Customer Reviews

Gifted Grownups: The Mixed Blessings of Extraordinary Potential

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is an absolute must-read for all of us who grew up as "gifted children", but soon found that the real world did not welcome us with open arms. So many of Ms. Streznewski's observations were frighteningly accurate descriptions of my own life experiences, and the many interviews she conducted made me feel less alone.

I've been meandering through life for over ten years thinking that my high IQ was useful in school, but had little relevance in the professional world. Finally, I am enlightened to the fact that "giftedness" does not end at graduation. Suddenly my spotty job history (I get bored very easily and bosses find my outside-the-box thinking threatening), and difficulty in choosing a long-term career make some sense!

I agree with others who stopped at four stars, because although this book provided me with incredibly valuable information about why I am the way I am, it doesn't offer much insight as to how to better focus my potential. I believe that there is a lot of talent being wasted every day because many extraordinarily gifted, talented people are not accepted by society and the business world. How about a sequel that addresses the challenges unique to gifted adults, and strategies to overcome them?

I've noticed the reviews here-- editorial and otherwise-- have expressed rather mixed opinions about this book. And, in a sense, the book's subtitle ("The mixed blessings of extraordinary potential") serves to underscore the somewhat mixed blessings of the book, itself.

Did I find this to be an interesting book? Certainly. Did I seriously "get something out of it?" I'm shrugging a bit, at this second question. The author has certainly succeeded in writing a book many gifted people will relate to, simply because they will recognize themselvbes in the pages. But does the mere ability to make people relate to the text make this a *useful* book? Again, I am shrugging a bit, and I find myself saying "Yes, this was interesting, but I am not really that much wiser, so what exactly *was* the point....?" Ultimately, the "usefulness" of the book will depend on what the reader is looking for-- MY perception is that this book is more "descriptive" than "educational."

But back to the book's contents. It is divided into three sections:

Part One establishes what exactly the author *means* by the term "gifted grownup." On the initial plus side, Streznewski avoids the trap of correlating "giftedness" with numerical IQ scores. Instead she attributes giftedness to (a somewhat arbitrary?) 3-5% of the population who have exceptionally perceptive minds, quick thoughts and extraordinary talents. These people are then subcategorized into Strivers, Superstars and Independents. The rest of the section offers a bit of historical background on "defining giftedness," theories on the brains of gifted individuals, as well as an interesting (and fairly accurate) commentary on the way many gifted adults tend to "hide" their giftedness, due to social/environmental pressures.

Part Two traces the impact of giftedness of the life of a person, from birth to adulthood, covering childhood and parenting (along with other family dynamics), schooling and work. I found myself able to relate especially well to the section describing the difficulties many gifted children have while in school.

Part Three focuses on "Gifted Lives," covering such topics as gifted adults and relationships, special issues facing gifted women, and gifted senior citizens. At the end, Streznewski has added a section of resources and recommended reading.

"Gifted Grownups" did an excellent job of providing a large number of "Oh wow! Me too!" moments-- and thus offers nice validation, especially for those Gifted Adults who may feel like "misfits" in the world. Streznewski uses quotes from the many (over 100) gifted adults she interviewed in her research for the book, and many will be able to recognize themselves in these excerpts. Yes, there are indeed others "like you," out there!

But as I finished reading, it all struck me as being somewhat long on opinion and too focused on the fact "that" gifted adults face certain challenges, while too short on scientific research, explanations and "why" those difficulties occur. And it is also long on somewhat self-congratulatory "feel good" vignettes, but short on real-life solutions, help and applications for those Gifted Adults who find life to be a struggle. Finally, I found Streznewski to step somewhat lightly over the psychological issues facing the gifted.

In short: "Mixed blessings." But given how few books are available on Adult Giftedness, it was definitely worth a read. However, not enough "meat" here to warrant a 5-star rating.

Final thoughts: Recommended (7.5 out of 10 possible bookmarks). If you're a Gifted Adult, it'll offer you moments of recognition. More highly recommended for teachers of the gifted, in that it provides insights they might not otherwise have, and certainly recommended for any member of a family that feels "mystified" by a gifted family member.

Thanks for reading!
--Peter

From the moment I began reading this book, until I finished it 12 hours later, my jaw hung in amazement. I've never had anyone quantify my life experiences so clearly, and this from a total stranger. I have always been labeled gifted, but all that ever got me was ostracization, and being held to a higher standard. My job history was flaky (I get bored easily), I experimented with drugs, my relationship problems, everything was here, and with an explanation. This book covers all aspects of "giftedness", from the stereotypical "nerds", to the antisocial rebels like myself. This book has truly opened my eyes to areas of my life I was unable or unwilling to look at and deal with. It clearly details how gifted people too often end up on the fringe, just for lack of fitting in. It also deals with how to interact with the gifted people in your life, for stonger relationships, and a valuable resource. Thank you for writing this, Ms. Streznewski. This is the most valuable book I have read all year.

I had the misfortune of being certified highly gifted in the fourth grade. I call this a misfortune for a variety of reasons.

1) Given the dynamics of my family, I had no support to help me deal with "being different" while I was growing up.

