InFamilyActivism,consultantandfamilyactivistRobertoVargasshowshow,byfacilitatingloveandmutualsupportwithinourfamiliesandfriendships,allofuscantakecantakethefirststepstowardadvancingpositivechangeinourcommunities,culture,andsociety.

Sometimesyougetonlyonechance.Agoodintroductioncancreateconnectionsandopendoors.Abadonecanmakeconversationfizzleandopportunitiesfade.Whatyouneedisastorythattellswhoyouare—authentically,compellingly,andconcisely—andcanbeadaptedtofitanysituation.

Somebody'sLuggageisaShortStorypublishedin1862byCharlesDickensCharles,anEnglishwriterandsocialcritic,whohascreatedsomeoftheworld'sbest-knownfictionalcharactersandisregardedbymanyasthegreatestnovelistoftheVictorianera.Somebody'sLuggageisarediscoveredgemfromDickens'slaterlife.It'samasterpiece,amagnificentmergerofuniqueanddifferentpieces.Thisworkhaswealthofsignificantdetails,myriadexpressions,dialogueandphysiognomy.Itisanenigmaticworkinwhichidentityoftheowneroftheluggagecreatesaninterestingaccount.Anexhilaratinganecdote!Stumblinguponsomeluggagethathasbeenleftbehindinthehotelwhereheworks,awaitersearchesthroughittoidentifyitsowner.Hefailstodiscoverthis,buthedoesfind,secretedawayindifferentpartsoftheluggage,quiteanumberofstories.Impressedbytheirquality,hesucceedsingettingthempublished,althoughtheidentityoftheirauthorremainsamysteryuntilavisitorcomescalling.

GoingintoSocietyisashortstorywrittenbyEnglishauthorCharlesDickens(1812-1870).Itwasfirstpublishedin1858,ahilariousstorywithDickens'smasterlystory-within-a-storyformat,aboutasideshowandthevariouscharactersinhabitit-focusedonacircusinLondon'sWestEndespeciallyadwarfwhoseekstogainpropertyandgointosociety.Someonesetsupacircusinarespectableneighborhood.Themainattractionisadwarf,whobelongstothecircus."Hewasaun-commonsmallman,hereallywas.Certainlynotsosmallashewasmadeouttobe,butwhereISyourDwarfasis?"Oneday,hehappilywinsalotterythatallowshimtoaprizeofalargesumofmoney.Hetakestwoothermembersofthecircuswithhimonlytodiscover,alltoosoonthathismoneydidnotlastforaslongasheliked.Whentheperformersbeginminglingwiththecommunity'sbankersandbusinessmen,hijinksensue.

TheAngeloftheOddisasatiricalshortstorybyEdgarAllanPoe,firstpublishedinColumbianMagazinein1844.Thestoryfollowsanarratorwhoreadsastoryaboutamanwhodiedbecauseaneedlesuckeddownhisthroataccidentally.Heragesatthegullibilityofhumanityforbelievingahoaxlikesuchoddstories.Justthen,astrange-lookingcreaturemadeofakegandwinebottlesappears.ThecreatureannouncesthatheistheAngeloftheOddandthatheisresponsibleforthestrangeevents.Theman,unconvinced,drivestheangelawayandtakesanalcohol-inducednap.Twohourslaterwhenhewakesup,Hehasmissedanappointmenttorenewhisfireinsurance.Ironically,hishousehascaughtfireandheescapesoutawindowusingaladderthecrowdbelowhasprovidedforhim.ThestoryisespeciallyinterestingasitwaspublishedonlysixmonthsafterPoe'sowngreathoax,"TheBalloon-Hoax",whichmanybelievedtobetruedespiteitselementsoftheodd.

Youhaveagreatidea.Itissoobviouslygreatthatyou’rehardlygoingtohavetoexplainittopeople.Thisdelightfullittlebookwillteachyoutobecomeabettercommunicatorofideasandaninspiredmotivatorofpeople,bothpersonallyandprofessionally.

TheDevilintheBelfryisasatiricalshortstorybyEdgarAllanPoe.Itwasfirstpublishedin1839.InanisolatedtownVondervotteimittiss(wonder-what-time-it-is),thepunctiliousinhabitantsseemtobeconcernedwithnothingbutclocksandcabbage.Thismethodical,boringandquietlittleboroughisdevastatedbythearrivalofadevilishfigureplayingabigfiddlewhocomesstraightdownfromahill,goesintothebelltower,brutallyattacksthebelfry-manandringsthirteeno'clock,tothehorrorofthetown'sinhabitants.Thedevilcharactercanbeseenasthebringerofchaostoanorderedsystem.Inthecontextofthestory,thedevilisatroublemakerwhodestroystheserenityoftradition.However,inthatPoemocksthetown'sridiculoustraditions,itcanbeinterpretedthatthedevilisaviolentforceofchange,originalityandcreativityinanotherwisestagnantenvironment.Somehaveclaimedthestorytobepoliticalsatire,butPoe'sliteraryplay,hispleasureatcreatingconnections,seemsmoreimportantthananysingle'target'ofsatire."

