title: Peak by: Ericsson, Anders published: 2016-04-05 read: 2020-05 preview

Normally I hate to read non-fiction books, so much that I don’t even know how to call this genre.  But this was a BBC advise, and the topic agrees with my strong belief that Anyone can learn Anything if only you practice well.

Did you know the origin of the word ‘talent’? It used to be a measure of money, related to a measure of weight of silver or gold. And I think that’s much more appropriate than its modern interpretation.

So that is my main reason for liking this book: debunks the myth of ‘innate talent’ and expounds on ‘deliberate practice,’ a systematic and often rigorous method of continuously pushing beyond comfort zones. Ericsson argues that deliberate practice is the key to achieving remarkable levels of performance and expertise. This is illustrated with various real-world examples from different fields such as music, sports, medicine, etc. Ericsson provides practical techniques for individuals to master new skills regardless of age or initial ability level. 

So far, so good. But then, I wish the author condensed it into 30 pages rather than the 300 that this Swedish-born American professor needed, and in which, so I felt, he describes the same case 5 or 6 times. That’s my general complaint with such fact-seeking books (‘yes, I got it! I did!’) but in this case I kept at it, and learned something. 

So with that conviction, sometimes it’s nice to have one’s understanding solidified, I only needed to put this ‘deliberate practice’, ehm, into practice.  And indeed, it didn’t take me long to play the opening of the Goldberg Variations to my utter satisfaction.

A good topic. But a long-winded book.