"On The Balcony: Rapture and Ruptures"  is a collection of stories, observations, and insights into lessons learned about ourselves and the world of communities and challenges around us. The topics explored include history, thinking, family, uncertainty, holding on/letting go, technology, work, play, belonging, better questions, travel, aging, language, relationships, learning, and athletics.

Some see it as a combination love letter and manifesto, filled with expressions of admiration and enlightenment as well as confusion and disappointment. As such it's a "messy" compilation of ideas spanning both deep introspection and silly superficiality.

Throughout history, individuals, communities and nations have grown and flourished by learning from stories shared among families, friends, educators, mentors, and strangers.

ABOUT THE TITLE

The balcony is both a metaphor and an actual location. It's both a place and a state of mind, where we can go to both hear and share our thoughts…to calmly reflect and consider what has occurred in the past and the possibilities of the future.

The subtitle, "Rapture and Ruptures", summarizes the balance in the book, between joyful/triumphant chapters and challenging/unresolved chapters that may gnaw at the reader.  

The final title is the result of much reconsideration and head-scratching, including the creation and rejection of numerous previous titles, such as:

- "Themes in Search of A Sunday Afternoon"

- "Handwritten Embraces"

- "As Yet Unforgotten"

- "Holding On, Letting Go"

- "Homage"

- "Old School and Proud Of It"

- "Corridors"

- "For All We Know"

- "In The Absence of Certainty"

ABOUT THE COVER

Designed by renowned cover designer, Archie Ferguson, the cover aims to capture both the special place and the state of mind. Archie took this concept and ran with it, just as he has done with over 1000 covers in the past, including all of the Ian Fleming James Bond 007 covers. The result is a cover of simple elegance, requiring few words.  Visit  Archie Ferguson Design  for more information.

The cover photograph was taken by Jerome from one of his favorite balconies, in Sifnos, Greece, overlooking a serene cove where portions of the book were pondered, written and re-written...often inspired by swims along the right side of the photo or a few too many glasses of wine in the evening. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jerome is an avid open water swimmer, a mediocre fly fisherman, seasoned downhill skier and has always been drawn to good jazz and good stories. As a result, he has broken bread, worked, played and lost his way in more than twenty nations. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro; run the Marine Corps Marathon; swum the waters of the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Aegean Seas; earned an MBA from Columbia University; built a small consulting company; and struggled with multiple languages. Through it all, he has tried to observe, ask good questions and learn from the people and situations that he’s encountered.

Much like Jerome, his book is a mixed bag, exploring a range of topics for readers who seek more than a “one book/one topic” reading experience.

A native New Yorker, Jerome has also lived in Denver, Colorado and now resides once again in  Washington, DC. He spent much of his career working for global industry leaders such as the Chase Manhattan Bank, Satellite Business Systems, IBM, and the New York Times before founding Jewell Consulting Group in 1995. He now serves as a strategic advisor to leaders and organizations across the globe, working in the manufacturing, telecomm, high tech, healthcare, financial services, professional sports, non-profit and national defense sectors.

He has taught in the MBA Program at Howard  University, coached MBA candidates at Georgetown University’s MBA Program, and currently serves as a leadership coach to MBA and Executive MBA candidates at Columbia  Business School.

Through this book, Jerome hopes to inspire readers to revisit and share their own stories with the people who matter most in their lives --- before the stories are lost.