The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi

I was hesitant to buy The Red Bandanna. I know the story because ESPN created a 10 minute mini-documentary a few years ago and it airs every September 11th. It is impossible to watch and not get teary eyed. The man, Welles Crowther, is a true hero. He probably could have escaped the south tower and survived. Instead, he kept going back up flights of stairs to help others get to the only working elevator. Unfortunately, he did not make it out. The survivors did not know his name, but they recognized the red bandanna in his back pocket - something he always carried around.

It wasn't that I was hesitant because I knew the story. Rather, I didn't want to buy the book simply to fill the pockets of Tom Rinaldi and ESPN. So I passed. The next time I went to Barnes & Noble I changed my mind and decided I had to give it a shot.

The beginning of the book is very detailed about the background of Welles growing up and where he came from. Being honest, this part was less interesting. The second half of the book picks up as it relives September 11th. Even harder to swallow (and read) is the days, weeks, and months afterwards. It is impossible to finish The Red Bandanna without a tear coming down.

While I generally dislike books that come out after a movie, this case was different. One major difference is the book shares all of the good things that came after the ESPN mini-documentary. I also thought there was more detail. I felt that it hit me harder as I was reading through it.

Everyone should know about Welles Crowther and his story. If you do not like to read, then at a minimum you should watch the ESPN clip. And if you have already seen the ESPN clip, I still highly recommended reading the book.

My rating for The Red Bandanna: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Next week I will do a review for my top books of 2016!

A Life Well Played by Arnold Palmer

I like golf. I started playing in high school. I try to play once a week in the summer now. The last two years I have been in a fantasy golf league that has forced me to learn about more players and courses. But I do not know a lot of golf history. So when I saw A Life Well Played as I was walking around Barnes & Noble I thought it was a great reading choice.

The book is all about Arnold Palmer, divided up into three parts - golf, life, and business. I have to admit, there is so much I did not know about Arnold Palmer. He won a ton, but he finished in second place even more. He created the modern day "grand slam" in golf - the Masters, British Open, US Open, and PGA. He was incredibly smart and ahead of his time with advertising and endorsing. He owns many golf courses. He helped launch the Golf Channel. And of course everyone knows the iced tea - lemonade mix that he created (famously known as an Arnold Palmer).

Most impressively to me was how humble he seemed. His dad was a huge influence in his life, working on a golf course and teaching him how to play the game of golf. Arnold Palmer never forgot where he came from. He was thankful for everything in his life and seemed to truly enjoy it. It is sad to say that shortly after the book was released, Arnold Palmer passed away.

My rating for A Life Well Played: 4.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. This book reminded me of Wooden by John Wooden. The way the book was structured, the lifetime of reflection, both having great character. People everyone can aspire to follow.

To Pixar and Beyond by Lawrence Levy

I am a big fan of animation movies, particularly Pixar ones. Pixar was the first company to make a computer animated film (computer being the key word). Their library includes Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, Inside Out, and a few others. All very good movies in my opinion. This book plays to three audiences: people who love Pixar movies, people who love Steve Jobs, and people who are interested in business.

Steve Jobs started as an investor in Pixar. By the late 1980s, he owned the entire company. Unfortunately, the company was struggling and losing money. Steve Jobs wrote monthly checks to pay the bills, which eventually added up to $50 million over the years. Lawrence Levy came into the picture after Steve Jobs read about him in a magazine. He wanted to bring Levy in to fix the strategy and finances of Pixar. A ton of hit movies later, they eventually sold to Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion.

A lot happened in order to make Pixar a success. The book looks at the strategic decisions that were made along the way. Most of the focus is on the year or so leading up to the release of Toy Story and the initial public offering (IPO). The book is well organized and an easy read - I finished it on a flight from Hartford to Miami. Levy explains the business concepts that come up in simple terms (he explains what an IPO is and how it works).

Pixar fans will like the behind-the-scenes look at the making of Toy Story. Pixar invented the only machine to get a movie from a computer to a movie reel to show in theaters. Steve Jobs fans will like the discussions and reflections Levy offers. This is also where most of Steve Jobs' wealth came from (not Apple). And this is almost a must read for anyone in finance, corporate strategy, or working in a small-business or start-up. Really good stuff.

My rating for To Pixar and Beyond: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. At the end of the book, Levy goes off on a tangent on the middle way and philosophy. I actually found this to be very interesting. In a way, it almost links to what the author of When Breathe Becomes Air was getting at.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You has been out for a while. In fact, it has already been made into a movie. I am not sure why, but I just never read it. After wandering through Barnes and Noble looking for books to read, I finally decided to give it a shot. I have to say I wish I read it sooner.

Me Before You is about a girl, Lou, in her mid-twenties who has an average / boring life: boyfriend, close family, never left her town, and struggling after losing her barista job. She finds a new job working for a wealthy man named Will, who is wheelchair-bound after an accident. He was always a thrill seeker - traveling, extreme sports, living life on the edge. But trapped in his wheelchair, he is miserable and rude.

Lou quickly discovers that Will tried to take his own life shortly before she started working for him. He wants to die. There is an assisted-suicide facility in Switzerland that he wants to go to, but he promises his parents 6 more months. Lou was hired for 6 months with the goal of showing him that life is still worth living.

This is more than I would normally share about a book, but I did so because this dilemma is a hard one to think about. On one hand, every day and every life is worth living to the fullest. But on the other, if you were in those shoes you can imagine how hard life would be. It is fascinating to think about.

Of course, there is more to this book than just that. Chicks loved this because it turns into a romance story that everyone can see coming from a mile away. Although I have to say the ending did surprise me a bit (I mean that in a good way).

My rating for Me Before You: 4.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!