What do Richard Branson, Quincy Jones, Yvon Chouinard, David E. Stewart, Elon Musk, Frank Nuovo, John Paul DeJoria and Steve Jobs have in common with Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Sir Isaac Newton? They all share the 12 Essential Traits of the Renaissance Man. BEYOND GENIUS travels through history to determine the 12 essential traits that define a Renaissance Man, then applies those attributes to determine some of the Renaissance Men of today. We tell their stories of determination and perseverance, their expertise in a variety of fields, their insatiable curiosity, the infusion of their wisdom and creativity into our culture. We explore the making of a Renaissance Man and the deep connection these men have to advancements in the sciences, the arts and our way of being. Scott Griffiths & Eric Elfman, and their team, have put more than 1,000 hours of research into studying the history of the Renaissance Man, identifying common attributes that are constant throughout time, and identifying a select group today's most successful Renaissance Men. By understanding these traits, identifying and developing them, the innerRenaissance Man can be unleashed in more men for the betterment of the world.

After their home burns down, fourteen-year-old Nick, his younger brother, and their father move into a ramshackle Victorian house they've inherited. When Nick opens the door to his attic room, he's hit in the head by a toaster. That's just the beginning of his weird experiences with the old junk stored up there. After getting rid of the odd antiques in a garage sale, Nick befriends some local kids-Mitch, Caitlin, and Vincent-and they discover that all of the objects have extraordinary properties. What's more, Nick figures out that the attic is a strange magnetic vortex, which attracts all sorts of trouble. It's as if the attic itself has an intelligence . . . and a purpose.
Ultimately Nick learns that the genius Nikola Tesla placed the items-his last inventions-in the attic as part of a larger plan that he mathematically predicted. Nick and his new friends must retrieve everything that was sold at the garage sale and keep it safe. But the task is fraught with peril-in addition to the dangers inherent in Tesla's mysterious and powerful creations, a secret society of physicists, the Accelerati, is determined to stop Nick and alter destiny to achieve its own devious ends. It's a lot for a guy to handle, especially when he'd much rather fly under the radar as the new kid in town.
Fans of intrigue, action, humor, and nonstop surprises are guaranteed a read unlike any other in Tesla's Attic, Book One of the Accelerati Trilogy.
Praise for Tesla's Attic
"Lively, intelligent prose elevates this story of teenagers versus mad scientists, the third-person point of view offering a stage to various players in their play of galactic consequence. A wild tale in the spirit of Back to the Future, with a hint of Malamud's The Natural tossed in."--Kirkus Reviews
"This collaboration between Shusterman and Elfman tempers the scarier elements of Nick's quest with deft, humorous writing and plenty of the ordinary adventures of a new kid in school finding his niche. Hand this one to fans of Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles or Kenneth Oppel's Airborne."--Booklist
* ..".Shusterman and Elfman have crafted a plot more devious, characters far quirkier, climaxes (yes, there are two) more breathless, and a narration much, much funnier than recent mad-science offerings. Sticking with a third-person narration frees the authors to be as wryly and sophisticatedly witty as they please without compromising the veracity of their middle-school cast, resulting in storytelling as delightful as the story being told."
-Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

What do Richard Branson, Quincy Jones, Yvon Chouinard, David E. Stewart, Elon Musk, Frank Nuovo, John Paul DeJoria and Steve Jobs have in common with Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Sir Isaac Newton? They all share the 12 Essential Traits of the Renaissance Man. BEYOND GENIUS travels through history to determine the 12 essential traits that define a Renaissance Man, then applies those attributes to determine some of the Renaissance Men of today. We tell their stories of determination and perseverance, their expertise in a variety of fields, their insatiable curiosity, the infusion of their wisdom and creativity into our culture. We explore the making of a Renaissance Man and the deep connection these men have to advancements in the sciences, the arts and our way of being. Scott Griffiths & Eric Elfman, and their team, have put more than 1,000 hours of research into studying the history of the Renaissance Man, identifying common attributes that are constant throughout time, and identifying a select group today's most successful Renaissance Men. By understanding these traits, identifying and developing them, the innerRenaissance Man can be unleashed in more men for the betterment of the world.