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Smarter Faster Better
A review of

Smarter Faster Better

The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business


Compelling Stories

by David Meyer

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg, best-selling author of The Power of Habit, is an engaging writer with a compelling roster of stories.

Charles Duhigg offers intriguing stories to demonstrate creative problem solving, though he doesn’t always immediately tie his anecdotes to their teaching points. Instead, he saves advice for his detailed appendix, “A Reader’s Guide to Using These Ideas,” which offers brief take-aways for applying the lessons in his narratives.

While the stories don’t offer immediate guidance, as you might anticipate from The Power of Habit, they do provide fascinating reading. Duhigg is an exceptional nonfiction writer with a rare understanding of suspense, pace and structure. Each chapter functions as a stand-alone story or a gathering of related stories. Duhigg’s dramatic approach will please readers who enjoy tales of counterintuitive solutions and disasters avoided or handled intelligently. To give this book context, read Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, and for more great stories with useful insights, Malcolm Gladwell’s books are also worthwhile companion reads.


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    J. W. 4 years ago
    Years have past since the book publication. Is it still possible to have a usual summary format for this book, rattan than a review?
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      4 years ago
      Thanks for your comment. We can – and will – update the review, though we can't yet offer an abstract. Thanks for your interest. Erica Meyer Rauzin
      Senior Managing Editor, getAbstract.com
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    T. C. 7 years ago
    I agree with the other commenters, first, I don't' care about the writer's opinion of how good the book was. Second, this isn't a very good summary and a lot of what was good about the book is left out.

    The section on teams doesn't seem correct either. Points 1 and 2 are the same...I don't recall that being the same in the book. This should probably be updated for those who have actually read the book this is a pretty bad representation.
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      7 years ago
      Thank you very much for your comment, Mr. Collins. This piece is a review, not a full abstract. We create reviews when we haven't yet been able to obtain summarization rights from the publisher. I revisited the review it in light of your comments, and hasten to assure you our expert writer read the book carefully – as is always the case with our summaries and reviews. We find that any two individuals could select a different set of ideas to emphasize from any given book - especially given limited space; that is one of our most interesting challenges every day. We appreciate your perspective and thank you sincerely for sharing your reaction.
      Erica Meyer Rauzin
      Senior Managing Editor
      getAbstract.com.
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    C. R. 7 years ago
    Really poor summary. I listened to the audio book (9 hours) and I expected to find here a summary that I could keep for later reading. Did not find it, sorry.
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      7 years ago
      Hello Cesar, thank you for your comment. I will contact you separately to assist you.