I Moved Your Cheese

In this fable, the mice are used to a world in which they follow the teachings of the good book, particularly its primary message: Don't worry about who moved the cheese; just look to see where it was moved. But Max, Zed, and Big each have a different view of the world. Robert Fass narrates this fable as a story to be told to listeners of all ages. He's animated in the dialogue between the young mice and older mouse Zed as to why the mice are devoted to accumulating cheese. In the voice of a philosopher, Fass delivers Max's observations that the world can change. At the end, Fass presents a list of questions for further consideration with a sense of interest in the discussions that might follow. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2011

Malhotra (negotiation, Harvard Business Sch.; Negotiation Genius), a regular guest on CNBC's The Big Idea, provides a thoughtful critique of Spencer Johnson's 1998 best seller Who Moved My Cheese. Johnson's motivational work is written in the style of a business fable and focuses on learning how to manage and deal with change. To balance the Johnson phenomenon, Malhotra offers an alternative approach to handling change that counters Johnson's advice to accept unquestioningly circumstances without exploring any possible alternatives, just like the mice in the parable that mindlessly chase the cheese. Using a similar parable approach with mouse characters, Malhotra suggests that we are not powerless to change our circumstances and that we can control our destiny. He explains how to analyze and overcome assumptions about the limitations we face by first understanding the ways we unknowingly hold ourselves back. Audie Award-nominated narrator Robert Fass provides a solid reading that will appeal to fans of Johnson's earlier work on change. Recommended for public libraries.--Dale Farris, Groves, TX

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