I am the Best 'Number Two'
Lee Jin; Woongjin Books; 267 pp., 12,000 won
Some succeed easily by using their wonderful backgrounds, while others struggle to succeed by overcoming their humble backgrounds.
This book, written by Lee Jin currently working as vice president of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, reveals her secrets to achieving a high post in a global corporation while only in her late 30s.
She said that her name literally means a ``second man'' or ``number two,'' who gets the top post when it become vacant; and her life seemed to follow this path in her early life. She didn't graduate from one of the top universities ¡ª so-called ``SKY'' (Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University) ¡ª and thus had a complex about a degree from a second-tier school.
After graduation, the author started as an office worker in her 20s earning 500,000 won a month, but decided to turn her life around.
She went to the United States to study and worked for Bloomberg business news service in her early 30s and as a private secretary to the late President Roh Moo-hyun in her mid-30s, before getting the position at the global company in her late 30s.
Lee said that she couldn't rely on her academic or family background and instead enjoyed challenges.
The book elaborates on her experiences and advises young people who are depressed about their humble origins.
-Chung Ah-young
 Joseon Films in Newspaper Articles II: 1918-1920
Edited by the Korean Film Archive; Korean Film Archive: 526 pp., 30,000 won
The Korean Film Archive offers the second volume in a series of research material on Korean cinema during the Japanese colonial era (1910-45). It is a compilation of some 1,000 newspaper articles that appeared between 1918 and 1920 in newspapers such as the Maeil Shinbo, Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo.
It comes after the first volume, which covered 1911 to 1917. The first Korean film was produced in 1919, and so this book covers the earliest days of local cinema.
October 27, 1919 is considered Cinema Day, because it marks the beginning of Korean film history with the release of Kim Do-san's ``Fight for Justice.'' The movie was actually a ``kino-drama'' or theatrical production with film as a backdrop, but nevertheless it was historic. The Oct. 29 Maeil Shinbo article recounts the premiere: ``Men and women crowded the top and bottom floors of the theater since early in the evening. A `full house' sign had to posted and tickets were sold out.''
The articles are somewhat difficult to read since they have archaic spellings and Chinese characters. The introduction that opens each chapter, on each year, is very handy.
- Lee Hyo-won
 The Secret Action Book
John F. Demartini; Translated by Han Soo-young from English to Korean; Gilbut: 288 pp., 11,000 won
``The Secret Action Book'' is a follow-up to the international bestseller ``The Secret'' by Rhonda Byrne. Written by philosopher and teacher Dr. John F. Demartini, the book offers realistic methods on how to change and live your life by thinking positively.
The book is based on Byrne's bestseller, but it tackles questions many readers might have had after finishing "The Secret."
In the preface, the writer explains that the reason many people fail to experience ``the secret'' because of the obsession of having to stay positive at all times. Instead of focusing on being positive every minute and searching for a single goal to accomplish, the writer says that it's better to appreciate life naturally.
Demartini offers his own story throughout the book: explaining how he was inspired by a 93-year-old man he met who later helped him overcome both emotional and learning difficulties, such as low self-esteem and dyslexia.
The book includes 40 demonstrations conducted by Korean students and office workers, which can help readers get a gist of what the book is all about and also how to join the popular phenomenon.
-Han Sang-hee
 Winning Strategies: Secrets to Clinching Multimillion-Dollar Deals
Anirban Dutta and Hetzel W. Folden; Wiley & Sons; 224 pp., $29.95
The present world's unstable economy has made buying or selling strategic IT services and outsourcing deals complex and sophisticated. Cutting strategic deals in this aggressive landscape requires the top-notch application of pursuit management, sales engineering and program delivery. Seasoned veterans of global business deal making, Anirban Dutta and Hetzel Folden, reveal the secrets to success in their new book.
The only book of its kind to focus on the end-to-end IT services and outsourcing life cycle is a complete seller's and buyer's guide for today's market. Sellers will learn how to perform analysis of the target market, form the right bid team, partner with relevant influencers and create unique go-to-market strategies for finding qualified IT services and outsourcing deals.
Both buyers and sellers will learn how to define appropriate engagement models, create pricing and financial structures, form well-defined contracts, negotiate effectively, institute transitional best practices and govern the entire program with success.
Packed with witty anecdotes, insights and lessons for the practitioner from the authors' own experience and stellar trade performance, the book is a vital read for customers, vendors, advisors and anyone involved in today's complex IT services and outsourcing deals.
-Chung Ah-young
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