Rating: Summary: Simple Is Good; Simplistic is Stinky Cheese Review: Aphoristic cliches are all well and good, but not when they cost $20. Fear not, thinking animals of the farm! This book is only a number one bestseller because of it's corporate connections--it proudly lists 72 of them (AAA through Xerox) before the title page. Reminds me of the George W. Bush campaign's $100,000 Pioneer donors being passed off as a groundswell of popular support--admit it, ninety percent of you read this book because your company made it required reading.I'm reassured that the head of my 25-person company gave it to his staff with some idea that he would be insulting their intelligence, but that the book would spark positive discussion anyway (last year's title was Ken Blanchard's RAVING FANS). I just lament the $250 or more he must have spent on it. What about the message of this cute little hardbacked pamphlet? Change happens, deal with it or starve, you silly mouse you. Obviously Spencer Johnson has a nice franchise going for himself. Let's just be honest about who finances it. To use a better rodentine image, I quote Lily Tomlin: "The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat." What are we America? I wasn't insulted by this book, but it did make me wonder about the answer to that question.
Rating: Summary: Simple Discussion of What We Refuse to See in Ourselves Review: I was given this book at work. I realized I am much more fearful of change than I had thought. Now I am ready to begin my challenging assignment in a new department, and instead of dwelling at any mistakes I may make, I will laugh at myself and learn from the experience.
Rating: Summary: Your First Book on Change? You Picked the Right One! Review: This very quick read--is to the point--but powerful--and it will remind you of someone. You will even come to the quiet realization of which character you play. The beauty is that you can see yourself in a less threatening way--and realizing what you need to do to change yourself--to make you more change ready. I've read many books on change--and I still really liked this one--because it is a story I can tell my coworkers--where they can in a humorous way see where they fit in--without it being a negative lesson. Buy it and tell the story to those you want to change.
Rating: Summary: Talk About Cheesey . . . Review: This book obviously began as a newsletter article. A cute story about 4 mice that could be told in three minutes is spread out over 50 pages (with really, really large type to stretch it that far!) bracketed by a spurious story of a high school reunion. Not only do I want my money back, I want compensation for the time I wasted reading the book. The writing is on an eighth grade level, the analogy is simplistic, and the conversation of the friends at the beginning and end of the book (using the term loosely) is stilted at best. I gave it one star becuase there is no way to give it one-half a star.
Rating: Summary: The Cheese stands alone Review: You must read the "cheese" book, all young hip business dudes spout "cheesisms" shortly before they race after the next big thing. Not to say my generation didn't think "What Color is My Parachute?" was big. But we read books with a certain, old fashioned, grain of salt. We had to swallow bestsellers like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, after all. We are not the kind to take to a parable like WMMC? Still, you don't want to miss out on what everyone's talking about. Egads, what if someone asked you about the cheese and you thought they were talking cheddar? Or Brie? Duck: Here's comes a retro notion.Everyone knows the cheese is in motion but running after it isn't the only answer. Sometimes, careful, thoughtful reflection allows others to whip themselves into a frenzy while you wait for the trends to even out. Those poor mice who scurried from traditional companies and jumped on the e-bandwagon, are slinking back, one by one. The "Cheese" book didn't cause the revolution, it spun the wheels. The last dot.com dude I wished well, had his "Cheese" book clutched tightly in his arms and that glazed, Omigod, don't leave me behind, look. Moral of the story? Sometimes, even mice with the cheese figure out, it's just cheese. Buy it and save it for proof you survived the e-madness. At least, it will be proof you were there.
