336 pages
English language
Published July 9, 2009 by Twelve.
Award-winning science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman demonstrate that many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring--because key twists in the science of child development have been overlooked. The authors discuss the inverse power of praise, why insufficient sleep adversely affects kids' capacity to learn, why white parents don't talk about race, why kids lie, why evaluation methods for "giftedness" and accompanying programs don't work, and why siblings really fight.
Some very interesting ideas in this book, and it's worth a read. However, keep in mind that this book is written by journalists, not scientists, and there is a lot of anecdotal material in the book. So, take it with a grain of salt, and read studies from multiple sources, as you should with any pop-sci book.
