Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World

by Madeline Levine Narrated by Abby Craden

Overview

The New York Times bestselling author of The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well explores how today's parenting techniques and our myopic educational system are failing to prepare children for their certain-to-be-uncertain future-and how we can reverse course to ensure their lasting adaptability, resilience, health and happiness.

In The Price of Privilege, respected clinician, Madeline Levine was the first to correctly identify the deficits created by parents giving kids of privilege too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right things. Continuing to address the mistaken notions about what children need to thrive in Teach Your Children Well, Levine tore down the myth that good grades, high test scores, and college acceptances should define the parenting endgame. In Ready or Not, she continues the discussion, showing how these same parenting practices, combined with a desperate need to shelter children from discomfort and anxiety, are setting future generations up to fail spectacularly.

Increasingly, the world we know has become disturbing, unfamiliar, and even threatening. In the wake of uncertainty and rapid change, adults are doubling-down on the pressure-filled parenting style that pushes children to excel. Yet these daunting expectations, combined with the stress parents feel and unwittingly project onto their children, are leading to a generation of young people who are overwhelmed, exhausted, distressed-and unprepared for the future that awaits them. While these damaging effects are known, the world into which these children are coming of age is not. And continuing to focus primarily on grades and performance are leaving kids more ill-prepared than ever to navigate the challenges to come.

But there is hope. Using the latest developments in neuroscience and epigenetics (the intersection of genetics and environment), as well as extensive research gleaned from captains of industry, entrepreneurs, military leaders, scientists, academics, and futurists, Levine identifies the skills that children need to succeed in a tumultuous future: adaptability, mental agility, curiosity, collaboration, tolerance for failure, resilience, and optimism. Most important, Levine offers day-to-day solutions parents can use to raise kids who are prepared, enthusiastic, and ready to face an unknown future with confidence and optimism.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Abby Craden’s vocal gravitas works well with this sobering audiobook about preparing children for 21st-century adulthood. Beyond her intuitive connection with every phrase and sentence, Craden’s performance expresses Madeline Levine’s altruism as faithfully as her desire to wake up parents who have fallen into bad habits or are unsure about what good parenting is. A psychologist and educator best known for her arguments against overparenting, Levine offers big-picture observations and suggestions that may seem overly intellectual at first. But Craden’s performance softens the writing and helps listeners absorb the core message: Children benefit when parents are less anxious, less quick to protect them, and more accepting of their child’s priorities. T.W. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Cathi Hanauer

…whether you agree with some or all of her ideas, Levine offers eye-opening stats and welcome wisdom to parents raising children in an increasingly unpredictable world. If this book finds its way to those who most need it, surely we will all benefit.

William Deresiewicz

When I wanted to understand what was going on with the students I had taught at Yale—dazed survivors of the achievement machine—I turned to the work of Madeline Levine. . . . Levine has been our leading voice against the culture of overparenting and status obsession. In Ready or Not, she once again brings her unique combination of wisdom, clinical experience, and profound compassion . . .  to bear on the daunting task of raising young adults in the twenty-first century.

Tony Wagner

Informed by a lifetime of clinical practice, wide-ranging research, and a powerful moral sensibility, Madeline Levine’s latest book paints a compelling picture of the challenges parents and educators face in an uncertain world. But her greatest contribution is her wise and compassionate advice for all of us committed to helping kids thrive in the 21st century. Ready or Not is one of the most important books I’ve read in a very long time.

Julie Lythcott-Haims

"Thank goodness for Madeline Levine, who proves that there is such a thing as too much parenting. Levine's path forward necessitates that we first address our own anxiety so that we can allow our kids to exert control over their own lives and persevere at the things that matter to them. Ready or Not is without a doubt the most important book for these precarious parenting times. Put down your kid's homework and read this book!"

New York Times Book Review

"Levine offers eye-opening stats and welcome wisdom to parents raising children in an increasingly unpredictable world. If this book finds its way to those who most need it, surely we will all benefit."

Booklist (starred review)

Thoughtful, relevant guidance.  . . . With thorough research backing her up, Levine delivers advice with intelligence and compassion, but also with realistic expectations of what it’s like to parent as well as grow up in today’s world. Best of all, she masterfully balances this realism with positivity. Another invaluable resource from Levine.

Jessica Lahey

"All of Levine's books hold a place of honor on my shelf, and Ready or Not is a worthy addition. It's an invaluable guide to defusing the anxiety and worry faced by today's parents as they navigate raising their kids in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. I love this book. It's a game changer."

Library Journal

★ 03/01/2020

Levine (The Price of Privilege) notes that anxiety is the number one diagnosed mental health disorder for both adults and children. Anxiety affects our children's ability to thrive mentally and emotionally in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Moreover, actions and decisions stemming from our own anxiety keep children from experiencing adversity that, channeled properly, can result in character growth and the ability to face challenges in their adult years. Maintaining a goal of growth rather than a fixed mind-set is necessary to help kids during their formative years, when the brain is developing and their thinking is flexible. Levine argues that soft skills, data analysis, and critical thinking will move our children forward in an unpredictable world, and that focusing too heavily on grades and performance only furthers a child's struggles to get ahead. VERDICT Backed by extensive research from entrepreneurs, military leaders, scientists, and academics, Levine's latest is a must-read for parents, teachers, and all who work with children and are concerned about their future.

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Abby Craden’s vocal gravitas works well with this sobering audiobook about preparing children for 21st-century adulthood. Beyond her intuitive connection with every phrase and sentence, Craden’s performance expresses Madeline Levine’s altruism as faithfully as her desire to wake up parents who have fallen into bad habits or are unsure about what good parenting is. A psychologist and educator best known for her arguments against overparenting, Levine offers big-picture observations and suggestions that may seem overly intellectual at first. But Craden’s performance softens the writing and helps listeners absorb the core message: Children benefit when parents are less anxious, less quick to protect them, and more accepting of their child’s priorities. T.W. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173725233
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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