Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

The 82-year-old management legend can say what he wants--and does, in this far-reaching commentary on everything wrong with leadership today. From the current U.S. president's many failures to corporate and international shortsightedness, he gives priceless insider views of many of the business and political disasters we've read about over the past forty years. His perspectives on leadership and corporate governance, political activism, philanthropy, and life management are fearless, and strengthened by his broad experience. Iacocca's voice and scrappy personality are a perfect match for his straight-from-the-gut opinions. His reading may lack variability, but he conveys a level of emotional engagement that's perfect for the character of his writing. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

April 2, 2007
Iacocca, the bestselling author and former president of Ford and Chrysler, is back to sound a howl of anger against the sad state of leadership in the U.S. today. Iacocca starts with a rundown of sins committed by George W. Bush and his administration, and then moves on to criticize the American auto industry-naturally, he's furious over over the sale of Chrysler to Daimler-Benz. Along the way, Iacocca rails against the lack of leadership in vital national concerns such as health care, open markets and energy policy. Iacocca may not have a whole lot new to say, but he is always engaging, even when spinning his wheels over the current crop of presidential hopefuls or recommending that Congress take a year off from enacting laws or spending money. The book's strength lies in Iacocca's emotional honesty, which shines when he details the reasons he passed on a Presidential run, how he felt when his wife died and his frustration at the poor decisions he's made during his retirement (fessing up to voting for Bush in 2000 and handpicking the executive who sold Chrysler to the Germans). Iacocca is a genial person to spend time with, but his insights no longer carry the weight that made his autobiography, Iacocca, a runaway bestseller.