Vol. 23, Issue 27 Billy, Alfred, and General Motors The Story of Two Unique Men, A Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History By: William Pelfrey 331 pp. AMACOM 2006 Review by: Lydia Morris Brown

Billy Durant, the high-school dropout who founded General Motors, was the consummate salesman - brilliant, shrewd, and unflaggingly energetic. Hailed as the most brilliant CEO of the 20th century, Alfred Sloan, GM's third president, was an educated intellectual and an expert in business, strategy, management, and all things organizational. This odd couple built what is perhaps the most successful enterprise in U.S. history - one whose ascent created an industry that has come to symbolize the modern world. Billy, Alfred, and General Motors, provides fascinating new insights into Durant and Sloan's conflicting, yet groundbreaking, definitions of what a corporation should be - definitions that have had an unprecedented socio-economic impact on the past century in the way companies deal with employees, investors, and government. It also bears witness to the birth of the U.S. auto industry and, in doing so, brings a uniquely American historical period to life.

Vol. 25, Issue 27 The Momentum Effect How to Ignite Exceptional Growth By: J. C. Larreche 352 pp. Wharton School Publishing Review by Leslie Johnston Vol. 25, Issue 26 Transparency How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor By: Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, James O'Toole, with Patricia Ward Biederman 130 pp. Jossey-Bass Review by Amity Noltemeyer Vol. 25, Issue 25 Making Innovation Work How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It By: Tony Davila, Marc J. Epstein, and Robert Shelton 350 pp. Wharton School Publishing Review by Lydia Morris Brown

Our Most Popular Summaries

Vol. 25, Issue 9 Becoming an Extraordinary Manager The Five Essentials for Success By: Len Sandler 256 pp. AMACOM Review by Kendra Bentle Vol. 25, Issue 5 The Power of Body Language How to Succeed In Every Business and Social Encounter By: Tonya Reiman 365 pp. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Review by Lydia Morris Brown Vol. 25, Issue 4 Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die By: Chip Heath and Dan Heath 291 pp. Random House, Inc. Review by Simone Isadora Flynn, Ph.D.