The overwhelming majority of this book consist of characters literally telling us the vastly applicable lessons they learned from working at circus du soleil; while I believe that the presence of at least one underlying message is a critical component of every extraordinary read, here these comprise nearly the entirety of this very short book and in ubiquitous dialogue(sometimes inner) form, coming across as contrived, preachy and boring, despite a promising beginning and exciting subject matter.

I was given this book as "recognition" gift from my then manager. I enjoyed it - it uses examples from the world on Cirque to give insight into looking at things in a creative / out-of-the-box perspective.

Fictionalized story of a sports agent who decides he needs to rethink how he's doing business after seeing a Cirque du Soleil performance. Think "Jerry Maguire" but instead of writing a mission statement, this agent joins the circus. The story goes through the different people he meets in his month of training and touring with the company, where he is shown how they operate. Our agent takes this new learning back and changes his job. It was nice and short and lightweight. Not much of surprise here, and not much in terms of business take aways -- the circus operates how I understood it to operate based on reading magazine articles about them. It was an interesting story, and I can imagine Cirque du Soleil selling this book in their gift shops. It is a very positive take on their processes and philosophy.

Reinventing a dead industry aka Circus for this generation is among the greatest feats happened in the business world.

The author, based on his visit into the belly of the beast, gives us a chance to vicariously explore the versatility of this innovative company.

Teamwork, Passion and Vision! The culmination of all these three virtues is Cirque du Soleil!

Cirque! I've seen three of their shows live and it's fantastic to hear more about what goes on backstage. This is framed like a short fiction work, but it is based on the experiences of the co-author, who was allowed to explore and train with a cirque troupe for a brief time. It is an easy read full of adventure and inspiration, just what I need before a big audition!

This book is fantastic. It reminds you how you can have creativity on the job, no matter what that job is. It made me excited about what I do.

Memorable Quotes:

Cross-pollination - drawing upon as many outside influences as possible from almost every field.

Work as hard as you expect your students to -

We are so determined to stay in our comfort zones that we learn to live with disappointment, as long as it's familiar and safe.

Our fears hold us back, make us fall short of our goals. Only by taking risks can we hope to accomplish the extraordinary

In life no one cares how many times you strike out, all that matters is your home runs. And you get to bat as many times as you like. Anyone can be a home run king if they just take enough at bats.

You are never trapped in life.

David was inside the stone. I just needed to chip away all the pieces that weren't David. Sometimes the shape of what it is we want to create already exists - just chip away the parts that no longer fit.

If you trust in your imagination, it will take you in some surprising directions.

By approaching the wheel with patience and trust and being attuned to its balance point, I found myself working with it, not against.

About risk-taking - not just the big risks but the small chances you take every day that give your life a sense of excitement, of possibility.

The fact is we WANT to scare ourselves some - to reach our limits and then go beyond them.

The greatest danger is not failing but getting comfortable, of teaching a certain altitude and putting the show on autopilot.

If you wait for you must to arrive and give you inspiration, you can wait all day and have nothing to show for it.

Al Hirshfeld, cartoonist - Everybody is creative and everybody is talented. I just don't think everybody is disciplined.

This is an interesting book about personal/professional risk and innovation.
It inspired me to see my 2nd Cirque show in Las Vegas to help explore the creative side...

I think the reviews are a bit harsh for this fun little read. My opinion is that the book accomplished exactly what it set out to do. I have been in jobs or situations I didn't find personally inspiring, so I totally understood the author's growth process. He found something that gave him a renewed sense of purpose, and he applied the mental skills he learned. It's not a deep read at all, but it is a book that leaves you with a good feeling.

Very short and captivating book. I love the cirque and this book shows where the magic comes from in a very realistic way. Couldn't let it go until it was finished!

Great story about how a man finds his passion again after a chance encounter with the Cirque Du Soleil. I am a huge fan of Cirque Du Soleil and I loved this book because it embraces what I love about them and gave me an insider look to operations. I had read a book on the costumes of the show and that gave me some insight to the details they commit to but this enhanced that knowledge. If you are in a rut, this would be a good book to read.

This book is not well-written, but it does have enthusiasm for the circus and reinvigorating one's life.

2.5 stars.

Fantastic read. Great to hear from true artists from Cirque