"[This book] is a study of America's most controversial personal automobile. Featuring more than fifteen essays, this collection analyzes the Hummer through a wide array of disciplines. The editors, Elaine Cardenas and Ellen Gorman, have divided the essays into four groups: myth and space, myth and body, myth and discourse, and myth as vehicle. An introduction by the editors places the study of the Hummer in a cultural context." -- from cover, page 4.

The author of The Trendmaster's Guide reveals how "contradictory trends" can help business leaders to plan and execute a successful professional strategy, in a resource that explores unlikely lucrative concepts in the realms of luxury commodities, mass customization, and social capitalism.

Hoover the hummingbird was born different. He could not hover. Read how Mother and Father hummingbird found a special way to help Hoover hover like the other hummers. This special help makes Hoover’s dreams come true.

They call her Hummer because she does: all the time. At least whenever she's thinking of horses, which is pretty close to saying all the time. However, there is something Hummer avoids thinking of at all costs: why her father doesn't go in the house anymore, but sleeps in the barn, and why her mother neither bathes nor cleans house, or ever goes outside. Every time Hummer goes in, she holds her breath to avoid the smell of garbage. Twelve-year old Hummer is shy, quiet, and thin. But on horseback, she's fantastic. Her old pony Mike has gotten stiff and asthmatic. But one night Hummer catches an Arabian mare that has escaped. When the old-man owner turns up, he lets Hummer borrow the horse-call it a loan-and it is about to change Hummer's life.

Part company history, part business tale, and part action novel, Hummer tells the story of the Humvee's rise from a utility vehicle bred for military use to a suburban status-symbol. More that a simple story of GM's clever branding scheme at a perfect juncture in automotive, consumer, and world histories, this book is a cultural dissection of what images make American's open their pocketbooks so readily, and how buying American consumers was never so easy-or conflicted. - The H2 is a huge hit for GM- Hummer is an American icon like the Corvette and Ford Pickup- This books offers a fun-to-read story- H3 is on its way in 2006- Interest continues to grow in this unique vehicle, with buyers pushing GM production numbers up for the HummerAmerican's got their first real look at the Hummer during the first Gulf War. Interestingly, because of the advent of 24-hour news at this same point in time, the Gulf War served as priceless free advertising for AM General's war machine. After seeing the Hummer in action, movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly helped to convince AM General to prep the Hummer for civilian sales and was one of the first to own one.The attention garnered by Schwarzenegger and other celebrities like Tom Clancy, Shaquille O'Neal, G. Gordon Liddy, and any other high-profile American with $100,000 to spare spurred General Motors to acquire the Hummer name for a new range of smaller SUV's. With a well-timed second war in Iraq, General Motors saw sales of its Hummer H2 skyrocket, just as "Ahnuld" prepared for the debut of the third installment of his Terminator movies, which cemented his Hollywood status as the king of action movies since the first battle in Iraq.They say timing is everything. With the exploration of everything from consumer buying habits and American economics to global military action and big-budget Hollywood star power, HUMMER tells the story of how priceless and valuable timing has been for America's largest and most recognizable SUV.About the AuthorMartin Padgett is the editor of the Web's Automotive Authority, www.TheCarConnection.com, and contributes regularly to Stuff magazine as the resident "road warrior." He also writes car news and columns for Import Tuner, Edmunds.com, and other publications. Padgett lives in Atlanta's Morningside neighborhood with his partner of seven years and four cats, an ever-changing roster of cars in the driveway, and easy access to the Gulf Coast.

From the former trendmaster of Target—how the power of contradictory trends can help reframe your business strategy Contradictions are everywhere! These days we wear Old Navy with new Gucci, Hanes T-shirts with Armani suits, couture Chanel with vintage denim. Suburban mansions are filled with flea market finds, and we show off our Michael Graves teakettle from Target on Viking stoves in our gourmet kitchens that might even include cabinets purchased from IKEA. When Robyn Waters began her career in the late 1970s, a trend was defined as something that everyone wanted at the same time. Fashion and business magazines proclaimed what was "in" and what was "out." Back then, it was fairly easy for companies to determine the next big trend, and ride it all the way to the bank. In today’s marketplace the "next big thing" has been replaced by a thousand next big things. And in order to discover what consumers are hungry for companies need to discover what’s important…to them. Today a cookie cutter approach no longer works. Waters explains that for every trend there’s an equally valid countertrend. In The Hummer and the Mini, Waters explores the new trend landscape and urges companies to stop looking for the one right answer in their industry. There are many good ways to design products, develop a line of goods, merchandise a store, or craft a marketing message. You can thrive by selling huge cars (the Hummer) or tiny ones (the Mini). You can turn something old into something new and desirable (the Vespa) or turn a commodity into a luxury (In-and-Out Burgers at the Oscars). You can even customize a product designed for the masses (personalized postage stamps) or sell less as more (Minute Clinics). Through lively tales of influential trends and countertrends, The Hummer and the Mini will show you how to live with the contradictions, make the most of the inconsistencies, and embrace the paradoxes of business as a source of fresh ideas.