Off the Charts is a look into the incredible history of young prodigies across the generations. Individually, these children are compelled by a “fiercely self-propelled drive”, according to psychologist Ellen Winner, and each of their stories is unique. While some of these children experience deliberate and highly focused training in certain fields, suggesting that genius can be cultivated, others find their talent more spontaneously. It seems that having an exceptional talent may help to fuel a child's autonomy, but it can also damage it, as anxiety and disappointment are sometimes unavoidable. Importantly, the paradigm of savants, as we discover along the way, is that although the minds of children are their own to shape—they can rarely do it completely alone.

Off the Charts by Ann Hulbert is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early January.

Hulbert's experiences with child musicians in L.A. leading into studying present-day child prodigies (and their struggle between independence in their select activity versus the codependency of a child & their family; feeling as though they should be allowed to fend and fail for themselves; the theory of second wind or children being able to think without being susceptible to an adult's sense of mental fatigue; practice as play, yet sometimes being impatient toward traditional schooling and having nervous fixations; and choices in early childhood [studying, habits, and personal regiments] affecting later learning) and those in the past, like William Sidis (child mathmatician), Norbert Wiener (math and zoology), Terman's Termites (1400 child prodigies collected and evaluated with lifelong surveys), Nathalia Crane (melodic poetry), the career of Shirley Temple, chess phenom Bobby Fischer, and American teen computer programmers during the early 1970s.

As an educator in an affluent community where every parent believes their children to be gifted, I was curious to see what the author had to say about these child prodigies. The book follows fifteen youngsters--including writers, actors, and musicians--as they nurture their talent and come into their own identities.

DNF 30%

I had to stop at 30%. It was just too slow and boring. I was expecting something a little different, maybe something similar to In a Different Key: The Story of Autism (but about prodigies), and while I feel like that may be what Hulbert was trying to accomplish, it just fell short.

Interesting stories about the life of a select group of prodigies. I don't think you can draw any conclusions from these stories but they're interesting none the less.

An insightful, well written book. It will move you to tears, inspire you and keep you turning the pages.