Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

'David Epstein manages to make me thoroughly enjoy the experience of being told that everything I thought about something was wrong. I loved Range.' – Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Outliers.

The ground-breaking and exhilarating exploration into how to be successful in the 21st Century.

From the ‘10,000 hours rule’ to the power of Tiger parenting, we have been taught that success in any field requires early specialization and many hours of deliberate practice. And, worse, that if you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up with those who got a head start.

This is completely wrong.

In this landmark book, David Epstein shows you that the way to succeed is by sampling widely, gaining a breadth of experiences, taking detours, experimenting relentlessly, juggling many interests - in other words, by developing range.

Studying the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors and scientists, Epstein demonstrates why in most fields - especially those that are complex and unpredictable - generalists, not specialists - are primed to excel. He also shows why failing a test is the best way to learn and frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. Range shows you why spreading your knowledge across multiple domains is the key to your success, and how to achieve it.

As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, Range shows how people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.