|
Barack, Inc.
Barry Libert, Rick Faulk; Translated from English to Korean by Park Mi-nam; Wings of Knowledge: 224pp., 11,000 won
To celebrate the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama, publisher Wings of Knowledge released ``Barack, Inc.'' on Jan. 20.
The book covers Obama's presidential campaign and lays the basic ideas in a way business leaders would probably wait in line for.
Obama's campaign was famous for being almost perfect. Its message did not change throughout the long campaign months and touched the hearts of thousands of loyal and dedicated followers and volunteers and also became famous for collecting a record-amount of donations from supporters.
Among the numerous tactics the 47-year-old President put to good use, an important one was social networking. And in the age of the World Wide Web, on-line campaigns, donations and support contributed to his victory.
Business leaders can now learn and apply similarly effective and practical precepts by simply reading the book, which offers tips and actual quotes in the four chapters ``Success You Can Believe In-And Emulate,'' ``Be Cool,'' ``Be Social'' and ``Be The Change.''
``From his cooler-than-cool leadership style to his use of Internet-based social technology to his basic message of change, Obama showed businesspeople that they have a lot to learn from a savvy politician,'' the authors write in the introduction, and indeed, the book offers insights into what drives the highly anticipated President.
-Han Sang-hee
Japan, the Japanese, Power of Japan
Seon Woo-jeong; Ruby Books: 280 pp., 13,500 won
For those who have read the author’s columns from Tokyo in the mass circulated daily, the Chosun Ilbo, picking this book offers a more systematic look at where Japan is now.
The writer is the current Tokyo correspondent for the paper, and niftily divides his book into four chapters.
The first chapter deals with the reality of the crisis that Japan is now facing; the second on corporate revolutions that Japanese corporations undertook; the third on public sector reform; and the fourth on how Seoul can catch up with Tokyo.
The book is well researched ? there are on several pages good offering of statistics ? and written in a matter-of-fact style. The author’s recount of his interviews with Japanese corporate CEOs such as the head of Mirai Industry is detailed and offers insights into the strength of Japanese corporations even small and medium-sized ones.
The labor conditions of Mirai, where retirement age is 70 and people are offered free overseas trips every five years, seem like a pie in the sky in the current economic situation.
-KIM JI-SOO
 Kim Jong Il of North Korea
Jung Chang-hyun; Translated by Park Song-wu and Sarah Lim from Korean to English; JoongAng Books: 456 pp., $40
The book translated into English from the 2007 Korean publication focuses on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's leadership style of managing his country, breaking away from the ``ignorance and stereotypes'' that have largely been based on a collection of simple data.
The book explores his image as a CEO who runs the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The author admits describing Kim as a CEO may face resistance and may even draw criticism of how leadership can be discussed for ``an iron-fisted dictator.''
However, the author argues that his leadership style can be analyzed from a new angle that breaks away from the approach of studying him for simply collecting data.
The book also carries the transcripts of dialogue between the North Korean leader and former President Kim Dae-jung during their summit and the behind-the-scenes stories of the second inter-Korean summit with former President Roh Moo-hyun.
It provides glimpses of Kim's views on politics, diplomacy, unification, economy and culture.
-Chung Ah-young
 Drawn to the Light: Poems on Rembrandt's Religious Paintings
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Jo Eung-jung; English text translated to Korean by Moon Ji-hyuk; Gachi-Changjo: 159 pp., 10,500 won
With the exhibition ``Great Masters of European Art: Meet Rembrandt'' ongoing at Seoul Arts Center, this book of poems inspired by the Dutch painter will be of interest to art aficionados, poetry lovers and readers of any age.
This book features Rembrandt's representative work, including ``Self-Portrait as a Young Man'' (1628) and etchings such as ``Autoportrait aux yeux hagards'' (1630). Accompanying the images are poems by McEntrye, an English professor at Westmont College in Santa Barabara California who has published several books of poetry on Van Gogh and Vermeer. Also included are texts by Jo, a curator at the Busan Museum of Art.
They say a picture's worth a thousand words, and the poetic nature of Rembrandt's paintings make them a natural fit for the poetry. McEntrye's writings illuminate overseen details of the canvas and give flight to limitless imagination and even the most diehard Rembrandt fans will be able to appreciate the poet's vision.
-Lee Hyo-won |
|
yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
