1. Resisting Gossip by Matt Mitchell was well-written and edited. I have a lot of books that pass my desk. Most are not well-written or well-edited. Most sound too much like the author is talking casually. This didn't just capture what the author had to say, but did so it a solid literary manner. This makes for ease of reading and being able to hone in on the progress of your thought (without the redundancy and tangents that are part of so many books I read).
2. The stories were helpful. Few were self-serving or too self-referential. The stories weren't told just because they were meaningful to the author. They were helpful to me as a reader to think about the issues. It seemed that they were carefully chosen and presented, not just written because they were the first ones that came to the author's mind.
3. I love the study questions. So many books end up having little lasting impact because they are just content. Excellent study questions like these help (force) the reader to experience the impact that the content merits.
4. Good use of the citations of others, but not too much. Some books I read seem just like commentary on someone's files of clippings on various topics. I thought the author was effectively selective in his choice of references to others. I'm sure he could have done much more, especially with some of the counseling resources, but I think more would have been less.
5. The book provided substantial analysis, not just some clever conceptualization. For instance, the "Gallery of Gossip" was extremely helpful because of its comprehensiveness and richness of development of nuances.
6. The minimal and focused use of Scripture at the beginning of chapters was well done and effective, especially Romans 1:29 on page 44. The three words, "They are gossips," were the most powerful three words in the book. They screamed for the reader to pay attention because Paul did as he addressed the topic straight on.
Read point 7 at Amazon.
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If you've had a chance to read it, visit the Resisting Gossip Amazon Page to leave your own review. My goal is to see fifty reviews soon.
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