★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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...as much as talent counts, effort counts twice.

WHAT'S GRIT ABOUT?
I'm afraid I'd get lost in minuate or that I'd overcorrect and not give an adequate idea if I tried to give a thumbnail, so let me borrow from Duckworth's website:

pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”
Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research, Angela explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success.

Angela has found that grit—a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal—is the hallmark of high achievers in every domain. She’s also found scientific evidence that grit can grow.

Angela gives a first-person account of her research with teachers working in some of the toughest schools, cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers—from JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll.

It's a fascinating mix of psychological research, case studies and personal anecdotes. Duckworth structured this in such a way that not only it was informative and educational, it was enjoyable and motivational.

HOW ABOUT THE NARRATION?
I thought Duckworth herself was a great choice for narrators—she gives an energetic reading, that feels all the more authentic because it's based on her research and experiences*. She talks at one point about the work she put in to make her TED Talk more successful and probably carried over that work to this. In the end, it was one of the more compelling non-fiction narrations I can remember.

* Not that another narrator would've felt inauthentic...

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT GRIT?
I loved this—I was entertained, educated, and a little inspired. The subject was interesting, the approach challenging and didn't always give the answers you expected. Duckworth made it clear that with the right mindset and time, it was possible to increase your own grit and find a measure of success. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution, nor is it a promise of instant success. Just a reassurance that smart work can pay off.

I couldn't stop thinking of different friends/family members that I wanted to share insights from this with—I think one son, in particular, should be very happy that he was busy with school while I was listening to this so I didn't force him to listen along (it probably would have done him some good, but he probably wouldn't have appreciated it in the moment).

The associated PDF was a nice supplement to the audiobook (so I can see charts/graphs and whatnot). Still, I think I'm going to have to get a hold of the hard copy for easy reference (it's just easier to flip through to find something, or to use the index, than skipping through an audio file) and probably give out a copy or three. ( )