Dream Teams by Shane Snow: Discovering Non-Fiction Can Be Fun To Read

Shane Snow

I was on LinkedIn and a fellow writer reached out to me to read his new book. I was already following him on LinkedIn and had read the occasional post and article of his. Being a writer and novelist-in-training, I was aware that reaching out through social media is a marketing tactic that people use to sell their stuff and to spread awareness. However, when Shane Snow reached out to me to read Dream Teams, I was still flattered that he asked. 

I read many reviews beforehand because it is a non-fiction book. I'd say that 85% of what I read is stories, so fiction with maybe 1-2% being biographies. I read fiction to escape from reality, so I need to mentally prepare myself before I dive into non-fiction. I know that non-fiction has gotten a bad reputation for being boring because, well, not everyone can make non-fiction interesting. But Shane Snow did. I have just completed my reading of Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart and I loved every minute of it! His tone and content make it a real page-turner, which surprised me. It is an engaging text that covers history (one of my favorite subjects) while providing stats and studies that connect to his subject of how anyone can create a dream team, and as a result, quality content. Sparks of Snow's humor shine through his tone and predominantly, in the footnotes.

I am going to talk about the text, so if you don't want anything spoiled, stop reading (at least for now because you are always welcome to read my blog) and check out the book!

My copy of Dream Teams

Both Shane Snow and Aaron Walton—who wrote the foreword—speak about mountains as symbols of projects and problems. It reminded me of Three Days Grace's song "The Mountain" where the singer says "Every time I think I'm over it / I wake up at the bottom of it all again." Walton says, "And once we get to [our mountaintop], we're looking for another mountain to climb."Although both statements have different attitudes behind them, both statements are true and in both cases, we need to "admit to [ourselves] that [we] can't solve all [our] problems [ourselves]." Many of us hate to admit it, (myself included), but we need people. Humans are social beings, after all. Where would an artist be without his/her audience?

The mind puzzles in the first chapter that demonstrate lateral thinking was fun, reminding me of little puzzles books I had growing up and because I had been exposed to that kind of thinking, I knew the answers to both the cake and milk puzzles. It made me realize, though, that when I am presented with those types of puzzles in regular life, I don't use lateral thinking unless it's set up as a game. Because of my loves for stories and mysteries, I appreciated the way Snow introduced his stories about the Baltimore Plot and a certain George that wanted to become an actor. I'm now considering reading Snow's other books, Smartcuts and The Storytelling Edge.

What spoke to me the most about this book was the last two chapters because I love stories and I am discovering more and more about marketing. The first chapter with which I was most interested in had Snow reveal how our bodies produce the molecule oxytocin to mimic what others are feeling, which in turn, makes us more empathetic, particularly when we are listening and/or watching a story unfold. Snow's work and that of many scientists and researchers demonstrate that humans are more likely to empathize and act when a problem is presented to them as a story instead of just facts. I have experienced this with letters I receive from WWF and with the Nancy Drew games I play. One line jumped out at me and I'm wondering if Snow put it in purposefully since he is a self-proclaimed nerd. The line is, "Is it really a quantum leap to suggest that [reading lots of books] will give us a little more openness toward the people we meet in everyday life?" The show Quantum Leap was all about stories and how the protagonist, Dr. Sam Beckett, traveled through time and had to right a wrong by being in someone else's body and take on all of their problems. By being in other people's bodies, he saw the world from their point of view and became more open to them and to new ideas. He and his friend, Admiral Albert 'Al' Calavicci, made a Dream Team, always balancing each other out.

The epilogue had me lean in closer because I was stunned that Snow included harsh truths about his own life. I was blown away that Snow was lecturing and getting his company off the ground as well as meeting celebrities, like Bill Nye the Science Guy (like, WOW!) and then he describes how reality comes crashing down on him. That takes guts to reveal, especially to millions of strangers. I relate to Snow's autobiographical anecdote on an emotional level because I had a similar experience with someone who helped me see that there was, and is, hope.

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