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

Sansevieri, Penny C.. Red Hot Internet Publicity: an Insider’s Guide to Promoting Your Book on the Internet.

Newly Revised Edition. Cosimo. 2009. c279p. illus. ISBN 978-1-60520-724-7. $18.95.

As early as 2006, book publicists and marketing experts noted that traditional types of book publicity and marketing were defunct, having been replaced by various forms of communication on the Internet. Here Sansevieri (M.B.A., Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven, Belgium; CEO and founder, Author Marketing Experts, Inc.; best-selling author of five books; internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert; inventor, Virtual Author Tour), a top hands-on visionary, industry leader, and Internet publicist previously hired by four of the largest New York book publishers to mentor their staffs and leading authors, provides an easy-to-read, understandable, updated guide to Internet publicity and marketing for book authors and other interested professionals. Arranged into chapters covering all forms of social media, it addresses publicity and marketing issues as they relate to online book tours, author websites, linking and affiliate programs, search engine optimization, keywords, author blogs and blogging, tagging, podcasting, social networking, microblogging, virtual book events, virtual networking, online syndication, automating your marketing, email newsletters, e-books, press releases, and more. While not presented as a hands-on, how-to-manual, with step-by-step, nuts-and-bolts screenshots, this insightful, helpful and noteworthy overview by an expert on promoting your book (and yourself) online is packed with information, advice, and many useful value-added features, not limited to article contributions by insiders, sidebars, bonus chapters, a selected bibliography of print and online resources, and worksheets. Worthwhile, well- presented, and nicely- organized, it will be of significance, interest, and usefulness to book authors and other professionals who desire to self-promote and market on the Internet. Highly recommended for specialized and general readers, this reference publication belongs in many public library collections. Uncorrected proof. Availability: Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com

Foreman, George with Abraham, Ken. Knockout Entrepreneur.

Thomas Nelson Publishers. Sept. 2009. c227p. photogs. ISBN 978-0-7852-2208-8. $22.99.

Here former Olympic gold medalist in boxing (1968) and two-time, World Heavyweight Champion (1973, 1994), Foreman (also a best-selling author of ten books; founder, George Foreman Youth and Community Development Center, Houston, TX; ordained minister; philanthropist; father of ten children), a successful entrepreneur whose portfolio includes the infamous George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine, George Foreman Knockout Cleaner, a clothing line with Casual Male, and more, shares his personal secrets, principles, and strategies for business success. Defining the successful, “knockout” entrepreneur as a visionary and risk-taking, doer, who wants to succeed, is willing to do the hard work, and seizes the opportunity to grow and prosper, the author sets forth his way of doing business, which serves as the model for the “knockout” entrepreneur. In fourteen chapters that are filled with recollections of his lifetime experiences as a boxer and businessman, Foreman sketches a plan for achieving success that is based upon a plethora of real-world experiences, sound advice, good judgments, and faith in oneself and God. While the first several chapters provide the foundations for becoming successful, the remaining sections encompass ways to overcome obstacles and continue to achieve. The author covers topics not limited to recognizing and seizing opportunities, building a “corner” team, persevering, pursuing the counterintuitive, facing deal breakers, public relating, knowing your foes, overcoming obstacles, making the most of what you have, continuing to the play the game, celebrating success, and more. He ends each chapter with a list of knockout ideas in the format of questions to further stimulate readers. Nicely- presented, well- organized, and insightfully- written, this inspirational and sometimes humorous publication by one of the world’s most beloved athletes and personalities actively will engage general readers and business audiences. Unfortunately, given Foreman’s emphasis on the importance of reading for success (pp. 180-4), it lacks a selected bibliography and back-of-the book index but does include endnotes. After being purchased in print, this Nelsonfree book is available as a free, downloadable audiobook and ebook from the publisher’s website. Recommended for public library collections. Availability:Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com

Hay, Deltina. A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization: Strategies, Tactics, and Tools for Succeeding in the Social Web.

Wiggy Press, an imprint of Dalton Publishing. 2009. c416p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-9817443-8-4. $24.95.

With the development of the constantly evolving Internet and its new technologies, more individuals and businesses are realizing that success on the Internet requires maximizing their presences in the Social Web. Here Hay (graduate education in computer science, applied mathematics, and psychology; principal owner, Dalton Publishing, and Social Media Power; founder, PlumbSocial.com; regular contributor to many journals and online news sites), an author, programmer, publisher, social media consultant, Web 2.0 developer, and dynamic presenter, provides an outstanding guide to social media and Web 2.0 optimization. Writing for authors, business owners, entrepreneurs, public relations specialists, marketing professionals, publishers, students, and others, she shows readers how to apply and integrate social media tools not limited to blogs, RSS feeds, content management systems, podcasts, videocasts, webcasts, social networks, microblogs, social bookmarks, crowd-sourcing technologies, media communities, widgets, badges, and social media newsrooms. By means of various chapters that are filled with numerous real-world examples and step-by-step screenshots, the author covers the aforementioned nuts-and-bolts technologies of the new, open-source Internet, but she also goes well beyond the basics. Setting forth proven strategies and tactics, future technologies, measurement tools, and more, Hay provides more in depth guidance from a business perspective. While her book can be read from cover-to-cover, it also can be consulted on an as-needed, chapter-by-chapter basis. It includes many useful, value-added features such as detailed appendices and a companion CD with bibliographies, directories, forms, links to other resources, and worksheets. Easy-to-read, but not a beginner’s guide, this expertly-presented, comprehensive, extensive publication will best serve readers who have some background knowledge of the social web and its tools. A significant, worthwhile resource, it belongs in many large public library collections. Highly recommended. Availability: Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com

Lowe, Janet. Google Speaks: Secrets of the World’s Greatest Billionaire Entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

John Wiley & Sons. 2009. c315p. ISBN 978-0-470-39854-8. $19.95.

