Customer Reviews (10)

Great writing
I became a fan of Jim Carroll's work after hearing his poetry in the movie "Basketball Diaries" starring Leonardo Dicaprio.

As a result, I found Carroll's poetry to be entertaining, to flow with grace, and to be rich in the use of imagery.

But after I read this book, I was a bit disappointed. Although, it was well written, it just was not that entertaining. I found the writing to be, somewhat, dry.

Jim Carroll is in a class of his own
Fear of Dreaming is the most interesting book of poetry I have ever owned. It is what inspired me to become a poet. I would recommend it to anyone... even if they didn't like poetry. This book just might change their mind.

Carroll's writing and imagery are as original as it gets.

Great read!
Jim Caroll's poems are very detailed, a painter spending hours painting the same piece of art to give it that sense of amazement. This book has some very deep pieces of poetry from Carroll's amazing imgaination and writing ability. The stories of heroin hell, nighttime in New York, and rock and roll. You don't go wrong with this collection.

Subtle, powerful poetry
Jim Carroll's poetry has appeared sporadically over the years in small, relatively difficult-to-locate collections ("Living At the Movies", "The Book of Nods"), so I was relieved to find this on the shelf.His work is an odd kind of majesty, a masterful coagulation of the early decadents, the modernists, the beats, stellar figures like Rimbaud and Baudelaire, yet with a voice all his own.He gracefully charts the map from humorous to solemn, sacred to profane, personal to universal without skipping a beat.He is a magician of images, and in the tradition of his predecessors weds seamlessly the most disconnected visions: "The ambulance passes/we sit up/pinned eyes of nuns that genuflect between stars/ambassadors on marble staircases in steam tropics..."Midnight" pg. 80).After having read "The Basketball Diaries" I feared that Carroll's poetry would be bitching and whining over his checkered and painful past, but nothing could be further from the truth.He seems to take the attitude of a grateful warrior to his time spent shooting dope, losing the friends he pays homage to without self pity: ("Some detectives in worn suits slide at my door/They told me Eddie was dead on Lexington and 103/stabbed in the jugular at mid-day/outside two automated hospital doors/He often walked East Harlem after dark, high on reds, calling out the black man/And I salute you, my brother. "New York City Variations" pg. 183).

Most of Carroll's poetry, though, is the product of his own imagination and only refers to his youth when necessary.He is obviously aware, though, of the parallels drawn between his and the chaotic life of Arthur Rimbaud with his enchanting prose pieces like "Rimbaud Goes To the Dentist".For all that he is not capitalizing on the success of "Basketball": you know just from reading the first few ("The Blue Pill", "The Distances") poems that Carroll would have become famous just by virtue of his talent and not his sordid autobiography.

This is a must for those who love raw, genuine poetry.

beautiful
this book is incredible. "to the secret poets of kansas" is by far one of the most wonderful poemsi have ever read. i encourage anyone who is looking for poetry to read and savor these poems, they are certainlyworth it. ... Read more

Product Description
A moving, vividly rendered novel from the late author of The Basketball Diaries.

When poet, musician, and diarist Jim Carroll died in September 2009, he was putting the finishing touches on a potent work of fiction. The Petting Zoo tells the story of Billy Wolfram, an enigmatic thirty- eight-year-old artist who has become a hot star in the late-1980s New York art scene. As the novel opens, Billy, after viewing a show of Velázquez paintings, is so humbled and awed by their spiritual power that he suffers an emotional breakdown and withdraws to his Chelsea loft. In seclusion, Billy searches for the divine spark in his own work and life. Carroll's novel moves back and forth in time to present emblematic moments from Billy's life (his Irish Catholic upbringing, his teenage escapades, his evolution as an artist and meteoric rise to fame) and sharply etched portraits of the characters who mattered most to him, including his childhood friend Denny MacAbee, now a famous rock musician; his mentor, the unforgettable art dealer Max Bernbaum; and one extraordinary black bird. Marked by Carroll's sharp wit, hallucinatory imagery, and street-smart style, The Petting Zoo is a frank, haunting examination of one artist's personal and professional struggles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

alternative poetry and prose
Classic of the late Jim C. Love it. Think it is better for over 18 yr old readers due to drug references which are very powerful.

Wow
Wow. It's a side of life I'll never see and I'm quite okay with that, but I was enthralled with Jim Carroll's diaries. I just couldn't put them down.

Not the 'lost generation'
someone listed this as from the "poet" from a NEW generation
of poets........ actually he isfar from it!!!!He seems to be still from (and not too original) the 60's.And as far removed from RIMBAUD as I am from O.J. Simpson.He has never left that
novella of 'the basketball diaries' which seems to be page after
page of the same ole thing with absolutely nothing sought nor learned...altho he did seem to share it with us but after 160 pages of self-centered cosmology that continuously just rewriting the season and year that was boredom to me (who also was there) incident after incident, over and over!!!I am not even from N.Y. and have never been there..... The movie gave the author much more than he deserved and somehow made the whole thing interesting and that doesn't usually happen when you go from book to movie.
I have a friend who also expierenced this altho he does not have anti-gay asinine, neither clever or intelligent approach of jim carroll pronounced for his own reason to get occasional money.
for his desires.One thing is that the movie did accomplish this and get all reasoning many steps above of this 'poet"who is firmly continually living on his past while trying to create a sentence while omitting several words is unable to have the advanced, brillant, forseen cleverness of RIMBAUD....to classify overrated Mr. Carroll may I just add the following:bovine, thick, witless, ill-advised, ludicrous, mindless, unthinking and un-wise....I have no intention of listening to the Carroll band
because I can imagine very accurately which way they claim for the hopeful peneration!!!

