The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need – Daniel H. Pink

So really, this was a great little book! And, I want to write up the back cover description, but I gave the book back already. (T_T)

So, instead, I’ll copy and past of the website!

The 6 career secrets no one ever told you.

Meet Johnny Bunko. He’s probably a lot like you. He did what everybody – parents, teachers, counselors — told him to do. But now, stuck at a dead-end job, he’s begun to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. One bizarre night, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he’s ever seen. Part Cameron Diaz, part Barbara Eden, she reveals to Johnny the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is America’s first business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga – and the last career guide you’ll ever need.

Aren’t I sneaky! Anyway, I read this the other day, and I want like four copies of it. Partly because I want to be able to pass it on to my friends. But really, the six lessons are intuitive, and they resonate great with you! Much better than the conventional ways of thought (i.e. good to school → get good grades → get a decent job → pay your dues → get a better job).

This will be the best $10 and the best 60 minutes (if you read slow) you ever spent! The story is funny, but gets the lessons across seriously enough. Seriously, Diana (nymph/gene/fairy person) is pretty funny, and Johnny is pretty typical I think.

I know its in manga (japanese comic) form, but don’t discredit it based on that. Consumers have less and less time to actually sit down and read, so why not put something in picture form? It’s easier for the majority of people to translate the information into brain code if it’s a picture, and fewer words take less time to read.

Plus, it’s just all around an enjoyable book. So go Buy It, read it, and pass it on.

Lessons:

1. There is NO Plan!!!
2. Think Strengths, NOT Weaknesses
3. Persistence trumps Talent
4. Make EXCELLENT Mistakes
5. It’s not about YOU
6. Leave an imprint

I won’t do it justice by explaining, so watch the lecture (when you have time), and go order the book.This presentation was done by Garr Reynolds. You can also see it on his website, Presentation Zen.

Also, here’s an article from Business Week.

(I read it slow, fyi! I wanted to enjoy it all the way!)

 

“microserfs” – Douglas Coupland

“..a handful of misfit Microsoft employees who realize that they don’t have lives and subsequently become determined to get lives inside the lightning-paced world of high-tech 1990’s geek culture.

” Amid a Seattle backdrop of software corporate cultishness (“B-B-B-B-Bill!”)and the financial terror of San Francisco and Silicon Valley tech startups, the members of Coupland’s quirky ensemble “stick a piece of dynamite inside themselves, like a cartoon cat, in the hopes that when they reassemble their exploded pieces they will be somebody different.”"  (The back cover)

Typically, I hate books written in this style, and had I not bought it on the internet, I would have put the book back down after flipping through the pages. But, I’m glad I did buy this, because it was actually a really gripping read.

It’s set up in the journal format, and but doesn’t give a better description of dates other than the day of the week. It pretty much contains anything semi-interesting that goes on in the main characters life. This includes his relationship with Karla, rediscovering his body (through shiatsu), and experimentation with what’s really important about life.

It was incredibly geeky and a lot of fun to read. It brings up topics most people are afraid to really think about. Or to acknowledge that they’ve thought about it.

Anyway, good book.

 

“The Man in My Basement” – Walter Mosley

“The Man in My Basement tells the story of Charles Blakey, a young black man who can’t find a job, drinks too much, and, worst of all, stands to lose the beautiful home that has belonged to his family for generations. But Charles’s fortunes take an odd turn when a stranger offers nearly $50,000 to rent out Charles’s basement – and soon, as the boarder transforms the basement into a prison cell, Charles finds himself drawn into circumstances almost unimaginably bizarre and profoundly unsettling.”

I really liked this book. Reading it gave me the opportunity to look at aspects of myself I didn’t know I could see. This, really, makes it my favorite type of book, since it opens many doors of thought for me.

Definitely read this book if you read at all.

 

“Wild Swans” – Jung Chang

This books is about the lives of three women, mother to daughter to daughter. Their story takes place throughout the many era’s in China’s recent history, starting with the old emperor and ending just after the death of Chairman Mao.
Honestly, this books was one of the best I’ve read. Not only was it well written, but it was so enticing that I read the entire 676 pages in two days; somewhat to the detriment of my studies… Anyway, the point is this book is one that you should read if you read at all.

What I took away from this book was more than I can put into words. It really opened my eyes to China and it’s history, and for the first time I actually wanted to learn more about a history (because I typically have very very little interest). I also wanted to bump Chinese up on my list of languages to learn because of this book.

 

“Fear and Trembling” – Amelie Nothomb

“According to ancient Japanese protocol, foreigners deigning to approach the emperor did so only with fear and trembling. Terror and self-abasement conveyed respect. Amelie, out well-intentioned and eager young Western heroine, goes to Japan to spend a year working at the Yumimoto Corporation. Returning to the land where she was born is the fulfillment of a dream for Amelie; working there turns into a comic nightmare.” (The back cover)

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was pretty much something I read for pure entertainment, and I finished it in a few hours (132 pages). It is truly well-written, and keeps your attention to the very last page.

As for thought that came out of it, not really a lot. While it’s classified on fiction, it is based on some truth. And, coupled with other sources, I don’t want to work in a traditional Japanese company if it could be helped. Which it can.

 

“Please Don’t call me Human” – Wang Shuo

“[Wang Shuo] imagines an Olympics where nations compete not on the basis of athletic prowess but on their citizens’ capacity for humiliation – and China is determined to win at any cost. The novel’s anti-hero is a slacker pedicab driver from Beijing, a degenerate nihilist who rips of his own ace in order to win the gold for China.” -from the back cover.

This book is banned in China for its “rudeness” and “vulgarity”.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was hard to follow and a little hard to believe. But, on the other hand, I like the way it looks into the ability of one human to follow another. This is a rather extreme example, but, if you think about it, what would happen if you put all your trust in someone else? Or a government organization?

It’s a bit of a stretch, but it kind of seems that America is on this type of path, where the people become entirely dependent on the government. Fortunately, it’s not there yet. But too many people are just giving up any hope of having a say in what’s happening with our country, and that’s the same as saying “I’m behind whatever the government says.”

It should be that the government works for the people to make the lives of it’s citizens the most enriched. Unfortunately, large amounts of wordplay results in many people being uneducated about the issues at hand. In this situation, it’s nearly impossible to have a say.

Of course, I realize that it’s impossible to consult the people for every decision. I just wish there was a more accurate way of letting the masses know what’s really going on, instead of the goal being to confuse everyone for the sake of a single persons career.

 

“31 Songs” – Nick Hornby

This book is exactly what it sounds like: a book about Nick Hornby’s feelings tied to 31 different songs. What the title doesn’t mention is the “…and 14 albums” added in.

Honestly, this isn’t my type of book. I prefer stories that I can dive into. I did think it was well written though, and I appreciated Hornby’s humor and sincerity throughout the read.  I wanted to listen to some of the songs he wrote about, but not enough to download the songs unfortunately. Maybe that’ll change, and, if it does, I’ll let you know.

Overall, this is a good read for people who like essays and short stories especially. Of course, it’s also good for anyone who likes music; you might find you and Hornby share the same passion for it.