Book Review For “Grit: The Power Of Passion And Perseverance”
This is a book review is for “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth. Duckworth is a professor of psychology and a scientist. Her passion is to advance the science and practice of character development (particularly related to children). The two main points that most people have taken from this book is that grit predicts success better than talent or intelligence and that anyone can learn to have grit.
The book is broken into three sections which define grit and explain its importance, as well as discuss how grit can be developed on our own and with others. The book includes a Grit Scale that you can take to assess your own grittiness, discusses how to develop your own grit, and includes sections on how others can influence grit. Duckworth sites research studies that she has done, as well as the research of others. She also has reference to various people that she has had discussion with about grit and how it applies in real life.
This book has gotten mixed reviews since its publishing, and I can understand why. People have expressed opinions that there are not enough actionable steps, that this book oversimplifies the path to success, that there is a large amount of name dropping, and that some of the research may be flawed. Some have even grouped it into the “pop psychology” category. Others have found the book to be informative, inspirational, and invaluable.
While I understand the varied perspectives, I think this a book worth reading. As someone who grew up in an environment where failure was considered a bad thing and talent was praised, I know firsthand how detrimental this thinking can be for development. I have had to work hard to re-write some of the narratives that my environment taught me and discovered that people are adaptable, capable, and resilient. What I took away from this book is the idea that we are all capable of learning and growing, even if it means being uncomfortable or failing sometimes.
I appreciate the author’s premise that passion and perseverance matter more than talent. Duckworth notes in her book, “The biggest reason a preoccupation with talent can be harmful is simple: by shining our spotlight on talent, we risk leaving everything else in the shadows.” When we focus on talent, we discount hard work, determination, persistence. It also creates a sense of hopelessness when we think we cannot achieve success because we do not have the natural talent necessary. If we have been taught that failure is bad, then we may give up when things get hard or we feel we don’t possess the natural talent needed to be successful. This can cause us to fall short of reaching our potential.
However, the focus on talent also gives us an out. Quoted in the book, Nietzsche said, “For if we think of genius as something magical, we are not obligated to compare ourselves and find ourselves lacking.” We can blame our lack of success on a lack of talent and not feel the discomfort of failure. I firmly believe that failure is necessary for growth. Making mistakes is where learning happens. This book gives some hope that through discovering and developing interests, intentionally challenging ourselves, connecting our effort to meaning, and maintaining hope in hard times; we can find success and reach our goals.
I particularly enjoyed the section that talked about the Hard Thing Rule. This is a practice that Duckworth uses in her family. The three parts include everyone in the family having to attempt a hard thing (effort), not quitting until the obligation is complete (perseverance), and each person getting to choose their hard thing (passion). The point of this practice is to find interests and not give up when something is uncomfortable or difficult. In short, to develop grit.
This book does not give actionable steps, but offers an overview of Duckworth’s research on grit and how it may be developed in general. Overall, I found it to be an interesting read and can see how the research might inform me, both personally and professionally. While it may not be the step-by-step self help book that some people hope for, it can spark motivation and a renewed hope in the pursuit of our goals.
If you are interested in this book, or have read it already and enjoyed it, there are some additional readings I would recommend. One is “Mindset” by Carol Dweck which discussed the difference in fixed and growth mindsets. Another is “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg which is about habits and how they can be changed to help us achieve our potential. Both of these are full of helpful information and motivation if you are looking to change your perspective.
