Zompoc:  How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
by Michael G. Thomas and Nick S. Thomas

Believe it or not, there are several how-to books out there about dealing with zombies.  This one is the most helpful.  Trust us.  If a Zombie Apocalypse (Zompoc) does arrive, this is the book you’ll want in your arsenal.  It isn’t the funniest zombie survival book out there, but it is the most thorough.  Not only will you learn the different types of zombies, but you’ll learn how to fight them, and even how to deal once you win the fight against the zombies – because surely, after reading this book, you will win.

How to Be Pope:  What to Do and Where to Go Once You’re in the Vatican
by Piers Merchant

The author of this little gem is a travel writer who has written for Fodor’s among other notable organizations.  This book, which is hard to find, is designed to help you navigate the waters of the Catholic hierarchy as the newly appointed Pope.  While few of us (let’s be honest, probably none of us) will never BE Pope, this is a really fun read and it isn’t offensive or critical of the church at all.  It gives lots of information about what a Pope actually does, what it’s like to live in the Vatican, and how to do things a Pope does, like that neat little wave. If only it gave instructions on how to build your very only bubble car, because even if we can’t be Pope, we’d still like to have a bubble car.  Wouldn’t we?

How to Have a New Kid by Friday:  How to Change Your Child’s Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days
by Dr. Kevin Leman

OK, so this is actually a legitimate how-to book on something you really know how to do.  Not that we’re completely denouccing the possibility of a Zombie Apocalypse, but having a rotten, out-of-control child is a lot more likely.  Look around your family and say that isn’t so.  It’s just the title that is amusing.  How to Have a New Kid – it smacks of trading kids with the neighbors, buying them off the black market, or posting an ad on Craigslist.  The reality about this book is that people rave about it.  They’ve employed Leman’s techniques and it has made a huge difference in their child’s behavior.  So, just so this list has a little bit of helpfulness to you (though that zombie thing MAY come in handy some day) in spite of it’s frothy exterior.

How to Defeat Your Own Clone:  And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution
by Kyle Kurpinski and Terry D. Johnson

In the same vein of the zombie book, this tome prepares you in the face of a not-so-definite but oddly-frightening possible future.  Who is to say that zombies, evil clones, or gone-wrong biological experiments won’t be the end of the world as we know it.  Lucky for you, some real-life bioengineers offer some very handy and helpful tips on how to deal if, for instance, you get attacked by a clone of yourself.  Between the quips, pop culture references, and jokes, Kurpinski and Johnson have written a scientific book that contains a lot of useful information.

The Werewolf’s Guide to Life:  A Manual for the Newly Bitten
by Rich Duncan and Bob Powers

Adding to the list of “it probably won’t happen, but just in case it does we’re awfully glad someone wrote a book about it” how to books, we’re glad Rich Duncan and Bob Powers wrote this book on how to be the best werewolf you can be.  The fact that there would be a market for this is no big surprise, since TwilightMania has swept the countryside and everyone has decided to be either Team Edward or Team Jacob.  No doubt there are plenty of vampire survival manuals as well, but this werewolf book is so very amusing that it was the one to make the list.  So, if you just want a fun read, you can pick this book up.  If you’ve been bitten by a werewolf recently, you really should pick it up right away.

How to Start Your Own Country
by Erwin S. Strauss

Now here’s a helpful one.  Fed up with the country you live in?  Looking for a change?  Want to go to great, almost impossible lengths to establish your own country?  Then this book is for you.  It shows you five different strategies for creating a new country, gives you the information you need to make it happen, and even shares some case studies wherein people have started their own country and been successful.  The first edition of this scholarly work was published in 1979, with a new edition released in 1999, so the “new” technology and political strategies that Strauss refers to are not exactly current, but the ideas are still sound and although he does show a bit of a sense of humor, the book is mostly serious.  So, future kings, presidents, and dictators, buy yourself a copy and get started.

How to Fossilize Your Hamster:  And Other Amazing Experiments for the Armchair Scientist
by Mick O’Hare

Perhaps the most important thing to note here is that the hamster experiment is designed to take place AFTER your hamster dies a natural death.  The author does not (and neither do we) suggest you try to fossilize the poor little thing while it is still alive.  Now that your mind is at ease, you can enjoy this delightful book with a clear conscience.  O’Hare takes you through some truly fascinating at-home science experiments that are (mostly) safe and utilize regular household items like soap and vinegar.  So, the how-to book might not be as weird as it seems from the title, but it is a good read indeed.

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Lawyer Books – 7 Book Reviews on Becoming a Lawyer

Aristotle proclaimed that, “The law is reason free of passion”, and becoming a lawyer has been the career destination for young people from all walks of life for centuries.  It is no accident that most of the major political leaders over the last 300 years had their academic and professional grounding in the law – George Washington may have been the first President, however the trend for lawyers to be selected as the nation’s leader is clear – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison (who studied law but never passed the bar) and the list continues.

