Awards

• Short-listed for PEN/ ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing 2014 (UK)
• Short-listed for PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing 2014
• Short-listed for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013
• Short-listed for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013 (UK)
• Shortlisted for PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing 2014.
• Shortlisted for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013.

Overview

An entertaining and thought-provoking examination of the truth behind talent and success. '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.

Full Product Details

9780224091626

Table of Contents

Reviews

Endlessly fascinating -- John Harding * Daily Mail * 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 -- Ed Smith * New Statesman * 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 -- Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code Provides a powerful and convincing analysis of how genes influence all our lives, especially the careers of elite sportsmen * The Times * A wonderful book. Thoughtful... fascinating. -- Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers

A wonderful book. Thoughtful... fascinating. -- Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers 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 -- Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code 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

Author Information

David Epstein is an award-winning senior writer for Sports Illustrated, where he covers sports science, medicine, and Olympic sports. His investigative pieces are among Sports Illustrated's most high-profile stories. An avid runner himself, he earned All-East honours on Columbia University's varsity track squad. This is his first book.

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