Rating: 
Summary: Great Vacation Reading
Review: As an MBA professor of creativity management, I will use this book in my next semester. It is a delightful read and I heartily recommend it for readers seeking to expand their minds and the application of their creativity.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Recommend
Review: I have a huge interest in creativity and have read many books on the subject. What I liked most about the book was its pragmatic approach to creativity/problem-solving. Rather than going through dozens of techniques and suggestions to inspire breakthrough solutions, it breaks the process down into two parts: Finding solutions and Applying existing solutions; and four techniques. While there is definitely a need for truly original ideas and solutions, there is also value in building on existing ideas. Many books on entrepreneurship preach this method for generating business ideas. This book does a good job on telling you how to do that. In addition, the writing style of the authors make it a fast and enjoyable read. As for negatives, I thought the discussion on "Why can't you feel my pain?" could have been explained better and the placement of some exercises disrupted the flow of the book. Keep in mind that the focus of the book is presenting a way to look at problems and solutions. While there are suggestions and examples, I would not consider this a step by step guide to creativity. Overall, a very good book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Recommend
Review: I have a huge interest in creativity and have read many books on the subject. What I liked most about the book was its pragmatic approach to creativity/problem-solving. Rather than going through dozens of techniques and suggestions to inspire breakthrough solutions, it breaks the process down into two parts: Finding solutions and Applying existing solutions; and four techniques. While there is definitely a need for truly original ideas and solutions, there is also value in building on existing ideas. Many books on entrepreneurship preach this method for generating business ideas. This book does a good job on telling you how to do that. In addition, the writing style of the authors make it a fast and enjoyable read. As for negatives, I thought the discussion on "Why can't you feel my pain?" could have been explained better and the placement of some exercises disrupted the flow of the book. Keep in mind that the focus of the book is presenting a way to look at problems and solutions. While there are suggestions and examples, I would not consider this a step by step guide to creativity. Overall, a very good book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book - change the world.
Review: I've often been considered a creative type fella' - a good problem solver. Lately though, my brain has been full of cob webs and dust bunnies - creative thought was almost impossible. That all changed a few weeks ago, when I began reading this book - it re-energized my thinking and removed the barriers that were impeding my creative flow. After reading the book, one particular thought began repeating itself inside my head: "Sowing seed into the collective consciousness". I truly believe in the concept of sowing and reaping - that everything we do should not be money motivated. That is what this book teaches - that not every good idea should be kept inside of our heads, simply because we do not have the money or resources to do anything with that idea. Why be selfish? Why not share our ideas with others - others who may be able to utilize that idea or variations of it to solve critical issues in their lives - personally and professionally? Another aspect of this book is to teach concrete easy to learn problem-solving techniques. No fancy terminology, no vague concepts - no empty marketing "fluff" that has been generated to fill the pages of a book. These techniques can be utilized by everyone - from the blue collar worker, to the homemaker, to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The authors of this book don't leave their readers empty handed either. They have created a Web site (www.whynot.net), where their concepts and techniques can be put right into practice. In fact, at this very moment - a small town in New Mexico is about to utilize that Web site to begin making dramatic changes to their community. This book is a "must read" - I suggest that it be purchased and read prior to the new year - use it's teachings as a catalyst for making major positive changes in your life in 2004.
Rating: 
Summary: There is a major mistake in Chapter 7
Review: Judging from the Chinese translation, this book is ok if it didn't have a major slip in Chapter 7. The approach taken to find the solution to the triple-line puzzle was incorrect and misleading. And it's a serious mistake for a book on creativity. The authors made the use of this puzzle to convey their message of never giving up easily in problem solving and to demonstrate a good application of the principle of symmetry. However, the authors readily gave up on the first approach came to anyone's mind of first connecting the pair of block B by a straight line. Authors then gave up on a second approach, which certainly failed to work either. A solution was finally found in the 3rd try. Most of the readers would have been happily convinced and moved on to the rest of the book. But I for one didn¡¦t give up easily on the first approach as I was encouraged by the authors:
1. Be persistent. I didn¡¦t give up on the first approach.
2. Don't settle for a solution; pursue the best solution. The solution provided by the authors is not as elegant as I like.
3. And apply the principle of symmetry. The authors forgot to apply it to the first approach. It turned out that the first approach can lead to a solution which is also most elegant.
The solution is:
1. First connecting the pair of Block B by the shortest straight line.
2. Connecting the pair of Block A by a curve line. The line, starting from the left Block A, heads south and goes in between the bottom Block B and C. Once it hits the boundary, it moves along the boundary. It curves up and heads toward the right Block A once it has passed the bottom Block B.
