Why I bought it

So it’s clear from the books we previously reviewed that is an interest in psychology. One of the books which were recommended by another author was the Mindsets by Dr Carol S Dweck. Upon reading reviews I felt it would be a worthwhile read and it would be interesting to see the views of a highly respected doctor who teaches at one of the most respected universities in the world.

It was clear that the book would be something that I would enjoy therefore it was an easy purchase and it didn’t stay on the shelf too long before I read it.

My thoughts

The premise of the book is quite simple in this fact that it breaks our mindsets down into two specific areas. It details how many of us think one way and others think another but there isn’t too much in between in terms of choices. The book goes on to detail how and why we have these mindsets and where they are built from looking into childhood schooling and other areas for our early lives which build a specific mindset. The book details a lot about individuals have been incredibly successful and knows who hasn’t been successful so it gives extremely good examples of what people can achieve when they have the correct mindset and what damage they can do if they don’t have the correct mindset. The book can be complex at times but it’s easy to understand the examples make sure of this.

Dweck has worked with some huge businesses and incredibly important individuals and clearly put a lot of research into this book alongside her students. She’s carried out tests research and a lot more in her time of the University and this book makes the studies worthwhile. I find the examples within the book talking about successful CEOs and companies and so forth exceptionally useful to understand why she has come to the explanation that she has.

When you go from page to page you find yourself wanting to learn more you find yourself understanding why you’ve had specific thoughts and almost start to think why have I had those thoughts. I realised some of my downfalls but some of the areas in which I’m exceptionally strong and that gave me the courage to move forward in particular areas of my life which I hadn’t necessarily had the confidence to do before. It’s a good book for anyone who wants to evaluate themselves but also wants to understand others and of course, there is further reading if you want to move forward with this particular area of interest.

Who this is for

I feel the book is for anybody who’s got an interest in psychology and how our minds work. It’s not something which I would advise everyone to read simply because some people will see the negative in the book too much. I say this because it does breakdown our mindsets into these two specific areas and if you realise that you are on the more negative scale it may not assist as a first book to read so it’s worth reading other books which are slightly more light-hearted first of all. this isn’t to say that the book is too extreme I simply feel that some people will not take the book as it’s meant upon first look

Short Extracts

When discussing the growth mindset Dweck details the situation of Jaime Escalante: With his growth mindset he asked “How can I teach them?” not ” can I teach them?” and “How will they learn best?” not “Can they learn?”

Speed and perfection are the enemy of difficult learning

Growth Mind-Set and Self Control: What can I learn from this? What will I do the next time I’m in this situation? It’s a learning process, not a battle between the bad you and the good you.

When, where and how will I embark on my plans?

Where to buy

Any good bookshop, or online store, will stock Mindsets. It’s published by Robinson (Random House) with ISBN 978-1-4721-3995-5.

Links

For more books, check out the Elusive Book List on Amazon or GoodReads. We will, of course, review more of these in time, but any questions feel free to drop us an email at bookclub@elusivegroup.co.uk or ask it directly on our Book Group.

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