Books published by Brick Tower Press

A very special collection of short biographies offers insightful sketches of the lives and accomplishments of 150 of history's most influential and brilliant women, including Clara Barton, the legendary Trung Sisters of medieval Vietnam, and many others. Ranging from an ancient Egyptian ruler (Queen Hatshepsut) to a contemporary athlete (Billie Jean King), these highly readable thumbnail sketches cover areas from literature to politics, fashion to aviation, music to science. The 120 entries offer concise overviews of specific women's lives and accomplishments, with a thoughtful blend of professional and personal details. In addition to often-profiled figures (Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt), the collection also includes less well known but influential women like the seventh-century Chinese ruler Wu Chao and Vietnamese activist Nguyen Thi Binh. The team of nine women authors (including Ashby and Ohrn) employs a conversational tone that encourages leisurely browsing. Many selections are prefaced with a revealing excerpt from the subject's writings, and each is accompanied by a photograph or artistic likeness. Ages 10-up.

This memoir describes the authors experiences as a young archaeologist participating in the American archaeological excavations at ancient Knidos at south-west Turkey in 1971. Knidos, once a great classical metropolis and now entirely abandoned, is situated at Cape Crio, an isolated but glorious location at the end of a mountainous finger jutting out towards the Dodecanese islands. The ancient metropolis is famous for its marble statue of the goddess, Aphrodite, the scandalous first naked image of the deity made by the renowned sculptor, Praxiteles in the 4th century BC and imitated throughout antiquity. The book describes ('the mad consul') Charles Newton's epic excavations at Knidos during the Crimean War when, with Parliamentary support and a frigate, he excavated tons of sculpture which was dispatched the British Museum. Newton's excavations set the scene for Iris Cornelia Love's excavations (1967-77)-the Guggenheim heiress from Manhattan, who believed she discovered Aphrodite on the day American astronauts landed on the moon. This is a story about adolescence, place, archaeologists, the lost world of Turkish peasants and…… love. It portrays a major Mediterranean dig and a restless search for trophies. It also tells a tale about an extraordinarily magical place.Knidos is about classical archaeology in Victorian and modern times, the spirit of this magical place in Aegean Turkey. It also describes the mix of many personalities on this excavation, from the USA in the Vietnam War era (featuring a New York heiress, Iris Cornelia Love) and of course the local, Turkish hired peasants. Based on youthful participation on the excavations, it aims to recall some of the excitement of archaeology. Central to the story is the quest for Praxiteles's celebrated naked statue of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

"Insightful…Entertaining… A reminder of how much we owe our forefathers."-Richard Beeman, author of Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution."Inventing America is a terrific way to introduce our nation's founders to a new generation of Americans."-Gleaves Whitney, presidential historianAt the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia an elderly woman approached Benjamin Franklin as he was leaving the Pennsylvania State House. "Tell me, Dr. Franklin, she said, "do we have a republic or a monarchy?" Dr. Franklin replied: "A republic, madam, if you can keep it."What would our Founding fathers think if they could see our country today? Would they turn over in their graves? Or would they be astonished that our republic is still alive? George Washington, who presided at the 1787 convention, predicted it wouldn't last twenty years, so take a guess.Inventing America: Conversations with the Founders takes you behind the scenes of the creation of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. See how these are not just dusty old parchments stored away in a museum but how they define us as Americans and serve-through good times and bad-as a beacon of freedom to the world.

