cover image Howard's Gift %E2%80%93 Uncommon Wisdom to Inspire Your Life's Work

Howard's Gift %E2%80%93 Uncommon Wisdom to Inspire Your Life's Work

Eric C. Sinoway with Merrill Meadow. St. Martin's, $24.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1250004246

Sinoway's book shares the considerable business acumen of Harvard Business School professor Howard Stevenson, the author's teacher, mentor, and friend. But this is not simply advice handed down from the ivory tower. Sinoway presents much of it via casual conversations with Stevenson, often over a meal, mixing in personal notes about Stevenson, and how the professor shaped his former student's business life around personal priorities. Indeed, juggling the many facets of life is a recurring theme, as is creating a "holistic vision." The book is encouraging about changing one's life path and offers tips on how to make important decisions. It's also a cautionary tale: don't let an organization set limits on how you use your skills. The conversational tone is so casual that only after readers put the book down will they realize they just received a bucketload of valuable information and advice from a man with the "business acumen of Warren Buffett" and the "warmth and spirit of Morrie Schwartz, Mitch Albom's professor." (Oct.)