06/26/2023
In this innovative guide, academic adviser Homayoun (Social Media Wellness ) urges parents and educators to reconsider how they can help high school students succeed. Debunking “outdated narrative equating college admissions and success,” Homayoun argues that “the belief that... one decision can fundamentally alter the entire trajectory of a young person’s life” reinforces “downright false” notions of what lends students drive, purpose, or happiness. By focusing on holistic skills, such as organization, flexible thinking, and relationship building, students are better equipped to flourish in a “fast-changing world,” she writes. Drawing on her experience counseling high schoolers, college students, and professionals, Homayoun discusses the wisdom of building predictable routines (consistent bedtimes, study schedules); cultivating “openness and curiosity in approach to socializing,” as understanding and using social capital is essential to being a “well-connected, well-resourced adult”; and paying attention to proper “energy management” instead of squeezing an endless litany of items into to-do lists (students are encouraged to consider the activities that drain them and those that energize them, and to brainstorm how to “recharge energy on a daily/weekly basis”). Homayoun offers a welcome, experience-backed alternative to the “current one-size-fits-all” model for life success—driven by test scores and an obsession with college rankings—that is often only available to the wealthy. This is a valuable resource. (Aug.)
Getting into college has become an endless series of jumping through hoops for teenagers, yet when they get to campus they don’t often know their purpose for being there. . . . In this timely and important book, Ana Homayoun gives students and families the blueprint they need to launch into a fulfilling life and engaging career. At a time when the skills needed to keep up in any job are churning at an ever faster pace, Homayoun provides us with a guide to the foundational skills that will help us succeed no matter what.”—Jeffrey Selingo , New York Times best-selling author of Who Gets In and Why and There Is Life After College Erasing the Finish Line is the book I will recommend over and over in the coming years, a gift to parents, educators, and adolescents confused by the conflicting demands of achievement and fulfillment.”—Jessica Lahey , New York Times best-selling author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation Rachel Simmons , Author of Odd Girl Out and Enough As She Is Jordan Shapiro , Author of Father Figure and The New Childhood Mary Laura Philpott , Author of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives Anya Kamenetz , Author of The Stolen Year and The Art of Screen Time Sanyin Siang , Executive director at Duke University’s Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE), CEO Advisor, and author of The Launch Book Kyle Schwartz , Author of I Wish My Teacher Knew and I Wish for Change Gregg Behr , Coauthor, When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids
★ 09/01/2023
Academic advisor Homayoun (Social Media Wellness ) presents a detailed plan of the steps counselors need to take to best help students achieve success. The book's purpose is to show how the author's methodology, all feasible suggestions, will produce proactive thinkers who can create effective changes in the world. The author believes that society should think of educating children differently. She advocates for students to gain more opportunities for immersive exposure, learn how to build their social capital, and turn setbacks and disappointments into opportunities to strengthen their adaptability skills. Homayoun believes this approach should begin in elementary school and continue through higher education. The author notes that she agrees with Harvard economist Raj Chetty's view that students who live in low-income areas need more and early chances in their lives to move to high opportunity spaces. The book expands upon the concept that early movements like that lead to a higher likelihood the students would attend college and earn more money over their lifetime. VERDICT One of the finest books on college admissions to date. For educational counseling collections, but it will appeal to general readers and parents too.—Claude Ury
There is a ‘door’s always open’ sensibility to Erasing the Finish the Line. Ana Homayoun seemed to be writing just to me, as if I were one of the thousands of parents who’ve walked into her office looking for sage guidance for my kids from that advisor to whom everyone wants to talk. She answers your questions yet, more importantly, encourages you to ask better questions about what your kids genuinely want and need. This book offers smart [and] practical advice that will help every parent reset household expectations for what success really means.
Eye-opening and compelling, this book has the answers that parents and educators need right now. We’ve been mismeasuring achievement and pushing kids toward the wrong goals. Homayoun shows us how to shift our mindsets and nurture the real skills children need to identify and fulfill their own aspirations.
Author of Father Figure and The New Childhood Jordan Shapiro
Ana Homayoun has given parents a blueprint for guiding all kids—not just the most advantaged—in the “how,” not the “what,” of authentic, lifelong success. . . . What matters most are the skills our kids use to make sense of [things to] take on life’s challenges. . . . This book will come as a relief for every parent who wants to help strengthen the bones of the building [and] not just its façade.
Author of Odd Girl Out and Enough As She Is Rachel Simmons
What’s more important than any acceptance letter? Self-acceptance. . . . This book is practical, extraordinarily empathetic, and a breath of fresh air, and it’s just what the doctor ordered for anxious parents and anxious teens alike.
Author of The Stolen Year and The Art of Screen Ti Anya Kamenetz
In her thought-provoking book, Ana Homayoun fearlessly questions the prevailing mindset that a good life is simply a linear path from good grades to a good school and ultimately a good job. . . . With unflinching conviction, Homayoun gives readers the insight and encouragement needed to dismantle this harmful fallacy. Erasing the Finish Line will resonate deeply with caring adults who believe that young people deserve the opportunity to self-define success and chart their own authentic path.
Author of I Wish My Teacher Knew and I Wish for Ch Kyle Schwartz
In an exponentially changing world, Erasing the Finish Line gives us new perspectives and frameworks for redefining success. Recognizing the range of barriers every individual faces and the scope of talent each [young adult] brings, this brilliant book helps students and parents prepare for a fulfilling future in which one can run [their] own race.
Erasing the Finish Line is the book I will recommend over and over in the coming years, a gift to parents, educators, and adolescents confused by the conflicting demands of achievement and fulfillment.
New York Times best-selling author of The Gift of Jessica Lahey
Getting into college has become an endless series of jumping through hoops for teenagers, yet when they get to campus they don’t often know their purpose for being there. . . . In this timely and important book, Ana Homayoun gives students and families the blueprint they need to launch into a fulfilling life and engaging career. At a time when the skills needed to keep up in any job are churning at an ever faster pace, Homayoun provides us with a guide to the foundational skills that will help us succeed no matter what.
New York Times best-selling author of Who Gets In Jeffrey Selingo
Goodbye to the false finish line! Ana Homayoun is stoking important conversations, and we can only hope parents, teachers, and counselors are listening. I love her empowering, open-minded approach to guiding young adults on their varied paths to adulthood.
