Summary:
What makes puzzles—jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus—so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they’re among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs—four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder—set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost.
In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik’s Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world—including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America’s top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle—The Puzzler will open readers’ eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you’re puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you’ll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker—for these are certainly puzzling times.
Review:
I’m sure many of you turned to puzzles during the pandemic, be they jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, or just the daily Wordle. It was a way not only to pass the time stuck indoors, but to keep a connection with family members and friends. Games such as chess and role playing games even transcended the edict to stay at home, as they can be played remotely. Whatever your preference was, I’m willing to bet that for many of you, puzzles are now an integral part of your life, if they weren’t already.
One of the things that I like so much about Jacobs’ books is that he always manages to take what appears to be an unforgivingly narrow subject and imbue it with fascinating facts and compelling narratives. He talks with people who solve Rubik’s Cubes in record time and how their thought processes work. He visits jigsaw competitions, knowing that he and his family have no chance of winning but enjoying the atmosphere all the same. He explores the nature of riddles and their long history in culture. And it’s all tied together with the love of the challenge and the desire to broaden one’s way of thinking.
It’s also just damn entertaining. Jacobs describes his various attempts at excruciatingly hard puzzles with a self-deprecating humor that I find very relatable. Who among us hasn’t stared at something for ages, looking for the solution, only to have someone else walk up and pinpoint it right away? But he never shames anybody–or himself–for failing at something; rather, he uses it as a way to point out different ways of thinking. I think that we can all use a nudge to think more critically, especially nowadays with the absolute flood of information and disinformation that we’re exposed to. Puzzles are a fun and creative way to expand our skills at deduction and reasoning–always a good skill to brush up on!
This book would make a great gift for someone in your life who is captivated by crosswords, jazzed up by jigsaws, or wondering over the latest Wordle. It certainly inspired me to poke at a few types of puzzles that I’ve neglected as I’ve gotten older. Goodness knows my brain can use all the help it can get!
