Recommended Reading
Welcome to the TML recommended reading service.
With our members' help, TML will continually build upon this special web area to offer a thoughtful blend of classic and current works relevant to the daily governance and operations of cities.
If you have a suggestion for a publication, please e-mail TML with the title, author, publisher, and ISBN number (if you have it).
Madam Mayor
By Marcy Meffert
Paper
Watercress Press
Available from Marcy Meffert, P.O. Box 680262, Leon Valley, Texas 78268
In 1994, Marcy Meffert took on whatshe calls the ultimate volunteer job of serving on the Leon Valley,Texas, city
council. She served four years as a councilmember and six as mayor. She was active on the regional and
state levels and served in several in various leadership positions.
In 2004, she retired from public service to write this book, which she hopes will encourage more people to get seriously involved in government as candidates, election workers, and/or at the very least, as voters.
The Public Sector's Guide to Skill-Based Pay System Development & Implementation
By The Waters Consulting Group
2004 - 3-ring hardcover
txmunl $69.95
Organizations of all sizes will have the benefit of the Waters Group's 3 decades of knowledge, experience and expertise in one concise reference manual.
The Future Once Happened Here: New York, D.C., L.A., and the Fate of America's Big Cities
By Siegel, Fred
2000/02 - Trade Paper
Encounter Books
1893554104 $15.95
New York, Washington, Los Angeles are the case studies for Cooper Union history professor's fascinating look at failure of social policies born in the 60s and 70s Praised by the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and U.S. News and World Report, Siegel's book has been recognized as the definitive analysis of the late 20th century American urban experience. Anyone who cares about where we're headed in the new century will welcome this book.
New Visions for Metropolitan America
By Downs, Anthony
1995/02 - Trade Paper
Brookings Institution Press
0815719256 $18.95
In this volume, the author analyzes the problems of urban America and presents economically sound alternatives to guide the growth and development of metropolitan areas without increasing traffic congestion and air pollution; endlessly raising taxes, or sacrificing the availability of affordable housing.
The Gift of Community
By Gary D. McCaleb
2001/11 - Trade Paper
Hillcrest Publishing
0891124268 $17.95
To order this book, please contact Lea Watkins; 325-674-2156.
"Gary continues to gently lead us in defining our personal responsibility to community. "
--Don Borut, Executive Director, National League of Cities
"Gary McCaleb knows the meaning of community. And everything that he does, from sitting a a college baseball
game to dining with friends at a Chicago steakhouse, reinforces what he knows. The lessons he shares come from the
famous and the not-so-famous. Gary writes with real feeling, and his sensitive insights can help all of us turn our
cities, our towns, our counties into true communities. "
--Janet Ward, editor, American City and County
Community: the Other Side of Self
By Gary D. McCaleb
2000/05 - Trade Paper
Hillcrest Publishing
089112425X $15.95
To order this book, please contact Lea Watkins; 325-674-2156.
"Gary McCaleb has culled the wisdom of the ages to describe the soul of and create a face for the fundamental idea
of community. Gary continues to gently lead us in defining our personal responsibility to community."
--Don Borut, Executive Director, National League of Cities
"Each quote is a gem that will make you think... and think again."
--Frank Sturzl, Executive Director, Texas Municipal League
"In an age of information overload, this book is as if we walked into a medieval chapel: austere, sparse, and yet
full of meaning that reaches our innermost soul."
--Costis Torregas, President, Public Technology, Inc.
The Community of the Future
By Hesselbein, Frances
Editor Goldsmith, Marshall
Author Hesselbein
1998/01 - Hardcover
Jossey-Bass
0787910066 $25.00
This third volume in the prestigious Drucker Foundation Future Series brings together the brightest of today's societal thinkers to examine how we can live better, work, communicate, educate our children, and govern ourselves as we speed toward the 21st century. Contributors include Stephen Covey, Elie Wiesel, James Barksdale, and Lester Thurow.
The Economy of Cities
By Jacobs, Jane
1970/02 - Trade Paper
Random House Trade
039470584X $13.00
"This book is radiant with ideas about what makes cities
rich or poor, how cities grow, and how city growth affects
national economies."
-- The New Yorker
"The book is... timely, and if it will irritate some of the
experts it will also help bring some neglected issues and
theories into public focus. This ... has always been Mrs.