The City Poet
Living at the Movies surely proves that Jim Carroll is one of the most creatve poets of our time. These collective peoms were written from his Basketball Diaries period (1960s), and from his Forced Entries period (1970s).

"Jim Carroll has the sure confidence of a true artist....He is steeped in his craft. He had worked as only a man of inspiration is capable of working...His beginning is a triumph."
-Gerard Malnga.

This book was originally published in 1973, and was the first aboveground publication of Jim Carroll's work in poetry. He shows uncanny virtuosity. His power and poison are reminisent to Arthur Rimbaud, and one of the strongest forfeiting books of poems in the New York period. In language he deals with his pains and pleasures: The city, love, hope, rebellion, menacing, and friendship. These poems emerge in the manical city, Jim Carroll is not afraid to push the edge, he has transformed from a New York street punk to a litural artist.

One of the best poet's of the new generation.
Jim caroll is one of the best poets of the new generation of poets. Thiscollection named, "Living at the Movies" shows just how creativeand visionary he is. ... Read more

Product Description
The original classic story about growing up with drugs and sex and about learning to survive on the streets of New York--once again in print. An urban classic of coming of age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (94)

Basketball Diaries
I reads this book many years ago and wanted to reread it. I loved the story and the way it was told, firsthand and very gritty. A must read if you are interested in the New York City of the late sixties and early seventies.

Great read!
A very entertaining tale of life as a youth on the streets of New York. The birth of a very talented author.

THE BASKETBALL DIARIES (TOMBOUCTOU BOOKS/1978)
REVIEW: Before he became a well-respected, well-published poet; author Jim Carroll lived like a street rat: stealing purses from old ladies, hot-wiring cars, sleeping around with girls, getting high on anything and everything he could find, copping a viscious heroin habit, holding up people for their money, dealing drugs in his own high school, and doing time on Riker's Island as a juvenile delinquent. But what's remarkable is that while he was living (and spiraling down into) his own self-destructive hell: he chronicled his adventures in a diary that he kept from the time he was twelve years old till the time he was fifteen. As such the audience gets to experience the kid's own day-to-day mischief as if they were right there with him. Unfortunately the life that we get such an intimate peak into is one that is unbearably horrendous, vulgar, empty, and morally corrupt. At times you wish you could reach into the story and shake some sense into the boy (all the while asking: "Why don't his parents wake up and do something about their child before he ends up killing himself?"). What makes the book even more tragic is that the kid has so much potential: a talent for basketball (for which he gets a scholarship to a private school) that he continuously brags about and then throws down the toilet because of his drug abuse, and a talent for writing that is so readily apparant in his poetry and in this book. Never has there been such a testimonial for what NOT to do if you are really going to succeed as a human being rather than let your flesh overrule the desires and needs of your soul. Time and time again Jim writes about "wanting to be pure" and complaining about his "innocence" being taken from him, but never does he even TRY to get spiritual or moral help. In fact, he scoffs at religion and "straights": all the while candidly turning "tricks" for money and getting turned on by a sexual encounter with a guy in the men's room at a porno movie theater (former Village Voice critic Robert Christgau once called Jim a "moral weakling": and on the basis of this book he is absolutely right). So it's very hard to sympathize with Carroll at times because he has such a know-it-all/rebellious/cynical/self-destructive attitude that makes you shake your head in wonder at how stubborn and flat-out stupid some kids can be. But aside from his moral degeneracy: the dude actually thinks he has a leg to stand on when it comes to larger-than-life issues like Vietnam, capitalism, and religion. As a result his "insights" seem particularly superficial, typically liberal, and absolutely laughable in light of any serious discussion of such topics. But no one is going to read "THE BASKETBALL DIARIES" for Jim Carroll's political/social analysis: they're going to read it like a coming-of-age reality T.V. show. And as such the book succeeds immeasurably well even though (at times) the guy doing the talking sounds like a spoiled, self-indulgent, emotionally screwed up jerk. HARSH LANGUANGE: too many to cite, but I counted about 716 hard-core obscenities. VIOLENCE: about 53 scenes and/or instances. SEXUAL REFERENCES: about 67 graphic scenes and/or instances. DRUG REFERENCES: littered throughout the whole book, but I counted about 92 descriptive references.

you have to read this
I knew of Jim Carroll, read some of his poetry and such. And then I saw the movie--and let me tell you, you have to see that one. So I finally got around to picking up the book. Carroll is unflinchingly honest (though I do suspect he took many liberties with the story) and the story is brutal. This book does not glamorize drug abuse, as it shouldn't. This is a book I'll be coming back to over and over.

