Market Leadership Strategies for Service Companies

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Whoever heard of a New "Service" Development process?

The Best Marketing Service Book I Have Ever Read

The Best Services Leadership & Excellence Book I Have Read

A No Non-Sense book on Services Marketing

Market Leadership Strategies for Service Companies
Craig Terrill , and Arthur Middlebrooks
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Product Development for the Service Sector: Lessons from Market Leaders

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The Service Profit Chain

ASIN: 0844224413

Book Description

Market Leadership Strategies for Service Companies reveals the key strategies for creating and sustaining a market leadership position for any service business. Service industry experts Craig A. Terrill and Arthur G. Middlebrooks affirm that in order to become a dominant market leader, a service company must find ways to:

Define their service business and the benefits customers receive
Reveal the intangible aspects of the service experience
Move in a different direction from competitors by addressing new, intense, and unmet customer needs
Put people back into the equation, not just automate and reengineer to increase operational efficiency
Find ways to move away from the parity battles (i.e., fights over the perceived equality of the same type of service from different companies) in their particular industry

Offering a detailed, comprehensive plan, the authors employ examples drawn from a wide selection of recognizable service companies, such as Southwest Airlines, Dominos Pizza, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Fed Ex, Home Depot, IBM, Marriott Hotels, MiniMaids, and more. The result is a highly effective practitioner's guide that includes best practices and case studies. Praise for Market Leadership Strategies for Service Companies " The number one problem for every service firm today is differentiation. Craig Terrill and Art Middlebrooks challenge us to become market leaders by doing things differently in employee engagement and service innovation. This book is the bible for service industry executives who want to be change agents in their business and who seek practical solutions to achieving growth." -- J. Terrence Franke, principal, sales and marketing Hewitt Associates

Customer Reviews:

Whoever heard of a New "Service" Development process?.......2001-01-26

Until now, it seems that most every book written on the topic of developing something new at a company has replaced the word "Product" with the word "Service" and carried on as if nothing changed.

Well, it has.

Products and services are two different business animals, and these authors FINALLY call a spade a spade and then deal with the consequences. While many of the approaches between new product development and new service development are deceptively similar, the authors point to some key differences that substantially affect results.

They answer questions like: When do you solicit customer input? How can reengineering save money but kill a service your company offers? Why are company new service brainstorming sessions ineffective? The answers seem intuitive - but only after you've read it.

It also gives you some talking points about why "Being better" can trap your company as an also-ran. I winced during and after taking their survey.

The part of reading this book that wasn't fun was realizing the work I needed to do in my company. The fun part was knowing I now have a map to get there. I found the book readable and useful, and I've already made changes based on its recommendations.

The Best Marketing Service Book I Have Ever Read.......2000-05-24

As the Managing Partner for a major consulting firm and having spent 13 years in the services sector, I can honestly say I have read hundreds of business books. This is by far one of the best I have ever read.

Terrill and Middlebrooks provide scores of frameworks and client examples that provide a literal How-To roadmap for anyone serious about growing their company -- in an extremely profitable way.

I found especially insightful the authors perspectives on how to fill the financial growth gap that most companies find to be the most challenging part of their longer term strategy. From new product development to segmentation to positioning and branding to communications, Terrill and Middlebrooks basically give you an MBA in a book.

I have to admit I have borrowed their concepts fairly liberally since I read this book as it serves only to provide my clients (as well as my company) with the best possible solutions to their growth challenges.

Thanks guys for taking the seminal thinking that already exists in the services sector several steps further.

Bravo!

The Best Services Leadership & Excellence Book I Have Read.......2000-05-24

I am the Managing Partner for a company that serves scores of clients every year, all seeking to improve their businesses.

Having spent the last 13 years in the services sector and constantly searching for new ways to serve my clients better, I finally found the book that teaches you how to "be the best that you can be."

Middlebrooks and Terrill provide scores of frameworks and examples from their vast experiences to lead the reader from point a to point b. Borrowing lessons learned from Fortune 10 companies to $20 million business to business specialty companies, I truly felt like I received a second MBA--for a lot less money.

