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tashaseegmiller's review
5.0
I had to read this book slowly, which tried my patience but rewarded my mind. There is so much amazing information in this book, insights that parents and teachers and people in general should cling to. So many highlights and bookmarks I plan to revisit, and it is really well written so you don't feel like information is being crammed into your brain, even though it is.
r0b3rta's review
4.0
I did know about the controversy prior to reading it...overall interesting read.
rsr143's review
3.0
Insightful book about imagination and creativity, both where it comes from and how to cultivate more of it. Note: the author was accused/admitted to plagiarism and faking several quotes from Bob Dylan and others featured in the book. However much of the source material is legit and the themes in the book are worth understanding.
whatsmacksaid's review
3.0
"Imagine" was a hugely accessible and interesting read--as one of the blurbs on the cover says, Jonah Lehrer (for all his writerly faults) is both a scientist and a writer.
bigbookslilreads's review against another edition
3.0
This book was able to light-heatedly and simply summarise part of my PhD studies, and for that I really appreciate it.
Lehrer provides an overview of the things that matter for creativity and ultimately innovation. He does this by explaining key concepts (such as the strong ties/weak ties) from several disciplines (psychology, sociology, urban studies, innovation...), and gives real life examples of situations where people were able to boost their creativity or that of others in different ways.
All in all I found this good as light revision material that could actually entertain me! His voice is not so bad as an audiobook narrator either most of the times, so that helped.
Some things I didn't like include:
- his way of structuring the book. He kept jumping back and forth in each chapter between several examples, and that was kind of distracting. When I thought he was done with a story he would pull it back later on...
- he starts his stories exactly the same way. "Joe was hungry in the summer of 1979", "Lisa had a problem". He is quite good at telling a relatable story, but this was very noticeable for me and it just annoyed me more and more as the book progressed;
- Some things about his examples, quotes or his interpretation of them wasn't always to my liking. For example, his chapter on Shakespeare and his rant about "plagiarism but not plagiarism at the time" or "theft is good!"... He could almost have said it like that, I swear.
Other than that, quite enjoyable. I especially liked his emphasis on the social nature of innovation!
Recommend! Actually, I will recommend it to my colleagues :)
Lehrer provides an overview of the things that matter for creativity and ultimately innovation. He does this by explaining key concepts (such as the strong ties/weak ties) from several disciplines (psychology, sociology, urban studies, innovation...), and gives real life examples of situations where people were able to boost their creativity or that of others in different ways.
All in all I found this good as light revision material that could actually entertain me! His voice is not so bad as an audiobook narrator either most of the times, so that helped.
Some things I didn't like include:
- his way of structuring the book. He kept jumping back and forth in each chapter between several examples, and that was kind of distracting. When I thought he was done with a story he would pull it back later on...
- he starts his stories exactly the same way. "Joe was hungry in the summer of 1979", "Lisa had a problem". He is quite good at telling a relatable story, but this was very noticeable for me and it just annoyed me more and more as the book progressed;
- Some things about his examples, quotes or his interpretation of them wasn't always to my liking. For example, his chapter on Shakespeare and his rant about "plagiarism but not plagiarism at the time" or "theft is good!"... He could almost have said it like that, I swear.
Other than that, quite enjoyable. I especially liked his emphasis on the social nature of innovation!
Recommend! Actually, I will recommend it to my colleagues :)
ericfheiman's review
3.0
An entertaining collection of vignettes about the mystery of creativity. I will surely apply some of his insights to my own creative practice. While Lehrer and some of his subjects in the book overreach in their attempts to apply scientific rationale in explaining where creativity comes from, he is a deft enough storyteller to warrant recommending this book. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
larryerick's review
3.0
This book never excited me the way Lehrer's How We Decide did. It rarely was as concise or as powerful or as clear as the earlier book. On occasion, I felt he came to questionable conclusions on issues, primarily because I found it very easy to come up with alternative explanations for his findings. Moreover, I would change the subtitle from "How Creativity Works" to "How to Promote Innovation and Facilitate Problem-Solving", but maybe that's just my slant on what "creativity" means. Nevertheless, there are sections, especially during the later half of the book, that are well worth reading. Serious educators should read "The Shakespeare Paradox". For instance, he points out how American teachers show a preference for teaching students with less creative characteristics, because those with traits most closely aligned with creative thought were too hard to teach and under performed on standardized tests. He also points out how well we encourage talent in sports, but don't apply the same system for identifying and encouraging engineers or other non-sports talent.