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kateburstein31's review
5.0
This is an excellent book providing a plethora of research and anecdotal pieces about grit and how we can grow grit and foster our passions.
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know why I waited so long to read this book when I KNEW I was going to like it. And I did. A lot. This isn't just a "grit is good and you need more" book, but it explores what grit really looks like, how people can increase (and why they should) with examples that are wide and diverse. I appreciated the way that years and years of research (both Duckworth's and others) explore the reasons behind pursuing a life with more grit. I found it very interesting (probably more interesting than I expected) and paused the audio to reflect several times. I really highly recommend reading/listening to this.
andrealerude's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
your average self-help book. at times, i found the information to be over my head, though the anecdotes and interviews helped to continue my interest.
carrerabooks's review
3.0
My dad is the one who suggested I read this. I’m glad to have read it, though being non-fiction I wasn’t necessarily always “captivated” while reading it.
Angela Duckworth’s passion for understanding ‘grit’ certainly shines through all of it. She’s impressive and well-qualified to talk about the subject, especially given the academic rigor she’s thrown at the topic. I appreciate that this is meant to be inspiring but in a less than typical “self-help book style” format.
Sometimes, the book glosses over what interests me most, and that can be frustrating. Given the constant linking to new people and events to further her points, I think readers looking to get the most out of this book could benefit from annotating the book as you go along.
Something I wish was explored more happened around page 190 for me, and this is the note I took: “‘I worry a lot about kids in poverty’ (-other scientist)… scientific research is very clear that experiencing trauma without control can be debilitating. but I also worry about people who cruise through life” — I would love to revisit how these ‘learned helplessness’ or traumatized people can learn to be gritty again, without just becoming burnt out ; the answer: ‘trust the science, brains can learn and get stronger with practice. go to therapy if you’re too pessimistic, have positive self talk. ask for help.’, which is not bad advice, but not always enough it feels.
^ She gives a lot of good advice, but I feel she’s also acknowledged just slightly that some trauma and difficulties can’t just be ignored and pushed through by sheer grit. I greatly appreciate that she somewhat circles back in my favorite section - “Seven Questions I’m Asked About Grit”.
I loved the extra questions. I wanted to ask almost all of them myself by the end of this book, so it was very satisfying.
Overall, it’s not a bad book, just simply not my favorite read, and that’s okay.
Angela Duckworth’s passion for understanding ‘grit’ certainly shines through all of it. She’s impressive and well-qualified to talk about the subject, especially given the academic rigor she’s thrown at the topic. I appreciate that this is meant to be inspiring but in a less than typical “self-help book style” format.
Sometimes, the book glosses over what interests me most, and that can be frustrating. Given the constant linking to new people and events to further her points, I think readers looking to get the most out of this book could benefit from annotating the book as you go along.
Something I wish was explored more happened around page 190 for me, and this is the note I took: “‘I worry a lot about kids in poverty’ (-other scientist)… scientific research is very clear that experiencing trauma without control can be debilitating. but I also worry about people who cruise through life” — I would love to revisit how these ‘learned helplessness’ or traumatized people can learn to be gritty again, without just becoming burnt out ; the answer: ‘trust the science, brains can learn and get stronger with practice. go to therapy if you’re too pessimistic, have positive self talk. ask for help.’, which is not bad advice, but not always enough it feels.
^ She gives a lot of good advice, but I feel she’s also acknowledged just slightly that some trauma and difficulties can’t just be ignored and pushed through by sheer grit. I greatly appreciate that she somewhat circles back in my favorite section - “Seven Questions I’m Asked About Grit”.
I loved the extra questions. I wanted to ask almost all of them myself by the end of this book, so it was very satisfying.
Overall, it’s not a bad book, just simply not my favorite read, and that’s okay.