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A review by nakedsushi
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough
2.0
(2.5 stars)
This book cited lots of studies and anecdotal examples of exceptional kids who conquered adversity to take the step toward success in life, which is great and all, but I thought there was a lot of hand-waving going on. Nothing really revolutionary was introduced and most of it was a rehash of things I've read from various articles over the year.
I guess it's just a no-brainer to me that to succeed in life, you don't have to just be smart and have an IQ, but you have to have some points in certain character skills. I should be glad to my parents for teaching me that early on in life.
The title of the book also didn't match with the content of the book. Maybe it was a choice of the publisher or editor's, but it seemed to cash in on the Tiger Mom trend. I'd prefer a title like, "How People Succeed" but maybe that would make it sound too business-douchey.
I also hate it when non-fiction authors interject themselves into their story. It was even worse when it was revealed on page 3 that the author's son's name was Ellington. Maybe it's for the sequel: How Children Succeed: Give Them Pretentious Names They'll Never Live Up To.
This book cited lots of studies and anecdotal examples of exceptional kids who conquered adversity to take the step toward success in life, which is great and all, but I thought there was a lot of hand-waving going on. Nothing really revolutionary was introduced and most of it was a rehash of things I've read from various articles over the year.
I guess it's just a no-brainer to me that to succeed in life, you don't have to just be smart and have an IQ, but you have to have some points in certain character skills. I should be glad to my parents for teaching me that early on in life.
The title of the book also didn't match with the content of the book. Maybe it was a choice of the publisher or editor's, but it seemed to cash in on the Tiger Mom trend. I'd prefer a title like, "How People Succeed" but maybe that would make it sound too business-douchey.
I also hate it when non-fiction authors interject themselves into their story. It was even worse when it was revealed on page 3 that the author's son's name was Ellington. Maybe it's for the sequel: How Children Succeed: Give Them Pretentious Names They'll Never Live Up To.