Susan Dominus, a prominent journalist with The New York Times since 2007, has recently released a new book that delves into the lives of parents raising highly successful children. Dominus has done a truly extraordinary leap from a local Metro columnist to a national staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Under her leadership, she has received top national honors for investigative reporting and deep-dive narrative storytelling.
In her new project, Dominus draws on this deep research. As the mother of a high-achieving child herself, she’s done interviews with dozens of parents like her and over 100 experts in the field. This work reflects her deep commitment to figuring out how to help these special children flourish. It also brings their individual stories and unique strategies their parents use into sharp focus.
Notable career achievements include serving on a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2018. This prestigious award recognized their impactful reporting on workplace sexual harassment, showcasing Dominus’s dedication to addressing critical social issues through journalism. In 2024, her article on menopause was honored with a National Magazine Award, further solidifying her reputation as a leading voice in contemporary journalism.
Dominus’s new book draws on her extensive experience and keen insights into parenting and education. She seeks to unravel the complexities surrounding the upbringing of successful children, challenging conventional beliefs that equate hard work and grit with achievement.
“With God’s help, all things are possible,” stated Amalia Murguia, one of the parents interviewed for the book. This quote illustrates the multi-layered values, cultures, and belief systems that contribute to creating the trajectories of our most high-achieving children.
The book is impressive not only as a testament to Dominus’s journalistic talent, but her dedication to educating the next generation of journalists. She imparts her knowledge at Yale University, where she teaches journalism, sharing her experiences and insights with aspiring writers.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities and her work for The New York Times, Dominus engages with her audience on social media. Follow her on Instagram @suedominus to see her posts! Follow her on Instagram for more tips from her illustrious career and sneak peeks about her new book!
The results of her research provide powerful evidence about the types of parenting that nurture children’s success. Dominus’s deep dive makes it clear that you really have to work for it. Emotional support, nurturing, stimulating environments, and open lines of family communication are key to making success possible as well.
In addition, she challenges the widespread notion that knowing the world and yourself is separate from good parenting. “It was absolutely necessary for an understanding of the world, and oneself,” noted The Emanuels, another family featured in the book. This broader view of well-being further emphasizes the notion that positive fostering goes beyond academic success, but rather includes overall, healthy development.
As readers explore Dominus’s new book, they will discover a wealth of knowledge backed by rigorous research and heartfelt narratives from families navigating the challenges of raising high-achieving children. This powerful mix of professional perspective and lived experience weaves an incredibly informative and inspiring narrative.