DON'T EAT THE MARSHMALLOW . . . YET!

The facile key to success in this self-help book is the ability to delay gratification. The title’s reference to sweets comes from the well-known Stanford University study of children who successfully resisted the temptation to eat a marshmallow when they were told they'd receive an additional one if they waited. The children who were able to delay immediate gratification went on to be quite successful in their adult lives. Narrators Michael McConnohie and Dan Woren provide the narration for two characters who illustrate this principle in a parable: a successful businessman, Jonathan ("Mr. P."), who sees the potential in his working-class limousine driver, Arthur. Jonathan is given a condescending tone, and the driver has a New York accent. The interplay between the two comes off as stereotyped, one-dimensional, and not particularly illuminating. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]