What Happens when Gifted Children Grow Up

Joan Freeman reveals the dramatic stories of some outstandingly gifted people as they grew from early promise to maturity in Britain. She has collected their intimate biographies through intereviews for 35 years. Their experiences and feelings throw light on how it is to be gifted and why some did not realise their potential,whilst others reached fame, fortune and happiness.

The gifted people in the book have a range of intellectual, social and emotional gifts, including mathematics, the arts, empathy and spirituality. As well as negotiating the basic trials of growing up, the particular abilities of these exceptional people often meant they were confronted with special emotional challenges, such as over-anxious and pushy parents, teacher put-downs, social trip-wires, loss of fun time, boredom and bullying in school and conflicting life choices. In their own words, they tell how seemingly innocuous events such as skipping one or more school grades could have life-long consequences. The reader can see the effects of a brilliant mind when you are ethnically different or suffering serious depression. And how a world-class pianist copes when repetitive strain injury strikes, or a young financier when he hits his first million.

Joan Freeman’s interpretations and insights of the twists and turns of the lives of these extraordinary people are fascinating and deeply moving. She shows us that while fate played a large part in their successes, so did a personal outlook which could see and grab a fleeting chance, overcome great odds, and put in the necessary hard work to lift childhood prodigy to greatness. Readers will identify with many of the intriguing aspects of these people’s lives, and perhaps learn something about themselves too.

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"At last, an honest picture at what really happens to the gifted. Prof Joan Freeman’s unique technique, combining controlled scientific investigation with her empathy with people in the real world, has produced the definitive up-to-date work in this field. She understands the psychology of having gifted abilities and its challenges, and has brought a breath of fresh air to this area of human development. I learned a lot and highly recommend it.”
Prof Lewis Wolpert CBE, FRS, FRL, has been Chairman of the Committee for the Public Understanding of Science, and the author of many books including his popular Malignant Sadness: The Anatomy of Depression.

“A sensitive, probing and revealing analysis of the super-bright from childhood to middle-age by Britain's leading analyst of gifted children, Joan Freeman. Her gripping biographies expose the dramatic impact of life events on brilliant minds.”
Brenda Maddox is a biographer whose books on Elizabeth Taylor, D. H. Lawrence, Nora Joyce, W. B. Yeats and Rosalind Franklin have been widely acclaimed. She has won the Los Angeles Times Biography Award, the Silver PEN Award, the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger, and the Whitbread Biography Prize.

“Joan Freeman has written engaging and often surprising portraits of 20 of the 210 gifted children she has followed into adulthood. This book will inform not only parents, teachers, and scholars of giftedness but all those interested in the unpredictable course of individual lives.”
Prof Ellen Winner, Psychology, Boston College, USA. Author of Gifted Children: Myths and Realities

"It is BRILLIANT. The people are fascinating and so is the text that links them all together. It is so informative and interesting. I am really enjoying it. It is remarkable how it will appeal to those in the trade and those who want a good but informative read. Just amazing."
Johanna Raffan, Director, National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE)