Book Review: Anatomy of a Breakthrough

A Guide to Getting Unstuck by Adam Alter

Innovators and creative people often make their work seem effortless. But we usually only see the final results and don’t hear about the moments of creative drought, writer’s block, and other struggles: the times people are stuck. Anatomy of a Breakthrough is about how to get unstuck, with lessons to apply to business and personal life and relationships. 

The path through unblocking includes some points that you might have come across elsewhere. For example, that creativity is about building on the work of others is a theme of Steal Like an Artist. Acknowledging the inevitability and even necessity of failure in the learning process is the theme of Right Kind of Wrong. and the team dynamics that encourage creativity in groups (psychological safety and diversity, for example) is what Creativity Inc. is about.  Anatomy of a Breakthrough connects these and other ideas to give you a guide for learning and getting past roadblocks in your personal and professional life. 

Approachable, easy to read, with short chapters.  The book ends with a summary of  100 key points from the book to help you put it all together. 

Whether you are an artist, a software developer, a parent, or a partner-- or maybe multiples of those things, you’ll find the lessons in this book valuable and inspirational.  There is nothing magical about getting past blocks. But having a guidebook makes the journey easier.