Gossip: Ten Pathways to Eliminate It from Your Life and Transform Your Soul Paperback by Lori Palatnik (Author), Bob Burg (Contributor) ( Simcha Press / Kehot Publication Society)

This is a wonderful book that really challenges one to think before they speak. It is an easy read with some very practical insight to why people gossip, how it hurts not only others but ourselves and how to avoid gossiping traps. I think this is a must read for all people and have recommended it to others I know who thrive on gossip.
The one drawback that I see to this book is that sometimes there is a necessity to speak about others. For example, my 6 year old was being bullied at school and we needed to go to the school counselor to discuss the other child's actions and the impact on our child. At work, Managers discuss their direct reports with Senior Leaders of the organization. But what I walked away from this book with was to keep discussions in the proper context and with the proper people. It is also important to have a trusted sounding board be it a spouse, clergy, counselor, close friend whom you can share your feelings with. The problem is when you deviate outside that circle and share things for the sake of sharing.
Also, I am not sure about telling "lies" to spare someone's feelings. If someone asks you "do I look fat in these pants" and you tell them they look beautiful when they don't so they go out in the pants feeling uncertain, they may not trust your judgement in the future. I would prefer someone to say, "well you are not fat but those pants aren't the most flattering".
With all things there is a balance but I will say that to aspire to never gossip, to always think before you speak, to choose words of kindness and to avoid gossip pitfalls are the way go. I also loved the section on apologizing to God, to yourself and to others for gossiping. I would have liked to see more emphasis on self forgiveness. Let's face it, we all gossip, we are all going to continue to gossip at times and we need to feel a sense of forgiveness for ourselves so we can move forward and try to better the next time.
I am so thankful I found and read this book. It will change how when and to whom I speak and what I say. I will think about the message in this book for a long time.