Ugh.
Could have been interesting, but this book was so foul (language) I had difficulty staying with it. It has remained, unfinished, on my bookshelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A street punk poet.
Jim Carroll should win The Nobel Prize for christ's sakes. The Book of Nods definitely prooves that. Jim Carroll his a poet no one else could ever be, lets say he's a Ted Berrigan mixed with a Allen Ginsberg. Nods refer to him and his drug induced states which he wrote most of these in. This is a creative and largely intensive book! READ IT! ... Read more

Product Description
The illuminating, shocking, humorous diary that tells all about the sex, the frugs and the atmosphere of New York in the late '60s and early '70s. A supremely entertaining book that will expand the legion of Carroll's fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

IN REALISTIC WORLD OF THE ADDICTION OF DRUG ABUSE WHILE STILL FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS
THIS BOOK WAS VERY GOOD BUT I MUST SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO READ THE FIRST BOOK ( BASKETBALL DIARIES ) BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE ITS A CONTINUATION. THE FIRST BOOK HE IS STILL IN HIS YOUTH YEARS AND HE IS BASICALLY JUST RUNNING WILD AND GETTING HIGH AND AS THE BOOK GOES ON HE REALIZES THAT HE IS VERY GIFTED AND 2ND BOOK HE IS STILL GETTING HIGH AND IS FOLLOWING HIS DREAMS AND REALIZES THAT HE CANT DO BOTH TO SUCCEED. I DID ENJOY BOTH BOOKS BUT DID LIKE THE FIRST BOOK BETTER. IF YOU ENJOYED THE IN DEPTH REALNESS OF THE MOVIE THE BASKETBALL DIARIES THEN THESE 2 BOOKS ARE MUST READS

Great book
Jim Carroll is one of the greatest writers of our time, and all he is doing is recording testiments of his life.The Downtown Diaries is possibly one of my favorite collections of writings/poetry.I definitely suggest anyone who comes across his work to buy it.It is well worth the read.

Great Poet and Writer
After seeing the movie "The Basketball Diaries," I decided to pick up the book. It was excellent. Then I read "Forced Entries." I admire Jim for writing without barriers. He sees humor in things you wouldn't think of. I couldn't put this book down. Because of those two books, he is now my favorite author/poet. His poetry is worth reading also. Everything he writes is a personal, touching, and often a scary reality. When reading his stuff, you can picture yourself in his world for a day. You see through the drug-addict's and poet's eyes. To understand the lengths people with drug addiction go through, you have to read at least one of his books. However, you'll be craving to read more.

Lasers in New York / Cysts in Manhattan
(the review title makes reference to elements in the book)

This book isold but no less compelling than it was upon publication. Be forewarned though as Carrol's preface admits that
this slice-of-post-60s junkie life is not entirely true to
actual experience or sequenced correctly (relative to time)
but I assure you that these are mere details in what is otherwise a fine and strangely reassuring book - at least for those with personal experience with drug addiction.

There is a tone of optimism which keeps emerging throughout the work which reaches a climax as the author finally manages to rid his body of literal festering corruption afterwhich he basks in the afterglow of the early NYC sounds. One is left with the
impression that Carrol is more addicted to the Big Apple than any substance.

For those looking for an expose of "look what I did
to support my junk habit" well look elsewhere. This is much less
about heroin than it is the general vibe surrounding the early 70s in NYC. If you were there you will experience a strong sense of deja vu - for those who weren't well use this book as your
starting point and move forward.

tears and laughs
an immensely humorous, frolicking, and impressively well-written look inside the corridors of New York city during a special time period. I tremble at the thought that The Basketball Diaries might not have been popularized, for then we might not have been so exposed to the sheer "Zen" talent of this writer.

Very few writers combine humor so well with literary splendor.

very enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
We live in an era of unprecedented and relentless change. The emergence of China as a super-power; hyper-innovation and business market turmoil; constant career change and rapid scientific advances. Competition is changing overnight, and product lifecycles often last for just a few months. Permanence has been torn asunder. We are in a time that demands a new agility and flexibility: leaders must have the skill and insight to prepare for a future that is rushing at them faster than ever before. In What I Learned From Frogs in Texas, Jim Carroll provides concrete guidance on how to turn challenges into opportunity ; anticipate future trends that will impact you ; move from a culture of indecision to one that is forward-thinking and decisive ; instill an innovative culture in your company ; develop key leadership skills for the future ; and view change as an opportunity to pursue not as a threat to be feared ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Its an OK book
The whole purpose of the book is to teach you to be proactive, basically. You might like it more than me though...

If you love Tom Peters' work just like I do, this author will not disappoint you for a change!
'What I Learned from Frogs in Texas: Saving Your Skin with Forward-Thinking Innovation', by Jim Carroll;

'Change' & 'innovation' are seemingly two most commonly used (or abused?) buzz words in the corporate world, which, from my perspective, readily capture the essence of the challenges faced by all of us today.

The subject of 'change' - agility & flexibility in dealing with a world turned upside down - & 'innovation' - doing things differently to survive & thrive - have continued to fascinate me for many years.

I have read a lot about the subject, & I am also always on the constant lookout for more new perspectives. Hence, to my pleasant delight, I have stumbled upon the work of futurist, trends & innovation expert Jim Carroll on the net.

Through Amazon, I have managed to acquire - & then read in earnest about a couple of months ago - his two books, namely, 'What I Learned from Frogs in Texas: Saving Your Skin with Forward-Thinking Innovation' (2004) & 'Ready, Set, Done: How to Innovate When Faster is the New Fast' (2007).

I am reviewing the first book here, to be followed by the second book in a separate review on Amazon.

