New York Times Bestselling Author David Epstein will visit the Midtown Scholar Bookstore on Saturday, June 8th at 6pm to present his new book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. This event will be presented in conjunction with the Harrisburg Young Professionals and the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC.
Book signing to follow presentation. This event is free and open to the public.
Date: Saturday, June 8th
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Midtown Scholar Bookstore | 1302 North Third Street Harrisburg, PA 17102
About the Book:
A powerful argument for how to succeed in any field: develop broad interests and skills while everyone around you is rushing to specialize.
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.
About the Author:
David Epstein is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. He has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism, and has worked as an investigative reporter for ProPublica and a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He lives in Washington, DC.
