Growing up, the author repeatedly heard from her father that she was “no genius”—neither, apparently, were her siblings. She would reply: “In the long run, Dad, grit may matter more than talent” (x). Indeed, she grew up to earn a PhD and win a MacArthur Fellowship, the “genius grant.” This book tells what she’s learned about grit, how to grow it, and how to manage it.

The US Military Academy at West Point is as hard to get into as an Ivy League school. Top grades, athletic ability, and a nomination from a member of Congress or the vice president are required; 4,000 students get that far, and 2,500 are accepted. Then the real challenge begins: Cadet Basic Training, known as Beast Barracks, or Beast, an extremely rigorous course of study and athletic challenges. One-fifth of new cadets quit during this training; the school’s scoring system for potential cadets, the “Whole Candidate Score,” can’t tell which of them will give up (6).

At Beast, new cadets take a test to determine their place on a Grit Scale. The results have no relationship to their Whole Candidate Scores. Their Whole Candidate Scores nicely predict their outcomes at the academy, but only after they’ve first demonstrated grit by getting through Beast.