I begin by recommending the excellent review by Lars - a clear, well-written summary of the major points in the book. I see it as a seminal contribution to understanding the human condition, and a roadmap of practical steps for living better, both within ourselves and with those around us. This visionary book by Daniel Goleman is one of the most important in my collection. So overall, I thought it was too long and not very practical, but there were still some interesting facts.more He describes what emotional intelligence is and makes a strong case for its importance over IQ, but fails to make it relevant to daily life.Īlso, the content is not as groundbreaking as it used to be due to the recent proliferation of studies, research, and books on the subject (which could be precisely because of this book, but I plead insufficient knowledge on this matter). Unfortunately the book is very much descriptive and normative, but not very useful or practical. The content is interesting at times but overall, the message got repetitive and I was looking for any useful information to put to use in my daily life from the book to no avail. Goleman spends over 13 hours in this audiobook to pretty much buttress the thesis with evidence from various sources including psychology, medicine, and educational programs. The main and only thesis of the book is: emotional intelligence is important. Unfortunately the book Descriptive but not very practical. Descriptive but not very practical- The main and only thesis of the book is: emotional intelligence is important.