I'm also half-way through. One thing that the author is not stressing but implied, is that talent is necessary, too (whether IQ is the same as talent, well, I won't go there). For example, he talks about the "10,000 hours" rule being somewhat true for music students in conservatories: those who practise harder will be better musicians. But the fact that these students are already in a prestigious conservatory means that they are all talented. Same with the hockey story. The talented ones need the right circumstances to thrive, it doesn't mean that *anyone* will be a hockey star given the right circumstances. I think he actually said in the book that what he is advocating is for "the talented" to not miss out.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the book. And I am also happy that, according to this book, we parents who are doing everything we can to find a good match between our kids and the educational environment are really helping our kids.