A few months ago, I saw this as-yet-unreleased title (which Amazon sooo craftily put in front of my eyeballs) and thought, "I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK. Preferably yesterday." In addition to my interest in the science of it, I badly needed the ego boost, because that generalist guy *is* me. So I pre-ordered it, which I rarely do with an author I have no experience with.
The book does not disappoint. Epstein emphasizes that even though stories like those of golfer Tiger Woods and the chess-master Polgar sisters get all the attention, real life just isn't like golf or chess. Those activities happen in "kind" environments, where rules are few, goals are simple, and progress is easy to measure. Real life operates in the "wicked" domain, where rules are myriad, goals change, and there is no simple measure of progress. In complex environments, those whose brains have trained to deal with a lot of different situations -- i.e. the generalists -- perform a lot better.
In addition to a recap of the science of learning and expertise, Epstein digs up valuable nuggets from the literature on improved problem-solving, the proper fit between talent and career, and optimizing education for versatility. I also loved the stories of the unsung badasses that I'd heard little of, like three-time accidental CEO Frances Hesselbein, and the "figlie del coro" multi-instrumental virtuoso women of baroque-era Venice.
This is a great book and a fun, quick, well-written read. Take heart, ye restless career-hoppers, that many if not most people operating at the highest levels of human accomplishment -- rafts of Nobelists, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Roger Federer -- were generalists who got a relatively late start at their metier and achieved greatness not in spite of it, but because of it. So keep on exploring.
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer and author of The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible, the highest-rated dating book on Amazon, and Should I Go to Medical School?: An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine
- File Size: 2410 KB
- Print Length: 351 pages
- Publisher: Riverhead Books (May 28, 2019)
- Publication Date: May 28, 2019
- Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B07H1ZYWTM
- Text-to-Speech:
Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,976 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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