Letter

To the Editor:

Two books reviewed by Russell K. Nieli in “Genes and Grit,” in the Winter 2014 Academic Questions (vol. 27, no. 4), attempt to explain the success of certain racial groups and failure of others.

In The Triple Package: How Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America, Amy Chua and Jed Rosenfeld posit three commonalities of the eight ethnic groups—Jews, Chinese, Cubans, Iranians, Mormons, Nigerians, Lebanese, and Indians—who are “starkly more successful than others.” These are (1) self-discipline and impulse control, (2) a strong belief in their superiority to others in many ways, and ironically (3), a deep personal insecurity and need to prove oneself to family and group. In contrast, the authors attribute academic failure of blacks to the usual racist suspects who have destroyed their ability to rise above their