Book review - Bounce

As alluded to in my last review, this week I have been listening to the audiobook version of "Bounce" by Matthew Syed.

This is the preceding book to Black Box Thinking which I thought was so profound that it should be essential reading for all dentists.

In Bounce, the author explains the concept that almost anybody can become world class at almost any complex task given enough dedication and proper practice (10,000 hours in most cases). A lot of the evidence behind this is based on his history as a British table tennis champion and other successful sportsmen he has researched. However this isn't just about how to achieve sporting greatness but about any complex task you choose to follow. Painting, Chess, Mental arithmetic or perhaps Dentistry?

Bounce is a very good book and I think it would be hugely beneficial for all teenagers and teachers to digest. As a society we do seem to put down people who work hard to progress in life therefore discouraging people from striving for greatness. However there are many areas in which it doesn't quite meet the standard of Black Box Thinking. In fact the author himself highlights this at the beginning of his second book. He realised that there were many ideas in Bounce that he hadn't researched as much as he wished and corrected that by delving deeper into the concept for Black Box Thinking. Many of the examples overlap in both books. Both have their individual merits but if you only want to read one I would go for Black Box Thinking over Bounce. If you want to find out more about Bounce have a look here: https://amzn.to/2qUWriM

Or if you want to find out more about Black Box Thinking see here:
http://www.drchrisharper.co.uk/blog/book-review-black-box-thinking