Endorsements for
America’s Corner Store: Walgreen’s Prescription for Success

From Publishers Weekly
"Since Charles Walgreen, the son of Swedish immigrants, opened his first store in 1901 on Chicago’s South Side, the pharmacy that still bears his name has grown to more than 4,000 outlets in 44 states, employing 150,000...it’s still and growing. A truly family endeavor (wife Myrtle cooked the lunch counter’s hot meals in their cramped apartment for years and Chuck, Jr. delivered them), Walgreen’s pursued success with an "almost religious devotion to substance over style." In an era rife with corporate scandal and mismanagement, the company continues to please its investors and employees alike, and reportedly raked in $33 billion in 2002. For this reason alone, journalist Bacon’s expansive, annotated commercial for the mom and pop pharmacy turned mega-chain will interest entrepreneurs. Equally noteworthy, though, is book’s account of the arc of 20th century business itself and of how the Walgreens family steered—and expanded—their company through two world wars, one depression and myriad other economic obstacles."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Who would have thought the story of a drugstore chain could encompass so much vital and fascinating American history? With superb storytelling skills, John Bacon gives us a vivid and insightful chronicle of matters both large and small, from the birth of the milkshake to the rise of America’s consumer culture. America’s Corner Store is a genuine treat."
–James Tobin
The National Book Critics’ Circle—Award winner, and author of To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight

"Run the business with your head. Lead the family with your heart. Walgreens’ history is filled with good values, strong principles, and immense courage. A family business classic."
–Howard "Howdy" S. Holmes
President and CEO, "Jiffy"® Mixes

"John Bacon has crafted a thorough, insightful, readable, and fascinating account of the development of Walgreens: one of the world’s most compelling examples of the creation of shareholder value in conjunction with good corporate governance... all in a company run in a highly unique fashion as a ‘family’ business. As the store that everyone knows, Walgreens has become the envy of corporate America and the darling of shareholders, consistently producing investor returns that place it at the very top among its peers. This book will be required reading in my private equity class at Michigan Business School."
–Professor David Brophy
Director, Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, University of Michigan Business School

Endorsements for
Blue Ice: The Story of Michigan Hockey

Blue Ice relates the tale of the University of Michigan's hockey program--from its fight to become a varsity sport in the 1920s to its 1996 and 1998 NCAA national championships.

This history of the hockey program profiles the personalities who shaped the program--athletic directors, coaches, and players. From Fielding Yost, who made the decision to build the team a rink with artificial ice before the Depression (which ensured hockey would be played during those lean years), to coaches Joseph Barss, who survived World War I and the ghastly Halifax explosion before becoming the program's first coach, to Red Berenson, who struggled to return his alma mater's hockey team to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s. Players from Eddie Kahn, who scored Michigan's first goal in 1923, to Brendan Morrison, who upon winning the 1996 national championship with his goal said, "This is for all the [Michigan] guys who never had a chance to win it."
Blue Ice also explores the players' exotic backgrounds, from Calumet in the Upper Peninsula to Minnesota's Iron Range to Regina, Saskatchewan; how coach Vic Heygliger launched the NCAA tournament at the glamorous Broadmoor Hotel; and how commissioner Bill Beagan transformed the country's premier hockey conference.

In Blue Ice, fans of hockey will learn the stories behind the curse of the Boston University Terriers, the hockey team's use of the winged helmet, and the unlikely success of Ann Arbor's home-grown talent.
Unlike other sports at the collegiate level, the hockey players at Michigan haven't been motivated by fame or fortune; rather, they came to Michigan get an education and to play the game they loved.

John U. Bacon has won numerous national writing awards and now freelances for Sports Illustrated, Time, ESPN Magazine,and the New York Times, among others.