Disclosure

Rating:
Summary: My, my, how refreshing.
Review: When I read this I was positively delighted. It tackles such an issue that many simply would avoid. We must remember that it is indeed a contraversial subject, but we must not shy away from it. Crichton certainly does not, and he hits it head on. But with an added twist; the sexual harrassment charge comes from a man-which (with tradition) rarely happens. One must draw on this fact because it allows the book so much more potential. It shows the issue in a different light, and ultimately proves that there are always different ways of looking at things.

The characters themselves are superb. We are trapped into the desperation of our leading role and actually feel for him when all seems to be lost. This sense of hopelessness is magnified by the fact that he is trying to fight a corner which is not well covered. Crichton, if you like, enlightens us on this matter. He forces us to think again about sexual politics and how the nature of both sexes can become confused.

A very significant work that begs for your attention. Read this, see what Crichton is talking about and then look at your own world and see the links.

Rating:
Summary: A Novel Approach to Sexual Harrassment
Review: This book is a very interesting story of corporate intrigue, suspense and infighting that is a fast paced and enjoyable tale by itself. What makes it fascinating is that Chrichton has woven a current issue -- on the job sexual harrassment -- into the heart of the story.

But its not sexual harrassment the way you'd expect. Tom Sanders -- Digicom's Vice President -- is harrassed by his new boss Meridth Johnson after she wins a promotion fight they both were waging. The old story of a boss using position for sexual gratification is turned on its head -- she is in the power position, demanding performance from the man and creating an environment of retaliation at his refusal.

The book is a wonderful expose of sexual harrassment by examining it from an unconventional vantage point. This serious issue does at first look different when a man is the accuser against a female. But this refreshing portrayal produces a first rate look at the problem.

The rest of the story surrounds high tech corporate culture, market pressure, a fascinating look at virtual reality technology and the tried and true secrative corporate machinations that reveal themselves over the course of the book.

I must add that the issue does not detract from the story. It greatly enhances Chrichton's work proving once again that he is a master story teller and a genius at weaving disparate elements into a first rate thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Crichton's best book
Review: This book is one of my all-time favorites. Actually I had seen the movie before I read the book and I must tell you that the book is much better than the movie (as it usually is).

The story is about Tom Sanders, the would-be vice president of the computer company DigiCom. The company is about to merge with another company. A Monday Sanders finds out he won't be vice-president, instead of that her ex-girlfriend, Meredith Johnson comes in as the new vice-president.

The story is great because of the role reversal. You can hear that male harass their female subordinates but what's rarely heard that a female leader harasses her male subordinate. Maybe you wouldn't believe it if you'd hear it. The story is great because you never know whom you can trust and what is the role of the people in the company. It seems that what's obvious for everyone isn't obvious for Sanders and that there's something that nobody knows about. Crichton manages to create a frightening atmosphere where you'll never know what happens next.

I liked all the characters and I liked Meredith as well. All in all this is a great book and a pageturner you can't put down. I think this is the best book of Michael Crichton.

Rating:
Summary: Amoral Office Politics Taken to a Worldly Extreme
Review: Let me make it clear that I am reviewing the abridged audio cassette version of Disclosure as performed by John Lithgow.

This novel is seriously flawed by concocting two of the most amoral and unscrupulous corporate characters imaginable to the most paranoid author. Machiavelli would not have found these people credible either. These characters are way "over the top" for me. They would not have lasted in any company that I have ever run into. I graded the book down two stars for this extreme weakness. If you believe that there are people willing to cut every possible corner operating at the top of major American corporations, you will probably find this to be a five star book. If you think that people who run companies are pretty much like everyone else in terms of how intrigued they are by power and money, then you will have difficulties accepting the premises of this book.

The basic story line is very intriguing, building on a role reversal of the typical sexual harrassment charges. A male executive, Tom Sanders, is accused of sexually harrassing his new female boss, and former lover. He, in turn, accuses her of sexually harrassing him. The incident itself turns out to be simply one scene of a five act play involving larger corporate issues. In the process, you will learn a great deal about how sexual harrassment law has become an area where the accused and the victims both have little to gain. Also, you will see how false charges can be used as powerful leverage inside a company or other workplace. The book also contains interesting tidbits of information about the history of sexual harrassment and what the law describes it as.

As a reader, I urge you to be patient with the sexual harrassment scene. It is overtly phony . . . but that has a literary purpose. I can say no more without affecting your enjoyment of the novel.

John Lithgow does a tremendous job with his reading of this abridgement. One of my favorites amongst his stylings is a loud sniff that precedes every sentence uttered by the pompous corporate general counsel. I could hardly keep from laughing aloud whenever Mr. Lithgow did this. He has a very versatile voice and ability to handle many accents well, and thus moves easily among the different sexes, ages, and ethnic backgrounds of the characters. The audio cassettes are also very well produced, and are helped by the addition of some music to heighten the tension.

If you find you don't like the beginning of the book, stick with it. I thought that the second half of the novel was unusually well plotted and developed. There is a virtual reality section that will amuse almost any reader.