TheCaskofAmontillado(sometimesspelled"TheCasqueofAmontillado")isashortstory,writtenbyEdgarAllanPoeandfirstpublishedintheNovember1846issueofGodey'sLady'sBook.ThestoryissetinanunnamedItaliancityatcarnivaltimeinanunspecifiedyear,andisaboutamantakingfatalrevengeonafriendwho,hebelieves,hasinsultedhim.LikeseveralofPoe'sstories,andinkeepingwiththe19th-centuryfascinationwiththesubject,thenarrativerevolvesaroundapersonbeingburiedalive—inthiscase,byimmurement(aformofimprisonment,inwhichapersonislockedwithinanenclosedspaceandallpossibleexitsturnedintoimpassablewalls).Revengeturnsdeadlywhenthenarrator,Montressor,burieshisfriend,Fortunato,aliveastheresultofaperceivedinsult.Like"TheBlackCat"and"TheTell-TaleHeart,""TheCaskofAmontillado"isremarkableforbeingconveyedfromthemurderer'sperspective.

Thisisthebestsellingandleadingintroductiontothenewfieldofpositiveleadership,whichhelpsleadersinalltypesoforganizationsreachbeyondordinarysuccesstoachieveextraordinaryeffectiveness,spectacularresults,andpositivelydeviantperformance.

TheTell-TaleHeartisashortstorybyEdgarAllanPoe,Apioneeroftheshortstorygenre,whosestoriestypicallycapturedthemesofthemacabreandincludedelementsofthemysterious.ThestorywasfirstpublishedinJamesRussellLowell'sThePioneerinJanuary1843.Itfollowsanunnamednarratorwhomurdersanoldmanwitha"vultureeye".Murderiscarefullydesigned,andthemurdererhidesthebodybycuttingitintopiecesandhidingitunderthefloorboards.Thenarratordenieshavinganyfeelingsofhatredorresentmentforthevictim.Healsodeniesthathekilledforgreed.Thespecificmotivationformurder,therelationshipbetweennarratorandoldman,andotherdetailsareleftunclear.Ithasbeenspeculatedthattheoldmanisafatherfigure,thenarrator'slandlord,orthatthenarratorworksfortheoldmanasaservant,andthatperhapshis"vulture-eye"representssomesortofveiledsecret,orpower.

TheRavenisanarrativepoembyAmericanwriterEdgarAllanPoe.FirstpublishedinJanuary1845,thepoemisoftennotedforitsmusicality,stylizedlanguage,andsupernaturalatmosphere.Ittellsofatalkingraven'smysteriousvisittoadistraughtlover,tracingtheman'sslowfallintomadness.Thelover,oftenidentifiedasbeingastudent,islamentingthelossofhislove,Lenore.SittingonabustofPallas,theravenseemstofurtherdistresstheprotagonistwithitsconstantrepetitionoftheword"Nevermore".Thepoemmakesuseoffolk,mythological,religious,andclassicalreferences.Poeclaimedtohavewrittenthepoemlogicallyandmethodically,intendingtocreateapoemthatwouldappealtobothcriticalandpopulartastes,asheexplainedinhis1846follow-upessay,"ThePhilosophyofComposition".ThepoemwasinspiredinpartbyatalkingraveninthenovelBarnabyRudge:ATaleoftheRiotsof'EightybyCharlesDickens.PoeborrowsthecomplexrhythmandmeterofElizabethBarrett'spoem"LadyGeraldine'sCourtship",andmakesuseofinternalrhymeaswellasalliterationthroughout.

THESPECULATIONECONOMYshowsthisreversalofeconomicpriorities,anditssometimes-disastrousconsequences,demonstratedmostrecentlybyEnron.

SiliconValleyCEO,DonMaruska,andCoachUniversityco-founder,JayPerry,turntalentdevelopmentinorganizationsonitsheadbygivingeveryindividualaccesstopracticalyetpowerfultalentdevelopmentconceptsandtools.

Growthisafundamentalhumanneeditisattherootofeverythingthatgivesusafeelingofaccomplishment,satisfaction,meaning,andprogress.Inthisinspiringbook,DanSullivanandCatherineNomuraoffertensimplelawsthatwillhelpyoucontinuetogrowthroughoutyourlife.

Helpisonthewayforthelegionsofmanagerswhowokeupandfoundoutthey'reincharge.Basedonherbackgroundasamanager,trainer,andleadershipconsultantandcoach,DevoraZackoffersabookoflifesavingtipsthatisashumorousasitiswise.

LookingbacktotheancientknowledgeoftheIndianscripturetheUpanishads,RamNidumolufindsthecorephilosophyofsustainableleadershipthat'sneededtoday.Inthisremarkablebook,heusesapowerfulparablefromthesescripturestocreateabusinessvisionthatourworlddesperatelyneeds.

FromtheauthorofNewYorkTimesbestsellerMakingaLife,MakingaLivingandthemanBusinessWeekcallsthe"SaviorofBusinessSchoolSouls"comestheMBAstudent'sguidetoredefiningriskandreward--helpingreadersidentifyandformulatewhatameaningfullifelookslikeforthem.

PhysicianBernardLowntellstheextraordinarystoryofhowagroupofSovietandAmericandoctorscametogethertostopnuclearproliferationandendedupwinningtheNobelPeacePrizeandinfluencingthecourseofhistory.

Basedonrigorousresearchoftwenty-threerealcompanies—DRIVINGGROWTHTHROUGHINNOVATIONbybestsellingauthorRobertTucker(ManagingtheFuture—over75,000copiessold)offersapracticalbutcomprehensiveapproachfordesigningandimplementinganenterprise-wideinnovationstrategy.

NEWEDITION,REVISEDANDUPDATEDThemust-havebookforeveryonewhowantstobeheard.Morethanjustabookonbusinessspeech,itlooksattherangeofcommoncommunicationmistakes--fromrepeatingoneselftospeakingtooquckly--thatcanresultinapoorimpression.