The basic concept of this book is at least moderately interesting but the author murders it to death with page after page of insipid vignettes and painfully trite cliches amounting to little more original or inspiring than "you can do anything you put your mind to". Many of the vignettes that are based on public figures are so cherry-picked, as far as what they present, that they're at best insultingly simplistic and at worst completely misrepresenting reality; sometimes the real story doesn't support the point she's trying to make at all. The chapter on sports is particularly painful. Later chapters are better, but it's all relative--they just didn't make me bash myself over the head with the book as much. What's really disappointing is that had she actually had enough faith in her readers to discuss her research in any depth or detail whatsoever, rather than repeatedly insulting their intelligence by failing to devote more than about a hundred words to any particular topic, this could have been genuinely interesting and, dare I say it, even inspiring. ( )

Absolutely eye-opening. ( )

I found the premise of Mindset pretty self-evident: those who have a growth-oriented mindset have an easier time navigating life than those who have a more fixed approach to the world. Growth-oriented people look at difficulties as opportunities for improvement while those with a fixed-mindset look at difficulties as "terminal" events that essentially pass judgment on their abilities and worth.

I think that pretty much sums up what I got out of this book. The author does spend some time applying this idea to education, sports, relationships, and the like, but I just didn't get much out of the book beyond that. Some people I generally respect like Ned Hallowell and Pat Basset gave this book high marks, but I'm just not seeing it. It all seemed too self-helpy (if that's a word (and it isn't)). I think the premise is a good one, but the book doesn't go much beyond that. ( )

This book can't make up it's mind whether it is self-help or academic. It has the casual tone and anecdotes of the former, but is missing the 7-step plan for improving your life. On the other hand, it's based on peer-reviewed research and supported with notes and fairly good index. Personally, I hope Carol Dweck chooses the self-help route; her book offerrs too important a message to leave to locked in inaccessible academic journals. Until then, you will have to believe her that just knowing your mindset is not fixed should help unlock your potential. ( )

Absolutely a must-read. What's really interesting about Dr. Dweck's work is how inuitive it is. The growth mindset seems almost trite and sugary until the layers upon layers of real effects in academics and athletics and couples and corporations start to pile up. Then, reading the science behind it (which is NOT presented in depth in this book) one starts to realize the power of this construct, and part of that power comes from how easy it is to grasp. ( )

Dweck is a Stanford University psychologist who has written one of those awesome concepts that everyone should read. The premise: success is determined primarily by mindset. A fixed mindset limits us and establishes early boundaries that can lead to negative behaviors. A growth mindset lets us continually strive to greater levels of performance. The fixed mindset can become a perfectionist, or they might assume they'll always succeed without effort (and make excuses about the external cause when they don't). It's possible to be mixed, fixed in some situations and not in others (like I am when speaking, but not when analyzing data; or on some days in tennis but not others). I loved the point that you don't always need confidence, as long as you have a growth mindset (p. 52). You can accept that you might not be good at something, even that this is more of a reason to do it. Advice: consider any experience, test, or other judgment that you now use to define yourself. Consider it, feel it, and put it in a growth mindset. Re-frame it as a learning experience. Over time, praise for a specific type of success can be an impediment, even a limiter. ( )

A must-read for anyone who wants to understand how one's mindset can hold one back or help one move forward in life. ( )

This book could have been a small pamphlet. You can get the essence of it just by reading the last chapter, chapter 8. It is tempting to mix up the idea with the book: The finding and description of mindsets - fixed and growth - is very valuable. As Dr. Dweck shows over and over and over in her book, using the mindset framework deepens our understanding of a lot of behavior, our own and that of other people. The book, however, falls short in fostering the growth mindset, the mindset it so positively describes. After finishing the book, I was left standing outside the candy store: I wanted to learn the growth mindset but I didn't get the tools. Yes, there were some suggestions in the book but most of it felt very superficial and not concrete enough to really use. For example, Dweck writes "enter the growth mindset and listen harder" (p. 232). Okay, I get that. But how do I do it? It almost feels like the book was written from a fixed mindset perspective: Dr. Dweck is such a great scientist and she did some wonderful, remarkable work and we all should be in awe. That is the judge-and-be-judged framework, not the learn-and-help-learn framework (p. 238).

Most of the book is full of anecdotes showing the mindsets in action. They are fun to read since the retelling of the stories is well written. Some of them are inspiring. But, again, the book did not help me learn. It gave me a good taste of a more supportive frame of mind but it did not give me the tools to change my mind. That is especially disappointing since this is so contrary to the growth mindset it so vividly and convincingly portraits as a healthier approach... ( )

The central thesis is brilliant. It's worth reading for that alone. Unfortuantely, Dweck isn't very rigorous and falls prey to fallacious thinking througout. ( )

Well-written, excellently portrayed examples, clearly presented. Not really anything new here -- this is cognitive therapy reworded for the current generation (she even has a section in the book about cognitive therapy). But it is an easy read, and does get you thinking about your own patterns. ( )

My boyfriend sent me this article (http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/...), thinking it would apply to my teaching. It did, but it also got me thinking about myself and my own patterns, so when I heard about this book by one of the researchers mentioned in the article, I was excited to read more. I found Mindset very readable, and I rarely read nonfiction. It did get me thinking about my own patterns - my own mindset - and it also offered plenty of fodder for thinking about my classroom, too. I had trouble with the flippancy of some of Dweck's writting, but it does allow her to make her message more accesible. I will recommend this to parents, other teachers, and my administration. I have been using Dweck's mindset paradigm to frame my own life and the choices I make (current issue: losing weight). I'm exploring the limits of my own growth mindset. I'm also thinking about mindsets in relationship to my teaching style. Dweck mentions issues and ideas that I am familiar with, but she articulates and clarifies them in a powerful way. I'm hoping to acquire more information from her Brainology project to use in my classroom.
I think that any book that makes me think this much - any book that I'm already planning to reread! - is more than worthwhile. ( )

Good book, rings true, read 15 minutes every morning before starting work. Reminds me that I don't have to have a track record of doing something well to be able to do it well today and better still tomorrow. ( )