The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber & Faber, 1989)
The books that speak most powerfully to me in my professional life are those that have moved me personally. Not surprisingly, many of those books are novels, and one I’ve returned to and recommended many times is Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day. It focuses on someone far from my personal experience, an English butler during World War II, but offers enduring insights and words of caution about the nature of leadership and service — e.g., that you shouldn’t get so focused on chasing a role or a position that you lose sight of what’s right; that everyone’s leadership matters, regardless of hierarchical position, and that powerful leadership occurs not just in big decisions but in our day-to-day actions. It’s a great book, exploring how our personal conduct often mirrors our political culture, while also allowing for the possibility that we can flip the mirror around so that it reflects back to us the steps we can take to live better lives.
Honig’s recent Kappan articles:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meredith I. Honig
MEREDITH I. HONIG is professor of educational policy, organizations, and leadership and director of the District Leadership Design Lab at the University of Washington , Seattle. Her recent book, with Lydia R. Rainey, is Supervising Principals for Instructional Leadership: A Teaching and Learning Approach .