2) Although the school system I attended had programs for the gifted, they were more like college prep courses and did little if anything to address the emotional/psychological factors of giftedness.

3) All the hype and pressure about me being gifted left me with no real sense of what that meant realistically, let alone how I could use my "gifts" to my advantage.

This book addresses these issues, and more. Much more. Through reading how being gifted has affected others, I have come to realize that many of my issues are, in fact, "normal". It addresses a number of the myths and realities of being gifted, and how misperceptions can and do impact our lives. It talks about different kinds of "giftedness", and describes dominant characteristics of each type.

For me, this book is a godsend. I only wish Ms. Streznewski had written it, and I had read it, about 3 decades ago.

BKA

Gifted Grown Ups provides a revealing look at the lives of a diverse collection of adult gifted; some successful in today's terms, some ... less so. It reveals what these adults remember of their childhood, good and bad, and how these adults have learned to cope with (or hide in!) a society which does not value gifts of intellegence.

I think every parent of a gifted child will see glimpses of themselves in the book, and begin to see how they themselves are dealing with, as adults, what their children are going through and will go through as they grow.

Teachers of the gifted should read this, too, to discover the very real differences that the children they teach are experiencing, both now as children and later as adults.

And all who have any exposure to gifted children or adults should read this book to see just what a little comment here or a look there can do to force the gifted to hide even deeper under their cover of 'normal'.

My favorite part, though, is to read about gifted grown ups shedding that cover, and becoming the selves they've been hiding, whether in college, their 30's, 50's, or beyond!

A excellent book!

I really liked this book, being a gifted adult I saw myself in many of the interviews the author conducted. It was nice to know that other people had the same problems that I experienced in school -for many years I thought I was alone and that it was my fault for some of the social difficulties I had through high school. The book is a must read for other gifted adults that had any trouble adjusting to the 'norm' that is expected of our young in schools. It was also helpful insight into how others that are not gifted see the gifted and I believe this can make a gifted person's life a little easier when relating to those that aren't as blessed. I had quite a few "ah ha" moments when I really related to the people interviewed. I think the book was also helpful in helping a young person to overcome the need to hide their gift.

Overall the book was good, but there are a few flaws that I feel it is necesscary to point out. The book goes into great detail concerning how gifted people become bored with too much of the same information and that gifted folks need stimulation, but the book redundantly discusses some of the same topics many times making it a bit boring at points.
I'm not sure how helpful this book will be to people who are not gifted, it may be a bit boring. It should however be mandatory reading for most teachers in pubilc school who are not adquately educated in how to deal with the gifted mind. Take it from someone who was labeled a "trouble maker" and a "busy body" and got scorned for asking too many questions- many teachers do not understand the special needs of the high functioning mind.
Overall it was an informative read and worth the time.

When I bought this book from Amazon, I thought that it was just reminiscences of adults who had grown up gifted, and bought it for that. However, it is more fun than that. It is a genuine gifted guide book like the books written about gifted children, with one difference: it is about the grown-up world. So there is information on how to survive the workplace as a gifted adult, giving lots of "yep, that's me" feelings, showing that behaviour that could be considered immature (frequent job-swapping, doing stuff at the last minute, surfing while working) are all valid survival techniques in a world that is not an exact fit.

From a format standpoint, this book is an excellent example of how to approach, research and write for a "popular" audience on a complex subject. The language is pleasantly free of obstructive technical jargon and supplemented by plenty of anecdotal evidence. Publishers should view this book as an example of why professional writers will usually give you a better book than would-be experts with writing ability.

The best part of this book is its separation of the concept of "giftedness" from the tyranny of numerical test scores. Though the book doesn't go this far, as I come away from reading the book and then reviewing my own experiences, I grow convinced that the word "gifted" should be replaced by the word "lopsided." It is the imbalance of attributes that causes "gifted" people the most trouble -- too much of this combined with not enough of that.

What the book did not do for me is map out steps I could take as soon as I finished reading to either reduce or eliminate the "gifted" predicament. It was content to "prove" to the reader that life for "gifted grownups" was no walk in the park. Well and good -- but what now?

With this in mind, the two books that should be read along with this one are Shame: The Power of Caring by Gershen Kaufman and Work Abuse: How To Recognize and Survive It by Judity Wyatt and Chauncey Hare.

This is the first book on this controversial subject. Hopefully, it won't be the last.

I read this book with a sense of wonder and relief. Finally, someone who understands that the attainment of knowledge is more fulfilling than the writing of a paper or the answering a test to prove knowledge of a subject. My favorite quote was the guy who said I have the attention span of about 2 years for a new subject before I want to move on to something new. It's hard to make others understand this feeling of always wanting to learn something new just for the pleasure of expanding my horizons, without making myself feel flighty or weird. Thanks for a great book. I'm saving this for my daughter for when she comes to me and wonders why she is different from the other kids.

A terrific book. If you know you're pretty smart but have never heard of 'gifted grown ups' you may find this to be a sort of homecoming. The issues you faced while growing up, and those you continue to face today, are explained and contextualized nicely. As you read you realize that you are not alone, and that there are others who are like you. A wonderful feeling, I assure you.