Editorial Reviews for Nominees
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 Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
The Passionate Workforce is a compelling, insightful, and spirited business book by Nicholas Capman! It is loaded with practical, actionable advice, which we definitely appreciated! Though it's a little on the shorter side, it definitely packs a punch! Workers are the heart and soul of every business. Without workers, nothing gets done. Without people to lead, you are no leader. But what do those workers need? What do people need to be as productive and effective as possible? Motivation! Passion! Encouragement! Purpose! Workers who are motivated, passionate, encouraged, and feel that their work is purposeful and meaningful are more productive, more effective, more thorough, and harder working. They make you money. They get things done. Furthermore, they bring joy, positivity, and a sense of camaraderie to the workplace. On the other hand, workers who hate their jobs do the bare minimum. They waste your time, money, and resources. The become an anchor—a ball and chain—on your workforce. Often, they can have a negative influence on other workers. This is something that we also read in From Purpose to Profit by Erin Andrea Craske and Purposeful Performance by Jonathan Stanley—the idea of “quiet quitting.” These are people who are mentally checked out from work yet remained employed for one reason or another. Many people become quiet quitters because of disillusionment. Quiet quitters become complacent because of a loss of direction and purpose. They often feel devalued, unappreciated, and unmotivated. Most of all, they lack passion. This doesn't make them bad people, but it does make them bad workers. This book often uses the example of Mr. Dube, representing a supervisor who goes through the motions and seems emotionally disconnected from his work and employees. Because of that, he often said things like, “I don't have time” including time to give clear and thorough instructions. So, his employees found themselves lost, confused, and a bit resentful that they were working under someone who didn't seem to care. One of the biggest ways to correct scenarios like the one with Mr. Dube is to get to the root cause of why they feel and perform the way that they do. The author promotes the idea of asking “Five Whys.” These are a sequence of “Whys” that get deeper and deeper to the root of a problem. For example, you might ask an employee, “Why were you late today?” The employee might respond, “I had to put gas in my car and the line was long.” Then you can ask, “Why didn't you fill it last night?” They might answer, “Because I was tired after work last night” You then might ask, “Why were you tired after work last night?” They might respond, “Because I have too much work on the table and not enough help or support. I feel like I'm doing everything for everyone.” Little by little, you get to the bottom of what's causing the problem. You can conclude, from an example like this, that the employee needs additional support and/or a lighter workload. Again, purpose and motivation have a lot to do with how a worker feels and how they perform. Our favorite example from the book is a nigh-mythical story about a janitor who worked for the White House under President John F. Kennedy. The janitor, according to the story, would say that he was “helping fly a man to the moon.” How awesome and cool is that? He's not wrong. In helping Kennedy, the biggest cheerleader of the ongoing space program, he saw himself as being part of something bigger—something epic and unprecedented. Our second favorite example that the book provides is that of the New England Patriots football team under the all-time great, Bill Belichick. The author talked about how Patriots players were willing to work for less because Belichick's record of winning Super Bowl and conference championships every year made them feel like being a part of the Patriots would make them more successful overall. So, in other words, they were willing to look past monetary gain because, like JFK's janitor, they felt like they were part of something bigger and better. Money isn't everything. Greatness and success are tempting too! Speaking of teams like the Patriots, the author talks a lot about how a workforce should function like a team with a shared destiny—a “profit sharing environment”—rather than a competitive, merit-based environment in which everyone is out to be better than everyone else. In other words, the author makes the distinction between a workforce that exists in a dog-eat-dog environment versus a workforce that exists in an all-for-one-and-one-for-all environment. The book also talks about how little, kind, personal gestures can really boost the morale and loyalty of employees. The author talked about how employees used to receive gold watches under the premise that, since they gave the company their time, the company was now giving them its time. The book recommends employers give out personalized welcome gifts upon employment like dog clothes for a dog owner. This book advocates for a collaborative, consultative approach to business. Check it out on Amazon!
