Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Nick's Picks


Continuing our regular feature of book recommendations from Uptown Borders' sales manager, Nick Taylor:

The Blame Game
by Neil E. Farber, M.D., Ph.D.

At times it's lovely how timely things work out. Anyone who caught glimpse of the last edition of The Economist might recall the headline, "America's Blame Game." If only I could have submitted this review in time to be timely; alas, it's not my fault!

We've all experienced the same thing in many different aspects amongst a variety of topics and venues. No one is a stranger to searching for an outside source of fault. The boss blames employees, employees blame the boss, families blame one another, people blame the government, many sometimes blame nature or possibly their genes, and some blame God or some other unseen force. Imagine all the blame being thrown around after Sunday's Bears game. While playing the game involves many strategies and targets, some subtle and some not so much, it also entails the company of many stress factors, none of which are welcome guests.

Responsibility is a sure word that comes to mind while reading this book. Consider how much energy is spent every day of every year by individuals, citizens, large businesses and world leaders searching for the scapegoat, the stooges, and the right amount sweetly secured spin. Now consider this energy going towards actually discovering and acknowledging root causes and appropriately addressing the issue to resolve the matter at hand. While one level of output may help you climb that ladder more quickly, which has more obvious long-term benefits regarding mental health, physical well-being and emotional intelligence?

As this article may not have found you with alacrity I apologize; maybe it was my fault after all. Don't shirk a potential change. Pick up a copy and put down the game, The Blame Game.

- Nicholas Taylor, Sales Manager, Borders in Uptown

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