Beginners
The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning
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Narrated by:
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Tom Vanderbilt
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By:
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Tom Vanderbilt
About this listen
An insightful, joyful tour of the transformative powers of starting something new, no matter your age - from the best-selling author of Traffic and You May Also Like
“Vanderbilt elegantly and persuasively tackles one of the most pernicious of the lies we tell ourselves - that the pleasures of learning are reserved for the young.” (Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of Outliers)
Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to be bad at something? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of beginning from the ground up?
Inspired by his young daughter’s insatiable curiosity, Tom Vanderbilt embarks on a yearlong quest of learning - purely for the sake of learning. Rapturously singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir, losing games of chess to eight-year-olds, and dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica, Vanderbilt tackles five main skills, but learns so much more. Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts about the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner and shows how anyone can get better at beginning again - and, more important, why they should take those first awkward steps.
Funny, uplifting, and delightfully informative, Beginners is about how small acts of reinvention, at any age, can make life seem magical.
©2020 Tom Vanderbilt (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Witty, well-researched, myth-busting and curiously of the moment. Vanderbilt tells a compelling tale. Eighty pages in, I joined a choir." (Robert Penn, author of It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels)
"It's impossible to pick up a book by Tom Vanderbilt without learning something. An engaging and fascinating mix of the personal and the general. I never thought I'd read a book that could persuade me to take up juggling, but this one did it." (Robert Colvile)
"Vanderbilt.. composes lucid prose and explains concepts...with relative ease, and his thesis is practical and worthwhile... compelling...A solid beginner's guide to beginning" (Kirkus)
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More often than not, our own mental obstacles are holding us back from the joy, fulfillment, and meaning that we all crave, but by retooling our perspectives, we gain the ability to see the path toward the life we truly desire. Charlie Harary, business executive, professor, speaker, and radio host, combines the wisdom of science, spirituality, and personal growth in practical and understandable terms so you can take the life you have and make it the life you want.
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A great reminder of what's important
- By Amazon Customer on 07-25-21
By: Charlie Harary, and others
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The Fear Project
- What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me About Survival, Success, Surfing...and Love
- By: Jaimal Yogis
- Narrated by: Jaimal Yogis
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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An epic adventure full of incredible characters, death-defying athletic achievement, and bleeding edge science, The Fear Project began with one question: how can we overcome our fears to reach our full potential? Who among us has not been paralyzed by fear? In The Fear Project, award-winning journalist and surfer Jaimal Yogis sets out to better understand fear - why does it so often dominate our lives, what makes it tick, and is there even a way to use it to our advantage?
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Pretty great subject and writing, bad narration
- By Marcos on 03-16-14
By: Jaimal Yogis
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Autism in Heels
- The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum
- By: Jennifer Cook O'Toole
- Narrated by: Jennifer O'Toole
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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This intimate memoir reveals the woman inside one of autism’s most prominent figures, Jennifer O'Toole. At the age of 35, Jennifer was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and for the first time in her life, things made sense. Now, she exposes the constant struggle between carefully crafted persona and authentic existence, editing the autism script with wit, candor, passion, and power. Her journey is one of reverse-self-discovery not only as an Aspie but - more importantly - as a thoroughly modern woman.
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Somewhat relatable but not really.
- By M Bond on 02-26-23
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What If?
- 10th Anniversary Edition: Short Stories to Spark Inclusion & Diversity Dialogue
- By: Steve L. Robbins PhD
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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This 10th anniversary edition of the beloved classic features 10 new stories written by Dr. Robbins that help listeners gain deeper insight into the role our brains play in shaping our thoughts and actions, and what we can do to be more curious and open-minded in our diverse world. Based on his study of the fields of behavioral science and cognitive neuroscience, Robbins explores unconscious bias in many of its forms, including availability bias, confirmation bias, anchoring bias, and others.
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Learning more
- By Michael T Snowden on 05-01-20
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Now You See It
- How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn
- By: Cathy N. Davidson
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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When Duke University gave free iPods to the freshman class in 2003, critics said they were wasting their money. Yet when the students in practically every discipline invented academic uses for the music players, suddenly the idea could be seen in a new light - as an innovative way to turn learning on its head. Using cutting-edge research on the brain, Cathy N. Davidson show how attention blindness has produced one of our society's greatest challenges.
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3 Reasons to Read
- By Joshua Kim on 05-06-12
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You Are Not Special
- ...And Other Encouragements
- By: David McCullough Jr.
- Narrated by: David McCullough Jr.
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A profound expansion of David McCullough, Jr.’s popular commencement speech - a call to arms against a prevailing, narrow, conception of success viewed by millions on YouTube - You Are Not Special is a love letter to students and parents as well as a guide to a truly fulfilling, happy life. By acknowledging that the world is indifferent to them, McCullough takes pressure off of students to be extraordinary achievers and instead exhorts them to roll up their sleeves and do something useful with their advantages.
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The Teacher is Wise
- By E. Pearson on 09-22-16
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The Plateau Effect
- Getting From Stuck to Success
- By: Bob Sullivan, Hugh Thompson
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The Plateau Effect is a powerful law of nature that affects everyone. Learn to identify plateaus and break through any stagnancy in your life - from diet and exercise, to work, to relationships. The Plateau Effect shows how athletes, scientists, therapists, companies, and musicians around the world are learning to break through their plateau - to turn off the forces that cause people to “get used to” things - and turn on human potential and happiness in ways that seemed impossible.
