Off the Charts: The Hidden Lives and Lessons of American Child Prodigies

by Ann Hulbert

From the author of the widely praised Raising America--a compelling exploration of child genius told through the gripping stories of fifteen exceptionally gifted boys and girls, from a math wonder a century ago to young jazz and classical piano virtuosos today. A thought-provoking book for a time when parents anxiously aspire to raise "super children" and experts worry the nation is wasting the brilliant young minds it needs.

Ann Hulbert examines the lives of children whose rare accomplishments have raised hopes about untapped human potential and questions about how best to nurture it. She probes the changing role of parents and teachers, as well as of psychologists and a curious press. Above all, she delves into the feelings of the prodigies themselves, who push back against adults more as the decades proceed. Among the children are the math genius Norbert Wiener, founder of cybernetics, a Harvard graduate student at age fifteen; two girls, a poet and a novelist, whose published work stirred debate in the 1920s; the movie superstar Shirley Temple and the African American pianist and composer Philippa Schuyler; the chess champion Bobby Fischer; computer pioneers and autistic "prodigious savants"; and musical prodigies, present and past. Off the Charts also tells the surprising inside stories of Lewis Terman's prewar study of high-IQ children and of the postwar talent search begun at Johns Hopkins, and discovers what Tiger Mom Amy Chua really has to tell us. But in these moving stories, it is the children who deliver the most important messages.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Biography, History, Parenting, Science, Psychology

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 2018

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hulbert gives us a good look at the lives of several child prodigies, from Shirley Temple to Bobby Fischer to Lang Lang. And she takes a tour through the varied approaches to producing and nurturing prodigies. And yet by the afterword, she's at a loss.

Part of the problem, I think, stems from starting with the prodigies and trying to reverse-engineer them. This leads to all the distortions of survivorship bias. Look closely at a prodigy with a stage mother or a hockey dad, and you might conclude that early and intense pushing can produce a prodigy (and then destroy one). Except that the world is full of pushy parents whose children never excel. Or look at a tween-age Ivy-Leaguer who has had all the advantages privilege can convey, and you might think accomplishment is just a side effect of money and status. Except that there are lots of rich kids who are spoiled and idle, and plenty of kids raised by immigrants with no money who win science prizes.

So what is it? IQ? You're supposed to disbelieve in the idea of "general intelligence" and see tests like the SAT as just revealing the effects of pricy coaching, but the studies, especially twin studies, generally disprove this idea and support the existence and heritability of IQ. Which doesn't mean that academically gifted kids grow up to be successful or world-changing; some of them find a life of low-stress slacking to be more their cup of tea.

Is it intensive practice? 10,000 hours can make anybody an expert? Sure practice is necessary, but some of these kids at five are better musicians than many a life-long player, and no amount of practice can give someone perfect pitch or an entire symphony appearing as if by magic and begging to be transcribed.

Grit? I think grit is absolutely essential to a successful and happy life, but it won't be much help in making you a chess master in elementary school.

Passion? The mom in The Spark rescues her autistic son by identifying and abetting his passion for astronomy but he wouldn't have ended up in college at 9 if he hadn't also had the brainpower to understand the physics. And how do you instill passion in somebody who doesn't have one?

My own opinion is that people have a whole constellation of possible skills and talents and deficiencies, and different rankings in each. Each child is unique, and every family is, too. Unfortunately, no child comes with an instruction manual. Appreciate your kid's strengths and weaknesses, facilitate without dictating, and try to teach them a code of ethics. The ten commandments are a good start. No one person should be the center of the universe. Meaninglessness engenders despair. And love covers a multitude of sins.

[Kristy]

DNF 30%

I had to stop at 30%. It was just too slow and boring. I was expecting something a little different, maybe something similar to In a Different Key: The Story of Autism (but about prodigies), and while I feel like that may be what Hulbert was trying to accomplish, it just fell short.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was pretty much a series of mini-biographies of great child prodigies. It had the chance to be amazing, but it ended up not sharing any lessons. Great job on the first half of the subtitle, dropped the ball on the second half.

