This month's edition of Soundview Executive Book Summaries contains condensed versions of two great business books: Hardball by George Stalk and Rob Lachenauer, and Free Prize Inside! by Seth Godin.

This month, we'll hear summaries of two great business books: Meatball Sundae, by Seth Godin, and The Talent Powered Organization, by Peter Cheese, Robert J. Thomas, and Elizabeth Craig.

This edition of Soundview Executive Book Summaries features condensed versions of two great business books: The Headcount Solution by N. Fredric Crandall and Marc J. Wallace Jr.; and Purple Cow by Seth Godin.

This month's lead article is "Betrayed! The Biggest Lie in Business: 'The Customer Is in Charge!'" In reality, customer service has become a tangle of telephones, email, Web sites, and people. Fast Company senior editor Charles Fishman has this eye-opening account of what's gone wrong. Also in this issue, Seth Godin's got the wedding-day blues, a report on Prairie Inet, transforming the entrepreneur's dream into reality, and more.