The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success

What explains those rare families that boast multiple siblings who achieve extraordinary success? An award-winning New York Times journalist weaves story with science to explore the circumstances that set those families apart.

“At once clear-eyed and compassionate, The Family Dynamic uncovers how parents—and siblings—shape and fuel individual success.”—Lisa Damour, bestselling author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers

What leads the children of families who boast extraordinarily successful siblings to aim high and succeed? Is it an inherited quality, a specific way of parenting, the influence of a sibling, or a twist of luck? In The Family Dynamic, acclaimed New York Times journalist Susan Dominus blends "fluid, artful writing" (The Washington Post) with science to profile such families: the iconic Brontë sisters, whose remarkable literary success prompted endless speculation; the Chens, who sent four children to elite colleges and on to careers that give back in technology and medicine; the Wojcickis, whose daughters made inroads as STEM pioneers in Silicon Valley; and the Murguias, who rose from exceptionally humble origins to become powerful jurists and civil rights champions.

Dominus, the mother of twin teenagers herself, combines elegant writing and extensive research to dive headfirst into the fascinating questions surrounding that age old ponderance: is it nature or nurture? The Family Dynamic is more than a checklist of how-to’s. It’s a "wonderfully engaging" (The New York Times) and moving exploration of the complexity of family life, and the rewards—and burdens—of ambition.

Publication History:Crown HC 5/25