Ralph Gaillard reviews the book The CEO: Chief Engagement Officer: Turning Hierarchy Upside Down to Drive Performance by John Smythe. Review highlights book’s discussion of employee communication and engagement.

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The following is a list of the bestselling business books as ranked by the New York Times on April 28.

1 Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny, by Suze Orman. How women can achieve financial security.
2 Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely. An M.I.T. behavioral economist shows how emotions and social norms systematically shape our behavior.
3 The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferris. Because life isn’t all about work.
4 The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, by Dave Ramsey. Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host.
5 Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. How to identify and develop your talents and those of your employees.
6 Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer), by James J. Cramer with Cliff Mason. The host of “Mad Money” on CNBC explains how to get rich and stay rich.
7 How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not?, by Robert Shemin. A multi millionaire shares the secrets of the superwealthy.
8 Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. A scholar uses economics to explore the incentives that drive such disparate groups, including crack gangs, sumo wrestlers, school teachers, campaign fund-raisers and real estate agents.
9 Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber. A fable about how to bring about change in a group, through the eyes of a penguin bearing bad news.
10 What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter. How to beat bad habits that hinder success.
11 Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet, by Jeffrey D. Sachs. An economist argues for global cooperation around shared goals of sustainable development.
12 The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. A financial trader with an expertise in probability theory and statistics, debunks much about economic forecasting, and uses examples ranging from how a book becomes a best-seller to how an entrepreneur becomes a mogul.
13 Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Principles that make some business ideas stickier (longer-lived) than others.
14 The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict, by Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes. Litany of hidden costs withheld from U.S. taxpayers about the Iraq war is revealed by, Noble Prize winner Stiglitz and Harvard Professor Bilmes.
15 The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash, by Charles R. Morris. Behind the credit bubble

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book The Good Black: A True Story of Race in America by Paul M. Barrett. Review follows book’s description of a real-life story of an African-American who went from motivated employee to suing his employer for employment and race discrimination.

Ever wonder how a once successful and motivated employee becomes a party to an employment discrimination lawsuit? If so, a new book, The Good Black: A True Story of Race in America, by Paul M. Barrett could give you the insight you crave. We highly recommend it. It provides a look into the minds of employees, employers, juries, and attorneys. It also provides a good description of the litigation process, from trial through appeal. Plus, it is well-written and based on a true case. If you work in employment law or supervise employees, this book will make you think!

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Amazon.com updates its list of bestselling business books hourly. Here is a snapshot of what books people are buying on Monday, April 21.

1. The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash by Charles R. Morris. According to the author, the astronomical leverage at investment banks and their hedge fund and private equity clients virtually guarantees massive disruption in global markets. The crash, when it comes, will have no firebreaks. A quarter century of free-market zealotry that extolled asset stripping, abusive lending, and hedge fund secrecy will come crashing down with it. The book explains how we got here, and what is about to happen.

2. Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance by Marcus Buckingham. Research data show that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets at work — in fact, only 17 percent of the workforce believe they use all of their strengths on the job. This book aims to change that through a six-step, six-week experience that will reveal the hidden dimensions of your strengths.

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Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book Death To All Sacred Cows: How Successful Business People Put the Old Rules Out to Pasture by Bill Schwab. Review highlights book theory about how email does not always save and tips for effective use of email.

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Technology writer and consultant David Micah Kaufman reviews the book How to Talk So People Listen: Connecting in Today’s Workplace by Sonya Hamlin. Review notes book’s advice for thinking through the various consequences and responses of business communications makes it a classic.

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Resources for Humans Managing Editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Paul Babiak, Ph.D. and Robert D. Hare, Ph.D. Review highlights how book teaches employers to avoid hiring psychopath employees by giving interview tips.

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