Thursday, August 8, 2019

Wolf Pack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game

Wolf Pack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game 
by Abby Wambach
Celadon Books, 2019. 112 pages. Nonfiction.

Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and the highest all-time international goal scorer for male and female soccer players. She is a passionate activist for equal rights, equal pay, and for inclusion. During her career,she was often seen as an outspoken advocate for the equal pay of female soccer players; when she retired she took up the banner for all women, everywhere. This book is her philosophy on how women and men can come together to create wolf packs that honor difference and build unity for the human race.

Stemming from her viral 2018 commencement speech to Barnard College graduates, Wambach outlines the eight new rules that people everywhere can follow to become more empowered in their leadership and more supportive in their teamwork.

  1. You were always the wolf—create your own path 
  2. Be grateful and ambitious 
  3. Lead from the bench—from wherever you are 
  4. Make failure your fuel 
  5. Champion each other 
  6. Demand the ball—believe in yourself 
  7. Bring it all—lead with humanity, cultivate leaders 
  8. Find your pack—you’re not alone 

With each rule, Wambach tells a story from her life and illustrates how the rules need to change. This book is inspirational, passionate, and short. Each chapter can be read quickly and put down so you can think about the content. It’s a great book to read all at once and then savor again.

The only trouble with this book is it might be too short. For those who have seen the viral commencement speech, this is basically the transcript. It would be fascinating to hear more about each of the rules and how to practically put them into place. This book is part of a growing genre of books based on powerful commencement speeches. If you like it, you should try out Neil Gaiman’s Make Good Art, Anna Quindlen’s A Short Guide to a Happy Life, or Lauren Graham’s In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It.

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