Meet Johnny Bunko. He's probably a lot like you. He did what everybody - parents, teachers, careers advisors - told him to do. But now, stuck in a dead-end job, he's begun to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. One bizarre night, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he's ever seen. She reveals to Johnny the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work. Packed with smart, counter-intuitive and potentially life-changing advice, it's the first and last career guide you'll ever need.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Any career consultant -- or high-school guidance counselor -- who doesn't immediately order copies of this book in bulk is missing the boat -- big time." -- Miami Herald
"Hard-hitting and informative yet bursting with optimism . . . Pink has a knack for teaching in such an entertaining way that you'll forget you are learning." -- Forbes
"Outrageous, delightful ... If the precepts in 'The Adventures of Johnny Bunko' help some slackers open nail salons or become billionaires in some offbeat business, that's all to the good" -- Wall Street Journal
"The ideal gift for those in need of a career shakeup who claim they have no time to even think about next steps." -- NYTimes.com
"Hard-hitting and informative yet bursting with optimism . . . Pink has a knack for teaching in such an entertaining way that you'll forget you are learning." -- Forbes
"Outrageous, delightful ... If the precepts in 'The Adventures of Johnny Bunko' help some slackers open nail salons or become billionaires in some offbeat business, that's all to the good" -- Wall Street Journal
"The ideal gift for those in need of a career shakeup who claim they have no time to even think about next steps." -- NYTimes.com
About the Author
Daniel H. Pink is the author of five books, including To Sell Is Human and the long-running New York Times bestsellers A Whole New Mind and Drive. His books have been translated into thirty-three languages and have sold more than a million copies in the United States alone. Pink lives with his family in Washington, D.C.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
112 of 122 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Young people mostly get their career advice from friends (who usually don't have any more experience or knowledge than they do) and family (who base their ideas on what worked three decades ago). Either way, you get off track pretty easily.
There's plenty of good career advice in books and articles, but most young people wouldn't sit still long enough to read those sources. A Whole New Mind author, Dan Pink, comes up with a great solution: Create a career advice book in the form of manga.
Most career writers when they want to simplify a message use a fable, with a few illustrations that show the key perspectives. The fable is clearly secondary to the details.
In The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, the story is more interesting than the advice. Having read a lot of Mr. Pink's writing, I thought I knew what he would probably advise. But I didn't realize that he would make the story so interesting, and that the manga format would add so much power to the story telling. Nice work!
What's the advice? Let me rephrase to make it clearer to you:
1. Don't be rigid about planning out each step well in advance . . . it's not possible to do.
2. Build on what you're good at (Peter Drucker originated that one) and avoid relying on what you aren't good at.
3. Focus on what you can do for others (start with the boss) rather than what's in it for you (you can read more about this in How to Be a Star at Work).
4. Keep at it. Practice makes perfect.
5. Take on big challenges and learn from them.
6. Make a difference.
I like this advice. I hope my youngsters will read this book and apply it. I know they probably wouldn't if it came from dear old Dad.
If I could add one piece of advice, it would be to:
Set some written goals about how you want to spend your life. Those goals will help you keep focused.
Well done, Dan Pink and Rob Ten Pas!
There's plenty of good career advice in books and articles, but most young people wouldn't sit still long enough to read those sources. A Whole New Mind author, Dan Pink, comes up with a great solution: Create a career advice book in the form of manga.
Most career writers when they want to simplify a message use a fable, with a few illustrations that show the key perspectives. The fable is clearly secondary to the details.
In The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, the story is more interesting than the advice. Having read a lot of Mr. Pink's writing, I thought I knew what he would probably advise. But I didn't realize that he would make the story so interesting, and that the manga format would add so much power to the story telling. Nice work!
What's the advice? Let me rephrase to make it clearer to you:
1. Don't be rigid about planning out each step well in advance . . . it's not possible to do.
2. Build on what you're good at (Peter Drucker originated that one) and avoid relying on what you aren't good at.
3. Focus on what you can do for others (start with the boss) rather than what's in it for you (you can read more about this in How to Be a Star at Work).
4. Keep at it. Practice makes perfect.
5. Take on big challenges and learn from them.
6. Make a difference.
I like this advice. I hope my youngsters will read this book and apply it. I know they probably wouldn't if it came from dear old Dad.
If I could add one piece of advice, it would be to:
Set some written goals about how you want to spend your life. Those goals will help you keep focused.
Well done, Dan Pink and Rob Ten Pas!
