Hooks Book Events Blog

How well do you know yourself? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? How does that affect how others value you?  Do you ever tire of too many words and want to communicate more simply – with a picture instead? 

Self knowledge, the value of quiet people, and the overuse of words are just a few of the subjects explored by participants at HBE events in the first two weeks of February.

At a February 2 Department of the Interior University’s Career Diversity & Leadership event, author Stephen Shapiro had employees play Personality Poker, a game he designed. They held cards representing their personality traits, played "poker" with their colleagues and in the process learned about themselves and how others perceive them. "It's a fun thing, and people love it,'' HBE CEO Perry Pidgeon Hooks said."But it's also important. When you are looking to succeed, you have to start by knowing yourself. A lot of people never take the time."

Author Susan Cain explored the differences between introverts and extroverts and why introverts are undervalued. "I am an extrovert," Hooks admitted. "I learned a lot from Susan Cain. I think we all did." Author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Cain is in great demand by corporate America, is working on a TED conference and is scheduled to appear on The Colbert Report soon.

"We are so lucky to work with these authors when their books are hot off the presses," Hooks noted. "We are able to bring these thought leaders to our clients for these amazing private events, early on in the life cycle of the book. Bringing the right speaker to the right client at the right time, that is what we are trying to do."

Dan Roam discussed his latest book, Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Won't Work at three events in one marathon day. Participants got to try out Roam's celebrated method of illustrating ideas with a simple picture on the back of a cocktail napkin, a practice now in use at the White House, among other places, following the publication of Roam's previous book The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures.

At an event in observance of Black History Month, speaker Elizabeth Dowling Taylor told the story of Paul Jennings, a slave who worked in the White House and later helped others escape slavery. Taylor also discussed  A Slave in the White House: Paul Jennings and the Madisons, with Jon Stewart on January 4 on The Daily Show. 

There's more on tap for February, and March is absolutely chock full of events, including HBE friend Bob Shiller discussing his latest book, Finance the Good Society and our new gal pal, Liza Mundy, with The Richer Sex. Check out the calendar -- there may be room on an author’s schedule to come to your office for conversation and idea sharing.  

One event Hooks is especially looking forward to is the author “meet and greet" at  Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on March 22. Author Siobhan Fallon will share her book You Know When the Men Are Gone with wounded soldiers and their families. "We have a wonderful event planned,'' said Hooks, who is busy raising funds to pay for the books for this and two future Walter Reed events planned for May and June.

The New Year is off to an inspiring start, and 2012 promises to be a busy year for HBE and HBE's CEO Perry Hooks. "January's themes were leadership, trust, risk, vulnerability and how history repeats itself," Hooks said. "All of these themes came together in an amazing sort of way."

On January 10, Steve Fenberg shared his biography, Unprecedented Power: Jesse Jones, Capitalism & The Common Good, with Treasury Department officials. Fenberg discussed the Reconstruction Finance Corp., a federal agency created to lend money during the Great Depression and expanded by Jones as Secretary of Commerce under FDR. The parallels between RFC and today's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) are unmistakable, which is why Timothy Massad, Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability, "loves the book," Hooks said. Massad is responsible for overseeing the implementation and wind down of TARP. "This book shows that it has all been done before, it is history repeating itself, and in fact, that RFC probably went further than TARP. It is always a good idea for today's leaders to look back at what other leaders have done to solve similar problems."

On January 17 and 18, two events featured health care legislation expert Jonathan Gruber speaking about his book, Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works. "Gruber is a really smart, energetic proponent of the Obama health care reform legislation...he helped to write it," Hooks said. "If you are curious about health care reform legislation, this is the book for you. It is in comic book form, so it's an easy read, and chock full of great information."

Also on January 18, Robert Hurley, author ofThe Decision to Trust "hit a real nerve, a real chord, talking about trust in the workplace," Hooks recounted. "He has already been asked back. He will be here for four events in March, and he may have some room in his schedule" for additional events. "Hurley's message is that if it is not a trustworthy environment, the workplace is greatly diminished. Also, that as individuals in the workplace, we need to be more careful about whom we trust." Hooks noted Hurley's reference tying his ideas to those of Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, who spoke at a December 7 HBE event. "His point is that if you think too fast, you may trust someone you shouldn't. Think slow, don't trust too fast. Don't be a victim."

The themes of trust and victimization led right into another January 18 event, at the Spy Museum, where Joel Brenner discussed his book America the Vulnerable, New Technology and the Next Threat to National Security "Brenner is quite dapper, highly intellectual, a really smart guy, a former NSA insider," Hooks detailed. "Brenner's message is that there is so much information out there it is hard to know who and what to trust. It is our responsibility not to be a victim. Justice got hacked. I was attacked this week as a Zappos customer. As individuals, the U.S. government, employees of corporations, we are all vulnerable to these attacks."  Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, coincidentally an author HBE has worked with, responded quickly to let customers know how to safeguard their e-mail accounts, Hooks added. Brenner will be back for another event in March.

