Angela Duckworth

Hmm, what to say about author Angela Duckworth's book "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance"...I think I can sum it up for myself at best as a three-lettered word: meh.
Who has grit and why, how do we get grit in our lives, and how can we raise/coach kids to have grit. These are the names of the chapters that make up the three parts to the book.
each section breaks down the exact same way: a statement of her hypothesis (which may take about a page or two), and then tens of pages of anecdote that supports her thoughts. Rinse and repeat.
Duckworth covers what grittiness is, is it just a stick-to-it attitude or is there more to it. Interest in your subject, deliberate practice, hope and belief, and more! Duckworth finishes with parenting for grit, if socio-economic status changes grit, and the Seattle Seahawks culture of grit (she seems to be a bit of a stan for Pete Carroll).
IN MY OPINION, nothing in here is very revelatory. She doesn't break any real new news...gritty people stick to it...gritty people have an interest in what they are doing...gritty people out last those without grit...gritty people put in more work...
what I did find interesting was her admission that the work is biased as she stated that "...I'm overlooking a whole population of grit paragons whose goals are purely selfish or, worse, directed at harming others." (p. 148) Well this throws her whole results right out the window as she admits that she only includes in her results the results of people that are pleasant to her. Not very scientific then is it and discolors everything she says that involves her research.
So if your research is iffy at best, and the rest of the book is anecdote to support your flawed research then I give this a big MEH for my thoughts on it. 2.5 stars and that is due to her ability to write well written, concise prose, which is not easy for everyone to do considering it is a work of non-fiction.… (more)

"As much as talent counts, effort counts twice."

Professor and MacArthur Award winner Angela Duckworth has entered the "talent vs. effort" discussion with years of research showing that dedicated effort -- what she calls "grit"-- is far more important to success than any innate talent. While some agree (see books such as [b:Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else|4485966|Talent is Overrated What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else|Geoff Colvin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440778775s/4485966.jpg|4642546], and [b:Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why|29434476|Helping Children Succeed What Works and Why|Paul Tough|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459328081s/29434476.jpg|49700907], among others) critics have both questioned her research or dismissed it as nothing more than the sage old advice that's been around for ages: "Work hard and never give up."

I found this book to be very engaging and inspiring, not only for my own aspirations but also in thinking about the values and skills I hope to instill in my children. Duckworth explains her research in easy-to-understand terms, and gives plenty of real world anecdotes and examples. While I find myself more in the camp that thinks that this research is likely just the next step of the age-old "work hard" advice, for me this book still served as a motivating rallying call to keep pushing on to reach my personal and professional goals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Note: while I was provided a galley I chose to listen to the audio version of the book, which was excellent.… (more)

There are several books that try to unravel the science behind success. This book ties the findings of all the other research and coins a simple, easily understandable term "Grit." The notion that success is not necessarily a product of innate Talent has been already popularized by Geoff Colvin and Malcolm Gladwell in their excellent books. Effort and "deliberate practice" were the key findings in earlier research.

The author says success is a result of "interest" (read passion), "practice" (read deliberate practice), "purpose" (read connection-with-people or larger-than-life-goal), and "hope" (read growth mindset). A review of the key ingredients should confirm that this is an all encompassing book that brings all the aspects of the research on "success" to build a unified theory. The book has plenty of examples that illustrate each of the points. At several points, she also refers to earlier research done, consequently giving you an all rounded reading experience.… (more)