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A review by bethgiven
Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer
3.0
I am really not sure how to rate this book.
On the one hand, it was very readable with some great ideas. Some of the stories I found fascinating: the invention of masking tape, Scotch tape, and Post-Its at 3M; Yo-Yo Ma and his creative gift for music; the role of creativity in education (especially in schools like NOCCA); Shakespeare's "genius." The prose was readable and the take-home messages applicable.
But it turns out that Jonah Lehrer and this book in particular are under fire, because he fabricated (or at least misconstrued?) some quotes from Bob Dylan. Funnily enough, I didn't even like that chapter. And Lehrer's also under fire for recycling blog posts -- reposting stuff for The New Yorker that he wrote for the Wall Street Journal and Wired. You can read more about all that here.
I do think it's ironic he's getting hammered for "plagiarism" (in quotes, because should it really be called plagiarism when it's your own material?) when he blatantly discusses in the last chapter: "T.S. Eliot said it best: 'Immature poets imitate. Mature poets steal.'" He even cites Bob Dylan, of all people, as an example. (Note that I'm not necessarily condoning what he did -- I do think The New Yorker is in the right for asking him to resign -- but isn't it ironic, dontchya think??)
Another thing: there were sure a lot of swear words in this book considering it's nonfiction. I mean, really -- do we need multiple counts of the f-bomb to make a point?? For all the quote-misconstruing Lehrer did, couldn't he have edited out a few of the "choicest" quotes from his sources?? (That's a lawsuit I'd like to see! "I specifically said '!#$@&*!' You're misquoting me! I'm suing!")
Still, I hope we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one. There were a lot of great points and good stories here. And for whatever faults he has, Lehrer certainly is gifted in making neuroscience and social science accessible to the masses.
So ... three stars, I guess???
On the one hand, it was very readable with some great ideas. Some of the stories I found fascinating: the invention of masking tape, Scotch tape, and Post-Its at 3M; Yo-Yo Ma and his creative gift for music; the role of creativity in education (especially in schools like NOCCA); Shakespeare's "genius." The prose was readable and the take-home messages applicable.
But it turns out that Jonah Lehrer and this book in particular are under fire, because he fabricated (or at least misconstrued?) some quotes from Bob Dylan. Funnily enough, I didn't even like that chapter. And Lehrer's also under fire for recycling blog posts -- reposting stuff for The New Yorker that he wrote for the Wall Street Journal and Wired. You can read more about all that here.
I do think it's ironic he's getting hammered for "plagiarism" (in quotes, because should it really be called plagiarism when it's your own material?) when he blatantly discusses in the last chapter: "T.S. Eliot said it best: 'Immature poets imitate. Mature poets steal.'" He even cites Bob Dylan, of all people, as an example. (Note that I'm not necessarily condoning what he did -- I do think The New Yorker is in the right for asking him to resign -- but isn't it ironic, dontchya think??)
Another thing: there were sure a lot of swear words in this book considering it's nonfiction. I mean, really -- do we need multiple counts of the f-bomb to make a point?? For all the quote-misconstruing Lehrer did, couldn't he have edited out a few of the "choicest" quotes from his sources?? (That's a lawsuit I'd like to see! "I specifically said '!#$@&*!' You're misquoting me! I'm suing!")
Still, I hope we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one. There were a lot of great points and good stories here. And for whatever faults he has, Lehrer certainly is gifted in making neuroscience and social science accessible to the masses.
So ... three stars, I guess???