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Vol. 73, No. 5, May 2000 |
Book Reviews
This Month's Featured Selections
Trusting Nothing to Providence:
History of Wisconsin's Legal System
By Joseph A. Ranney
(Madison, WI: U.W. Law School,
Continuing Education & Outreach, 2000).
778 pgs. $30. Order, (800) 355-5573.
Reviewed by Jack Stark
Persons who have read Joseph Ranney's excellent series of
articles on Wisconsin legal history in this magazine will be
delighted to learn that he has recently published a full-scale
legal history of Wisconsin. In addition to a long history, his
book contains a useful bibliographical essay, a timeline, a table
of cases, and an index.
Having gathered an enormous amount of material, Ranney faced
several strategic decisions. He solved the historian's invariable
problem of combining chronological and thematic development by
dealing with themes in the part of the chronological narrative
in which they are the most prominent. He analyzes cases enough
to communicate their meaning and significance without writing,
in effect, a series of law review articles. He provides enough
legal and historical context so that a reader can discern the
way that each legal development fits into this state's legal
history and general history. That choice allowed him to introduce
many colorful characters, such as John R. Commons, Edward Ryan,
and Charles McCarthy. Each of these decisions was the wisest
that could have been made.
Having made these decisions, Ranney turned on his fluent,
clear prose style and set to work producing a book that is interesting,
immensely learned, and in virtually all its details convincing.
Very rarely I came across an analysis with which I disagreed
(such as the acceptance of some negative comments on Knowlton
v. Rock County (1859), which I think is still good law in
regard to the necessity of either taxing or exempting all the
property of a class and that has helped to spare us some special-interest
property tax exemptions). When he covered a topic that I knew
well, I almost always agreed; when he covered one of the many
topics that I knew only slightly or not at all, he almost always
convinced me.
For the legal profession and the citizens of this state, Joseph
Ranney has performed a great service by conducting some prodigious
research and then turning it into a book that is intellectually
eminently respectable and enjoyable. Every member of Wisconsin's
legal profession ought to own and read it.
Jack Stark, U.W. 1979, is a retired
attorney who has published articles on Wisconsin legal history,
as well as six books (a seventh forthcoming) and many articles
on a variety of other subjects.
First Break All the Rules:
What the World's Greatest Managers Do
By Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
(New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1999).
256 pgs. $25.
Reviewed by Brian S. Kern
The authors' unique approach with this book makes it a worthwhile
addition to both the beginning and experienced manager's bookshelf.
As source material, the authors synthesize the thoughts of more
than 80,000 managers and 1 million employees as garnered by the
Gallup Organization over the past 25 years. They then locate
common themes expressed by the managers and employees and present
them in an easy-to-read and understandable manner. Those fearing
an overuse of statistical information should not be concerned.
For the most part, statistical analysis is left to the appendix
thus freeing the reader to enjoy the clear and concise text.
A major highlight of this book is that the authors go beyond
simply analyzing the data and attempt to provide readers with
tools for use in their workplaces. For example, they delve into
such topics as hiring right the first time, playing favorites
in the workplace, and understanding what employees are looking
for in a manager. While some of their conclusions appear to go
against conventional wisdom, I'm not sure that the first thing
great managers do is to break all the rules. However, this book
does offer intriguing viewpoints on the interaction between managers
and those being managed.
This book offers a broad spectrum
analysis of what managers in all size companies are doing and
thinking. The text is conveniently written for those having limited
reading time. If you are a manager looking for a different approach
to common problems, this may be the book for you.
Brian S. Kern, U.W. 1997, is
the manager of contract and compliance for a leading midwestern
life and disability insurer.
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