3rds of this book searching for when the droning sermons would end.
Quite frankly, I don't think Jesus is that boring, nor that cruel to make his children suffer through a holier than though monotone sermon that covers not one but up to six pages at a time. Nor do I think, as it's been pointed out from other reviewers, that He would get such manical pleasure in incinerating millions of people and as was pointed out from another, so many innocent horses.
One thing that really irritated me about this book is how all of sudden Nicolae/Lucifer is turned into the biggest bafoon in all of creation. My apologies to the everyone who had a hand in publishing this book, but Lucifer did not command an army of millions of angels during the great Battle, nor has he spun his charms on so much of mankind by being a complete idiot.
The fact that I am not a Christian will cause many to say that that is why I don't like the books, and I'm completely missing the message. The message I gleaned from this book, and many of the books in the series is that fear mongering is still a preferred method of recruitment into the Christian ranks. It is because of this philosophy that millions of others like me will fear not our Lord Creator, but those who would wish to murder us because we aren't self-defeating sheep and have the nerve to think for ourselves.

Editorial Review:

Thousands of years of human history stained by strife, death, and sin come to an end when the King of Glory returns to earth. The satisfying conclusion of the seven years of tribulation covered by the Left Behind series portrays the return of Jesus Christ to earth in both glory and judgment at the height of the battle between the forces of evil gathered at Armageddon and the remaining Christian believers at Petra and Jerusalem. Nothing seems to be able to stop the Antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia. But God is in control. Street date: Tuesday, November 16, 2004.

The Practice of the Presence of God

Brother Lawrence

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Total reviews: 87 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Radical...not necessarily practical 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Brother Lawrence's spiritual classic can be summarized in a few short steps:

1. Have a mystical vision of the divine love of God. (Unfortunately, no hint of how this can be accomplished is given.)

2. Renounce the world and everything in it. (Larry Bro apparently had no family, career, or other extenuating circumstances, so he joined a monastery as a lay brother and cook.)

3. Pray ceaselessly, even while you're asleep. Don't worry about temptation, your neighbor, suffering, mortification, responsibility, complications, penance, formality, growth, doctrine, vocation, redemption, and anything else you can think of.

After around four to ten years of tormenting doubt and fear (by his accounts) you'll be ready to bask in the warm glow of grace!

The message of complete faith in God is indeed a great one. But the line between self-sacrifice and self-indulgence sometimes gets blurred. We are not given an account of any works of charity, love, or mercy that Brother Lawrence may have accomplished. Only that he went around happy all day. Somtimes he was so giddy with God's love that he would have to pinch himself to keep from giggling in front of other people. Then he derides normal people for not being drunk all day on spiritual consolations.

What is truly ironic is that Brother Lawrence's path was, at the time, thought to be a great shortcut. Compared to the discipline required of monks in those days, I'm sure it was. Nowadays, Deepak Chopra Winfrey would probably be unimpressed. The great Saints would probably recommend that you pick up your cross and eschew the easy path.

Editorial Review:

The Practice of the Presence of God is among the most enduringly popular of all Christian devotional works. It is a collection of conversations with a simple seventeenth-century French Carmelite monk who, through the simplest of everyday activities, was able to achieve a profound intimacy with God. Brother Lawrence's teaching has resonated with Christians for more than three hundred years, and it is fitting that it is now available in this beautiful edition with a fine full-cloth cover, a sewn binding, and a ribbon marker.