The author seemed to shy away from taking a position on any of the critical questions, like how to parent them and what defines a good life. But she didn't mind making snide comments about the parents or children all throughout the biographies. So I was left was some really rich details and a passive aggressive commentary of which methods worked better than others.

Bottom line: there are a lot of tragic stories of great gifts and dysfunctional character. There are a few who go on to be good people doing good things for the rest of their life--but only a few.

[Todd N · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all thanks to Sharlana for buying this book for me after I rudely and impulsively demanded a copy on Facebook!

This is a long book about child prodigies that drags quite a bit in places. I found myself skimming over some parts, especially towards the beginning.

The majority of the book is spent on biographies, usually two per prodigy: one that is the curated biography from a parent’s point of view and one from the prodigy’s point of view that is closer to the truth.

Unfortunately a lot of times the biographical information bogs down the book, and since we know that one version of the story is going to be upended anyway it’s hard to get too invested. The major themes of the book aren’t driven home until the latter half, which makes the earlier stories even more context-free.

But around the story of Shirley Temple or maybe Bobby Fisher onward the book picks up momentum and I was much more interested. I believe that the last few chapters of the book lean heavily on Far From The Tree and Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mom, two books I haven’t read.

In all the cases of prodigies, a parent (and it generally seemed to be one) had to be very enmeshed with the child’s life, and the inevitable detachment never goes very well. One girl ran away to San Francisco. One piano prodigy tried smashing his hands into a wall. The most well-adjusted ones seemed to be the computer prodigies, and probably because their parents had no idea what they were doing.

One odd thing about this book is that it contains a biography of Norbert Wiener (founder of cybernetics, pioneer of the information age) yet doesn’t mention the famous mop story: Norbert’s dad once claimed that he could take a mop and turn it into a math prodigy. Poor Norbert, who struggled with depression throughout his life, said he was that mop.

[Ann Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it was favorably reviewed somewhere. The subject is certainly interesting. My child is decidedly normal so I have no personal investment in the subject of gifted children. I thought the author’s writing was clumsy and disorganized. Some chapters seemed lacking in evidence as well as insights, and the reasons for including particular children unclear. The chapter on Shirley Temple was especially weak. The section on Bobby Fischer was the strongest. Overall, this book was a disappointment.

[E.J. Cullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pseudo-scholarly meandering tome desperately in want of an editor. Chock full of mostly innocuous facts that lead nowhere. Was looking forward to reading this, alas.

[Tara Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - First soiree into nonfiction in awhile, which was refreshing. Unfortunately for this book, when I finished it, I thought to myself … duh?

Hulbert spends nearly 300 pages presenting us stories of precocious children who are wildly talented at young ages and their inevitable fall from grace. Nearly every story is the same. So it was surprising to me that at the end, it still seemed as if Hulbert was shocked to discover the two living examples in the book who were in early adulthood were struggling with depression and anxiety. Like, the writing was on the wall????

Her take is that children should have mundane childhoods despite exceptional intelligence, to support well-rounded growth, but it feels like this final thesis (which seemed obvious to me) is unwillingly given. Like she sad she didn’t crack the code to successful prodigious rearing. You can sniff the “tiger mom” in her lukewarm analysis.

Overall, in the words of Brian Robinson, my takeaway is what a gift it is to be “mediocre at best.”

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Ann Hulbert looks at American child prodigies in her book, focusing sharply on their relationship with their parents; as well as on their education and training, or lack thereof; and what became of them as adults. She stresses in her Prologue that she is trying to tell the stories of the prodigies in an unsentimental and unsensational way. She stresses in her Epilogue that obviously predictions about prodigies, both good and bad, often don't come true. Some of the children included are Norbert Wiener, William Sidis, Henry Cowell, Nathalia Crane, Barbara Newhall Follett, Shirley Temple, Philippa Schuyler, Bobby Fischer, Joseph Bates, Jonathan Edwards, Yoky Matsuoka, Matt Savage, Jay Greenberg, Jacob Barnett, Lang Lang and Marc Yu. In addition, Ms. Hulbert explores topics like IQ testing and Lewis Terman's work.

