With a clear simple title and a bright yellow cover, "Handbook for the Positive Revolution" is packed with practical, constructive and enlightening ideas to help change your world and the world of those around you. Dr. de Bono distinguishes between two types of revolution, the negative revolutions of the past and the positive revolution, which some people might feel has continued to develop since this book was published in 1991.

De Bono suggests that those who wish to create a more positive future could do well to turn away from traditional "I am right - you are wrong" thinking. In negative revolutions of the past (e.g. the Marxist fight against capitalism) there is an enemy to be hated, this hatred giving cohesion and energy to the revolutionaries. With a positive revolution however, there is construction instead of attack, design instead of criticism, change through awareness instead of change through violence. A flexible sense of humour is proposed instead of an inflexible ideology!

Five basic principles are outlined: effectiveness, constructive, respect, self-improvement, contribution. The proposed positive revolution is certainly not a passive one. Self-improvement suggestions include learning new skills (anything from learning a new language to starting up a new business) and becoming better at anything you are doing. The section on respect draws on the Chinese wisdom of Confucius, who claimed that if everyone behaved properly towards other people, civilization would work.

Although some of the slogans and symbols towards the end are a bit gimmicky for my taste, I continue to dip into this deceptively simple book for positive inspiration, many years after I bought it.

Edward de Bono describes a model for people to work with individually and together to build a better future. It is simple and practical rather than descriptive and preachy. Buy this book if you haven't yet given up hope

Using the foundations developed in his many penetrating books on the mechanisms and functions of mind (eg "lateral thinking")De Bono explores the central driving force of human conscious endevour - the pursuit of happiness. Some of the key concepts developed are exciting to say the least.

One of the most influential books that I read when I was in my early twenties. Found it to be as useful and enlightening as I'm OK You're OK. I think I'm a different and better person today because of it.

Concepts such as Cope Space and Demand Space and how their ratio influence your happiness, were clearly and simply explained.

Also includes straightforward practical advice. Such as being sensitive doesn't mean having to act upon it - you can notice things but you can choose to shrug them off.

I've found myself reasoning out some behaviour - hey, I should see this situation this way and react this way - and then reread the book and realised that the idea was from the book.

This book is a keeper. Something to reread every five or ten years.

A nice design book. But what the authors describe as wit is simply design with a message in it. I mean, they classify the Shell logo as visual wit!

The best genuine wit is on page 56; the front cover of "Designer" magazine's Money Issue. A bank manager, pictured behind his desk with Thurberesque simplicity of line, tells a pen-and-copperplate-engraved image of a designer that he's "ridiculously overdrawn".

If you're interested in visual wit look at advertising, not design. Get a British D&AD annual from the 80's or 90's.

I have had this book for several years now, and my copy is getting rather ragged and dog-eared from frequent reading. This is not simply a picture book of interesting designs but an analysis of what makes witty, effective and memorable designs. Should be required reading for all design students.

If graphic design to you is pretty decoration and the latest cool font then this book is not for you...

However, if you want to gain the ability to apply witty and conceptual thinking to create communicative and memorable graphic images, then buy this book!

Concept and wit (two forgotten tools in the "computer first" design education in today's schools) can aid the designer in creating work that provokes the viewer to solve clues in his/her mind, sometimes resulting in a smile or "aha!" When this happens the graphic image leaves a lasting impression because the viewer has participated in it's closure.

Some may consider the contents of the book "old school." But good examples of wit and ideas are two things that will never go out of style!

I had a quick browse of the book and I find interesting. I believe it would have been better have a title Improve your thinking rather than teach your child how to think. I found the book to be helpfully to any age.
The following captured my interest:
 Difference between, cleverness, wisdom and intelligence
 Perception vs. wisdom and use of logic
 The first rule of Intellectualism If you do not have much to say make it complex as possible.
 Criticism is much easier than creation. It encourages individual creativity even when challenged .

If you are new to Edward, this book is good for you. You can read just one book and get many other books written by Edward. Since this book summarize many other books.

But if you want to teach your child after reading this book, you may find that it is not so easy to apply the theory to your child.

However, I learn quite a lot of thinking method from this book.

Thanks!

I am thoroughly impressed with Edward De Bono's matter-of-fact, wholly insightful, and unique yet practical work(s) published in the field of Thinking over the last four decades.

After listening to De Bono's taped works (such as "Teach Your Child How to Think"), I was both saddened and amazed to realize how limited in scope were the types and tools of thinking I was taught at all levels of education. The high school I attended focused primarily on acquiring information; the Ivy-league schools I attended taught specialized material primarily through judgment, criticism, analysis, and argument.

Other important thinking modes, especially action-oriented ones such as design, exploration, creativity, and so forth, were assumed to arise mainly from talent and intelligence, and therefore were not taught, even ignored. How wrong and damaging was that default view !

How I also wish I'd learned some of De Bono's concepts, perspectives, and tools in high school (or earlier). Important parts of life would have been much richer, perhaps easier (higher education is one example).

