Paper Airplane: A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box [Hardcover]

Michael McMillan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2004

Paper Airplane is an inspiring book that teaches a valuable lesson for people of all ages. All breakthroughs, be they in science, literature, business, technology, or some other field, occur because instead of following the accepted rules, someone dares to create his or her own rules. This story is a powerful reminder that thinking outside the box can be a risk, but the potential reward can be worth it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McMillan's story of a boy's mind-changing event in sixth grade contains a plot twist intended to promote "alternative thinking," otherwise known by that more familiar phrase, "thinking outside of the box." McMillan, a graphic designer who self-designed this 8"×8" tale of two boys given a class assignment to build paper airplanes, obviously intends it for both adults and children, with enough visual stimulation-wild 'n' crazy type; photos and illustrations bleeding off the page-to keep the narrative moving along at a quick clip and enough pop business psychology to keep corporate types interested. A page of type flying through white lines against a pale blue background works well to illustrate the aerodynamic principles of flying, while at the same time demonstrating the forward movement of the story. But the following page, showing how "Tom" (the narrator) picks "Jeff" (the rebellious alternative thinker hero of the tale) to be his partner in paper-airplane building, fails to capture the complex (and less aerodynamic) social interactions of the classroom. McMillan himself admits in a short introduction that "the information about aerodynamics + flying is somewhat limited," which is a pity, given the format's possibilities, and which makes the final result a letdown, since Jeff's solution to the assignment could easily be construed as due to a slightly obnoxious laziness, instead of a truly da Vincian assessment of the world around us.
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Review

If you want to dream great dreams and make them real, here's the book for you. --Mark Victor Hansen, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Michael McMillan is a creative genius; I feel this book will become a classic on innovation and creative thinking. --Mac Anderson, founder, Successories and Simple Truths

This is a profound and powerful book that opens your eyes to the wonders of creativity and innovation. --Brian Tracy, author of Maximum Achievement

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743256298
• ISBN-13: 978-0743256292
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,035,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short , inspiring, reading flight, December 4, 2004

By 

AZ Written "azay" (Redwood City, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Airplane: A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box (Hardcover)

This would make an excellent coffee table book for the waiting room or office of a consultant, or teacher, or artist, or anyone who likes to think about thinking.

The author, who is a design consultant by trade, has designed an intriguing story about thinking outside the box. The ending could easily be condemned as a cheap shot, but then again, why hadn't anyone else thought to simply ####### their paper to make their "plane" fly further. Therein lies the beauty of any solution that clearly falls outside the box -- easy to see in retrospect, challenging to forward project.

This quick read is capped with some simple rules for helping one to achieve that creative state so highly prized.

A creative variety of graphics illustrate this story whose mystery will intrigue ages 8-80.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book about vision, courage and change, November 6, 2007

By 

Jessica Baack - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paper Airplane: A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box (Hardcover)

Paper Airplane is one of the best books I've ever read-and re-read too. More than inspiring, it teaches the power of creative thinking in a profound way. To this point, Publishers Weekly's review shows how blinded we can become to new possibilities. The review actually says, "McMillan himself admits in a short introduction that 'the information about aerodynamics + flying is somewhat limited.'" That's because it is. The book is about vision, courage and change as he also "admits." "The world around us" is changing and Paper Airplane brilliantly shows the very real effects a paradigm shift can bring. It also teaches that new solutions don't always require "da Vincian assessment." Creative ideas can come from anyone-even those people the reviewer discounts. Without realizing it, the reviewer's assumptions and stereotypes prove McMillan's point-we can all use "a lesson in flying outside the box"-Publisher's Weekly included.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great experience, October 31, 2011

By 

Edward Hoyer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paper Airplane: A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box (Hardcover)

The book, "Paper Airplane" came in excellent shape and arrived when it was expected. All in all it was a great experience.