Up until the last three chapter, I found this book captivating, but my interest greatly waned while reading the chapters on computer programmers; savants and those with autism/Asperger's; and the super children of tiger parents. This was due to those chapters seeming more cluttered than the rest, as well as personally having little interest in computer prodigies; having read more interesting things on savants, notably Darold Treffert's Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant; having read enough on autism/Asperger's; and finally having feelings of fatigue while reading even more stories about the relationships between prodigies and their parents. I think that last chapter on tiger parents should have been the third or second from the last chapter. Certainly other readers will find those last three chapters, in the order they occurred, far more interesting than I did, though. But I do believe Ms. Hulbert should have stuck with prodigies who did not have severe disabilities, because that is really a whole different topic.


P.S. For those interested in the possible metaphysical aspects of prodigies, there is no talk at all about reincarnation. However, someone did suggest back in the 1920s that one of the child writers was possibly a medium, apparently transcribing the words of a deceased adult writer.

(Note: I received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.)

[Ida · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a parent of two girls attending a "gift" school, i loved this. i have been torn between smart and kid and what that means and seeing that it means NOTHING is super liberating. I have been advocating less and less in recent years as my fellow parents advocate more and more...the world is still the same for them in the future and yes, thank you for pointing that out. I know it, but it's especially tough when democracy is slipping and intellect more than ever is conflated with economic success. i like it that bubble kids always fail...but that's my naughty side:). good book, unless you are thinking your kid is amazing, because then it should be a must read so you keep it real when advocating for services. smart is smart, too smart to be happy is another.

[Olivia Allbritton · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 rounding up

[Addison Coe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me glad that I wasn’t a child prodigy. Well written but a little boring.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I wanted to enjoy this non-fiction which the title says tells of "the hidden lives and lessons of American child prodigies," but I did not. I found it very difficult to follow -- In retrospect, what was its theme? Nature vs nurture? Parental involvement vs non-involvement? Prodigies within the context of an era? Or of a culture? And what exactly defines a child as a prodigy? I do not know.

The case studies and the author's writing style just did not hold my interest. I read, realized I'd lost my train of thought, reread. I did learn a new word, though: blinkered. I looked it up since the author used it . . . often.

I rounded my rating up to 3 stars because I did enjoy the chapter on Bobby Fischer and I chuckled at the anecdote about Shirley Temple's father's tonsillectomy, and because the notes at the end are extensive which may be of interest to a reader wanting to pursue an area addressed.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dipped into this because I wanted to know what constitutes the truly brilliant from the merely smart. It seems to be the drive, the need, the compulsion to perform in one area: math, music, etc.

I also was curious about the success-in-life of these early achievers and performers. It was not inevitable either in terms of satisfaction or hyper-achievement. They had early potential that didn't deliver.

Third, my curiosity about how to foster talent was also piqued by the books title. Generally, it was the same as for all children, but was more difficult because of the need for lots of nourishment for these children as well as the potential for damage because of pressure on the children either from peers, parents, or others.

Some of the current high-performers we know from business are included, and that is very interesting because the environment was so supportive in some ways for their performances and achievement.

Very interesting, but not conclusive in most ways.

[Sheri S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hulbert presents case studies of several very talented children and how they fared in the development and display of that talent. Many of the children seemed to be self-motivated and enjoyed the success and privileges they earned as a result of the recognition of their talent. A large number of the child prodigies mentioned in the book appeared (as discussed in the book) to fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. It was interesting to learn how parents of prodigies handled the success of their children and how this impacted their relationships with their superbly talented child. I especially liked the chapter about Shirley Temple and how she developed into a talented child star.

