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How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
231
by Paul ToughPaul Tough
Paperback
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14.49
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Overview
“Drop the flashcards—grit, character, and curiosity matter even more than cognitive skills. A persuasive wake-up call.”—People
Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.
How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.
“Illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall.”—New York Times
“I learned so much reading this book and I came away full of hope about how we can make life better for all kinds of kids.”—Slate
Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.
How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.
“Illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall.”—New York Times
“I learned so much reading this book and I came away full of hope about how we can make life better for all kinds of kids.”—Slate
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780544104402 |
---|---|
Publisher: | HMH Books |
Publication date: | 07/02/2013 |
Pages: | 231 |
Sales rank: | 89,060 |
Product dimensions: | 5.44(w) x 7.82(h) x 0.69(d) |
About the Author

PAUL TOUGH is the author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America. He has written extensively about education, child development, and poverty in cover stories for the New York Times Magazine, and in The New Yorker, Slate, GQ, Esquire, and the New York Times.
Table of Contents
Introduction xi1. How to Fail (And How Not to) 1
2. How to Build Character 49
3. How to Think 105
4. How to Succeed 48
5. A Better Path 176
Acknowledgments 199
Notes on Sources 203
Index 223
What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
"Well-written and bursting with ideas, this will be essential [listening] for anyone who cares about childhood in America." -Kirkus Starred Review
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