Finding Yourself in the Town of Geniuses

By Valentina Knurova

Description and Professional Review

This book is an adventure into the land of genius. The journey begins in fantasy but moves through the real life stories of geniuses in the fields of philosophy, art, music, poetry, literature, and humanitarianism. The message of the adventure is that people can be successful in an important human area—and a genius level of success may even be possible. It is also emphasized that success, and even genius, can be realized in many areas outside of the areas we generally associate with genius, like teaching, social work, relationships, and parenting. It is a truly motivational story.

This book is an enhanced e-book with 30+ videos and audios that will make you appreciate genius even more--see and hear Luciano Pavarotti sing an aria from La Boheme, see and hear Winston Churchill give his "We Are the Masters of Our Fate" speech to the U.S. Congress, see and hear a classic film of Charlie Chaplin,  see and hear Anna Pavlova dance the "Dying Swan."

Professional Review by the U.S. Review of Books

US REVIEW

Finding Yourself in the Town of Geniuses: Climbing the Road to Self-Realizationby Valentina KnurovaReviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

"Bring just a particle of creativity to your daily life and you will see how the world will change and it will be full of new colors and give you novel possibilities that you had never imagined."

In the Town of Geniuses, everyone hears in his/her own language, timelessness allows people from any century to meet and converse, and there are guides to point you to your own hidden genius within. The book begins when the narrator, Sophie is enveloped in a strange fog that carries her to a fortune teller who introduces her to the ideas she will be grappling with during a mystical study tour of the fabulous Town. Sophie will talk with some of the world's most remarkable people and learn about many more—geniuses from every age, religion, and discipline. They include such diverse characters as Amadeus Mozart, Emily Dickinson, Albert Einstein, Salvador Dali, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Notions of what creates genius are explored with teachers and fellow students. Sophie gradually realizes that genius can occur in bizarre forms: Agatha Christie almost never spoke as a child; and despite his evil deeds, Adolf Hitler was said to have a genius level IQ. She soon begins seeing the potential for genius in herself—her natural creativity combined with determination.

As they enjoy the story, readers can access direct online links such as a speech by Winston Churchill or an aria by Pavarotti. There are color pictures, called "Genius Cards," that accompany the text. Thus author Valentina Knurova displays her creative flair in having devised this mixed media experience for her audience. An associate professor in Russia and a practicing psychologist highly fluent in English, Knurova presents her thesis: We can all be geniuses in some aspect of life. Knurova has chosen to make Finding Yourself in the Town of Geniuses not only thought-provoking, but amusing and easily accessible, even to those of us who are not in the genius category.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review 

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This review was written by a professional book reviewer with no guarantee that it would receive a positive rating. Some authors pay a small fee to have a book reviewed, while others do not. All reviews are approximately half summary and half criticism. The US Review of Books is dedicated to providing fair and honest coverage to all books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Total Health Publications
• Release date: Jan 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781519975478

Valentina Knurova

Valentina Knurova is an associate professor at Astrakhan University in Russia. She both a psychologist and an historian and teaches in the law faculty. Her publications range from articles in scientific journals and a novel in Russia. This is her first venture in publishing in the area of her greatest interest, the nature of genius,  and in sharing her thoughts with the English speaking world.