A creative “job description” that explores personal ideals that may lead to interpersonal success in life.
In this debut book, Burnett, an experienced educator and devout Christian, creates and expounds upon a new job title: the CXO, or chief experience officer, who “delivers exemplary, life-changing experiences to family, friends, co-workers, and any other person he or she interacts with on a day-to-day basis.” Before delving into the details of what being a CXO entails, the author tells of ordinary people who had an extraordinary impact on him because of their simple yet meaningful actions, including his parents, grandparents, and former boss at a sporting goods store. Through their examples, he came to discover that “The meaning of life is to live with a purpose; by putting work into relationships and loving others.” After a brief introduction, Burnett puts forth the concept of the CXO in the form of a job description, complete with a professional presentation with multiple sections: “Position Summary”; “Principle Duties,” a list of 10 relationship-building qualities; “Requirements” (“No experience necessary”); “Core Competencies,” including approachability, humility, and generosity; and “Physical and Sensory Demands,” a somewhat tongue-in-cheek chapter about the joy that comes from being a CXO (“Must be able to withstand extended periods of peace and joy”). The principles and tone in this book are reminiscent of those in Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). Not only does Burnett keep his explanations clear and concise, but he also accompanies them with real-world examples that will drive the principles home for readers; for example, he uses the concept of road rage to show how CXOs should pay attention to their values instead of their specific circumstances. The layout of the book is excellent, with a preface that builds the author’s credibility, an introduction that draws readers in with concrete examples, and then a multifaceted job description that’s enjoyable to read, easy to remember, and full of applicable wisdom. The Christian references throughout serve to strengthen points for religious readers, yet they’re subtle enough that non-Christians may also easily enjoy and profit from the book. An innovatively organized guide with a wealth of inspiring, transformative principles.
Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-7943-1
Page Count: 108
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
An erudite and artful, though frustratingly restrained, look at Old Testament stories.
The Book of Genesis as imagined by a veteran voice of underground comics.
R. Crumb’s pass at the opening chapters of the Bible isn’t nearly the act of heresy the comic artist’s reputation might suggest. In fact, the creator of Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural is fastidiously respectful. Crumb took pains to preserve every word of Genesis—drawing from numerous source texts, but mainly Robert Alter’s translation, The Five Books of Moses (2004)—and he clearly did his homework on the clothing, shelter and landscapes that surrounded Noah, Abraham and Isaac. This dedication to faithful representation makes the book, as Crumb writes in his introduction, a “straight illustration job, with no intention to ridicule or make visual jokes.” But his efforts are in their own way irreverent, and Crumb feels no particular need to deify even the most divine characters. God Himself is not much taller than Adam and Eve, and instead of omnisciently imparting orders and judgment He stands beside them in Eden, speaking to them directly. Jacob wrestles not with an angel, as is so often depicted in paintings, but with a man who looks not much different from himself. The women are uniformly Crumbian, voluptuous Earth goddesses who are both sexualized and strong-willed. (The endnotes offer a close study of the kinds of power women wielded in Genesis.) The downside of fitting all the text in is that many pages are packed tight with small panels, and too rarely—as with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—does Crumb expand his lens and treat signature events dramatically. Even the Flood is fairly restrained, though the exodus of the animals from the Ark is beautifully detailed. The author’s respect for Genesis is admirable, but it may leave readers wishing he had taken a few more chances with his interpretation, as when he draws the serpent in the Garden of Eden as a provocative half-man/half-lizard. On the whole, though, the book is largely a tribute to Crumb’s immense talents as a draftsman and stubborn adherence to the script.
An erudite and artful, though frustratingly restrained, look at Old Testament stories.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-393-06102-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2009
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