Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Analyses Of Creative Icons....
Review: ....too bad Gardener could not have included an examination of another of my favorites, Henry Miller, in his study, but this, I have found, is an exceptional work if only for the ambition in the reach of his theory. Here, Gardener wanted to show similarities or differences the Modern Era (1885-1935) had on seven popular figures in the world of art, science, world affairs. Each of these folks came to thier idea(s) in their chosen fields of endeavor because each field had apparently bottomed, exhausted, became the same stuff warmed over and new forms of said fields had been created by these folks by destroying and or simplifying old tenets, and the well worn rules. Gardener also pursues how ill-defined characteristics of these 7 folks (ill-defined probably in the sense that not namy of the contemporaries of that time or the so called normal folks could detect anything nessesarily unusual about these guys and gal) came to gel into the genius we all know and love. Each were standoff-ish folks who Gardner defines as "marginal personalities"...or people who knew how to marginalise thier out put in order to get to something differen and original. This I found was akin to the artist having to go thru suferring in order to produce their works. Each had at least one magnum opus--
Eliot, "The Waste Land"; Einstein, the Special Theory of Relativity; Picasso, Guernica; Stravinsky, "The Firebird Suite", and so on. Each had at least one friendly foe--Eliot had Pound,
Picasso had Braque, Einstien had Pauli, and so forth. Each person are highlighted by a great biography/history put together in easily accessible writing and stunning detail. Meaning that the bios ain't just dry textbook style writing. This, if for nothing else, is in my opinion why this text will become a valuable addition to anyones library. However, I am left unconvinced that the advent of the Modern Era had much to do with these creative folk create. In spite of his compelling summary and final chapters. My impression is that in some kind of some mass destruction like say for instance, war and plague and drug infestation and the like, someone arises from the rubble to either voice human concerns or create that voice that touches on the univeral concern. That is kinda why these folks were compelled to do what they have done. There is still the Factor Unwritten that is unique to each but cannot be easily defined. And although this era Gardner speaks of seems like a fertile time, history may show that this occurs more than is let on. (Maybe that is another reason why this is an important work, who's to say?) My opinion, and this is to no way belittle or deny the greatness of any of these creators and creations, the best creators have yet to be born. Gardner here, however, has put together a very good study of creators and creative mind. Get it and refer to it often. (By the way, I stumbled on it becuase I am a big TS Eliot person and the bio section was recommended to me by a professor in these parts.)
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Analyses Of Creative Icons....
Review: ....too bad Gardner could not have included an examination of another of my favorites, Henry Miller, in his study, but this, I have found, is an exceptional work if only for the author's ambition. Here, Gardner wanted to show similarities or differences the Modern Era (1885-1935) had on seven popular figures in the world of art, science, world affairs. Each of these folks came to thier idea(s) in their chosen fields of endeavor because each field had apparently bottomed, exhausted, became the same stuff warmed over and new forms of said fields had been created by these folks by destroying and or simplifying old tenets, and the well worn rules. Gardner also pursues how characteristics of these 7 folks (ill-defined probably in the sense that not many of the contemporaries of that time or the so called normal folks could detect anything nessesarily unusual about these guys and gal) came to gel into the genius we all know and love. Each were standoff-ish folks who Gardner defines as "marginal personalities"...or people who knew how to marginalise thier out put in order to get to something different and original. This I found was akin to the theory artist having to go thru suffering in order to produce their works. Each had at least one magnum opus--Eliot, "The Waste Land"; Einstein, the Special Theory of Relativity; Picasso, Guernica; Stravinsky, "The Firebird Suite", and so on. Each had at least one friendly foe--Eliot had Pound,
Picasso had Braque, Einstien had Pauli, and so forth. Each made what can be described as a Faustian Bargain. (Hmmmm...) Each person is highlighted by a great biography/history put together in easily accessible writing and stunning detail. Meaning that the bios ain't just dry textbook style writing. This, if for nothing else, is in my opinion why this text will become a valuable addition to anyones library. However, I am left unconvinced that the advent of the Modern Era had much to do with these creative folk create. In spite of his compelling summary and final chapters...but, maybe there is something to the Faustian Bargain making. My overall impression has always been that in some kind of some mass destruction like say for instance, war and plague and poverty and drug infestation and the like, someone arises from the rubble to either voice human concerns or create that voice that touches on the universal concern. That is one great reason why these folks are compelled to create what they do end up creating. There is also the Factor Unwritten that is unique to each but cannot and will not be easily defined. Whether this is part of the Bargain, I, of course, cannot say. And although the era Gardner speaks of seems like a fertile time, history may show that people rising from the dregs to create the divinely inspired creation occurs more than is let on. (Maybe that is another reason why this is an important work, who's to say?) My opinion, and this is to no way belittle or deny the greatness of any of these creators and creations, the best creators have yet to be born. Gardner here, however, has put together a very good study of creators and creative mind. Get it and refer to it often. (By the way, I stumbled on it because I am a big TS Eliot person and the bio section was recommended to me by a professor in these parts.)
Rating:
Summary: creativity is a personal journy
Review: everyone creates everyday, no one is more creative then the other, everyone gets there turn to be recognized, if thats what they dream, or if someone else dreams, art is personality, no ones personality is the same,
Rating: 
Summary: book sales boosted by famous names.
Review: find your favourite name on the title and you will read opinions about how they stayed strong to succeed. Exercising a small amount of talent for a lifetme can go a long way.
Pretty interesting though.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Stories, Picked to Fit Gardner's Schema
Review: Howard Gardner has changed the way we think about intelligence. His seminal book, Frames of Mind, introduced the idea that the correct question we should be asking is not, "How smart am I?" but rather "How am I smart?"
