Staff Picks – Good Reads

Have you ever walked into your favorite book store and come across a list of staff picks of their current reads? In an attempt to let you get to know us better, we have asked our staff to compile a list of the good books that they are reading and share some thoughts with you.

Who better to kick this off than Alex’s dad, Jay Scott? Here’s his list of current good reads.

1. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson- The author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and A Walk In the Woods didn’t disappoint me in his book on Australia. You will learn more about Australia than you ever thought you would want to know. Bryson delivers information about the continent down below in an entertaining way. As I do with most of his books, I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. I especially love how he can’t wait to get a beer in every new town he visits.
   
   Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business by Nancy Lublin. Nancy is the CEO of Do Something and the Founder of Dress For Success. In her book she shows how with passion, determination and hard work we can get a whole lot accomplished without spending a lot of money. This book is a great read for anyone interested in business, for profit and non-profit alike.
   
   The Dragonfly Effect by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith- Are you looking to have something go viral? You’ve found the right book. Although the subtitle of this book is: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways To Use Social Media to Drive Social Change, this book is helpful to both the for profit and non-profit world. Aaker and Smith, a married couple, wrote this book from their real life experiences, which include his consulting business and the marketing course she teaches at Stanford University. One amazing story in the book includes using social media to find a bone marrow match for the friend of a friend. The effect of this movement has been to find matches for as many as 250 people. This book is a must read for anyone trying to “go viral.”
   
   ***Alex’s Lemonade Alert – In The Dragonfly Effect, the authors talk about Alex and the growth of ALSF in one of the chapters!
   
   Lisa Towry, our Operations Director, also put in her two cents.
   
   What is the What by Dave Eggers- Valentino Deng was just a young boy when the government of his home country, Sudan, waged a civil war on its people that was to last twenty-two years. This book chronicles Valentino’s life story as he fled on foot out of his small village after a raid which killed his entire family and continued running with other young refugees to Ethiopia, these boys were known as The Lost Boys of Sudan. Valentino describes the most basic of fears any boy has to fears of living in the wilds of Africa during a civil war. He is now a part of The Lost Boys Foundation of Atlanta which aims to improve lives of Sudanese living in Sudan and elsewhere. The author of this book does a great job drawing the reader into the fears and triumphs of Valentino’s life. Although the book is a novel, the historical facts are accurate and all the major events are true. This is a compelling story of true perseverance and determination coupled with a lesson in (not so distant) history.
   
   In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson- This is a fun book that follows Bill Bryson’s travels through Australia. His descriptions are quirky and will make you laugh out loud. If you have been to Australia, some of the antics and situations he finds himself in will bring back fond memories of the dismay and awe of this country. He reiterates all the dangers that lurk in this vast country but in such a way that makes you want to book a plane ticket. This is a great book to enjoy on the beach, to give you a quick laugh or even to use as a guide book!

Do you have any book recommendations for us?