Late Bloomers was a game changer for me. I read it just after I finished reading Normal Sucks (by Jonathan Mooney) which discusses normalcy with regards to learning ability and why we should reconsider our ideas of "normal." Karlgaard does essentially the same thing in Late Bloomers, but he focuses on early achievement. He takes us through the relatively short history of the race to do more, sooner and explains the potentially negative effects with regards to the workplace, the early achievers and the late bloomers. Essentially, he makes the same arguments most 20 to 30-year olds have been making for years, but because Karlgaard is more influential, perhaps people will start believing us.

In addition to talking about early achievement itself, Karlgaard gives numerous examples of late bloomers and talks about their strengths. He argues that the extra time late bloomers take to "get on the right track" makes them more resilient and provides them with a different skill set than people who achieved (the standard idea of) success before the age 3o. For the late bloomers who are not yet convinced of their worth, Karlgaard provides some strategies for building confidence and marketing one's skills.

I liked this book because it made me feel *seen.* Although I suppose I could be considered an early achiever in some respects (I went to a top-tier school, I speak three languages fluently and I've studied and worked in a number of countries), I felt myself burning out in high school, and my performance has been steadily declining ever since. I graduated two years ago and although I have a rough plan of what I'd like to achieve, I constantly feel like I'm not making huge career gains at as fast a pace as my peers. I have to constantly remind myself that everyone achieves their own form of success in their own time, and this book helped me remember that.

This book is an excellent read on its own, but as I said before, I highly recommend you read it in addition to Normal Sucks