Though I rate these tapes 5-stars, I want to point out that it is likely an adult will have to internalize this material and teach it carefully to a young person. There will be a learning curve in the beginning.

Ed De Bono's works are packed with useful tools and insights. Because they are packed, gaining the most benefit requires reading "between the lines". I believe the listener must "stop the tape" (or put down the book) and make the effort to expand on De Bono's concepts and comments, in part by mapping them into past personal experiences (particularly useful are those experiences that had costly or unpleasant outcomes for the listener because at the time he/she lacked (or misapplied) certain thinking tools).

I am convinced that anyone of average intelligence and education who invests about 20 hours effort to listen to, internalize, and then practice a half-dozen of De Bono's various thinking tools will be amazed at the improvement it will yield in his/her relationships and work. I offer this comment as neither a religious nor "New Age" promoter but merely as a person who continues to benefit from these approaches.

I also highly recommend De Bono's "Teach Yourself to Think" tape set. It largely complements this set.

I was a little surprised to discover that this is not a book, but in fact a series of cards, each bearing a lateral thinking puzzle. Edward de Bono does not seem to have contributed material, in spite of amazon.com citing him as co-author. The content has been previously issued in two other lateral thinking puzzle publications.

This is an appealing and entertaining package at a reasonable price, but those seeking Edward de Bono's wisdom will be disappointed.

I can't believe I spent my whole sunday playing this game/book with some friends. It became mind absorbingly addictive. I recommend it at as a party game. Some of the riddles we worked out and some we didn't, but it did become riotous fun for most of the day. It comes either as a book or as a series of cards, we happened to have both, no preference between the two, although the book does have a forward by Edward De Bono.

A stimulating collection of challenging riddles, many of which are nearly impossible to solve. But that, in fact, is where so much of the fun is derived. As the failed attempts of ourlateral thinking friends proved to be just as entertaining as the real answers offered in the back. And the author/illustrator's accompanying pictures are as intriguing as the riddles. In his own words, they're there 'to entertain your eyeballs when your mind goes blank.' Yes, your mind may go blank, but you'll be smiling at the time.

Too complicated to understand. Poor layout of the book. The way information is presented needs to improve a lot.

I have read several of Edward de Bono's books in recent years and I enjoy his theories. Which is why I recently dished out a lot of monet for the Why So Stupid book that is supposedly his magnum opus and is available only by direct mail. And after reading it, I will report that most of what is there for a very high price is also in this book and in de Bono's Thinking Course, which can be had for around 4% of that cost -- if that isn't worth a 5-star rating, what is?

The more expensive book does illustrate a more evolved form of de Bono's theories, and they are applied in more situations (including many that are relevant to the world today). But my advice is to by this book or the Thinking Course -- both are excellent primers on de Bono's excellent ideas.

This book magically appeared in my hands. I asked the librarian for a book called Creating Minds and he didn't have that one, but said this one had the same code, would I like to look at it? I took it,looked and was hooked. This book describes how my mind works, and how other people can consider my methods as futile and useless, except of course when they think I'm brilliant! Prior to this the closest descriptions I found were ADD, right-brained, creative, or just plain depressed. I hope to talk to the author soon and find out where this method of thinking is valued so I can go there!

There are a couple of useful ideas within the book. Advantages and pitfalls of simplicity are outlined and some paths featured. Nevertheless, as it's common, when you end up the chapters little remains. The book is too much dense and padded out. It's a contradiction with the issue of the book. There are 10 rules at the end that summarise the ideas. If some pages with the useful points were added on to this summary, the book could be reduced to 50 useful pages. It's a pity not to practice what one preaches. As stated by himself: "One reason for complexity is trying to show deep knowledge on an issue".

good comparison between richness vs complexity. good spot of real life cycle of the needs of simple-->complex-->simple_again. good analysis of simplicity in terms of what. good advice to deliver value(s) when applying simplicity. In overall, it is a book of many interesting points of simplicity. Before applying simplicity in real life, read this book first because it reminds you that abuse of simplicity will lead to simplistic or oversimplification.

Excellent book that mix lateral thinking concepts with simplicity. 10 rules of simplicity are outlined. The book covers informatoin about simplicity from the perspective of a person that is very creative and has fully contribute in this regards. I recommend it if you want to apply simplicity and creative thinking to your life. It is a must in this complex days world! Enjoy

I found this book very fascinating. It explores the various human cognitive processes through examples. These examples are basically constructed through a single mental experiment, the Black Cylinder Experiment. However, in my opinion, the final conclusion drawn in this book is on quite a tangent from the discussions throughout most of the book, but the discussions were necessary.

If you can get your hands on this book I would recommend it. There are many other books out there and one should read them as one sees fit. But what I like about this book is that it helped me establish a frame of reference of how my mind works. Realistically the human mind is very complicated and still remains to be discovered. But Edward De Bono's book will provide you with the mental tools you need to begin the process of self reflection. From this starting point one will hopefully find the means to begin the process of elevating one's level of awarness as a living thinking human being. This, of course, assumes that one is interested in doing so. :)

When I started reading this book I was hoping that it would give me practical techniques to help improve my thinking. From this perspective, the book was not successful. This book is more theoretical rather than providing practical techniques that can be applied to actual thinking. De Bono describes numerous "tools" that can be used to help thinking. But I felt the way they were presented was too abstract, and there was no structure or organization. It was just a laundry list.

