(This database has the book title wrong; it is Liberating Everyday Genius. Now "the" about it.)

This book is a classic example of a self-help book in which the author starts one book, but then ends up writing another book altogether. The two portions don't mesh. Let me see if I can explain.

I love the first third of this book; I think it has the potential to "unlock" a lot of people. There are "truisms" in this portion of the book that I think most people, even those who may not fit the "everyday genius" criteria (more on that later), would find useful: "genius" has many meanings besides "able to chuck up facts on tests," for example, and "Whatever it is that you are too much of may not be your weakness after all; it may be a strength that others are uncomfortable with." This portion of the book ends with a questionnaire that allows you to ascertain whether or not you fit the criteria for "Everyday Genius."

Jacobson's criteria are an interesting and eclectic blend. There's the expected stuff, including a rather nice discussion of and questionnaire pertaining to Multiple Intelligences (Gardner consistently resists publishing a "Multiple Intelligence Battery," and I respect his reasoning for doing so, but it was interesting to see how this might play out). There are also questions relating to Drive and Complexity; yes, those are sensible aspects of Everyday Genius. I can see those.

She has a fuzzy gray area called "Advanced Development" people are certainly going to take issue with, however. It essentially evaluates one's worldview and empathy. Now this makes sense to me at a certain level, and I do not want to call it "wrong." However, a certain "flavor" of "everyday genius" is implied here--namely, one who has some social cause to advocate. Now yes, I totally agree that this is a particular type of Everyday Genius. However, I think her criteria is startling for its absence--in short, if your cause is not social but entrepreneurial, if your "genius" isn't a cause but a company--you simply don't fit. Now Multiple Intelligences, Drive, and Complexity can also add up to an Entrepreneur as well as a Crusader. Even with the addition of "Advanced Development," there are many companies that still fit the mold (how are Ben and Jerry's doing, by the way?). Her criteria doesn't seem to have any room at all for those whose genius is in the realm of business.

I am guessing (this is a huge guess) that she would connect these by saying that business people in general, perhaps, are "false selves" rather than striving to be true, "authentic" selves. Some probably are. But you know, I can't help but think there are probably people for whom that is the authentic self, and trying to encourage them to develop social consciences or additional relationships with other human beings is only going to be a journey into inauthenticity for them. In short, I think one of the primary lessons of the second half of the Twentieth Century is that there are no reliable one-size-fits-alls, and I think she doesn't allow for that. It looks to me like she is assuming that many people are unable and "inauthentic" when, in fact, perhaps they aren't. I don't know. They look unhappy to me, it's true. But mebbe...?

While I disagree with this part of her "formula" or definition of Everyday Genius, I was still with her to this point. However, then she went off and wrote the wrong dang book for me. The rest of her book looks largely like a pep rally, I thought: "Yes, you do have a form of genius! Yes, you can accomplish things!" And that's a good, solid message. The problem is, I thought that had been the message of the first part of the book. The first part of the book had been a reasonably scholarly discussion; the second half has "self-help book" splashed all over it. Having completed my questionnaire (which anyone with considerably less innate intelligence than what she claims for Everyday Geniuses can see at a glance how to answer to maximize score, so have someone else give you the questions and change the scoring system from set to set), I had a set of data I then wanted to evaluate and learn what to do with. Instead, I get confirmation that yes, I am in fact an Everyday Genius by her definition. Doh; I knew that six chapters ago.

For a book that purports to be written for Everyday Geniuses, this book after the questions is amazingly simple-minded; yes, it's sort of handy to have all those "You are Capable of Changing the World" maxims all in one place, and it may be helpful to skim those every few years or so, but the first half of the book had set me up to expect something scholarly and serious, and I got a series of warm fuzzies.

If people always seem to be finding fault with parts of your personality, and if you feel underappreciated or underused or frustrated, this book, especially the first bit, may be helpful. If the second portion contains new information that actually changes your world...well, I think that'd be sad.



Recommended: Yes