Wednesday, March 2, 2011

A Brief Book Review for 'The Art of Learning' by Josh Waitzkin (2007)

Book = The Art of Learning (2007)
Author = Josh Waitzkin
Rating = 5/5 Stars ****

I recommend that everyone read this book! Its a auto-biographical work about the author's life, and his approach to learning new skills and achieving excellence in his 2 primary fields of Chess and Tai Chi Chuan. Author Josh Waitzkin is not your average bear, he was a child-prodigy at chess (many time world champion and in various tournaments), as well as a world champion in the martial art of Tai Chi Chuan, and all of this before the age of 30! Whilst being a high-achiever is not for everyone, it is still inspiring to read this book because the author details his own personal experiences and how he worked through his various challenges, which is probably the most helpful way that a person can share an experience with others. I find this very approach to be important as it is the true-experience and method of a real person, and not just the common beliefs that society holds about how true learning and achievement of the highest order is actually attained. Thanks to the author we get a window into that world, which is no doubt a wonderful contribution. If you are striving for excellence or trying to learn new things (most of us are I would hope) then this book holds something for you, so check it out. For more info on the book the author has a website you can visit HERE.

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