Valentina Knurova

Description and Professional Review
Description
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 all 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 that we generally associate with genius, like teaching, social work, relationships and parenting. It is a truly motivational story.
This enhanced e-book will not only raise the awareness of the essence of genius, but will encourage the reader to raise his or her sights in the areas deemed important.
Success, if not genius, is always possible if one has a positive attitude—and a plan. This book illustrates many plans that have aided the creative minds to excel. You can too.
Written originally as an enhanced e-book, there are 37 audio and video enhancements. These enhancements include experiences that help the reader to become more familiar with some of the geniuses discussed. See and hear Winston Churchill's "We are the Masters of our Fate" speech to the U.S. Congress, Luciano Pavarotti singing an aria from La Boheme, Charlie Chaplin in one of his film classics, or Anna Pavlova dancing "The Dying Swan."

Professional Review by the US Review of Books reviewed 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