Rating: 
Summary: Repetitive and painfully obvious
Review: A very disappointing book. It is a prefect example of using too many words to state, and restate, and restate yet again, what seems very obvious. To anyone who actually has managed to get a Ph.D. in any discipline, little of what is said here will be news. Not that it's bad advice, but I bet 98% of the readers already know most of it. Be sensible. Be well organized. Reserve some time for teaching, and some for research. Do what is expected of you. Work hard. Don't go overboard. Dont run into extremes. Stay in the middle. All things in moderation. Don't wait until one year before your promotion review to start thinking about publishing -- you get the idea. While most of the "wisdom" imparted here is admittedly sensible, I suspect that in some teaching environments several ideas presented here (although well intentioned) may seriously backfire, and undermine prospects for success, rather than help. Take student evaluations of teaching performance: the author suggests using a fairly long evaluation form several times during the term -- I would risk a hypothesis that doing so more than once, twice at the most, will seriously undermine any teacher's authority, waist students' time, and (justifiably) send a clear and loud message that the need for too frequent reassurance is a reflection of too little confidence and deep professional insecurity (incompetence?). Indeed, for those who need that much feedback, and so often, going back to school or finding a different job is probably a better solution. Some of the advice, like the idea to have your students help you "summarize" the results of teaching evaluations seems more than slightly abusive -- there is certainly better use for students' time than to summarize their instructor's evaluations, not to mention the issues of confidentiality, and a request for unpaid administrative labor coming from a person in the position of authority. I am not sure that a student who just paid a lot of money for tuition would appreciate this approach. For those seeking useful advice that goes beyond the obvious, Richard Light's recent and very well researched "Making most of college" (2001, Harvard UP), or "The art and craft of teaching" (1982, 2000 reprint) will probably be much better sources of information (and inspiration), although the latter is slightly dated by now.
Rating: 
Summary: Mentor in a Box
Review: I am surprised that anyone who criticizes this book as obvious is bothering to read such a book. If it is so obvious, then you are probably one of the "exemplars" that Boice studied to formulate his analysis. Either that, or one of the struggling faculty members he studied, who fail because they are too proud to believe that anyone else has anything to offer. For the rest of us mortals, this book is fantastic. One thing other reviewers have not emphasized is the extent to which Boice bases his advice on his field studies of faculty. It apparently has been his life's work to study what determines whether university faculty succeed or fail. This gives him unique credibility. Yes, I acknowledge that it may be a bit off-putting because it is written somewhat in the style of self-help books, i.e., very informal, a bit repetitive, with some of that schtick that runs: "follow my 5 step program to success, because I have uncovered the key heretofore only known by a few, etc." However, the big difference between this and any self-help book is that he can back it up with research. I guess that's how you write self-help books for academics. (And don't misunderstand me, even when it sounds like a self-help book, it's like the better self-help books. This is clearly a labor of love for Boice.) This book is like one of those rare, great mentors. It doesn't tell you war stories, or give you a laundry list of techniques. Instead, it tells you how to be effective at your job. It describes the day-to-day processes and habits that so many successful people are terrible at articualting ("well, you just do it"). I suspect most academics really can use this. Yes, it's probably the kind of stuff that would be obvious to an outgoing, outwardly directed person like a salesman or politician, but the inwardly-focused types who tend to be drawn to academia really need this kind of help.
Rating:
Summary: Mentor in a Box
Review: I am surprised that anyone who criticizes this book as obvious is bothering to read such a book. If it is so obvious, then you are probably one of the "exemplars" that Boice studied to formulate his analysis. Either that, or one of the struggling faculty members he studied, who fail because they are too proud to believe that anyone else has anything to offer. For the rest of us mortals, this book is fantastic. One thing other reviewers have not emphasized is the extent to which Boice bases his advice on his field studies of faculty. It apparently has been his life's work to study what determines whether university faculty succeed or fail. This gives him unique credibility. Yes, I acknowledge that it may be a bit off-putting because it is written somewhat in the style of self-help books, i.e., very informal, a bit repetitive, with some of that schtick that runs: "follow my 5 step program to success, because I have uncovered the key heretofore only known by a few, etc." However, the big difference between this and any self-help book is that he can back it up with research. I guess that's how you write self-help books for academics. (And don't misunderstand me, even when it sounds like a self-help book, it's like the better self-help books. This is clearly a labor of love for Boice.) This book is like one of those rare, great mentors. It doesn't tell you war stories, or give you a laundry list of techniques. Instead, it tells you how to be effective at your job. It describes the day-to-day processes and habits that so many successful people are terrible at articualting ("well, you just do it"). I suspect most academics really can use this. Yes, it's probably the kind of stuff that would be obvious to an outgoing, outwardly directed person like a salesman or politician, but the inwardly-focused types who tend to be drawn to academia really need this kind of help.
