We Got Fired!

September 1, 2004
Perhaps a more accurate title for this upbeat volume would be:"We Got Hired and You Can Too!" Every one of Mackay's interviews with the now famously successful (Michael Bloomberg, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Jessie Ventura, Bernie Marcus, etc.) ends with the subject richer for the experience of having been fired--both literally and figuratively. Mackay--a syndicated business advice columnist and author of the 1988 bestseller Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive--seems to anticipate an audience of downsized managers for this book, but his advice is useful to anyone in the throes of work-related rejection, regardless of their corporate ranking. The combination of interviews and short essays could also serve to introduce workforce newbies to the realities of business life: one essay points out that"If You are Under Thirty, the Likelihood that You Will Be Fired in the Next Twenty Years is 90 Percent." Mackay concludes each chapter with collections of quotable life slogans, such as"Your company may give you the boot, but don't boot the networks that company has opened for you." He also dishes out helpful suggestions for making the most of an exit, along with tips from Donald Trump on how not to get fired in the first place. And though Mackay's glowing descriptions of his interviewees can border on pandering and his repeated references to his friendship with Larry King can grow trying, these tales of rejection and redemption form a neat package of inspiration for those in need of an encouraging word and the gentle reminder that terminations simply lead to new beginnings.

June 1, 2004
Having taught us how to Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten (an eight-million-copy best seller), Mackay and company (e.g., Robert Redford, Donald Trump) give us advice on staying employed-and on turning adversity to advantage when the pink slip arrives.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2004
Everyone loves a comeback, and sometimes failure is the best education. That is the theme of this collection of interviews with 28 successful and famous people from all walks of life who, at one time or another, have been fired. Career and business writer Mackay shows a remarkable ability to get highly visible people to open up and reveal their dark past. He begins with a conversation with Donald "You're Fired!" Trump, who never actually lost a job per se but came back from being billions in debt for perhaps the greatest personal rebound in financial history. Bernie Marcus was fired from a job as manager of the Handy Dan Home Improvement Center, a chain of 66 stores, but he ultimately extracted sweet revenge by founding Home Depot. Mackay gets an amazing interview with Muhammad Ali, who lost his title when he chose to become a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. It is surprising to learn the difficult beginnings of such notables as Robert Redford, Larry King, Billie Jean King, and Michael Bloomberg.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

September 15, 2004
Though being fired is humbling and humiliating, it forces us to reassess where we've been, where we are, and where we want to go. Mackay, author of the best seller Swim with the Sharks, analyzes how famous sports, political, and business figures were fired and what happened to them afterward. In between these real-life stories, he offers chapters filled with practical advice, e.g., how to recognize signs that you're about to be fired, job hunt effectively, fire someone, and handle the rejection of being fired. He reminds us that what defines who we are and determines our success is not a job but the relationships we build. The list of "fired" successes here includes Robert Redford, Muhammad Ali, J.K. Rowling, and Michael Bloomberg. Mackay has an organized, folksy writing style, empathetic to the famous people he interviewed. His final line of wisdom? "The only finish line in life is when you believe' you're finished." Most self-help and business collections will want to add this work. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/04.] Susan C. Awe, Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.