– Customer review on 17/11/2011

An outstanding, well written, easy to read, well researched book that seriously challenges the myth that talent is what it takes to succeed. Highly recommended. I bought two copies of this book before I had finished reading the copy that had been loaned to me.

– Customer review on 12/10/2011

If you have read Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, Blink and Outlier, then most of the topics discussed in this book are already familiar to you - 10,000 hours principle (Anders Ericsson's research), the role of the subsconscious in our decision making ("Blink"), how trend can be popularized by few main connectors, etc.

It does not make this book any less of interesting read from beginning to the end; as Matthew Syed look into the topics less from a passing curiousity of a journalist and more from a personal view - his search for the cause of excellence - seen from the point of view of a world class athlete in his given sport.

It is a great joy to read his seamless summary of a lot of other books on the subject, combined with his personal experience with some of the greatest names in the today's sport like Roger Federer. You'll finish reading this book with a belief that you can always improve at whatever you put your mind into - that there is no such thing as talent, only purposeful practice and hardwork; and if you will only teach your children one thing - this is what you should teach them.