Ken Robinson is one smart and funny guy. Before you read this review you have to watch this TED video – he has gotten millions of views on the web. It was this video that inspired me to read his book.

In The Element, Sir Ken Robinson explores how to find your element. He draws on many sources and some extremely interesting interviews and research. This includes the fact that although he loved making music, Paul McCartney did not even like music classes in school. Can you even imagine what it must feel like to know you had Paul McCartney in your music class and you could not inspire him? He uses stories like this one to pull the reader in to his book and make a compelling argument for how institutions like our school systems are leading our minds away from our own element and replacing it with conformity.

As a TEDaholic I must confess I enjoyed the book – I found many references to the TED talks that I have watched or listened to over the years. As well as many authors on the subject of creativity, flow and mind mapping like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi or Tony Buzan. He both explores the micro and macro nature of learning the element as it relates to you and to the world. Do yourself a favor and find The Element, first in the store then in yourself.