Backed by reportedly impeccable credentials from the big boys, e.g. American Express, Disney, IBM, Microsoft, & acknowledged by 'BusinessWeek' as a thought leader, the author writes almost like corporate skunk Tom Peters - "screwing people's mind . . . taking them to the brink & then pulling them back", to paraphrase Tom Peters.

As a matter of fact, I reckon, at least from my perspective, his writings more or less emulate my other favourite authors on 'Change' & 'Innovation', Robert Kriegel, Louis Patler, Price Pritchett, all rolled into one - short, staccato bursts of energetic prescriptions, occasionally outrageous & yet written succinctly, with enchanting anecdotes & provocative examples from real-world events, in contrast to the staid academic texts of the time.

Having said that, let me get down to the specifics of my overall response of the two books.

In a nut shell, I must say that there are a lot of interesting stuff in the two books, but they are not necessarily unfamiliar or essentially new to most well-read businesspeople:

e.g. "65% of pre-school children today will be employed in careers & jobs that don't yet exist"; "most people will find themselves not only in 4 or 5 different jobs in their lifetime, but in 4 or 5 different careers; "the 1/2 life of an engineer 's knowledge is about 5 years";

although from page to page as one reads, one can easily get that little jolt, & then seriously reflect on what the author is talking about.

In fact, I must also bring reader's immediate attention to the fact that much of what he has to say in the two books is made somewhat more compelling, when his astute observations of the marketspace are viewed critically as called by the author.

What I like about the two books after perusal is that one can readily open up any page, anywhere in the two books, read for a few minutes, & actually gain some new perspectives from the reading experience.

In fact, that's how I have enjoyed reading the two books, one bite at a time, over a few weeks, some time ago, because I always have this ingrained habit of reading several books by different authors in one go.

The title of the first book is an apt metaphor from all the little green frogs, during one of the author's personal encounters on one hot, humid, sticky day at a conference in Houston, Texas, where "they were out on the road (from the culvert) cavorting in the puddles of water (from the hotel's sprinklers) & dodging the gulls, they didn't notice the sudden increase in (vehicular) traffic coming from either direction." Squish, what an ugly scene!

Interestingly, the frog story exemplifies people's reality. So, transposed to the real-world, we may be extremely focused, but we are looking at the wrong threat, in the wrong direction, at the wrong time.

The author's point: we need to change our frame of mind with respect to changes occurring in the world around us, & the trends that will present challenge & opportunity.

Coupling with this mind frame change, one must also learn to deal with what the author calls 'aggressive indecision' or better described as "stuck in the rut, spinning the wheels, losing sense of direction & momentum, & doing nothing" - all ill-equipped to deal with the rapid changes.

According to the author, that's the critical capability we must have, & it's the focus of the first book.

Rather than dwelling on what's all in the book, I will share with readers about what I have taken away from the book:

For me, my favourite chapters are:

- Chapter 6: 'Leading the Future' - the author shares his strategies of how to become a forward-oriented leader;

- Chapter 9: 'Changing to a Certainty Culture: Dealing with Aggressive Indecision' - the author highlights the warning signs to think about, & a number of things we can do about them;

- Chapter 10: 'An Action Plan for Change' - the author pinpoints the vital elements in a strategy for change;

- Chapter 11: 'Smart Frogs Go Forward' - author shares his insights about the criticality & acquisition of the requisite skills, especially soft skills, for the future;

I also like the author's simple ideas about innovation, which I choose to interpret from my personal perspective:

- run yourself faster;
- grow yourself quicker;
- transform yourself smarter;

His quirky prognosis of 8 big trends to think about, as outlined in the book, is worth considering since they are still applicable in today's context.

If you love Tom Peters' work just like I do, I am confident that Jim Carroll will not disappoint you for a change. The latter is equally provocative & vibrant in his writing.

Reviewed by Lee Say Keng, Knowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer, November 2008

So What's New?
Not much in here that hasn't already been stated in many other places.Very basic coverage of the issue of change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

a true poet, for all his wounds
jim carroll possesses a poetic of the wounded and lost which seems unrivalled to me today by any other modern poet. it's not, as some critics claim, that kids read his work because "he's the kid from the basketball diaries", or "he's done a lot of drugs".
the attraction of people, whatever age or place in life, to carroll's poems and music seems a sign of enlightenment to me: a man writes about the underbelly of society, which he spent most of his life exploring (and eventually becoming trapped within), and comes out at great cost to himself, with pearls. Carroll's "8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain" is a really moving piece, and if you have any knowledge of the subject you will feel something shift inside you while reading it, and a deep disappointment that it ends at all. ("The lyrics were strange/"Chalk Skin Bending"/"Incognito Libido"/But copying them down I realized/That they only fit into the barrel of a gun.")
Perhaps that should be the final word on Cobain's death.
The last poem is also touching: Carroll talks of love betrayed and acknowledges his inevitable aloneness.

Read it.

Thought Felony Drainage.
This is sensational. I saw him do some stuff from this in New York a little while ago and went and bought this the next day from the lady with the stand at the corner of St.Mark's and Astor Pl.
The words here are just gold. For some reason it reminded me of Leonard Cohen's stuff, it has that air of 'it's always been there, I just said it best' about it.
'Jukebox' is a highlight, as are most of the pieces headed simply 'poem'...
Oh, just get it, it's not that expensive, and it's really worth it.