Jacobs' most notable taient and her most constructive contribution."
-- Charles Abrams, The New York Times Book Review
Cities on the Rebound: A Vision for Urban America
By Hudnut, William H.
1998/02 - Hardcover
Urban Land Institute
0874208637 $21.95
In Cities on the Rebound, Bill Hudnut displays the same wisdom, balance, and determination to find solutions that made him such a success as mayor of Indianapolis. His description of the entrepreneurial American city that must adjust to change by encouraging partnership, collaboration, diversity, and a global vision among its citizens is right on target. Without sugarcoating the serious challenges facing cities, Hudnut accurately forecasts a future of hope for urban America.
City-Building in America
By Orum, Anthony M.
1995/04 - Trade Paper
Westview Press
0813308437 $26.40
Why do some cities grow and expand, while others dwindle and decline? Why is Milwaukee a town of the past, while Minneapolis–St. Paul seems reborn and infused with future dynamism? And what do Milwaukee and the Twin Cities have to tell us about other cities' prospects, the trials and destinies of industrial Cleveland and post-industrial Austin?Anthony Orum's new book tells the story of these cities and, at the same time, of all cities.
Home from Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st
Century
By Kunstler, James Howard
1998/03 - Trade Paper
Free Press
0684837374 $14.00
In Home from Nowhere, the author of the landmark book Geography of Nowhere not only shows that the original American dream--the desire for peaceful, pleasant places in which to work and live--still has a strong hold on our imaginations, but offers innovative, eminently practical ways to make that dream a reality. Photos and line drawings
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
By Jacobs, Jane
1992/12 - Trade Paper
Vintage Books USA
067974195X $14.95
A direct and fundamentally optimistic indictment of the shortsightedness and intellectual arrogance that has characterized much of urban planning in this century, The Death and Life of Great American Cities has, since its first publication in 1961, become the standard against which all endeavors in that field are measured.
Essentials of Texas Politics
By Kraemer,
Richard H.
Joint Author Newell,
Charldean
Joint Author Prindle,
David F.
2000/08 - Trade Paper
Wadsworth Publishing Company
053455377X $49.45
This concise yet comprehensive overview compares the reality of Texas politics to the democratic ideal through a thought-provoking reform orientation. Unlike survey texts, this lively paperback engages students in controversial issues and encourages them to participate in class debate.
Robert's Rules of Order: Newly Revised
By Robert,
Henry Martyn
Joint Author Evans,
William J.
Joint Author Balch,
Thomas J.
2000/11 - Trade Paper
HarperCollins Publishers
0738203076 $17.50
Thoroughly updated to reflect the past decade's technological advances, this edition of the only authorized parliamentary procedure guide contains new information on conducting meetings over the Internet, on phone and video conference calls, and with members in absentia. Other editors are William J. Evans, Daniel Honemann, and Thomas Balch.
How Cities Work: Suburbs, Sprawl, and the Roads Not Taken
By Marshall,
Alex
2001/01 - Trade Paper
University of Texas Press
0292752407 $25.95
DO CITIES WORK ANYMORE? How did they get to be such sprawling conglomerations of lookalike subdivisions, megafreeways, and "big box" superstores surrounded by acres of parking lots? And why, most of all, don't they feel like real communities? These are the questions that Alex Marshall tackles in this hard-hitting, highly readable look at what makes cities work.
Politics of Arlington, Texas: An Era of Continuity and Growth
By Allan A. Saxe
2001/09 - Trade Paper
Eakin Publications
1571685421 $24.95
Politics of Arlington, Texas, is a case study of the politics of a booming mid-size American city. Relying on interviews, city documents, and media records, Allan Saxe examines Arlington from the post–World War II years to the end of the millennium
Cities without Suburbs
By David Rusk
1995/09 - Trade Paper
Woodrow Wilson Center Press
0943875730 $29.00
Cities without Suburbs, first published in 1993, has become an influential analysis of America’s cities among city planners, scholars, and citizens alike. In it, David Rusk, the former mayor of Albuquerque and now an international speaker and consultant on urban policy, argues that America must end the isolation of the central city from its suburbs in order to attack its urban problems.
