Without mediocrity, civilization would come to a standstill. It is simple math. Half of the people in this human circus are above average. Half are below average. Only a select few are Truly Mediocre. The raw power of these "TMs" is awesome. Those "above average" depend upon the mediocre to fulfill their minimum daily requirement for superiority. Those "below average" look up in search of a role model. This flexibility of the few - to be scorned as inferiors by some and admired as heroes by others - is captured in "Clawing Your Way To The Middle," a collection of essays devoted to the essence of being ordinary. We are the ones who sit in the middle seats on airplanes; who never send back the wine; who believe that charisma is curable if you catch it early; who understand that in the workplace if you make a mistake and keep on making it, chances are it will become company policy. An ideal gift for anyone in business, academia or government who has ever had their life filed away in a manila folder. This collection is not well-written. It is not meant to be. Achieving literary excellence to describe mediocrity would be self-defeating. Be content that finally we have the kind of book we can put down.