Robert's Rules for Dummies

This book was a great introduction to Robert's Rules. I came in with zero knowledge and was able to understand and learn a great deal about Parliamentary processes through this book. You can read straight through or cherry-pick according to topic and your needs. I needed this material for my role in church leadership. It is helpful to also have bought RONR for reference and the whole story but I would not suggest just reading RONR straight through as I do with "Dummies." RONR In Brief is just for a curious meeting attender, in my opinion. As a suggestion, it would be nice if the book had ready references to the corresponding RONR section. I emailed the author a few questions and got a quick, friendly, and helpful response.

The scripture for parliamentarians is, of course, Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th Edition (Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2000). All other books for parliamentarians are just "commentary"--but some are better than others. Jennings' book is superior to most: it is very well written, very well edited, and very clear. I'm now a Registered Parliamentarian (and my proctor for the test was Jonathn M. Jacobs, listed in Jennings' Acknowledgments and also a reviewer here) and even I got a better understanding of a few things. Like: p. 114, preferential voting; p. 130, handling a substitute motion; p. 193, call up motion to reconsider; p. 194, reconsider and enter on the minutes; p. 278, the chair and the 2/3 threshold; p. 293, adopting reports; and p. 315, a serious Audit Committee Report. I normally throw in a few complaints in most of my book reviews, but it was hard to find any problems with the book; maybe just this: rather than the bonus chapters being available on the Web for download and printing, it would have been better to incorporate them in the book proper.

The book itself is very helpful and provides a clear explanation to many complex factions of Robert's Rules. It is written in a way that almost anyone can understand and would be excellent for someone, like myself, who is starting out with little knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure. The best part is, not only is the book an excellent help, but the author is available for questions as well. If you type his name into a search engine, such as Google, you'll find his website, which also lists his phone number. I called him regarding a question that I had and he offered a clear explanation and did not mind at all in helping me out. I definitely reccomend this book, and author, to all!

This is both an excellent "starter's book" and a good intermediate book for someone studying Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. The section on discipline is expectionally good and the description of the society's rules, i.e. bylaws and rules of order, is probably the the most lucid explanation I've ever read. If you are NOT an expert parliamentarian, this is good book to start with. Jonathan M. Jacobs, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Certified Parliamentarian

The author describes this book as a book about a book of rules: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR). Why do you need a book like this? The reason is that RONR is not easy to digest. Only rules geeks like me enjoy reading RONR! If you are not a rules geek, then you might choose this book (you will still need RONR as the official reference) which is much more fun to read! This Dummies book is also very complete: almost every motion is covered, as are disciplinary procedures, elections, etc: This book will teach you what you need to know from RONR without skipping any important details. (Other books you might consider include RONR in Brief, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Robert's Rules, and Robert's Rules in Plain English.)