The best insights I received from their book was tied to how to help my clients fill that strategic anomaly called the revenue and profit growth gap. This book helped me better understand not only how to help my clients (as well as my company)fill this gap but also the variety of approaches I have at my disposal to help them achieve their longer term plans.

From new product development to segmentation to branding and positioning to communications, this book is definitely an invaluable resource and a definitive how-to guidebook.

I am a better business leader and my clients will be better served as a result of reading this landmark book.

Thanks guys for providing me with an incredible roadmap for future success.

A No Non-Sense book on Services Marketing.......2000-05-23

Market Leadership Strategies for Service Companies is an interesting book for companies in the services sector. The book explains in detail the key strategies which every service company needs to implement if it wants to become a market leader. The book is universally applicable as the services sector is witnessing tremendous growth more so in countries like India.

Book Description

The 19th century saw dramatic changes in the legal education system in the United States. Before the Civil War, lawyers learned their trade primarily through apprenticeship and self-directed study. By the end of the 19th century, the modern legal education system which was developed primarily by Dean Christopher Langdell at Harvard was in place: a bachelor's degree was required for admission to the new model law school, and a law degree was promoted as the best preparation for admission to the bar. William P. LaPiana provides an in-depth study of the intellectual history of the transformation of American legal education during this period. In the process, he offers a revisionist portrait of Langdell, the Dean of Harvard Law School from 1870 to 1900, and the earliest proponent for the modern method of legal education, as well as portraying for the first time the opposition to the changes at Harvard.

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Law As Logic and Experience
Max Radin
Manufacturer: Lawbook Exchange
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Jurisprudence | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Logic & Language | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1584770082

Book Description

Radin, Max. Law as Logic and Experience. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1940. ix, [1], 171 pp. Reprinted 2000 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 99-30670. ISBN 1-58477-008-2. Cloth. $55. "Although this volume does not purport to be a serious contribution to legal science or to legal philosophy, it is full of the mellow wisdom, the gracious erudition, the provoking phrase, and the human sympathy that make almost anything that Max Radin says or writes worth pondering. It presents a series of lectures on two texts: the dictum of Coke, J. 'Reason is the life of the law,' and the dissenting opinion of Holmes, J., 'The life of the law has not been logic, it has been experience.'" Felix S. Cohen, Harvard Law Review 54:711. Marke, A Catalogue of the Law Collection of New York University (1953) 924.

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Law as Logic and Experience

Manufacturer: Yale Univ Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H10ECG

Law As Logic and Experience (Leather Bound)

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Law As Logic and Experience (Leather Bound)
Max Radin
Manufacturer: Gryphon Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000OTCW7G

Product Description

BRAND NEW leather bound book accented with gilt! ! Facsimile reproduction of original work.

The Principles of Judicial Proof: As Given by Logic Psychology and General Experience and Illustrated in Judicial Trials

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The Principles of Judicial Proof: As Given by Logic Psychology and General Experience and Illustrated in Judicial Trials
John Henry Wigmore
Manufacturer: Fred B Rothman & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Civil Procedure | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0837727456

The science of judicial proof, as given by logic, psychology, and general experience, and illustrated in judicial trials

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The science of judicial proof, as given by logic, psychology, and general experience, and illustrated in judicial trials
John Henry Wigmore
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00085CSSE

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Law As Logic and Experience
M. Radin
Manufacturer: Shoe String Pr Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOZSU4

Logic and experience: American legal thought and legal education, 1800-1920

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Logic and experience: American legal thought and legal education, 1800-1920
William Paul LaPiana
Manufacturer: UMI Dissertation Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B00072ETT4

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Atmospheric Environment, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Post-application pesticide emissions from wetted leaf surfaces and soil may present a significant pathway of exposure to humans in nearby residential communities. In this study, high volume air sampling was performed to measure airborne concentrations of the pesticide methamidophos in a residential community in close proximity to aerial spraying. Sampling occurred before, during and 24h post-application. To evaluate whether predictive models could reliably estimate residential exposure to methamidophos, an emission factor was used for estimating fluxes of volatilized material over the sprayed area for a 1-day post-application period. These flux estimates were then incorporated into a fugitive dust gaussian dispersion model (FDM) for assessing distribution of mass around the sprayed area. The predictive model output was compared with the field air sampler measurements. In our comparison, 1-day flux estimates from the model were found to be associated to observed field measurement data, with an r^2=0.63 the day of the spray and r^2=0.67 the day after the spray. The volatilization model however appears to underestimate surface emission flux immediately after the spray and overestimate the emission the next day.

