Product Description

In THE ART OF LEARNING, Waitzkin offers an inside look at two of the world's most intense subcultures while also sharing the principles at the core of his success. One must focus on long-term goals, Waitzkin argues, instead of the immediate thrill of victory or crush of defeat, enduring the difficult periods that result in growth to reach higher levels of achievement. As the details of his life are unfolding, Waitzkin explains how these principles apply to his own story, creating a narrative that is as inspiring and instructional as it is gripping.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46891 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Josh Waitzkin, an 8-time National Chess Champion in his youth, was the subject of the book and movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer. At 18, he published his first book, Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess. Since the age of 20, he has developed and been spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world, currently in its 10th edition. Now a martial arts champion, he holds a combined 21 National Championship

Customer Reviews

Easy read but not that enlightening
Josh Waitzkin's The Art of Learning is an easy book to read. Waitzkin writes with a fluent style and fills his pages with anecdotes. What the book lacks however is true insight into the learning process. There are no real concrete actions a reader can take to become a better learner, it all just remains fuzzy and vague and never truly coalesces into a coherent vision.

A fun read, but probably not a life changer.
I should start off by saying that I quite liked this book, but that it's probably not one I'd return to again and again.

Firstly, the good: the book is very well written; Waitzkin comes across as a likable character, and quite humble for someone who has so obviously been a high achiever in his chosen field. He does offer some good insights, in terms of being aware of the individual's underlying nature when learning and not trying to force onself down a path that contradicts that. Plus, the stories used to illustrate his points are largely engaging.

Where I think the book was disappointing, for me at least, was that a great deal of the observations about what makes a top performer (learning from mistakes, concentrating on gaining a deep understanding etc.) are, if not self-evident, then at least variations on things that have been written about elsewhere.

nevertheless, definitely worth a look.

Learning theory told through master level experience in chess and tai chi
Author Josh Waitzkin has mastered two complex, esoteric disciplines: chess and tai chi, a martial art. He won national chess titles as a youth, and national and world championships in "push hands," or partner tai chi. In this book he presents his theories about learning and high level performance, using as a case study his own rise to excellence in highly competitive sports. Even without the theoretical speculation his story is engaging - but his theories make the book useful to anyone trying to learn a new skill. getAbstract recommends it to those who wish to raise their level of performance, find out about mind-body connections or enjoy a good story.