Cognitive skills vs. character

There's been a lot of online buzz recently about Paul Tough's new nonfiction book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. You can listen to a NPR interview here, or read excerpts here and here. I'm confused about Tough's central argument (does he think early childhood is the only time people can develop moral character? Surely not, right?), but the various snippets I've read have been more than enough to convince me to add this to my library hold list.