I was excited to read Peak Learning: A Master Course in Learning
How to Learn by Ronald Gross.  This book is one of the classic manuals for adult self-education; the author has been one of the leading writers and speakers in the field since the publication of the Independent Scholar’s Handbook in the 1970s.  Peak Learning contains a huge amount of material, with topics ranging from how best to design a study space to effective notetaking techniques to using the Internet to find public domain literature.

Unfortunately, so many topics are covered that Gross sometimes sacrifices depth for breadth.  For example, the book includes a quiz that aims to show the reader which of Howard Gardner’s seven intelligences is an area of personal strength.  The quiz is far too short to have any degree of accuracy, and Gross does little to describe what the reader should do with the knowledge the quiz yields.  Gardner’s work could likely be of great value to Gross’s readers, but the readers will need to turn to other books to gain a useful exposure.  Several other topics were given the same treatment—Gross’s introdution to many concepts is so brief that readers will need to turn to the books listed in the bibliography to fill in all of the gaps.

The book seems that it would be an excellent choice for one who is just beginning to pursure a course of self-education.  Early chapters deal with overcoming obstacles to learning, including stress from poor high school and college learning experiences.  Several exercises are designed to improve the reader’s memory, concentration, and critical thinking.  Often the exercises feel gimmicky, but they seem to build useful skills.  Again, these exercises are geared more towards the beginning learner than the intermediate or experienced.

Regardless of your level of ability or experience, you can gain something useful from this book.  If you are just beginning to embark upon a program of learning, you should buy this book and keep it close at hand; if, like me, you feel somewhat more comfortable with your own education, you should check out a copy from the library and give it a very thorough skim.