Customer Reviews

Mastery: Interviews with 33 Remarkable People

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What do you trust more: autobiographies or biographies? I prefer the latter because they tend to be more objective. This book is nothing more than a collection of brief and carefully controlled glimpses into the lives of a few famous and many not-so famous people.

I purchased a copy of this book on the strength of the reviews on this page. Unfortunately, the book turns out to be a complete disappointment if you happen to be looking for insights into how these people became masters in their respective fields. Each brief 7 to 9 page chapter is simply a record of the author's one-hour, or so, visit with the subject. At the end of it all, the only insight you take away is that successful people are exceedingly courteous to authors planning on devoting an entire chapter to them.

If you are curious about mastery, you will benefit far more from a reading of "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

This book is well worth the time investment. Ames interviewed 30 people who are considered to be at the top of their field, and asked each one how to achieve mastery, what are the components of mastery, and what are the pitfalls along the way. The uniformity of their answers is striking. Every chapter is just wonderful, and equally engaging. This is easily one of the best books I've ever read.

I spent an hour writing a rambling review of this outstanding book and decided that no amount of words could do it justice. There are interesting books, there are good books, there are great books and there are books that can make a profound difference to your life. If you've reached the understanding that there is a dimension to human existence that is very, very rare, then you need to read this book. (I don't mean organisesd religion or a consciousness of a 'God', though all the people here approach their work with a profound awareness of the transcendent). One measure of this rarity is the appalling fact that books on genuine mastery are as scarce as masters themselves. This book was published almost ten years ago and is now, criminally, out of print. Grab a copy while you can.

In my humble opinion, this is a much more in depth study of mastery than George Leonard's slim tome (grateful though I am for it) and there is wide agreement among those interviewed here about the path to mastery and its rewards and pitfalls. Interestingly, none of the interviewees regard themselves as masters, and most have a warm sense of humour.

Joan Ames has done a masterly job in arranging the interviews, in the focus of her interview questions and in editing and compiling the answers. Anyone interested in the path to mastery can't fail to be deeply indebted to her (and let's not forget the publisher) for this book. It's also beautifully designed.

If you're unable to find a copy of Mastery, I'd recommend the following (not in any order): Gene Landrum - Eight Keys To Greatness; Howard Gardner - Extraordinary Minds; Eugen Herrigel - Zen In The Art of Archery; Ken Carpone - The Virtuoso; Terry Orlick - In Pursuit of Excellence; Steven Pressfield - The War Of Art; John Schuster - Answering Your Call: A Guide To Living Your Deepest Purpose; and the most enchanting, Richard Bach - Jonathan Livingston Seagull

I personally like this book a lot. I just finished reading it and I think I want to read more, especially interviews with scientists and engineers. I guess it is because they shared thoughts and ideas on mastery that are more related to what I do for living. This book definitely expanded my view on how to achieve new levels of mastery. I especially like the advice by Alexis Sanderson on the ability to be delighted in the discovery of your own errors. I think it is kind of important quality for a software developer. I also like the approach of Peter Steidlmayer on reaching the higher level of knowledge by simplifying things, i.e. figuring out the key principles behind complex things. I am going to apply some ideas and thoughts I've got from this book to my daily practice. I am also going to recommend this book to my friends.

Mastery pursues the art of devotion to one's ambitions from a splendid array of vantage points. Regardless of one's individual journey, Ames finds commonality through a diversity of recognized masters from all walks of life. Compelling reading that is insightful, entertaining, and thought provoking. A definite title on my gift giving list.

This book offers one of the best, and perhaps most revealing, set of insights into what complexity theory indicates about human beings. The interviews include seemingly innocuous moments, viewpoints, thoughts and components within the minds, lives and personal interactions that would otherwise be unknown (without this book). One has to read it with a lens of looking for those moments and viewpoints, but it has been one of the most helpful and meaningful books I have ever read. Definitely worth sharing with anyone that is in a field where mastery is an art form.
The interviews with scientists, engineers,musicians, artists,are each unique and well written. Combined, this book is in my top three of all time. Most books like this spend way too much time as a self-help style book. This one simply offers wonderful glimpses into the minds of human beings who became masters. Too bad more books aren't able to capture the essence of what means to become both a human and a master in your field. It's natural style makes it particularly good for anyone, even young people, however, the masters' remarkably unvarnished and insightful comments make it unusually helpful for those interested in complexity theory, neuroscience and philosophy of mind.