Review of The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery

Adam Gopnik's book is inspiring, but changes gears midstream

The Real Work is, in some sense, two books. It starts as an historical, psychological, and scientific exploration into what Mastery means and how to attain it. I would have enjoyed a deeper dive, perhaps following the same structure but within the context of different skills the author was learning. But in later chapters anecdote and self-reflection became the main theme. That didn’t make for a bad book per se; the reflections were interesting and thought-provoking but not what I was expecting.

As a travelogue into the author’s journey to understanding his process, motivations, and obstacles to learning new things, this was an easy-to-read and even inspiring book. There were some useful insights that resonated with my experiences. But the title and description had me hoping for a more abstract discussion about what Mastery was, and this was more and more sparse as the book progressed.

If you are looking for something that will help you consider the challenges to mastery you face (and why those should not stop you from trying new things), The Real Work is a worthwhile read. If your goal was to read a deeper exploration into psychology and science, you might consider looking elsewhere.