The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World’s Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley

What is the secret to producing geniuses? Various places throughout history have cultivated bumper crops of genius: Florence, Vienna, Edinburgh, Calcutta, Hangzhou, Athens, and Silicon Valley are the focus in this book. But why these places, and what was it about them that made them a ‘genius incubator’? As Eric Weiner travels across the globe, he searches for the key ingredients to making a genius-conducive place. His book is an account of his travels and experiences as he visits the various locales where it seemed genius seemed to flourish.

The topic itself is actually quite interesting, and delves into all sorts of themes and discussions, from music, to public discourse, to biology to optimism and many others. Weiner brings up ponderable points that are worth considering, and his descriptions of his experiences are well-written and vividly drawn. However, Eric Weiner’s writing style is cliche. He is trying to be irreverent, edgy, and new, but comes across like a pimply high-schooler who thinks that dropping f-bombs and making sex jokes and references will make him cool. The irritating style seriously detracts from the otherwise pleasant book.