An Evening with Susan Dominus, David Lawrence, Jr. and Marilyn Holifield

Books & Books and the Books & Books Literary Foundation are proud to present an evening with Susan Dominus discussing The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success (Crown, $30).

The book introduces us to the Holifields, including Marilyn Holifield, a Miami-based Holland & Knight partner.

What explains those rare families that boast multiple children who achieve extraordinary success? An award-winning New York Times journalist weaves story with science to explore the circumstances that set those families apart.

“A captivating book on how our early roots shape our later success. Susan Dominus serves up a delicious smorgasbord of rich stories and rigorous social science to illuminate how multiple kids in the same family go on to achieve great things. It’s a must-read for anyone who’s ever marveled at a set of siblings.”—Adam Grant, bestselling author of Hidden Potential

***Please note: This event will take place at the Books & Books in Coral Gables at 265 Aragon Ave. Tickets are FREE and books will be available for purchase at the event. Want your copy early or can't make it in-person? Order your copy online here.

About the Book:

What explains those rare families that boast multiple children who achieve extraordinary success? An award-winning New York Times journalist weaves story with science to explore the circumstances that set those families apart.

An Olympic athlete. An award-winning novelist. A successful entrepreneur. All raised under one roof. What can we learn from those families whose children aim high and succeed, sometimes in widely varied fields? Just as important: What were the costs along the way, and what can we glean from their travails and triumphs?

The acclaimed New York Times journalist Susan Dominus offers compelling profiles of six such families in search of the factors that led to their success—was it an inherited quality, a specific way of parenting, the influence of a sibling, or a twist of luck? Inspired by the iconic Brontë sisters, whose remarkable literary success prompted endless speculation, Dominus, the mother of twin teenagers, sought out contemporary high-achieving families who shared intimate stories of their upbringing. She introduces us to the Chens, young parents who fled their country’s one-child policy to open a Chinese restaurant in Appalachia—then sent four children to elite colleges and on to careers that give back in technology and medicine; the Groffs, whose claim to fame is not just an award-winning novelist but an Olympic athlete and a notable entrepreneur; the Wojcickis, whose daughters made inroads as STEM pioneers in Silicon Valley; and the Murguias, who rose from exceptionally humble origins to become powerful jurists and civil rights champions. Woven into these and other stories is an account of centuries of scientific research into the ongoing question of nature versus nurture.

Elegantly written and extensively researched, The Family Dynamic is more than a checklist of how-to’s. It’s a deep and moving exploration of the complexity of family life and the rewards—and burdens—of ambition.

About the Author:

Susan Dominus has worked for The New York Times since 2007, first as a Metro columnist and then as staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. In 2018, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for its reporting on workplace sexual harassment. She won a Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York and a Mychal Judge Heart of New York Award from the New York Press Club. She has studied as a fellow at the National Institutes of Health and Yale Law School. Her article about menopause in The New York Times Magazine won a National Magazine Award in 2024. She teaches journalism at Yale University.

About the Moderators:

David Lawrence Jr. retired in 1999 as publisher of The Miami Herald to work in the area of early childhood development and readiness. He chairs The Children’s Movement of Florida, aimed at making children the state’s top priority for investment. In 2002 and 2008 he led successful campaigns for The Children’s Trust, a dedicated source of early intervention and prevention funding for children in Miami-Dade. An endowed chair in early childhood studies is established in his name at the University of Florida. His memoir, A Dedicated Life: Journalism, Justice and a Chance for Every Child, was published in 2018. In his memoir, David Lawrence chronicles what soon came to be a life mission: "that every child have a real chance to succeed."

Miami attorney and member of one of the book's featured families, Marilyn Holifield, Esq. obtained a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, Bachelor of Arts in economics and Concentration in Black Studies from Swarthmore College, and Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Barry University. She is a senior partner in Holland & Knight LLP, an international law firm that traces its Florida history to the 1890s. She was named a partner in the firm in 1986 – becoming the first Black woman partner of a major law firm in Florida. A native of Tallahassee Florida, Ms. Holifield has served on the Executive Committees of the Harvard Board of Overseers, Swarthmore College Board of Managers, Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, and Harvard Alumni Association. She is a co-founder and board chair of the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora, Miami MoCAAD. In 2021, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation named her a Knight Arts Champion. She has received numerous awards for civic and professional contributions.