[Robert Nolin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the most hard-to-read nonfiction I've ever come across. The author brings no authority or expertise to the subject, nor any insights from outside sources. No lessons here, no hidden lives. Was looking for information on WJ Sidis, but everything here is simply recycled from "The Prodigy" by Amy Wallace.

The audience for this book seems to be the same folks who bought Hulbert's previous book, Raising America. This is more kin to "What to Expect When You're Expecting" than any sort of real insight into the prodigy phenomenon.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 3.5. I enjoyed learning about prodigies in last hundred years or so in America. For the most part, their lives were rough and I don't know if their gifts made up for the emotional and mental pain that these children suffered. I do believe that families play a huge role in a prodigy's life and these case studies proved that they can do both good and bad as they try to steer their children. The book made me glad that I'm ordinary!

[Helena · Rating 1 out of 5]

The inherently interesting biographies are hacked to pieces by the author’s relentless pretentious, snarky, and petty editorializations.

[Susan Olesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book of great breadth, Hulbert doesn’t give a plan to create a super-child, but points out the variety of natural super-children, from the hyper-talented to the hyper-intelligent, and how they either come to be in their glory or fizzle out, resentful, burnt, socially incapable, or just plain mentally troubled.

Starting in the 1800’s and working her way past Gates and Jobs, Hulbert offers up example after example of toddlers who were far ahead of their peers verbally, academically, or musically. Some were hyper-programmed by parents looking for fame of their own (a different type of Mozart effect), others were raised free-range, with no pressures, no academics, in an extreme Montessory experience. Some children were self-driven, such as the early computer-programmers and some savants, while others were pushed ahead and manipulated by their child-driven desire to please. Some, profiled long before the term Aspergers was coined, most certainly would have fit the label.
And how did these geniuses play out? Where are their lists of awards, of Nobel prizes, of great accomplishments? Most have names you’ve never heard of. Some, like Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest chess players ever, had mental issues from the start, quit chess because he didn’t like aspects of the chess culture, and dropped out of society entirely. Others, like Barbara Follet, who began writing stories at the age of 3, after a string of difficulties, disappeared one day and was never heard of again. Some, like the pianist Lang Lang, or Shirley Temple, or Bill Gates, have become household names.

And the difference? What makes a stable genius vs. an unstable one? What makes a person continue to use their gifts? The difference, which Hulbert does not come out and state but shows chapter after chapter, is a parent who supports the child in their own interest without bullying them (a la Amy Chua), who lets the child still be a child, encourages child-type socialization (instead of all-adult peers), tries to keep them rounded, and realizes that interests change over time, and to give the child the chance to follow a new interest. Shirley Temple did not burn out in Hollywood because her mother, who called the shots and shielded her from the worst of Hollywood, knew to call it quits when Shirley – who’d been making films since the age of 3 – was 12. This, of course, is far more difficult when the child is an autistic savant, obsessively driven by one focus and one all-encompassing focus. Savants tend to lack other skills – such as social skills, or interpretive academic skills, but the supportive parent still gently pushes them to expand while supporting their own obsessions, through which they make their progress. Even savants eventually move on from one obsession and move on to new skills.

Yes, mechanical geniuses can be made through parental obsessive drive and helicoptering, though these children often burn out and later decry their lack of any childhood, if not outright abuse. Eventually even the most docile child will scream enough. Children can be winnowed by tests, thrown early into special classes, and then be set far above their peers (which, of course, leads back to lack of childhood and difficulty interacting with peers, when you’re a 12 year old at Harvard), but it does not guarantee later genius in the way that people expect (how does a 30 year old professor at University X differ from a 30 year old professor at X who had a PhD at 17? They probably don’t.). Talents are given, but must be nurtured with a loving but not overbearing hand, and genius doesn’t mean easy to work with, by any means.

