NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pro Bronson's book takes up a string of relevant issues around nurture and does an objective analysis of each one of those. The author has chosen interesting topics to deal with and he meticulously goes into the details. The analysis is strictly research-based with a conscious effort to minimize subjectivity. It is by no means a book of prescriptions for parents; rather it is an in-depth dissection of various issues that educators and neuroscientists deal with.

The most interesting among the issues taken up are the one about a unique curriculum used in the US called 'Tools of the Mind' (http://thelearnersbreath.blogspot.in/...), a few eye-opening details on why children lie and how parents abet the lying process by being clumsy about their own utterances, and a few corrective ideas about praise, especially the unworthy sort of praise showered on children.

On the flipside, while dealing with each idea, the author quotes a plethora of research, which leads to the reader wondering sometimes on what the conclusion is all about. In a way, the objectivity at times hinders seamless communication. The reader does not take home any major eye-openers, though I should say, that may not have been the objective of the book. I would not say It is a must read for parents, but it is a good book to read and would be extremely useful for an educator.

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