The author of In Praise of Slow – and scribe of the Slow movement – tackles just one of the areas in which our wired, achievement-oriented society is running on overdrive in Under Pressure. Honore visits schools, parents, child care centres and toy fairs around the world to observe different methods and views of child-rearing, and their effects on children’s development and behaviour. He also gives a potted run-down of the history of childhood, giving his exploration of modern parenting a helpful context. What he finds is that pushing kids to achieve early in life gives them no advantage whatsoever – their peers will generally catch up. He also finds (surprise, surprise!) that schools that focus on helping their students to pass exams turn out kids who are really good at … passing exams…but not so adept at problem-solving, creative thinking and motivating themselves. He emphasises the importance of play, screen-free time, striking a balance between interacting with children and giving them their freedom (and the opportunity to be bored), and cultivating pleasure in learning for discovery’s sake. Under Pressure, which is written in conversational, reportage-style prose, is a riveting read for parents – and delivers plenty of food for thought. I found myself muttering ‘yes!’ a lot as I read. Even on trains.