Introduction 1
Chapter 1 The Mystery of Success 7
The Black Box 7
An Investigation into Success 10
Masters of the Formula 13
Chapter 2 What We Mean by Success 15
Purpose + Agency + Smarts = Fully Realized 16
Prodigies Versus the Products of the Formula 19
Who Our Achievers Are and How We Chose Them 23
Chapter 3 The Formula 25
The Incredible Life of Jarell Lee 25
The Formula: The Eight Roles of Master Parenting 34
Parenting Styles: What Is Different About the Formula? 42
Chapter 4 The Strategists 49
The Strange and Strategic Parenting of Lisa Son 49
Why Esther Wojcicki Raised the Smartest Girls in the World 54
Ms. Badger's Holographic Ideal 57
Chapter 5 The Early-Learning Partner (Role #1) 61
Rob Humble's Moment of Truth 61
The Science of Play 64
Teaching a Baby to Read: The Early-Lead Effect 75
The Girl Raised by a Village of Teenagers 79
Chapter 6 The Flight Engineer (Role #2) 85
Masters Monitor and Manage (Even from the White House) 85
Asserting Authority: "You Will Respect My Child" 92
Knowing When (Not) to Step In 98
Chapter 7 Siblings 103
Cautionary Tales 103
The Receptive Child 104
Is Your Oldest Child Really Smarter, or Were You Just Tired with the Rest of Them? 124
Chapter 8 The Fixer (Role #3) 131
The Fixer to the Rescue! 131
Vigilance: How One Mother Deconstructed the SAT 132
Sacrifice: Dad Says, "We Need to Leave-Now!" 136
Resourcefulness: The Girl Who Needed a Flute 137
Chapter 9 The Revealer (Role #4) 145
Albert Einstein's Master Parents 145
The Art of Supplementing Education 148
Exposure to the World-and Harsh Realities 152
Chapter 10 The Philosopher (Role #5) 171
The Preschooler Who Debated Aristotle in the Bathtub 171
Bree Newsome's Mission 184
Jarell Lee's Purpose 189
Chapter 11 The Model (Role #6) 193
A Ripple Effect 193
When the Past Provides the Model 200
Tracing Family Mindset 206
Chapter 12 The Negotiator (Role #7) 217
Bringing a Child to the Bargaining Table 220
Negotiators, not Pushovers 222
Master Parent Versus Tiger Parent 228
Is the Formula the Superior American Style of Parenting? 234
Chapter 13 Mastering Hurdles 241
Success Mindset 241
How "Gritty" Ryan Quarles Found a Way to Win 255
Maggie Masters a Memory Slip 256
The Future News Anchor Who Stuttered 259
Chapter 14 The GPS (Role #8) 267
The Navigational Voice in Their Head 267
The GPS and the Fully Realized Human Being 270
The Achievers as Parents 275
Conclusion: The Formula's Secret 281
Acknowledgments 287
Notes 293
Index 311
About the Authors 321