If the information in this book were known by everyone, the world would have flying cars, interstellar space travel, teleportation or even time travel. 

Okay, now that was a huge overstatement, but also something that isn’t far from the truth.

In his nonfiction book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein explores the untapped power and impact of generalists while comparing them with specialists. 

A generalist (a.k.a jack-of-all-trades) is one who has knowledge from multiple fields and disciplines (like history, psychology, chemistry, computer science, etc.)

A specialist is the opposite: they have one main area of focus. 

This book draws from a variety of research papers and experiments and builds a convincing argument as to why we should all broaden our areas of interest instead of specializing early on. 

For instance, athletes usually become pros because they do something called late-specialization. This basically means they try out different sports early on and later choose one that suits them the best while carrying on prior experience. This process is highly encouraged if you want to be successful in your athletic career. 

A real life example would be Roger Federer. At an early age he tried various sports from basketball, handball, table tennis, and then settled with tennis. Later on, he would become the No. 1 tennis player in the world, winning 20 Grand Slams titles and other various awards. 

Another eye opening example is about people who contributed “the greatest benefit to humankind”: Nobel Laureates. Research has shown that scientists who engage in other hobbies (this list is not limited to dancing, drawing, magician, etc.) outside of their field are more 2.85 times more likely to get the Nobel Prize. 

Why? Because as Arnold Toynbee, a British historian, said, “No key is omnipotent; there is not a master key that unlocks all doors.” The more keys/knowledge you have gained from other fields, the more easier it is to take on life’s hardest challenges.

This is a must-read book for two reasons. The first if you want to get the feeling that you can achieve something greater then yourself, which is a great feeling. The second is if you’re stuck in a rut/problem that you can’t get out of. Range can help/point you to the right direction.