
The Family Dynamic
A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success
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Narrated by:
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Susan Dominus
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By:
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Susan Dominus
About this listen
What explains those rare families that boast multiple children who achieve extraordinary success? An award-winning New York Times journalist weaves story with science to explore the circumstances that set those families apart.
“At once clear-eyed and compassionate, The Family Dynamic uncovers how parents—and siblings—shape and fuel individual success.”—Lisa Damour, bestselling author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
An Olympic athlete. An award-winning novelist. A successful entrepreneur. All raised under one roof. What can we learn from those families whose children aim high and succeed, sometimes in widely varied fields? Just as important: What were the costs along the way, and what can we glean from their travails and triumphs?
The acclaimed New York Times journalist Susan Dominus offers compelling profiles of six such families in search of the factors that led to their success—was it an inherited quality, a specific way of parenting, the influence of a sibling, or a twist of luck? Inspired by the iconic Brontë sisters, whose remarkable literary success prompted endless speculation, Dominus, the mother of twin teenagers, sought out contemporary high-achieving families who shared intimate stories of their upbringing. She introduces us to the Chens, young parents who fled their country’s one-child policy to open a Chinese restaurant in Appalachia—then sent four children to elite colleges and on to careers that give back in technology and medicine; the Groffs, whose claim to fame is not just an award-winning novelist but an Olympic athlete and a notable entrepreneur; the Wojcickis, whose daughters made inroads as STEM pioneers in Silicon Valley; and the Murguias, who rose from exceptionally humble origins to become powerful jurists and civil rights champions. Woven into these and other stories is an account of centuries of scientific research into the ongoing question of nature versus nurture.
Elegantly written and extensively researched, The Family Dynamic is more than a checklist of how-to’s. It’s a deep and moving exploration of the complexity of family life and the rewards—and burdens—of ambition.
©2025 Susan Dominus (P)2025 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“[W]onderfully engaging. . . . [Dominus] expertly interweaves stories of the Brontë sisters with those of contemporary families and academic studies on factors that contribute to children’s excellence. She makes clear that the current research provides no definitive set of answers to the cereal question. Instead, it hints at certain heuristics, which are illuminated by Dominus’s careful, detailed portraits.”—The New York Times
“The Family Dynamic will no doubt disappoint readers looking for bullet-pointed parenting-for-success tips. It’s just not that kind of book. It’s better. Dominus is smart, honest and wise, and at her best, very funny. Her findings offer a science-based reality check, while her fluid, artful writing can give parents a much-needed break.”—The Washington Post
“I can think of no other book more helpful in understanding not just the inner workings of families, but how best to help children from all walks of life to thrive despite a world filled with challenges. Susan Dominus has given us all a brilliant gift.”—Robert Kolker, bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road
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Story
As an internet culture critic for The New York Times, Amanda Hess had built a reputation among readers as a sharp observer of the seductions and manipulations of online life. But when Hess discovered she was pregnant with her first child, she found herself unexpectedly rattled by a digital identity crisis of her own. In the summer of 2020, a routine ultrasound detected a mysterious abnormality in Hess’s baby. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, looking for answers.
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Every mother should read this book
- By Mariya Mayer on 05-18-25
By: Amanda Hess
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How Things Are Made
- A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing
- By: Tim Minshall
- Narrated by: Tim Minshall
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Brimming with energy and lively examples, How Things Are Made maps the awe-inspiring global system of manufacturing that enables virtually every aspect of our existence. By making sense of this surprising and hidden world, we are able to make better choices for ourselves, our communities, and the planet.
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Engrossing and Informative
- By Katherine Barton on 05-24-25
By: Tim Minshall
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Four Mothers
- An Intimate Journey Through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries
- By: Abigail Leonard
- Narrated by: Eleanor Caudill
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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As debates surrounding paid leave, universal daycare, and national healthcare rage on, Four Mothers is an intimate portrait of what those policies mean in the everyday lives of four women—and a compelling argument for the necessity and urgency of supporting parents.
By: Abigail Leonard
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Proof
- The Art and Science of Certainty
- By: Adam Kucharski
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Priestley
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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An award-winning mathematician shows how we prove what’s true, and what to do when we can’t.
By: Adam Kucharski
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Six Minutes to Winter
- Nuclear War and How to Avoid It
- By: Mark Lynas
- Narrated by: Tom Lawrence
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The world is currently closer to superpower conflict than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. World War III is a real possibility, and with 12,000 warheads in the arsenals of more than half a dozen countries, we are standing on a nuclear knife edge. Despite receiving very little attention, nuclear war is a far greater threat to humanity's immediate survival than climate change. While climate heating threatens humanity over many decades, nuclear war could destroy civilisation in just a few hours.
By: Mark Lynas
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Apocalypse
- How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures
- By: Lizzie Wade
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A drought lasts for decades, a disease rips through a city, a civilization collapses. When we finally uncover the ruins, we ask: What happened? The good news is, we’ve been here before. History is long, and people have already confronted just about every apocalypse we’re facing today. But these days, archaeologists are getting better at seeing stories of survival, transformation, and even progress hidden within those histories of collapse and destruction. Perhaps, we begin to see, apocalypses do not destroy worlds, but create them anew.
By: Lizzie Wade