اسب سیاه: رسیدن به موفقیت و کامیابی از مسیری کاملاً متفاوت از آنچه همه به ما می‌گویند

by Todd Rose, پیام بهرام‌پور (Translator)

«اسب سیاه» اصطلاحی‌ست که ریشۀ آن از شرط‌بندی روی اسبی که کسی انتظار برنده شدن در مسابقه را از آن ندارد، می‌آید. در این کتاب اسب سیاه به افرادی گفته می‌شود که خلاف استانداردهای جامعه برای رسیدن به آنچه دوست دارند تلاش می‌کنند و موفقیت‌های حیرت‌انگیزی به‌دست می‌آورند. در واقع اسب سیاه نماد کسی‌ست که هیچ‌کس پیش‌بینی موفقیتش را نمی‌کرده، اما خود او خلافش را ثابت می‌کند. نتیجه برای شکوفایی استعدادها در یک جامعه باید یک سیستم جایگزین فردمحور به‌کار گرفته شود؛ سیستمی که عنصر مشترک همۀ افراد موفق آن، رضایت فردی است. منتقد سایت فوربز درمورد کتاب نوشته است: «کتاب اثری ساده و خوش‌خوان است و خواندنش می‌تواند برای تمام کسانی که از وضعیت شغلی خود احساس نارضایتی می‌کنند ضروری باشد.»
چاپ ۱۴۰۱

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Education, Leadership

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2018

About the author

Todd Rose is the cofounder and president of The Center for Individual Opportunity, and a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His work is focused on the science of the individual and its implications for advancing self-knowledge, developing talent, and improving our institutions of opportunity. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review may be slightly misinformed because I only read the first half of the book. The first half of this book was Rose's complete guide on how to be a dark horse - someone who society never saw succeeding but they did anyway in the unlikeliest of ways. The second half was more about how standardized the world has become and it charges us to change this system (that part didn't suit my fancy).



My key takeaway points from this book were:

1. There are innate attributes that are unique to everyone (some call them talents, I prefer "attributes"). For instance, I don't have any obvious talents: I don't sing, dance, problem solve, or play any sports or instruments. But after some introspection I realized I like "repurposing things" and I've been doing it my whole life. It's just a natural compulsion for me if I see something around the house that I don't use anymore, I find a different use for it rather than throwing it away. That is a micro-motive for me.

2. This society we currently live in was built upon standardized systems and institutions that don't take into account your individuality. Why? Because this is costly in both time and resources.

3. When you learn your micro-motives (these appear to be things you’ve been doing your whole life… a compulsion or urge that feeds your way of being), you can harness your energy and authenticity.

4. When you learn what choices (goals) fit your micro-motives, you can engineer the meaning and direction of your life, and;

5. When you develop strengths (through learning and practice; or trial and error), you can use these strengths to achieve the goals you’ve chosen.

Todd Rose made clear points and gave vivid examples that I can and have started putting into practical use. This is all I ever ask for from self help books. 4.5 Stars!!

[Hodjat ghoreishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب بسیار خوبیه و دید خوبی نسبت به مقوله‌ی انتخاب مسیر شغلی به خواننده میده.
ایده‌ای که نویسنده در کتاب معرفی می‌کند یک جورهایی حالت انقلابی دارد و خلاف شنیده‌ها و آموزه‌های همه‌ی ما هست و بسیار جذاب برای مطالعه.
بسیار مثالهای واقعی در کتاب آورده شده که کتاب را برای خواندن جذاب می‌کنه و به هیچ وحه حوصله سر بر نیست.
جز کتاب‌هایی هست که وقتی خواندنش تمام میشه با خودت میگی ای کاش این کتاب را در ۱۸-۱۹ سالگی خوانده بودم.

[Darnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long on anecdotes and platitudes about "harnessing your individuality", short on actual insight.

[Haniye_Mirkamali · Rating 3 out of 5]

خوانش: ۲۴ خرداد ۱۴۰۴
این کتاب، در دومین روز جنگ اسرائیل و ایران تموم شد..
تو روزهایی که اصلا حوصله ی کتاب های موفقیت و توسعه فردی رو نداشتم ولی انگار ذهنم میخواست به تموم کردن یک کتاب چنگ بزنه تا شاید اروم بگیره :/

[ثمین پذیرائی · Rating 5 out of 5]

روانپزشکم بهم میگفت دختر تو یه اسب سیاهی…حالا میفهمم که چرا بهم میگفت🌿

[Mahmoud]

وقتی کتاب خودیاری و موفقیت می‌خونم افسرده می‌شم!

