The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told about Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong

The title has the feel of a publisher's bright idea to garner more attention on the self-help shelves at Barnes and Noble, but the book needs no such puffery. Shenk has written a book that broadens Dweck's ideas of intelligence being malleable, and deepens Gladwell's superficial take on what it takes to be successful in Outliers, and even brings in Mischel's marshmallow test. Shenk's argument, backed up by a whole lot of research, is that it's wrong to think that environmental influences are the icing on top of whatever genetic gifts and deficits children inherit. Instead, we should think of the genes as being the base material that the environment and force of will can mold as it wants. In short he writes, it's not nature + nurture, it's nature x nurture. This is, of course, a message of hope for any teacher: the children in our care are more than the sum of their parents' DNA--there is a point to our profession. It's a forceful rebuttal to Murray's The Bell Curve, but also a challenge: if the environment does make a significant difference in how a child develops, what are we doing about it? There are interesting chapters on identical twins (actually they don't turn out the same), ethnicity and sports (we do what our culture values), and four ways to "ruin (or inspire)" a kid, all interwoven with anecdotes and discussions of studies. The book is structured in an interesting way--129 pages of argument followed by 138 pages of evidence. And that would be my only criticism--it seems like one book pulled apart into two. I'd prefer to have read it all together at one sitting rather than flicking back and forth for the explanatory notes. But if that separation is what it takes to popularize this rethinking of the nature/nurture paradigm then I'll live with it.

"This book is not a dispassionate presentation of all scientific points of view. Instead it embraces the arguments of the Interactionists, whose views I came to trust most after much reading, conversation and consideration."(p. 148) So writes David Shenk in The Genius in All of Us, and true to his word he is. Shenk's book is not a strictly scientific investigation of intelligence or giftedness, but a personal presentation for the case that intelligence is highly malleable, and that it emerges from the interaction of genes and environment. His case differs from many mainstream representations of intelligence in that he finds environment plays a far greater role than many intelligence theorists acknowledge. Intelligence, states Shenk, is a process, more so than a discrete entity which sits in the physical structure of the brain. He writes: "...intelligence isn't fixed. Intelligence isn't general. Intelligence is not a thing. Intelligence is a dynamic, diffuse and ongoing process." (p.42) So, David Shenk does not even attempt to be even-handed, and barely addresses the criticisms to the interactionist position. Some readers won't like the book for that reason. I had no problem with reading the book. There is no law which says that a non-fiction book has to take a critical approach to its own thesis. If you are looking for a look at the arguments from multiple perspectives, this is not the book for you. You might instead try Howard Gardner's Intelligence: Multiple Perspectives, or Ken Richardson's brilliant little book, The Making of Intelligence (though both books largely comply with Shenk's position). These are very readable and concise volumes. Personally, I liked The Genius in Us All a great deal, and no doubt this reflects the fact that I agree with Shenk's essential argument. I have spent many years investigating cognitive development, including researching and practicing "learning how to learn", accelerated learning, intelligence theory, and neural plasticity. On top of this I have explored other ways of knowing, including the meditative and intuitive. Many years ago my older brother (who just happened to nick-name me "Dope" as a child - children are cruel!) was diagnosed with some mental problems. He was given an intelligence test. His IQ attribution was about half of the score I have been assigned in such tests, and it struck me that genetics are probably a poor explanation for the very different adults we had turned out to be. As a child, my brother had no interest in the scholastic at all, while I was obsessed with reading and writing. Later I developed myself further through years of mental work. I have come to strongly believe that mental ability is far more malleable than what is popularly depicted in mainstream science and the mass media. Given this, I am very sympathetic to Shenk's argument. The Genius in All of Us is well written. Shenk's writing style is highly lucid, and he embellishes his ideas with interesting examples f

The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong," is a new book by David Shenk, who takes the position that "Talents are not innate gifts but the result of a slow, invisible accretion of skills developed over time." Few are genetically handed greatness, fully formed, and 100% gift wrapped. Even fewer are biologically restricted from attaining greatness. Nate Colliers blog summarizes the book well: Intelligence is more a process than a fixed given. The critical difference between success and failure, between achievers and non-achievers, lies with a broken link in their process: "...non-achievers seem to be missing something in their process--one or more aspects of style of - intensity of practice, or technique, or - mindset, or - response to failure." Anders Ericsson's powerful concept of deliberate practice** is covered, as well as Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours (from "Outliers": It takes 10,000 hours of work/practice/effort to become good at anything). "The Genius in All of Us" makes the important point that developing talent should not be left to parents alone, that every society that wishes to strive should foster values that bring out the best in people. The down side of our culture of entitlement is obvious. We promote lottery tickets as the path to prosperity and somehow it has become the unspoken birthright of every American to experience freedom from poverty or want without the responsibility of work. Sort of like the "right" to good health via expensive health care without having to exercise or practice good nutrition habits. **Deliberate practice, Cliffs Notes version: 1. Focus on technique as opposed to outcome (accept the process), 2. Set specific, measurable, quantifiable goals, 3. Get PROMPT feedback from knowledgeable people; APPLY it immediately.

The following review is also available on my education blog at: [...] On March 9th a book will be released that all educators should purchase so that they may be offered a glimpse into modern beliefs and research on genetics, IQ, and talent. The Genius in All of Us by David Shenk (@dshenk) does a nice job of explaining some very complex genetic theory in terms that anyone can understand. In addition, he offers information that should push us to think critically with regards to developing kids' cognitive abilities and pushing them to new heights. One of my favorite points of the book is when he is discusses achievers vs. nonachievers with regards to their process. Here is an excerpt: "Rather, nonachievers seem to be missing something in their process- one or more aspects of style of intensity of practice, or technique, or mindset, or response to failure." He goes on to discuss deliberate practice and how it can make or break the success of an individual over time. It is this type of rational thinking and logic that will have any educator considering the implications that his knowledge and information can have on each of our classrooms. Those that have an affinity for Malcolm Gladwell (10,000 hours discussed on page 57) or Daniel Pink (motivation is a theme throughout the book) will find Shenk's work to be a great addition to their knowledge and theories albeit more science-based. I found Shenk's work to be the type of book that forces the reader to stop, think, and ponder every couple of pages. As an educator, there are too many circumstances to consider where his findings are relevant and will urge us to revisit what we do on an everyday basis in our classes. Upon completing the "meat" of the text, the reader has the opportunity to read through the Sources, Notes, Clarifications, and Amplifications. Much of the information in this section is dense, but the beauty is that it affords the opportunity to investigate different parts of the text that are of particular interest to the reader. As an educator, I am always curious about new research that will help me in understanding my students' minds and how to maximize their potential. Shenk's book will have you walking away feeling confident and reassured that none of our kids are destined to a life of mediocrity or servitude based on some heretical trait. All students can achieve greatness if we aid them in uncapping their potential. If you are interested in more of Shenk's work, he maintains a blog that also has posts allotted for comments on individual chapters. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Please feel free to read and leave comments here if there are any specific aspects you would like to discuss. If you put comments on Shenk's blog, please let me know as I would love to join the conversation.