Disecting the Void
Jim Carroll is the last poet hero. VC is gritty & unrelenting in its pursuit of redemption. i make it a habit to highlight illuminating verses, i found myself highlighting most of this book.

Damnit
If anyone can tell me the name of a modern poet who rhymes without sounding contrived can they please email me. I'll be eternally grateful.

Jim Carroll at his best!!!
Void Of Course is one of the best books I've ever read in my whole life! Jim Carroll proves once again that he's a genius.All the poems in this book prove that Jim Carroll is only getting better! It was definitely worthwaiting for!The poems range from very short pieces ("What Burroughstold me") to long poems - such as "While she's gone" whichis nine pages long, but doesn't appear that long. Jim Carroll is theunofficial king of the poetry scene. ... Read more

Product Description
The high velocity global economy of today drives rapid consumer, business, industrial and marketplace change.

The fast paced world around us is relentless and unforgiving. It drives increased customer and business partner expectations, requires faster innovation, and necessitates a faster more complex response to rapidly changing circumstances.

That's why you need to learn how to innovate when faster is the new fast - by getting into a mindset where you're prepared to figure out a solution to a problem, almost before you know you have a problem.

Ready, Set, Done provides unique insight into how to innovate when faster is the new fast

Velocity: you'll understand the rapid change that increasingly drives our world, and why it's critical to constantly innovate in order to keep ahead

Agility: You'll learn how organizations ensuring they can respond to fast-changing circumstances Innovation: you'll gain insight into how innovation can apply to everything you do, every day

Activity: you'll learn what you should start doing now to elevate the importance of your innovation efforts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Insightful and Very Quotable
In the first chapter Carroll write, "The rate of change today - whether with business models, product lifecycles, skills and knowledge, marketing methodologies or customer support concepts - is speeding up. We live in a world where being faster is better than being fast.

That is why innovation is the most important word that you need to be thinking about. Innovation is all about adapting to the future - and if the future is coming at you faster, then you need to innovate faster. Innovation shouldn't be about trying to survive the future - it should be about thriving."

The book is organized into 37 short chapters in six sections - Introduction, Velocity, Agility, Innovation, Activity, and Closing. Each chapter is easy to read in a short sitting, an advantage. But, I found that I lost the continuity easily.

If the future is coming at us faster, how do you keep up? It's really very simple. You listen in. "The globe has become one massive idea generation machine, with new ideas being created instantly everywhere, on a continuous non-stop basis."

"You do that by developing a culture that supports a highly tuned radar, radar that listens to the global infinite idea loop ... the future is being developed all around you, and your success comes from your ability to plug into it! How can you do this? By participating!"

"Devote 15 - 20 minutes per day to catch up on the new ideas which are emerging."

"That simple activity - learning to tune in - will provide you with insight and ideas, which are themselves the fuel for innovative thinking."

In Chapter 7, Carroll asks the question, "Is your brand from the olden days?" He uses the recent history of Sony as a cautionary tale. Sony has gone from being perceived as a leader in innovation to one that is slow to act. He analysis the history and decides that there fell behind because:

* "they failed to keep up with the rapid growth and demand for flat panel TV's and other hot new technologies - they failed with market agility
* They decided that going to war with customers in order to prevent music piracy (by slipping destructive software onto the CD's) was more important than developing great technology that caught the next wave of consumer electronics, particularly MP3 players
* They dropped the ball on the necessity for continuous operational excellence, as evidenced by a disastrous recall of laptop batteries"

To assess your own brand, he suggests the following:

* You are out of tune with your customers
* Customers see a lack of innovation
* Lousy, ineffective customer service
* You don't know that your customers know more about your brand than you do
* A lack of purpose or urgency
* A lack of market and competitive intelligence

Some quotable quotes:

"Innovation is critical, yet you must approach creativity and innovation with an understanding that your every move will be analyzed and instantly subjected to a global up or down vote."

"Success is not defined by how long a product will last in the market place, but by how quickly you can get a new product out there before it's out of date."

"From an innovation perspective, you've got to constantly assess whether you've got the depth and scope of skills that you might require as the world goes high velocity."

"Just in time knowledge: a form of continuous learning that is instant, fast and urgent. The right knowledge at the right time for the right purpose for the right strategy."

"Innovation is about everything an organization does and how it does it."

"There is no more debate about the need to break down silos; they are gone. What remains is a desire to learn from each other, and build on common insight."

Carroll identifies nine key elements of a successful innovative culture:

* Growth orientation
* The ability to cost-manage and grow at the same time
* A translatable vision
* Time to market is critical
* Internal collaboration
* Transition at top from managers to leaders
* At every level, there is a tactical to strategic conversion
* A partnership orientation
* Global skills access is a key success factor

This book is full of insights and check lists to help you assess and plan a change to a more innovative organization.

If you love Tom Peters' work just like I do, this author will not disappoint you for a change!
'Ready, Set, Done: How to Innovate When Faster is the New Fast', by Jim Carroll;

'Change' & 'innovation' are seemingly two most commonly used (or abused?) buzz words in the corporate world, which, from my perspective, readily capture the essence of the challenges faced by all of us today.

The subject of 'change' - agility & flexibility in dealing with a world turned upside down - & 'innovation' - doing things differently to survive & thrive - have continued to fascinate me for many years.

