The Sports Gene
Talent, Practice and the Truth About Success
by David Epstein
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Pub Date 29 Aug 2013 | Archive Date 17 Feb 2014
Random House UK, Vintage Publishing | Vintage Digital
Description
‘A wonderful book. Thoughtful…fascinating’ Malcolm Gladwell
Do you believe some people are born athletes?
Is sporting talent innate or something that can be achieved through endurance and practise?
In this ground-breaking and entertaining exploration of athletic success, award-winning writer David Epstein gets to the heart of the great nature vs. nurture debate, and explodes myths about how and why humans excel.
Along the way, Epstein:
- Exposes the flaws in the so-called 10,000-hour rule that states that rigorous practice from a young age is the only route to success.
- Shows why some skills that we imagine are innate are not – like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball player.
- Uncovers why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like the motivation to practice, might in fact have important genetic components.
Throughout, The Sports Gene forces us to rethink the very nature of success.
A Note From the Publisher
UK edition - available for readers in the UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) only.
Advance Praise
A wonderful book. Thoughtful... fascinating.
Dazzling and illuminating - Guardian
A
fascinating, thought-provoking look at the leading edge of sports
performance, written by a guy who knows the territory. David, besides
being a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, was a collegiate runner
for Columbia University. More to the point, he’s a terrific researcher
and a fine, thoughtful writer
Captivating...fascinating...His
answer to the questions “Nature or nurture?” is both. If that sounds
like a hedge, it isn’t: instead, it’s a testament to the author’s close
attention to nuance. - New York Times
An
important book on the relative roles of genes and environment—nature
and nurture—in the building of a professional athlete ... bound to put
the cat among the pigeons - Wall Street Journal
Wonderful book... explodes the 10,000 hour myth
Captivating… Dazzling and illuminating - Guardian
David Epstein's illuminating synthesis of the latest research into the nature v nurture debate as applied to sport - Independent
Full credit to David Epstein, a Sports Illustrated journalist with a serious and deep knowledge of genetics and sports science, for his terrific and unblinking new book, The Sports Gene, a timely corrective to the talent-denial industry - New Statesman
Epstein is not afraid to follow science in “trekking deep into the bramble patches of sensitive topics like gender and race" - Choice
Provoking spirited debate about the merits of the 10,000 hour rule - The Times
Epstein’s
book does not try to simplify the argument, but it does provide a
welcome corrective to those who have deliberately underplayed the notion
that genetic make-up is irrelevant - The Times
Provides a powerful and convincing analysis of how genes influence all our lives, especially the careers of elite sportsmen - The Times
Endlessly fascinating - Daily Mail
Captivating…
In a particularly fascinating chapter, Epstein investigates an old
theory that purports to explain why Jamaica produces so many Olympic
sprinters - Scotsman
The Sports Gene is a formidable and absorbing book… A terrific book…a fascinating read…impressive as hell - Sunday Business Post
If you want to stay abreast of the rapid developments in sports science… The Sports Gene is a must - BBC Focus Magazine
Marketing Plan
An entertaining and thought-provoking examination of the truth behind talent and success.
For fans of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers (200,000 copies sold) and Matthew Syed's Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice (Over 60,000 copies sold)
Refuels the historic nature vs. nurture debate and adds to it with the latest scientific research
Fascinating, rigorous and entertaining, The Sports Gene reads like a scientific detective story as Epstein seeks to uncover the truth about talent.
Fantastically reviewed
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781448189922 |
| PRICE | £10.99 (GBP) |
