Last week I posted about How to Read a Book in 5 Easy Steps. Actually reading a book is definitely one way to increase intelligence. But by writing a book review you can take it one step further.
Writing book reviews is the embodiment of critical thinking, which is essential to raise intelligence. You have to think and process information and not just accept it without reserve. It exercises your mind as a filter that discriminates between valuable information and pure junk.
This shouldn’t be a monotonous chore that you have to do after reading every book you get your hands on. I certainly don’t. Nevertheless, I do write book reviews in my journal when I’ve come across a life-changing or deeply challenging book. When I do it because I want to, I learn a lot more than when I do it when I have to. So, do it when you want to.
The type of book review I’m talking about here isn’t the one that’s going to be published in The New York Times. It’s the one that you’ll write privately, for your own mind’s benefit and self-improvement. Feel free to develop your own style, but keep in mind the following:
- What’s the theme of the book? This will direct your thinking and prove if you really understood the book.
- What does the book’s title tell you? Don’t prejudge the book based on its title, but give some thought to it. It can help you understand the book’s main theme.
- What are the main points you want to get across? List them before you start writing. Don’t dilute your thoughts toward unimportant side points.
- Use one paragraph for each of those main points: Again, develop your own style. But this guideline is good at first, just to maintain overall order. Remember, you’ll likely want to re-read this in the future.
- What did you like and dislike about the book? This question sets your mind into motion, going from merely describing the book to analyzing it.
- Why did you like or dislike the book? This is perhaps the most important question to ask yourself, since this is where you’re actually going to apply critical thinking. Merely stating what the book is about isn’t enough to activate your mind.
- What is the author’s background? Knowing about the author’s previous works and experiences will probably help you to understand some of the book’s elements.
- Share it: O.K., I know I said this was supposed to be private. But you could share your reviews with friends not so that they critique your writing, but to gauge their reactions. You’re on the right path if they’re convinced to read the book after reading your review. It’s always cool to share the love.
Obviously, this isn’t an exact science, so bullet-points like these won’t teach you all the ins and outs of book reviews. But I humbly suggest you add the art of book reviewing to your arsenal of intelligence-increasing tools.
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I believe that creativity and intelligence doesn’t rely exclusively on knowledge. It relies, more importantly, on sensibility to your surroundings. This is the story of how I came to that conclusion:
Sometimes I’ve been a typical couch potato, and at other times I’ve followed my exercise program loyally. Without exceptions, I’ve been most inspired to learn and create during the latter, when I’m most physically active.
