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A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative Paperback – Special Edition, May 5, 2008

by Roger von Oech (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 410 ratings
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A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
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This is the 25th anniversary edition of the creativity classic by Dr. Roger von Oech.

Over the years, A WHACK ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD has been praised by business people, educators, scientists, homemakers, artists, youth leaders, and many more. The book has been stimulating creativity in millions of readers, translated into eleven languages, and used in seminars around the world.

Now Roger von Oech's fully illustrated and updated volume is filled with even more provocative puzzles, anecdotes, exercises, metaphors, cartoons, questions, quotations, stories, and tips designed to systematically break through your mental blocks and unlock your mind for creative thinking. This new edition will attract an entire new generation of readers with updated and mind-stretching material.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    May 5, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0446404667
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0446404662
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roger von Oech is the president of Creative Think, a California-based consulting firm that has conducted creativity seminars with such companies as American Express, Apple Computer, AT&T, CBS, IBM, NBC, and NASA. He earned his doctorate from Stanford University in a self-conceived program in the history of ideas.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; Special Edition (May 5, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446404667
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446404662
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 410 ratings

About the author

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Roger VonOech

Roger VonOech

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Roger von Oech is the founder and president of Creative Think, a California-based consulting firm that specializes in stimulating creativity and innovation. He has given seminars and presentations to corporations worldwide, including Coca-Cola, GE, Disney, Intel, MTV, Microsoft, NASA, Apple, Citigroup, and the United States Olympic Committee. He is the author of two previous creative-thinking books, A Whack on the Side of the Head and A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, as well as the popular Creative Whack Pack card deck. He lives with his wife and children in Atherton, California.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
410 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sue G
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for creatives!
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
I read this book before architecture school and it changed my mindset. Whenever I had trouble solving a visual problem I thought to myself, “turn it around, turn it upside down, take it apart & put it together in a different way!”. Now that I’m retired I still use the lessons in this book, many years later. I gave a copy to my son when he started college to study animation & graphic design. He’s now very successful. I bought this new copy as a gift for a young relative having difficulties at work. She says it is helping a lot. She said in a team meeting her suggestions are now considered and coworkers compliment her on her innovative thought process.
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TANADI SANTOSO
5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST of all time CREATIVITY BOOKs.
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2002
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I did seminar and workshop on entrepreneruship and creativity and have read probably about 20 books on creativity. And i have to admit this is the BEST BOOK on creativity. this is THE CLASSIC book on the subject. The author hs just written a new book (EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED) but this onw is WAY SUPERIOR and BETTER.
This is an old book but still freash to read and delighting to enjoy. The samples and the materials are easy to read yet very2 strong and useful.
I gave away this books to friends who want to learn more about creativity and want to change his/her attitude toward life.
Most people know that creativity is one of the key element of success yet so few take action of any sort to do something about it. So do yourself a favor, go and buy this book, read, and start think about it in your daily life. it will be beneficial for your future success and happiness.
52 people found this helpful
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Elizabeth
4.0 out of 5 stars Ouch! I'm More Creative!
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2010
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Sometimes you just need a whack on the head to unleash your inner creativity. Not literally of course - I'm speaking metaphorically (which I learned is an important tool of creativity). This classic book originally came out in 1983 and was updated and republished for it 25th anniversary. It is an engaging quick read, filled with quirky drawings and fun facts that will hopefully jolt you out of your comfort zone and inspire you to be more creative. It is structured as 10 mental locks which you can train yourself to recognize and "unlock". They are: 1) The Right Answer 2) That's Not Logical 3) Follow the Rules 4) Be Practical 5) Play is Frivolous 6) That's Not my Area 7) Don't Be Foolish 8) Avoid Ambiguity 9) The Err is Wrong 10) I'm Not Creative.

Don't think that I gave everything away. You actually need to read the book and do the exercises to benefit from the author's wisdom and experience - he has had a long career as a consultant to companies that want to teach their employees how to be creative. Like any self help book, the difficult part is making a change in your thinking and sustaining that change. I like the last part of the book called "A Whack on the Other Side of the Head" which addresses the fact that creativity alone is not enough - you actually need to implement your best creative ideas.
I am going to focus on one mental lock at a time, starting with the "Right Answer" Lock. The idea is that when you think you have arrived at the right answer, ask youself "What is the second right answer?" And just keep generating ideas.
7 people found this helpful
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J Abrams
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on Innovative Thinking
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2019
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I like this book so much I have purchased many for work teams who need to think out of the box to find good solutions. I used this book with my leadership team and have given probably 20 as gifts, as was this one. Going to the Owner of a company as birthday gift
2 people found this helpful
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Armando Mayorquin
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great way to look at things differently
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2018
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This book is old but wow. It's a great way to look at things differently. The writer must of been a neat guy. It will help you think outside the box for sure. Also, it's full of good facts about how people think and how to find answers in places you never thought of before.
3 people found this helpful
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Jose F. Benjumea
5.0 out of 5 stars It was the whack I needed
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2021
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He book was thought-provoking, inspiring, and actionable. It will be my daily read to be a creative badass in the third chapter of my life.
4 people found this helpful
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Graham M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Whacked.
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2021
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Brilliant book for anybody wanting to learn how to think out of the box. Highly recommended for kids and adults alike.
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Ben
3.0 out of 5 stars Just ok
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2017
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I wished that this book was organized in such a way that it could be better used as a handbook for generating creative thinking. I will probably refer to this when I am trying to be me creative later on, but as a person who thinks in a creative way already I found it to be just ok.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mahesh Gupta
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book
Reviewed in India on May 6, 2024
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A very nice book on Innovation. I loved it.
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Sean P Flatley
5.0 out of 5 stars A great classic book to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2023
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I loved this book from the start and it is rich and packed with llts of great creative business opportunities and ideas.
I highly recommend it as its gets better and better each chapters. It also gets your grey minf matter working as well.
But overall a highly recommended book and I definitely will be rereading it again soon
Best wishes Sean
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Bill Ratcliffe PhD Adjunct Prof U Waterloo
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on May 26, 2017
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It is a classic.
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Raphaël
2.0 out of 5 stars Bof
Reviewed in France on April 9, 2018
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Pas génial, un peu déçu par ce bouquin, très très léger. Et à lire sur kindle, c'est franchement limite. Cher pour ce que c'est.
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Jaume Sató
5.0 out of 5 stars Está lleno de ideas atrevidas desde la primera página. Es un revulsivo para la innovación.
Reviewed in Spain on September 15, 2016
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Había leído alguna referencia, pero disponer del libro entero es francamente un privilegio. A pesar de los años transcurridos desde su primera edición sigue siendo un libro de referencia en el ámbito.
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