NurtureShock

I love Po Bronson. I often think I would like to be him--a writer of fiction, original non-fiction, ground-breaking journalism with a social bent that aims to make the world a better place. So when his new book, NurtureShock, written with Ashley Merryman, came out, I scanned the reviews, liked what I saw, and ran out and bought the hardcover--even though I am rationing my impulsive book purchases in these tough economic times.

I couldn't wait. I dove right in.

I tore through the intro., the first chapter, the second.

I will keep reading, and I will recommend it to other people who read, like my husband, because there is a lot of interesting information in it. It is a good book. Especially for someone who has children in 2009.

Still, I found myself profoundly disappointed. It is as if he has morphed into Malcolm Gladwell. Now there is no denying that Malcolm Gladwell is awesome. His magazine articles are provocative, his books even better. His books are clear, lucid, entertaining, and short enough to read on a cross-country plane ride--and still have time to maybe catch a movie. And he is so much more sophisticated than he first appears. You read through his simple sentences, his delightful laugh out loud, unforgettable anecdotes, hear his thesis--and you think, "Reading him is like sitting around with your best and brightest friends, spewing out original theories about the way the world works." Only he is so original, and so creative, AND actually took the time to go try to prove his theory, by sifting through every article that appeared in the last 10 years and hunting down the quirky experts, that he inevitably ends up changing the cultural lexicon every time he writes a book. "Tipping point" and "outlier" pervade every NPR interview these days, it seems. People who have never read him and never will fling his words around freely. He comes up with his own intellectual filters to interpret the world, and by and large they work.

Po Bronson is different. What I always loved about Bronson is that he seemed to try to update and modernize the work of Studs Terkel. He had his own take and he went out and found stories. He is not the best writer, OR the most original thinker. But you LIKE him. He has a good heart, a curious mind, a can-do spirit, and there is something so delightful about the questions he comes up with, and the way he goes about finding the answers. He is less polished, but to me, his earlier books have really gotten into my bones, my skin, my thinking. He is not overbearing. He finds his stories, then lets you, the reader, draw many of your own conclusions. At least in, "What Should I Do With My Life?" and "Why Do I Love These People?" Also, as he is just a few years older than I, I feel like he is one of the important voices for my generation, facing the questions I am facing when I am facing them. I like moving along through his life with him. I would like him at my dinner table, too. He feels more earnest. But I like that.

But this time I was disappointed. I have not finished--so this is not completely fair. But I felt like he (or his editors) was trying to be more Malcolm Gladwell, and less Po. I like Gladwell. But no one can do Gladwell like Gladwell. He has perfected that particular genre. Woe betide the author who tries to follow him down that path because they risk comparisons, and that will be very very hard.

So I will keep reading. And I will finish. And I will recommend. I am a loyal reader who really does love Po Bronson, and even aspires to write books like him. But I miss the old Po. The from-the-heart Po. And, I guess I should add Ashley Merryman, too, because I know she has been an amazing part of all his books and sounds like a pretty incredible and inspiring person herself.

Still, I recommend it. I would love to hear what you think...