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Heath
- By Oliver Nielsen on 07-22-13
By: Bob Sullivan, and others
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Failing Up
- How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning
- By: Leslie Odom Jr.
- Narrated by: Leslie Odom Jr.
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Leslie Odom Jr. burst on the scene in 2015, originating the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical phenomenon Hamilton. Since then he has performed for sold-out audiences, sung for the Obamas at the White House, and won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. But before he landed the role of a lifetime in one of the biggest musicals of all time, Odom put in years of hard work as a singer and an actor.
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When you take one step, the universe takes two
- By Amy Aguilar on 04-11-18
By: Leslie Odom Jr.
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Life, Animated
- A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
- By: Ron Suskind
- Narrated by: Ron Suskind
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the real-life story of Owen Suskind, the son of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia. An autistic boy who couldn't speak for years, Owen memorized dozens of Disney movies, turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, brotherhood. The family was forced to become animated characters, communicating with him in Disney dialogue and song; until they all emerge, together, revealing how, in darkness, we all literally need stories to survive.
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Life, Animated ... is Love, Animated *****
- By Tom T. Rumble on 04-12-14
By: Ron Suskind
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How the Body Knows Its Mind
- The Surprising Power of the Physical Environment to Influence How You Think and Feel
- By: Sian Beilock
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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An award-winning scientist offers a groundbreaking new understanding of the mind-body connection and its profound impact on everything from advertising to romance. The human body is not just a passive device carrying out messages sent by the brain but rather an integral part of how we think and make decisions.
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The New Science Of The Mind Body Connection!
- By Dianne on 04-06-15
By: Sian Beilock
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The Importance of Being Little
- What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups
- By: Erika Christakis
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A bold challenge to the conventional wisdom about early childhood, with a pragmatic program to encourage parents and teachers to rethink how and where young children learn best by taking the child's eye view of the learning environment.
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Points out many problems; offers no real solution
- By K. Lynn on 08-06-18
By: Erika Christakis
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The Spark and the Grind
- Ignite the Power of Disciplined Creativity
- By: Erik Wahl
- Narrated by: Erik Wahl, Tasha Wahl
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Erik Wahl, a visual artist, speaker, and entrepreneur, helps us unite the yin and yang of creativity - the dynamic new ideas with the dogged effort. He shows why we won't get far if we rely on the spark without the grind or the grind without the spark. What the world really needs are the creators who can hold the two in balance. This audiobook offers surprising insights and practical advice about how to fan the sparks and make the grind more productive.
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Worth reading!
- By june d barnard on 06-01-18
By: Erik Wahl
What listeners say about Beginners
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Topher
- 04-24-21
Inspiring
Love this book, engaging and inspiring to learn new things and take lessons for skills I wish I had and thought I missed out on (too late to learn =lies).
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1 person found this helpful
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- Bill Mitchell
- 01-07-21
Couldn’t put this book down!
As a career entrepreneur and serial hobbyist, I found this book giving articulate diction to the thoughts I feel on a daily basis. Often times I find myself starting new hobbies out of nowhere end realizing how much I hate being bad at things yet have grown to appreciate what it is to struggle and overcome. It only took me around 24 hours to ingest the information and story telling Tom provides in this book and would recommend to anyone.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Ross
- 01-22-21
Love this book 💞
it's exactly what I needed, sending to family and friends. it's very inspiring and I'll definitely want to listen again.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Churchill808
- 01-17-21
Fascinating
Loved every minute of this book. His experiences are compelling and although he does get into the science behind learning he does bury you in studies and statistics.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Natalie P.
- 04-29-21
Encouragement to stay curious as we age
I started this book with the idea that 'I am too old to be a beginner at XYZ...' and other doubts that often seem to keep me from starting new things. Having completed it, I am armed with all sorts of reasons to learn, stumble, be humbled and work hard at something for no other reason than to just be a beginner at something.
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2 people found this helpful
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- cs317
- 02-14-21
I didn’t want it to end!
In an inspiring book about life-long learning, one of the greatest gifts I discovered was my own desire to learn new things. I made a list of games, hobbies, and skills I’ve thought or wished about since childhood. I also reflected on “why” I haven’t yet pursued even one of the things on my list. This book truly got my gears turning. Now it’s time to get started!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-21-24
an interesting and informative book
The narrator is great! He has a soothing voice. I enjoyed following the author's journey learning new things, and appreciate his honesty. Some of the activities weren't as interesting as others, but the facts and science he brings up throughout the book are helpful to illustrate his point.
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- Donna Meagle
- 10-09-23
It’s ok
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I felt like it was more of a book about the new things he tried (surfing, ring making, singing etc) than the actual process of learning new things or the benefits and lessons of being a beginner.
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2 people found this helpful
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- PJ Amas
- 07-01-21
I was encouraged/inspired
This book kept my interest to the very end. I learn lots of new things and have experienced the eye-rolls of others when they see my new projects. After reading Beginners, it will be easier to plunge forward.
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1 person found this helpful
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- JP
- 01-03-22
Not sure what the takeaways are at all
The author over-describes irrelevant details. Very little of the book delves into "Beginners" and learning new things and the lessons associated with them. It's more about describing his experience/process in painful detail about singing, surfing, juggling, etc. He digresses into verbose, unnecessary descriptions of things that have nothing to do with the topic. On the rare occasion that he touches on the takeaways and the benefits of learning new things it's very interesting, but I struggle to understand what the author's hoping the reader will take away from this. For me, it reads like the author is just trying to learn new things to feel youthful again.
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4 people found this helpful