Bottom line: A must-read book for every grad (high school and college) and learning professional. The book is both wise and entertaining, but perhaps not worth the $16 (hint: get it from your local library).
Dan Pink, the author who brought us the insightful A Whole New Mind (I just realized I never reviewed here – my mistake!), may have just redefined business writing with Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need. Bunko is written as a full-length manga (the Japanese comic style; pronounced “MAHNG-ah”) story. Except for the fact that the book is read left to right (contrary to traditional manga), the book’s art uses the over-dramatic and over-stylized form, which provides a very entertaining read. I love the animated preview (below) which uses the Japanese anime style (the cousin to manga).
Just like another blogger who reviewed the book, I finished the 160 pages in a little over an hour. However, the book packs a lot into such a brief reading period. The author’s six key points are written into a singular storyline in which the protagonist Johnny finds his way from a miserable, dead-end job to a turn-around in his career and life outlook. The writing style is naturally succinct due to the comic form, but also memorable. What I love is that Pink follows points I picked up from Made to Stick (another of my favorite books) about crafting a persuasive message.
There is plenty of tongue-in-cheek as the characters often poke fun at the manga comic style itself and the author (there are a few references to Pink’s prior books). There are also more than a couple overused jokes, but these can be forgiven in light of the quality of the career advice provided.
As I mention in my bottom line above, I’m not sure the $16 cover price is justified. On the one hand, the artwork alone would explain the beefy price tag, but I think this qualifies the book as an excellent gift. Personally, I enjoyed being the first in line to get it out of the Centreville library. And since it took me no time to read (and write this review!), I’ll be able to return it tomorrow to give someone else the benefit of reading it.
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