Rating: Summary: Cut through the cheese! Review: Only a book this unbearably bad could have spawned two parodies, both entitled "Who Cut the Cheese." In what has to be a first, each of the parodies is better written than the original! I personally preferred the Mason Brown parody to the Stilton Jarlsberg version. While Jarlsberg got in some good pokes, I don't know that he grasped the true horror of the original book as deeply as Brown. Brown gets it spot on when he writes: "Some readers of this book's early manuscript preferred to stop at the fable, without reading further, and interpret its meaning for themselves. Still others preferred to stop after "the Loitering," and never think of the book again. Still others preferred a slow and painful death administered by Chinese torturers who have forgotten more about pain than you could ever know." "Who Moved My Cheese?" is quite possibly the worst business book ever written.
Rating: Summary: Who Moved The Cheese? Review: Despite rave paid reviews, I read this book under pressure from the major company whose corporate symbol enjoys cheese on a regular basis. (I suspect the thousands of "required" readers from this empire resulted in this book's best seller status. ) The book is depressing for anyone who works toward a common team goal. The book implies that when things get bad, you should dump all previous behavior and try anything different. It also implies that those who fail in this practice are losers who can't "handle change". This book is over-priced and simple minded.
Rating: Summary: Accepting changes in your life or organization Review: This book provides an easy way for anyone to understand how to deal with changes in your life, work or other. By describing a story through four different characters, you are able to identify yourself with one of them as well as identify those in your life or organization that closely resemble some of the other book's characters. If you want a book that it is very easy to read and has a powerful message underneath, look no further than this book. I would recommend this book to who ever is dealing with changes and is having difficulties in dealing with them. This book also shows you the positive side of "moving as the cheese moves" and accepting the reality of today's dynamic world where "things" are constantly changing...
Rating: Summary: Insulting and Condescending Review: Useless drivel from the One Minute Author. The message seems to be "Change will happen, deal with it". Hey, folks, change has been happening ever since earth was created. If you didn't know that, where were you the last 50 million years? The author seems to think that we are not aware that the world is changing. I read this book at the bookstore during my lunch break, and definitely did NOT buy it. After reading the book, I wish there were more people like "Hem", stubborn, and resistant to change. These people die off and leave a lot more of the new cheese for the rest of us. I would rate this zero stars, but 1 star is the lowest rating they have. Leave this PoS on the shelf.
Rating: Summary: It's Simple And Powerful Review: The many reviewers who are giving this book one star are probably individuals who are apparently upset with their employers - and not the author. So what if the book is simple, the author is only keeping within his publisher's suggestions and guidelines for short books. Big deal. The book is simple, short but has basic strengths we need to think about. Often as humans - we simply overlook them. There is a need to sometimes pull away from your present structure (company) or other areas in your life (parenting or personal) and begin your own cheese. Stop complaining and do something about it. You must admit, it took this book to get you motivated to blow off steam. Since Amazon.com doesn't allow us a space for recommended books or comparisons, we have to force our suggestions in "added" comments into our reviews. In fact, sometimes they get in and sometimes they don't. For example, I'd like to offer some worthy words from two other authors for all adults and hope they get in. ALL people - including MOMS AND DADS - should read "Ten Things I Wished I'd Known Before Going Out Into The Real World." This book is for personal, business and even parenting. "MOMMY-CEO," by Jodie Lynn is another title which is promoted as parenting and self-help but can be utilized as personal and business. We used it in staff meetings and it opened all of our eyes with simple rules. It is about changing your life plan to follow 5 Golden Rules to enhance a better family environment (same as Cheese can do). Just like Who Moved My Cheese, the book can be interchanged among various individuals - whether you are male or female - working or not. In other words, some parenting books can be utilized as business and personal reference books and vice versa. I use Ten Things I Wished I'd Known, Mommy-CEO, and now, Who Moved My cheese in the office and in my home with my spouse and kids. For the record, Mommy-CEO is not about breaking the glass ceiling. The comparison between the three books are real and here's hoping the review editors at Amazon.com realize this and offer my suggestions for all three books as being top producers for change in business, personal, and yes, parenting. Remember, all three books can be interchanged for all people married or single with kids or without. Face it, elaborate plans falter - simple cheese is better.
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