I feel a little weird giving a Seth Godin book four stars. Godin is a freakin' genius, and the book is full of keen insight and is brilliantly written. So why four stars?

I guess I just want to counteract the over-the-top, "You've GOT to read this book NOW" enthusiasm so many people have heaped upon this modest little book. Marketing people, especially, tout this book as a must-read, as if it will solve all your marketing problems.

Not so much.

This book, like all of Godin's work, is very inspirational. If you are totally foreign to or resistant to the idea of "tribes" in the modern sense, it's an excellent foundation for learning the principles involved. If you are entrenched in the status quo, it will rattle your cage. In a good way.

But if you've followed Godin's blog -- or any of the gazillion other blogs on the subject -- this all starts to sound as familiar as an old jazz standard. Godin's riffs are brilliantly executed, but they are not the panacea for all that ails your business. This is not a how-to book. But then, it doesn't promise to be one, either.