How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough

Character is a concept that has been in and out of vogue. Often associated with morality, its possession could earn you a stoical ‘good life’ or a spot in heaven by carefully avoiding temptation on the way. The postmodern world, however, regarded character as obsolete and, in recent times, it has clung on as a leftover remnant in places like old, elitist private schools.

But it is now experiencing another upsurge in popularity. Again, it is a means to an end - and that end is success. A lot of the book’s discussion around success is heavily focused on academic success and achieving the all-important tertiary degree which, in the US especially, often means the difference between a comfortable, affluent lifestyle and struggle-street.

A variety of research is presented to demonstrate that traits like perseverance and self-control contribute more to college graduation than IQ does. Tough reports on studies showing that the orderly and the organised do well in life. There are examples of how genius can be fostered in children and a discussion of how stress affects their development and ability to be resilient in the face of adversity.

For a book about how children succeed, Tough covers a lot of ground, including the enormous elephant in the room – the huge amount of research that shows the devastating effects of social inequality. The greater the distance between the affluent and the poor, the harder it is for those children to succeed. This is a fantastic book that provides something for everyone to think about whether as parents, educators, or society as a whole.

Reviewed by Spot

Catalogue Link:  How Children Succeed