[ePub] Design; When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation (Design Thinking; Design Theory) by Ezio Manzini; Rachel Coad at Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent airport reading-- and still enjoyable after I got home!By Lin JI bought this book of short essays to read in the airport on the plane when I was traveling for work last month. Excellent choice!! Varied approaches; varied viewpoints; and some really big names in theater (James Earl Jones; Sir Ben Kingsley; Sir Anthony Sher); as well as surprises such as Isabel Allende and Joyce Carol Oates made the book a definite pleasure.As an avid reader of historical mysteries; of course I read (and greatly enjoyed!) Fools Guild author Alan Gordons bit first. After cherry-picking a few more familiar names; I was having so much fun that I went back and began reading start-to-finish. I was delighted to find one essay after another to be enjoyable; thought-provoking; or (frequently) both. Some of the essays are rather academic; some very personal; and some hilarious; some Ill want to re-read and some (this means you; Harold Bloom!) I barely survived. Overall; though; I liked it enough to keep reading after I got back to my book-filled house.Im glad I bought it; and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in Shakespeare. Youre sure to like at least some of the essays; and may make the acquaintance of one or two surprising new favorites along the way.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Deeply Personal Insights Open Up Shakespeares Plays in an Extraordinary WayBy Queen of SwordsI would recommend this marvelous book to anyone who has an interest in Shakespeare. Not only are the many essays insightful; some are deeply personal. The contributors run the gamut from actors who have been knighted for their brilliant contributions to comic book writers to novelists to critics. Each in its own way sheds new light on one or more plays or characters.Everyone will have their own favorite essays; but the following are what stick in my mind:I felt privileged to read Ben Kingsleys reflections about how various theatrical spaces shaped one companys performances of "The Merchant of Venice;" and James Earl Jones thoughts on Othello as "The Sun King." Ralph Fiennes gives insight into his choices in making the film version of "Coriolanus" (a favorite of mine) as does Julie Taymor in her marvelous "Tempest" with Helen Mirren as Prospera.I didnt care much for "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" when I saw it performed; and I have no real interest in the questions of the differences in the different extant versions of Shakespeares plays; but somehow I found myself completely engaged with Jess Winfields discussion of Shakespares texts; using "Complete Works (abridged)" -- which he was part of creating -- as a lense.Whatever your interest; you will find something here to enjoy -- and probably more than you expected to. I will be keeping this volume close and revisiting the individual chapters as I study the different plays.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. "Whats in a Name?"By B. Wilfongldquo;Living with Shakespearerdquo; is a book that should be valuable to lovers of the Bard. For the most part it is; and the idea of asking imminent writers; actors; scholars; directors; etc. to write something about Shakespeare and then compiling those articles into a single text is a nice idea.The text opens with a characteristic Intro written by Harold Bloom. The intro tends to be more about Mr. Bloom than Mr. Shakespeare; and it is both frustrating and interesting to read. So typical of Harold Bloom; there should be no surprises there.I approached the book not as a single set piece; but as individual essays. Therefore I would read a few essays at a time; then put the text down and read something else. Once that book was completed; I would return to read a few more essays from ldquo;Living with Shakespearerdquo; and so on until I had the text completed. I think reading it in this fashion will allow you to dialogue with; and digest the ideas in the text more easily then reading it in one continuous cycle.The book is full of many hits and misses. I will focus first on the bookrsquo;s weaknesses; and then finish with its strengths. Notable among the worst of the essays in the collection are the ones by Cicely Berry-a very dull and self serving piece; and James Earl Jonesrsquo; essay which is filled with ludicrous ideas and choppy didactic writing. Mr. Jones writes about ldquo;Othellordquo;; and the text has a total of three essays about that play. None of them are any good; and the editor should have tossed them. They appear in a row; and they really drag the collection down. Two other big letdowns are the essays by James Franco (more mystifying than his Oscar host performance) and Julie Taymor. Both are narcissistic and uninteresting.However; there is more to celebrate about this text than to complain. ldquo;Living with Shakespearerdquo; opens with a bang with a brilliant and simplistically profound essay by Bill Willingham about storytelling. I also enjoyed many of the essays by actors; especially Rory Kinnearrsquo;s (very interesting) and Brian Coxrsquo;s scholarly yet easy to consume piece called ldquo;I Say it is the Moonrdquo;. Mr. Coxrsquo;s essay breaks new ground and is very accessible. It is a highlight of the text. Especially surprising was the essay ldquo;Whatrsquo;s in a Name?rdquo; by James Prosek. Mr. Prosek is known primarily as a nature writer; but he produces one of the best essays in the book. The collection also ends as well as it began with the writer Isabel Allende writing an appropriately sentimental and lovely piece.One last recommendation; most of the essays assume a familiarity with much of Shakespearersquo;s work. This is not a text for someone not well versed in the plays.ldquo;Living with Shakespearerdquo; is an interesting contribution to the canon of books about Shakespeare. I will keep a copy on my shelf.