While I had high hopes for this book as I agree with author's basic parenting philosophy 100%, I really disliked the book itself. The author comes off as very braggy and I'm turned off by the focus on "success" at all. I have raised my five kids with very similar methods and none of them are what the author would deem successful. The grown ones are young adults who are navigating life as well as they can in a really messed up world. Neither of them make a lot of money or are attending prestigious colleges, despite the fact that they were brought up with the same sort of TRUST benefits that the author encourages. I"m fine with that though, and so are they. I suppose this will be a good book for pushy parents who need to be told to be nicer to their kids and that they'll still be able to get into overpriced colleges or make a ton of money if they wish, but it wasn't a book that I enjoyed and it's not one I'll recommend to my readers.

How to Raise Successful People is full of parenting advice and the author's personal anecdotes. I highly recommend this book. Is is hard to raise resilient children today and this is a great book to put on your parenting bookshelf. I recommend it highly.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. It was very well written and easy to read - and the mix of parenting advice mixed with evidence and real world stories was perfect! I did not agree with every parenting idea that the author presented - but all of them caused me to stop, think and ask - how can I be a better parent not just for right now but for long term? This book forced me to think about the fact that the way I parent NOW affects my kids long term - which I appreciated! Highly recommend.

While Esther Wojcicki is (and should be) very proud of her successful children, I had difficulty finding appliable ways to raise successful people as the title suggests. The book told many anecdotes of Wojcicki's successes as a mother but seldom gave helpful tips, especially to those of us with little ones.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy.

This book is full of helpful, accessible, practical advice. The author's TRICK (Trust, Respect, Independence, Curiosity, and Kindness) method is great. The very long personal introduction from the author felt unnecessary as did the many personal anecdotes, which is why I dropped my review to 3 stars.

I read this book in one sitting. I will start by saying that I am not a fan of parenting books in general. I find that they are either written by people who aren't parents or people who tell you there's one right way. Neither of which works for me. I have a teenager who rolls his eyes each time he sees me look at a parenting book and tells me that they are not worth it.

Alas, I picked up this book anyway because I am always open to learning, growing and trying to do better. There's much in this book about how we get in the way of our kids' because of who we are.

"The first thing every parent should do, then, is reflect on their experiences. It sounds simple, but we often fail to do it."

and how many parents are making choices or taking action from their own insecurities, doubts, anxieties, etc. So their kids approves, needs, etc. them. It's about letting the kids lead, letting them take detours if need be and being there and knowing that they will be ok. It's about honoring and respecting who your kids already are. It's about not letting your own definition of success/your goals/your ambitions get in the way of your kid's life.

"The lesson in all of this: Children will listen to you - they want your approval and love - but if they want to be happy, they're going to have to listen to themselves."

It's about respecting your kids so they can respect themselves, so they can take risks and become independent. It's about giving them independence, choice, responsibility and trust at a young age and continuing it all throughout.

The author recommends a system she calls TRICK ( Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration and Kindness). Both giving it to the kids and modeling it yourself.

As with all such books, I don't agree with every single word the author says. There are parts where I thought she was too opinionated, too judgmental, or too preachy. Parts where it sounded like patting oneself in the back. But there is so much gold in this book that I didn't care at all. At its core, this was a fantastic book and her message resonated deeply with me. It is one I will work hard to remember as I continue to raise my kids.

"How to Raise Successful People" is full of parenting advice and the author's personal anecdotes. Despite the subject, the author rarely comes across as preachy or condescending which happens often in parenting books. The content of this book focuses less on shaping and molding your children in to who you want them to be and more on allowing your children the freedom to grow, fail, and make choices for themselves.