Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2018-10-25
Books mentioned on 355. Where Does Creativity Come From (and Why Do Schools Kill It Off)?
Family environments and “diversifying experiences” (including the early death of a parent); intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations; schools that value assessments, but don't assess the things we value. All these elements factor into the long, mysterious march towards a creative life.
Jennifer Egan discussed The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Perry Moore and others and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S.
Discussed“There's so many childhood narratives that are really about this. I mean, The Secret Garden, all of the Narnia books, you know, about passing through a membrane or a border or a door or jumping into a pool and being in another world.”
Where to get it
-
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a classic children's novel about an orphaned girl who discovers a hidden, neglected garden on a Yorkshire estate and helps restore it to life alongside her cousin.
Discussed“There's so many childhood narratives that are really about this. I mean, The Secret Garden, all of the Narnia books, you know, about passing through a membrane or a border or a door or jumping into a pool and being in another world.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Myra Kalman is best known for her children's books and her illustrated edition of The Elements of Style and her work for The New Yorker, including one of its most famous covers ever called New Yorkistan.”
“That's the writer Jennifer Egan, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Visit from the Goon Squad.”
“And yet I was like, no, I'm going to sit on the grass and read 100 Years of Solitude for the fifth time.”