Just born lucky

Book review: QuirkyAre geniuses born, made, or just lucky? This book attempts to answer these questions by looking at the innovators, entrepreneurs and inventors who changed our lives.

890-Quirky-100b

Published by PublicAffairs (£12.79)

Buy at Amazon

Are geniuses born, made, or just lucky? This book attempts to answer these questions by looking at the innovators, entrepreneurs and inventors who changed our lives. The author's subjects range from Benjamin Franklin and Nikola Tesla to Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, and she identifies eight major factors in their success. Some of them are intrinsic to the individual, such as creativity and a higher calling, but others are external, such as access to resources and support from patrons. In the case of Marie Curie, she was fortunate enough to receive an education far beyond the kind that most women of her era could expect.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up

Schilling is a talented storyteller and she identifies some fascinating common themes, such as the fact that many of her subjects suffered from neurological peculiarities; Tesla, for example, had an eidetic memory. However, the book feels a little jumbled and disorganised at times, and there doesn't seem to be any logical progression towards a conclusion. As result, it seems more like a collection of anecdotes than a serious examination of what distinguishes innovators from the rest of us. Although it is billed as a management book, there are few lessons that are applicable in a business setting. The book is an entertaining read, perfect for a short flight just don't expect too much from it in the way of insight.

Dr Matthew Partridge

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri