Finish This Book [Paperback]

Once again Ms. Smith has put together a book that can get anyone excited about books, writing and creating. I gave this to my 9-year old son who immediately proclaimed "this book is boring." I said nothing, left it on his table and within 24 hours I noticed he had taken a fervent interest in the book. Cutting the chase, after about a week, he had given up the quest to find some something-or-other in a video game to work on many of the "assignments" in this book. He was outside, in the house, on the Internet doing all kinds of sleuthing, investigating and researching. He wrote plenty about his findings (more than anything he's done in school) and applied a lot of the process to an upcoming class project (Hallelujah!!!! can you hear the bells ringing??). And I noticed he proudly took this book to school to show some of his friends what he's been doing. For an upcoming friend's birthday, he insisted this was what he wanted, and now there's a group of kids who are all over this book, creating their own manuals, guides, etc.

Please, oh please, Ms. Smith, do another one soon!!!

My business partner and I (both branding & creative consultants) became super fans of Keri Smith when we cracked open her book, Explorer of the World, while on a business trip to Atlanta. So when we came across Smith's Finish This Book while on another branding adventure in Lawrence, Kansas we knew we had to pick it up. We didn't quite realize the creative adventure this book would take us on as we road-tripped back home. My 11-year-old self would have flipped out over how cool Finish This Book is - okay who am I kidding, the creative professional I am today also flipped out (and learned a lot) over Smith's newest book.

Here's how it goes - on a dark and stormy night (the way all good stories begin) Keri Smith stumbles upon scattered pages from an abandoned instruction manual in a park. And now she is counting on you, the reader, to help her solve this mystery. Finish This Book is broken up into four interactive sections including Secret Intelligence Training, Documenting and Observing Methods, Artifact Examination Techniques and finally The Instruction Manual. You are instructed to complete an exercise on each page - it is up to you to populate Finish This Book with the necessary content in order for it to be a book at all.

What Keri Smith does with Finish This Book is give you permission (and resources) to be a creative problem solver while finding your own unique voice and creative authority. She facilitates a creative process that takes something huge - like writing a book - and breaks it down into small but powerful exercises. Smith holds you accountable and empowers you with the responsibility of making choices and putting them down on paper - so when you do get to the end you're not back-pedaling or doubting yourself. And when you turn the last page you've not only finished the book - you have become a creator in the process. Through a series of logical steps you have found your voice and you have written a story.

I can't tell you much more without spoiling the book. So I beg you - go out and buy it for yourself - or your creative department. And if you don't have the time (or courage) to finish it please - pass it on to a brave and curious 11-year-old you might know.

I would recommend this book to creative people who enjoy thinking, taking life at a strolling pace, and most importantly, ENJOY WRITING.

While I am sure this book is extremely fun to complete, it was not what I was hoping for. The book description promises that the reader/author will have the task of "solv[ing] the mystery of this unexpected discovery," but there isn't really a non-abstract, solvable mystery in this book. It is actually a collection of activities the book suggests the reader complete including doodling trees and observing an animal. This book is a well-organized collection of seemingly random "adventures" and is essentially a journal or diary but with instructions on every page telling you how to fill it out.

Examples of activities:
- "Create your own small imaginary world out of whatever you have lying around. Place it in a natural setting."
- "Read a book at your secret headquarters. Share a passage from the book. Rewrite it here."
- "Spend some time watching the sky. Document it in some way."

I believe that this book is a great creative outlet for people who naturally jot down their thoughts and write for fun. It would also make a good group book that you can pass among friends or complete with family. I was just disappointed because I was expecting some sort of puzzle.