An uplifting, real-world handbook to practical acts of kindness.
Ferris presents a handbook for conducting undercover “sting” operations to make communities better.
In these pages, the author presents a tactical guide for volunteers in the “Sting-Ops Underground” of the “Beeing Blessed Project” to go out and materially improve their communities and the world at large. “We don’t have to wait for ‘someday when’ to make an impact and improve our lives!” she writes. “We can begin right now!” Using the example of the humble bee, Ferris reminds her readers that bees don’t set out to change the world; “they’re just minding their own beeswax (literally!), taking care of their hivemates and home.” Likewise, humans don’t need to think in grand or world-changing terms to begin improving things and doing good in their immediate vicinities, and the author lists and elaborates on 100 of these fixes that are possible to implement with very little or no outlay of money or resources. This list includes ideas like “compost at home and at work,” “tell a good, clean joke,” “hand out cold drinks to outdoor workers on a hot day,” and “write a letter to the boss of someone you've noticed doing excellent, standout work.” In each case, Ferris lays out the target, the mission objective, and all the gear that would be necessary to get the task done.
The text enumerates many small acts of common courtesy that aren’t so common anymore, things like holding the door open for someone else or preparing food for a grieving family. Thanks to the author’s exuberant punning and uniformly upbeat tone, she not only outlines the practical technicalities of how each of these “ops” can be done, but also generates the enthusiasm to go out and do them. In the case of the operation in which one is directed to surprise the family of a deployed soldier with some kind of treat, readers are told to “do a little behind-the-scenes ninja work to find out what will really bless this family and how you can help them in a meaningful way” and cautions her readers about giving the game away: “I know you’re excited, but keep it a secret until the surprise is ready to be revealed!” Ferris thoughtfully includes “mission debriefing” sections after each op to help readers assess their own personal reactions to how the operation went and practical details about costs and any snags the team encountered. The author’s energy when exhorting readers to go MAD (Make A Difference) is infectious, and the attainable nature of most of these goals reinforces the book’s repeated contention that all of these ways of making life a bit better are well within the grasp of most people provided they’re working with their “hivemates.” Ferris’ older readers, particularly those who grew up in small towns, will find many of her “ops” self-evident—a great many of these missions are practices good neighbors used to follow as a matter of course. But younger and more urban readers may be refreshingly amazed by how much power they have to make their neighborhoods better places.
An uplifting, real-world handbook to practical acts of kindness.Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1592986286
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Beaver's Pond Press
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.
Want to get ahead in business? Consult a dictionary.
By Wharton School professor Berger’s account, much of the art of persuasion lies in the art of choosing the right word. Want to jump ahead of others waiting in line to use a photocopy machine, even if they’re grizzled New Yorkers? Throw a because into the equation (“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), and you’re likely to get your way. Want someone to do your copying for you? Then change your verbs to nouns: not “Can you help me?” but “Can you be a helper?” As Berger notes, there’s a subtle psychological shift at play when a person becomes not a mere instrument in helping but instead acquires an identity as a helper. It’s the little things, one supposes, and the author offers some interesting strategies that eager readers will want to try out. Instead of alienating a listener with the omniscient should, as in “You should do this,” try could instead: “Well, you could…” induces all concerned “to recognize that there might be other possibilities.” Berger’s counsel that one should use abstractions contradicts his admonition to use concrete language, and it doesn’t help matters to say that each is appropriate to a particular situation, while grammarians will wince at his suggestion that a nerve-calming exercise to “try talking to yourself in the third person (‘You can do it!’)” in fact invokes the second person. Still, there are plenty of useful insights, particularly for students of advertising and public speaking. It’s intriguing to note that appeals to God are less effective in securing a loan than a simple affirmative such as “I pay all bills…on time”), and it’s helpful to keep in mind that “the right words used at the right time can have immense power.”
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063204935
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper Business
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection...
A Dumpster diver–turned-CEO details her rise to success and her business philosophy.
In this memoir/business book, Amoruso, CEO of the Internet clothing store Nasty Gal, offers advice to young women entrepreneurs who seek an alternative path to fame and fortune. Beginning with a lengthy discussion of her suburban childhood and rebellious teen years, the author describes her experiences living hand to mouth, hitchhiking, shoplifting and dropping out of school. Her life turned around when, bored at work one night, she decided to sell a few pieces of vintage clothing on eBay. Fast-forward seven years, and Amoruso was running a $100 million company with 350 employees. While her success is admirable, most of her advice is based on her own limited experiences and includes such hackneyed lines as, “When you accept yourself, it’s surprising how much other people will accept you, too.” At more than 200 pages, the book is overlong, and much of what the author discusses could be summarized in a few tweets. In fact, much of it probably has been: One of the most interesting sections in the book is her description of how she uses social media. Amoruso has a spiritual side, as well, and she describes her belief in “chaos magic” and “sigils,” a kind of wishful-thinking exercise involving abstract words. The book also includes sidebars featuring guest “girlbosses” (bloggers, Internet entrepreneurs) who share equally clichéd suggestions for business success. Some of the guidance Amoruso offers for interviews (don’t dress like you’re going to a nightclub), getting fired (don’t call anyone names) and finding your fashion style (be careful which trends you follow) will be helpful to her readers, including the sage advice, “You’re not special.”
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection or insight.Pub Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16927-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Portfolio
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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