There is a mystery inside the sexual harrassment issue for Tom Sanders to solve. For mystery fans, you will find this mystery pretty simple to unravel. So don't buy the book expecting the return of Sherlock Holmes. You will probably have the mystery's conclusion figured out within the first 25 percent of the book. The unraveling of the mystery is done very well though, so it's fun just to listen to how Dr. Crichton manages it.

After you finish reading this book, I suggest you be sure that everyone in your workplace knows what your policies are on prohibiting sexual harrassment. Also, be sure to have a code of ethics to cover everything that could come up, not just sexual harrassment. With those two actions, you will probably avoid the terrible situations described in Disclosure where you work. That would be good for all.

Encourage the pursuit of ethical profits . . . rather than profits for their own sake.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: This is a great book - past paced, believable and with really well drawn characters (don't let the movie put you off). In fact I read it in one sitting - you know how this happens - I'll just see what happens in the next chapter and before you know it you've finished!

Michael Chrichton has done a believable job in painting sexual harrassment in the workplace, but with a bit of a twist. It is very entertaining, and I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping, Captivating, Wonderful...
Review: These are all words that I would use to describe this book. It's one of the 2 best books that I've read in quite a long time. As other readers said, starting about page 25, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't wait to read the next page and then the next. I've only finished two books within 48 hours and this was one of them. This work is absolutely wonderful reading. I would highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I read this book in two days and simply couldn't stop reading. Although it starts slow, it quickly becomes a masterpiece of suspense and intrigue, and its subject matter is still certainly relevant today. I imagine that some will be put off by Crichton's use of language or his controversial message, but I must acknowledge the work of a master, for this is truly an amazing and compelling book.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: Michael Crichton has done it again. I have to admit that going into this book I was suspicious that Michael Crichton was not going to be able to pull this one off. He is famed for his technical mumbo-jumbo plots that some how seem to make it atop the bestseller list. He is able to mix enough technical details in the book but lets the common reader be able to understand what he is talking about. Disclosure is not a typical book for Michael Crichton. He takes a hot topic in the workplace and turns it around to make it very interesting. If this book was about a woman claiming sexual harrassment then it would be a dud. It's too common. The main character is a person that you would want to hang around with in real life. But on the other hand, the villian is somebody that you love to hate. Crichton does a good job developing the characters and the plot. He is able to keep you interested until he unveils the major starting point of the conflict. Some of the things that are talked about in the book are out of date but you can get past that. The ending is fascinating. Dislosure is a roller coaster ride that will keep you reading at a break neck speed. 5 stars

Rating:
Summary: A very interesting point of view about sexual harrasement...
Review: Let's start with the things I DIDN'T like about the book: the characters are one dimensional, and the fact that the book deals with a sexually harrased man (even though that has a positive side too) tends to look down at the fact most sexual harrasements occur against women.

On the other hand, the 2nd points does raise some important issues: the man is usually regarded as the guilty party, even in situations he isn't. Is the fact some men are just TOO careful (like in aa situation men won't pick up or help a crying child so it won't look suspicious) means we've taken this too far sometimes? On the other hand, there are still quite a lot of people out there, especially men, who don't know where to draw the line, and too many people who are afraid to complain... Even with these questions, this is a fun book to read...

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT story!
Review: After reading the phenomenally fun 'Jurassic Park' I picked up a copy of 'Disclosure' the instant I saw it...and when I got home and read the inside cover and found out that Chrichton had traded in all the techno-talk that had filled his other great stories ('Sphere' 'Congo' & 'Jurassic Park' to name a few) for a story of all things, sexual harassment! And to top it off, it was a story of a MAN being harassed by a WOMAN! I was skeptical to say the least of this storyline, but I trusted that Chrichton wouldn't disappoint me...and in this he never did.

Our main guy wakes up in the morning as happy as anyone could possibly be because he is getting to go to work in Seattle and accept the promotion he so very much deserves...but doesn't get. He notices a very big change in how everyone treats him when he arrives (because they already know) and yet the worst is yet to come. Not only did he NOT get the promotion, it actually goes to his one of his former girlfriends who is in NO WAY as qualified, and up until this morning, wasn't even working at the same place. It really comes as quite a shock. But the worst is yet to come. His 'new' boss invites him to her office rather late at night, and after some awkward moments, they next begin a little naughty stuff...but Tom breaks it off before it goes too far. However this isn't what Meredith wants...and then she makes some threats, pretty BIG threats to Tom for stopping before she get's what she wanted. Tom goes home and tries very hard to hide his guilt from his wife and manages to thwart a potential problem at home, but the next day at work he finds out that Meredith has filed a complaint against him for harassment. Tom quickly finds his normally dull life somewhat more exciting than he ever thought it could possibly get. Not only does he miss out on a promotion that was rightfully his, he now faces legal action for something he is totally innocent of, but how do you prove something like that against a woman who just received YOUR job? If you saw the movie (which wasn't all that bad considering how truly terrible 'Congo' was) read this anyway, the way Tom ends up pulling out from under this seemingly impossible situation is pretty amazing AND mighty entertaining as well. Chrichton quickly won me over with an engrossing story that was the first to introduce me to that new-fangled way of communicating called, 'e-mail' (if you had read the book when it 1st came out, it would've sounded pretty new back then...).