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Larry R
Format:Paperback
Being quite the fan of Daniel Pink, I was excited to see that a new work of his had appeared. The book is a quick and easy read, the illustrations are fun, and it definitely contains a number of important career gems. HOWEVER, it falls far short of being "The last career guide you'll ever need". The book explores *what* to do, but says nothing about *how* to do it, which is just as important. Perhaps that would be more difficult to communicate in a short manga work.
All in all, this is probably worthwhile. Calibrate your expections appropriately, and you won't be disappointed. But don't expect to read this and have all your career problems melt away - there is a LOT that needs to be covered that isn't touched on here.
All in all, this is probably worthwhile. Calibrate your expections appropriately, and you won't be disappointed. But don't expect to read this and have all your career problems melt away - there is a LOT that needs to be covered that isn't touched on here.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Sean Goodman
Format:Paperback
Having read all of Daniel Pink's other books, I was excited to see this on the shelf. I started with Free Agent Nation a few years ago, which gave me a totally new perspective on the whole concept of work in the 21st century. I then worked my way into A Whole New Mind, which gave me--a mostly right-brained technology worker--hope for the future in a previously left-brain dominated world. It's neat to see not only the world itself shifting from left-brain to right-brain, but also to see this author's presentation jump into an obviously quirky/fun style. I loved the other books, but then again I love to read. I was a little concerned about the Manga style at first, but I didn't pick it up because of the style or the graphics: Mr. Pink's books are all extremely thought-provoking, and have pointed me in the right direction many times (not just job searches and career moves). So, yes, I bought the book simply because of the author's name on the side, but when I flipped through it in the bookstore, I realized it had a lot of substance. Like any good parable, it's an entertaining story about a fictional character who is just like a lot of us at work. I love the fact that the author's eating his own dog food here, by presenting this book in a fun way that draws you in (he talks about content -> design -> story in his previous book). I read this book once all the way through too fast...and then went back and re-read it when I had more time, and picked up a lot of things I had missed the first time around. It resonated so much with me that I let my girlfriend read it (she loved it) and I'm thinking of loaning it to other friends who seem bored with their jobs/lives. I've been reading a lot of books lately that have given me back far more than I've put into them monetarily. My only concern is that people might overlook or dismiss this useful book simply because of the Manga presentation. Once you start reading, the characters come to life (especially Johnny, for anyone who's done the same job over and over again without really finding joy in it), and you start to see ways of improving your own situation. If you enjoy reading this book (I know I sound like Amazon or whatever making recommendations), go back and take a look at Free Agent Nation (although it is a few years old, it has good advice and entertaining stories) and A Whole New Mind (more recent, and pulls the author's thoughts together into a more detail-rich and current book than the first). This book certainly stands alone, but you might enjoy rounding this parable out with the full-scale novels of his other two books. To summarize: unless you're totally, 100% happy with your current job or life situation, you should read Johnny Bunko to see if there aren't a few things you might be missing. Warning: side effects may include increased cravings for Asian food eaten with chopsticks!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where's Johnny Bunko 5, 10, or 15 years later?
First off and in the spirit of full disclosure, my wife introduced me to the work of Daniel H. Pink after her government agency brought him in to speak to her colleagues on the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Lesko
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent career advise
I wish I had read this book when I was 17 years old. Still it provided great advise and I recommend it to people thinking about what career choice is best.
Published 1 month ago by Manuel A. Hidalgo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Must have for teens and college students
Must have for teens and college students! Please share with your kids, friends and family. Definitely refreshing and fun to read.
Published 3 months ago by Meka
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good counselor
A great job. Became a subject without boring into something fun and engaging. The concepts are well explained and the design is a clean manga.
Published 7 months ago by Rodrigo M. Pereira
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good tips!!!
This book give really good tips about the professional behavior.
Pink used a simple and easy language, make the book very easy to read and understand.
Pink used a simple and easy language, make the book very easy to read and understand.
Published 8 months ago by Fabio L.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Johny Bunko - a preparation for nonlinear times
The previous economy afforded us the luxury of long, linear careers in businesses, with a certain amount of corporate structure and loyalty playing footsie with each other. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Longshadow
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you care about your career, you should read this book!
This book is an easy read with a power-punch.
I gave this book to my group of middle-school students & they devoured it! Read more
I gave this book to my group of middle-school students & they devoured it! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Heather Martinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
6 important facts to live by
I read two other Daniel Pink books, and was intrigued by a career guide that paralleled Pink's guidance. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Pamela Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth reading
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. There are only six main ideas (as other reviewers have listed), however some of these ideas are unique to this book. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Notmy Realname
3.0 out of 5 stars
Broad Strokes
Providing career advice in a comic book format is clever and appealing to a certain audience. It offers some very good "pearls of wisdom" but falls short of being a comprhenesive... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Terry Pile
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