Can we really ALL be the best? Is the idea of innate ability holding us back? Could the ability to fail – and then get over it – be fundamental to success? Matthew Syed, bestselling writer and international table-tennis champion (after many hours of practice) takes us on a revelatory exploration of being the best and the true nature of talent. In so doing he debunks many cherished myths – that we can be born brilliant (and that child prodigies prove it); that we are restricted by our genetic make-up; and that social background matters. He also makes some surprising discoveries, including the impact on performance of intense religious belief, why athletes and others ‘choke’ and how a Hungarian man turned his daughters into three of the best chess players in history. Entertaining, provoking and positive, BOUNCE reveals how we can ALL be exceptional.

Accolades

Winner of British Sports Book Awards: Best New Writer 2011.
Shortlisted for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2010.

Author Biography

Matthew Syed is an award-winning journalist on the times, writing for both the sports pages and the comment pages. He is a three-time Commonwealth table-tennis champion and competed in two Olympics. He studied PPE at Balliol College Oxford where he was awarded a prize-winning first class degree.