Customer Reviews
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant offers a fascinating look at how non-conformists—those who think and act differently—can create meaningful change. Grant dives into the psychology of originality, exploring how people who challenge the status quo can drive innovation and push society forward. He highlights real-life examples of individuals who dared to think differently and provides valuable insights on how we can cultivate our own originality.What is especially compelling is Grant’s research-backed approach, which shows that being original doesn’t always mean being radical. Instead, it’s about finding ways to make unconventional ideas work in the world. The book is both inspiring and practical, offering actionable advice for anyone looking to make an impact.To sum up, it’s a must-read for anyone looking to think outside the box and make a difference in their field or community.
This book is easy to follow and delivers a powerful message about leading the way to positive change.
Oh man, this book was awesome. I don’t remember why I ended up buying it - it was probably looking through the books I’d picked up and seeing amazon’s similar suggestions. This is yet another book that quotes and references Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, so clearly I’m on a theme.Anyway, I actually almost didn’t read it (or at least I almost deferred it longer) because I was thinking it’d be more of a dry case study with specific examples. “Oh, Steve Jobs ate only fruit and stunk like feet but he invented the iPhone, so you know, options!” or whatever, and I was less interested in that kind of a book. Fortunately, it wasn’t.This book is equal parts deep history lessons and self-help. The whole concept is around original thinkers and how they see the world, adapt to it, and change it. There’s a huge amount of history on the women’s suffrage movement in the US, detailing the break between Lucy Stone and Susan B Anthony/Elizabeth Cady Stanton over their differing goals and alliances (should women’s suffrage be the sole goal in and of itself? What about partnering with the temperance movement to get women to be able to vote for prohibition? Should we partner with abolitionists? Should we talk about everyone being able to vote or just women? What if we differentiated ourselves from abolitionists by having rallies with outright racists? etc), and also a lot of information on people’s reactions to the Holocaust - specifically with insight and research into why, say, given two people living on the same street with similar jobs and backgrounds, one of them might help Jews to escape, and another might not bother. What could’ve driven those decisions?It all ties back into ways of thinking and looking at the world - ways to propose change in organizations, how to message to make progress, how to stick with a goal or gain traction in it, different ways to reframe interactions and on and on. I’m already trying out a few of the techniques he outlines in dealing with one of my kids (and initial results are encouraging, but of course 2-3 interactions do not a trend make).Super highly recommended.
There were definitely some interesting and thought provoking ideas in this book. Still, a lot of the conclusions seemed to be drawn from cherry-picked data: “let’s look at so-and-so, a true original”. But less time was spent on the originals who didn’t fit that mold, which I thought was odd for a book on non-conformity.
I kept this book on my wishlist for awhile. I was worried it was going to be boring. And I was wrong.This book challenges you to rethink how you think about free-thinkers and revolutionaries. They are not special. They are not geniuses. They are loners. They are everyday people who think and work constantly. They push the status quo and approach problems from a different perspective.If you feel down and out, this book will pick you up. Grant is a great communicator who gets his ideas across effectively.
