Grit

Angela Duckworth, a psychologist, sets out to learn why some people keep working at a hard goal for years while others drift away. Her answer is that lasting achievement owes less to talent than to passion joined with persistence, a pairing she names grit.

The book starts at home. Duckworth grew up with a scientist father who did not think she was a genius, and that early judgement leads into the research that made her curious about who sticks with difficult aims.

She builds the case from her own studies and from visits to West Point cadets, teachers in demanding schools and finalists at the National Spelling Bee. Along the way she explains what grit is, how researchers measure it and how it develops over time.

This is non-fiction for general readers, mixing research findings with portraits of high achievers. The practical sections cover finding an interest, practising deliberately and carrying on after setbacks. Parents, teachers and managers get specific suggestions for encouraging grit in the people they look after.