Rating: 
Summary: Does It Work? Do You Use It? Is It Helpful?
Review: The majority of the reviews seem to focus on the reviewer's feelings: towards the author, his previous works, "it was too simple," "too complicated," "repetitive," and so on. However, if you're not familiar with mind-maps (which are creative techniques used to organize thoughts, identify key ideas, link themes, and remember more effectively, while using the both sides of the brain), you might think of it as a gimmicky New-Agey concept without practical applications. In other words, not useful, interesting but not useful. I'd just like to give personal endorsement. I've used mind maps for about twenty years to organize engineering projects at work, remember books I've read, identify daily goals, learn chess opening ideas, outline papers I'm writing, and identify the important from the trivial. This book does have flaws in that Buzan has already written it in his earlier works, and the title suggests to more impressive results than can be delivered ("maximize your brain's potential"). You won't become a genius, you will still have to work at thinking, you'll just have an additional tool to help you. Mind maps are fun, easy-to-use, useful ways to organize and retain information and generate ideas. Linear notes just don't jog the memory. It's still amazing to me how a hastily drawn mind map on an article, book, movie, lecture - a map I'll scribble with stupid little drawings and doodles and throw away days later - can help me remember so much years later !! It works. I use it. It helps.
Rating:
Summary: A good technique for your analysis toolkit
Review: I came to mind maps through a reference to the technique in a book on business analysis. It's fun to work through Buzan's book a couple of evenings a week. I appreciate the extensive use of color and the example mind maps. Sure enough, mind maps have proved to be a useful tool for visualizing the scope of a project, process, or system. I tend to put together a mind map whenever the project feels un-focussed. I do mine by hand, with colored pencils, then distribute colored photocopies, and this seems to wake people up nicely (no "Death by Powerpoint" here!) No, mind maps are not a be-all,end-all communications or learning method, but they definitely useful.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but not all that
Review: I can't recommend this book. It was on to something but fails to deliver. I'm a computer guy and I think that affects my opinion. What this book teaches if that you organize your brain or plan things with a tree structure and that you should use as many pictures as possible. You start with specific items. Say a book, them you make branches coming out describing different aspects. Then you have branch coming out of those branches describing those aspects in detail. Example of on branch: Book - Plot - Love Story - Body meets girl. And Etc. And every branch should be a different color that changes with each branch. 1st branch is red, 2nd is blue, 3rd is green. And use as many colors as possible. The theory of the colors and pictures are logical because of our visual minds. The branching is semi logical because it will only half work in half the occasions. It tries to get you to relate ideas and fact through the tree structure, but its' limitations is that those things can only relate through the other branches it is connected to. So if you're trying to relate something on the left to something on the right, then you're going to have to travel through each on the branches that connect them. That could be 8 or 10 branches to connect two thoughts. One of the easiest ways to remember (and understanding) something you're learning is to relate it to something that you already know (and understand). And with each new fact you relate to the previous fact and with anything else that it is relative to. Since everything is relative and everything in this world relates to everything else, it is a simple task to accomplish with your imagination. In my mind, all new knowledge I learn affects everything I already know. Everything mesh's and connects. Every neuron in your brain is connected to another but not in a tree structure like they're selling, but a fishing net. What they suggest is a Windows Explorer based mind with colors and fancy icons. It's a nice concept but too flawed to be anywhere near a perfect system. Saves you're money, you'll spend more time on coloring and drawing than you will reading and learning. That's great if you're an artist but not for someone looking for straight answers. Read 'The Memory Book' if you're average, but if you're imagination (not creativity mind you, there is a difference - imagination is to visualize and creativity is to create. It is possible to have more of one and almost none of the other) is advanced then read its' source of inspiration 'The Art of Memory'.
Rating: 
Summary: Making Full Use of Your Brain, especially Visual Cortex
Review: "..half of the human brain is devoted directly or indirectly to vision.." said Professor Mriganka Sur of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
--------------------------------
In this book, Tony Buzan convincingly argues for the importance of Mind Mapping--a method of recording and organizaing information based on the nature of human brains. After reading this book and experimenting with Mind Mapping myself, I do believe that our usual writing system does not enable our brains to function effectively and Mind Mapping is a major improvement over it. Mind Mapping is based on a few basic principles summarized as follows:
* Represent concepts with keywords
* Make associations
* Organize into hierarchy
* Visualize concepts using images
* Stimulate your brain with colors and symbols
* Order and emphasize according to importance The major benefits from the use of Mind Maps are:
* Images, colors, and associations stimulates creative thinking.
* Mind Mapping forces you to think actively about the things you learn.
* Efficiency in making/taking notes.
* Learning is simply more fun! The latter part of the book suggests many uses of Mind Maps: writing a personal diary, sharing stories within a family, thinking, teaching, making notes, presenting a lecture, and collaborating in a professional environment. For example, Boeing created a 25-foot long Mind Map summarizing an aircraft engineering manual, which helped save millions of dollars worth of staff time. Tony's writing is lucid and the presentation of the book is excellent. I found the colorful examples given throughout the book especially inspiring and useful. The only complaints I have would be frequent repetition of information and sometimes excessive claims of the power of our brains without solid scientific proofs. These will however likely to have positive impacts on the readers, that is, help them think more positively about their own capability and strengthening the message that the book wants to deliver. So you can think of them as features or defects depending on your personal preferences. Given the amount and complexity of information we need to deal with in the modern world, Mind Mapping is a very valuable tool everyone needs to possess. The benefits far outweigh the cost of learning it.
