We are so excited to be launching our monthly Book Club here at Wordwise, called Chapters. As well as providing really great support and strategies for effective writing, we understand that writers must first be readers, because readers are writers. To encourage this it has been part of our vision to begin a book club for the site, and so here it is!
Chapters is looking to partner with the Library and Information Services at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP), so as to encourage students from that Institution on their reading journeys, but this club is also available to readers and writers outside of UMP, who wish to make use of our writing resources, send in their articles for publication on our site (see our previous blog, “The Launch Pad’’), and of course, join our book club. We will include forums for comments on the books, forums, discussions, and ideas. In other words, an interactive space for you, the reader. Click here to access the UMP Library.
The first book on our list for 2022, by popular demand, is The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by acclaimed author and New York Times bestseller, John Maxwell. Maxwell has sold well over 13 million books, and his writings on Leadership are outstanding (really good). As a successful author, he understands the importance of writing as a tool to build relationships. The Wordwise Team has discussed in previous blogs the importance of writing as a social activity. It is a relationship between reader and writer, and, although we often write in isolation as authors, when that work becomes published, it’s a whole new ball game! All of a sudden, our communication with people – our readers – takes off. It becomes an incredibly social phenomenon.
In this way, this selected book on Leadership has another application to our personal journeys as writers, because, in order to be a successful leader, we are going to have to be able to communicate very well. Furthermore, that communication is going to largely take place through writing, whether it is via books, speeches, course work, memos, emails or other such written mediums (methods or ways). Powerful, effective writing is crucial (really important) if we are going to fulfill our leadership potential. An illustration of the book we will be working through is below:
Product details
Publisher : Thomas Nelson on Brilliance Audio; Abridged, Revised, Updated edition (April 1, 2014)
Language : English
ISBN-10 : 149151311X
ISBN-13 : 978-1491513118
On this blog, we will discuss each of the 21 irrefutable laws, in turn, making a summary of the main points as we go along. We will then look at the ways in which we can apply these laws to our own lives. That should make for some great commentary and feedback from our book club members! As our objective is to get students reading, it is going to be best if you can obtain (get hold of) and read the book for yourself. That way, you will find it easier to comment and/or give criticism. There are a couple of options. Firstly, the book is available online in the Library at the University of Mpumalanga, or secondly, you can order it on Amazon.
There is also a third option: don’t forget that many books can often be found in 2nd-hand bookstores, especially the classics, such as this one. To be honest, with the price of books these days, even those of us that are authors tend to trawl (spend time looking around in) the good, 2nd-hand bookstores. In fact, 2nd-hand shops are often even more exciting than regular bookstores, as you never know what you may find, and you can often buy more than one at a time.
In our next blog, we are going to start discussing Chapter 1 of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, starting with Law No. 1: The Law of the Lid. As usual, feel free to leave your comments and ideas below.
Until later,
The Wordwise Team
Disclaimer: The reviews reflected here are only my personal opinion and do not represent the opinions of other associated parties.
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