Improv Wisdom

Improv Wisdom connects to improvisational theater through improv maxims, and Patricia Ryan Madson tries to bring them to everyday life. If you remove the word improv from the book, most of the material will still preserve its meaning. It will not teach you improv and, at best, send you down a path of self-help-induced positive vibes.

The book is a collection of highly general and bland advice with no memorable stories from improvisational theater acting experience. In the chapter "wake up to the gifts," a few short sentences mention improvisation, and the rest is about the author's life flashbacks. "By focusing on what was right <...>, we managed to avoid the shouting and blaming <...>. We saw the gift in the moment <...>. Use this approach to create a lens of life." This writing pattern repeats throughout the book, and while I appreciate the cheerful tones, Patricia Ryan Madson does little setup for the advice to carry significant weight.

Ultimately, the book feels more like spiritual self-help advice than improvisational theater skills showcased outside the theatre. If you're in the market for reinforcing positive loops and need the nudge, this book can help. However, there are better mediums and content to get you there.