 "All of this relates in an odd sort of way," Hooks said of January's speakers and themes. "We are connecting the dots from history and leadership to trust, risk and behavioral economics.  What keeps me going is the knowledge that new ideas help to fix problems; new ideas enhance whatever you are thinking about."

Looking ahead, February and March should be just as interesting. Among the upcoming highlights: author Elizabeth Dowling Taylor will discuss her book, A Slave in the White House: Paul Jennings and the Madisons in February, which is Black History Month, and Stephen M. Shapiro, Best Practices are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition will be featured at several events in February, March and April.

A week ago, we were thrilled to realize an effort we launched earlier this year to bring a topic of global impact to our local community in DC.  Our public discussion with Dr. Paul Farmer, author of the new book, Haiti After the Earthquake, in partnership with the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, reached beyond the 600+ audience who started their Monday morning bright and early in the Amphitheater.

Dr. Jon LaPook, medical correspondent with CBS news was the event moderator, and used the metaphor of Haiti as a "patient" to ask Dr. Farmer about his new book and his work in Haiti with the organization he co-founded almost 25 years ago, Partners In Health.  Dr. Farmer discussed what he views as the two big challenges of relief and reconstruction: helping individuals in need; and at the same time, building up public health, public education, and other systems that help everyone – a term he calls, "accompaniment."

An astounding data point shared by Dr. Farmer is that the government infrastructure budget of Haiti is less than the budget of the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  In expressing the importance of enabling a sustainable Haitian infrastructure to work while providing aid, Dr. Farmer also said that there is approximately one NGO (non-governmental organization) or aid organization for every 1,000 Haitians.

Dr. Farmer’s discussion with Dr. LaPook was live-tweeted, with the help of social media journalist, Jaclyn Schiff, and highlights can be found on Storify.  Some in the near sell-out crowd stayed for five hours to have Dr. Farmer sign each book and to have a personal conversation with him.  The event was live-streamed by C-SPAN Book TV, and will be online soon.  PBS News and the Washington Post were also present.  More photos and links to coverage can be found at www.hooksbookevents.com.

Dr. Jonathan LaPook to Interview Paul Farmer with Haiti After the Earthquake

CBS Medical Correspondent Moderating Discussion of Author’s New Book on September 12 at the Ronald Reagan Building & ITC Amphitheater, Hosted by Hooks Book Events

Washington, DC, August 23, 2011 - Hooks Book Events announced today that Dr. Jonathan LaPook, medical correspondent for the CBS Evening News, will moderate its public discussion with Dr. Paul Farmer on his new book, Haiti After the Earthquake. The book event will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building & ITC Amphitheater in Washington, DC, Monday, September 12 at 9:00 a.m.

"We’re thrilled to have the discussion moderated by Dr. LaPook, who will be able to emphasize the extraordinary humanitarian achievements of Dr. Farmer and his team at Partners In Health in delivering medical care to disaster-stricken and resource-poor environments," said Perry Hooks, CEO of Hooks Book Events.

Jonathan LaPook, M.D., is a board-certified and practicing physician in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He has been an associate attending physician for New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2001, and before that served as an assistant attending physician and an assistant physician for the hospital. Dr. LaPook has also been an associate clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center since 2001, and was formerly an assistant professor of clinical medicine and an instructor in clinical medicine at the university. He has done extensive work in the field of medical computing, including helping to develop an electronic textbook of medicine and writing a medical practice management software package that he sold in 1999 to a company that was later acquired by WebMD. Dr. LaPook graduated cum laude from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in biology, and with honors from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons with an M.D.

A portion of event proceeds from Hooks Book Events’ discussion and book signing will be donated to Partners In Health, the non-profit organization that provides a preferential option for the poor in health care. Dr. Farmer will be signing books at the event. Tickets are on sale at http://hooksbookevents-paulfarmer.eventbrite.com/ .

About Hooks Book Events
Hooks Book Events, a minority women-owned business based in Washington, DC, infuses innovative thinking into organizations through interactive book and author programs. We provide enriching professional development and client events for corporations, U.S. government agencies, and non-profit associations. Engage your employees and constituents by bringing our authors to your office — thought leaders and New York Times bestselling writers who have penned books about current events and trends such as work/life balance, leadership, economics, coaching, management, and more. Hooks Book Events also specializes in producing large-scale public events with renowned non-fiction authors. For more information, visit www.hooksbookevents.com.

Press Contacts:
Jaime Leifer
PublicAffairs
Phone:  (917) 849-6012
Email:  jaime.leifer@publicaffairsbooks.com

Perry Hooks
Hooks Book Events
Phone:  (301) 229-1128
Email:  perry@hooksbookevents.com