Pesticides in Ground and Surface Water (Chemistry of Plant Protection)

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Pesticides in Ground and Surface Water (Chemistry of Plant Protection)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

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Insecticides & Pesticides | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0387581804

Book Description

The volume focuses on the ecological functioning of rivers, which has received less attention than functioning of lakes and reservoirs. The selected papers cover a large range of topics relating to aquatic communities, eutrophication, nutrient dynamics and organic pollution, erosion and sediment transport, and fate of micropollutants at the basin scale. Integrated approaches developed in order to study the ecological functioning of fluvial systems perturbed by human activity are presented. This functioning is analysed from the point of view of fundamental research, but insights into system management are not neglected.
This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, and water surface pollution, to postgraduate students, to the institutions involved in water resource management, and to the drinking water and waste water treatment industries. It draws information from many large river systems in the world.

Book Description

Praise for the first edition . . .

"A must-have volume for rock and fossil collectors, naturalists, and travelers . . . ideal for the nature enthusiast with little or no background in geology." -Earth "Cvancara's Field Manual is the book for which I have been waiting for many years!"

This fascinating guide is an important resource you'll want to have with you on any outdoor vacation, nature walk, or rock hunting expedition. A Field Manual for the Amateur Geologist not only describes the science of geology, but also shows you how to do geology in the field. This book introduces the geologist's core concepts, tools, and techniques and requires no prior training in geology. Beginners will learn to identify landforms, minerals, rocks, and fossils and experience, firsthand, all the excitement of geological discovery. More experienced "rockhounds" will find a wealth of useful information as well, including:

Easy-to-use mineral keys and landform keys
Unique chapters on the geologist's approach, exploring the geology of North American national parks, sleuthing stones, and prospecting for gold
Over 200 photographs and drawings
Lists of geological museums, geological surveys, and other resources

Whether you are an amateur geologist, fossil hunter, naturalist, or simply a traveler with an inquiring mind, this handy field manual is sure to become a constant companion on your explorations of our planet.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for the novice geologist.......2006-08-04

I'm definitely no expert in geology, but I've always wanted to learn the basic concepts and understand the terminology. I found this book to be an excellent introductory book. It is much more than a grade-school primer, but not as deep as a college textbook. In short, it's ideal for the interested amateur who want to understand the subject without having their eyes glaze over. It is well organized, starting by describing the different types of landforms, then on to historical geology, minerals, rocks, and fossils, and finally a practical section on how to do geology as an amateur. I learned such things as the difference between basalt and gabbro, how to measure strike and dip, and what an anticline is. This is probably not a book that you would sit down and read start to finish, but it is written in easy-to-understand text. (Compare that to something like John McPhee's Annals of the Former World, a book guaranteed to mystify anyone who doesn't have a Ph.D. in geology.) I agree that the photos of rocks and minerals need work, but part of the problem is that in my copy, they are printed too dark. Color might help, but the colors in the field never seem to match those in a photo, so what you really need are samples you can touch and feel. The only real complaint I have is that the layout of the book is atrocious. The choice of font and line spacing makes it appear to have been done by an amateur desktop publisher. I would have expected better from a quality publisher like John Wiley.

a good broad generalization.......2001-01-30

the previous reviewer's 3-star rating because of the lack of color photographs doesn't do this book justice. Cvancara provides a strong, broad overview of geology for the amateur or hiker who's interested in knowing a bit about the nature, origin, and contents of the land around them.

The book covers types and varieties of rock, fossils & landforms as well as geologic time and how it changes & reforms land. I foudn the best part to be an interesting ~50 page section on "how to do geology", covering such interesting topics as how to analyze a landscape to determine its origins, reading topographic and geologic maps, how to track the source of a stone, how to find & pan for gold, and how to build a rock, mineral, or fossil collection. With the attached appendices of geologic resources I find it a great way for myself as an amateur to enjoy knowing what it is I'm admiring on hikes & such.

needs color!.......2000-01-05

Considering a majority of geology is recognizing colors, this book (with only black and white photos) is hard to use as a reference manual. The reading is also a bit stuffy, but does cover a wide range of geologic topics.

A Field Manual for the Amateur Geologist: Tools and Activities for Exploring Our Planet.

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A Field Manual for the Amateur Geologist: Tools and Activities for Exploring Our Planet.
Alan M. Cvancara
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OIQQJW

Book Description

This book brings together an impressive group of leading scholars in the sciences of complexity, and a few workers on the interface of science and religion, to explore the wider implications of complexity studies. It includes an introduction to complexity studies and explores the concept of information in physics and biology and various philosophical and religious perspectives. Chapter authors include Paul Davies, Greg Chaitin, Charles Bennett, Werner Loewenstein, Paul Dembski, Ian Stewart, Stuart Kauffman, Harold Morowitz, Arthur Peacocke, and Niels H. Gregersen.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting mix of articles.......2006-12-04

with some good science despite the creationist leanings, the symposium being funded by the Templeton Foundation.
I found Ian Stewart's challenge of Roger Penrose (from his books The Emperor's New Mind' and 'The Road to Reality') over the thermodynamics of the universe the most interesting, though I tend to disagree with both of them on the 'mystery of time asymmetry'. Stewart says it's about coarse graining and not the initial conditions whereas Penrose says it's about the exceedingly improbable initial conditions. However Penrose quantifies an estimate of this by comparing an estimate of the current entropy of the universe with that if it were a black hole. This implies the most probable beginning is a black hole, but that would not evolve. Physicists often explain uniquenes with there being an infinite number of universes only some of which will have the right conditions for life as Paul Davies does in his article. Penrose would likely counter argue that a time reversed black hole would be consistent but I would argue this is not possible here (our particular universe has emergent qualities that are not time reversible). In fact Stewart and Penrose agree with each other that the initial conditions were uniform and so unique and both suggest the 2nd law of thermodynamics is unexplainable; whereas Davies has given at least one possibility that makes sense and would render Penrose's calculation meaningless. Personnally I find the possiblility of a beginning uniform quantum fluctuation from the vacuum less mysterious than the subsequent evolving physics with its multiple unravelling and arising forces, particles, quantum mechanics and 'Compton wavelengths'.
While the quibbling over time asymmetry is interesting to a point, the real issue is the evolution of complexity and here the book is weaker (than some other books such as those noted below). Many physicists believe (or hope to find) a yet to be discovered universal organizing law (leading to useful or functional complexity), what Stuart Kauffman and Ian Stewart refer to as a '4th law of thermodynamics.' The real problem though is the limits of mathematics in dealing with a highly non-linear world. The complexity of interest in the book is that leading to life and no one has found a way to model it completely. As Stewart says (pg. 137) "[If] all of the really interesting phenomena are emergent...there will be no practical way to derive those consequences algorithmically. This may not appeal to physicists, but will be attractive to biologists, who find physical laws somewhat unilluminating when it comes to studying living organisms."
Jochen Fromm (author of The Emergence of Complexity) explains:
"It is difficult to construct a theory or model which describes 'emergence'...because a property is emergent if it can not be comprehended by the underlying system model -just as something is complex, if it is difficult to describe...The complexity of nature is deceiving. Self-organization is sometimes identified as the reason for the overwhelming complexity and emergence as the reason for the sudden jumps in complexity. Yet evolution is the main reason and the driving force for the complexity and diversity that can be found in nature and neither the concepts of self-organization nor the phenomenon of emergence can really replace evolution or natural selection."
A very recent book, The Plausibility of Life, has clearly demonstrated these points, and shows how the science of biology can progress outside the confines of mathematics and physical laws, while the physicists continue to argue over the beginning.
[Editorial] "Now two neo-Darwinian biologists have boldy extended the original paradigm by showing how the deep molecular biology of the cell actually fosters biological novelties when plants and animals need them most, not merely when random chance generates them. [They] adduce the evidence that nature has preserved and compartmentalized the core innovations that maximize the adaptive flexibility of species from yeasts to humans. The dynamics of protein chemistry and the plasticity of embryonic cells combine to make creatures capable of assuming many different forms..." This can explain the mystery of how nature handles the fact that most mutations are harmful (through 'facilitated variation').
This is evolution and natural selection at its finest, with no need for any more mysterious laws (though more new principles can be expected to be discovered, arising from the effects of existing physical laws; just like facilitated variation). For the creationists, P. W. Atkins' book "The 2nd Law, Energy, Chaos, Form, descibes how evolution occurs and life operates in accordance with the 2nd law (and the other known laws where relevant, such as energy conservation) without the need for input from above.