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 Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
We loved so many things about Purposeful Performance by Jonathan Stanley! We loved the positive message. We loved the uplifting tone. We loved the practicality of the advice and how actionable (and useful) it is. We loved the structure and the writing. Purposeful Performance by Jonathan Stanley is certainly one of the best self-help and business books of the year! So what makes this book so good? Well, it starts with its positive message and uplifting tone. The author, a CEO and business owner, takes the perspective that running a successful and sustainable business should be about more than making money. Running a successful and sustainable business should be about making a difference in the world and you community. In other words, when you take care of your customers, you customers will take care of you. Likewise, when you demonstrate that you genuinely care about your community and aren't just greedy and don't just care about money, you're more likely to attract positive attention. That means more clients, more customers, and more sales. The thought that kept running through our mind during this book is that it's kinda like generating good karma. If you take care of people, they'll take care of you. If you contribute to the world rather than being a virus or a cancer in it, the world will take care of you. We're more likely to shop somewhere and buy from someone who makes us feel good. We're more likely to buy things that make us happy and/or that we have a positive association with. According to this book, emotions have a persuasive power over reason in a ratio of 24 to 1. DANG! No wonder we keep electing questionable people against all logic and reason... Anyways... This book also tells us that 60% of loyal customers use the same emotional language they would for family and friends when speaking about their favorite brands! Wow! We're more likely to support good people. We're more likely to care about people who care about us. We're more likely to rally around a brand that makes us feel included and a part of something positive, bigger, and better. It's reciprocal. A great example of that is Lululemon. According to Stanley: “Lululemon has always centered its branding efforts on the yoga community... Lululemon uses its physical stores as venues for hosting yoga classes, meditation sessions, and other related events. Lululemon creates clothing that encourages individuals to feel confident and at ease while practicing yoga or engaging in fitness activities. By wearing their apparel, you express a sense of belonging to a community, a group of people, that shares your values.” The author notes that they focus these efforts on the yoga community as opposed to relying on celebrity endorsements (or those of sports stars). This made us think about why we love WWE so much. Even though they feature theatrical violence and have had some questionable people on their payroll, they've also provided entertainment during America's darkest times including after 9/11 and the pandemic. Furthermore, they've fulfilled THOUSANDS of Make-a-Wish Foundation wishes. Apparently, they've fulfilled 3,500+ wishes. John Cena alone has fulfilled 650+! They also contribute to/support causes like Connor's Cure, LLS, Susan G. Komen, the Boys & Girls Club of America, and Special Olympics. They've generated A LOT of good will. Former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon said, “philanthropy is the future of marketing; it’s the way brands are going to win.” There are many other ways in which a business can raise its karma in the community. One such way is buying or sourcing locally, supporting local businesses. That made us think about how we love seeing “Made in the USA” on a label. It makes us feel like we're supporting our country and the people we know. It's the same reason we tend to support sports teams in our region/state/city as opposed to ones further away. Another major emphasis of this book is gratitude and having a gratitude mindset. It's a better way of life. It's a better way of thinking. It's a mindset, in a sense. Instead of thinking about the things we want, we can appreciate the things we already have. Rather than thinking, UGH... I have to go to work AGAIN!, we can think, HURRAY! Another day at work! I can get things done, make money, burn some calories, and maybe meet new people. See the difference? Instead of thinking, UGH... I have to cook and clean for my family, we can think, I am blessed to have a family to cook and clean for. This is also a book about purpose and being purpose-driven. Instead of doing things just for the sake of doing things, we should do it because it's the right thing to do, it makes us feel fulfilled, it makes us happy, it progresses us, it rewards us. Our work and activities should be meaningful and fulfilling. Business is a means to make a difference in the world, not just a way to make money. Lastly, one of the best examples in this book is about Electronic Arts (EA). EA is an infamous and notorious gaming company that was once known for ripping off and taking advantage of its customers via such things as microtransactions and selling essentially the same games every year. Because of this, according to the book, they were voted “Worst Company in America” two years in a row (2012 and 2013). Essentially, this was because they were putting profits before players (people/customers), which is never a good thing. They were forced to reverse course and rethink their business strategy. They started to prioritize players over profits, which raised their respectability in the market. This was a great read! Check it out on Amazon if you're a business person!  Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
