Guide to Self-Employment

School Library Journal

Gr 7-12-- Perry presents just enough information to help readers decide for or against self-employment and to steer them toward additional assistance. He reviews the risks and rewards of ``being your own boss,'' and discusses traits that lead to success. He also suggests many business opportunities for young people, explains the basics of owning a business, and includes several case studies of successes and failures. Written in the second person, the information is addressed specifically to entrepreneurial teens. The book has some shortcomings. Perry's attitude is extremely positive, almost idealistic, and his discussion of more successes than failures might be overly optimistic. The photographs are simply of teens at work and not necessarily of self-employed teens. These flaws are not so pronounced, however, as to preclude recommendation of the book. Integration of photographs, bullets, white spaces, and various text sizes successfully creates an appealing format. Appendices list various kinds of low-cost business opportunities and names and addresses of agencies that offer assistance in starting a business. The book is well indexed and contains a useful, up-to-date bibliography. --Dona Weisman, Northeast Texas Library, Garland