The World's Best Book Summaries
Losing a parent is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a child. But, once the initial, most acute grieving subsides, is it possible that losing a parent can make a child stronger? We’ll cover the theory of “desirable difficulties” and look at why it may not be a coincidence that some of the most successful people in history lost a parent when they were young.
Every parent knows the benefits of smaller class sizes: more attention, higher achievement, and a sense of community, among other benefits. With so much to love, what could be bad about smaller class sizes? The benefits of smaller class sizes are valuable, but smaller isn’t always better. We’ll look at examples from around the world that demonstrate that it’s possible for a class to be too small.
Overview of Law #31: Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal To deceive people, seem to give them a meaningful choice. But sharply limit their options to a few that work in your favor regardless of which they choose. Your victims will feel in control, but you’ll pull the strings.
Is more of something good always better? The inverted-U graph says no, not always. An inverted-U graph is a curve that models the point at which something “good,” like money or effort, starts to make a situation worse. Learn why it’s useful in predicting the point at which you might have too much of a good thing.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #11 is “Do Not Bother Children When They Are Skateboarding.” What does this mean? Why should you leave skateboarding kids alone? Like many of Jordan Peterson’s rules, this goes deeper than literally leaving skateboarding kids alone. Learn the true meaning of Jordan Peterson’s Rule 11.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #5 is “Do Not Let Your Children Do Anything That Makes You Dislike Them.” What does this mean? Why shouldn’t you let your children act like brats? The ultimate point is that you have a responsibility to teach your child the rules of society. If you don’t, society will, in a much meaner way. Learn more about Jordan Peterson’s Rule 5.
What is concerted cultivation? Described by sociologist Annette Lareau, this parenting style involves active engagement of parents in their children’s lives and activities. Is Concerted Cultivation good, and are there limits? Learn more in this excerpt from Outliers.
It may seem obvious that we need to work hard to succeed, but too often we attribute success solely to talent and forget that the hours we put in matter just as much as, if not significantly more than, the natural gifts we start with.
You need a certain level of natural talent to get your foot in the door in a particular field. But after you are “good enough,” practice becomes the determining factor in how successful you are. According to Malcolm Gladwell, 10,000 hours of practice is how long it takes to become an expert in something.
What is the accomplishment of natural growth? Why is this hands-off approach to parenting possibly harmful to your child? Learn more from Annette Lareau and her studies of parenting styles.
Gladwell contrasts Langan’s situation with Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist hired to head the American effort to develop the nuclear bomb during WWII.
Like Langan, Oppenheimer possessed a brilliant mind. He was doing lab experiments by third grade and studying physics and chemistry by fifth grade.
Unlike Langan, Oppenheimer was raised with privilege. He grew up in a wealthy neighborhood in Manhattan. He attended the progressive Ethical Culture School, where they groomed students to “reform the world.”