Killing Cockroaches

I was excited to see "Free copy of Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan" come across my twitter one day a month or so ago. It was limited to the first 200 bloggers that would agree to review the book on their blog. So I jumped right in and downloaded my free copy. (I hear that he gave all 200 copies away in the first 20 minutes or so!)

I must admit right here from the beginning: I am a reader and subscriber to Tony's blog, TonyMorganLive. I have been anticipating reading this book since first hearing about it. But hopefully you won't think that my review is too biased. :)

Now with a title such as "Killing Cockroaches" you might be wondering, "What's that all about? Why are you reading a book on pest control?" Well let's get this out of the way right from the start. "Killing Cockroaches" is a euphemism for responding to the urgent stuff in our lives that keeps us from doing the important stuff in our lives. (Page 3) (But for those who are wondering, it does give step by step instructions on literally killing cockroaches.) It's a simple book on leadership and leadership strategies. Now how many of us in ministry couldn't use something like that?

Here are my first impressions and thoughts of the book.

First of all, the book isn't laid out like a traditional book. It is made up of a collection of stories, blog posts, magazine articles, etc. There aren't natural "chapters" like you would see in a normal book but rather article headings that are placed in alphabetical order. This did several things for me while reading the book. First, it seemed like more of a challenge, because each little "chapter" is not necessarily connected to the ones before or after it. Naturally when reading a book I am looking for continuity as you move through each chapter. But this book is different, although the book's overall theme never changes and flows quite nicely, the individual "chapters" allowed me to start and stop and wrestle with new ideas. I was then able to apply these individual ideas to my personal situation in ministry without feeling too overloaded all at once. This layout even makes it easier to remember sections for further discussion or study.

Second, since the preview of the book was a PDF file, I decided to print it out so I could take it with me a little easier. While I was reading I noticed the presence of little cockroaches roaming over the sides and bottom of the pages. Why would they be all over the place I asked myself? So I started flipping quickly through the pages and sure enough the cockroaches "move" all over the page! So not only is the book full of great leadership advice, it's a fun little toy to play with while you're reading.

If you've never read anything by Tony you may notice that he has a unique writing style. Maybe style isn't the write word, Tony has a unique writing tone. I've been reading TonyMorganLive for some time and I've become accustomed to Tony's writing tone. What I thought was great in the book is that Tony really seemed to open up and let the readers see who he really is. He mixes humor, sarcasm and personal stories throughout the book (Spoiler Alert: hotel bathtub incident - complete with diagram!). This openness really helped me to connect with the central ideas of the "chapters" and overall the book.

As an added bonus (not really, they're part of the book, they were just like a "bonus" area for me) there are conversations with various leaders scattered throughout the book. Some are with church leaders, some with pastors and some with people from the business world. It was great to get their input on "Killing Cockroaches" and how they've learned to focus on the important things in life.

Overall I would highly recommend this book. The principle of responding to the urgent and neglecting what's important is a huge concept for those in leadership. But it's not just limited to the church world or the secular business world. It really is for anyone involved in leadership or anyone wanting to improve their own life. It is an easy read that will not only keep you laughing, but make you think and reflect on the type of leader God has called you to be.

So, are you ready to start "Killing Cockroaches" yourself? Well, you can get your copy here.
Still need more information? Just click here for more on the book.
And finally, if you just want a totally "unbiased" review of the book, then look no further than right here.