[Ben Watkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came to this book interested in its topic and generally in agreement with the notion that success comes from many different paths, many of which stand at odds with the edicts of “the system.” The book does a decent job of introducing this idea, but that’s about it. It 8/ otherwise convoluted, contradictory, and so repetitive. I really don’t know what Todd Rose and Ogi Ogas were going for with “Dark Horse.” It felt like they got funding for their Project and had to publish something, but couldn’t find any sort of cohesive thesis before the deadline and opted instead to write whatever this is. The first half read like a failed self-help book that focuses mostly on repetitively pointing out the problem without any substantive recommendations for a solution aside from vague suggestions about “knowing your micro-motives, choices, and strategies.” (A side note - the pseudo intellectual buzzwords were never ending. I could not read about the “Standardization Covenant,” “jagged profiles,” or “fuzzy strengths” without rolling my eyes by the end.)The second half is a sort of bizarre, half-baked ideological treatise about how our society needs to shift into one in which “institutional systems and services should accommodate the jagged profile of any individual, of any background, of any age.” What? It’s not that this isn’t a commendable aspiration or vision for what our society could look like, but it feels so tone deaf and simply not grounded in reality to suggest that this sort of shift is possible with a simple change in mindset. And again, it feels so removed from the first half’s purported self-help-oriented focus on the individual. I simply was not ready for the book to go full manifesto.

Additionally, their argument for the “Dark Horse covenant” just seemed so void of any nuance whatsoever. All of their points boil down to “institutions bad, individuality good” with zero consideration for the litany of benefits offered by standardization in addition to its flaws. It drove me crazy how they failed to ever mention how functioning societies necessitate jobs that kind of suck and instead daydreamed about existential fulfillment for everyone. Also, for being so focused on the notion of fulfillment, they never seem to consider the idea that maybe it doesn’t need to be tied to your job… maybe the more radical take is that a job is just a job, and fulfillment could be tied to, I don’t know, your personal passions, relationships, family, friends…

It’s disappointing because it feels like there could have been real value to this book if they just committed to one idea or the other. I did enjoy the personal stories of the Dark Horses; it feels like they missed out on an opportunity to expand on these and take real, actionable lessons from them to distill to readers.

[Timothy Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Todd Rose book; it won’t be my last. That said, this is a frustrating read. All success literature is written for a particular context; the early part of the book is a canny assessment of how the current context is changing, and the different attitudes and approaches that may work better in the current context.
Two problems: (1) taking yourself and your desires as the absolute is a mistake; this process needs to be done in conversation with God and the mission for which He made you. (2) Later in the book, the prescriptions for society don’t make a lot of sense — it looks to me like in his zeal to bypass the artificial scarcities created by various rent-seeking brokers of opportunity, he’s not taken sufficient account of the real scarcity of resources. In the Kingdom of God, that’s not something we have to worry about. But without a Kingdom focus, it’s going to be a problem.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not that useful. Interesting key points, but the book belabored those points ad nauseam without really increasing value. The anecdotal stories were okay, but they were just that, anecdotal. After the first two or three of these stories they no longer provided additional or clearly actionable steps to finding your own version of success. Again, not a bad book, but it laid out the main points early and the majority of the rest felt like filler. It did spend some time rallying against the current "meritocracy," but the suggested path forward (to institutionalize individual fulfillment as a core value) was less than satisfying. Notionally wonderful, but it landed flat, at least with me.

Note: I listened to a podcast (Art of Manliness, I think) discussing the book and I would say that provided 95% of the benefit of reading the book itself. Maybe if I had read the book first...

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does a great job of telling some impactful stories. They have you thinking for the first half “wow I too could break free and live a fulfilled and happy life!”. The second half ends up in a free fall with chants of “break the mold! Down with the system!”. So fine, I get what you’re trying to do, but it took half a book of inspirational stories to just encourage the reader that things need to change? Yawn

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

از کتاب های معرفی شده توسط آذرخش مکری بود.