3. Connecting the pair of Block C by applying the principle of symmetry, or rather anti-symmetry.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on creativity
Review: Over the years I have developed a library of books on thinking. This book is a welcome addition on creativity and will empower you to find new solutions, particularly in the corporate and government arenas. I also recommend Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono (author of over 40 excellent books on creativity including Lateral Thinking) and Optimal Thinking--How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman Ph.D. (to discover the successor to positive thinking, and how to use it consistently to optimize creativity and every situation).
Rating: 
Summary: A good book for product inventors
Review: This book introduces some techniques for coming up with creative ideas and (esp.) products, and then describes many examples of innovative products or product ideas which can be derived from application of the techniques. The example products and ideas were really interesting, and I got a number of "nice idea, I can use that in my business problem" thoughts (my business is software development), but not nearly as many as I got when I read "Whack on the Side of the Head", which for me is still the king of creativity books. "Why Not?" seemed a good book for someone who wants to invent products, whereas "Whack..." is pure fuel for how to think more creatively.
Rating:
Summary: Why Not? Why It is Great!
Review: This is an excellent book on creative thinking. It shows you how it does not take a rocket scientist to be a creative genius. The authors demonstrate several creative thinking strategies that work very well. They indicate that most great ideas come from two basic thinking strategies, including problems in search of solutions and solutions in search of problems. The first strategy (problems in search of solutions) leads to the development of many new incremental products and services. They are not so new in their concept, but they represent a different twist on existing concepts. The second strategy (solutions in search of problems) leads to totally brand new technological and innovative breakthroughs. Both strategies add tremendous value to our society, to commerce, and represents incremental hundred of $billion in national economic wealth. The authors illustrate their creative concepts by many examples taken from the business world, and how corporations have introduced really innovative and successful products worldwide. Examples include many creative financial services and product concepts. So, if you work for a bank or a financial service company, you may find a lot of food for thoughts here. But, examples are also taken from many different industries. So, regardless of where you work, this book will have practical applications for you. I work in a small think tank of one of the major financial institutions on the West Coast. Parts of my yearly MBOs entail coming up with new financial product structures for my employer. I was a bit in a creative thinking rut. Just by reading this book, following the strategies suggested by the authors, I came up with a couple of very interesting product concepts that I can�t wait to present to my management. This book is really fun, and it will enhance both your creativity and your career.
Rating:
Summary: Why Not? Why It is Great!
Review: This is an excellent book on creative thinking. It shows you how it does not take a rocket scientist to be a creative genius. The authors demonstrate several creative thinking strategies that work very well. They indicate that most great ideas come from two basic thinking strategies, including problems in search of solutions and solutions in search of problems. The first strategy (problems in search of solutions) leads to the development of many new incremental products and services. They are not so new in their concept, but they represent a different twist on existing concepts. The second strategy (solutions in search of problems) leads to totally brand new technological and innovative breakthroughs. Both strategies add tremendous value to our society, to commerce, and represents incremental hundred of $billion in national economic wealth. The authors illustrate their creative concepts by many examples taken from the business world, and how corporations have introduced really innovative and successful products worldwide. Examples include many creative financial services and product concepts. So, if you work for a bank or a financial service company, you may find a lot of food for thoughts here. But, examples are also taken from many different industries. So, regardless of where you work, this book will have practical applications for you. I work in a small think tank of one of the major financial institutions on the West Coast. Parts of my yearly MBOs entail coming up with new financial product structures for my employer. I was a bit in a creative thinking rut. Just by reading this book, following the strategies suggested by the authors, I came up with a couple of very interesting product concepts that I can't wait to present to my management. This book is really fun, and it will enhance both your creativity and your career.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to read ¿ the enthusiasm is infectious
Review: This is very well-researched - a collection of anecdotes of innovative products and processes from around the world - UK, Australia, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, Sweden etc - whether they be financial, medical, transport etc. However, it's probably only of real use to a US Audience - comparing the US processes to the best foreign innovators. Everything they describe was already familiar to me (as I've worked in over 30 Countries). Where they talk about localised innovation, such as Lojack versus the Club, its well written - but if you'd never been to the USA and seen adverts for either Product, it'd be very hard to appreciate what they were comparing. I do like the US practice of being allowed to turn right on a red light - I wish we had that in the UK (obviously on a left turn for us), but this book taught me that it came from California originally. I think turn right on red is the best thing to come out of California since the Beach Boys. Also, for its dozens of ideas, the book has no Index - so impossible to dip back into for that great idea. In essence, the book is just a collection of anecdotes such as what imaginative people have been doing for 100's of years since Marco Polo and before - travel with your eyes, ears & mind open, and observe how others have approached that problem that is so irritating back home. For example, if I was writing the equivalent of this book for a UK audience, I'd be pushing for 'turn on red', and to clone the USA's 529 College Tuition Savings Plans.
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