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alisegrant's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing ideas, interesting stories, but ultimately too long. Many chapters could have been shortened and combined without loss of impact.
But I did enjoy it!
But I did enjoy it!
graceg7's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
It was good and made lots of good points. But at times it felt like it was dragging because of the overwhelming examples used.
Some were helpful but it got to a point where it was 10 pages of 10 different examples.
It made me feel better about my life thođ„đ„
Some were helpful but it got to a point where it was 10 pages of 10 different examples.
It made me feel better about my life thođ„đ„
theresa_mysteries_and_mayhem's review against another edition
4.0
I've never considered myself a specialist. My professional path has been too winding, my interests too varied. I am definitely a generalist. With that in mind, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World was an intriguing choice to me when I saw it picked as a book of the month in my nonfiction Goodreads book group. Sold! I jumped in with both feet.
David Epstein's thought process was easy to follow throughout the book. I loved the way he ended each chapter with a little foreshadowing of what you're going to find in the next chapter. He used compelling examples in each chapter that kept me turning the pages to learn more. I won't give away all of the details he shares in the book. It's more fun to read the book to find out for yourself. But he does cover topics such as our current education system, the 10,000 hour rule, problem solving, and so much more.
Being a true generalist at heart, with each example he gave, I dug deeper and found more books to read on each topic. I came away wanting to read more about Vivaldi and the orphan girls trained to be musicians in his orchestras; Vincent Van Gogh's biography; and Jackson Pollock's biography. It seems the deeper I dig into nonfiction, the more I find that I want to read!
Nonfiction often gets knocked for being dry and boring. I beg to differ. First you need to find your interests. Next you need to find the right authors. After all, there are dry and boring fiction books written every day as well. Range is definitely not dry and boring. I'm giving Range four out of five stars.
David Epstein's thought process was easy to follow throughout the book. I loved the way he ended each chapter with a little foreshadowing of what you're going to find in the next chapter. He used compelling examples in each chapter that kept me turning the pages to learn more. I won't give away all of the details he shares in the book. It's more fun to read the book to find out for yourself. But he does cover topics such as our current education system, the 10,000 hour rule, problem solving, and so much more.
Being a true generalist at heart, with each example he gave, I dug deeper and found more books to read on each topic. I came away wanting to read more about Vivaldi and the orphan girls trained to be musicians in his orchestras; Vincent Van Gogh's biography; and Jackson Pollock's biography. It seems the deeper I dig into nonfiction, the more I find that I want to read!
Nonfiction often gets knocked for being dry and boring. I beg to differ. First you need to find your interests. Next you need to find the right authors. After all, there are dry and boring fiction books written every day as well. Range is definitely not dry and boring. I'm giving Range four out of five stars.
wiserguy_50's review against another edition
4.0
Really good. I felt like the last third wasnât as good as the first two. All in all, though, I really enjoyed the book and he definitely convinced me of his theory.
pcdbigfoot's review against another edition
4.25
âWe learn who we are only by living, and not before.â
ââBe careful not to be too carefulâ, DelbrĂŒck warned, âor you will unconsciously limit your exploration.â
Really enjoyed this one. Epstein fluently challenges many of our norms about âhead startsâ, âdeep knowledgeâ, and our societal bent towards specialization. His results-facing argument is that weâre more likely to solve tough problems when weâre wired to integrate lateral thinking - that is when weâre adept at creative exploration verses a prescribed âplanâ then âdoâ process.
There are numerous convincing examples in the book, and itâs possible to get caught up in successful outcomes, forgetting Epsteinâs assertion that the meandering exploration is the journey that can become our reward.
I believe that had I read this even five years ago, I wouldnât have internalized the central point of the book - embrace exploration, and even failure as the learning exercise it can be. And recognize that an ingrained focus on specialization leaaves us vulnerable to the âLaw of the Instrumentâ aka âfunctional fixednessâ.
Read this. It will either challenge you, validate you, or ideally, do some of both.
ââBe careful not to be too carefulâ, DelbrĂŒck warned, âor you will unconsciously limit your exploration.â
Really enjoyed this one. Epstein fluently challenges many of our norms about âhead startsâ, âdeep knowledgeâ, and our societal bent towards specialization. His results-facing argument is that weâre more likely to solve tough problems when weâre wired to integrate lateral thinking - that is when weâre adept at creative exploration verses a prescribed âplanâ then âdoâ process.
There are numerous convincing examples in the book, and itâs possible to get caught up in successful outcomes, forgetting Epsteinâs assertion that the meandering exploration is the journey that can become our reward.
I believe that had I read this even five years ago, I wouldnât have internalized the central point of the book - embrace exploration, and even failure as the learning exercise it can be. And recognize that an ingrained focus on specialization leaaves us vulnerable to the âLaw of the Instrumentâ aka âfunctional fixednessâ.
Read this. It will either challenge you, validate you, or ideally, do some of both.
cal337's review against another edition
5.0
There are so many great anecdotes in this, and a real compelling narrative that flows. Our increasingly specialized world creates too many difficult to penetrate siloes of knowledge, but often breakthroughs occur when people apply knowledge from one discipline to another, or see old things in a new light. the book could've been 40 pages shorter, there are _too_ many examples of successful scientists with meandering paths, but the general thesis is solid. It certainly makes me rethink my career trajectory.