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The Geography of Genius

a Search for the World's Most Creative Places From Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
Feb 04, 2016bibliokrisp rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author Eric Weiner asks (and mostly answers) the question: "Is there a reason why certain places in history had so many geniuses?" And then he provides examples of these genius locales, starting with Ancient Greece, followed by Hangzhou, Florence, Edinburgh, Calcutta, Vienna and Silicon Valley. Could Weiner have chosen different genius-sparking locales? Yes, of course--New Orleans and the birth of jazz, Paris in the 20s (or Berlin), New York City at many different times... However, the fact that Weiner made choices made the book stronger, because of the diversity--in historical period, location, and the achievements. Just reading about these different places and people made me hungry both for travel and for knowledge. I didn't know a thing about Hangzhou, China before reading this, and now I know more about the poetry, art and technology that came from there. This was a very good mix of research, travel, sociology, history and humor. The knowledge gained will have you asking new questions about creativity in your profession or at home.