Customer Reviews

How to Be a Creative Genius (in Five Minutes or Less)

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I was first attracted to this book by an amazon.com e-mail recommendation. In the future, I will take such recommendations with a grain of salt. The book is 90 pages long, with many of these pages blank, and most of them containing one or two sentences. If the brief sentences were pithy or insightful, then maybe the book would be worth reading and/or worth the money. But what we get are un-snappy one-liners that amount to non-sequiturs and stale recyling of well-worn motivational lines. Some of them are just bizarre (e.g., "Do drugs," "Be vegetarian"). I would bet some of the previous reviews are part of a business strategy involving associates of the author. (He is described as a high-powered advertising consultant.) Save your money. You will get nothing out of this book except a lighter wallet.

The following review is posted on my blog at www.InnovativeEconomy.com

I suppose it only makes sense that if you are going to write a book on how to be a genius in five minutes or less, you should also write the book in a manner that fits the title. So when I picked up my copy at the bookstore, the impact began before I even had the cover opened, and then magnified when I started to read it.

Gary's book, "How To Be A Creative Genius (in five minutes or less)" is a great catch-you-off-guard book. If you are a literal thinker ready to take step-by-step procedures from the book and execute your genius, forget it. It isn't there. If you measure the value of a book by dividing the price you paid by the number of pages, prepare to be frustrated. The book isn't expensive (I paid $14.95 at Barnes & Noble) but its is small and short. However, if you expect someone who claims they can teach you to be a genius to do something that signifies their own qualification to be the teacher, the book `experience' will teach you as much as the words on the page.

The book is loaded with sarcasm. If you miss that early on, you'll go way off into the weeds regarding what he is saying. If you get that part right, it is easy to follow. Gary distills some profound truths into short cogent stories or examples that really stick in the mind and confront the heart in a gentle yet direct way. The premise of Gary's approach is that the genius is already inside you - he doesn't put it there, he helps you awaken it yourself and connect to it. To do this, he must confront the assumptions, beliefs and habits and that suppress the genius within you. Like the best pediatrician who can perform a procedure without the child even knowing it, Gary's approach causes you to confront those inhibitors through his whimsical fashion. By the time you realize what he is doing, he has already done it. It is truly a fun approach.

I read the book last week and it has been on my desk ever since. I find myself referring to certain vignettes and then remembering them when I'm far away from my desk doing things that have nothing to do with work.

One of my favorite qualities of the book is how Gary uses true stories of great geniuses to make the point his point, and how these points make the geniuses more human and real. I also really liked how it made me look in the mirror in a real way, not just once but pretty much every day since I read the book.

This is not just a book, it is an experience. If you are in a rut or a literal thinker, prepare to cock your head to the side like a confused puppy before the wisdom of what he has done hits you. That is part of the value of the book, not a sign that it's the wrong book for you. The more you cock your head to the side, the more you need this book.

It's a great read for entrepreneurs so I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to stoke up the creativity in a fun way.

Don't skip the introduction to this little book or you will likely miss the perspective you'll need to appreciate it. The unusual format of bullet lists, no more than three or four per page, and a couple of short summary paragraphs scattered throughout each chapter, make for quick reading and easy remembering. Unger takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to stating the obvious; at least what is obvious to geniuses. He assumes his readers are geniuses, of course, and that adds to the enjoyment of the book.

The genius tidbits are fed to us in chapters designated to cover the major avenues of work life: Genius Mentality, Dress, Work Flow, Health, Excuses, Advertising, and Spice of Life. Under Genius Work Flow, for example, he advises, "Never bring lunch to work. It allows for longer lunch breaks." After a series of these comments, a tightly written paragraph states his point clearly.

Another pithy example comes from Genius Mentality: "Believe there is nothing wrong with a superficial solution." Sarcasm carries the day in this collection.

I reviewed a galley copy so did not see the cover planned for the hardcover finished product. The brevity of the book and its bring-a-chuckle style may make it a victim to potential buyers who will just thumb through it in the aisle of the bookstore rather than purchasing it. I think it has good potential for stimulating team discussions in the workplace and widening creative thought channels in anyone who needs a spark touched to their innate creativity.

Paula Buermele is a reviewer for BookPleasures and the author of "The Dream Catcher Tour."

I am by no means a "professional" reviewer . . . but felt compelled to write a review to say how this book inspired me to become more creative in my thinking processes.

It's human nature to think a certain way, act a certain way. But, when Mr. Unger puts those thoughts and actions into words that make you laugh at your own conformity to life . . . well, you start to ask yourself things about why you do the things you do? why do you always go with the mainstream? why do your actions seem ordinary instead of extraordinary?

His innate ability to make you laugh at your shortcomings in your creative thought processes really gets your creative juices flowing! Some of my best ideas/thoughts/actions have been because since reading his book I now get creative differently. How refreshing! And when I start to fall into the same old patterns, I immediately see the errors of my ways and remember some of the thought-provoking quotes from the book.

Seriously, go buy yourself this book. Get your Creative Genius flowing! And most importantly, teach your kids how to become a Creative Genius -- and watch good things happen!

This is the first book that has had such an amazing and grand impact on my creative abilities. I hope it sparks your mind, too!

I am not very creative nor am I a genius. I'm just a guy in sales whose manager told him that he has to "be more creative!" I don't even know what that means. I ran across this book hoping for some insight and hoping to become a genius in the process!

I did enjoy the format of the book. Good mix of bulleted items and 'de facto" points makes the pacing of the book easy to read. The chapter titled "Genius Dress" and "Genius Excuses" made me realize that becoming a creative genius is more a state of mind than actually having to be a genius so, as the one of the bullets instructed, I am now going to "carry more stuff than you can handle into a meeting"! The chapter on "Genius Advertising" was spot-on showing practical examples of existing mundane advertisements and the final chapter on the "Genius Spice of Life" does a good job identifying the catalyst for creativity and genius. I'd tell you what that catalyst is but then what fun would that be!

I keep the book on my desk at work to show my boss that I am trying to be more creative and I do open it from time to time to get an irreverent nugget of wisdom. Or then again, just to get a chuckle and a smile to justify my "be messy" approach. Good book, fun to read, can't wait for the next one from Gary!

"Creative Genius" is a great book! It will make you laugh and think. The author, Gary Unger, does a great job offering witty line after witty line that will have you rolling with laughter one minute and pondering life's mysteries the next. A great, quick read!