360 Degree Leader

John C. Maxwell

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Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

360 Degree Leader Review (Nursing Leadership) 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The author of The 360° Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization, John C. Maxwell, is noted authority on leadership. For nearly 30 years he has addressed audiences worldwide on leadership principles and has authored more than 40 books including the 2 million sellers Developing the Leader Within You and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Dr. Maxwell is founder of EQUIP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training leaders worldwide and INJOY Stewardship Services among many other organizations devoted to training and developing leaders. This review shall cover only The 360° Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization published in Nashville, TN by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The text was purchased at [...] for $[...] plus shipping and handling of $[...]. It comes with a complementary on-line self assessment survey accessed by using a pre-printed PIN code. The PIN code was printed on the book jacket, but was not found easily. The on-line self assessment survey was user friendly and directs users to personal strengths and weaknesses. The book includes references such as training material for organizations and teams as well as a list of references for in text citations.
In The 360° Leader, Dr. Maxwell challenges his readers to reconsider leadership. He proposes leadership is not a function of position, but rather a consequence of influence. A 360° leader is one who is leading successfully from the middle of the organization- influencing others in every direction: up, down, and across. Despite the expanse of contemporary literature on leadership today, Maxwell has found a way to reframe and re-conceptualized middle leadership . His target audience is all who are not at the very top, nor at the very bottom of any organizational structure (this includes corporate as well as volunteer organizations).
Maxwell begins by challenging several myths commonly held about leadership including the myths of position, destination, influence, inexperience, freedom, potential, and "all or nothing". He introduces a leadership identification tool which he calls "The five levels of leadership". This tool identifies levels of leadership based on the relational dynamics between the leader and those whom they presume to lead. In Section II, the author identifies several challenges facing 360° leaders. The first challenge is the tension challenge in which Maxwell describes the discord between performance expectations or responsibilities and actual authority. Secondly, he describes the frustration challenge of following an ineffective leader. In the multi-hat challenge he describes methods to overcome competing priorities. The ego challenge discusses how to overcome the temptation to undervalue one's own contribution to the organization based on position or recognition (or lack thereof). The fulfillment challenge tackles the question of finding purpose and fulfillment that's not predicated upon one's organizational position but rather one's personal disposition. Finally, he speaks to the challenge of championing a vision that is not one's own and addresses influencing and leading others beyond one's organizational position.
In Section III, Maxwell delves into 9 leadership principles needed to govern oneself in order to lead up. Section highlights are first and foremost leading oneself exceptionally well, lightening your leaders load, and possessing the willingness to do what other will or can not.
In Sections IV and V, the author describes leadership principles for influencing across (that is to say one's peers) and down (one's subordinates). In Section VI, he describes the value of 360° leaders. Finally he closes the book with a word to senior level management about creating an environment which promotes and inspires 360° leaders.
The author's style of writing comes across very logical and succinct in that he first defines the presumed perspective of his target audience wherein he attempts to build trust by communicating a sense of understanding of shared challenges and frustrations. Building on a foundation of mutual understanding, he offers words of wisdom for leading from the middle, framing it in such a way that by the end of the book one would be excited about the challenges and victories won as a 360° leader!
At 308 pages, the language of the text is simple enough that one with minimal formal education may understand it, yet scholarly enough that it does not come across as condescending and remedial. He uses strategically placed humor to make certain points and even encloses surprise lessons on parenting and personal relationships. These lessons go down smoothly when chased with Maxwell's practical wisdom and sound reason. Throughout each lesson, Maxwell inserts great one-liners on leadership. Whether it's his own, or borrowed from a trusted source, each phrase solidifies a lesson on leadership. These on-liners make the text useful for reference, skimming for a quick refresher, or with no more than a glance, regaining much needed perspective.
The author uses a broad range of 360° leaders as exemplars of applied 360° leadership principles. He uses leaders from diversified cultures, occupations and levels of positional authority to make each point. This tactic is useful for offering his readers a point of contact with whom they might identify.
It is also noteworthy that throughout the text, Maxwell lauds his own 360° leaders by name and offers very public praise for a job well done. In this, he models his own leadership principle "Lead Down Principle # 5: Model the Behavior You Want" and the behavior he encourages for senior leaders to "reward leadership initiative"- one of the 12 activities suggested to unleash the leadership potential within an organization.
Overall this book is well executed, relevant, and timely. It is sure to be useful in years to come.

Reviewed by: Ericka Lewis, RN-BC
James Haley VA Hospital
Reviewed: November 27, 2007

Reference
Maxwell, J. C. (2005). The 360° Leader: Developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.