In fewer than 15 years, Google built the largest index of Web pages, dominated the Internet search industry, grew into a giant with a 1.5 million square foot headquarters in Mountain View, California plus two dozen other U.S. offices and technical centers in more than 30 countries, and became a global household name. Here the bestselling author of numerous popular business books, Lowe (Ben Graham on Value Investing, Bill Gates Speaks, Dividends Don’t Lie, with Geraldine Weiss, Jack Welch Speaks, The Man Who Beats the S&P, The Rediscovered Benjamin Graham, Ted Turner Speaks, Warren Buffett Speaks; articles appeared in more than 100 publications; frequent guest on CNBC, CNN, FOX Business Network, and PBS; former financial editor of the San Diego Tribune) retells the amazing story behind the revolutionary, public corporate colossus (more than 20,000 employees) with a market capitalization of around $123 billion and about $16 billion in annual advertising revenues. With access to family, friends, employees, and company records, the author unofficially examines the founders’ personalities and values as well as Google’s vision, culture, business strategies, new business models, philanthropic projects, future, and more. Presenting more than a mere company profile, Lowe also addresses the criticisms and controversies surrounding Google as the primary portal to the World Wide Web, including copyright infringement, antitrust issues, personal privacy, and intellectual property concerns. Nicely-written and organized, this well-presented book provides a concise overview. Lacking a bibliography and a back-of-the book index but including a historical timeline, glossary, and footnotes, it belongs on the shelves of many public libraries where general readers can read about the secretive company that has become the prototype for a successful, twenty-first century business entity. Recommended as a good introduction but not as a definitive publication. Availability: Barnes & Noble.com, Amazon.com

Beverley, James A.. Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: a Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World

Thomas Nelson Publishers. 2009. c.850p. illus. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-7852-4491-2. $39.99.

While the title and subtitle of this book suggest that it consists of a large number of illustrations and serves as a basic introduction to world religions, they are somewhat misleading since this publication is quite scholarly in its presentation and content. Here Beverley (Professor of Christian Thought and Ethics, Tyndale Seminary, Toronto, Ontario; Associate Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, Santa Barbara, CA; author of Religions A to Z, Christ and Islam, Islamic Faith in America), a leading, evangelical, Christian scholar, attempts to present a comprehensive, detailed, up-to-date text that provides descriptions and evaluations of more than 200 religions, sects, and cults from a Christian perspective. In alphabetically- arranged chapters, varying considerably in content, depth, length, organization, and scope, the author examines hundreds of religions and sectarian movements that fall within nineteen broad categories (Baha’i, Branch Davidians, Buddhism, Christian Science, Christian Sectarian Groups, Hinduism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, Mormonism, The New Age, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Satanism, Scientology, Sikhism, Unification Church, and Witchcraft). He oftentimes inventories the principles and beliefs of each religion and religious movement, analyzes and critiques each, and provides critical opinion and commentary on controversial issues. Beverley sets forth additional information by means of colored photographs, detailed timelines, sidebars, biographies, question-and-answer sections, lists of recommended printed and online resources, and appendices. Well-documented, with a concise, sizable, 109- page index, this research-oriented survey may be used as a guide that can be read from cover-to-cover and/or as a reference tool. Written by a leading expert on religions, it is recommended for laypersons with some knowledge of religions as well as for graduate students, scholars, and theologians. Large public, academic, and special libraries may consider this a worthwhile purchase for supplementing book collections covering world religions, religious movements, sects, and cults.

Dezsi, Tina and Bandola, Lia. The Power of Women United: Confidence Born of Strength and Wisdom.

The Ultimate Publishing House (TUPH). 2009. 223p. illus. ISBN 978-0-9819398-1-0. $34.97.

Did you know that (according to Catalyst research and advisory group) women comprise 46% of the North American workforce, but they occupy only 6% of the highest-paying positions in the largest 500 companies? While there may be many explanations for this phenomenon, the causes ultimately may be rooted in the fact that many women face unique challenges in their professional and personal lives that involve balancing their many professional and personal responsibilities within environments that were created by and developed for men. Here Dezsi and Bandola, business founders of the Canadian women’s networking organization The Power of Women Exchange (POWE; http://www.powe.ca), compile inspirational, self-help essays written by twenty, successful, entrepreneurial women as well as themselves who forged their own paths. Working in many different business fields including bookkeeping, business training, communications, consulting, direct sales, event planning, health industries, information technology, legal services, marketing, personal coaching, and real estate investing, contributors share their unique stories as well as impart advice to readers. In their concise and nicely written contributions, they cover diverse topics of interest to women, not limited to adopting positive body language, building powerful relationships, capitalizing upon one’s value, developing confidence, discovering one’s true self and passion, dressing for success, earning respect, embracing change, finding mentors and role models, following one’s dreams, juggling work and family lives, moving beyond one’s comfort zone, networking, overcoming fear, public speaking, utilizing technology in the pursuit of success, and more. Each chapter is ended by a one-page biography about its author and a black-and-white photograph of her. Contributors’ biographies include references to their authors’ businesses and websites. Intended as a “reference guide” for women as well as “a source of motivation and encouragement,” this book provides a lot of practical information, many tools, and valuable advice. It is highly recommended for women entrepreneurs as well as for others. A worthwhile purchase for many public libraries in the United States and Canada—C. A. Lajos