Most Helpful Customer Reviews
107 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good book despite hype, October 31, 2005
This review is from: How to Mind Map (Paperback)
This is a good book. It covers mind mapping briefly. It could have been even more brief, but for the rather outlandish claims of its author. Tony Buzan is given to a lot of exaggeration. Shorn of the inflated claims, the book could well have been a small and effective booklet.
The subject of the book is worthy of learning and usage. Mind mapping offers a very easy technique that requires little more than color pens and paper (though rather expensive software is also available). The method is simple -- a central topic in the middle, followed by radiating branches denoting concepts, sub-concepts, and further conceptual breakdowns. Arranging information spatially rather than linearly as in to-do lists and written notes helps place each node of information in context, and also helps the brain "grok" the entire picture all at once.
One thing I find surprising about Buzan's book is -- why did he not mind-map his book itself? It would have been much easier to understand the concepts that way.
I would recommend that you purchase the book by Joyce Wycoff rather than this one. The former book contains some good examples of mind maps and its applications.
For those inclined to using software, FreeMind is an excellent freeware application that helps one create mind maps.
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55 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not Necessary, February 1, 2003
By A Customer
The information in this book can be obtained online, and the preaching you can live without. Mind mapping is pretty intuitive. Once you see one you will say "I get it" and start using them. There is simply not enough information to go on and on about them in multiple books. I thought maybe I was missing something. Now I feel like I was snookered into paying for someone's info-mercial. The basic idea is good, and the binding is cute.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Learn Mind Mapping and Teach your Kids, February 14, 2006
This review is from: How to Mind Map (Paperback)
I wish I'd known how to do this in college!
Mind Mapping is great tool with all sorts of uses and this book is short enough for anyone to learn how to do it. Like most "life-hack" type tools, you'll get out of it what you put into it. In other words, you have learn it and use it to get much benefit.
I do recommend it for kids--it's a great, simple way to organize most writing assignments, speeches, and other projects. They'll probably still have to do the old boring Roman numeral outlines, I suppose, but the mind-map can make that much easier, too!
So, Buzan's a bit grandiose--mind-mapping probably won't bring world peace, but hey, neither does anything else!
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