Steve’s Doughnut: What it is and why it could change everything
Author: JK Smart
Publisher: Kielder Press
Price: £14.99
ISBN 1 905663005
This is a challenging and intellectually rigorous book, which covers intelligences and feelings in a humorous and sincere manner.
The intriguingly named doughnut refers to Smart’s idiosyncratic visual representation of what happens when intelligence meets discrete areas of knowledge and behaviour. You’ll need to read the book to comprehend this fully. Suffice to say, she argues that modelling such a representation can illustrate what we have in common with others who share our profile.
What makes us unique, according to Smart is “the all important doughnut icing”. This she defines as our conditioning and our mental map.
Smart goes on to explore the concept of intelligence as developable and provides fresh approaches to problem solving. Her particular strength is in analysing current wisdom. And there are some helpful sections on how emotional intelligence was fashioned as an antidote to IQ.
This book bristles with intellectual rigour, is rather taxing, but ultimately is fun. As it was written with the intention of raising funds for Comic Relief its aim is partly altruistic.
Useful? 3 out of 5
Well written? 4 out of 5
Value for money? 4 out of 5
