![[CNBC] Wharton psychologist Adam Grant: 2 parenting books to read this spring—including a ‘must-read’ for raising kids who ‘achieve great things’](https://media.nbcchicago.com/2025/03/108114343-1741724860168-gettyimages-2160093405-aminata_1_004.jpeg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=320%2C180)
Go to the parenting section of any bookstore and you'll probably get overwhelmed by the options. Books on screen time, gentle parenting, brain development and high achievement can make you feel lost.
To help cut through some of that noise, Wharton organizational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant cherry picked two must-read parenting books being released this spring.
These recommendations are both "timely and timeless," Grant said in a recent blog post. Here are his picks:
1. 'The Family Dynamic' by Susan Dominus
Release date: May 6
The question that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Susan Dominus seeks to answer in "The Family Dynamic" is "What explains those rare families that boast multiple children who achieve extraordinary success?"
To do so, the New York Times journalist profiles six families whose children excelled in varying fields. One has an Olympic athlete, award-winning novelist, and entrepreneur. Another family fled China in response to the one-child policy to open a restaurant in Appalachia; their four kids went to elite colleges and work in medicine or technology.
Money Report
"If you've ever wondered how multiple kids in the same family go on to achieve great things, this is a must-read," Grant wrote.
2. 'Hello, Cruel World!' by Melinda Wenner Moyer
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Release date: May 27
Kids are positioned to inherit a world plagued by climate change, gun violence, and disinformation. To learn how to help the next generation thrive during this complex future, journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer interviewed psychology, education, information literacy, technology, business, and addiction experts.
The result is a manual meant to help parents and kids weather these especially "terrifying times," as Moyer would call them.
Want to earn some extra money on the side? Take CNBC's new online course How to Start a Side Hustle to learn tips to get started and strategies for success from top side hustle experts. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $97 (+taxes and fees) through April 1, 2025.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.
