From Publishers Weekly
This mega-selling twosome (Hansen's name is on every book in the Chicken Soup series and Allen wrote the bestselling real estate guide No Money Down) offers a long-winded pep talk on how just about anybody can make big money. According to the authors, "At this very instant you are standing in the middle of millions." They maintain that anyone can achieve "enlightened" wealth, a utopia where everyone has money and tithes, creating a better world for all. Hansen and Allen's approach is a mix of self-help and money talk, though a bit heavier on the former. The left-hand pages are a simplified explanation of how to amass millions, with options such as write a book, buy and sell real estate and start a company. The right-hand pages illustrate the same themes, via fictionalized dramas, e.g., newly widowed Michelle's struggle to come up with $1 million in cash to get her two children back from her in-laws. Hansen and Allen's feel-good suggestions run along the lines of "find a mentor," "use a fulcrum" and "be part of a team." Full of endless acronyms (e.g., "System: Save Your Self Time Energy Money"), catchy phrases (e.g., "A Dream + A Team + A Theme = Millionaire Streams") and animal imagery (butterflies, honeybees, owls and hares scamper among the pages), this offering echoes much of the self-help cacophony already out there. But its message is muddled: sometimes the millions are yours for the asking, and sometimes it's the system that keeps you down.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Hansen is the co-creator of the hugely popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series; Allen is a mega-best-selling personal finance author of titles such as Nothing Down (1990). They have combined forces to produce this step-by-step guide for becoming a millionaire in a short period of time. In an unusual format, the right-hand pages depict the fictional story of Michelle, a lowly waitress and mother of two who breaks out to pursue her dream of creating her own business and owning income-producing real estate. The left-hand pages are organized into what the authors call Millionaire Minutes--short lessons for becoming an "enlightened millionaire." Although they offer some suggestions on how to go about this, the lessons consist mostly of trite inspirational phrases and affirmations such as "you are your wealth," "clarity is power," and "I think like a millionaire." There are short sections on the power of leverage, networking, and systems thinking, and some specifics are discussed, such as 11 nothing-down techniques, but on the whole, it's a very brief overview with many suggestions and very little practical advice on how to carry them out. It's all just too easy, and the story of Michelle does little to improve the situation as it is quite tedious and unremarkable. Nevertheless, insipid inspiration sells. Between them, the authors have sold more than 80 million books, and this one will only boost that total. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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