"Insightful…Entertaining… A reminder of how much we owe our forefathers."-Richard Beeman, author of Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution."Inventing America is a terrific way to introduce our nation's founders to a new generation of Americans."-Gleaves Whitney, presidential historianAt the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia an elderly woman approached Benjamin Franklin as he was leaving the Pennsylvania State House. "Tell me, Dr. Franklin, she said, "do we have a republic or a monarchy?" Dr. Franklin replied: "A republic, madam, if you can keep it."What would our Founding fathers think if they could see our country today? Would they turn over in their graves? Or would they be astonished that our republic is still alive? George Washington, who presided at the 1787 convention, predicted it wouldn't last twenty years, so take a guess.Inventing America: Conversations with the Founders takes you behind the scenes of the creation of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. See how these are not just dusty old parchments stored away in a museum but how they define us as Americans and serve-through good times and bad-as a beacon of freedom to the world.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. -Sun Tzu, author, The Art of WarThe challenge is this: how can America's fractured democracy and diverse society respond to a centrally orchestrated strategy from China that ultimately may challenge our interests and our values? Some Chinese-Americans and Chinese residents-perhaps only a relative handful-have cooperated in obtaining technology for China. And many Chinese nationals who obtained years of experience working at American companies have returned to China to help competitors there. The Chinese have a nickname for these individuals, haigui, or returning sea turtles who come ashore once a year to lay their eggs. This book outlines the contemporary issues and offers solutions.

Indian Gaming Business wrote, "Class Act, Gary Green has brought Las Vegas flamboyance¿and big profits to Indian Country."Casino City Times called him "The Donald Trump of Indian Casinos" and in fact he is a former Trump Vice-President.How did these casinos come into being?Are the games "legitimate"? Can players win?What have Donald Trump, Caesar's Place, MGM, and Steve Wynn done with or about Indian Casinos?How is the money made and who gets it?What role do non-Indian entrepreneurs play in developing and operating these casinos?Is there organized crime?How are these casinos managed?Is there investment opportunity?Do the states have any recourse, control, or ability to tax?Do these casinos solve or provide retribution for the poverty, neargenocide, and abuse Native Americans have suffered since Europeans arrived?

Whether you're in the rapturous throes of endless love or the first moments of stomach-churning awareness that your marriage is falling apart, this book is for you. It's for every woman who understands that self-preservation will not happen if you rely on someone else to save you. You need to maintain-or begin to establish-your personal independence and financial solvency if you want to be self-sufficient no matter what life throws at you. You can lean on someone, but you have to be able to stand on your own two feet at a moment's notice, and that's what this book is about.

I have met and worked with many entertainers in my life. The idea of this book came to me one evening while visiting Cuba. I expand on this in the chapter ΓÇÿFinding a seed inside Havana.ΓÇÖ Also, the wonderful actress Doris Roberts came for dinner one evening and wrote a letter that stated, ΓÇ£An extraordinary cook who takes pleasure in inviting his friends to his home for an evening of great food, wine and interesting conversation. The table is so beautiful that you hate to sit down to mess it up. The food that he cooks takes time, thoughtfulness and knowledge and he spends hours preparing it. Did I mention the aroma that greets you when you walk into his house?ΓÇ¥

"The Oxygen Plan was a life-changer simply because it put me in control of my choices, while giving me structure to define and categorize my issues." -Lorraine Lucciola, freelance writerWhy Oxygen? Oxygen supports life. We don't think about the science of breathing, of simply inhaling and exhaling, because we do it naturally, every minute of every day. The explanation is so simple that we forget it's even happening. We're part of a process called photosynthesis, the reciprocal exchange between plant life and humans. We involuntarily emit carbon dioxide; plants take it in, and produce oxygen for us to breathe. The cycle continues to sustain life on earth. I get it. Try it now. Inhale. Exhale. There. You've just put the very first step of The Oxygen Plan into motion. Oxygen and the Stress Connection: No One is Immune The Oxygen Plan focuses on the universal, common denominator that applies to everyone: STRESS. The Oxygen Plan offers viable behavioral tools and professional support for abundant happiness, fulfillment and maximized potential, by exploring the foundations of stress, which are different for each of us, and by presenting new methods of managing it. Our goal is to usher you into the green, by presenting a multi-faceted understanding of what being healthy-physically, emotionally, socially and behaviorally-feels like. Optimism is its own self-fulfilling prophecy. Optimism embraces our hope, our strength and our perseverance. One positive thought or action engenders the next positive thought or action. Optimism is powerful and persuasive. It tells your brain that you can do great things. And you can. Author Eric Lucas, the founder and chief executive of The Oxygen Plan Corporation, is a marketing executive with a long track record of creating breakthrough innovations and leading them to success. Prior to creating and leading The Oxygen Plan, Lucas spent 22 years with General Mills, rising to the level of corporate officer, vice-president of marketing and head of New Ventures for the 31,000 employee Fortune 200 Company. He also led promotional campaigns for the 1996, 2000, and 2002 Olympic Games, Disney, NFL, NBA, and MLB for General Mills.

