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Summary: Disclosure: A Book Review
Review: A "New York Times" #1 bestseller, Michael Crichton's book Disclosure is a thrilling novel based on the secrets and lies underlying a new age computer firm. It depicts a man caught in this nightmarish web of deceit who finds himself trapped in a power struggle, forcing him to defend himself for another's wrong-doings. Presented as a power-hungry, sexually driven woman, the man's new boss is the seductive enemy. The book's message is that the roles in any situation, including sexual harassment, are not gender-specific. In a world in which women are generally looked upon as oppressed, it is difficult for a man to fight a sexual harassment suit, just as it is difficult for anyone to overcome stereotypes. Crichton uses the character Meredith Johnson to reveal his main point that no gender is restricted to a specific part, and that certain situations stereotypically applied to one gender could just as easily be applied to the other. Meredith Johnson is first introduced in the novel as the new head of the technical division of the computer firm, which is a mild shock both to the readers and to the other characters in the novel. It is rare to see a woman in a power position, especially one demanding technical expertise. She proves to be both strong-willed and domineering, two traits typically not associated with women. Meredith further shocks the readers when she makes sexually suggestive comments to her employee, Tom Sanders, and further sexually harasses him. He finds his job threatened. Because this situation has reversed gender roles than what is typical, not a single person in his company believes that he was not the one who instigated the sexual behaviors. Through her "uncharacteristic" position of high power in a technology firm and her aggressive sexual advances, Ms. Johnson has taken on a reverse role, proving that nothing is truly gender-specific. Just as stereotypes in the past and certainly in the present, have served as barriers to those who have tried to surpass them, so do they act as a restraint for Tom Sanders, who tries to overcome the conventionalized idea that it is only women who are sexually harassed. Ironically, towards the beginning of the novel, a fellow co-worker of Tom's brings up the issue of a male employee who claims his female boss sexually harassed him. Sanders says that the harassment was probably provoked and that the man might not be telling the truth, saying that he thinks this way not because he discredits the man's story, but simply because it is a statistic that men are the harassers and women the harassed. Later, when Sanders proclaims that he was sexually harassed, no one can believe that a forty-one year old man rejected the sexual advances of an extremely attractive thirty-six year old woman, and so they presume that Sanders is lying. Sanders' lawyer even so much as says that he has no case; that there is so much bias against men in sexual harassment lawsuits that he will lose the case, thereby destroying his life. Therefore, he has been trapped in a no-win situation because of the overriding stereotypes about men in cases involving sexual harassment. In Disclosure, Michael Crichton illustrates a picture of a computer industry based on manipulation and false trust, in which the delicate balance of power teeters on the edge of destruction. It is the story of a man who cannot escape the psychological games going on behind closed doors. Crichton succeeds in proving that even the law cannot defeat the power of stereotypes, specifically in sexual harassment cases, despite validation that, especially in today's world, gender roles have significantly dissipated.
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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.
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Summary: Best pageturner MC ever wrote..6 out of 5
Review: This is up there with sphere. Sphere and Disclosure are for me the best MC books full of nail biting breathless suspense intertwined with state of the art technology, earthly and alien.If they had a 6th star slot I would have happily turned that yellow too. For me its 6 out of 5.
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Summary: A powerful look at sexual harassment in the workplace.
Review: Michael Crichton certainly has a knack for writing powerful, complex stories, and DISCLOSURE : A NOVEL fulfills hishigh standards. DISCLOSURE follows several plots at once: an accusion of sexual harassment towards an employee byhis female boss, and his further attack against her in court, run along side a devious scam. Tom Sanders, an employee at DigiCom Corporation, finds himself harassed by Meredith Johnson, his new boss (who has the job HE was in line for) and former lover. In a risky move, Tom takes the case to a lawyer and eventually to court, risking him his job, his friends at work, and his future of employment at Seattle. In his seemingly hopeless quest to bring Meredith to justice, he discovers she is part of a major plan to merge DigiCom with huge conglomerate, and take over the entire company, shutting down their production factories and changing the line of operations. The characters in this story are very realistic and have distinct personalities, the story line is very good, although at times it did get a bit technical (Crichton is renowned for writing very technical stories; in Time Magazine, Sept. 25, 1995, Frank Marshall, the director of "Congo", was quoted as saying, "He's the only writer I know who has footnotes in his fiction."), and overall I was riveted and couldn't put the book down. In short, this is another masterpiece under Crichton's belt.
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Summary: The novel is about a sexual harrasment case at workplace.
