Rekindle Lost Love With the advent of Social Media, Television and other digital media formats and platforms most people are slowly being seduced to thinking that the era of the book is fading. Nay. The book is still in vogue. Reading is still one of the best pleasures of the world that animals do not have the opportunity to experience. As we celebrate World Book Day, rekindle the love and passion for books. Go to your bookshelf, visit a bookshop, browse some coffee table book. Look through some of your old books that you have not read in a while. Think about the books that have made a lasting impression on you. Discuss a book you are reading with a friend. Blog about a book you have read. Love a book if you love life. I remember reading the book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. The writing style of the book was just different and yet the message was so deep and cutting. I remember how some of the special words and proverbs would just jump off the text. You will also agree that that character Okonkwo was simply unforgettable. Books transport you to another plane and make you see and feel forlorn worlds. Books give life to characters and allow these characters to speak and proclaim their message from the pedestal of the printed text. Without a book, you have no life or a useful mind. Give a Book Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Books are the eternally versatile gift. Some books grow with you. Others make your childhood memorable. Some books shape and sharpen you and others just change your world view. Some books will make you cry, angry, pray or laugh. To touch someone give them a book. In 2006 I found myself in the lonely position of a widower. Soon afterwards, a friend Percy, sent me a book from Canada. It was a small book printed in newsprint entitled, "The Greatest Salesman" by Og Mandino. It was a surprising gift to receive when you are grieving. For some days I just looked at the book, marvelling at what connection this book could have with my situation. Then one evening I decided to page through the book. The first few pages were some winding tale of some frustrated salesman and as I read I wondered how this should mean anything to my life. Just as I was about to throw away the book, I came across the Chapters with the scrolls. I was captivated. I was entranced. I could not put the book down. I was let loose. I could not wait for the next morning to share the message of the scrolls with my team. Subsequently I ordered copies of the book and gave several copies to my team members. I shared the message of the book in my workshops. A small book can be a life transforming gift. Give a book and watch the results. Thank you Percy for helping me see the light. The Advantage Matrix It is a good practice to think about other people and how you can make a difference and give back. Some people give clothes to the poor. Indeed it is sad to see other people go naked while some closets teem with clothes that have never been worn. Some people choose to give food. It is selfish to throw away food when some child somewhere goes to bed hungry and wakes up to an uncertain miserly breakfast. Some choose to give money, time or something else. No one is ever too poor to give, at least a smile. Perhaps one of the best gifts that you can give to some disadvantaged child is the gift of a book. A book given with love and care is a seed of greatness. Many rural children attend school without any books and in our ostrich posture we pray for high pass rates. Many rural teachers teach without guides and useful graded texts. To hope for a book-less quality education is self deception. If we all choose, we can make a difference. You can adopt a school or class. You can start a book corner in a nearby school. You can give some books to your local rural school. It is amazing how many children one textbook could touch and how many more when you give ten. The best celebration of March 7, The World Book Day is to identify some school, child or person starved of books and give them books. You can never have too much books but you can starve of having too few books. Giving books is a critical element of giving our communities advantage. Write a Book Every person has a story to tell, or an insight to share. Every life, regardless of how brief it is a potential story and thriller. It is selfish to live a long life and not write your life story or lessons. The greatest form of selfishness is dying with an unwritten story. The worst form of cowardice is not even attempting to write. But where does one start? The best way to start anything is by starting. Start by narrating your story, even if that is to a dictaphone. If you can, just write out your story or thoughts. You never know what can come out of the modest efforts. He who does not write should never complain that he was misquoted. They Learn what They See I have heard many people complain that there is no reading culture. Culture is created by what we say and do. There will be no reading culture if the only books adults read are work manuals and children's homework. When you read, you pass on the reading culture. When you do not read you pass the “unreading” culture. A nation that does not read is simply a circus of clowns. If you have not read for some time, do not despair. You can start today. Perhaps a visit to some worthy bookshop could be the first step. Committed to your greatness. Milton Kamwendo | 
Every year is littered with special days, celebrations and holidays. One that is often ignored and not given special attention is the World Book Day which is celebrated on March 7 annually in many other places in the world. This year, we celebrate the World Book Day at all the Innov8 Bookshops and I have dedicated this instalment to celebrating the Book, the key to knowledge, wisdom and mental stimulation.