It was Gardner who first came up with the idea that there are different kinds of intelligence, and that we have differing gifts in all of them. In Creating Minds, he goes beyond the basic concept that he laid out in
Frames of Mind, by looking at creativity through the lens of these multiple intelligences.
What he tries to do is to illuminate how specific creative geniuses in different fields used different intelligences. On the whole, the book works.
Gardner gives us, in brief, the lives of Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky,
T. S. Eliot, Martha Graham, and Mahatma Ghandi. In each biography, he talks about their particular gifts, especially their "intelligence," using his own framework. This works very well with some of his subject and not so well with others.
It's easy to get a handle on spatial intelligence with Picasso, and musical intelligence with Stravinsky, and linguistic intelligence with Eliot. It's easy to understand how a dancer like Martha Graham has bodily or physical intelligence. But when we move into some other domains, especially the social, things get a bit murky.
The chapter on Ghandi seems to me to be in the book because it was necessary to complete the range of intelligences that Gardner had described. Part of the problem may be that political creators have to mobilize other human beings and creativity in that domain is sometimes is harder to judge and define than, for example, the ability to conceptualize a sculpture or a set of mathematical equations.
I also wish that Gardner had included some comparisons of other contemporaries in the same field in some of his stories. I would like, for example, to have seen Gandhi set against Hitler. Both were effective at mobilizing people, but they pursued very different ends. Or, perhaps we could have set Gandhi against Franklin Roosevelt or Martin Luther King, Jr.
The biggest problem I had with the book, though, was Gardner's definition of creation as lifetime achievement. I'm not sure I'm comfortable, with the idea that the most creative people are the people who work in the same field throughout a lifetime, and make major contributions there throughout that lifetime. That certainly is one kind of creativity and it's well represented and analyzed in this book.
We learn, for example, that most of the creative people studied by Gardner seem to move through their creative life in stages. They spend a decade or so mastering their domain and then producing great work. Then there's another decade or so spent mastering a new aspect of the domain, followed by more creative output.
We also learn about the need for a circle of people around the creative person who provide both support and stimulation. Many times these are the unsung heroes of the genius' career.
There are some things missing, though. There's no discussion of folks who produce creative work in different fields.
There's a good deal to be said for the idea that someone - such as Linus Pauling, recipient of two Nobel Prizes - who changes fields and makes major contributions in more than one field, is more creative than a person who stays in a single field. There's something to be said for the argument that a person who is effective in many areas, but not of genius caliber in one, is as creative as the one-field genius.
Those kinds of reservations lead me to suggest that this is a much more compelling book as biography than it is as psychology. You can, if you choose, forget all of the material about what constitutes creativity and the reference to the multiple intelligences and read each of the main characters' sketches as a short biography and come away with an insight into that person and his or her creative life that you would not have otherwise.
This is a good and illuminating read. It will stretch your mind and your understanding.
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Books
Review: Howard Gardner is a leading writer and educator who developed the theory of 'Multiple Intelligence'. I have read most of what he has written, and I found this to be one of the more enjoyable and accessible books. What makes this a powerful book is that it takes his theoretical concept (Multiple Intelligence), and explores it from the perspective of renowned individuals who creatively exhibited a specific intelligence style. Gardner's theories are groundbreaking and this book is a great introduction, but also don't miss his seminal work in this area (Multiple Intelligence). I have had two children that have participated in multiple intelligence programs in school, and the results of those programs have been outstanding. I truly believe that if the concept that his work explored were deployed throughout our educational institutions that we would have many more "learners" as opposed to students. As the author of Aha! - 10 Ways To Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas, I was deeply influenced by Gardner's work. I believe that anyone who wants a better understanding of how learning styles and can impact the creativity of an individual will gain much from "Creating Minds."
Rating:
Summary: Explore creativity and multiple intelligence in one book
Review: Howard Gardner is a leading writer and educator who developed the theory of 'Multiple Intelligence'. I have read most of what he has written, and I found this to be one of the more enjoyable and accessible books. What makes this a powerful book is that it takes his theoretical concept (Multiple Intelligence), and explores it from the perspective of renowned individuals who creatively exhibited a specific intelligence style. Gardner's theories are groundbreaking and this book is a great introduction, but also don't miss his seminal work in this area (Multiple Intelligence). I have had two children that have participated in multiple intelligence programs in school, and the results of those programs have been outstanding. I truly believe that if the concept that his work explored were deployed throughout our educational institutions that we would have many more "learners" as opposed to students. As the author of Aha! - 10 Ways To Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas, I was deeply influenced by Gardner's work. I believe that anyone who wants a better understanding of how learning styles and can impact the creativity of an individual will gain much from "Creating Minds."
Rating:
Summary: An interesting book examining the creative process.
Review: I found this book to be a very interesting read. As a public educator, I a enjoy books that take me out of the framework or box that I view the learning process. Creative Minds made me examine and understand the creative process over a span of a lifetime and mentally note the types of blockers in the early lives of these extraordinary individuals. The book also emphasized for me the differing intelligences in the human race and the conditions necessary for creative breakthroughs. Creating Minds is an excellent reflective read for public educators
Rating:
Summary: An interesting book examining the creative process.
Review: I found this book to be a very interesting read. As a public educator, I a enjoy books that take me out of the framework or box that I view the learning process. Creative Minds made me examine and understand the creative process over a span of a lifetime and mentally note the types of blockers in the early lives of these extraordinary individuals. The book also emphasized for me the differing intelligences in the human race and the conditions necessary for creative breakthroughs. Creating Minds is an excellent reflective read for public educators
Rating:
Summary: A source of inspiration
Review: I look to this book when I think about what to do with my life. Gardner is one of my favorite writers, someone who turned me on to Cognitive Science, and one of the only science authors I've read cover to cover.
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