Better by Mistake

The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong

By: Alina Tugend

Narrated by: Elizabeth London

A New York Times columnist delivers an eye-opening big idea: Embracing mistakes can make us smarter, healthier, and happier in every facet of our lives. In this persuasive audiobook, journalist Alina Tugend examines the delicate tension between what we're told - we must make mistakes in order to learn - and the reality: we often get punished for making mistakes, and therefore try to avoid them or cover them up.

In Better by Mistake, Tugend shows that mistakes are everywhere, and suggests that when we acknowledge and identify them correctly, we can improve not only ourselves, but our families, our work, and the world around us. Through fascinating research, Tugend reveals how trying to avoid mistakes can affect us from the earliest stages in our lives and shape us into adults who steer clear of risks and challenges. She takes us behind the scenes into cutting-edge behavioral studies; invites us into the high-stakes world of health care and aviation, where mistakes can cost lives, and delves into the art and science behind learning how to craft a sincere apology and accepting responsibility for mistakes.

Bold and dynamic, insightful and provocative, Better by Mistake turns our cultural wisdom on its head to illustrate the downside of striving for perfection, and the rewards of acknowledging mistakes and embracing the imperfection in all of us.

©2011 Alina Tugend (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

" Better By Mistake is a fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of the deeply human phenomenon of screwing up. With Alina Tugend as your wise (and wise-cracking) guide, you'll learn why perfection is a myth, why apologies pack power, and why effort is often more important than results. And once you've finished this book, you'll never look at mistakes - or yourself - the same way." (Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind)

It might be a mistake to read this

I had high hopes for this book, and was generally disappointed, The message is great and I agree with it--we need to admit and learn from our mistakes rather than hide them. Sadly we live in a society where you are chastised, humiliated, etc., for mistakes rather than looking at the root cause of the mistake and learning from that. There was a great deal of research that was pulled into the book, but it was done in a cumbersome way that, at least for me, detracted from the book rather than adding to it. Ultimately, this would be better as a quality Newsweek/Time article.

It is also possible that the narration detracted from the book. I found the narrated to be especially annoying to listen to and I was grateful when the book was done,