The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World’s Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley by Eric Weiner (Epub)

Description

In this “intellectual odyssey, traveler’s diary, and comic novel all rolled into one” (Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness), acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. A “superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating” (The Washington Post), he explores the history of places like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity. With his trademark insightful humor, this “big-hearted humanist” (The Wall Street Journal) walks the same paths as the geniuses who flourished in these settings to see if the spirit of what inspired figures like Socrates, Michelangelo, and Leonardo remains. In these places, Weiner asks, “What was in the air, and can we bottle it?”

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Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ A book that tries to navigate its way among the tossing currents of thoughts on genius. It’s true that there’s no foundational standard on what a genius is (our technology is not as yet good.) Therefore, any projection of ideas about genius tends to be shallow and seemingly one’s own stupidity. But not so much in this book, the author doesn’t himself try to say what a genius is, he’s telling about the places that produce geniuses and the possible why and how of that production. Written with deep insights in informal sometimes humorous style, the book contains some serious points worth pondering through. It’s a job well done in the field of prejudices, misunderstandings, cheap glitters, senseless adorations, egomania, and stupendous stupidities. But that’s the environment of any genius in all ages. This book doesn’t reflect anything negative like that at all.

⭐ This book should not be allowed to have this title. The title is way too cool, promising a true study of why some communities/civilization breed so much innovation. Instead this was a light travel book, touching on the state of certain cities at certain times without any in depth analysis or research. If you like cheesy humor and easy to read commentary that is not backed up by study you will probably not be as annoyed as I was by this book.

⭐ First of all, this book does strike one as being a bit of a travelogue, rather than the historic analysis that the title presumes it to be, but I hung on through the opening chapters and began to find more correlations and soft conclusions as the observations and comparisons mounted. Plus, I basically agree with Weiner’s contention that (a society) gets the geniuses that it demands and deserves. To someone who hasn’t read the book that may sound like a flimsy statement, but I feel it holds a core truth worthy of deeper appreciation and application.This book could be of tremendous importance to anyone working to develop a community culture in the arts, sciences, technology, ecology, vinology, industry, etc.

⭐ Travelling through time and space, with the aid of some knowledgeable guides, Eric Weiner takes the reader on a tour of humanity’s hot spots over the last two and a half millennia. He begins with Athens in the Golden age and ends with, what else, Palo Alto in the Silicon age. Interspersed with lively metaphors and well-suited aphorisms, it reads without interruption and organizes a number of thoughtful studies on the topics of what cultivates creativity. This reviewer takes a bit of an exception to the fixation on Freud, who admittedly was a creator of new and surprising ideas, but ones that may have been found wanting in terms of validation. Otherwise, the places, including Vienna in 1900, and people, and the connections among them provide insights worth having and questions worth asking.Diverse, disorderly, and discerning, to quote the author, his tour entertains, informs, and invariably engages the reader, even if there are some not necessarily inappropriate ups and downs in the ebb and flow in the journey. For anyone interested in cultivating young creators or in developing environments that promote adult creativity, which includes almost all parents, teachers and entrepreneurs, this book offers something different and worthwhile. The fast food consumers of business books should be forewarned, however, this is not a book filled with bullet point answers to satisfy one’s curiosity, but rather, a multi-course meal with a variety of offerings meant to enrich one’s appreciation of a subject that is tantalizing, relevant, and complex.

⭐ A fascinating read about how Places and circumstances create an environment that allows and encourages genius to thrive. As a former teacher, I am aware of how well intended programs and theories of education thwart creative thinking and how gifted intelligence does not necessarily create success stories. Thinking out side the box or even better beyond the box must be encouraged. There is no better feeling than having a student take an assignment and run with it or see a student use a lesson as a launching board to other ideas. I worry that today’s emphasis on testing outcomes is creating generations of great memorizes who know many facts but little substance. All educators and parents who seek to instill problem solving and creative thinking should read this book. Yes, I think it is that important. We need to be the flame that sets our childrens’ genius on fire.

⭐ Greatly enjoyed this book by Eric Weiner. I love travelogues accompanied with insightful observations. Eric Weiner has carved his own niche. He is one of my favorite travel writers along with Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux.I started with the audio book version. Then with my interest piqued, I ordered the print version. I enjoyed reading parts of the book again after having listened to the audio version in Eric Weiner’s own voice. The two formats complemented well and greatly enhanced my enjoyment of this book.If not for the Eric Weiner’s rendering in the audio version, I would have missed the very poetic name of “Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi” if only I was reading it in the print version. Likewise, some of the humor in the text came to life only when I heard it from Eric Weiner.

⭐ This book has a lot to like. A glimpse at different places at different times. The views of different people in these places on the topics involved. A confirming and/or dispelling of popular myths and personal beliefs/conceived notions of the creation/evolution of the genius’ evoked. An extraordinary amount of trivia to sate our curiosity of the moment. An opportunity to relate on a common level to the hardships endured by truly gifted individuals. I found myself riding shotgun on Erics’ genius journey and coming away truly better for it.

⭐ Funny, informative, and evenly written. It’s a great concept, trying to figure out why genius sprouts up. Great book for an airplane trip or a beach. Great book for evening reading. Not enough nice little books being written about something lively and positive. Written in sort of the John McPhee style, backing and filling, providing a lot of “real” data, as opposed to something harvested from Wikipedia (no offense meant to Wikipedia, which I love).

⭐ I give the writer a C for taking on a challenging topic. However, most of the relevant information which I was looking for i.e what makes a person, community or city a genius, relies heavily on the author’s subjective perception and very little on objective data. Finally, a slight penalty for either incomplete understanding of the topic or prejudice – for totally overlooking 2 locations of sources of genius between the 8th and 13 centuries: Baghdad and Islamic Spain

⭐ This is a great book on many levels. First the content is solid. Eric gives many and varied perspectives on what makes a creative genius and what does not. He integrates thoughts from other writers who have researched this topics. He interviews experts who live and work in the locations he visits. He combines history with his active investigation. Second, it is incredibly readable. That’s an understatement. The travelog approach is engaging, but his humor keeps it light and entertaining. Third and most importantly, he is an excellent writer. Page after page I have underlined excellent summaries of the ideas that support his thesis. He is expert at turning a phrase to make it sing. “Hunger is the best spice.” “Genius requires not only an accelerator but also a rearview mirror.” “Wealth gives you do-overs.” “All art is, at its core, a stab at immortality.” “Genius offers only the illusion of immortality. Yet we reach for it anyway, the way a drowning man will reach for even the flimsiest of logs.”

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