Review: His career, his marriage, it's all on the line for DigiCom executive Tom Sanders. He rejected the passionate advance of his new boss Meredith Johnson, who was his former lover. Now she's charging him with sexual harrasment. As Sanders scrambles to defend himself, he uncovers an electronic trail into the company's secrets and begins to grasp that a manipulative scheme has been devised to bring him down.Overall, I thought the whole novel was enjoyable to read. Crichton knows how to keep a story moving. He writes with an undeniable narrative energy, which lures a lot of the readers' attention like myself, and yes I would recommend this book to everyone out there.
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Summary: Crichton at his Best
Review: Michael Crichton is at his best with Disclosure. As usual, not afraid to take on controversial issues, Crichton explores the world of sexual harassment from the point of view of a harassed male. By looking at the issue from an uncommon viewpoint, he uncovers the underlying issues at stake. He reveals the emotions behind sexual harassment while not letting them interfere with the facts. Crichton wraps this well-researched information in a compelling story of corporate politics and intrigue. What is most amazing, however, is that he can write a book about so morbid a topic while keeping the story appealing. Though at points I felt offended by graphic descriptions, the story was far too engaging to put down.
Any fan of Michael Crichton will discover that this is one of his best novels; even someone new to Crichton will derive great pleasure from Disclosure's many twists and turns. Though not for the easily offended, his fast-paced, addictive style of writing is enjoyable and thoroughly satisfying. From cover to cover, Disclosure is an excellent novel.
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Summary: A thrilling roller coaster ride!!!!
Review: This is Michael Crichtons second non techno thriller. What i mean by this, is that it doesnt have crazy biological stuff about it. But that doesnt mean he cant right a good novel about real life.
In this book we follow Tom Sanders, a well off family man that is a manager of a computer company. He is expecting a promotion, but the day he expects it, he finds that an old lover from ten years ago comes out of nowhere and gets the job he was planning on getting. While catching up with her later that night in her office, things happen. The next day Tom is accused of sexual Harassment. Tom is stuck in a corner, with his marriage, job, and life on the line, unless he does something about it.
Everyone is against Sanders, i mean, what man accuses a woman of sexual harassment. This is what Crichton is trying to put out there for us. It can happen, and it does/did happen.
This book is based on a true story that will leave you gasping every chapter. This book was great. I loved it. Don't pass this up because its not set in a dinosaur park. Michael Crichton can still right one hell of a thriller set in an everyday environment. Every page has a new meaning and makes you think differntly, all the way up to the incredibly shocking conclusion.
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Summary: I loved it!
Review: When I first starting readin this book I was sceptical because it wasn't science fiction like most of Crichton's other books. But, reluctantly, I sat down and started reading, the first ten pages were pretty boring then it got up pace and I started to really enjoy this book, I was hooked around page 25 and couldn't stop reading, and at page 100 I was deeply lost in this wonderful novel. I read the next 400 pages quickly and loved every single minute of it. The characters were interesting and enjoyable to read about. And after I was done I noticed that no one else really wrote about sexual harassment and the man be the victim and I then saw how Crichton told the truth about sexual harassment, that the man is always blamed no matter what. I advise everybody to go out to your local book store and pick this book up, I promise you'll love it like I did!
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Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is a thrilling spectacle, delving into the complex mess that mess political correctness has created. It controversially challenges the notion of the dominant male and submissive female, and pointedly damns the unfair rules that have shackled men in the modern world. Fantastic work by Mr. Crichton!
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Summary: The Best book I have read in a long time...
Review: Disclosure deals with a man who is sexually harassed by a woman. Tom Sanders is the main character in this book, and right now at work he is dealing with a merger with another company, so when his former lover Merdith becomes to his company and who takes his job from him, he is then invited to her office for a meeting; but what happens is that she makes a move on him, but since he is married and not wanting to do it, he is then caught in a plan to bring him down because he wants to file a law suit against him. So when he brings in his lawyer; Ms. Fernandez, she then tells one side of the story, but when he calls one of his co-workers on a cell phone, he then realizes that he didnt end the call so he left the phone on and on the answering machine it recorded the WHOLE event. She then realizes this, and she tells the truth. So now Tom then calls his wife and tells her to leave town for a little bit because he does not want her to get into the mess he is in.
So now, he then counters her past employment; at the time all of the men who worked for her, they either resigned or where transfered away from her. So she has a past for doing sexual harassment. Now the book gets juicy toward the end and I have to say it is just plain exciting. This is a GREAT thriller! I have read it a couple of years ago, and still the book holds your interest toward the end. Great!
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