Brian Grazer

The topic is inviting, the author energetic, and the anecdotes hooking and colorful. But the subject itself, batted around in repetition, contradiction, and philosophical veneer, is inscrutable. The book repeats a couple of surface (valid) ideas about what curiosity is and does, then fails to develop or illustrate these with substance or consistency -- with nearly every best practice offered to the reader in the end having been distinctly and ecstatically (and unironically) violated in preceding tellings of Grazer's experiences. Still, my curiosity kept me from abandoning the book (which was basically done by halfway through, except for appendix and notes).… (mer)

3.5 Stars, truly. The title and cover prompted me to impulsively grab this from the Popular Picks shelf -- not even knowing who Brian Grazer was (duh). I'm just not up on Hollywood stuff, nor do I gravitate toward non-fiction, but this was a good find. I am interested in learning, and curiosity seems an important component of that. According to Grazer, it is the single most important thing. His entire career and success is founded on his inherent interest in ideas, other people and what makes them tick. The book is part memoir, part sociology, part how-to and though it rambles a bit and has minor riffs on a theme, the content is interesting and thought-provoking. Originally headed to law school, Grazer got a summer job with a movie company (through his curiosity, aka nosey-ness) and that altered the trajectory of his life. Now a major movie producer and co-owner with Ron Howard of Imagine Studios, he has won numerous Oscars and Emmys and has hung with some of the most amazing people in the world. His summer job was to deliver movie contracts to people. He decided he actually wanted to meet these people, rather than drop the envelope at the front desk. That was the beginning of his "curiosity conversations" and his upward climb through The Industry. Since then, he has sought out some of the most influential people of our era just to spend some face time and learn what makes them tick, including: the Presidents of the last 20 years, Princess Diana, Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, F. Lee Bailey, Jim Lovell, Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson, Jonas Salk, Andy Warhol, Isaac Asimov,Carl Sagan, Salman Rushdie, David Byrne and literally hundreds more. Some anecdotes are more in-depth than others, but there is a complete list of his interviewees at the back of the book -- all walks of life and varying degrees of fame and success, but all fodder for Grazer's own creative process and movie-making genius. According to Grazer, curiosity is free, available to everyone, and an excellent foundation for success in life. It is "a tool for discovery, a spark for creativity and imagination, a way of motivating yourself, a tool for independence and self-confidence, a key to storytelling, a form of courage..." a basis for human connection,a way to transmit values, and a great management strategy. Conversely, "familiarity is the enemy of curiosity," and he gives some perfect examples in family life of thinking you know someone and how that leads to stilted relationships."To be effective, curiosity has to be harnessed to 2 other key traits: the ability to pay attention to the answers to your questions .... and the willingness to act." "Nothing unleashes good storytelling like curiosity ... nothing inpsires storytelling like the results of curiosity." If you find any of these quotes intriguing or inspiring, you'll enjoy this book. "Being curious and asking questions creates engagement." It made me think of our educational system, among other things!… (mer)

How many times can one person say "curiosity" in one book? I think Grazer was trying to make it into Guinness World Records. Lots of little anecdotes about "important/interesting" people Grazer managed to talk to but no real overarching connection between any of them. Curiosity is good, ask lots of questions, this might get you into some wild and wacky situations! Getting a shirt signed by Fidel Castro?! Norman Mailer putting you in a headlock. Interrupting a private J. Lo performance to take a call from Oprah?! OMGGGG. The end.… (mer)