October 1, 2020
A middle-aged journalist engages his childlike curiosity--and argues that you should, too. A cynic might call the idea for this book gimmicky, complete with ready-made marketing ideas (imagine click-bait articles about 10 new things to try this year). But as he did in Traffic and You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice, Vanderbilt brings heft to the enterprise, which is very much in the A.J. Jacobs vein. He expresses seemingly genuine curiosity in his various new hobbies, spending considerable time learning to surf, sing, draw, juggle, and play chess. It's clear that the author isn't mailing it in, and he displays the engaging style that has characterized his magazine articles in Wired, Slate, Popular Science, and elsewhere. He composes lucid prose and explains concepts--foremost, this is a book about learning--with relative ease, and his thesis is practical and worthwhile. As Vanderbilt demonstrates, learning novel skills has benefits aside from the skills being acquired. In our utilitarian culture, there's value in learning new things--even if they are not directly applicable to your job or don't directly help with a DIY home improvement project, and even if you're not young. Taking up wholly new pursuits, not to become an expert but rather to activate the otherwise dormant "beginner's mind," has myriad benefits. The sections of the book that elucidate those benefits are compelling, but sections in which we "watch" the novice practice singing and the like--in some cases, lengthy play-by-play passages--won't appeal to everyone. (The chapter on drawing is perhaps the most appealing.) Ultimately, these deep dives support Vanderbilt's convincing argument that new is good. The text is a useful "handbook for the clueless, a first-aid kit for the crushed ego, a survival guide for coping with this most painful, most poignant stage: the awkward, self-conscious, exhilarating dawning of the novice." A solid beginner's guide to beginning.
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November 9, 2020
Journalist Vanderbilt (Traffic) chronicles his attempts to gain new skills in this charming celebration of lifelong learning. While encouraging his daughter to explore new interests, Vanderbilt writes, he was inspired to pursue his own journey of skill acquisition—not for professionalization or utility, but merely for the joy of it. He entertainingly recounts his struggles and triumphs in various pursuits—chess, singing, surfing, drawing, juggling, and making jewelry—in which he achieved no grand successes, but merely the satisfaction of “modest competency.” Noting that dilettante originally meant “one who exhibits delight,” Vanderbilt encourages readers to put aside the fear of making mistakes and looking like an amateur. While readers may wonder about the author’s unusually abundant amount of spare time, he makes a persuasive case for the benefits—cognitive, physical, emotional, and social—of being a beginner. This enjoyable reminder to embrace the “small acts of reinvention, at any age, that can make life seem magical” will appeal to those who enjoyed Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.