Unfortunately this book was not for me. Others may find it useful but it did not appeal to me and I ultimately did not finish it.

a simple concept that is spoiled by too many anecdotes and patronising language. A couple of helpful tips, but they're like finding a needle in a haystack.

Powerful parenting advice that isn’t patronising or annoyingly condescending. No nonsense, practical and really inspiring. Recommend!

not a book i would normally choose. Dont know why i did and honestly wish i hadnt of bothered. Not for me and didnt finish it. Its easy enough to read i just felt it was nonsense.. I wouldnt recommend to be fair and ive raised 3 kids to be fine functioning lovely human beings without this book.

This is a simple book which, as others have said, could have been improved by cutting out a lot of anecdotes so it's slicker and easier to read, especially since the basic TRICK concept is pretty straightforward.

As an aside, nobody likes to be patronised...

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This book did not live up to the hype on the cover unfortunately!

The book could have been 1/5th of the size if all personal stories, bragging and name dropping was removed.

TBH the concepts of TRICK (trust, respect, independence, collaboration, kindness) are nothing more than common sense!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC i return for an honest reveiw.

A simple strategy but the author used way too many words and so made it quite challenge to get through and absorb the information.
I found the narrative to be slightly patronising as well as wordy. As many others have said,not exactly groundbreaking but the trick method helps keep it simple and fresh in your mind. If only the author could’ve done that in such a way to not be so condescending or to name drop and brag at every moment.

This is quite a tough book to review. As a mother of two there are a few things that I will take from my reading, the TRICK principles of Trust, Respect, Independence, Curiosity and Kindness are both common sense, but often overlooked in the day to day rush that can be modern life, so it felt like it was quite a nice reminder. However, as a few other people have remarked though the anecdotes were often long winded, and for me at least, only really served to underline the vast differences between our lifestyles. The principles outlined in this book are sound and it's an easy read, but I don't really feel as though I can give it more than 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

How to Raise Successful People by Esther Wojcicki is a book that should be in every household and on the shelf of every teacher or influencer. As much as I wish that this book should have been written when I first became a parent I am encouraged by the line in the book that states that it is not too late to apply the theory of TRICK in your household. The testimonies in the book are encouraging. In reading the book it is evident that it is written by someone who has spent a lifetime being a teacher. The simplicity in getting the message across is inspiring.

The author, a high school teacher in America, uses the principles of TRICK with the children she teaches and her own three daughters.

The main idea of TRICK is Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration and Kindness. Without knowing I already apply some of these principles to my parenting style and as the family grow up, more will be used. This principle can also be applied to the workplace, as there are many employers who lack the TRICK method!

Whilst the book is interesting and can be used by many teachers and parents alike, its not something I could read in one sitting. This is due to taking it all in but also because its overly bloated in content with far to many examples being used. Also the author really likes to name drop constantly throughout the book, which is a little grating too and brag about her own daughters' successes in their adult lives. The author also comes across as patronising at times and I felt she overstep the mark with her own daughter by letting the grandchildren go off shopping alone, without taking into account their mums thoughts on it; she forgot the respect to her own daughter with the trust she placed in the grandchildren.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

'Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you'

It took me a long time to read this book, because for whatever reason, my copy would repeat itself every few pages. And when I got to the part of 'if you don't act as your own therapist, and interrogate your own childhood, you won't be the best parent you can be'. Scary stuff. So I took time to find a counselor before continuing.

I liked the large message of this - be kind, trust your kids, collaborate, participate. She makes it sound too easy. She does admit to making mistakes, but there was a part of me thinking she just got lucky. Her methods may have worked, but women are socialised in a different way. Would she have the same results with male children? (Probably, she sounds amazing).

Also, a part of me thinks she got lucky that nothing happened to her kids or grandkids. Sure, people are good and 90%+ of the time, nothing will happen. But it seems like a risk not worth taking.

'Being bored is preparation for life'

I liked the advice of involving the kids on holiday, this might work. And of course, you lead through example, kids are picking up everything, all the time, even if you think they aren't. I'm excited to see if I can get my four year old to have a task/cleaning duty. And to trust him more.

Trust. Respect. Independence. Collaboration and Kindness...so easy right? RIGHT?

This was a good read and very informative. Something all parents should read. It will help you with your own parenting skills and how to ensure your child grows up into an adult you can be proud of.

Esther Wojcicki has condensed years of caring, teaching and nurturing into her acronym TRICK - and it works! Though straightforward, these principles, when combined and applied in a common-sense fashion, have the potential to help children to thrive and grow in any environment.
In many ways, Wojcicki’s TRICK approach is typical of the type of parenting that characterised the generations before the digital age.
The author illustrates her points with examples from both her personal and professional lives (she founded the media arts program at Palo Alto High School and launched the Google Teachers Academy), which helps readers incorporate them into their daily routines. However, if anything, I thought those aspects of her book were overlong and padded out the text.
However, as someone who has worked with children and young people for our four decades, refreshing and re-learning about simple, down-to-earth techniques to help shape children into responsible, independent, kind individuals with the capabilities to become successful at whatever endeavour they may try, is always worth a read!
I would highly recommend it.

This is a book written from an interesting perspective but I had hoped for more insights than I got. The idea that the author is mother to three amazingly successful daughters and her account of how they achieved this success was a great premise but I couldn't help but be disappointed by the tone and the scope of the book. Although it is well-written and has some great stories, overall the book has a patronising tone and the constant name-dropping starts to grate quite early on. The advice given is pretty standard stuff and nothing revolutionary, I wish the author and her family well but in the end this wasn't the book I had hoped it could be.

There are so many parenting books around these days with so many conflicting messages it is difficult to know whether it is worth reading another one. Ultimately every parent-child relationship is unique and you have to adapt to that uniqueness to succeed. That is an opinion often shared throughout this book and is the reason I give it the rating I do.

The author is a teacher giving them a different insight into many parent-child relationships. While it might not qualify them any more than other authors of such books, it is interesting to see things from that perspective.

There are many anecdotes throughout the text giving examples to back up the suggestions made which are interesting to read. But, it is the basic messages that come through from time to time that makes this book for me. I don't agree with everything in it and it would be difficult to try to use it as a step by step but I do hope to take some ideas from this book to help me with my own children.

This parenting book is written in a style that makes it easy reading, which means it is already a winner for parents! The anecdotal support for the concepts makes it easy to understand. The main idea of TRICK is especially helpful when the author requests that the reader consider, individually, how trust/respect/independence/collaboration/kindness showed up their family of origin, how it is shows up (now that they are a parent) and how they would like it to show up going forward. I was surprised to notice unintended changes in my parenting just from reading the book and that was helpful. The method won't tell you what to do, as that would go against the author's philosophy and I am grateful for that. It will help you formulate your own parenting philosophy and reflect on how to help your children grow into adults they will be proud to be.