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Barking Up the Wrong Tree

The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success is (Mostly) Wrong
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( 16,928 ratings, 1,544 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker explores what really determines success, debunking myths and illustrating key points with engaging stories. It offers unconventional insights into achieving success in both personal and professional lives, blending research and humour for a practical guide.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy exploring unconventional strategies for success and self-improvement. It offers intriguing insights based on science and real-life stories, providing practical advice to help you thrive both personally and professionally.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

Much of the advice we’ve been told about achievement is logical, earnest...and downright wrong. In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker reveals the extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and most importantly, how anyone can achieve it. By delving into a range of unconventional insights and real-world examples, Barker challenges traditional notions of success, providing readers with an actionable guide to understanding what truly works and what doesn't.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree explores the hidden factors that shape our success, often in the most unexpected ways. From examining why valedictorians rarely become millionaires to understanding the paradoxes of human behaviour that can turn weaknesses into strengths, Barker's engaging narrative is filled with startling statistics and surprising anecdotes. He skillfully dissects various myths of success and offers a fresh perspective on achievement that blends rigorous research with highly entertaining storytelling.

In this eye-opening book, you’ll learn:

  • Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, and how your biggest weakness might actually be your greatest strength.
  • Whether nice guys finish last and why the best lessons about cooperation come from gang members, pirates, and serial killers.
  • Why trying to increase confidence often fails and how Buddhist philosophy offers a superior solution.
  • The secret ingredient to “grit” that Navy SEALs and disaster survivors leverage to keep going.
  • How to find work-life balance using the strategy of Genghis Khan, the errors of Albert Einstein, and a little lesson from Spider-Man.

By looking at what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, we learn what we can do to be more like them—and find out in some cases why it’s good that we aren’t. Barking Up the Wrong Tree draws on a wealth of knowledge from both popular culture and academic research, offering a refreshing take on the path to success. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to stop guessing at success and start living the life they genuinely want.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker has received praise for its engaging and insightful take on the science of success. Readers appreciate its evidence-backed advice, humour, and practical strategies drawn from surprising sources like pirates and mathematicians. The book is noted for its compelling and often irreverent approach to debunking conventional wisdom about success.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780062416056

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 June 2019

Country: United States

Imprint: HarperOne

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 134.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Eric Barker is Eric Barker is the author of WSJ bestseller Barking Up The Wrong Tree and the creator of the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, which presents science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life. His work has been mentioned in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, TIME magazine, The Week, and Business Insider. He is a former Hollywood screenwriter, having worked on projects for Walt Disney Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, and Revolution Studios. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from Boston College and a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA.

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