National Non-Fiction Day Book Review: The Gettysburg Approach to Writing and Speaking like a Professional (Philip A. Yaffe)

Effective writing and speaking are critical for all students and professionals in this challenging and competitive world. Professional level writing and speaking depend on only a handful of easy-to-understand principles. The Gettysburg Approach goes straight to the foundations, defines these principals and explains how to apply them. Through a variety of examples and simple exercises, this exceptional guide will help anyone sharpen their skills and rapidly learn to write and speak clearly, concisely, and persuasively.

I have always been a public speaker and a writing enthusiast, but even I will admit I am an amateur when it comes to speaking and writing with excellence. I have never sought help from a book like this though - but there is always a first for everything right?

Clearly, by not doing so, I am missing out. It turns out, there is a lot of information and help out there available to those who wish to write more concisely and speak persuasively. This is one of those - and not only does this book provides a mountain of useful tricks to be able to clinch that essay or speech, it also explains how and why that particular technique is effective. Where applicable, it gives the reader pros and cons and a wide range of examples to explain and elaborate. It refers to and analyses speeches and extracts, including of course, Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. Apart from that, it gives you tips about everything down to those nitty-gritty little details, including grammar and word usage.

While I expected self-help books to be rather boring, this one is far from it. Consider for instance, its outline. It is not solely presented in paragraph form, but in bullet points and broad headings. Important phrases are highlighted and jump out to catch the reader's attention. The information is well illustrated and discussed in just enough detail to be informative but not boring. Abbreviations are used where most helpful and best of all, exercises and revisions are plentiful for practice and general self test!

While I cannot yet attest as to whether my speaking and writing skills has dramatically improved after reading this book, I can honestly say I have learnt a lot by reading The Gettysburg Approach to Writing and Speaking Like a Professional, not to mention have discovered some neat techniques and most definitely have increased my confidence.

This book will teach you, test you, help you in every step of the way. Brilliant!

Four stars!


Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy for review for -

For more information about National Non-Fiction Day, visit http://nnfd.org

National Non-Fiction Day Book Review: The Undercover Economist (Tim Harford)

Who makes most money from the demand for cappuccinos early in the morning at Waterloo Station? Why is it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder? How does the Mafia make money from laundries when street gangs pushing drugs don’t? Who really benefits from immigration? How can China, in just fifty years, go from the world’s worst famine to one of the greatest economic revolutions of all time, lifting a million people out of poverty a month?

Looking at familiar situations in unfamiliar ways, THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST is a fresh explanation of the fundamental principles of the modern economy, illuminated by examples from the streets of London to the booming skyscrapers of Shanghai to the sleepy canals of Bruges. Leaving behind textbook jargon and equations, Tim Harford will reveal the games of signals and negotiations, contests of strength and battles of wit that drive not only the economy at large but the everyday choices we make.

The truth is, in my eyes, economics is and will always be the best field of study ever. Complex, world-changing and integral to our daily lives, it has never been and will never be obsolete or far removed from our everyday actions and decisions. It may not have occurred to everyone how important economics is and how deeply it affects each individual until the onslaught of the recent recession, but regardless of how long your interest has been, The Undercover Economist is a must-read for just about anyone who has the slightest bit of curiosity in what economics is really all about.

Tim Harford is a genius. This I found out when I attended one of his talks at the LSE a few months back. His book is no less brilliant and does not let up in its charms. The Undercover Economist is a good introduction to the study of economics - it covers the basic and immediately dives into what it really is. It erases the misconception that it only affects economists, and explains in various understandable ways. The author explains the subject in clear, easy to understand language, tailored especially for non-economics folks. That is not to say that this book is only for those who doesn't study economics. Fellow economists will also be charmed by The Undercover Economist, especially those in their early years of study and are looking towards how economics operates in our daily life.

The text in the book is conversational and is founded through examples in real life situations. Everyone will be able to relate to this because it refers to many things we do regularly - for instance, choosing free trade instead of non-free trade coffee, shopping in supermarkets and getting on the property ladder. The insights this book will give you makes you feel like an insider knowing how things operate - it is rather brilliant! It answers so many questions in a way that will pique your interest in the beauty that is economics.

And if you think this book is a boring academic text - you're wrong! It's as fun as an economics book can be - with its light hearted banters and amusing situations, not only is the author's brilliance embedded in this book, but also his fantastic sense of humour!

Clearly, I love this book, and I'm sure other readers do too. If you're vaguely interested in economics or are simply bored, why not pick up a copy of The Undercover Economist and perhaps discover an appreciation for everything economics...

Five Stars!


*This book is reviewed for The National Non-Fiction Day.

To find out more about National Non-Fiction Day, visit http://nnfd.org

It's National Non-Fiction Day!

The Federation of Children's Book Group is launching the NATIONAL NON-FICTION DAY on the first Thursday of November every year beginning today, 4th November 2010!

Admittedly, I love exploring fiction titles - however, there is a wealth of non-fiction books out there that are not only informative, but are also essential and beneficial to the running of our daily lives. Not to mention entertaining, funny and worthwhile! From memoirs to cooking books, the non-fiction range is broad enough for everyone to find something they would ultimately enjoy.

Here at Girls Without a Bookshelf, we are celebrating by posting reviews of two excellent, non-fiction titles that fit the bill just right:

THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST (Tim Harford)

THE GETTYSBURG APPROACH TO WRITING AND SPEAKING LIKE A PROFESSIONAL (Philip A. Yaffe)

Watch out for the upcoming reviews - I hope you join us in celebrating the non-fiction titles today!

For more information about National Non-Fiction Day, visit http://nnfd.org/. Don't forget to watch out for posts about today in and around the blogosphere - I'm sure my fellow bloggers have some great posts planned!

Thank you to Mélanie from Library Mice for bringing this to my attention, to Scholastic sponsoring this wonderful event and to the brilliant authors and publishers who provided me with copies of their non-fiction titles.

Hope you enjoy National Non-Fiction Day everyone!