Reviews for The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need

The average rating for The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-05-15 00:00:00 John M Rowehl Reading the NY Times Magazine one Sunday, Amy asked over the breakfast table: "have you ever heard of Daniel Pink?" I had not. She insisted that I get his books and read them. The article she was reading (on early childhood education) cited Pink on the importance of creativity to our contemporary culture. The article addressed kids in particular (for instance, said the report: even if kids test high on academic achievement at age 5, this is no indicator of future academic success, and may even represent academic failure! Does this mean don't read to your kids? No... but, suggested the article, and by extension, Pink: kids need to be able to play and use their imagination.) At any rate, the subject of the relative importance of the right brain in society is a bull's-eye issue for me and Amy was right, I needed to find out what Mr. Pink had to say about it. I ordered a bunch of Pink books from Amazon. It seems he uses his particular lens not just on society as a whole, but on personal enrichment and career advice. This book--Johnny Bunko--is a short manga story about a guy who finds a genie who gives him career advice in six lessons. I have numerous objections: one, from my grandfather, who surely WANTED to play golf and create a career from his personal passion... but doggone it, there was that pesky SURVIVAL to worry about. Somehow the digging ditches, homelessness, and factory work kept getting in the way. (Pop-pop won out, though, not by following his bliss but by following his need to eat. He worked like a dog, married Grandmom, bought a house, started his own insurance company, and got to play golf after food was on the table.) Pink doesn't really talk about the "starving" part of "starving artist." Second objection: the book is totally lightweight: it takes platitudes and spins them into smart-sounding, impractical advice: "There is no plan" says Pink. My mom says, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." Thirdly: There's no critical justification. Malcolm Gladwell or Stephen Levitt back up their often-surprising theories with data. In this book, Pink sounds a lot more like John Brinkley (cf: Charlatan!) than a creditable social theorist. On the other hand: this is a Manga short story. It took a serious topic and addressed it in comic-book form. (So he's just like Art Spiegelman, right? Hah!) It took a shorter time to read than it took to write this review. The advice, extrapolated from its aphoristic form, is not all bad. It introduced me painlessly to this Daniel Pink. I enjoyed the new topic and a new thinker. I also have begun another book by Pink, which shows more intellectual rigor. Daniel Pink, you get 2.5 stars, and since it's sunny today, I round up. WHY I READ THIS BOOK: Asked and answered!

Review # 2 was written on 2017-09-02 00:00:00 Stephen Karnes Daniel Pink is one of my favorite authors and this is the last of his books I had yet to read. It is short and simple but provides a decent foundation of professional lessons. The story is focused on six career lessons that begin with "There is No Plan" and end with "Leave an Imprint." While there were no new groundbreaking methods shared in The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, it was a quick, easy read and a reminder to take focus on what's important and what you derive value from in the workplace. It's a nice reminder for those already working, and would also make a nice, non-overwhelming gift for college graduates. While things are often changing in regard to corporate culture, best practices, and how to best succeed (which is also undoubtedly subjective), these lessons as a whole are pretty timeless.