I have read a lot about the subject, & I am also always on the constant lookout for more new perspectives. Hence, to my pleasant delight, I have stumbled upon the work of futurist, trends & innovation expert Jim Carroll on the net.

Through Amazon, I have managed to acquire - & then read in earnest about a couple of months ago - his two books, namely, 'What I learned from Frogs in Texas: Saving Your Skin with Forward-Thinking Innovation' (2004) & 'Ready, Set, Done: How to Innovate When Faster is the New Fast' (2007).

Since the first book has already been reviewed by me on Amazon, I am now reviewing the second book here.

Backed by reportedly impeccable credentials from the big boys, e.g. American Express, Disney, IBM, Microsoft, & acknowledged by 'BusinessWeek' as a thought leader, the author writes almost like corporate skunk Tom Peters - "screwing people's mind . . . taking them to the brink & then pulling them back", to paraphrase Tom Peters.

As a matter of fact, I reckon, at least from my perspective, his writings more or less emulate my other favourite authors on 'Change' & 'Innovation', Robert Kriegel, Louis Patler, Price Pritchett, all rolled into one - short, staccato bursts of energetic prescriptions, occasionally outrageous & yet written succinctly, with enchanting anecdotes & provocative examples from real-world events, in contrast to the staid academic texts of the time.

Having said that, let me get down to the specifics of my overall response of the two books.

In a nut shell, I must say that there are a lot of interesting stuff in the two books, but they are not necessarily unfamiliar or essentially new to most well-read businesspeople:

e.g. "65% of pre-school children today will be employed in careers & jobs that don't yet exist"; "most people will find themselves not only in 4 or 5 different jobs in their lifetime, but in 4 or 5 different careers"; "the 1/2 life of an engineer 's knowledge is about 5 years";

although as one reads from page to page, one can easily get that little jolt, & then seriously reflect on what the author is talking about.

In fact, I must also bring reader's immediate attention to the fact that much of what he has to say in the two books is made somewhat more compelling, when his astute observations of the marketspace are viewed critically as called by the author.

What I like about the two books after perusal is that one can readily open up any page, anywhere in the two books, read for a few minutes, & actually gain some new perspectives from the reading experience.

In fact, that's how I have enjoyed reading the two books, one bite at a time, over a few weeks, some time ago, because I always have this ingrained habit of reading several books by different authors in one go.

From the intellectual standpoint, I consider the second book as a follow-up of the first book.

This time the focus of the second book is on building what the author calls 'high-velocity change leadership' in a fast-paced world.

In this book, he author provides unique insights into how to innovate faster, with multi-skill talent or creative ingenuity as well as project agility to serve as key cornerstones.

As he puts it, "Forget about the concept of innovation as simply involving the design of cool new products. In the high-velocity economy, where faster is the new fast, it's your ability to adapt, change, & evolve, through a constant flood of new ideas, that will define your potential for success."

Apparently for reader's convenience, the author has skillfully organised all his relevant stuff under four over-arching tactical segments:

- 'velocity' (with 8 sub-segments);

- 'agility' (with 6 sub-segments);

- 'innovation' (with 11 sub-segments);

- 'activity' (with 8 sub-segments); [Frankly, I would have thought that the more appropriate label here should have been 'execution' or even 'action-mindedness', since he describes "what you should start doing now to elevate the importance of your innovation efforts"];

Rather than dwelling on what's all in the book, I will share with readers about what I have taken away from the book:

- 'Take the 10 Things Test' (pg 29-34) - Essentially sit in a room, whether at work, home or in a factory, retail store or wherever you might be, & take a look around. Compile a list of 10 items that you see, & then sit back & ask yourself, "How might these things change in the next decade?"

If you really took the time to think about the items you examine, you might be very surprised by the depth of the change that is coming;

[This is certainly a very interesting exercise, & I will share my own little experiment in a separate post!]

- '10 Unique Characteristics of 21st Century Skills' (pg 67-71);

- 'Just in Time Knowledge' (pg 79-82);

- 'How Can You Identify Areas/Opportunities for Innovation' (pg 109-112

[As the author's treatment here is a broad-brush, I suggest reading Michel Robert's 'Innovation Formula'. Please refer to my earlier review on Amazon.]

- '21st Century Capital' (pg 141-144);

- 'Is It Time for an Innovation Audit?' (pg 149-152);

[This one is really cool!]

- 'Focus on Developing your Masters in Business Imagination' (pg 169-173);

[as opposed to the traditional MBA. To be frank, this is a really good & refreshing one!]

Although I have singled out these few sub-segments, I just want to point out this doesn't mean that the other sub-segments are not worth reading about.

I note that the author's closing 10+1 'Great Words' for everyday use in the workplace, as transformational grammar to help you get into the right frame of mind, namely [words in brackets are extracted by me for the author's descriptions]:

- Observe (trends);

- Think (to learn);

- Change (routines);

- Dare (to risk);

- Banish (killer phrases)

- Try [The author should have used 'Experiment'; Try? No try; Do! or Do Not! Remember, the Star Wars movie, 'The Empire Strikes Back'];

- Empower (everybody);

- Question (assumptions);

- Grow (by grabbing opportunities);

- Do (to renew);

- Enjoy (your passion);

is undoubtedly an excellent & timely way to return to his earlier book. He sums up his proposition from the very beginning, during which he argues about mind frame change as a prerequisite to forward-thinking:

"Rapid times require bold change; action is critical. Confront your tin cans (another of his metaphors for "stuck in the rut", e.g. 'aggressive indecision'), & you've got the right leadership frame of mind to take you into the future."

