Books about Stumbles from Amazon.com

This original, entertaining, and surprising book investigates verbal blunders: what they are, what they say about those who make them, and how and why we've come to judge them.

Um... is about how you really speak, and why it's normal for your everyday speech to be filled with errors—about one in every ten words. In this charming, engaging account of language in the wild, linguist and writer Michael Erard also explains why our attention to some blunders rises and falls. Where did the Freudian slip come from? Why do we prize "umlessness" in speaking—and should we? And how do we explain the American presidents who are famous for their verbal stumbles? Full of entertaining examples, Um... is essential reading for talkers and listeners of all stripes..
Price: $8.44 [Notify me when price goes down.]

An NPR commentator’s story of an unlikely epiphany and the healing power of faith

After years of sleeping around, working as a waitress, and suffering booze- induced blackouts, Heather King settled into sobriety, marriage, and a financially lucrative but unfulfilling career in a Beverly Hills law firm. As someone who had reached middle age “never believing in much of anything,” she found herself in the last place she thought she’d end up: the Catholic church.

Redeemed describes the steps of King’s journey—from finding herself holed up on the couch reading Hermits of the World (and then wondering why she and her husband weren’t having sex) to dealing with the breast cancer that brought her face-to-face with the Virgin Mary. With the death of her father and the devastation of divorce, she connects with Jesus Christ: “A guy who hung out with lepers, paralytics, the possessed: this is someone I can trust.”

This is a profound, fervent, darkly funny tale of an ongoing conversion by a Catholic who, however devout, is about as far from saintlike as can be imagined. Fans of Lauren Winners’s Girl Meets God and Anne Lamott’s writings will be drawn to King’s refreshing sense of humor, mesmerizing voice, and piercing honesty..
Price: $2.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A noted business historian presents captivating profiles of corporate blunders, with illuminating insights into the misguided motives that make promising concepts fail and industry giants crumble.

Packard, E.J. Korvette, RCA, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Pabst, Schwinn. Once industry leaders, these companies all suffered devastating--and, in some cases, fatal--setbacks because of one pivotal mistake. A renowned writer and speaker who has traced the missteps of corporate America, Robert Sobel offers a fascinating look at 15 glaring and enlightening product flops and management foibles. Rather than call attention to corporate greed or foolishness, the author reveals surprisingly sound reasoning behind some of the worst moves in modern business history.

Capturing tragic mistakes in the making, each chapter spotlights a key blunder committed by a onetime mover and shaker. Critical errors include: tinkering with winning products--or marketing "downscale" versions; getting blindsided by rivals or government regulations; striving to outdo a famed predecessor; fighting technology--or sheepishly following every innovation; and mistaking temporary industry changes for permanent ones--or vice versa.

Lively and eye-opening, WHEN GIANTS STUMBLE explores a side of business history too seldom discussed, with valuable lessons for both thriving and floundering companies..
Price: $4.90 [Notify me when price goes down.]

“As America tries to deal with the consequences of its misfired Iraq expedition and the host of other challenges lurking in a murky future, this book will sharpen our thoughts on the uses and misuses of the UN and where it fits into Washington policies. The authors suggest an approach and specific policy elements that merit serious attention, even as they make clear they do not expect the UN will be any kind of panacea.”
—Morton Abramowitz, Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation

By the same authors:

The Third Try: can the UN work?

Published in Australia by Scribe Books in 2005, The Third Try was selected for the short list of a prestigious New South Wales Literary Prize. The German translation, by Dr Michael Haupt, was released in 2006 by Parthas Verlag in Berlin.

from Third Try Australian reviews:

“…a brilliant analysis of an often maligned organization that pledged international kinship and is struggling to reinvent itself to stand for something meaningful. An extremely significant book that is sure to rouse the public from its slumber. Five stars.”
—Tony O’Loughlin, Australian Bookseller & Publisher, October 2005

“…written for the lay reader and is set out in a clear, straightforward style … Its accessible manner makes welcome reading when facing such a daunting subject.”
—Chris Saliba, WebDiary.
Price: $10.65 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"Light-hearted, though wearing a heavy heart, Paula McLain tries her best to shake her cast of invisible fathers. It’s brave to interrogate and, Job-like, dispense of heaven to go on living in and of this world. Stumble, Gorgeous offers her most powerful and accomplished writing to date: the music sings metrically and in a range of sounds and voices; the syntax unfolds pleasure and difficulty in uneven doses and often surprises in its jangling turns." —Ira Sadoff.
Price: $14.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Gods people of all ages have been imperfect Even those chosen by God for places of leadership in the Old Testament have had weaknesses and shortcomings People of every age struggle with the same emotional and spiritual problems; only the culture and context differ. Fortunately, we are not the helpless victims of our emotions. We do not have to be overwhelmed by our attitudes or by the circumsances of life. We can gain insight and inspiration from the saints and sinners of old to help us in our struggles. Feet of Clay examines God's people of other ages on the playing field of our common emotions and teaches us how to keep our feet planted firmly on solid ground..
Price: $25.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on October 15, 2004. The length of the article is 1017 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Diamonds on the soles of their shoes.(Entertainment)(Ladysmith Black Mambazo hiked its way home from `Graceland,' but not without some stumbles)
Publication:The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: October 15, 2004
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: T4

Distributed by Thomson Gale.
Price: $5.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]