Think Like a Freak - Review

What does it mean to think outside the box? We have heard, and use, the expression quite often but do we really know what outside the box is? How radical are our "unique" ideas and of what value are they? Think Like a Freak, by Steven D. Levitt and Steven J. Dubner, is a book about un-boxed thinking, freak-thinking to be precise. And just like their book, Freakonomics, they challenge readers to look at the world a little bit differently. The entire premise of the book proposes a great value to thinking differently. Those who can develop these skills are likely to discover breakthroughs and solve, previously unsolvable, problems. The book is fun and easy to read and the authors do a great job communicating their ideas. Each chapter is topic and laid out in a way to help the reader build on previous concepts. They use a great deal of illustrations to argue their points which are useful at first but distracting at last. Some chapters are committed to such illustrations and don't always have the punch that I believe the Stevens wanted them to have. But the writing is interesting, smart, and plain spoken.

I would recommend reading this book. It is a great way to grasp what it means to think outside the box and consider ways that you can add valuable contributions to problems that come your way. Many organizations pay big bucks for consultants to ask dumb questions. Thinking like a freak will help you know what are the right types of dumb questions and why you should be asking them.