Biography & Memoir
The Makings of a Genius

The Makings of a Genius

Take a peek into lives of geniuses

By The Blinkist Curators

Sign up to play collection

What's it about?

Biography & MemoirMotivation & Inspiration
From Leonardo da Vinci and Helen Keller, to Simone de Beauvoir and Steve Jobs—this collection invites you to find out more about the extraordinary lives of those we call geniuses. Uncover the twists and turns that led to their excellence and popularity, and find out how these brilliant minds came to be.

The Makings of a Genius

Take a peek into lives of geniuses

Genius
Genius
James Gleick
The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
18 min4.5
The Story of My Life
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
The inspiring story of Helen Keller’s triumph over blindness and deafness
10 min4.4
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures
Margot Lee Shetterly
The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians who Helped Win the Space Race
13 min4.3
Ghost in the Wires
Ghost in the Wires
Kevin Mitnick
My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker
22 min4.5
Becoming Steve Jobs
Becoming Steve Jobs
Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli
The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
25 min4.4
Be Fearless
Be Fearless
Jean Case
5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose
23 min4.2
The Man Who Solved the Market
The Man Who Solved the Market
Gregory Zuckerman
How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution
23 min4.3
A Life Decoded
A Life Decoded
J. Craig Venter
My Genome: My Life
19 min4.1
Becoming Beauvoir
Becoming Beauvoir
Kate Kirkpatrick
A Life
24 min4.4

Understand powerful ideas in 15 minutes—with Blinkist!

Get started

More collections

Other collections you might like

Best Memoirs
Best Memoirs
Memoirs to teach and transport you
10 items
Women Trailblazers
Women Trailblazers
A Bedtime Biographies collection
7 items
Stories of Great Problem Solvers
Stories of Great Problem Solvers
Inspiration from the best—from Helen Keller to Elon Musk
10 items
Space, the Final Frontier
Space, the Final Frontier
Launch yourself into the human obsession with space
10 items
The Makings of a Genius
The Makings of a Genius
Take a peek into lives of geniuses
9 items
Celebrate LGBTQIA+ & Black Histories
Celebrate LGBTQIA+ & Black Histories
A year-round, intersectional collection of lives and experiences
7 items

Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

Get started

Turn reading into a daily habit

Join millions of readers — discover key ideas from 9,000+ bestselling books on leadership, psychology, science, and more.

Get started

No credit card required · Cancel anytime