Uneven, with some gems.......2005-09-02

This book is a set of 10 essays (plus introduction by Paul Davies) on the "emergence" of complexity from simpler consituents, and on the significatnce of "emergence" for the relationship between science and religion. I expect that at least five essays could be of interest even to atheists.

Ian Stewart provides an exceptionally clear discussion of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the limited context in which it operates. Usually this law is expressed as the evolution of (closed) systems from a state of order and structure to a state of homogeneity. The problem is that the Universe has been making a transition from homogeneity to clumpy order. Stewart describes how this is due to the nature of gravity, and its differences from Boltzmann's model of statistical mechanics. Along the way, he makes many illuminating points about the distinction between (negative) entropy and information, the compatibility of time-reversible dynamics with the "arrow of time" and many similar matters. If you're interested in physics, this essay is sufficient justification for getting the book.

The other essay that impressed me most was by the editor, N.H. Gregersen, a philosopher and theologian. He nicely distinguishes many possible implications of self-organization and the anthropic principle for both science and religion. His essay, along with that of Arthur Peacocke, also makes some interesting critiques of "intelligent design" (ID) from a religious point of view. Both authors are Christians, though apparently not in the narrow sense of that word so current in the US. However, I can't claim to have followed the brief bits of explicitly Christian theological speculation near the end of each of their essays.

An essay by a leading ID advocate makes for an interesting bit of rhetoric. Most of it is an attack on a straw-man premise, as even the author reveals in his final couple of pages. I understand he has a Ph. D. in math, but much of his jargon-slinging seemed to be more sparkle than substance. Some of his comments (e.g., "[T]hat's why mathematicians refer to topology as 'point-set topology'", p. 106) seem quite bizarre coming from a professional.

Two other essays, by H. Morowitz and W. Loewenstein, were disappointing. Morowitz provides a compressed re-telling of the evolution of the universe and life, with some Christian theology at the end. Loewenstein writes in a cloying, "poetic" style reminiscent of a scientist's talk to a ladies' club luncheon sometime in the 1950s. His penchant for equating energy and information is also quite irritating.

Good contributions from G. Chaitin, C. Bennett and S. Kaufmann were all published previously (or nearly so). Kauffman's essay on the "Fourth Law" of thermodynamics (based on his book "Investigations") is particularly stimulating. His prose is often marred by his excessive vanity, but there's a lot of substance, and it's never as irritating as Loewenstein's. Paul Davies also contributes a nice essay on the Second Law and emergence in his usual level-headed style.

From Complexity to Life: On the Emergence of Life and Meaning [A book review from: Technological Forecasting & Social Change]

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From Complexity to Life: On the Emergence of Life and Meaning [A book review from: Technological Forecasting & Social Change]
P.A. Corning
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RQYOJK

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Technological Forecasting & Social Change, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:

Theological Emergency! Complexity, Emergence, and Design in Science and Theology.(From Complexity to Life: On the Emergence of Life and Meaning)(Book Review): An article from: Skeptic (Altadena, CA)

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Theological Emergency! Complexity, Emergence, and Design in Science and Theology.(From Complexity to Life: On the Emergence of Life and Meaning)(Book Review): An article from: Skeptic (Altadena, CA)
Norman Levitt
Manufacturer: Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Skeptic (Altadena, CA), published by Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 4612 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: Theological Emergency! Complexity, Emergence, and Design in Science and Theology.(From Complexity to Life: On the Emergence of Life and Meaning)(Book Review)
Author: Norman Levitt
Publication: Skeptic (Altadena, CA) (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine
Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Page: 83(6)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

From Complexity to Life: On The Emergence of Life and Meaning

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From Complexity to Life: On The Emergence of Life and Meaning
Niels Henrik Gregersen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKJ4R6

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Interesting premise, disappointing read

Beautiful and Gripping Tale of Two Women

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME!