Yet it makes me wonder – as an AP student whose high school did harder work than the community college down the street, if we’re able to winnow 13 year olds who can ace the SAT at 13, why oh why is our education so poor, why aren’t we pulling more of these students from the mire, why are we wasting children’s abilities when they’re young, and then putting so much emphasis on the SATs? I’m disgusted with the American public education system as it is, but this book only made my outlook gloomier.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

"From the author of the widely praised Raising America--a compelling exploration of child genius told through the gripping stories of fifteen exceptionally gifted boys and girls, from a math wonder a century ago to young jazz and classical piano virtuosos today. A thought-provoking book for a time when parents anxiously aspire to raise "super children" and experts worry the nation is wasting the brilliant young minds it needs.

Ann Hulbert examines the lives of children whose rare accomplishments have raised hopes about untapped human potential and questions about how best to nurture it. She probes the changing role of parents and teachers, as well as of psychologists and a curious press. Above all, she delves into the feelings of the prodigies themselves, who push back against adults more as the decades proceed. Among the children are the math genius Norbert Wiener, founder of cybernetics, a Harvard graduate student at age fifteen; two girls, a poet and a novelist, whose published work stirred debate in the 1920s; the movie superstar Shirley Temple and the African American pianist and composer Philippa Schuyler; the chess champion Bobby Fischer; computer pioneers and autistic "prodigious savants"; and musical prodigies, present and past. Off the Charts also tells the surprising inside stories of Lewis Terman's prewar study of high-IQ children and of the postwar talent search begun at Johns Hopkins, and discovers what Tiger Mom Amy Chua really has to tell us. But in these moving stories, it is the children who deliver the most important messages. "

I mostly skimmed through this book as it seemed filled with extraneous information that I was not interested in although I was very interested in the topic.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title fit with the writer's summarize of each the child prodigy's biography and how they far at a later age. Too bad there aren't more minority kids in certain chapters. I read in another book about smart Black women who worked for NACA (now called NASA) in the mid-twentieth century during the Space age and the race to space. There was one real woman who was a child prodigy. I think she came from a working class Black family when her mother taught her literacy skills since she believed in education. She was quite young when she was able to read like at age 2 or 3, got so good in math and enrolled into college at age 15.

Ann Hulbert doesn't answer the question: How can parents successfully raise prodigy kids so they can succeed later in life? How much can help their children to reach their potential without too much pressure or too much hands-off approach? In a few of the stories, I can gather that the prodigy kids who grew up successful in whatever field they are in because their parents provide them the right supports, encourage their hard work ethic and let their kids' fail to learn from their mistakes while making sure they have a childhood where they have freedom to enjoy themselves and able to relax. There were a few prodigies who didn't get the supportive parents; however they had mentors and other supportive adults in their lives to help them with assistance and resources. When parents and children can have a positive relationship into adulthood with good communication, respect and unconditional love is a foundation of it all.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hulbert chronicles the lives of some of America's more well known child prodigies. In the end, in her "Epilogue" she reviews what she found in reading about a century and more of prodigies and finds not much in terms of new insights or anything in the sense of a conclusion about her central theme of how parenting impacts the childhood and ultimate fate of child prodigies. She does not claim any answer to the nature vs. nurture debate or a clear idea of what type of parenting works to make a prodigy or to make a prodigy successful or well adjusted. Still, it was quite interesting to read about the lives of these child prodigies. Many of them disappointed those who trumpeted their early promise as they, like all of us, changed over time and had different ideas about how they wanted to live than their parents and society. Along with such well-known prodigies as Bobbie Fisher and Shirley Temple, she discusses others that are less famous, at least to me. Probably the most interesting of all and one that I wish I knew more abut was Phillipa Schuyler, a contemporary of Shirley Temple born to a white mother from Texas and an African-American father journalist.
She was a prodigious pianist who gave up the piano as a young woman to pursue journalism and died in a helicopter crash while covering an orphan airlift in Vietnam. In this book each chapter has its own interest, though it is not the kind of book that leaves you with satisfying answers. One sort of is left with the sense that the great talent of prodigies rarely proves to be a key to happiness.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure I received this book from the publisher. I really liked the way the author chose prodigies in many different subject areas - not just math and science. In fact, I found the sections on musical prodigies to be some of the most interesting. As a jazz fan I loved that an autistic child could find an outlet in the music. I think parts of the book would have been more interesting if I was a parent because at times I found myself wanting a little more information on the kids' talents and less on the parenting, but I realize that was supposed to be the focus of the book and the author did a good job of addressing parenting. Overall a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in prodigies or in being a better parent.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chapter was a stab at history As my grad school adviser said ,"proving what happened is hard, people forget and have biases ." The degree to which emotional reactions on the part of the early 'savants' are surmised is excessive. The book warms up with the descriptions of Spassky and company. First person descriptions of current geniuses are tricky Distance from the subject can get in the way of objective analysis. The book comes across as a slide show instead of statistics
On another note, so true, chess an ethnic game, so likely to wander into an eastern European immigrant's home and see the game going on the table.

