Spark How Genius Ignites

早慧、中年有成、大器晚成，啥时追求人生都不晚。

Yo-Yo Ma’s ear for music emerged not long after he learned to walk. By
the age of seven, he was performing for President Kennedy; by fifteen
he debuted at Carnegie Hall. Maya Angelou, by contrast, didn’t write
her iconic memoir, I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings, until she was 40.
What propels some individuals to reach extraordinary creative heights
in the earliest years of life while others discover their passions
decades later? Are prodigies imbued with innate talent? How often are
midlife inspirations triggered by propitious events, like Julia
Child’s first French meal at the age of 36? Do late bloomers reveal
their talents because their skills require life experience and
contemplation?

Through engaging storytelling and intriguing historical and cutting-
edge scientific research, best-selling author and acclaimed journalist
Claudia Kalb explores these questions to uncover what makes a prodigy
and what drives a late bloomer. In this series of linked biographies,
Kalb follows the journeys of thirteen remarkable individuals–from
Shirley Temple to Alexander Fleming to Eleanor Roosevelt to Bill Gates
–to discover the secrets behind their talents. Each possessed a
unique arc of inspiration. Each–through science, art, music, theater,
and politics–reached extraordinary success at different stages of
life. And each offers us a chance to explore the genesis–and
experience–of genius.