Kirjahaku

Infinitely Complex: Short Stories About Mental Illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bigotry, and Veterans is a collection of twenty-two short stories about broken people. They specifically delve into various psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder; and the ravages of alcoholism and addiction. Veteran's issues are emphasized, to include service-related disability compensation. The author also tackles present-day topics: undocumented immigrants, racism, threats to our democracy, and clash of cultures. Millions in the United States struggle with mental illness, including veterans and their dependents. The stories will also resonate with people suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction, undocumented immigrants living in fear, and people experiencing the cultural divide.

SEEING THE LIGHT has as its cover a beautiful portrait of a young soldier whose face is illuminated with inspiration and human compassion. It could be the face of the young medic in the first story of the book, "The Girl in the Oxygen Tent." The boy is disenchanted with the senseless war in Vietnam and finds solace in his love for the young girl who has become his patient. It is a careful description of the Vietnamese culture and the soldier's coming to terms with the pointlessness of this war. When his patient dies, he attends the funeral at some personal risk, and the story simply ends it seems, with no resolution. Like the war itself, there is no answer to the senselessness of death, and the death his country is inflicting on this culture.Many of Rick's stories seem to end this way. He seems to be saying there is nothing to be done in the face of such absurdity. At one point in an email, the author writes that none of the characters in his stories see the light. But the lucky thing for a reader is that he has written these stories, has seen the light through his talent as a storyteller. One thinks of Tolstoy's "Death Ivan Ilyich," and the courage it took Tolstoy to write of a man who realizes as he lies dying, that his life has meant nothing; but who, by the end, achieves insight and spiritual awakening. Often, the stories end with no explanation, Beckett like, with mysterious, ominous characters waiting silently, like fate for no particular reason.

Create the Future is the essential leadership handbook for high-performance companies. Leaders create the future by the decisions they make--by the choices they make. Impactful leaders believe they can create the future, and they change uncertainty into hope and possibility. Create the Future outlines the process and the tools successful leaders use when they must make an important decision--when they must get it right. Not every company can hire McKinsey or Deloitte. Create the Future (CTF), gives you the tools you and your leadership team will use for making critical decisions without a hefty price tag. Rick Williams has been a management consultant, company founder, and CEO. He has worked with large international companies, nonprofits, early-stage growth companies, and large government agencies. Drawing on his broad expertise and first-hand observations of top executives in action, Create the Future is the essential guidebook for leaders when they must make difficult decisions that will determine their organization's future. This book defines the five steps to creating the future: Define the challenge Imagine success Create options Evaluate barriers Choose the future Each chapter includes a structured process of leadership team whiteboard exercises bringing forward the best available information and the full spectrum of views and insights. Create the Future is a practical handbook for leaders who believe you create the future by the choices you make and who want a step-by-step process for defining the path to success that best matches your goals, risk tolerance, and values.