At West Texas A&M University we have a program called Readership WT and each year we select a different book that ALL Freshman, Faculty, and Staff are required to read. Many of the core classes incorporate the book into their curriculum and teach at least a lesson or two from the book.
This years selection is The Heart and the Fist - the Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy Seal - by Eric Greitens.
"Like many young idealists, Eric Greitens wanted to make a difference, so he traveled to the world’s trouble spots to work in refugee camps and serve the sick and the poor. Yet when innocent civilians were threatened with harm, there was nothing he could do but step in afterward and try to ease the suffering. In studying humanitarianism, he realized a fundamental truth: when an army invades, the weak need protection. So he joined the Navy SEALs and became one of the world’s elite warriors.
Greitens led his men through the unforgettable soul-testing of SEAL training and went on to deployments in Kenya, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he faced harrowing encounters and brutal attacks. Yet even in the deadliest combat situations, the lessons of his humanitarian work bore fruit. At the heart of this powerful story lies a paradox: sometimes you have to be strong to do good, but you also have to do good to be strong. The heart and the fist together are more powerful than either one alone."
In reading this book I was both looking for the "story" AND looking for examples of Communication. Eric Greitens did an excellent job of giving me both! I enjoyed reading about his journey through life but I also found countless examples where Communication became a vital tool both for his survival and his growth.
Greitens gives the reader insight both through his writing of his Verbal words but also through his detailed writings of his Non Verbal observations. I sincerely believe that I grew as a person just reading about his journey, and I thank him for the experience.
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