Becoming a lawyer is rightly viewed as a stepping stone to a successful and wealthy future or as a springboard into many other careers in politics and public service and commerce, both at home and overseas.  The practice and application of law permeates every facet of society and no lawyer specialized in all of the law – so how do you choose the right path for you?

The Ultimate Guide to Your Legal Career: What Every Young Lawyer Must Know to Avoid the Mistakes and Maximize the Value of a Career in the Law

By K. Charles Cannon

This is a great book for those considering law school as well as those young lawyers looking to establish which direction they want to take their career in.  This book provides “specifics” on what to do and what to avoid, which marks it out as a good source of impartial advice – generalities are widely noticeable by their absence.  This is a must-read for those tackling the thorny issue of how best to lay a firm foundation for a legal career and for those looking to broaden their horizons beyond the legal profession.

Becoming a Lawyer: A Humanistic Perspective on Legal Education and Professionalism

By Elizabeth Dvorkin

Many are attracted to the practice of law because they see an opportunity to contribute to creating a more fair and just society.  The civil rights movement transformed American society, but it was the lawyers who worked in and out of the courts who allowed reforms to go forward.

This book uses most of the enclosed chapters to discuss and explore humanistic issues which are followed by commentaries from numerous lawyers to espouse their views on what it means to be a lawyer in the context of the issues raised by that chapter.  This book also covers how taking a humanistic approach in career choice and throughout a lawyers legal education, will improve the reputation of the profession, of individual lawyers and for society as a whole.

Law School Confidential (Revised Edition): A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students

By Robert H. Miller

What is it really like during those three hard years of law school?  This book answers many of the questions a potential law school candidate will have on what is actually happening at a variety of law schools around the country.  How important is it to find and experience legal work through internships? What can you expect from your first days in law school?  What are the real-life experiences of law school undergraduates as they go through three years of highly intense study?  What attributes does a prospective candidate need to get through law school?

For all of these issues and much more, this is a great source of real-life information and advice.

Careers in Law

By Gary Munneke

This book is aimed at those thinking of attending law school, law school undergraduates and new lawyers looking for career guidance and advice.  What marks this book out is how it deals with specific areas of the legal profession and its coverage of the career avenues within them.

Different fields of the law and its application require different specialist experience and training, and this book outlines how you can tailor your own law school experience to place you in the best position for admittance to your preferred field.  There is also excellent coverage of the professional and personal demands which are placed on lawyers working in specific fields both within the profession and out in commerce, industry and public service.

The Lure of the Law: Why People Become Lawyers, and What the Profession Does to Them

By Richard Moll

This is written and published in the early 1990′s and is based on the author’s experience as the Dean of Admissions at a leading law school.  In some respects it is dated and the commentary is not that of a lawyer himself, but in some respects this helps.  People who wish to follow the law as a career do so for a variety of reasons, but how many lawyers actually find they have achieved what they initially set out to do?  How many lawyers are actually happy with their career after years building their reputation and achieving their positions?  Does the practice of law change you as a person, and if so, is this for the better?

A thought provoking commentary on lawyers and the legal careers which ought to be made required reading before admission to law school

Becoming a Trial Lawyer

By Steven Grossman

For those embarking on a legal career, most aspire to becoming one of the legal ninjas of the profession – a trial lawyer.

Trial lawyers are intellectual mercenaries who operate in the most charged and frightening environment – the court, but this volume demonstrates the amount of preparation and time spent outside of court that goes into creating a reputation as a successful trial court lawyer.

This is an essential book for those seriously contemplating a career in the courtroom and covers advocacy skills, courtroom situations and tactics, deposition taking skills, the increasing role of courtroom technology and much more.

Should You Really Be A Lawyer?: The Guide To Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School

By Deborah Schneider & Gary Belsky

Ask many veteran lawyers whether they would embark on a legal career if they had their time over again and many would say “No!”  The sad fact is that thought many are attracted to the legal profession and do indeed become lawyers, even successful ones, not everyone is suited to the law by temperament and the legal profession does not cater for all expectations.

Whether you are a newly-qualified lawyer contemplating your next steps in the legal world, or someone considering law school as your next phase in your education, this book takes a no-holds barred look at some of the issues involved.  Probably the biggest career decision you will have to face will be whether you should remain within the profession once you have started upon a career in the law, and the answer will not be “Yes” for everyone who has passed the bar exam!

The DiCaprio film was not based on a particular book but the subject has attracted the interest of a number of writers and here is our pick of seven. Seven books reviews on Blood Diamonds.

