Raising Genius is a wild backstage pass into the childhoods of Mozart, Einstein, and Jobs—proof that brilliance comes with big dreams, bigger parents, and the biggest price tags.

Raising Genius pulled me in right from the start with its vivid storytelling about Mozart, Einstein, and Steve Jobs as children. Instead of dry facts, the book brings you into their homes and shows the push-and-pull between genius and parenting—the candlelit halls of Vienna, the quiet pressure in Einstein’s parlor, and the smell of sawdust in Jobs’s garage all felt so real. I enjoyed how the book made me think about the human side of these legends, especially the sacrifices their families made along the way. It was fascinating and surprisingly moving to read.

Nam Nguyen’s Raising Genius is a rare kind of biography—one that reads like a novel but never loses its historical grounding. By weaving together the childhoods of Mozart, Einstein, and Jobs, it reveals not only the brilliance of these figures but the often complicated roles their parents played in shaping their paths. I found it both insightful and balanced: it shows the triumphs alongside the costs of extraordinary talent. For readers who enjoy well-researched biographies, this book offers a compelling reminder that genius is never born in isolation but cultivated—sometimes painfully—within the family.