Behind it all is surely an idea so simple, so beautiful, so compelling that when—in a decade, a century, or a millennium—we grasp it, we will all say to each other, how could it have been otherwise?
—Physicist John Archibald Wheeler

As Hill advised, “The better way is by making yourself so useful and efficient in what you are now doing that you will attract the favorable attention of those who have the power to promote you into more responsible work that is more to your liking.”


For generations, the message “know your destination, work hard, and stay the course” has been impressed upon us as the most dependable stratagem for securing a prosperous life. This advice appears so unassailable that disregarding it seems perilous and foolish. Indeed, many recent books even go so far as to claim that the Standard Formula rises to the level of timeless human wisdom.


But just because we now desire a new kind of success doesn’t mean we know how to get it.
This rising demand for a life of personalized success has run ahead of what science can deliver because the academic study of success remains stubbornly marooned in the Age of Standardization.


Maybe most dark horses would turn out to be mavericks with outsized personalities, like Richard Branson—rebels driven by a fierce ambition to make their mark and prove the world wrong.
That’s not what we found at all.
Instead, we discovered that the personalities of dark horses are just as diverse and unpredictable as you would find in any random sampling of human beings. Some are bold and aggressive; others are shy and deferential. Some enjoy being disruptive; others prefer being conciliatory. Dark horses are not defined by their character. Nor are they defined by a particular motive, socioeconomic background, or approach to training, study, or practice. There is a common thread that binds them all together, however, and it was hard to miss.
Dark horses are fulfilled.

Like the rest of us, they struggled with getting the kids to bed and paying down the car loan, and there was invariably more they hoped to accomplish in their careers, but they woke up most mornings excited to get to work and went to bed most nights feeling good about their lives. This discovery led us to the most important revelation of all.
As we dug deeper, we realized that their sense of fulfillment was not a coincidence. It was a choice. And this all-important decision to pursue fulfillment is what ultimately defines a dark horse.


People often believe that when it comes to earning a living, you must choose between doing what you like and doing what you must. Dark horses teach us that this is a false choice. By harnessing their individuality, dark horses attained both prowess and joy. By choosing situations that seemed to offer the best fit for their authentic self, dark horses secured the most effective circumstances for developing excellence at their craft, since engaging in fulfilling work maximizes your ability to learn, grow, and perform. Thus, dark horses provide a new definition of success suited for the Age of Personalization, one that recognizes that individuality truly matters:

Harness your individuality in the pursuit of fulfillment to achieve excellence.


“Follow Your Bliss” is a bumper sticker, not a road map. “Do What Feels Good” can often be a surefire prescription for feeling bad. What is really needed is a set of practical guidelines that can help you figure out what you truly want and how to attain it, given your unique circumstances. That is why we wrote this book.

Men in control of vast organisations have tended to be too abstract in their outlook, to forget what actual human beings are like, and to try to fit men to systems rather than systems to men.
—Bertrand Russell

Time and again, we encountered a common theme in the journeys of dark horses: a period when they did not fit into their lives—when they felt like a round peg in a square hole. Some were stuck in tedious jobs that required little in the way of acumen. Others developed enviable expertise in a field they believed they should be mastering because it was respectable, stable, or lucrative, yet they felt little satisfaction. Despite feeling bored or frustrated, underutilized or overwhelmed, most dark horses reluctantly plodded along for years before finally coming to the realization that they were not living a fulfilling life.
Then came the turning point.
As Ingrid puts it, “I didn’t feel pride in myself until I embraced the winding path.”

According to the terms of this Standardization Covenant, society will bestow its rewards upon you as long as you abandon the individual pursuit of personal fulfillment for the standardized pursuit of professional excellence.


the Age of Standardization’s definition of success: attaining wealth and status by climbing the institutional ladder. And once the route to prosperity and competence became well-defined, fixed, and predictable, every member of society could see exactly what they needed to do to achieve professional success: pick your career goal, then march resolutely down the appropriate training track to its appointed end. It should come as no surprise that fulfillment appears nowhere in the Standard Formula.


