Review of NurtureShock on "Say It Better" Blog

Here's an amazing review from Kare Anderson, Emmy-winning former Wall Street Journal reporter. Thanks Kare!

Two Awards

We recently were honored with two more awards for our work on the science of children.

The first is a Clarion Award, from the Association for Women in Communication.

The second is a Mensa Press Award, from the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, which we're told got a unanimous vote.

Thanks to these organizations for supporting science journalism!

Booklist Review for NurtureShock

“Intriguing analysis of conventional wisdom regarding child rearing. Each chapter tackles, and explodes, a separate concept concerning preschoolers through teenagers. The authors’ extensive research and incisive thinking make this a worthwhile read, whether you agree or disagree with their assertions.”

Kirkus Review for NurtureShock

"A provocative collection of essays popularizing recent research that challenges conventional wisdom about raising children...[Bronson and Merryman] ably explore a range of subjects of interest to parents... 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." (Kirkus )