Whatever Happened to the Quiz Kids? Perils and Profits of Growing Up Gifted

by Ruth Duskin Feldman

The Quiz Kids radio and television program was a national institution in the 1940s and 1950s. Did the Quiz Kids fulfill their youthful promise? What were the fruits bitter and sweet of their childhood experience? What are the lessons learned for gifted children today?

375 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Catherine]

This book caught my eye because I was a contestant on the short-lived revival in 1990 and was curious about the original show. I think most readers would identify with the profiles of these bright children, many of whom struggled to find themselves as adults. Ruth Duskin Feldman's perceptive analysis of why some former Quiz Kids were successful and others less so was fascinating. I really enjoyed this book.

[Jeff]

Read this a long time ago when I thought Franny and Zooey was the bee's knees and I envied the smart and precocious. It's a Wise Child indeed.

[Diane Gurman]

I didn't know there was a time--pre-Sputnik--when prodigies were considered freaks (in a bad way). Are they still?
The author had a great time on the show, and seems to insist that if anyone didn't (or had subsequent problems) it was their own fault.
My favorite quote: "Genius was thought to be one step removed from lunacy."

[J. Boo]

The short version: intellectual prodigies from upper middle-class homes are not safe from having their lives ruined by stage mothers.

[Jeanne]

An interesting read, from an interesting perspective. I would recommend this book.