Introduction & Video
The Crisis
We live in an interesting and distracting era - rapid technology advancement has led to a fast-paced and frenzied life: we don’t pause; we don’t reflect; we always move forward; we juggle five plates at the same time. And in the end we’re hooked into a paradox: what’s supposed to benefit us is hurting us; what’s supposed to free us ends up enslaving us; what’s supposed to connect us is alienating us; what’s supposed to empower us ends up weakening us.

Whatever the lure, this push for speed with the ubiquitous Internet is ruining our patience, and in particular how we read to acquire the knowledge. The need to be efficient and instant leads to a dumbing down of the massive inflow of current online information so that we become scanners and “decoders” of niblet of fragmented information, rather than an accumulated and in-depth knowledge intake.

The Rescue
How many of you have bought any new book recently? And how many of you have actually been able to finish reading a book from cover to cover lately? If your answer to any one of these two questions is no, then consider to join LEAP Book REading Club (LEAP-BREC). LEAP-BREC is aimed to provide book-lovers with a peaceful, joyful, friendly, and supportive environment for reading deeply and discussing interactively a set of great books that will shape us intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually in our professional life. It will provide an escape, a learning experience, a savior, and hopefully over time, a kind of glue that holds together our understanding of the career world and beyond, and eventually hold together who we are as an integrated leader.

The Plan
The LEAP-BREC members together will be committed to read one book every month, hold active on-line discussions on Wechat or other social forums, attend a monthly face-to-face meetup, and share comments and notes on LEAP’s social media channels. The LEAP-BREC book choice will center around leadership development, career growth development, and personal improvement.

How to join LEAP BREC
LEAP-BREC only accepts a serious book-reader who is committed to keep up with book-reading schedule immensely and engage in on-line/off-line discussions actively.
To join the LEAP-BREC, please take the following steps:1. Add Jason (WeChat ID:yangwen0731) with a note "LEAP-BREC" to have an interview;2. Once being accepted to the LEAP-BREC WeChat group, change the group alias to name-company or school-major(e.g. Bruin-UCLA-CS); have a short self-introduction; and recommend a book you read recently or you would like to read;3. Follow up the monthly book-reading plan and participate in the on-line discussion on WeChat. If you can't keep the plan, you will be removed from the group temporarily until you have time to read book again;4. Attend the off-line monthly meet up.

Let's calm down, stay away from social media, pick up a book, immerse ourselves, and read attentively. We are what we read!