• Out of Our Minds

  • Learning to Be Creative
  • By: Ken Robinson
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (348 ratings)

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Out of Our Minds  By  cover art

Out of Our Minds

By: Ken Robinson
Narrated by: John Lee
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Publisher's summary

There is a paradox. As children, most of us think we are highly creative; as adults many of us think we are not. What changes as children grow up? Organizations across the globe are competing in a world that is changing faster than ever. They say they need people who can think creatively, who are flexible and quick to adapt. Too often they can't find them. Why not? In this provocative and inspiring book, Ken Robinson addresses three vital questions:

  • Why is it essential to promote creativity? Business leaders, politicians and educators emphasize the vital importance of promoting creativity and innovation. Why does this matter so much?
  • What is the problem? Why do so many people think they're not creative? Young children are buzzing with ideas. What happens as we grow up and go through school to make us think we are not creative?
  • What can be done about it? What is creativity? What can companies, schools and organizations do to develop creativity and innovation in a deliberate and systematic way?

In this extensively revised and updated version of his best-selling classic, Ken Robinson offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding creativity in education and in business. He argues that people and organizations everywhere are dealing with problems that originate in schools and universities and that many people leave education with no idea at all of their real creative abilities. Out of Our Minds is a passionate and powerful call for radically different approaches to leadership, teaching and professional development to help us all to meet the extraordinary challenges of living and working in the 21st century.

©2011 Ken Robinson (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Ken Robinson writes brilliantly about the different ways in which creativity is undervalued and ignored . . . especially in our educational systems." (John Cleese)

What listeners say about Out of Our Minds

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Needs a different narrator

Any additional comments?

Am on my second listen and am still struggling to get through this. Sir Ken Robinson's work is fascinating as usual, but I am totally put off by the narrator. The narration is flat and clinical. I find my mind wandering when I listen to this narrator. He reads with all the feeling of the electronic voice in the Atlanta airport trains. I am sure this book has much to offer, but the narration makes it seem more like a text book ... and we all know how fascinating those are. In light of the narration, I would recommend the print edition.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not as creative as expected

I already knew that schools and other institutions discourage creativity. I bought this audiobook to get a better understanding of how this phenomenum works.
His definition of creativiy is not original, and his points can all be found in other books with better explanations to them.
It's OK to listen to this if you have nothing else. He does provide a few jokes and interesting stories.

Oh, and I should mention that I've stopped listening to it an hour from the end.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Draaaaaaaag

I don't write many reviews and I enjoyed watching Ken Robinson's discussion with Eckhart Tolle. His presence was wonderful. This book was mentioned and I decided to download the Audible version. I am into chapter 3 and the ceaseless story of numbers, how powerful computers are and will be, along with the population growth is WAY OVER THE TOP!!!

OK, enough with this nonsense! If it continues much longer I will change my review to ZERO stars and request a refund.

What was his editor thinking?!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible narration. Unlistenable.

What would have made Out of Our Minds better?

If the reader read the words with an emphasis that enforced their meaning instead of contradicting it.

What was most disappointing about Ken Robinson’s story?

I'm sure this book is great - I'm a fan of Robinson - but I found it impossible to concentrate on this because it was so badly read.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Lee’s performances?

Absolutely not.

What character would you cut from Out of Our Minds?

N/A

Any additional comments?

My first purchase on Audible and extremely disappointing.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Ken Robinson and/or John Lee?

I would think twice about trying another book by either the author and/or the reader. The content was too lightweight and general and the reading did not capture the spirit of the author, his style, or humour.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator mispronounced too many words and also misunderstood the rhythm and stress of the author's speech style.

Do you think Out of Our Minds needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I'm afraid the content was too general to be engaging. It took a long time to develop towards the deeper ideas that emerged towards the latter sections of the book. Too much trivia and google-search facts in the early stages.

Any additional comments?

Quite frustrating if you appreciate that creativity is a serious topic that can be explored at depth. This was a popularised conception that actually clouded the subject as much as shed light on it. A missed opportunity at so many levels.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

No practical advice

I expected to get practical advice and insight how to improve creativity.
Instead there was several hours of listening of well-known facts why it's important to be creative

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but longer than it needed to be.

This was a good book, but longer than it needs to be. If you've seen his TED Talks, you've gotten half of what this book has to offer. If you have the opportunity, get an abridged version instead.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

You can't bore people into creativity

After Sir Ken's Ted talk I had high hopes. Hopes that were dashed by a dull, staccato delivery and bloated content.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great idea, but it stumbles and rambles a lot

Would you try another book from Ken Robinson and/or John Lee?

I find Ken Robinson's TED talks absolutely fascinating. Hoping his books would be the same, I picked up "Out of Our Minds". After some stumbling and a lot of duplicated information in the beginning, it picks up into the meat of the subject about an hour in. I will certainly be listening to more of Robinson, though I hope it gets more streamlined as time goes on.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator completely misses the sense of timing and cadence of speech that makes Ken Robinson so pleasing to listen to. Jokes are recognizable as "supposed to be" funny, but fall completely flat. To his credit, John Lee enunciates well and doesn't let his accent obscure any words.

Was Out of Our Minds worth the listening time?

There is a *lot* of duplication in the first hour or so, and quite a bit of rambling after that. I'm currently about 3 hours in, and feel like I've only gotten about 30 minutes of actual content. If there is ever an abridged version, I would recommend starting there.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Terribly Disappointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, the narrative is dry and hard to follow and does not provide justice to the work

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The words of Sir Ken Robinson

What didn’t you like about John Lee’s performance?

It was extremely monotone and robotic. Sir Ken's work should be engaging. This was not.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

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