What can I say?

just OK

Hello to the Cannibals: A Novel
Richard Bausch
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060930802
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

Two women. Two centuries. One novel. It's an almost unthinkable challenge, but one that Richard Bausch (In the Night Season, Someone to Watch Over Me), commits to fully in Hello to the Cannibals. Bausch imagines a time-defying friendship emerging between Mary Kingsley, the famous Victorian explorer, and Lily Austin, a college dropout in the late 1980s who shows signs of having a promising future as a playwright. How these two women are connected, whether through stifling domestic circumstances, thwarted affections, or sheer determination, remains questionable throughout this huge novel, but it's fun to suppose, in any case. Mary, an autodidact who began a love affair with the West Coast of Africa near the end of her short life, was sentenced to a life of spinsterhood and servitude inside her own family. Lily, by contrast, is a modern woman whose hasty young marriage results in her living with her husband's estranged and whiskey-soaked family. Both heroines write their deepest fears and hopes in letter form, thus writing to and answering each other. But Bausch, in dealing with a real person's life in fictional form in contrast to an entirely fictional creation, further loads Mary Kingsley's story with a richer authenticity. Blending historical fiction and contemporary fiction would be considered an act of literary daring in lesser hands; it's a very good thing, then, that Bausch's writing is timeless, bold, and genuine throughout. --Emily Russin

Book Description

At first, all Lily Austin knows about 19th–century explorer Mary Kingsley is that, 100 years before, she was the first white woman to venture into the heart of Africa. But as Lily begins reading about Mary Kingsley, she becomes more and more fascinated – and discovers in Mary a kindred spirit.

In her own life, Lily feels trapped – on the one hand, she craves family and intimate connection; on the other hand, she has no healthy or satisfying role models. Consequently, as she nears graduation from the University of Virginia, she finds herself uncertain about what to do with her life.

As she researches Mary's life – she has begun writing a play about her – Lily comes to witness Mary's incredible bravery and startling originality, qualities that prove inspirational to Lily, whose own bravery is required as she attempts to navigate dysfunctional and destructive relationships with her young husband, her extended family – and a legacy of abuse dating back to her childhood.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting premise, disappointing read.......2004-05-25

I guess the older I get, the less patience I have for characters mired in unhappiness, and this book is full of those characters. As mentioned by previous reviews, I too found the Mary Kingsley portions of the book more interesting then the fictional storyline.

I would advise to skip this book, but do research the remarkable life of Ms. Kingsley.

Beautiful and Gripping Tale of Two Women.......2003-12-31

Richard Bausch's "Hello To The Cannibals" is an amazing tale of two women who never meet. This interwoven book of a young Victorian women and a modern day girl takes off into an unexpected world of discovery. I loved the language, characters, settings (both modern and historical) and thought it blended beautifully into both worlds.

Mr. Bausch is a gifted storyteller with many many wonderful voices inside - waiting to tell their own stories. Can't wait for more of his work... a real triumph!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME!.......2003-08-18

What's not to like about this book? The writing is top notch, the characters are all finely drawn, and the unusual storyline makes it a page turner. I had never heard of Mary Kingsley and greatly enjoyed discovering her through this well-crafted novel; after researching her further, I was pleased to learn that many events in the novel were real. Those who are so critical of "Hello to the Cannibals" must not like books that gracefully interweave adventure, nature, passion, heartbreak, danger, wrenching grief, and tenderness. Read only if you long to explore the jungles of the human heart.

What can I say?.......2003-08-13

I loved it. I was completely inside his characters from the get-go, and they haven't let me go yet. Hurrah for character driven writing! Thank you, thank you.

just OK.......2003-03-04

I also heard the author speak at the NW bookfest and was looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The Mary Kingsley story is the saving grace, the modern woman's story didn't strike me as authentic or interesting and I found myself skimming those sections. Not horrible, but I cannot recommend it.

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