Rating:
Summary: Buy it!! and then practise!!
Review: The issue is that we don't use our mind. The author had asked a librarian in his college days that he wanted books on how to use mind. He was disappointed that he was referred to the medical section. The conclusion is that if you use mind mapping techniques, you will be able to use your mind effectively. Mind mapping is recommended as opposed to linear notes taking. The author supports his finding with detailed mind maps examples. The book if filled with create pictures and slides. The theory is good but implementating what we learn is difficult. Since you will require to refer to it a great deal, it is good to buy it. Since no practise tools are provided, it doesn't get 5 star rating.
Rating:
Summary: Does It Work? Do You Use It? Is It Helpful?
Review: The majority of the reviews seem to focus on the reviewer's feelings: towards the author, his previous works, "it was too simple," "too complicated," "repetitive," and so on. However, if you're not familiar with mind-maps (which are creative techniques used to organize thoughts, identify key ideas, link themes, and remember more effectively, while using the both sides of the brain), you might think of it as a gimmicky New-Agey concept without practical applications. In other words, not useful, interesting but not useful. I'd just like to give personal endorsement. I've used mind maps for about twenty years to organize engineering projects at work, remember books I've read, identify daily goals, learn chess opening ideas, outline papers I'm writing, and identify the important from the trivial. This book does have flaws in that Buzan has already written it in his earlier works, and the title suggests to more impressive results than can be delivered ("maximize your brain's potential"). You won't become a genius, you will still have to work at thinking, you'll just have an additional tool to help you. Mind maps are fun, easy-to-use, useful ways to organize and retain information and generate ideas. Linear notes just don't jog the memory. It's still amazing to me how a hastily drawn mind map on an article, book, movie, lecture - a map I'll scribble with stupid little drawings and doodles and throw away days later - can help me remember so much years later !! It works. I use it. It helps.
Rating: 
Summary: Trademarked Nonsense
Review: I found the mindmap method promising in writing, but useless in reality. I heard people raving about them, and believed them. I also believed the 99% untapped brain potential idea-until I engaged the brain. How did they come up with that spurious statistic? Anyway, before reading the book, the method confused me and my learning. Even after reading the book, the method still confused me and distracted my learning. Apparently the method is trademarked, and they are making money out of it. However, it seems to be less effective than normal visual methods that are already taught at school (drawing simple figures and annotating them). Full of hype and pseudoscience. Just get a good academic study method book instead!
Rating:
Summary: Years Later I Still Love Making Mind Maps
Review: It's been so long since I read this book, but throughout the past few years, I've recomended it often. I love to create mind maps. I've mapped out outlines of books I wanted to remember, of plans I've had, of visions to manifest. Right now I love to use the technique to bing a dream into being, with all the colorful details. I set my Heart's Dream on my alter and look at it often, and feel how it would be if this came true. This is a major tool of mine to co-create and I feel such gratitude for the concept. Simple. Clear. Imaginative.
Rating:
Summary: This is the Bible of Mind Mapping
Review: Tony Buzan invented the techniques. Many others have written about it with or without giving him full credit for it. In any case, this is the only book you need to read about this subject. It covers all the aspects and applications. It covers the basic rules. I have about 10 years of mindmapping experience. I mindmap today a lot less than I used to during my first 3 years. I think the best application of mindmapping is for studying, reviewing, and memorizing materials. If I had known about mindmapping when I went through school(s), I would have done a lot better than I did. Catching mindmapping a bit later in life, it allowed me to study a lot of new stuff much quicker than I would have otherwise. There is really something about involving your whole brain in the learning process, instead of just the left one. And, mindmapping does that naturally for you.
Rating:
Summary: In-depth look at mind mapping
Review: In the Mind Map Book, Tony Buzan describes the use of Mind Maps, or radiant thinking, for learning and brainstorming. He gives many examples of ways the Mind Mapping technique can be used, from creating annual Mind Maps of goals to mapping presentations to mapping school notes and daily agendas. I found this an interesting and in-depth book about Mind Mapping. However, I don't see that the Mind Mapping technique is practical for every situation the author seems to think it is. For example, included in the book is a sheet taken from the author's day planner; he's drawn the day, coloring blocks of times, drawing little planes during times he's flying, drawing dolphins, little men, etc., using various colored pens and highlighters, outlining and doodling. Who on earth has the time for all of this? And what happens when something unexpected happens and you need to rearrange your schedule? I purchased this book mostly because I am interested in using the Mind Mapping technique to aid in college; however, it's the same issue as above - who has the time to draw detailed, multicolored, 3-D pictures? The author repeatedly mentions the so-called great minds of the past, and includes samples from their notes. However, on reviewing the samples, few to none of them appear to resemble the Mind Map techniques Tony uses; their notes are more traditional notes with interspersed pictures and symbols. This would seem more reasonable for notetaking, whereas I can see that Mind Mapping in greater detail would be helpful for other things, such as preparing a speech, brainstorming to write a novel or paper, brainstorming with a group in a work environment, mapping goals, and so on. I think this is a good overview of the possibilities of Mind Mapping, but that it will be best used if you adapt it to your needs rather than rigidly trying to use the techniques exactly as the author lays them out.
|
