Range
Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
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Range
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Narrated by:
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Will Damron
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Written by:
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David Epstein
About this listen
The #1 New York Times bestseller that has all America talking: as seen/heard on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS, Morning Joe, CBS This Morning, The Bill Simmons Podcast, Rich Roll, and more.
“The most important business—and parenting—book of the year.”—Forbes
“Urgent and important. . . an essential read for bosses, parents, coaches, and anyone who cares about improving performance.”—Daniel H. Pink
Shortlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world’s top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.
David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.
Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.
©2019 David Epstein (P)2019 Penguin AudioYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
“For reasons I cannot explain, 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, author of Outliers and The Tipping Point)
“For too long, we’ve believed in a single path to excellence. Start early, specialize soon, narrow your focus, aim for efficiency. But in this groundbreaking book, David Epstein shows that in most domains, the way to excel is something altogether different. Sample widely, gain a breadth of experiences, take detours, and experiment relentlessly. Epstein is a deft writer, equally nimble at telling a great story and unpacking complicated science. And Range is an urgent and important book, an essential read for bosses, parents, coaches, and anyone who cares about improving performance.” (Daniel H. Pink, author of When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind)
“In a world that’s increasingly obsessed with specialization, star science writer David Epstein is here to convince you that the future may belong to generalists. It’s a captivating read that will leave you questioning the next steps in your career - and the way you raise your children.” (Adam Grant, author of Give and Take and Originals)
What listeners say about Range
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- van2010
- 2023-07-10
One of my top non fiction books
Very interesting and well researched - this is one of my favourite non fiction books. Very inspiring for those who have a broad range of skills and interests!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-12-28
Completely opened my eyes!
This book not only highlighted a few of the dillemas and insecurities I'm currently facing in my life, but reframed my entire situation to show me how these experiences can be used as advantages to propel my life forward personally and professionally.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-01-07
Highly recommend!
As a broad generalist, I have often been told that I need to focus my energies more into one area, and for a period in my life, I actually felt bad for being an explorer of 'everything'. This book hits me in all the right places - telling me everything I knew deep down inside but couldn't explain.
Excellent to read if you're a Jack of all trades, Master of none type, but also great to share with those people in your life that might be skeptical that being a generalist isn't the worst thing in the world.
Although the book can be a bit redundant, it is WELL worth reading to the end.
Highly recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Omar Bawhab
- 2020-04-16
Put a smile on my face
This is one the most influential books on a personal level that I read in the last few years. I have always struggled with breadth but lack of depth. I read everything and anything! I tried many hobbies, kept some and left some. I changed paths from undergrad to masters and currently PhD. I have curiosity for knowledge about anything and everything. I noticed this early in my twenties and I thought there must be something wrong with me. Most of my peers followed through into one path and became very specialized which made me feel behind, awkward, a failure, and many other negative feelings. This book made me look at myself in a different way! I now have a different perspective on life and my progression within it! This could be my path to benefiting many people on the future!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MMH Toronto
- 2020-01-17
The limitations of specialization ..
There is a German expression .. "Fachidiot". A specialist in a narrow field incapable of recognizing multifaceted problems or effectively dealing with the complexity of real life outside of their direct area of specialization.
This book is a discussion of the emphasis we are placing on such specialization.
Conventional wisdom has it that the earlier and the more narrowly someone specializes, the better.
The author makes a compelling case against this paradigm. Explaining how systemic dynamics and narrow self interest drive this mindset. How kind and wicked environments provide feedback which can either inadvertently reinforce specialization or discourage it. The author shares many examples and narratives to reinforce his point.
Over specialization is not just at times ineffective, it can even - often - be detremental.
I see some correlation with Professor Colin Cambell's excellent book "Whole". A book which discusses "reductionism" in science and nutrition.
In my humble opinion, there is a stubborn effort to avoid acceptance of creation and a Creator by some parts of our society and some of our scientists.
Reductionist dogma is born of this stubbornness. Rather than accept the "Whole" and accept that the Whole can be (and very often is) greater than its individual parts, reductionist try to bring everything down to the smallest possible part.
By specializing in these individual parts, they expect to influence the Whole. A futile attempt.
If only we find the specific gene or the one chemical or the one ...
But life does not work this way. There is deliberate synergy and an amazing complexity in all creation around us. Life was created Holistically!
An interesting read and an interesting subject.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matt H
- 2020-04-23
Engaging and informative
A well researched thought with pertinent examples to ensure transference of lessons to ones own life and situations. In a society focused on hyper-specialization, this is a timely writing to remind us of the great many benefits of range (generalization).
Enjoy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 2020-06-14
Everything I Needed to Hear and Some Valuable Insights
Full of life stories and analogies from people who may have struggled or taken more time to find their calling or make a breakthrough, this book explains the value of having various life experiences. A great book for listening and contemplating.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Harrison White
- 2019-11-20
Might change your life! ... but too many stories
One of my favourite books I would say for overall content. I feel like I learned a lot reading this. It also makes you rethink how you plan to get better in your own life, in your career, how you hire, etc. and also maybe not worry so much about being behind or not being focused enough.
My main annoyance with the book was that some of the stories seemed a bit unnecessary and went on too long. Plus, the book starts off by saying how the theories of hyper specialization focus on specific success stories to prove their point. Then he uses specific success stories to prove his point throughout the whole book....
Overall would still 100% recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katie
- 2024-01-30
Eye-opening
All my life, I have been labeled a quitter and have come to believe of myself as a late bloomer/sometimes a failure. At 35, I’ve never really had a stable job and am still in school trying to get accepted into medicine. I have done other things from cleaning to cooking and nursing to name a few. I have always wondered what was wrong with me. And so have other people in my life like my parents and other people I meet, who are baffled by my pursuit of education later in life and are more worried about my retirement plan than I am. I really needed this book. Thanks to it I know that all my job sampling and deep dives into my interests have not been in vain, but have been preparing me to see the bigger picture. It astounds me that we have come to view early specialization as the ideal. I won’t ever look at it in the same light. If you are a self-professed late bloomer, you will definitely benefit from reading this book, as so few books talk about this important topic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rhonda
- 2019-10-24
yesss
This was just the book I needed....it was recommended to me by my business coach and I'm glad I tuned in. I came away feeling like every lesson amd moment in my life had given me something and that range can be so positive
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2 people found this helpful