Glen Ellyn book discussion, presentation to focus on children's success

The Glen Ellyn Public Library will host a discussion Thursday about New York Times best-selling author Paul Tough's book, "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character."

The discussion, which begins at 7 p.m., ties in to Tough's scheduled Jan. 21 presentation at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.

Tough's COD presentation is part of Glenbard High School District 87's Glenbard Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families.

The district program gives community members the chance to hear from multiple speakers on topics such as understanding teenagers' emotions and relationships and trends in the teen party scene. A complete list of events can be found online.

Tough's book focuses on the topic of children's success, and he argues that being successful has a lot to do with possessing character traits such as curiosity and perseverance, according to the author's website.

"I think this book is about how important it is to nurture the skills, life skills, like curiosity, grit, persistence," District 87 Student and Community Projects Coordinator Gilda Ross said. "He talks about how these things can be taught and need to be taught to determine success in life."

Ross and Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 school board member Erica Nelson will be leading the Thursday book discussion. The free discussion is open to the public and attendees are not required to read the book beforehand.

Tough's Jan. 21 presentation, which is free and open to the general public as well, marks the first Glenbard Parent Series event held at the college, which is one of the program's sponsors.