First we standardized work. Then we standardized learning. Then we integrated our standardized workplace with our standardized educational system, establishing standardized careers. And once the full passage of our experience was standardized from our first day of kindergarten until the morning of our retirement, it marked the complete standardization of a human life.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really spoke to me. The problems with standardization (especially as a father with children in the public school system) are ever-present, and as a creative I’m always looking for ways to push myself into that “dark horse” mindset. Now I have a framework for things, preferences, and ideals I couldn’t always articulate to myself and others. I think this book is practical and important to really any type of person looking to challenge themselves outside the norm or to find their own “winding path” in life. The stories and examples throughout are also very inspiring, and the book is structured well, building on previous professional examples and expanding them. Definitely will read this one again!

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't nearly as good as the End of Average, but it was interesting enough to probably read again.

Audible

[Foad · Rating 2 out of 5]

کتابی که حتی ذره‌ای تم انگیزشی داشته باشه نمی‌گیرتم
کلا انگار برا ما خاورمیانه‌ایا نمینویسن اینا رو
ولی اگه یه جا دیگه به دنیا اومده بودم کتاب خوبی بود

[Lunacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

همیشه با خودم می‌گفتم "مدرسه شبیه کارخونه است. همه مردم رو می‌خوان یک شکل در بیارن. این سیستم فقط میخواد برای نیازهای خودش کارگر و کارمند آموزش بده." و حالا فهمیدم واقعا همینه. "ذهنیت استاندارد سازی میگه همه باید مثل هم باشن، و در عین حال باید تلاش کنند تا از بقیه بهتر باشند تا بتوانند از پله های ترقی بالا بروند" در همین حین افرادی که نسبت فامیلی با بالادستیا دارن و یا از مال و منال زیادی برخوردار هستند به جای پله های ترقی یک راست از آسانسور ترقی بالا میرن‌. حالا تو این سیستم استاندارد فاسد، چه بلایی سر هویت فردی هر شخص و ویژگی های منحصر به فرد هر آدم میاد؟ همانطور که می‌بینید تو این سیستم "هویت فردی" هیچ دخلی نداره، بلکه عاملی مزاحم هم خونده میشه، ولو اینکه رضایت درونی و سعادت واقعی از دنبال کردن علایق خاص و شخصی ما میاد، چیزی که هیچ جایگاهی تو این سیستم قدیمی نداره.
"اسب سیاه" درباره افرادیه که از این سیستم خارج شدن و با شخصی سازی کردن راهی که می‌روند و دنبال کردن رضایت درونیشون به موفقیتی خارج از ذهن رسیدن.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. The authors did a compelling job of (a) challenging the conventional wisdom regarding the college industrial complex, and (b) helping the reader think about a less conventional path to professional fulfillment. The numerous examples of unconventionally-successfuly people were interesting. However, these examples were of career paths so far out the mainstream that I did not find them entirely relevant (albeit quite interesting). I would have appreciated some examples of unconventional paths within conventional careers. Anyhow, it was a great book and was helpful for my thinking and especially as I help guide my teenage kids in their thinking about their future.

[Neda · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب با عنوان اسب سیاه به فارسی ترجمه شده‌است.
کتابی است مفید و خواندنی با تاکید بر راه‌های موفقیت شخصی‌سازی شده توسط خود فرد و ساختن این راه از طریق شناخت خرده انگیزه‌های شخصی.

[Meisam Sheikhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

نظریات جالبی داشت
اینکه راه های رسیدن به موفقیت و پیشرفت تنها از راه های معمول نیست
اینکه جامعه به استانداردسازی از طریق کنکور و آزمون و راه های دیگری مخاد فط . فقط از راه های خودش به مقصد برسیم

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

چرا هربار با این‌که می‌دونم مطلب به درد بخوری عایدم نمیشه خرج اینجور کتاب‌ها می‌کنم بازم، نمیدانم…!

[David Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became aware of this book after reading an article about the author in my college (Weber State University) alumni magazine. Todd Rose fits the bill of a dark horse. He dropped out of high school in the same community I grew up in. By age 20 he had two children and was on welfare. When he was at his lowest his father said, if he wanted something better, he had to figure out what really motivated him and stay close to that. That advice changed his trajectory completely. Rose went on to complete his GED, then college at WSU, and eventually, Harvard where he now is on the faculty.
The book tracks the unlikely paths of individuals who triumph against the odds. Examples include Jennie McCormick, who became a respected astronomer without a college degree, and sound engineer Susan Rogers, who recorded with Prince before becoming a college professor. According to Rose the secret of a dark horse is, prioritizing personal fulfillment over more conventional notions of success. By prioritizing fulfillment, it doesn't mean they shirk responsibilities, rather they are always willing to sacrifice for fulfillment.

