The E-Myth Manager, by Michael E. Gerber

I thought his first book made some pretty good points, so I thought I’d try this one too. Lightning did not strike twice, though—this is awful. The idea here is basically every man for himself and you should never buy into a higher ideal. With beliefs like this, volunteerism would be dead! There was a fun quote early on, though, that pokes fun at other philosophies: “They learned ... that you could learn the seven essential skills, or the six effective habits, or the trick of becoming a one-minute Manager. They ... were only treating the symptoms, not the causes.” Way to slam your rivals, Michael!

First Sentence:

At the beginning of every organization, of every business, of every invention—of every life—is an idea.

V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

With the movie coming out soon, I thought I’d reread the original source. The (anti)hero is a stylish terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask named V. The villains are the fascist government of England. Anarchy versus fascism—nothing subtle here! A terrorist is certainly an unlikely hero these days, but in comparison to the fascist state it seems almost reasonable. The authors didn’t take the easy way out either and have V be a terrorist with a heart of gold; many innocents and bystanders get hurt here.

Comparisons to 1984 immediately jump to mind while reading, not in the least because it is set in a future that is now in our past: 1996. Interestingly, while the dates are all dated, the content still carries a powerful meaning in today’s world. Libertarians will read this graphic novel and cry out that this is slowly happening here in America. Republicans should take note of the excesses of power and loss of privacy and be warned. Democrats will miss the point entirely, as usual.

Not as good as Watchmen, but still excellent.

First Sentence:

Good evening, London.