I became very concerned about the author's ability to apply his tools when I read the following (page 27): "A classic example of this is Darwin's theory of evolution. It is plausible and rational and better than anything else. It is also impossible to prove. Our proof for it rests on our lack of imagination in thinking of a better mechanism." De Bono is apparently unaware of the scientific method and the large body of evidence supporting evolution-it is not based merely on "lack of imagination." Perhaps de Bono is an expert on the process of thinking, but maybe he cannot apply his expertise to specific situations. He is too wrapped up in his "tools" to actually apply them appropriately.

If you are looking for practical steps you can take to help improve your thinking, I recommend the book "Dumbth" by the late Steve Allen.

REVIEW: I received a copy of this book by accident. I decided to read it anyway since I am a "thinking" personality type and the book looked easy to read. I was expecting the book to read like a hyped-up mass market self help book. I was pleasantly surprised. I found the book very practical, easy to read, and genuine. I picked up a good deal of useful information and helpful methods. These include understanding (within the brain) what makes things seem funny to step-by-step thinking procedures.

De bono writes very simply and even when he explains theoretical concepts the explanations are not technical. There is some tendency by the author to regularly cite his many other books and to use his own made up words and acronyms. I found the citations to the other works authentic and not overt plugs. Similarly the use of coined terms and acronyms seemed very practical and not driven by ego as I've noticed with many authors.

STRENGTHS: Very practical methods and ideas to improve thinking, easy to read, short chapters. Optional practice activities and not too technical or academic.

WEAKNESSES: Some might not like the regular use of coined terms and acronyms. Only cites his own books. Some things explained too briefly.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: Anyone interested in improving their thinking.

As a tenured law-professor in a school dedicated to teaching lawyers to solve problems creatively, I consider de Bono's book the most startlingly original and comprehensive book I've encountered on the subject. Moreover, it convincingly reveals how unaware teachers, academics, journalists, politicians, and other professionals are of the mental shackles we wear as our legacy from the Western Tradition of "thinking." For the price, it's just-under-200 pages can't be beat!

For the most part, this book seemed contrived and impractical. There are a few good ideas in here, but they are buried. It takes a lot of effort to sort through and pull them out. I have three main beefs with the book:

1) The author refers to himself and his works WAY too often. There is definitely more than Narcism there, I think maybe he is his own hero. But I don't find lateral thinking to be that fascinating. He satkes his reputation on this concept. "Lateral Thinking" is the same thing as "mechanized creativity."

2) There is a fundamental flaw in the book that shoots itself down. The entire book is about how we should avoid absolutes and deal with perceptions instead of concrete facts. Then it proceeds to claim that the author was "right" about this and that in previous works and it makes assumptions like that more food production is a goal to aspire to. Ultimately, this is a good "exploration" of a subject the author has not applied to himself. As such, I don't feel he should be regarded as speaking with authority.

3) It is about 200 pages too long. There are 3 redundant forwards, followed by a lengthy introduction (32 pages), followed by a redundant introductory section. On page 110, the author is still referring to things he intends to do with the book. Don't talk it up, just do it.

There are more than 70 pages building up what the book will do, and the rest of the book just fails to live up. ONE of the THREE Forwards says that the book is in simple terms because De Bono is a master and can dumb it down. Not so. It is in simple terms because it is not a complete concept and the whole book is filled with testaments to the author's lack of understanding of his own concepts.

All that said, I actually do enjoy the "lateral thinking" exercises of De Bono. I suggest spending your reading time there instead of here.

This book stands out as one of the best explanations of how the mind works, and doesn't work, and how to make make the best use of your own. He destroys in a few paragraphs a lot of deeply entrenched misconceptions that western society has been operating under for centuries. I've seen a lot of other long and wordy attempts that fail to get half as far as De Bono has in this little book. It's densely packed with concepts, each touched on just long enough to give the reader the main points, without all the flowery self-indulgent nonsense that so many other writers of books for the lay person love to fill their pages with. De Bono gets to the point. And good points they are! Excellent book.

I found this book to be extremely useful to my understanding of human behavior. I have been reading extensive psychological literature in order to formulate a useful model to understand how humans in organizations react to proposed change. I want to use that model to help them create positive change. Most of the literature on organizational change is anecdotal support of an approach that once worked somewhere. (Exception: Chris Argyris) DeBono starts with the fundamental mechanism of how the brain works to understand the behavior people exhibit. This understanding has enabled me to formulate much more effective approaches to individual and organizaitonal change. You do have to think hard to understand deBono's underlying messages. It may be difficult if this is the first deBono book you read, or if you have not been digging for a solution to a specific problem. But, I give it a 5+!