We are using this in my Intro to Leadership course at college and I have found the book to be very interesting. The author writes very clearly and explains everything quite well. I know its weird to write about, but I really enjoy this authors writing style. I rarely get an academic book where the writing is simple and very straight forward. In a crunch, I can read the first setence or two from each of his paragraphs and understand the concepts of the chapter quite well.
As far as leadership practice vs. theory, I am still learning about leadership so I can't say much in this regard. I believe the book has taught me more about leadership than I will ever learn actually being placed in a leadership position. I would definetely suggest reading this book, thinking about your own personal experiences while you read, and then think of ways you can apply things in real life to give your self an idea about leadership practice.
Overall, I have enjoyed every aspect of this book and found it to be very useful for assessing my own small leadership position I hold in my part-time job. Definetely a good book inside or outside the academic world for anyone working within (as a 'follower') or leading an organization.