To figure out what motivates you, Rose observes: Think about the things that you enjoy doing and ask yourself why. So if you enjoy football, is it the competition, is it being outdoors, is it the camaraderie that comes with team sports? The more you think about those things, the more you know what really moves you. And if you ask yourself that question often enough, it will reveal your broader motives and that will put you on a path to fulfillment.

He encourages parents to do the same for their children. "But if you think about us as parents, we actually don't ask our kids that very often. We spend a lot of time telling them what should matter and very little time helping them figure it out for themselves." They need to figure out what really matters to them and what motivates them, and we can help them by asking."

I’m not sure there was anything earthshaking or new in the book but it was interesting in light of the stores of “Dark Horses” that were highlighted.

Quotes

“But if you rely upon situational decision-making - if you pursue near-term goals while maintaining the flexibility of changing course if a better strategy or opportunity presents itself - you will always be climbing higher.”

“Get better at the things you care about most. This is the dark horse prescription for personalized success. It elegantly summarizes all four elements of the dark horse mindset.”
“Sometimes a dimension of ability that appears to be a weakness becomes a strength in the right context.”

[RACHAEL HAUGH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! It helped me better understand the world around me using interesting stories to highlight their points.

Main Takeaways:
Standardization Convent: it has seeped into every facet of life because it brings simplicity and shortcuts to processes. However, while the standardization convent excels at providing a simple answer in a short amount of time, it also excels at squashing individuality and processes for individuals to succeed in the manner that suits them.

Assessing risk: not through the lens of probability (what are the odds that I get this job), but by match quality, how well fit am I for a role (how well do my micro motives and characteristics align with this job).

Micro Motives: small elements of activities I take pleasure in - KEEP ASKING WHY, once you can't drill down and further, you've arrived at your micro motives (I like basketball - why? I like being on a team - why? I like being a part of something larger than myself, I like the feeling of adrenaline, I like to be around people, I like to feel like what I do makes a difference, I like to learn (ALL micro motive and can drill down further from each stem)) I look for them MM's in every endeavor to enhance my assessment of job fit and opportunities that better fit them.

Overall, this book exposed how I've simply been fitting myself to a system and provided the tools to reconstruct my operational norms and make the system fit to me.

[Adam Ricks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was recommended this one by some coworkers. I really didn't like it.

Main points of the book -
1. Not everyone is the same, so "the system" isn't going to work for everyone. I agree with this, to a point.
2. There are so many things wrong with it, we should get rid of "the system."

My thoughts. What a bunch of baloney. If anything, this book may be validating to those who feel like the system failed them and yet they succeeded in spite of that. However, even if someone is struggling to find there way in the system, and wishes to be a "Dark Horse" - this book does not give an insights into how to actually do that. The book recommends finding what is fulfilling, and the rest will fall into place.
I agree that "the system" isn't for everyone. However - I think that having the masses attending public school and having a four year degree are a good start for Most. Not everyone. But Most.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Building on his previous book "The End of Average," Dark Horse lays out an alternate worldview from which to approach talent - life - development, sharing results from Rose and Oga's study of "women and men who achieved impressive success even though nobody saw the coming."
Moving past the critique of standardization ("The Standardization Covenant") to a mindset based on the science of individuality where every person has talent, the authors propose the "Dark Horse Covenant," based on the belief that there are endless varieties of merit and infinite pathways to fulfillment. They present four practical guidelines to personalizing your way to fulfillment, each of which have potentially powerful implications for education redesign work committed to learner-centered practices.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good graduation gift for the kid who just might not be able to do college or needs a gap year to figure things out. The obvious reason most people follow the standard path is they have kids, mortgages, bills, need health insurance. Can’t afford to quit a career and start over or intern or take an unconventional path. Young people starting out have more options before they marry or have kids.
Would like to have seen more examples and less explaining. The authors took unconventional paths I’d like to have read about. And the ending about how to make schools work for all is pretty much go to a Summit Academy. I think they can do better than that.

