false 246722 0 0 964167 0609807242 9780609807248 10 <![CDATA[King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179855402m/964167.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179855402s/964167.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/964167.King_of_Hearts_The_True_Story_of_the_Maverick_Who_Pioneered_Open_Heart_Surgery 4.26 23 King of Hearts by journalist G. Wayne Miller. From his early brilliance, recovery from deadly lymphatic cancer, and dramatic repair of seemingly hopeless heart cases to the disintegration of his career at its peak thanks to an army of personal enemies and conviction on tax evasion counts, his story is consistently surprising and engaging. Fast cars, hard drinking, and plenty of women filled his time when he wasn't turning lives around with a few strokes of his scalpel, and the reader will find the surgeon's actions almost unbelievable--rarely endearing, but occasionally saintly. Combining this melodramatic biography with the fascinating story of the struggle for open-heart surgery, considered impossible little more than a generation ago, Miller makes a compelling case that the daring scientist was simply another side of the arrogant, absent-minded playboy. No ordinary biography, King of Hearts is breathless reading--you'll find yourself surfacing every few chapters to remind yourself its nonfiction. --Rob Lightner ]]> 246722 3.73 56 17 2000 1009619 0812929845 9780812929843 4 <![CDATA[Toy Wars]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180203129m/1009619.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180203129s/1009619.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1009619.Toy_Wars 3.71 14
This is also the story of an unusual man. Alan Hassenfeld, the chief executive officer of Hasbro, never intended to run a Fortune 500 company. A free spirit who dreamed of being a writer and exploring Asia, he was content to remain in the shadow of his older brother Stephen, a marketing genius who transformed a family firm established by immigrant Jews into powerhouse and Wall Street darling.

Then tragedy struck. Stephen, and intensely private man, died of AIDS, a disease he had not acknowledged he had, even to his family. Alan Hassenfeld was named CEO, just as Hasbro was facing a daunting onslaught of challenges. Toy Wars is about Alan's struggle to balance the demands of the bottom line with his ideals about the kind of toys children deserve, as well as the ethical obligations of management.

Wayne Miller, an award-winning journalist and novelist, was granted unprecedented access to Hasbro, the maker of G.I. Joe, Star Wars toys, Mr. Potato Head, Batman, Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and countless other favorites. For five years, he sat in on design sessions, marketing meetings, and focus groups, and interviewed employees in every part of the company. He witnessed a major corporate restructuring; crucial deal with Dreamworks SKG; a hostile takeover bid by archrival Mattel; the collapse of a $45 million virtual reality game; and the company makeover of G.I. Joe, Hasbro's flagship product and one of the most popular toys of all time.

Toy Wars is filled with many colorful characters, including:

Hollywood moguls Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, whose kid-friendly movies can translate into licensing gold for toymakers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers creator Haim Saban, who tapped into a popular Japanese TV series and made it a worldwide television and merchandising phenomenon

Mattel CEO Jill Barad, the second-highest-paid woman in corporate America, who promotes and defends Barbie with the zeal of a religious crusader

Hasbro executive Al Verrecchia, the loyal second in command who did not let friendship or tradition stand in the way of a dramatic restructuring

Larry Bernstein, arguably the best toy salesman ever, a riotous raconteur whose divisional presidency crumbled when he was unable to meet Hasbro's profit goals

Rich in family drama and written with sly wit, Toy Wars is a deeply compelling business story, a fascinating tour through a billion-dollar industry that exerts tremendous influence on the lives of children everywhere. ]]> 246722 3.73 56 17 1998 1066818 0679402640 9780679402640 1 <![CDATA[The Work of Human Hands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1066818.The_Work_of_Human_Hands 5.00 3 246722 3.73 56 17 1993 1009256 1586482424 9781586482428 2 <![CDATA[The Xeno Chronicles: Two Years on the Frontier of Medicine Inside Harvard's Transplant Research Lab]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180201383m/1009256.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180201383s/1009256.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1009256.The_Xeno_Chronicles_Two_Years_on_the_Frontier_of_Medicine_Inside_Harvard_s_Transplant_Research_Lab 2.50 4 The Xeno Chronicles, G. Wayne Miller shows readers why it might be worth pursuing. The book follows the scientific trials and tribulations of Dr. David H. Sachs of the Harvard Medical School in his quest to successfully transplant into baboons the organs of a "double-knockout" pig--cloned and genetically engineered so that its DNA lacks two copies of the gene that causes its cells to be rejected by other species. Over the course of the book, Miller follows the fate of pig #15502, known as Goldie. Considering her ultimate fate, it's odd that Miller goes out of his way to relate how cute and cuddly the pig is. "Goldie passed a restful night and was happy and playful at breakfast that morning," he writes, then proceeds to describe her quiet, surgical end.

Animal rights activists likely won't appreciate how kind and gentle the animal researchers are to their subjects, and Miller gives them their say in the book. A PETA member points out that if people didn't eat so much bacon, they wouldn't need pig hearts to keep themselves alive. Still, Miller points out that the majority of patients waiting for organs did nothing to bring on their disease, and they have little choice right now but to wait--and wait--and sometimes die waiting for human donor organs. In this light, it's hard not to root for Sachs's passion for getting xenotransplantation right in a constant race against time and the medical research bureaucracy. --Therese Littleton

]]> 246722 3.73 56 17 2005 1430524 1586481827 9781586481827 0 <![CDATA[Men and Speed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183524263m/1430524.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183524263s/1430524.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1430524.Men_and_Speed 2.67 3 What is it that makes a man strap himself into an automobile and drive it hundreds of laps around a track at speeds surpassing 200 miles per hour? Critically acclaimed journalist G. Wayne Miller decided to find out by spending a year on the NASCAR circuit with Roush Racing's legendary owner Jack Roush and his four title-contending Winston Cup drivers: Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch. Miller plumbs the allure of speed and the exploding popularity of stock-car racing through the dramatic 2001 season, which opened with the most famous Daytona 500 in history, when NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt died as his car slammed into the wall on the final turn.

Miller takes us inside the minds and behind the wheels of the of the hottest drivers of the past two seasons, as they cope with the thrills and the dangers along the way to the Cup. Miller also takes us inside Roush Racing, a $125 million business, showing a side of NASCAR that few fans ever get to see. For longtime fans and curious newcomers alike, Men and Speed takes you for a wild ride through the fastest sport in the land.

]]> 246722 3.73 56 17 2003 1000226 0515109258 9780515109252 0 <![CDATA[Thunder Rise]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000226.Thunder_Rise 2.00 2 Library Journal.</P>

Well-paced and effective.—Publishers Weekly.

Wonderfully written.—The Horror Show.

]]> 246722 3.73 56 17 1989 6771966 0 <![CDATA[King of Hearts]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6771966-king-of-hearts 2.00 1 246722 3.73 56 17 6822379 1880325276 9781880325278 0 <![CDATA[The Work of Human Hands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6822379-the-work-of-human-hands 0.0 0 246722 3.73 56 17 1999 6509171 051717765X 9780517177655 0 <![CDATA[Coming of Age]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6509171-coming-of-age 0.0 0 246722 3.73 56 17 1997 6509170 1586480960 9781586480967 0 <![CDATA[Men and Speed: A Wild Ride Through NASCAR's Breakout Season]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6509170-men-and-speed 0.0 0 246722 3.73 56 17 2002