"Skyrm makes complex financial scenarios accessible to all interested readers in an informative and entertaining manner. We can all learn something from this book." -Thomas Peterffy, Chairman, CEO, and President of Interactive Brokers"Skyrm put together the story of MF Global like no one else could in providing the ultimate autopsy covering destructive financial engineering that's played such a big role in our capital markets." -Lawrence G. McDonald, New York Times best selling author of A Colossal Failure of Common Sense"God is in the details...first come the reporters, then the lawyers. Skyrm's book is the necessary antidote. Only someone who has 'done' it can explain it. Perhaps the best 'counterfactual' rationale for reading The Money Noose: If John Corzine had been able to before, there would likely have been no after." -Stan Jonas, Managing Partner, Axiom Management Partners In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. MF Global was bankrupt less than a year after the law's passage. THE¿MONEY¿NOOSE is a general accounting of the facts that led to MF Global's collapse, as well as the story of the major players involved. It is a chaotic story, one in which individual actions taken in and of themselves are relatively minor. But the sum of those individual actions equal the same end result. How, then, can investors protect themselves from this outcome? The best answer is education. Investors need to be fully aware of what is involved in the investment process, and that includes an understanding of seg funds. It is, after all, their money. This book is designed to tell the story of MF Global, what went wrong and how things came to an abrupt end. In those regards, it's an incredible story. Scott E.D. Skyrm is one of the leading figures in the repo and securities finance markets today, and regularly quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg News Service, Reuters, Market News, and Dow Jones. He is highly regarded as a former salesman, trader, trading desk manager, and global business head in fixed-income, securities finance, and securities clearing and settlement. He recently left Newedge, where he was their "Global Head of Repo, Money Markets, and Fixed Income Clearing." He now is writing commentaries on the repo market, the short-end of the Treasury market, Federal Reserve policy and general Wall Street topics. He has worked on Wall Street for over 22 years and has taken billion-dollar risks on the trading floor, managed a multi-billion dollar balance sheet, and consistently ran one of the most profitable trading groups at every firm where he worked. Prior to Newedge, he managed the repo desk at ING Barings, worked summers at Shearson Lehman/American Express and started his full-time career at The Bank of Tokyo.

"This remarkable book will change the way you look at fixing Wall Street and redeeming capitalism." - Scott Umstead, President, Fusion Investment Group Fed up with Wall Street? You're not alone. It doesn't have to be this way! Craig Columbus and Mark Hendrickson turn the subject of financial reform upside down. The authors pull no punches, taking both Wall Street and central bankers to task. They also show you a different side of the financial system, reminding us of the good Wall Street is capable of doing. This hopeful book connects the head and the heart of free markets-uncovering original solutions that cannot be reached by regulations alone. Written for the financial professional and layman alike, God and Man on Wall Street will both challenge and inspire you. A frequent commentator on financial television for fifteen years, Craig Columbus is one of Wall Street's most recognizable strategists and financial executives. He also serves as the chair of the Entrepreneurship Department and executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Grove City College. Mark Hendrickson is adjunct professor of economics and Fellow for Economic & Social Policy with the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. He is a contributor to Forbes.com, and sits on the Council of Scholars of the Commonwealth Foundation in Pennsylvania.