[Kelly Kerns · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of an inspiring Ted talk than an academic study, this book accomplishes its goal. Forget the negative reviews (unless you are looking for a disciplined academic review of motivation in which case you should check out Thinking Fast and Slow) Rose and Ogas take you on a journey through anecdotal stories of success. They do not provide a recipe or formula, and if your looking for one you missed the whole point.

This book explores personal micro motives and how we can build individual stories of success by not falling into the standardization trap. It's fun, easy to read and if it prompts anyone to follow the path less taken it has done its job.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Combination of research and self-help book. Rose and Ogas have interviewed dozens of "dark horses," outstanding people in their fields who got their non-standard paths. E.g., of Jennie McCormick, who dropped out of school, but then discovered a love of astronomy and, as an amateur, discovered a new planet.

Rose and Ogas has combined their research on individuality to determine that successful individuals are motivated by fulfillment, which they offer a four-step process to determining what your life fulfillment might be.

It all sounds a little self-absorbed. Maybe it works?

[Chienting Yao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concepts and inspiring examples and research to encourage people follow the passion. Provides great and practical principles with instructions

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The first half of this book was 4.5 stars. The writing has isn't the strongest but the ideas are well worth the read - fulfillment leading to excellence, dark horse mindset, micro-motives, knowing your choices, gradient ascent, jagged profiles, etc. I had lots of interesting conversations with friends, family, colleagues, and myself from it and will keep thinking about it for a long time. I do wish there was more about how actually to go about identifying possible choices, but maybe other books tackle that issue.

I could barely get through the second half of the book. (Interestingly enough, I had the same issue with The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness.) There's lots to critique in the college admissions system but I struggled to connect his argument there to what he discussed in the first half. There were some interesting nuggets even there (for example, looking into the phrase "the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence) but overall the first part was stronger.

Read this book in conversation with books like The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and What Color Is Your Parachute? 2022: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some excellent and worthwhile points in this book, and the case studies are very interesting...but much of this is hidden behind a kind of business book sales language that is offputting. I wish this had mostly just focused on telling stories of dark horses and analyzing different kinds of micro-motives that set people on the paths they're on.

==================
The chief commandment for achieving success within the Standardization Covenant can be summed up in eight simple words: Be the same as everyone else, only better.

...you are not developing talent. You are selecting talent. Thus, a standardized system of talent development is always a system of talent selection.

If an institution truly wanted to objectively evaluate candidates and preserve its quota, there is a rational and practical solution that is indisputably fairer than an equant: a lottery. The institution could publish its standards in advance—then randomly select the exact number of candidates it needs to fill its quota out of the pool of applicants who meet those standards.

...a smaller percentage of the US population attends name-brand universities than the percentage of the population who were nobles during the peak periods of aristocracy in Britain, Spain, Italy, and Russia.

For dark horses, passion is multidimensional and dynamic—and, crucially, under your intentional control. Dark horses reveal that passion is not something to be followed, but something you can engineer. The key to engineering passion does not lie in following the one motive that burns hottest inside you, but rather in deliberately leveraging as many different motives as possible. The more distinct micro-motives you can identify and harness, the greater your engagement will be with your life.

[avaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely recommend! Started well, many of the examples and connections to their “manual” resonated with me until literally about halfway through the book. At that point, I could understand where the authors arguments were coming from but the discussion felt one-sided.
The whole book felt like the authors had an ax to grind but the later half of the book took on an oddly Traditional American/patriotic-and-political tone (like the fervent, honk-if-you-love-America-and-its-political-traditions tone/ 'Murica! ). The section against the US school system (and how unfair the selection process is) also seemed at odds with the fulfillment dark horses felt in providing such “quotocracy” concepts such as scholarships. The book starts breaking down at the end as a utopian ideal of what the authors feel the education system should do without providing sufficient answers as to how it will work economically. Their Standardized vs Dark Horse model is self-described as mutually exclusive but I wonder if it isn’t more like a spectrum. Some of their foundational concepts can more simply be described with the increasingly common term “authenticity” and the concept of being “authentic to yourself.”
Book design: interesting matte black book jacket and gold lettering but the book itself could be my preferred 8inch length without losing much in layout. The subsections within each chapter felt like I was reading many related essays shoved into each chapter... it was a touch odd