For anyone who has seen Ken Robinson's TED talk, some of the anecdotes in this book will sound familiar. The book is full of stories about men and women who have found their element, their passion. It offers advice on how to find your own element, as well as the obstacles that keep us from it. I was particularly interested in the section on standardized testing. I have been an opponent of standardized tests for a long time, and I have rarely heard a better argument against them. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to help guide a child (or themselves) toward a more fulfilling life. ( )

According to a popular myth there is a calling for each one of us, something that we are so good at and love doing so much that it doesn't feel like work at all. Ken Robinson advocates for the existence of this perfect occupation. He calls it being in one's "element," and recommends looking for that element in our own lives and pursuing whatever calling it presents us. Unfortunately, Henry David Thoreau's often quoted "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" is more true now that when he wrote Walden in 1854.

Robinson never mentions this, but I believe that finding such an "element" for each and every person on Earth would be a good argument for the existence of a personal, omniscient and ever present God. Who else could organize the world in such a way that every single person would born with such a perfect fit to one or more pursuits? The evidence is not in favor of this hypothesis, though, as Thoreau has pointed out. Very few people ever find an "element."


Robinson uses examples, such as Paul McCartney, Julia Child and one of my favorite people, physicist Richard Feynman, to illustrate his thesis. Each of them did find something to do that was eminently suitable to his talents and each of them enjoyed his job immensely, not to mention making a pretty good piece of change at it. These very talented, very lucky people were able to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves and they all created careers for themselves doing what they loved doing. Most of us are just not that talented, or that lucky.

Dr. Robinson wants to encourage each of us to find our "element" and to help our children find theirs.I found his argument against the emphasis on standardized testing in schools, the core of "No Child Left Behind," to be highly cogent. As Robinson says, "I doubt there are many children who leap out of bed in the morning wondering what they can do to raise the reading score for their state." His basic thesis, however, I find to be messy, new age claptrap. Not that I am against people pursuing their dreams, but I think it's important to have a fallback position in case it doesn't work out.

After reading The Element I am ready to quit my job in order to pursue my dream of becoming a rock star. Or maybe not. He did mention being good at it.

I'll Never Forget The Day I Read A Book!

Yet another "find your passion/do what you love" book, which makes a case for the importance of doing something you're passionate about (duh!), but with little advice on how to go about doing it. This one adds a deserved dig at our educational system. ( )

If you've ever heard Ken Robinson's famous Ted talk, The Element is pretty familiar ground. To some extent, it is an elaboration of that talk. Robinson stresses the importance of creativity and how schools systematically sap creativity out of students. The book is sprinkled with interviews with celebrities, scholars, authors, and the like. I really didn't learn anything new from the book, but Robinson does a good job making his case. He doesn't really outline much specific in terms of educational practices, but he does pose the problem to us. Robinson asks: how do we harness our creativity to face the challenges we face as a society? In that sense, the Element raises what is perhaps the single most important topic of our age. ( )