The Art of Learning

The only problem with this book is Josh Waitzkin is so clearly a superfreak it makes his advice that little bit less relatable. He has definitely made me appreciate the complexity of chess on a whole other level.

Having said that, there's some great stuff here and it's a nice read.

If only I applied it.

I was bracing for a bombastic, self-centered, shallow book. There is a lot of that, but I also found honesty, analysis, weaknesses, and some introspection.

I found ‘The Art of Learning' to be a pretty interesting read, especially getting into the head of someone who went from being a chess whiz kid to a martial arts champ. The book's got some cool stories about his life in both arenas. But if you're looking for a step-by-step guide to self-improvement or something, this might not hit the mark. The author's super competitive, and that's just not me, so I couldn't really connect with a lot of his advice. That said, as a story, it's well-written and engaging. Plus, there's this neat bit about his Slovenian girlfriend, which added a personal touch to his story.

arguably a must read

Great bio and guide to living a successful life from the ex world chess and tai chi champion.

Despite not being very interested in either chess or the martial arts, this is one of the most interesting and insightful books I have read. Josh is one of the few people that has become an expert at something and maintained the ability to understand and share exactly the process that led him to expertise, then abstract the process to make it applicable to learning almost anything. His writing style is clear and engaging. He's a great teacher–he subtly reviews as he goes along without making the book seem repetitive. The concepts are simple and powerful. Already I've been able to apply them to endeavors in my own live and I've seen results.