Rating:
Summary: Repetitive and painfully obvious
Review: I enjoyed Professor Boyce's book and found it to be helpful. His wisdom is backed up both by research and interesting anecdotes. It is highly repetitive, however, to the point of being annoying. Although a significant proportion of the suggestions in the book are common sense, he provides support and ideas for implementation. It is as though someone wrote a book for weight loss. Some of the ideas are going to be obvious (eat less junk food) but providing a thoughtful structure for implementation is an important contribution.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful advice
Review: I enjoyed Professor Boyce's book and found it to be helpful. His wisdom is backed up both by research and interesting anecdotes. It is highly repetitive, however, to the point of being annoying. Although a significant proportion of the suggestions in the book are common sense, he provides support and ideas for implementation. It is as though someone wrote a book for weight loss. Some of the ideas are going to be obvious (eat less junk food) but providing a thoughtful structure for implementation is an important contribution.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for life, not just getting tenure
Review: I'm in the second year of a tenure track position, and it's really true that the universal social expectation is that getting tenure, especially the process of writing for publication, involves a whole lot of suffering, and that only the strong (definitely not including me) survive. Robert Boice has written a deeply spiritual and inciteful book not only about the tenure process and academic writing, but about how to live life mindfully and joyfully. I cannot recommend this book too highly.
Rating:
Summary: Wise words from a superb teacher & scholar
Review: In an earlier book, First-order Principles for College Teachers, Bob Boice advised us to moderate classroom incivilities, learn to begin before feeling ready, appreciate the value of waiting, and work in short reflexive intervals. In this latest book, Boice expands his focus to the other aspects of a productive and emotionally satisfying scholarly career. He begins with teaching and then goes on to write about non-teaching activities. In masterful strokes, he lays out the case for mindful work as the key to teaching, writing, and service. Boice urges us to focus on the process of working, rather than its products. We need to work with constancy and moderation, rather than in hypermanic bursts that ultimately burn us out. Moderation is the key, and Boice makes the case with persuasive arguements and excellent examples. I felt my own tension draining away even as I read the book! I have put his principles into practice in my own work, and I will buy copies for all my graduate students, so they can do the same. This is a wonderful, wise, and witty book.
Rating:
Summary: Mentor in a Box
Review: Some reviewers have criticized this book for being obvious. I found it anything but. The culture of my field says that the way to write a paper is to set aside large, uninterrupted blocks of time. It was an eye-opening experience to see hard data that show it is more effective to write in brief daily sessions. These writers are roughly twice as productive by several measures (pages written, manuscripts published) and also report themselves to be happier. This idea changed my professional life. One more word---the advice in Boice's book can be *very* difficult to follow. I found the book only somewhat helpful with, for example, the difficulties of stopping when one feels ``on a roll.'' I have nevertheless found this an invaluable book.
Rating:
Summary: Best advice on writing practices I have read.
Review: Some reviewers have criticized this book for being obvious. I found it anything but. The culture of my field says that the way to write a paper is to set aside large, uninterrupted blocks of time. It was an eye-opening experience to see hard data that show it is more effective to write in brief daily sessions. These writers are roughly twice as productive by several measures (pages written, manuscripts published) and also report themselves to be happier. This idea changed my professional life. One more word---the advice in Boice's book can be *very* difficult to follow. I found the book only somewhat helpful with, for example, the difficulties of stopping when one feels ``on a roll.'' I have nevertheless found this an invaluable book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great advice but quite repetitive
Review: The tips are great, but skim rather than pore over the book because the recommendations are presented over and over. Especially useful are Boice's suggestions for managing "student incivilities". His methods will help you keep students from being rude, late and argumentative. The main thrust of the book is excellent: professors need to focus on process as well as content, and new teachers usually try to cram too much material into their lectures. I'm a clinical psychologist who coaches junior faculty trying to get tenure, and I recommend this book often to new professors.
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