The Invisible Soul is a heart-wrenching, powerful, and inspiring memoir by George Beasley! The Invisible Soul tells the incredible true story of a foster child put up for adoption by his own mother in the late 60s. He experienced daily trauma, abuse, torture, starvation, and neglect at the hands of his stepfather, John, and in the foster care system. The foster care system was (and, to an extent, remains) rife with issues, some of which are highlighted in books like The Power of Being Seen by Roger Saillant, Swerve by G.L.Franklyn, Fostering by Carmen Maria Navarro, When I Was Her Daughter by Leslie Ferguson, and this book (The Invisible Soul) by George Beasley. Beasley lived in fear, terror, anxiety, and self-loathing throughout his young life (and beyond), feeling unwanted, unloved, undeserving, and unworthy... until he found God. After decades of fierce internal, physical, and spiritual battles, Beasley was able to emerge triumphantly to share both his inspiring story and God's grace with the world. One of the key themes of this book is the sense of being “invisible” or having an “invisible soul.” This could have multiple meanings and interpretations, and it's very possible that all of these interpretations may be true, to an extent. One interpretation is that, due to growing up so abused and neglected, the author had gained a sense that they were invisible—forgotten and perhaps even subhuman—some thing to be beaten and discarded rather than someone. Another interpretation, which is probably also true, is that the invisible soul alludes to the feeling of suffering in silence or having a conflict that goes repressed and unacknowledged. The author uses numerous examples of suffering in silence and feeling invisible. Of course, he talks about how he suffered in silence and felt invisible for decades; however, he also talks about how others in his life also must have experienced this. A key example the author used was that of his late love, Elaine, who committed suicide after lingering problems drove her to that tragic act. Beasley details a lot of interesting stories in this book including his budding passion for water skiing, which became both an evangelistic endeavor and a distraction, and his explorations of different religious institutions including Catholicism and Mormonism, even being baptized by the LDS Church. However, simply experiencing and encountering religion and religious people didn't fill the hole in his heart. One of the defining moments of the book is when Beasley happened upon Billy Graham evangelizing on TV. Billy Graham said things that resonated with Beasley including “It's never too late” and “Jesus can save anyone.” Anyone? That would mean that Beasley was someone. That would mean that, despite all the bad things that happened in the past, he still had hope in salvation and redemption. He had worth, value, and humanity—things that he thought he'd never have. This was an epiphany moment! We noticed two things about this book right away: 1. The formatting is rough, lacking indentations between paragraphs. 2. However, the writing is beautiful and exceptional Here are some of our favorite passages: "It was a crisp winter day in January... I remember the leaves on the ground from all the big oak trees around the graveyard. They were dead and as I walked they crumbled under my feet." "I was the one with a face, but no expression, the one with fingers, but no fingerprints and the one with a name but no identity, an address, but no home." “What I do know is that his pain was great and invisible. It was ultimately his invisible soul that destroyed his life." "I could no longer hear the screams but knew they were still there. I could no longer feel the pain of the beatings, but my memories held them close to my eyes." "I was so full of anger, depression, despair, isolation, loneliness, insecurity, self-doubt, lashing out with words of anger, hypersensitivity, and sadness. You name it and I had it." “Through mastering my emotions over the many years I had locked this invisible soul and the attributes of my pain deep in my soul. I wouldn’t let God heal me until I looked deep enough to see the lock on this jailed cell was rusty and no key was in sight. Where was the key?” “At each victory there was a great defeat, through each defeat there was a great victory. God was conquering my greatest fears and allowing me to see myself everyday in the mirror of reality. He was showing me this invisible soul that had taken over my life and was trying hard to destroy me from the inside out.” We also noticed that the author tends to be very conversational, even treating readers like a conscripted audience. He will ask readers things like “Do you know someone like me?” This is really a book that seeks to not only enlighten but also uplift. It's a book that seems intended to reach out to people who may be going through similar things, battling with their invisible soul. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 91/100 (9.1 out of 10)