Incidentally, just for the fun of it, I would suggest readers to compare the foregoing 10+1 action verbs with the 26 action verbs from futurist Frank Feather's 'Futuristic Leadership A-Z'. Please refer to my earlier review on Amazon.

If you love Tom Peters' work just like I do, I am confident that Jim Carroll will not disappoint you for a change. The latter is equally provocative & vibrant in his writing.

Reviewed by Lee Say Keng, Knowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer, November 2008 ... Read more

Product Description
A chronicle of Caroll's coming of age, from 12 to 15, prowling New York city, playing basketball, hustling, stealing, getting high - and getting hooked. This edition ties in with the film of the same name starring Leonardo di Capri. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

ordering used book
I wasn't sure about ordering a USED book online. I've ordered new books but not used. It was a success: looked like new and came in a few weeks. I am happy with it =)

Amazing
What can I say?THE BASKETBALL DIARIES instantly became one of my favorite books when I read it three years ago.I've read it five times since--Jim's articulately and beautifully expressed observations changed the way I see things.

the audiobook is on a plane of its own.To hear the voice of this fascinating personality reading his own diaries was spellbinding--I am overwhelmed by this book again and again, every time I read it.

Jim Carroll reads his classic for Audio Literature
The audio version of The Basketball Diaries is no less intense than the book itself. The author reads his book with great feeling for details. No one could have better interpreted it than Jim Carroll himself.Just theway he reads the book, he's telling a story. As a little"extra-treat", Lenny Kaye (guitar player for Patti Smith and JimCarroll) accompanies the reading with music.If you have never listened toAudio Literature before, this is an excellent book to do so for the firsttime!

A MUST READ
Every teen should read this book. I was 14 the first time I read it and it was the first book I ever actual read from cover to end. I could not put it down. ... Read more

Product Description
Gorgeous short stories by established and emerging fiction writers. This issue includes the winners of Glimmer Train's 2001 Fiction Open and Very Short Fiction Award. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether your organization is large or small, Selling Online is a perfect resource for any employee or entrepreneur interested in building a successful, profitable, and sustainable online retail business.

In Selling Online, Carroll and Broadhead discuss what makes an online business fail or triumph.From the nuts and bolts of how to build a site to an in depth look at merchant accounts, a systematic business plan walks you through the complex issues of doing business over the Internet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

The Nuts & Bolts of a Complex Subject
No single reference book is perfect; and this one is no exception. However, I was quite impressed with the breath and depth with which the author treated this very complicated subject.

A few others have recommended learning HTML and CGI and spending the rest of my life Googling eCommerce sites and learning from the ground up. How foolish is that when I can access most of that information right here in one handy volume? While Selling Online certainly won't be the last book I'll ever read on building an eCommerce site, I'm definitely glad it was one of the first. Most of the concepts are still relevant even though many of the links are obsolete. This book is a great example of how to present timeless advice that's worthwhile and practical that added value to my project.

In particular, I found the sections covering merchant accounts, internet security, and website design tips for building an effective store. Nearly every single page has reference links to additional information. As mentioned previously, many of those links are obsolete, but enough still worked that the additional links proved very useful to me.

I found all levels of information starting with tips for beginners all the way to advanced concepts and topics. The authors clearly put a great deal of thought and effort into this book. Because this book is so old, there are probably more current titles available that may be as good. I just haven't found them (yet). But dated or not, this is a great place to start.

Helped me create a multi-million dollar business!
The book may be a bit dated now, but when I read it back in 2001 it was chock full of fantastic info.The details are excellent and the writing is easy to understand.I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Not for the little guys
We bought this book thinking it it would help small online merchants, but the "Merchant" in the title is misleading. It is written more for large organizations that are having a complete website developed custom for them, not for the little guys trying to get going. Also, hundreds of new ecommerce programs have been developed since this book was written which this book does not cover. And the information is outdated, such as it is no longer necessary to open a merchant account directly with your bank, or process your own credit cards on your website, as we later found out. There are companies and resellers who take care of all that for you, even including security.

If you are going to start out with a big business like Amazon or Yahoo you might find the background information useful, but most businesses start out with just one or two people trying to learn everything. If you are small entrepeneurs like us, look for something more specific.

OutDated.
The author refers to many websites and out-dated quotes. Good book, but in our info. driven society I would suggest you read something newer or do a web search.

Excellent Advice and Very Useful
Does this book need another great review ?

Just in case you are swayed by the couple of bad reviews, I just thought I'd mention that this is by far the most useful book I've read on setting up an Internet Store.
(and I've read a few !!)

It's worth buying just for the section on selecting the right e-commerce software package.

There is lots of other useful stuff in there too.

Don't waste your time trawling the web looking for all this stuff, unless your time is worth about 0.0000000001 cents an hour.

