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A review by bookph1le
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Robert Pool, Anders Ericsson
5.0
Sometimes you read a book and it feels like such an affirming and validating experience that every page leaves you with a sense of awe. For me, that was this book.
Have you ever given up on something because you don't have the knack for it? Have you ever decided not to bother even trying something because you just don't have the talent? Yeah, so have I. The thing is, as this book shows, that's all a load of crap. No, really.
In clear and readable prose, and using lots of case studies, the authors set out to prove that pretty much anyone can become pretty much good at anything. They posit that there are very few natural limitations to what humans can achieve, other than some obvious physical ones (i.e. if you're a six-foot tall woman, gymnastics may not work out for you), no matter you age. That last bit is key.
So what's the secret? Practice--but the right kind of practice. Intuitively, this makes sense to me. Whenever I've had a breakthrough or managed to get further with something than I thought possible, it came after I finally hit on a method that managed to push me through the wall. The caveat here, obviously, is that the authors aren't saying that it's *easy* for people to achieve anything, because it isn't. Becoming good at something takes a lot of very hard, dedicated work, so I suppose if someone is a lazy sort who finds it far more appealing to believe in a magic gene or pill or method or whatever that will make them good without all the blood, sweat, and tears, they're going to be disappointed.
Now, there is a persistent belief that some people are "gifted" or that they're "prodigies", and I imagine some people reading this review may balk at the suggestion that those beliefs simply aren't true. My response is that the authors make a very convincing case for why they aren't true. Even those reckoned geniuses had the right kind of background, an upbringing that made it possible for them to start gaining crucial skills at a young age, and they had to work hard to attain their mastery. Serena Williams is a great example of this, and a quick Google search can turn up many quotes where she talks candidly about how hard she works, dismissing the notion that luck has anything to do with her success. So while it may seem to dispel the magic to reject the notion that some people just have something others don't, and while it may seem disrespectful to those who achieve the kind of heights Williams has, isn't it more disrespectful to dismiss the extremely hard work they've done to get where they are?
This is why this book was so life-affirming for me. Because of my background, and because I have a passion for psychology and neuroscience, I was already aware of concepts like "grit" and "positive mindset". I've also had personal experience with overcoming an obstacle I thought I couldn't overcome and realizing I'd limited my potential because I'd bought into the belief that you either have it or you don't, and if you don't have it, you shouldn't bother. This book was, for me, the pinnacle. It firmly sealed my conviction that practice is the key. I've never been afraid of hard work, and I can be as determined and stubborn as they come when I really want to achieve something, so it is so freeing to imagine that nothing is really beyond the realm of possibility. I have a bit of a bucket list of new skills I'd like to pick up, and this book made me determined to pick them up and to continue learning new things, no matter how old I get. It also gave me some new tools to use to talk to my kids, to help them realize that their potential is limitless.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I think it would serve as excellent inspiration for educators, to the extent that I'd recommend all educators read it, but it is invaluable even for a layperson like me. I frankly can't see how you can read it and not find your entire view on what's humanly possible change profoundly.
Have you ever given up on something because you don't have the knack for it? Have you ever decided not to bother even trying something because you just don't have the talent? Yeah, so have I. The thing is, as this book shows, that's all a load of crap. No, really.
In clear and readable prose, and using lots of case studies, the authors set out to prove that pretty much anyone can become pretty much good at anything. They posit that there are very few natural limitations to what humans can achieve, other than some obvious physical ones (i.e. if you're a six-foot tall woman, gymnastics may not work out for you), no matter you age. That last bit is key.
So what's the secret? Practice--but the right kind of practice. Intuitively, this makes sense to me. Whenever I've had a breakthrough or managed to get further with something than I thought possible, it came after I finally hit on a method that managed to push me through the wall. The caveat here, obviously, is that the authors aren't saying that it's *easy* for people to achieve anything, because it isn't. Becoming good at something takes a lot of very hard, dedicated work, so I suppose if someone is a lazy sort who finds it far more appealing to believe in a magic gene or pill or method or whatever that will make them good without all the blood, sweat, and tears, they're going to be disappointed.
Now, there is a persistent belief that some people are "gifted" or that they're "prodigies", and I imagine some people reading this review may balk at the suggestion that those beliefs simply aren't true. My response is that the authors make a very convincing case for why they aren't true. Even those reckoned geniuses had the right kind of background, an upbringing that made it possible for them to start gaining crucial skills at a young age, and they had to work hard to attain their mastery. Serena Williams is a great example of this, and a quick Google search can turn up many quotes where she talks candidly about how hard she works, dismissing the notion that luck has anything to do with her success. So while it may seem to dispel the magic to reject the notion that some people just have something others don't, and while it may seem disrespectful to those who achieve the kind of heights Williams has, isn't it more disrespectful to dismiss the extremely hard work they've done to get where they are?
This is why this book was so life-affirming for me. Because of my background, and because I have a passion for psychology and neuroscience, I was already aware of concepts like "grit" and "positive mindset". I've also had personal experience with overcoming an obstacle I thought I couldn't overcome and realizing I'd limited my potential because I'd bought into the belief that you either have it or you don't, and if you don't have it, you shouldn't bother. This book was, for me, the pinnacle. It firmly sealed my conviction that practice is the key. I've never been afraid of hard work, and I can be as determined and stubborn as they come when I really want to achieve something, so it is so freeing to imagine that nothing is really beyond the realm of possibility. I have a bit of a bucket list of new skills I'd like to pick up, and this book made me determined to pick them up and to continue learning new things, no matter how old I get. It also gave me some new tools to use to talk to my kids, to help them realize that their potential is limitless.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I think it would serve as excellent inspiration for educators, to the extent that I'd recommend all educators read it, but it is invaluable even for a layperson like me. I frankly can't see how you can read it and not find your entire view on what's humanly possible change profoundly.