Sister Bevenlee and Mother of Pox is a fantasy, coming-of-age story by Charles LaBrasseur, who is already an Outstanding Creator Awards winner for A Path of Possession. Indeed, these two books share a lot of similarities, particularly in that they explore a lot of the disturbing, oppressive powers of organized religion, superstitions, and cult-like organizations in society. Both books also follow strong female protagonists. A Path of Possession followed Lake Ellen, a so-called “Lady of Leaves.” This book features the titular Sister Bevenlee and Princess Ukee, the “Mother of Pox.” It is interesting to note these similarities. At the same time, it's also a bit jading as you don't want to reuse and duplicate the same ideas in every one of your books. It becomes tiresome and redundant after a while. Readers start to feel like they've been there and done that. In fact, we did have a sense of deja vu throughout this book. We like to call this the “Force Awakens Effect.” We did consider, however, that these books might actually be connected and that the characters and story may be part of the same literary universe. Anyway, this book follows Bevenlee, a girl who is able to see an aura around Ukee, the now-pregnant princess of the kingdom. Despite being a high-born girl (a princess), Ukee is treated despicably by her cruel and abusive father, the king, who often chastises her and physically abuses her and her handmaidens, leaving Ukee with a bruised cheek and a swollen lip. Ukee's handmaidens are stripped, beaten, and banished. The king's wrath seems partly manipulated by the Royal Court, partly inspired by superstition, and partly motivated by his own personal insecurities and uncertainties about the father of Ukee's child. Meanwhile, Bevenlee's ability to see the princess's aura is seen as a great and unusual spiritual gift. Because of this, Bevenlee is assigned to The Tower alongside Princess Ukee, who becomes a close friend—practically a spiritual sister. The Tower is a central location in the book, so it may require some explaining. In layman terms, The Tower sorta acts like a monastery housing a coven of “Mothers” and “Sisters.” The Sisters, like Bevenlee, become the caretakers and retainers of the Mothers. Going even further, the Mothers aren't just a bunch of Mother Superiors or super nuns, they're literally expected to become the mothers of “gods.” You read that right. In fact, Ukee is expected to become a mother of a god, hence her title (“Mother of Pox”). As you might expect, Pox isn't necessarily a good thing. Pox, like in our world, is a contagious, destructive, and deadly disease that can potentially wipe out whole populations. However, does that make the person who brought it into the world wicked or evil? Or is it just unfortunate? Chalk it up to bad luck. Interestingly, Ukee's situation as the Mother of Pox actually mirrors a similar story told throughout the book. There was once a Mother called the “Mother of Stomp” who, as the name suggests, gave birth to a powerful, violent, and destructive god named Stomp. The Mother of Grub had to battle and kill the Mother of Stomp and help to banish Stomp himself into the aether. Stomp actually reminded us a lot of Giragoc, the giant sky god/cloud monster from The 5 Moons of Tiiana by P.T. Harry. Anyway, there were two things we admired about this book: 1. The world-building 2. The powerful sisterly relationship between Sister Bevenlee and Princess Ukee Let's talk about the world-building first. You really get a sense that this world is lived in. It's called the “Land of Shattered Kingdoms.” Because of being so “shattered,” it's also rather diverse. Everyone greets each other differently. All the sisters wear different colored belts, which kinda reflect the personality of the wearer or where they are from, sorts like the colors of lightsabers. In The Tower, the different bells divide different parts of the day to help the people inside to tell the time and move on to their next activity (sorta like a school bell). We not only get a lot of lore and mythos about Stomp and his mom, but we also hear stories of a terrible “Horde” that periodically raids the land. The second thing we really liked is the bond and relationship between the two lead characters. Bevenlee and Ukee are always there for each other through thick and thin. They always have each other's backs. When one of the Mothers (Mother of Fetcher) becomes abusive, Ukee makes the bold move to stand up to her and protect Bevenlee, saying, “Don’t you ever touch my friend, or any Sister, like that again.” Ukee must also rely on Bevenlee throughout her tough pregnancy and afterward. So, it's reciprocal and mutual. Now, this book has some issues. Firstly, the cover art looks really odd and is a bit off-putting. The two figures who are supposed to be our lead characters are just staring out into blank space with a thousand-mile stare. Secondly, there are times when the story seems to be moving very slowly, indicating problems with pacing. Like we said before, it also seems to reuse the same ideas and formula from A Path to Possession including the creepy, controlling superstitious society and young women with strange titles who hold magical abilities that can change the world. Also, like A Path to Possession, phrases and descriptions like “hands on hips” are overused, almost to a hilarious degree. Lastly, the idea of women giving birth to gods in a coven factory is both cool and weird. It begs the question: if so many “gods” are being born, then are they really gods at all? To quote Syndrome from The Incredibles: "And when everyone's super, no one will be." Check it out on Amazon! |
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