The Element by Kevin Robinson focuses on how everyone has their own unique element and you have to find it yourself via trial and error. “To do that each of us individually and all of us together need to discover the Element.” Dr Kevin Robinson uses the word element to describe “the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together.” Along with views about the current state of education, the book also takes the reader on a journey through stories of how ordinary people combined their passion with their talents (the element) to become highly successful. An example at the start of the book is a girl named Gillian who combined her love of music with her lively personality to become a professional dancer. However Dr Ken Robinson says that in today’s society she would have straight away been diagnosed with ADHD. The reader learns that the girl is Gillian Lynne who is a famous choreographer.
The book emphasises on the idea that we might be happier in life if we take advantage and pay more attention to our natural talents. Ken Robinson suggests that we need to put play and creativity before overly organised structuring in children’s development. This books intended audience is the general public as its encouraging everyone to find their element to lead a better life. The book is unlike any others as it introduces readers to a new concept of self-fulfilment through converging natural talents with our individual passions.
I personally like this book as it encouraged and inspired me to find my element (which I am still unsure about). I rate it a 3/5 as at the start it was dry and it didn’t really serve a purpose but towards the middle it started to explain what its purpose was.