9/11/08

Between the Covers

Business leader shares his political opinions

by Mary Burns

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
by Lee Iacocca
($15.00, Scribner)

Lee Iacocca, the man who resurrected the Chrysler Corporation, has lived a lot of history and known a lot of leaders. From his own experiences and theirs, he has formulated some strong opinions on leadership. He outspokenly shares those in this book.

He thinks we should be looking for leaders rather than letting those who lead us look for loopholes, and cites Winston Churchill and past presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, among a few others, as examples. His choices are consistent with his viewpoint that great orators contribute immensely to our future. He postulates that “if you’re the leader of the free world, your ideas have to be bigger than your guns.”

Iacocca sidetracks briefly to discuss global warming as something a man who made his name in the auto industry had trouble acknowledging. He says he was reminded of comedian Bill Cosby’s routine on Noah refusing to build an ark, whereupon God says, “How long can you tread water?”

In his book, Lee Iacocca invites us to be part of the solution, to find the leadership that America deserves. His credentials are solid and he is worth listening to. Grab a copy of the U.S. Constitution and read this book. You’ll find yourself humming “America the Beautiful” again.

Mary Burns is owner of The BookWORKS, in Marysville or online at www.marysvillebookworks.com.