The Empowered Manager
By Block,
Peter
Author Block
1987/01 - Trade Paper
Jossey-Bass
1555422659 $22.95
Block introduces the path to empowerment and shows managers the inherent pressures that discourage initiative, dull creativity, and dissuade risk taking. Readers learn how to create a strong vision of the future--one that encourages the best in themselves and in those around them.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap, and Others
Don't
By Collins,
Jim
2001/10 - Hardcover
HarperBusiness
0066620996 $27.50
This book is a thought-provoking challenge to American business. The author of the best-selling Built to Last, Collins now explores the most difficult test any company faces—how to take a "good" business, with average profits and satisfied stock holders, and make that company "great." The book is based on a study of 11 companies who made the leap and sustained greatness for more than 15 years.
The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work,
Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
By Florida,
Richard
2002/06 - Hardcover
Perseus Books Group
0465024769 $27.50
An economist looks at the growing influence of today's newest "Creative Class, " which derives its identity and values from its role as purveyors of creativity and comprises nearly 40 million Americans and 25 percent of all employed people. The author also offers innovative and practical lessons for businesses and employees.
Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government
By Moore,
Mark H.
1997/03 - Trade Paper
Harvard University Press
0674175581 $30.75
A seminal figure in the field of public management, mark more presents his summation of fifteen years of research, observation, and teaching about what public-sector executives should do to improve the performance of public enterprises.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
By Gladwell,
Malcolm
2002/01 - Trade Paper
Back Bay Books
0316346624 $14.95
This celebrated bestseller, now in paperback, is a book that is changing the way Americans think about selling products and disseminating ideas. The new Afterword by the author describes how readers can constructively apply the tipping point principle in their own lives and work.
The Heart Aroused
By Whyte,
David
2002/01 - Trade Paper
Doubleday Books
0385484186 $14.95
In The Heart Aroused, David Whyte brings his unique perspective as a poet to the workplace and opens readers' eyes to a neglected side of corporate life. Going beneath the surface concerns about products and profits, organization and order, he addresses the needs of the heart and soul, the fears and desires that many corporate workers keep hidden. Through the poetry of both classic and modern masters, Whyte helps readers cope with negative events or feelings and find both professional and personal fulfillment.
The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization
By Katzenbach,
Jon R.
Joint Author Smith,
Douglas K.
2003/02 - Trade Paper
HarperBusiness
0060522003 $17.95
Now with a new introduction, this classic guide remains the best and most highly regarded book on elective use of teams in the workplace. Now updated to include the latest developments and findings in this key area in business management, The Wisdom of Teams continues to lead the way to successful team building.
Leadership: The Inner Side of Greatness, a Philosophy for Leaders
By Koestenbaum,
Peter
2002/08 - Hardcover
Jossey-Bass
0787959561 $29.95
In this thoroughly revised edition of his classic book Leadership, legendary business philosophy and thinker Peter Koestenbaum expands on his leadership theories and invites managers to break out of the ordinary managerial mind-set. He reveals how striving for greatness enables managers to focus their efforts and grasp new ideas and insights by bringing intensity and meaning to their work— thereby improving their ability to achieve bottom-line results.
Managing Chaos and Complexity in Government: A New Paradigm
for Managing Change, Innovation, and Organizational Renewal
By Kiel,
L. Douglas
1994/09 - Hardcover
Jossey-Bass
0787900230 $35.00
To keep government operating smoothly, changes in public management policy and strategy usually follow the old rule of change - that it must evolve in an incremental, step-by-step fashion. But in today's unpredictable world of shrinking budgets, demands for better service, and greater accountability and adaptability, step-by-step change is no longer enough. In this book, L. Douglas Kiel presents a framework that addresses the new chaotic reality of public management and the need for responsive change and innovation.
Tales From the Trenches: Achievements, Blunders and Challenges in Local Government Management
By Len Wood, Joe Baker
2003/02 - Hardcover
Training Shoppe
0963437496 $44.95
The Authoritative Book on Local Government Management for Students, Beginning Managers and Seasoned Professionals. Tales from the Trenches deals with the key management issues for local government professionals. Each chapter begins with a cartoon depicting a management theme. Cartoons are augmented by introductory comments and Tales from the Trenches that provide realism to the common sense management approach advocated by the authors.
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