[Rita Ciresi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer have in common with child star Shirley Temple? What do musical prodigies have in common with autistic savants? In this book, author Ann Hulbert looks at some of the prevailing myths about super-children over the past century and reveals that behind many of these exceptionally talented kids was a sometimes bewildered, sometimes pushy, and sometimes abusive mother and/or father. The book reads more like a series of short biographies than an analysis. Of particular interest to me were the chapters on young female literary prodigies of yore (whose work has now fallen into obscurity) and the stories of pianists Lang Lang and Mark Yu.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thisis an interesting examination of the lives of various types of child prodigies. I frankly found Andrew Solomon's "Far From the Tree:" much better. The author gives vignettes of their lives but I never really felt she explored much deeper than that The sad part of what she tells is that at least half of her subjects end up with fairly miserable and compromised lives. Worse for me was the unspoken tale of the thousands of other kids who were equally gifted, equally driven and ended up in second place.

[Mary Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not recommend the audio edition. The narrator uses a bizarrely sarcastic and mocking tone that denigrates the many child subjects of the book. It was hard to tell how much of this was coming from the text itself and how much was being read into it by the tone of the narration. At times it sounded like the author was ridiculing the subjects who failed to achieve success later in life and trashing their work. There was a lot of interesting information about the various subjects but not enough about the details of their adult lives to help us understand their later careers.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought a book like this would be interesting, and it was at times, but it really didn't tell a comprehensive story and I was left wondering what the point was. We took a look into the lives and upbringing of people who were child prodigies. My biggest takeaway is life for child prodigies was difficult. They were often pushed to an extreme extent by their parents and ended up with many family issues (more than the normal amount I guess!). They were often unhappy, as children and adults. Somewhat interesting, but probably not worth the time.

[Linda Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers, I also cchose to read this book because of a favorable review. It read more like a text book that I had to plow through. There was some interesting information along the way , but I found the writing style difficult. I felt that much of the narrative focused on the parenting styles and not so much on the children. Hulbert did present a historical background on prodigies, but this was not what I expected. I do not feel she fulfill the subtitle's claim of revealing the hidden lives and lessons of these children.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read better accounts of the brilliant children. Still, I was drawn to it as there are gifted children in my extended family. So many it seems are/were really only the result of pushy parent. Kids didn't fare any better as adults than the rest of us. So the prodigy may well have not have been, or if gifted, had no interest in pursuing. No clue. Sort of like this book. I'd give it a pass.
Needs work or editing or something...
Sorry.

I received a Kindle arc from Edelweiss above the treeline in exchange for a fair review.

[WittysLagoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating book.... Some parts fascinating... Like the progression of the prodigies, and worst when she goes into mind reading or pontificates on the approaches taken by mother's and others

All in all she does not do justice to the topic, nor does she shine a beam on savants like Ramanujan, or geniuses like Einstein and Darwin.

The child prodigies in the sphere of music is a narrow selection from a vast subject - that of hyper achievers in all domains. Whether these are always obvious in childhood, or even related to parental influence is uncertain. Her assumptions are anecdotal at best.