It's all in here for a small price, and a lot more accessible too. ... Read more

Product Description
"A poet departs, too soon, and there is a void that will not be filled. From somewhere deep and old the tears well up in the dark night.When I met Jim in 1967 he was seventeen. He had been leading a triple life: high school All-American basketball star, heroin addict/ street hustler, poet." -- Tom ClarkThe above is from Tom Clark's wee memoir of Jim Carroll newly published from Longhouse for the Spring Equinox 2010. With photographs by Bill Berkson, Mary K. Greer, and Beatrice Murch.In glossy photographic wraps, hand sewn in four colors. Ready to be slipped into your back pocket, or anyone's.Tom Clark was born in Chicago 1941. Man of letters in poetry, prose, biography and the fine art of proper bloggingsee: http://tomclarkblog.blogspot.com/A graduate of the University of Michigan, he then attended Cambridge University and University of Essex before returning to the United States in 1967. A long time resident of the American west, he makes his home with Angelica in Berkeley, California. This is Tom's second Longhouse publication along with "Single" - Longhouse, 2009. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Jim Carroll
Jim Carroll by Tom Clark is an interesting behind the scene look at poet/writer's during his time in California. It gave some insight about the author from a close friend. Clark provided some examples of Carroll's work at the time along with some help comments about his state of mind at the time.

While the behind the scenes approach was welcomed, the book was too short and only gave the reader a very limited look at what was behind the curtain so to speak. Most of what was reported was strictly surface.

It is a good afternoon read though.

Matthew Abuelo ... Read more

Product Description
With surgical precision, the book debunks the myths that have successfully prevented companies from successfully using the Internet to their advantage. ... Read more

Product Description
With the green-eyed monster of divorce staring us in the face, with fifty percent of the adult population single, there has never been a more appropriate time for a witty, funny, enlightening, entertaining, sensible dating book, and no two guys are more experienced in writing it than renowned authors Jim Carroll and Dennis Foose, LPC, the perfect two experts to take singles by the hand and guide them through what can be a frightening, exciting, and thought-provoking time of their lives.

Hollywood Dating Blunder:Rules, Questions, and Warning Signs to Avoid the Bloopers debunks Hollywood’s dating myths as is often erroneously portrayed in the movies. The author’s tongue-in-cheek advice hits home as they help readers explore romance, sex, and priorities. They show readers how to use, “checks and balances” and how to keep their boundaries in place.

Never preachy, the authors provide rules, questions, and warning signs, all designed to enable readers to examine themselves and their dating partners. This technique, combined with meaningful Hollywood dating clips from the most popular movies, enables readers to learn how to stick to beliefs while exploring issues such as “sex and purity”, “forgiveness and past hurts”, lying, envy, self-esteem. They will learn how to “take charge” of their lives so they can readily move toward being a healthier, happier dating and later marriage partner.

Humorous interludes with the movie’s best stories show readers how to “Dump the Fantasy and Face Reality” for only those grounded in reality can fully determine who will be the best mate.They remind readers to stop overlooking “Faults and Addictions’ in others and to forget the myth of “Love at First Sight’ because it is probably a “Vampire Bite (bats are blind, too).”

Sandwiched between interaction with movie clips and the authors’ real life examples, readers learn how to build personal self-esteem and that it is best “not” to “go directly to jail” and that a “buyer” should “beware” and “read the fine print.”

Within a series of rules, questions, baggage and warning signs, all illustrated with eye-catching graphic buttons, this hot, new book will attract reader’s attention while hypnotizing words keep them turning page after page. The authors create a sense of knowing and caring and sharing with readers, making them see the healthy aspects of dating while realizing that the art of dating is a noble task indeed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

know what you're getting
Just to let you know, this is not written by Jim Carroll the poet-writer of the basketball diaries. "Cover of Darkness" seems to be a different Jim Carroll entirely. I made the mistake of ordering this book thinking of the wrong Carroll. One star for the mix up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

the basketball diaries ages 12-15
jim carrol's work brings you into his life of new york city and an addict's fragments of hell. his life story in the basketball diaries tells a tale very few writers could put to page in the way he has; it is a greatbook in which shows the raw truth on page and recommend to everyone.

CARROLL REVEALS MORE THAN MERELY HIS OLD LIFE
In THE BASKETBALL DIARIES, Jim Carroll not only renders easily imaginable (and easily sympathized with) adversities- insecurity, addiction, melancholy, self-loathing, fear, identity crises- to which thousands ofAmerican youths are subjected daily, but demonstrates a vast capacity forproficient writing, the sort which swallows the reader's attention like ashark might devour a minnow and holds it long after the last sentence hasbeen read. A phenomenal work! I enthusiastically recommend it toall.

(Also recommended: CATCHER IN THE RYE, by J.D. Salinger; ON THEROAD, by Jack Kerouac; JOHN BARLEYCORN, by Jack London; CAT'S CRADLE, byKurt Vonnegut, Jr.; THE WOMAN WHO WALKED INTO DOORS, by Roddy Doyle; BIGSUR, by Jack Kerouac.)

how can a diary be rated as a bbok?
the basketball diaries is nothing more than the story of one man and his hardships. There are thousands of stories not unlike Pete Carrol's andalthough this was well written, is is nothing more than a diary. truewriting can be more respected when it is fictional, showing there is anobvious creative process. this is not creative

two thumbs upbest book i have ever read
in basket ball diaries jim carroll captures the unbearable truth of life as a heroin addict on the streets on new york city...i was completely taken away by the events he described...his word completely mesmorized me...i wascaptured by his writing....his words imspire the writer in me!!!! ... Read more