Though there isn’t one overriding formula for everyone, the authors’ comprehensive analysis highlights many of the tools...
Insight into the childhoods of highly successful people and the lessons to be learned from their examples.
Is it possible for a parent to steer their child from the earliest days of infancy toward a successful career later in life? Ferguson (Toward Excellence with Equity: An Emerging Vision for Closing the Achievement Gap, 2007, etc.) and Robertson (co-author: Media Circus: A Look at Private Tragedy in the Public Eye, 2015) believe so. Based on their analysis of more than 100 graduates from Ivy League schools, the authors compile a list of eight traits or “roles” that those parents used during the graduates’ childhoods. The most critical stage is the infancy to 5-year mark, when the child’s brain is like a sponge, soaking up everything. Consistently, the parents had taught their children how to read simple words and the basics of math before the age of 5, and “they had talked to their child as an equal, respecting their intellect and answering their questions after careful thought.” The result is a stimulating environment that encourages children to reach their highest potentials and fullest sense of well-being. The authors share the backstories of many of their interviewees, providing information about a wide variety of childhoods. They illustrate how, despite poverty, self-doubt, race, class, and other adversities on any level, a child can still rise to an above-average level of prosperity due to the actions of parents who encourage hard work, resilience, and confidence. In one particularly useful section, the authors offer a comparison between a parent who follows the authors’ “formula” and a tiger parent, clearly illustrating the differences in the two parenting styles. Parents, educators, and others who work and live with children will benefit from the knowledge here.
Though there isn’t one overriding formula for everyone, the authors’ comprehensive analysis highlights many of the tools necessary for creating a solid foundation for a fruitful and happy life.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946885-06-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: BenBella
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
The sub-title of this book is "Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools." But one finds in it little about education, and less about the teaching of English. Nor is this volume a defense of the Christian faith similar to other books from the pen of C. S. Lewis. The three lectures comprising the book are rather rambling talks about life and literature and philosophy. Those who have come to expect from Lewis penetrating satire and a subtle sense of humor, used to buttress a real Christian faith, will be disappointed.
Pub Date: April 8, 1947
ISBN: 1609421477
Page Count: -
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1947
A highly readable account of how solid research and personal testing of self-help techniques saved a couple's marriage after...
Self-help advice and personal reflections on avoiding spousal fights while raising children.
Before her daughter was born, bestselling author Dunn (Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask, 2009, etc.) enjoyed steady work and a happy marriage. However, once she became a mother, there never seemed to be enough time, sleep, and especially help from her husband. Little irritations became monumental obstacles between them, which led to major battles. Consequently, they turned to expensive couples' therapy to help them regain some peace in life. In a combination of memoir and advice that can be found in most couples' therapy self-help books, Dunn provides an inside look at her own vexing issues and the solutions she and her husband used to prevent them from appearing in divorce court. They struggled with age-old battles fought between men and women—e.g., frequency of sex, who does more housework, who should get up with the child in the middle of the night, why women need to have a clean house, why men need more alone time, and many more. What Dunn learned via therapy, talks with other parents, and research was that there is no perfect solution to the many dynamics that surface once couples become parents. But by using time-tested techniques, she and her husband learned to listen, show empathy, and adjust so that their former status as a happy couple could safely and peacefully morph into a happy family. Readers familiar with Dunn's honest and humorous writing will appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at her own semi-messy family life, and those who need guidance through the rough spots can glean advice while being entertained—all without spending lots of money on couples’ therapy.
A highly readable account of how solid research and personal testing of self-help techniques saved a couple's marriage after the birth of their child.Pub Date: March 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-26710-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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