Worst Written, Best Book of the 60s *****

New Think, published in 1967, is an example of an idea succeeding in spite of terrible writing. In New Think, Edward de Bono introduces Lateral Thinking, a concept so prevalent today that few people can imagine a world without it. But here it is. This is the book that lead the way to thinking outside the box, brain storming, and a multitude of popular approaches to creativity and problem solving.

The book is over written and wordy, and occasionally embarrassingly simplistic. Even trying to recall when I read it for the first time in the 60s, I can't decide whether the book reflects the difficulty of presenting ideas that are common today, or whether the book is just terrible.

Regardless, if you can locate a copy, I'd highly recommend it to anyone involved in art or research or life. Skim it just to remember the importance of finding another way to look at daily and cosmic problems.