"Bigger is better turned out to be another 20th century myth. Larry Farrell has eloquently described why."-Peter Drucker, The 20th Century''s Greatest Management Thinker"If you want to learn about international entrepreneurism, Larry Farrell is your man."-Tom Peters, The World''s All-time Best Selling Business AuthorThere''s nothing like a severe, unexpected, worldwide recession to get one''s entrepreneurial juices flowing. After the initial shock and trauma pass, it finally hits home that you can''t trust anyone to run the damn economy and save your job...you''re truly on your own in this crazy and uncertain 21st century global economy! Larry C. Farrell is the Chairman of The Farrell Company, the world''s leading firm for researching and teaching entrepreneurship. He founded the firm in 1983 to do his own ground-breaking research into the high-growth business practices of the world''s great entrepreneurs. Today, with affiliates in North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa, over five million people, in forty countries, across nine languages, have attended the company''s programs. Over the past quarter century, Larry has personally taught entrepreneurship to more individuals, organizations, and governments than any person in the world.

"Impeccable Connections: The Rise and Fall of Richard Whitney" traces the fascinating trajectory of a Massachusetts Brahmin who was president of the New York Stock Exchange in the early 1930s. "Whitney fought every attempt by the Federal Government to regulate the exchange back then because it was "perfect" as it was. Widely regarded even by patrician friends as an insufferable snob, with a background from Groton, Harvard, and New Jersey foxhunting country, after Prohibition he bet all his money on a company called Distilled Liquors Corporation whose principal product was "New Jersey lightning" - hard cider. When lightning failed to strike, this symbol of Wall Street integrity tried to support his company's stock price by borrowing money and secretly stealing clients' assets to cover his mounting debts until the scheme finally collapsed and he went off to prison. A self-righteous confidence man - he couldn't get away with that today, could he? Read this spellbinding book, which repeatedly takes your breath away, and learn that some things never change." -Craig R. Whitney, author of "Living with Guns: A Liberal's case for the Second Amendment.""From the opening scene of Richard Whitney striding on to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Black Thursday, 1929 Malcolm Mackay had me hooked. The story of Whitney's rise and spectacular fall from grace is one of the great untold stories of American financial history no more. A fascinating book about one of the biggest scandals and scoundrels in American finance. Malcolm Mackay's tale of Richard Whitney's descent from Master of the fox hunt to prisoner at Sing Sing reads like a novel, but is unbelievably true!" -Consuelo Mack, Anchor and Executive Producer, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack"Malcolm MacKay has succeeded at the seemingly impossible task of writing a charming and sympathetic account of an utterly unsympathetic scoundrel. MacKay writes with an insider's knowledge of Richard Whitney (whom he personally knew) and the world in which Whitney lived and worked. The happy result is financial history at its most vivid and readable. " - James Grant, editor of Grant's Interest Rate Observer"That Richard Whitney's extraordinary life of hubris and deceit hasn't been the subject of a book of nonfiction is a bewildering oversight. Malcolm MacKay has filled the void with an irresistible account that he was uniquely qualified to write."-G. Bruce Knecht, author of Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford ItIMPECCABLE CONNECTIONS is both a biography of an important figure and an excellent primer on the reasons for securities regulations that are in today's headlines.Malcolm MacKay is a lawyer and businessman who, as a boy and young man, knew Richard Whitney in his post-prison years. MacKay has thought about Whitney, and why he did what he did, all his life. A graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.

SUMMARY:This is a true story of personal greed and downfall, corporate greed fueled with economic and social treachery, shareholder waste and discrimination at AIG, 70 Pine Street in the heart of the financial district. This address is known as the AIG Tower, hence the title Tower of Thieves. The central character is a man with a wife, a family, who has cheated his way to the top by doing good. He is responsible for leading a 60 billion dollar organization with over 40,000 employees worldwide at one of the largest companies in the world. What he sees and what he does validates what unchecked power on Wall Street will do to a man and what it has done to an entire company and country. The events at AIG lead right to the CEO and Senior Vice Chairman and how our guy fights an entire corrupt organization and how he became one of those he despised.