Spark
How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Yo-Yo Ma's ear for music emerged not long after he learned to walk. By the age of seven, he was performing for President Kennedy; by fifteen he debuted at Carnegie Hall. Maya Angelou, by contrast, didn't write her iconic memoir, I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings, until she was 40. What propels some individuals to reach extraordinary creative heights in the earliest years of life while others discover their passions decades later? Are prodigies imbued with innate talent? How often are midlife inspirations triggered by propitious events, like Julia Child's first French meal at the age of 36? Do late bloomers reveal their talents because their skills require life experience and contemplation? Through engaging storytelling and intriguing historical and cutting-edge scientific research, best-selling author and acclaimed journalist Claudia Kalb explores these questions to uncover what makes a prodigy and what drives a late bloomer. In this series of linked biographies, Kalb follows the journeys of thirteen remarkable individuals--from Shirley Temple to Alexander Fleming to Eleanor Roosevelt to Bill Gates--to discover the secrets behind their talents. Each possessed a unique arc of inspiration. Each--through science, art, music, theater, and politics--reached extraordinary success at different stages of life. And each offers us a chance to explore the genesis--and experience--of genius.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Kalb (Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder) explores what animates geniuses in this entertaining series of vignettes. She asks if successful individuals are born with their talents or are, instead, "lured by passion." Put another way: what, she wonders, "is a genius?" Kalb studies the lives of 13 prominent figures to find out, organizing her subjects "by the age at which genius ignites": Shirley Temple, for example, earned acclaim in childhood; entrepreneur Sarah Blakley hit her stride in young adulthood; Julia Child is a "mid-lifer"; and Grandma Moses created her "most enduring work" in the final decades of her life. While each of these individuals' work provides a solid basis for the exploration of creativity, the links between them are tenuous, and though Kalb's thumbnail biographies are sprightly, she often falls back on cliché—failure is "integral" to success, as are resilience, perseverance, and passion. Instinct, as when Temple used the warmth from studio lights to figure out how to hold her head best, plays a part, as does a large dollop of timing and luck. But in the end, "genius" remains elusive. In the absence of a unified theory of genius or definition of the term, this is best taken as a light series of character studies.
