A book about the benefits of generalizing over specialization by David Epstein
April 3, 2025
Reflections and Random Thoughts
June 1, 2025
Two Books, Two Approaches: A Quick Take on Range and 59 Seconds
I read two books this morning—Range by David Epstein and 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman. Both challenge popular wisdom, but they do it in very different ways—and with very different levels of success.
Range is engaging, well-researched, and genuinely eye-opening. Epstein builds a compelling case for generalists in a world that often celebrates specialists. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t just repackage familiar ideas—it gives you new material to think about, to wrestle with, to apply.
59 Seconds, on the other hand, didn’t quite land the same way. To be fair, I only read the Shortform summary, so this isn’t a full review—but based on what I read, it felt more like a reframe than a revelation. The premise seems to be: “Here’s a popular idea. Now let’s disagree with it.” But the disagreement doesn’t always feel rooted in deep evidence—it’s more like a clever pivot than a clear debunking.
Maybe the full book makes a stronger case. But from what I saw, it felt less like overturning bad advice and more like presenting old advice in new packaging—with a contrarian spin.
Range made me think differently. 59 Seconds made me wonder if I was supposed to.
Housekeeping
I told myself—no more buying books until I finished at least a couple from my current stack. But this one pulled me in, probably because it flips the script on the idea that we have to specialize.
Key Take-Aways
Long-term retention, i.e., learning, is more likely to take place as a result of struggle as opposed to repetition.
Something Actionable
What Everyone Else Thinks
Amazon has almost 12,000 rankings for this book, with an average score of 4.6. It has no 1-star ratings, and of the two-star ratings, a small percentage are, as always, people complaining about the condition of the book. Several of the negative reviews talk about the book being poorly researched – I went to Perplexity to see what I could find –
From Perplexity
Extensive Use of Sources: Epstein is noted for his diligence in research, often going directly to primary sources and journal papers. Approximately 30% of the book consists of notes and references, underscoring the depth of his investigation.
and
Breadth of Studies and Anecdotes: Epstein incorporates numerous studies, surveys, and historical anecdotes to support his arguments about the advantages of generalists in various fields. However, some reviewers have noted that while the volume of evidence is overwhelming, the lack of meta-analyses or deeper exploration into potential biases in study selection may limit the reliability of certain claims.
So there is that. Good Reads has almost 75,000 ratings for this book, with an average score of 4.13. As of April 2025, there are over 7,000 reviews.
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Books, Non-fiction
When I’m struggling with posting my work, I always remind myself that no one is reading it anyway – so I can write anything I want. Spend any amount of time reading online advice and you come away with “post something every day”.
