Book Review 2025.17: The Art of Creative Thinking, (2007), Paperback 127 pages, November 6, 2025
On a trip to Hyderabad last month, I indulged in one of my favorite pass times of browsing through book-stores. For a book lover, Abids on Sundays is a delightful feast for you get to see a wide range of books on display on the pavement. Sold at price pleasing to the pocket, the only constraint is your storage. This is one of the three books that I picked up.
John Adair, the author simplifies the concept of creative thinking to such bare essentials that it can be appreciated and adopted by any reader for solving problem that they face. Organized in twenty-one short chapters of three to four pages each, makes this book an effortless read. Further, the last page of each chapter captures a handful of key points to ensure that the gist of the chapter is not lost by the reader. The quotes placed at the start and the end of each chapter is not only crisp but also thought provoking making it memorable. This is not just a conceptual book on creative thinking but also a useful self-help guide for aspirants.
The book is packed with gems of wisdom. My top five learnings from this book are: 1. Creation is in the mind, only execution requires a canvas. 2. Thinking by analogy is a key element of imaginative thinking. 3. An idea is as creative as the distance between the field of inspiration and the field of application. 4. The essence of creativity is alternations and adaptations. 5. Anxiety is fear diffused. Fear is when you face a tiger in the jungle, anxiety is when you see nothing but are still scared.
This book will form a part of my reference library to be accessed whenever I face a challenging problem. I recommend this book to one and all, especially students and young professionals as they confront challenges in their daily lives. For people like me who like to chase problems, this book will be helpful in navigating tricky corners and hurdles on our path.
Happy reading as we face the challenging adventure of life to find solutions or discover ways to find solutions.
For more book reviews and blogs visit my site www.shankarjagansworld.com.
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