Annino, Patricia M. Cracking the $$ Code: What Successful Men Know and You Don’t (Yet).

BookSurge Publishing. 2009. 81p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-4392-4742-6. $15.95.

In this publication, Annino (B.A., Smith College, 1978; J.D., Suffolk University, 1981; LL.M , Taxation, Boston University, 1982; partner, Boston law firm of Prince Lobel Glovsky & Tye, L.L.P.; author of many articles and publications, not limited to Women & Money, A Practical Guide to Estate Planning and Women in Family Business. What Keeps You Up at Night?), a nationally recognized authority on estate planning with more than 20 years experience serving the estate planning needs of families, individuals, and owners of closely held businesses, sets forth a to-the-point, easy-to-read guide for women professionals, business owners, executives, and others hoping to jumpstart or get-ahead with their careers and earn more money. The author sets forth important “code cracking” lessons, strategies, and tips that successful men know, but women have to learn. In seven chapters, each of which is ended by a list of strategies covered within the chapter, Annino discusses knowing your worth, setting goals, getting and negotiating a contract, partnering, creating a professional image, taking risks, persisting, and many subtopics, not limited to delegating, marketing yourself, branding yourself, playing outside the box, finding mentors, building business, becoming web savvy, improving your time management skills, being creative, and more. She fills each chapter with many valuable insights gained from years of practicing law. While numerous other books have been written for women on the topics of moving forward and getting ahead professionally, this book distinguishes itself in terms of its no-nonsense, concise, personal approach to the subject by a woman who has ascended from the lower ranks of a business organization by means of experience. Lacking an index but including a table of contents and list of selected, recommended resources, this nicely-organized, well-written, and sufficiently well-documented, publication will interest mostly general readers and some women in business hoping to find a clear, quick, and sound introduction filled with useful advice. Not comprehensive or definitive, it belongs in many large public library collections as a supplementary resource. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com.

Arnold, Henry O. and Pearson, Ben. Kabul 24: the Story of a Taliban Kidnapping and Unwavering Faith in the Face of Terror.

Thomas Nelson. 2009. 282p. photogs. ISBN 978-1-5955-5022-4. $14.99.

Here Arnold (co-writer and producer of the film The Second Chance; screenplay writer, God’s Ambassador; author of Hometown Favorite), co-writer and co-producer of Kabul24 (Kabul24Movie.com), the documentary film upon which this book is based, and Pearson (photographer; filmmaker; co-writer and director of the cinematography for The Second Chance), director of Kabul24, retell the riveting, harrowing story of the capture and imprisonment of eight Western Christian aid workers and their sixteen, Muslim, Afghan coworkers—all of whom were employees of the international, humanitarian organization Shelter Now International (www.shelter-now.org)-- by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Beginning in August 2001, imprisoned for 3 months during one of the most volatile political windows in recent history, just before and after the 11th September 2001, the SNI eight— Peter Bunch, Dayna Curry, Katrin Jelinek, Heather Mercer, Margrit Stebner, Georg Taubmann, and Diana Thomas—teachers, engineers, nurses, students, and artists who were from countries of Western origin including Australia, Germany, and the United States, suffered interrogations, trials, the bombing of Kabul by Allied forces, and more during 105 days in captivity behind enemy lines. They had answered God’s call to help Afghan refugees rebuild their lives following decades of war, but became pawns used by extremists during the religious and political upheavals in Afghanistan just prior to and following 9/11, when they were declared a threat to Islam and the influence of the Taliban regime. Based upon primary source material drawn from raw film footage taken during the summer of 2003 and Eberhard Muehlan’s Escape from Kabul (Sydney: Strand Publishing, 2003), a collection of interviews with the former hostages conducted in 2002, letters, and court documents, this recollection primarily is an account of faith during extreme adversity when the aid workers sensed that they had been abandoned by the world. Intended to be inspirational rather than authoritative or scholarly, this easy-to-read, fast- paced, interesting, and poignant, publication, reads like a well-written novel, evoking many, perhaps mixed, emotions on behalf of readers. Retold from a seemingly objective, evangelical, Christian perspective, it develops to different extents the participants’ personalities and the events surrounding their imprisonment. The amazing and dramatic rescue of the eight SNI employees by American Special Forces, retold in the last chapter of the book, entitled “Life or Death,” proves to be particularly engaging and thought-provoking. Lacking documentary features such as footnotes, a selected bibliography, and an index, this book, which does include more than twenty, captioned, black-and-white photographs, is recommended for general audiences and public library collections. Availability: Barnes & Noble.com, Amazon.com