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A groundbreaking exploration of what it means to be a late bloomer in a culture obsessed with SAT scores and early success, and how finding one’s way later in life can be an advantage to long-term achievement and happiness.
About the Book
We live in a society where kids and parents are obsessed with early achievement, from getting perfect scores on SATs to getting into Ivy League colleges to landing an amazing job at Google or Facebook–or even better, creating a startup with the potential to be the next Google or Facebook or Uber. We see software coders becoming millionaires or even billionaires before age 30 and feel we are failing if we are not one of them.
But there is good news. A lot of us–most of us–do not explode out of the gates in life. That was true for author Rich Karlgaard, who had a mediocre academic career at Stanford (which he got into by a fluke), and after graduating, worked as a dishwasher, night watchman, and typing temp before finally finding the inner motivation and drive that ultimately led him to start up a high-tech magazine in Silicon Valley, and eventually to become the publisher of Forbes magazine.
There is a scientific explanation for why so many of us bloom later in life. The executive function of our brains don’t mature until age 25–and later for some. In fact, our brain’s capabilities peak at different ages. We actually enjoy multiple periods of blooming in our lives.
Based on several years of research, personal experience, and interviews with neuroscientists and psychologists, and countless people at different stages of their careers, Late Bloomers reveals how and when we achieve full potential–and why an algorithmic acuity in math is such an anomaly in terms of career success.
Advance Praise
“Late Bloomers is a profoundly important book. It will immeasurably and happily improve the lives of millions of kids, parents, baby boomers—just about all of us. Ben Franklin, the prototypical American who pursued numerous and different endeavors during his long and fruitful life,…
“Late Bloomers is a profoundly important book. It will immeasurably and happily improve the lives of millions of kids, parents, baby boomers—just about all of us. Ben Franklin, the prototypical American who pursued numerous and different endeavors during his long and fruitful life, would have been impressed by what Rich Karlgaard has wrought here.”
“Late Bloomers is a gem. A remarkable quality of humankind is our ‘contagion’ to the emotions, thoughts and behaviors of those around us. At times this quality can be destructive, as with the absurd over-valuing of early achievement in our culture. Karlgaard tackles this…
“Late Bloomers is a gem. A remarkable quality of humankind is our ‘contagion’ to the emotions, thoughts and behaviors of those around us. At times this quality can be destructive, as with the absurd over-valuing of early achievement in our culture. Karlgaard tackles this head on. He calls ‘the Emperor has no clothes’ on this pre-occupation, while making an articulate and elegant argument that developmentally-informed parenting and education should value patience, experience and wisdom.”
“Rich Karlgaard’s Late Bloomers shines a much-needed light on an essential human truth – that each one of us can realize our gifts and unlock our full potential, whether we’re an early achiever or a late bloomer. As he shows, life is not a race, it’s a journey.”
“Rich Karlgaard’s Late Bloomers shines a much-needed light on an essential human truth – that each one of us can realize our gifts and unlock our full potential, whether we’re an early achiever or a late bloomer. As he shows, life is not a race, it’s a journey.”
“Karlgaard captures the truth about human development. We are all wonderfully gifted, and with patience and the right circumstances, we can all bloom in amazing ways.”
“Karlgaard captures the truth about human development. We are all wonderfully gifted, and with patience and the right circumstances, we can all bloom in amazing ways.”
“In Late Bloomers, Rich Karlgaard makes the important case that our society and our communities suffer when we don’t embrace different pathways for unique individuals.”
“In Late Bloomers, Rich Karlgaard makes the important case that our society and our communities suffer when we don’t embrace different pathways for unique individuals.”
“Late Bloomers is absolutely on target. Our capacity to succeed does not expire—it is never ‘too late’ to discover our potential. In the military, young officers often seek advice from the battle-scarred… sergeants whom they…
“Late Bloomers is absolutely on target. Our capacity to succeed does not expire—it is never ‘too late’ to discover our potential. In the military, young officers often seek advice from the battle-scarred… sergeants whom they technically outrank. Leveraging the wisdom of experience is often the difference between victory and defeat.”
“Late Bloomers reads like a message of hope. It encourages us all to deconstruct who we were before the world imposed upon us what they thought we should be.”
“Late Bloomers reads like a message of hope. It encourages us all to deconstruct who we were before the world imposed upon us what they thought we should be.”
“Rich Karlgaard destroys myths that hold us back. Late Bloomers shares wisdom relevant for corporate leaders and policy makers– but most of all, if you’re aspiring to greatness in any field at any age, read this book.”
“Rich Karlgaard destroys myths that hold us back. Late Bloomers shares wisdom relevant for corporate leaders and policy makers– but most of all, if you’re aspiring to greatness in any field at any age, read this book.”
“You’ll be mesmerized by Rich Karlgaard’s remarkable Late Bloomers. In our hyper-competitive society that pushes every child to be a Nobel Prize winner, Olympic athlete, and concert cellist by age 18, this book lets…
“You’ll be mesmerized by Rich Karlgaard’s remarkable Late Bloomers. In our hyper-competitive society that pushes every child to be a Nobel Prize winner, Olympic athlete, and concert cellist by age 18, this book lets readers breathe a big, relaxing sigh of relief. Late Bloomers reminds us that life is a long, wonderful journey, and that people need a healthy exploration period as they find their lane. Filled with inspiring anecdotes, hard science, cautionary tales, and the author’s own meandering path to spectacular success, this is a book you won’t put down.”
“We need a national conversation about the insane levels of performance pressure and anxiety our young people carry. We need inspiration about the power of patience in lives that can flourish at their own pace. Rich Karlgaard’s…
“We need a national conversation about the insane levels of performance pressure and anxiety our young people carry. We need inspiration about the power of patience in lives that can flourish at their own pace. Rich Karlgaard’s Late Bloomers is brilliant, wonderfully readable and urgently needed. I hope it is read and digested by millions.”
“While popular culture loves the remarkable success stories of youthful ‘wunderkinds,’ Karlgaard makes a compelling case for the potential of those who apply their accumulated powers of resilience, insight, and wisdom to achieve…
“While popular culture loves the remarkable success stories of youthful ‘wunderkinds,’ Karlgaard makes a compelling case for the potential of those who apply their accumulated powers of resilience, insight, and wisdom to achieve greatness later in life. Karlgaard transforms the term ‘late bloomer’ from mere faint praise to a badge of honor, freeing you to find a personal path to success at your own pace. He makes one proud to be a late bloomer.”
“Rich Karlgaard shows that late bloomers are really not late at all, but rather individuals who are out of step with our society’s fascination with, and overemphasis on, early exceptional achievement. Late Bloomers is an important…
“Rich Karlgaard shows that late bloomers are really not late at all, but rather individuals who are out of step with our society’s fascination with, and overemphasis on, early exceptional achievement. Late Bloomers is an important book – not only for late bloomers or those who think they may be, but also for their parents and their teachers, their spouses and their employers.”
“Thank you, Rich Karlgaard, for exposing the American obsession with early achievement. Thank you for defending all of us late bloomers, and for reminding everyone that we all have incredible potential, journeys and destinations.”
“Thank you, Rich Karlgaard, for exposing the American obsession with early achievement. Thank you for defending all of us late bloomers, and for reminding everyone that we all have incredible potential, journeys and destinations.”
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