The Rise and Fall of Diamonds: Shattering the Illusion

Edward Epstein (pub. Simon & Schuster 1982)

Published at a time when most people were almost universally concerned with making money in the booming early years of the 1980′s, the popularity or newsworthiness of many conflicts around the globe was diminished as people enjoyed the good life.  Epstein’s book opened the door on the world of conflict diamonds in a revealing look at what to the outsider, looked like an industry of opulence, style and wealth was in fact based upon the untold misery of entire countries and an unbelievable scale of death and destruction.

An easy read with a searing critique of the closed shop of the diamond industry which is more concerned with profits than human life.

The Rise and Fall of Diamonds: The Shattering of a Brilliant Illusion

Diamonds and Conflict: Problems and Solutions

Ed. Arthur Levy (pub. Nova Biomedical)

A more academic treatment of the subject matter but nevertheless, written in a style and tone which allows the reader to assimilate the issues and help them come to form their own opinions on the subject.  Levy has put together an excellent set of arguments as his team has identified the principal issues and set them into context.  Africa has historically been torn apart and fought over for its immense wealth of natural resources, and conflict diamonds are a further facet to this bloody saga.

We recommend this book not least for the wealth of illustrations and the objective reasoning applied which is hard to refute.

Diamonds and Conflict: Problems and Solutions

Glitter and Greed; the Secret World of the Diamond Cartel

Janine Roberts (pub. The Disinformation Company 2003)

“Conflict diamonds” as a phrase evokes visions of Africa, civil war and immense profits but in reality, conflict diamonds can be found around the world aside from Africa.  Roberts is an Australian journalist who first became interested in the subject when she covered a dispute between a diamond mine and Aboriginal natives in her homeland of Australia.  In the following years, she has doggedly followed the trail of conflict diamonds around the world including India and Africa.  Ultimately, any follower or writer dealing with any diamonds will come across de Beers who mine around 45% of the global production.

Diamonds may no longer be a girl’s best friend after reading this damning and meticulously researched expose.

Glitter & Greed: The Secret World of the Diamond Cartel

Diamonds in Peace and War: Severing the Conflict Diamond Connection

Ingrid J Tamm (pub.WPF Report #30 2002)

Tamm is a program manager at the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard University so expect a very dry treatise on the problematic issue of conflict diamonds.  In fact, what you get is something which is as rare as a diamond – practical recommendations for the resolution of the use of conflict diamonds in purchasing arms which in turn fuel the wars and atrocities in the countries where the stones are sourced.

To get the most out of this work, arm yourself with some knowledge of the diamond industry and international politics between conflict diamond sources and especially the United States where most of the stones end up.

Diamonds In Peace and War: Severing the Conflict Diamond Connection (WPF Report #30)

The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire

Tom Zoellner (pub. St. Martins Press 2007)

Zoellner was dumped by his fiance, which is pretty rough especially if you are contributing editor to a men’s magazine (Men’s Health).  For cathartic release, Zoellner travelled the globe and tracked down the history of the diamond which represented pain and misery to him and in doing so, he uncovered for himself the wider picture of child labor, genocide, civil war and the seedy side to the sparklers worn on the finger.

Written in an easy-to-read style, it is a personalized and yet very relevant account of conflict diamonds and the negative impact they have on people all over the world.

The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire

Blood Diamonds: tracing the deadly path of the world’s most precious stones

Greg Campbell (pub. Westview Press 2002)

Campbell neatly ties in the tale of how conflict diamonds end up on the ring fingers of Western brides while their use has funded a war which has ripped Sierra Leone apart for decades.  He follows the trail as they are smuggled from West Africa to New York, London and Antwerp frequently with the cooperation of the legitimate diamond industry and into mainstream use.

Campbell demonstrates how the operations work and the impact on the people it touches as well as the history of the practice which was institutionalized by De Beers in the 1880′s.  For those who remember Princess Diana and the Angolan mine victims she met in a blaze of publicity before the world’s TV cameras, just remember that she was meeting with the victims blood diamonds.

Blood Diamonds: Tracing The Deadly Path Of The World’s Most Precious Stones

Africa’s Vengeance: Diamonds are Forever

Alex Vann (pub. Cambridge University Press 2007)

With growing awareness of the existence of conflict diamonds impinging upon the public conscience, players in the diamond industry and governments around the world subscribed to the Kimberley Process to control and attempt to eradicate the use of conflict diamonds.

Vann explores the interconnection between conflict diamonds and more than war in host countries.  In particular, he focuses on the relationships between those who source and use conflict diamonds and the drug smuggling operations as he outlines a criminal economic system which replicates the slaving trading triangle between Africa, the New World and the UK except it is now diamonds, guns and drugs instead of slaves, tobacco and molasses.

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