NurtureShock

August 3, 2009
The central premise of this book by Bronson (What Should I Do with My Life?
) and Merryman, a Washington Post
journalist, is that many of modern society's most popular strategies for raising children are in fact backfiring because key points in the science of child development and behavior have been overlooked. Two errant assumptions are responsible for current distorted child-rearing habits, dysfunctional school programs and wrongheaded social policies: first, things work in children the same way they work in adults and, second, positive traits necessarily oppose and ward off negative behavior. These myths, and others, are addressed in 10 provocative chapters that cover such issues as the inverse power of praise (effort counts more than results); why insufficient sleep adversely affects kids' capacity to learn; why white parents don't talk about race; why kids lie; that evaluation methods for “giftedness” and accompanying programs don't work; why siblings really fight (to get closer). Grownups who trust in “old-fashioned” common-sense child-rearing—the definitely un-PC variety, with no negotiation or parent-child equality—will have less patience for this book than those who fear they lack innate parenting instincts. The chatty reportage and plentiful anecdotes belie the thorough research backing up numerous cited case studies, experts' findings and examination of successful progressive programs at work in schools.

July 1, 2009
A provocative collection of essays popularizing recent research that challenges conventional wisdom about raising children.

An award-winning article,"How Not to Talk to Your Kids," which advised parents that telling children they are smart is counterproductive, prompted journalists Bronson (Why Do I Love These People?: Honest and Amazing Stories of Real Families, 2005, etc.) and Merryman to dig further into the science of child development. Here they ably explore a range of subjects of interest to parents: adolescents' sleep needs and the effects of sleep deprivation, children's attitudes toward skin color and race, why children lie, the dangers of using a single intelligence test at an early age to determine giftedness, how interactions with other children affect relationships with siblings, the positive effects of marital conflict, how self-control can be taught, the effects of different types of TV programs on children's behavior and the development of language in young children. Their findings are often surprising. For example, in schools with greater racial diversity, the odds that a child will have a friend of a different race decrease; listening to"baby DVDs" does not increase an infant's rate of word acquisition; children with inconsistent and permissive fathers are nearly as aggressive in school as children of distant and disengaged fathers. Bronson and Merryman call attention to what they see as two basic errors in thinking about children. The first is the fallacy of similar effect—the assumption that what is true for adults is also true for children. The second—the fallacy of the good/bad dichotomy—is the assumption that a trait or factor is either good or bad, when in fact it may be both (e.g., skill at lying may be a sign of intelligence, and empathy may become a tool of aggression.) The authors also provide helpful notes for each chapter and an extensive bibliography.

A skilled, accessible presentation of scientific research in layman's language.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 9, 2009
Why are kids today so fat? Too much TV and Internet surfing, right? Nope. What's better for kids-watching Power Rangers or Clifford the Big Red Dog? (It's not what you think.) Prepare to be slack-jawed as Bronson (What Should I Do With My Life?) and Merryman excavate astonishing research that reveals why our parenting strategies have backfired: why smart kids are underperforming, why Baby Einstein watchers speak fewer words than their peers, and why kindergarteners in the gifted program are no smarter than others. Chapters address sibling relations, self-control, sleep effects, and other relevant topics. The book presents a panoramic view of the latest research and is further distinguished by pragmatic prose that avoids alarmism and sanctimony. Verdict This tour de force is one of the best parenting psychology books in years and will likely be seismic in influence.-Julianne J. Smith, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
This intriguing analysis of conventional wisdom regarding child rearing seems intended to provoke thought and debate rather than to offer actual parenting advice, and it excels at this goal. Each chapter tackles, and explodes, a separate concept concerning preschoolers through teenagers: Why Kids Lie, The Science of Teenage Rebellion, and more. Some topics will be useful to parents, such as The Lost Hour, which suggests overprogramming is harmful to kids; others are more relevant on the school or policymaking level, such as The Search for Intelligent Life in Kindergarten, which urges periodically reevaluating children who are tracked into remedial or gifted programs at too early an age. The authors clearly revel in their roles as provocateurs; unfortunately, their tone sometimes seems alarmist and negative (Youll ruin him, Parents screw this up, etc.) rather than revelatory, which may put off those sincerely looking for guidance. The most successful chapters include positive alternative suggestions rather than just tearing down accepted practice; especially welcome is the exhortation to address race, an incendiary topic, directly and candidly with children. The authors extensive research and incisive thinking make this a worthwhile read, whether you agree or disagree with their assertions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)