A foremost journalist for "The New Yorker" and "The New York Times" reverses three decades of thinking about what creates successful children, solving the mysteries of why some succeed and others failNand of how to move individual children toward their full potential for success. "Drop the flashcards--grit, character, and curiosity matter even more than cognitive skills. A persuasive wake-up call."--People Why do some children succeed while others fail? But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control. How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories--and the stories of the children they are trying to help--Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people's lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do--and do not--prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.