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gbishop's review against another edition
5.0
I read a fair number of leadership/management books, but given the number of good ones (and not so good ones) out there I really try to focus on the ones that have good ideas backed by research. This book is exceptional in that nearly everything the author discusses has a scientific justification. That said it is extremely accessible and contains a ton of things that I can use in my job to make it more fulfilling, to make me a better coach and in my home life to improve the quality of parenting. For anyone in a leadership position, whether personally or professionally, I highly recommend this book.
kailansunshine's review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting, well-written book on why some people succeed, others don't, and what can be accomplished with persistence.
emallory's review against another edition
2.0
I have been wanting to read this book for quite a while. I actually put it off because I was so excited about it that I wanted to read it when I could fully immerse myself.
Well that was foolish. I ended up skipping whole chapters towards the end because it was just the same anecdote over and over again for the whole book. What a waste of time.
Well that was foolish. I ended up skipping whole chapters towards the end because it was just the same anecdote over and over again for the whole book. What a waste of time.
arb7722's review against another edition
4.0
It took me three library loans to finally finish it, but I'm glad I did. This book has lessons applicable for personal growth, relationship development, and leadership, so I'll be processing for a while.
mlgardner1's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. This book really resonated with me. I appreciated the tips about how to be a supportive parent and still encourage the development of grit in my kids.
jamuckley's review against another edition
3.0
Angela Duckworth's book on Grit is a fascinating description of what grit is, how to grow it, and how the most succesful people use it to advance, grow and achieve their goals.
The book is heavy on psychological studies and lighter on real-life examples that the common man can really relate to or readily apply. I enjoyed the book but got a little lost in parts. In some instances, Duckworth touts grit as the end all be all, where if everyone just had more grit instead of more talent they could become hyper successful business tycoons, Olympians, concert pianists, etc.
Sounds like an interesting concept but seems a little unrealistic in practice.
The book is heavy on psychological studies and lighter on real-life examples that the common man can really relate to or readily apply. I enjoyed the book but got a little lost in parts. In some instances, Duckworth touts grit as the end all be all, where if everyone just had more grit instead of more talent they could become hyper successful business tycoons, Olympians, concert pianists, etc.
Sounds like an interesting concept but seems a little unrealistic in practice.
newirl's review against another edition
5.0
Passion and perseverance go hand in hand to drive gritty individuals towards extraordinary success. While skill and talent are undoubtedly necessary for high achievers, Grit explains the core mental structure that push potentials into real performance. Definitely a must read for anyone striving to improve and grow a powerful mindset.
curiouspolymath's review against another edition
3.0
I had bought this book when it first came out but I had put off reading it since I was learning what was in the book form the mass media since this topic and Ms. Duckworth’s book was a ubiquitous subject amongst the education and coaching wonks. Grit and resilience had become the Growth mindset for the last few years. After a while, I finally decided to sit down and read it.
All of that is to say that my impressions of the book are affected by the widespread popularity of the subject and my lack of enthusiasm is not so much that I disliked what Ms. Duckworth wrote, it is that my impressions of the book suffered from being exposed to the subject due to her success in getting her ideas through to the reading public.
As with most books which appeals to the business crowd, Ms. Duckworth follows the tried and true business book formula: define the problem, lay out the solution to the problem, and give a lot of anecdotal case studies backed with qualitative summaries of quantitative studies in order to get past the general public’s impatience with numbers and lack of aptitude with statistics. In this regard, Ms. Duckworth did a masterful job. Every chapter is backed up with numerous anecdotes; she patiently attacks our preconceived notion of intelligence being the determining factor for successful people with wave upon waves of examples that makes her point for her. In fact, when she does goes to the solution phase of her book: Growing Grit from the Inside out and Growing Grit from the Outside In, she still couldn’t quite let go of her initial pedantic mode.
Even as the reader has become more than convinced of her thesis, she persists in attempting to persuade the reader to accept her premise that Grit is important and desirable in our lives. It was all this reader could do to NOT scream: I get it, it is important, it is a great character trait to have and develop, get to explain the HOW and not the WHY.
While I am a firm believer in letting each person develop their own methodology in teaching, it was somewhat maddening to be reading more anecdotes which illustrate her key ideas in how to train grit. In the end however, I did glean lessons on a process, I will have to apply this process experimentally and apply the scientific method to ascertain whether my guessing was correct. In the end it will probably be better for me to go through this process rather than being spoon fed a process, it doesn’t lessen the frustration.
Indeed, this book was indeed a landmark achievement, I just wish that the author did not choose to follow the business book clichés and be more direct with her conjectures on the What-If’s and How’s of attaining Grit.
All of that is to say that my impressions of the book are affected by the widespread popularity of the subject and my lack of enthusiasm is not so much that I disliked what Ms. Duckworth wrote, it is that my impressions of the book suffered from being exposed to the subject due to her success in getting her ideas through to the reading public.
As with most books which appeals to the business crowd, Ms. Duckworth follows the tried and true business book formula: define the problem, lay out the solution to the problem, and give a lot of anecdotal case studies backed with qualitative summaries of quantitative studies in order to get past the general public’s impatience with numbers and lack of aptitude with statistics. In this regard, Ms. Duckworth did a masterful job. Every chapter is backed up with numerous anecdotes; she patiently attacks our preconceived notion of intelligence being the determining factor for successful people with wave upon waves of examples that makes her point for her. In fact, when she does goes to the solution phase of her book: Growing Grit from the Inside out and Growing Grit from the Outside In, she still couldn’t quite let go of her initial pedantic mode.
Even as the reader has become more than convinced of her thesis, she persists in attempting to persuade the reader to accept her premise that Grit is important and desirable in our lives. It was all this reader could do to NOT scream: I get it, it is important, it is a great character trait to have and develop, get to explain the HOW and not the WHY.
While I am a firm believer in letting each person develop their own methodology in teaching, it was somewhat maddening to be reading more anecdotes which illustrate her key ideas in how to train grit. In the end however, I did glean lessons on a process, I will have to apply this process experimentally and apply the scientific method to ascertain whether my guessing was correct. In the end it will probably be better for me to go through this process rather than being spoon fed a process, it doesn’t lessen the frustration.
Indeed, this book was indeed a landmark achievement, I just wish that the author did not choose to follow the business book clichés and be more direct with her conjectures on the What-If’s and How’s of attaining Grit.
ampelia's review against another edition
DNF
Usualmente no dejo libros a la mitad. Pero la extensión del libro no se justifica para lo relativamente poco que tiene para decir.
Usualmente no dejo libros a la mitad. Pero la extensión del libro no se justifica para lo relativamente poco que tiene para decir.