Miles

No, there are too many other books out there to read. I gave this a try because I have heard so much about this author but I just didn't respond to the material.

Christopher Isherwood's A Single Man.

Gritty. Crass. Machismo.

The first one, the Dominican man with the New Jersey girlfriend.

I think Diaz is trying to convey sharp voices and characters through the lens of their ethnic identities. While this can be engaging, if I want that I will just read David Foster Wallace, who does the same with more lilting and nuanced voices, a little less raunch and more overall beauty and heart in terms of the actual writing.

I enjoyed the author's no-nonsense tone as well as the fact that he narrated it himself. It was a short, concise listen which was energizing, motivating and humorous too.

The discussion around the concept of "shipping" -- meaning getting the finished product off one's "desk" and out into the world.

There were not many characters in the book, while a few external people were referenced, Mr. Pressfield's book was more of a how-to written from his perspective.

Many of the tenets of his philosophy are indelible and I have already passed them on to friends and find myself referring to them often. This book is like having an artistic cheerleader / coach in your pocket, kicking you to push you toward success and fearlessness.

A must for anyone taking an idea from scratch to fruition and success.

I was expecting more of a point by point guide to raising kids to have "grit" rather than an exhaustive explanation of the psychology behind the topic. I experienced it as very technical reading that would perhaps appeal more to people in the field of education or psychology rather than parents. It referred time and again to many of the people one always reads about when reading about the field of positive psychology. While interesting, the stories used as examples were related dryly and were too long.There was a lot of information and clearly a lot of research done here, but it didn't translate well and became laborious to push through. The chapters and sections were randomly defined and erratic in their sequencing which was disorienting in the context of an audiobook.

No, but I will hesitate when thinking about picking up another book by this author.

The narrator was sub-par. His affectations of the "voices" and accents of the people from the case studies were presumptive and cloying. He put on what he interpreted as the voice of people in certain socio-economic circumstances while I bet he never met any of the people referred to in the book in order to actually know how they sounded...how does he know they spoke like that? The affectations were patronizing, and I imagine will offend some. At the very least they detract from the subject matter.

Was hoping for something more energetic and engaging, after hearing the TED talk by Ms. Duckworth, which was referenced many times in this book. Disappointed.