Naples Florida Weekly
Loading...

Applauding the discovered truths of successful people from many walks of life

FLORIDA WRITERS



 

 

This thoroughly entertaining and highly unusual self-help book is not embarrassed to carry the subtitle “Celebrities, Business Tycoons, Rock Stars, Journalists, Humanitarians, Attack Bunnies & More!” That’s truth in packaging from a marketing and public relations guru turned business practices columnist. Southwest Florida readers will know Randall Kenneth Jones from his “Business Class” column in the Naples Dail y News and from his community theater stage appearances. The profiles and life lessons (business and otherwise) in this book grow out of that column — or, more accurately — the relationships built with the people Mr. Jones interviewed.

Be prepared. A manic joy is in the air.

With so much material from which to choose, Mr. Jones has organized his chapters by putting together delightful commentary on people whose natures or accomplishments just seem to make them good company. Some groupings are obvious: sports figures, professional communicators, entertainers. Others are more intuitive: people with shared or overlapping visions of how to conduct one’s self effectively, honestly, and ethically in a complex world. The many resting places the plan provides are welcome, as each vignette bears abundant wisdom that needs to be absorbed.

JONES

JONES

The author simplifies the task in two ways. He begins each major section with material from his own life, especially the lessons of his early years in the Show-Me State. These memories thrum like a tuning fork, its vibrations setting in motion the mini-profiles of his admired interviewees.

¦ “Show Me” by Randall Kenneth Jones. Smart Business Books. 376 pages. Hardcover, $24.95.

¦ “Show Me” by Randall Kenneth Jones. Smart Business Books. 376 pages. Hardcover, $24.95.

The second way Mr. Jones focuses a theme is by offering quotations from his subjects that underscore that theme. Some are indeed pithy. From columnist Heloise we learn that “Housework is genderless,” a bit of wisdom with powerful social implications. From Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen we learn to “Make sure everyone on your team is given the chance to play to their strengths.” The sports metaphor rings true in life’s many arenas. Carly Fiorina asserts that “One woman can change the world because one woman changes the lives of everyone around her.”

Throughout the book, Mr. Jones treats serious issues like a man on a tightrope hovering between extreme delicacy and laugh-out-loud astonishment. He positions himself as a fellow who can’t quite believe he has managed to find himself in the company — and with the friendship — of the many leaders whose contributions to the “cando” part of our culture he celebrates.

He’s thankful for the situation in which he finds himself. His own successes in writing and other ventures are a result of the kind of risk-taking that many of his subjects’ successes illustrate.

While “Show Me” applauds the values and discovered truths of people from many walks of life, readers might find the author category particularly interesting. Represented here are Randy Wayne White, Sue Monk Kidd and Janet Evanovich. Show business celebrities include Pat Benatar, Tommy Tune, Shirley Jones, Eddy Mekka and Vanessa Williams.

Mr. Jones is alert to honor the role of supportive spouses, especially those who have had life successes independent of their loving relationships. Glenn Campbell’s wife Kim is a fine example here.

Women? No one will accuse Mr. Jones of under-appreciating them. His examples of focused, determined success include Peggy Post, Susan C. Bennet (the voice of Siri), Cynthia Rhodes (“Dirty Dancing,” “Flashdance”), Kathy Griffin, Suze Orman, Erin Brockovich and Barbara Corcoran.

Because the author is a media person, there’s a special place in his heart for those who bring us news, opinion, advice and dependably engaging personalities. Say hello to Hoda Kotb, Willard Scott, Sean Hannity, Candice Olson, Peter Thomas, Bob Orr and Neal Conan.

“Show Me” is a great gift book, the gift being Randall Kenneth Jones’s honestly uneasy celebration of his own life and those of many others. The fortune cookie inserts help: “You always get a second chance to make a first impression” (Robert Green Jr., dynamic greeter at Florida Gulf Coast University’s main information booth) and “Every single person you meet knows something you don’t know” (Ms. Kotb). But they are just a few of the hangers in Mr. Jones’s spacious closet.

While the appeal of this book depends in good part on unabashed name-dropping (just like this review), it has the staying power of a vital friendship rooted in values, choices and accomplishments revealed and respected. ¦

— Phil Jason, Ph. D., United States Naval Academy professor emeritus of English, is a poet, critic and freelance writer with 20 books to his credit, including several studies of war literature and a creative writing text.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *