Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
Mary Roach, 2016
W.W. Norton
288 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780393245448
Summary
Best-selling author Mary Roach explores the science of keeping human beings intact, awake, sane, uninfected, and uninfested in the bizarre and extreme circumstances of war.
Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries—panic, exhaustion, heat, noise—and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them.
Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper.
She visits a repurposed movie studio where amputee actors help prepare Marine Corps medics for the shock and gore of combat wounds. At Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti, in east Africa, we learn how diarrhea can be a threat to national security. Roach samples caffeinated meat, sniffs an archival sample of a World War II stink bomb, and stays up all night with the crew tending the missiles on the nuclear submarine USS Tennessee.
She answers questions not found in any other book on the military: Why is DARPA interested in ducks? How is a wedding gown like a bomb suit? Why are shrimp more dangerous to sailors than sharks? Take a tour of duty with Roach, and you’ll never see our nation’s defenders in the same way again. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—March 20, 1959
• Raised—Etna, New Hampshire, USA
• Education—B.A., Weslyan University
• Awards—see below
• Currently—lives in Oakland, California
Mary Roach is an American author, specializing in popular science. To date, she has published five books: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003), Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (2005) (published in some markets as Six Feet Over: Adventures in the Afterlife), Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (2008), Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (2010), and Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal (2013).
Roach was raised in Etna, New Hampshire. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wesleyan University in 1981. After college, Roach moved to San Francisco, California and spent a few years working as a freelance copy editor. She worked as a columnist and also worked in public relations for a brief time. Her writing career began while working part-time at the San Francisco Zoological Society, producing press releases on topics such as elephant wart surgery. On her days off from the SFZS, she wrote freelance articles for the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday Magazine.
From 1996 to 2005 Roach was part of The Grotto, a San Francisco-based project and community of working writers and filmmakers. It was in this community that Roach would get the push she needed to break into book writing. While being interviewed by Alex C. Telander of BookBanter, Roach answers the question of how she got started on her first book:
A few of us every year [from The Grotto] would make predictions for other people, where they'll be in a year. So someone made the prediction that, "Mary will have a book contract." I forgot about it and when October came around I thought, I have three months to pull together a book proposal and have a book contract. This is what literally lit the fire under my butt.
Early career
In 1986, she sold a humor piece about the IRS to the San Francisco Chronicle. That piece led to a number of humorous, first-person essays and feature articles for such publications as Vogue, GQ, The New York Times Magazine, Discover Magazine, National Geographic, Outside Magazine, and Wired. She has also written articles for Salon.com and tech-gadget reviews for Inc.com. An article by Roach, entitled "The C word: Dead man driving," was published in the Journal of Clinical Anatomy. Roach has had monthly columns in Reader's Digest (“My Planet”) and Sports Illustrated for Women (“The Slightly Wider World of Sports”).
Besides being a best selling author, Roach is involved in many other projects on the side. Roach reviews books for The New York Times and was the guest editor of the Best American Science and Nature Writing's 2011 edition. She also serves as a member of the Mars Institute's Advisory Board and was recently asked to join the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary.
Personal life
Roach has an office in downtown Oakland and lives in the Glenview neighborhood of Oakland with her husband Ed Rachles, an illustrator and graphic designer. She also has two step-daughters.
While Roach has often been quoted saying that she does not have much free time between writing books, she is very fond of backpacking and travel. The latter she has been able to do a great deal of while doing research for her articles and books. Roach has visited all seven continents twice. She has been to Antarctica a few times as part of the National Science Foundation's Polar Program. In 1997, she visited Antarctica to write an article for Discover Magazine on meteorite hunting with meteorite hunter Ralph Harvey.
Recognition
In 1995, Roach's article "How to Win at Germ Warfare" was a National Magazine Award Finalist. In the article, Roach conducts an interview with microbiologist Chuck Gerba of the University of Arizona who describes a scientific study where bacteria and virus particles become aerosolized upon flushing a toilet: "Upon flushing, as many as 28,000 virus particles and 660,000 bacteria [are] jettisoned from the bowl."
In 1996, her article on earthquake-proof, bamboo houses, "The Bamboo Solution", took the American Engineering Societies' Engineering Journalism Award in the general interest magazine category. In this article the reader learns from Jules Janssen, a civil engineer, that bamboo is "stronger than wood, brick, and concrete...A short, straight column of bamboo with a top surface area of 10 square centimeters could support an 11,000-pound elephant."
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers was a New York Times Bestseller, a 2003 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, and one of Entertainment Weekly's Best Books of 2003. Stiff also won the Amazon.com Editor's Choice award in 2003, was voted as a Borders Original Voices book, and was the winner of the Elle Reader's Prize. The book has been translated into 17 languages, including Hungarian (Hullamerev) and Lithuanian (Negyveilai).[6] Stiff was also selected for Washington State University's Common Reading Program in 2008-09.
Roach's column "My Planet" (Reader's Digest) was runner-up in the humor category of the 2005 National Press Club awards. Roach's second book, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, was the recipient of the Elle Reader's Prize in October 2005. Spook was also listed as a New York Times Notable Books pick in 2005, as well as a New York Times Bestseller. In 2008, Roach's book, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, was chosen as the New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, it was in The Boston Globe's Top 5 Science Books, and it was listed as a bestseller in several other publications.
In 2011, Roach's book, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, was chosen as the book of the year for the 7th annual One City One Book: San Francisco Reads literary event program. Packing for Mars was also 6th on the New York Times Best Seller list.[22]
In 2012, Roach was the recipient of the Harvard Secular Society's Rushdie Award for her outstanding lifetime achievement in cultural humanism. The same year, she received a Special Citation in Scientific inquiry from Maximum Fun.
Style
The common theme throughout all of Roach's books is a literary treatment of the human body. Roach says of her publication history,
My books are all [about the human body], Spook is a little bit of departure because it's more about the soul rather than the flesh and blood body, but most of my books are about human bodies in unusual circumstances.
When asked by Peter Sagal, of NPR, specifically how she picks her topics, she replied, "Well, its got to have a little science, it's got to have a little history, a little humor—and something gross."
While Roach does not possess a science degree, she attempts to take complex ideas and turn them into something that the average reader can understand. She takes the reader with her through the steps of her research, from learning about the material to getting to know the people who study it, as she described in a public dialog with Adam Savage:
Make no mistake, good science writing is medicine. It is a cure for ignorance and fallacy. Good science writing peels away the blindness, generates wonder, and brings the open palm to the forehead: "Oh! Now I get it!"
Regarding her skepticism about the world around her, Roach states in her book Spook,
Flawed as it is, science remains the most solid god I've got. And so I've decided to turn to it, to see what it had to say on the topic of life after death. Because I know what religion says, and it perplexes me. It doesn't deliver a single, coherent, scientifically sensible or provable scenario… Science seemed the better bet. (Author bio from Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
Covering these topics and more, Roach has done a fascinating job of portraying unexpected, creative sides of military science.
New York Post
A mirthful, informative peek behind the curtain of military science.
Washington Post
Roach...applies her tenacious reporting and quirky point of view to efforts by scientists to conquer some of the soldier’s worst enemies.
Seattle Times
Extremely likable…and quick with a quip….[Roach’s] skill is to draw out the good humor and honesty of both the subjects and practitioners of these white arts among the dark arts of war.
San Francisco Chronicle
Mary Roach is one of the best in the business of science writing...She takes readers on a tour of the scientists who attempt to conquer the panic, exhaustion, heat, and noise that plague modern soldiers.
Brooklyn Magazine
From the ever-illuminating author of Bonk and Stiff comes an examination of the science behind war. Even the tiniest minutiae count on the battlefield, and Roach leads us through her discoveries in her inimitable style.
Elle
Nobody does weird science quite like [Roach], and this time, she takes on war. Though all her books look at the human body in extreme situations (sex! space! death!), this isn’t simply a blood-drenched affair. Instead, Roach looks at the unexpected things that take place behind the scenes.
Wired
With compassion and dark humor, Roach delves into the world of military scientists and their drive to make combat more survivable for soldiers.... [This] book is not for the squeamish or those who envision war as a glorious enterprise; it is a captivating look at the lengths scientists go to in order to reduce the horrors of war.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) [An] insightful look into the lives of soldiers—not the stories in the news but untold tales, such as how people on submarines sleep.... A must-read for fans of Roach and for those who relish learning about the secret histories of everyday things. —Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston
Library Journal
(Starred review.) A rare literary bird, a best selling science writer...Roach avidly and impishly infiltrates the world of military science....Roach is exuberantly and imaginatively informative and irreverently funny, but she is also in awe of the accomplished and committed military people she meets.
Booklist
(Starred review.) [Roach] is mostly seeking laughs...work[ing] hard to find humor wherever she turns. When material runs thin, the author inserts breezy anecdotes...so readers who can tolerate the author's relentless flippancy will not regret the experience.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher.)
Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day
John H. Johnson, Ph.D. and Mike Gluck, 2016
Bibliomotion
240 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781629561011
Summary
While everyone is talking about “big data,” the truth is that understanding the “little data”—stock reports, newspaper headlines, weather forecasts, etc.—is what will help you make smarter decisions at work, at home, and in every aspect of your life.
The average person consumes approximately 30 gigabytes – equal to the amount of 30 pickup trucks filled with paper—of data every single day, but has no idea how to interpret it correctly.
Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day (Bibliomotion Books, April 12, 2016) explains, through the eyes of an expert economist and statistician, how to correctly interpret all of the small bytes of data we consume in a day. Each chapter of Everydata highlights one commonly misunderstood data concept, using both real-world and hypothetical examples from a wide range of topics, including business, politics, advertising, law, engineering, retail, parenting and more.
Author Bio
John H. Johnson, PhD is President and CEO of Edgeworth Economics, and a professional economist, expert witness, author, and speaker.
In 2009, Dr. Johnson left his role as Vice President of a globally-recognized consultancy to pursue the endeavor that would become Edgeworth Economics, a start-up that reimagined and innovated half-century old industry standards. In these few short years, Edgeworth has grown from six to 80 staff across the US and become one of the world’s premier economic consulting firms. Dr. Johnson is known internationally for his ability to explain highly sophisticated concepts in a simple, straightforward manner and brings this skill to his consulting, writing, and speaking.
At Edgeworth, Dr. Johnson provides consulting and expert testimony for Fortune 100 clients, trade groups, and government agencies. In his litigation work, he guides companies and outside counsel on the appropriate use and interpretation of complex data sets, and has served as expert witness in some of today’s most high-stakes corporate lawsuits.
On the business analytics side, Dr. Johnson helps companies translate their complex internal data sets into strategic, actionable information across a variety of business settings including human resources, finance, marketing, manufacturing, and business intelligence.
Both aspects share the need to understand—and properly apply—large, complex sets of data. He applies this same skill to his writing and speaking, where he helps audiences avoid the most common pitfalls people make when confronted with data, so they can become more confident and discerning consumers of data and make better decisions in their professional and personal lives.
Dr. Johnson is a frequent presenter on economic topics and the use of data, and has also authored numerous papers across his areas of expertise .(From the author.)
Book Reviews
Access to data is a critical driver of knowledge, curiosity, and innovation. But we need to understand how to interpret the data to tap into the wealth of possibility it creates. Johnson and Gluck help to spread that wealth by teaching us how, in everyday language, to confront the deluge of data we receive every day. An invaluable read!
Bradley Horowitz, VP of Photos and Streams at Google
As an obsessive and indiscriminate consumer of everydata in my day-to-day life...and someone whose professional life is entirely devoted to producing meaningful data and coercing it into telling us the truth, I greatly enjoyed this book. Johnson and Gluck take us, with fun and verve, through the essential steps to become a sophisticated consumer of the data that surrounds us. Don’t be fooled by the cheerful tone and the lack of grandiose claims: if they succeed in educating us (and I am sure they will), the result will be more discerning consumers, better stewards of their own health, and, most importantly, a better democracy.
Esther Duflo, Professor of Economics at MIT, and co-founder and co-director at J-PAL
In today’s data-saturated world, knowing how to use and interpret data is a true strategic advantage. In Everydata, Johnson and Gluck walk us through how we should and shouldn’t use data to make decisions in our lives. They do it simply, clearly, and with unexpected humor! I can’t imagine a more relevant read.
Paul Walsh, VP of Weather Analytics and Meteorologist at The Weather Company
The authors of Everydata have masterfully distilled an applied statistics textbook into a ‘best of,’ highlighting the most relevant and valuable parts we all need to navigate today's world of big data. I cannot recommend it enough.
Joshua D. Wright, Professor of Law and Economics at George Mason University and former Commissioner of The Federal Trade Commission
This book educates readers on how to navigate the increasingly dense information environment.... [Johnson and Gluck] hit key points on the importance of information literacy today.
Publishers Weekly
Discussion Questions
1. What’s the first step to consuming data better?
2. What is “Everydata”?
3. How does Everydata have an impact on our daily lives?
4. What are some specific data traps that people should be on the lookout for?
5. What are the main differences between Big Data and Small Data, and how we use them?
(Questions courtesy of author.)
Make a Wish for Me: A Family's Recovery from Autism
LeeAndra M. Chergey, 2015
She Writes Press
300 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781631528286
Summary
By the age of two, Ryan has lost his ability to speak—twice.
Sensing it is more than typical "second child" behaviors, his mother, LeeAndra, embarks upon a mission to understand why Ryan has become withdrawn and violent, and is met with a devastating answer: her son is autistic.
After a few months of behavioral treatment, Ryan experiences remarkable success. He begins to communicate, learns to adapt to his surroundings, and after attending a special educational preschool, where he thrives, he seems ready to be mainstreamed into a regular classroom for kindergarten—an exciting prospect for LeeAndra and her husband Dan, since until this point they have been reluctantly resigned to the idea that he will continue indefinitely in special education.
But, Ryan’s success is rapidly derailed as he swiftly learns how to manipulate his inexperienced aides through violence and begins to flee school grounds, and LeeAndra and Dan must make a choice: agree with what the system dictates or listen to their hearts and make a drastic change? (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1969
• Raised—Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA
• Education—B.A., California Polytechnic State University
• Currently—Simi Valley, California
LeeAndra Chergey was born in the Midwest, but grew up in a pastoral area south of Los Angeles. She holds a BA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She runs her own home staging business.
When she’s not writing, you can find her, running, knitting, or reading. Married for twenty years to college sweetheart, Dan, they have two children Jenna, Ryan, and a black lab, Ranger. (From the author.)
Learn more about the book.
Follow LeeAndra on Facebook.
Book Reviews
A powerful, moving and honest expression of a mother’s journey towards embracing her son.
Elaine Hall, best selling author and founder of the Miracle Project
What LeeAndra represents for me is the collective us that should be out there doing anything and everything we can to make sure that those without a voice are heard. Powerfully written and one of those books that allows us to remember the human side of the word Autism, MAKE A WISH FOR ME really speaks to the heart.
Cyrus Webb, Conversations LIVE! Radio - Amazon Customer Review
[A] family’s journey of positively and healthily incorporating their son’s Autism into their lives; a phrase that meant more than simply accepting Autism as part of who their son is. LeeAndra writes a heartfelt, genuine story.... The messaging is "the earlier a child receives therapy, the better."
Autism Mom - Amazon Customer Review
Discussion Questions
1. How would a diagnosis (of any kind) for your child affect you or your family?
2. The author uses the word "recovery" in the title, do you think this was intended as recovered from autism or recovered from the diagnosis?
3. How important do you think it is for a child with special needs to have a sibling? How could it be negative?
4. Prior to reading the book, what was your understanding of Autism?
5. If you take away the autism, do you feel this could stand as a universal story of motherhood?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars
Nathalia Holt, 2016
Little, Brown & Co.
352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316338929
Summary
The riveting true story of the women who launched America into space.
In the 1940s and 50s, when the newly minted Jet Propulsion Laboratory needed quick-thinking mathematicians to calculate velocities and plot trajectories, they didn't turn to male graduates.
Rather, they recruited an elite group of young women who, with only pencil, paper, and mathematical prowess, transformed rocket design, helped bring about the first American satellites, and made the exploration of the solar system possible.
For the first time, Rise of the Rocket Girls tells the stories of these women—known as "human computers"—who broke the boundaries of both gender and science.
Based on extensive research and interviews with all the living members of the team, Rise of the Rocket Girls offers a unique perspective on the role of women in science: both where we've been, and the far reaches of space to which we're heading.(From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Nathalia Holt is an HIV researcher and science writer who is author of the books Cured: The People Who Defeated HIV (2015) and Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars (2016). She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and children.
Holt's most recent position has been as a research fellow at the Ragon Institute—a joint project of Massacuhsetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University. Prior to Ragon, her education and work took place at the University of Southern California, Tulane University, and Humboldt State (Bioloigy, class of 2002).
Her work has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Atlantic, Slate, Popular Science, and Time.
Her research as a science writer took place at the Jet Propulsion Lab archives, the Cal Tech Library, and the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard. (Adapted from Wikipedia and the publisher. Retrieved 4/24/2016.)
Book Reviews
This highly readable, entertaining and informative book tells the story of JPL's 'computers,' the young women who did the calculations now handled by bits of silicon. Holt brings her characters to life, tracing them from their hiring as JPL began its career with the Army developing missiles for the Cold War through its conversion to NASA's lead center for planetary exploration. She celebrates their lives, achievements, and service to the nation, as well as their excitement at having front row seats to the earliest voyages of solar system exploration. It's a story whose telling is long overdue. We can be grateful for this enjoyable read.
Dr. Charles Elachi - Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Planetary Science
Illuminating...these women are vividly depicted at work, at play, in and out of love, raising children—and making history. What a team—and what a story!
Gene Seymour - USA Today
(Starred review.) [T]he lives and work of the women who provided the fledgling Jet Propulsion Lab with computing power, in this accessible and human-centered history.... Holt’s accessible and heartfelt narrative celebrates the women whose crucial roles in American space science often go unrecognized.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Holt seamlessly blends the technical aspects of rocket science and mathematics with an engaging narrative, making for an imminently readable and well-researched work. —Crystal Goldman
Library Journal
(Starred review.) Those interested in space history will find much to enjoy here, but it is the stories of the women involved, highlighted in sections by decade, that commands attention.... [Holt's] stellar research is evident on every page. This is an excellent contribution to American history. —Colleen Mondor
Booklist
[E]ngaging.... Besides chronicling the development of America’s space program, Holt recounts the women’s private lives—marriages, babies, and the challenge of combining motherhood and work—gleaned from her interviewees’ vivid memories. A fresh contribution to women’s history.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add the publisher's questions if and when they're available. In the meantime, use these LitLovers talking points to kick off a discussion for Rise of the Rocket Girls...then take off on your own:
1. Talk about the individual women and their stories which comprise Rise of the Rocket Girls. Whose story did you find most interesting, whose path perhaps more difficult than others'? In what way do their stories shed light on the greater cultural changes taking place then...and now?
2. Talk about the obstacles in the paths of these women...and the unfairness they overcame to gain acceptance to (or in) the rarefied atmosphere of the Jet Propulsion Lab.
3. Most everyone who reads and/or reviews this book has been surprised by the important role women played in the rocket program. Why have their contributions taken so long to be widely recognized?
4. Holt offers the story of Barbara Canright calculating and graphing the course of a satellite. "Behind her she could sense Richard Feynman...her every move was being carefully watched." In the very next paragraph, Holt adds a detail about Barbara's boyfriend who had kissed her before she left home. Today that domestic scene might not seem such a strange juxtaposition, but in that era there was a fair amount of ambivalence and confusion about women who performed typically male jobs and yet had—gasp!—families or male partners.
What other juxtapositions did you notice in Holt's account of these women doing traditional male jobs...yet exhibiting traditionally "female behavior" or falling prey to demeaning male attitudes? To what extent, if any, do those kinds of juxtapositions exist today?
5. What was the irony of JPL finally promoting the original "human computers" to the title of engineers? Why did it end up contracting rather than expanding opportunities for women at the lab?
6. All the calculations done by the "human computers" were done working with pencils, graph paper, and notebooks—and it could take a day to calculate a single rocket's trajectory. What was the attitude at JPL toward the first IBM 704 when it arrived in the late 1950s? What eventually spurred the use of computers in rocket science?
7. Talk about the close-knit group the women formed for themselves, which included those working in both technical and non-technical jobs. What kind of support did they offer one another no matter what their professional status?
8. Holt notes at the end of the book that there are more women working at JPL now than at any other NASA center. Consider doing some research into the numbers of women in math and science and whether or not they reflect women's positions in the wider society.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Adam Grant, 2016
Penguin Publishing
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780525429562
Summary
The national bestseller that examines how people can champion new ideas—and how leaders can fight groupthink
With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders.
In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?
Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that welcome dissent.
Learn from an entrepreneur who pitches his start-ups by highlighting the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who overturned the rule of secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees for failing to criticize him, and a TV executive who didn’t even work in comedy but saved Seinfeld from the cutting-room floor.
The payoff is a set of groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and improving the status quo. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—August 13, 1981
• Where—West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA
• Education—B.A., Harvard University; Ph.D., University of Michigan
• Currently—lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Adam M. Grant is an author and a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is considered both the youngest-tenured and the most highly-rated professor at the Wharton School. He is a former junior Olympic springboard diver and a professional magician.
Academic career
Grant is a researcher on success, work motivation, and generosity. He received his B.A. from Harvard University, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan, completing it in less than three years. He worked as an adjunct professor at Michigan, then as an assistance professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. At the age of 29 he was became a tenured professor at Wharton.
Books
His first book, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success (2013), was a New York Times bestseller, translated into twenty-seven languages, and named one of the best books of 2013 by Amazon, Apple, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal—as well as one of Oprah's riveting reads, Fortune's must-read business books, Harvard Business Review's ideas that shaped management, and the Washington Post's books every leader should read.
His second book, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (2016) has also been a bestseller and was published to solid reviews.
Other
Grant has presented for leaders at organizations such as Google, the NFL, Merck, Pixar, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, The United Nations, The World Economic Forum, and the US Army, the US Navy, and the US Air Force. He writes regularly about work and psychology as a LinkedIn Influencer.
Grant's research has been featured in bestselling books, including Quiet by Susan Cain, Drive and To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink, and The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, as well as hundreds of media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, USA Today, Financial Times, Oprah Magazine, and Freakonomics blog.
His call-center study has been credited with changing perspectives on workplace motivation. In 2011, Fortune Magazine named him one of the Top 40 Business Professors Under 40. BusinessWeek then named Grant one of their favorite professors in 2012, and Susan Cain cited Grant's research on introverts as one of the 23 biggest ideas of the year. (FromWikipedia. Retrieved 2/21/2016.)
Book Reviews
Wharton professor [Grant's]...approach is mainly descriptive, but does include some concrete steps for would-be innovators to develop their ideas, and for business leaders to support them. With a foreword by Sheryl Sandberg.
Publishers Weekly
Originals are people with creative ideas that defy the traditional, but when their visions are made reality the world is improved.... Grant includes many examples, ideas, and encouragements for those who wish to try. He concludes the book with 30 practical actions to unleash originality.... [E]joyable and full of useful information. —Bonnie A. Tollefson, Rogue Valley Manor Lib., Medford, OR
Library Journal
A blend of old and new—and sometimes original—informs this pop-science piece on creativity and its discontents... Grant sometimes gets tangled in jargon, but he turns up some fascinating tidbits.... A mixed bag but of interest to readers looking to jump-start their creative powers and raise quick-witted children.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add the publisher's questions if and when they're made available. In the meantime use these LitLovers talking points to kick off a discussion for Originality...then take off on your own:
1. Adam Grant proposes that all of us have creatuve, even original, ideas even if we don't consider ourselves as nonconformists. Where would you place yourself on the spectrum of non-creative→creative? Think of some creative ideas you've had about improvements in the way you approach things, perhaps changes to routine tasks you perform day to day—or anything, really.
2. Follow-up to Question 1: What, according to Grant, is the difference between creativity and originality? Where would you place yourself on that spectrum: creative→original?
3. If Grant is right, that many originals never act on their ideas, what holds them back? Any personal experience in that area?
4. Grant asserts that sexism can subvert originality: women, say at work, are often dismissed, even penalized, for originality while men are often rewarded for it. Have you ever seen or had first-hand experience with this bias in action? Is there a way out of it?
5. What kind of organization or institutional structures promote originality according to Grant?
6. Talk about Grant's view of middle managers. Why does he see those individuals as less creative than others on the upper or lower rungs of management?
7. How can we spur creativity or originality in our children? How might say, approval, from teachers or parents hinder its development?
8. What internet browser do you use, and what does it say about you?
9. Grant provides various examples of original individuals. Whose story do you find most interesting or most impressive?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)