Seriously, there is no useful information in this book about option trading. There is no strategy that you can apply. I would give my book to charity but whats the point.

I see Mr. Najarian in Chicago trying to look like Steven Seagal with the pony tail.

Pass on this book. Stick with Mcmillan or Fontanills. Even Schaeffer hits the mark compare with Jon Najarian. PS Why the "dr" label either trying to copy his successful father or imply he is qualified. Well not qualified in options books

"How I Trade Options" I would re-title as "Why I Am Fabulous and A Couple Option Stories" There is not one method in this book that will put option profits in your pocket.

An example of his trading: Way back when Yahoo was going up $20 each day for weeks, he finally saw this pattern and bought some shares and sold within minutes for a $2 profit. Can anyone tell me how that adds to my options or trading knowledge? I know people that made a fortune on those Yahoo runups - and they weren't professional traders; and all Dr. J got was $2.

Buy the real options books I mentioned and leave this celebrity puffery for Dr. J's personal library.

It is not just his storied career at the world's premier options exchange, extensive experience trading on and off the floor, gold-plate credentials or nationwide educational presentations that make him such a credible and effective teacher. Najarian possesses the genuine gift of clear communication: the ability to convey at times complex ideas in comprehensible, readily accessible, and memorable language.

Importantly, clear communication is one of the hallmarks of "Dr. J's" How I Trade Options, part of John Wiley & Sons publication's "Online Trading For A Living" book series. Jon has given me a personalized tour of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and I was present at his seminar at TradingMarkets2000 at the Venetian, so I am familiar with his communication style. Throughout the read, I felt like Jon was talking to me, articulating the basics, anticipating my questions, making a subject that can be perplexing, eye-opening, and even fun.

I don't trade options--yet--but this book had the mysterious quality of making me feel ready to do so. Mysterious because it sublimely entered my consciousness, unwittingly rendering me suddenly capable of understanding when and why to employ an Iron Butterfly strategy. Or why never to sell straddles. Or when and why bull call spreads--and bear put spreads--make sense (they get 90% of the profit potential of a naked call or put for half the investment and at only a fraction of the downside risk due to volatility and time decay). Prior to reading this book, questions loomed about options trading--How I Trade Options answered many of them.

How I Trade Options also provides a personal account of Dr. J's life (the initials on his trading badge were chosen in deference to his famous surgeon father, known by the same acronym). From his high school days with (the artist formerly known as) Prince, to Berkeley, to the Chicago Bears, to the big leagues of trading, to inventor, to his role as one of the de facto trading ambassadors at the CBOE, Jon shares with you an overview of his storied life.

There is something here for longer-term investors as well as traders with shorter time frames, as he shows you readily comprehendible strategies used by institutions on how to add value to existing portfolios, how to take out the equivalent of an insurance policy on your stocks, and how to "repair" or take steps to "make whole" a portfolio ravaged by an untoward move--remember 2000, the Nasdaq's worst year on record? Also of interest to longer-term stake holders are strategies involving LEAPS, long-term options.

Other things you'll learn from one of the best minds in the industry:

--The difference between American and European style options.
--What it takes to succeed in trading.
--Low-cost ways to speculate and take advantage of leverage.
--When to do what, and more importantly, why.
--How to play the broad market.
--How to play from the short side.
--How to get the right tools--quotes, software, brokers, and continuing education.
--Myriad details on the inner workings of stock, options, and the players that will enhance your overall comprehension of the broad market.

Barring personalized instruction and perhaps a personalized tour of the CBOE by one of its biggest players, this may be the next best thing.

There is no way he makes money trading with the stuff he leaves in this book. I'd say one of his staff half-hearted this one.

There is more self-serving promotion than educational content 'tween these covers. Fortunately a friend of mine gave the book to me... I would not waste my time, let alone my money.