OUTLIERS

Malcolm Gladwell

MSRP $27.99, 309 Pages.

Published by Little, Brown.

Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunity — from the author of “Blink.”

In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.


Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

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Amazon Best of the Month, November 2008: Now that he's gotten us talking about the viral life of ideas and the power of gut reactions, Malcolm Gladwell poses a more provocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don't arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."

Outliers can be enjoyed for its bits of trivia, like why most pro hockey players were born in January, how many hours of practice it takes to master a skill, why the descendents of Jewish immigrant garment workers became the most powerful lawyers in New York, how a pilots' culture impacts their crash record, how a centuries-old culture of rice farming helps Asian kids master math. But there's more to it than that. Throughout all of these examples--and in more that delve into the social benefits of lighter skin color, and the reasons for school achievement gaps--Gladwell invites conversations about the complex ways privilege manifests in our culture. He leaves us pondering the gifts of our own history, and how the world could benefit if more of our kids were granted the opportunities to fulfill their remarkable potential. --Mari Malcolm

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Articles from the New York Times

Book Review

First Chapter

Sunday Review

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Customer Reviews

Trivial

Rating

If you ever need an excuse of why you are not as successful as you think you deserve to be, here is the book for you. Basically, according to this book, success comes down to being in the right spot in the right time- it is that easy. I found his arguments shallow without real substance, most of his examples conveniently leave out what does not fit his line of thought (such as taking the risk, making the move, working hard to beat the competitor - apparently too trivial for him to consider this part of success as well). You can read along and nod and smile, but once you say, "wait a minute, what about ..." you are on your own. Waste of time to read it.

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interesting book

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This is a very interesting book and it will give you acouple of things to think about.

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Great insight into why some make it and some don't.

Rating

Bought the audio version and "read" during my commute. Very worthwhile. Great intro. Never had to feel like fast forwarding. It helped that the author narrated the book. Great insight into why some make it and some don't. I'm a fan of the book and the author."

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An Outlier Itself

Rating

From the first pages of the first chapter, this book grabs your attention in a way few nonfiction books can. The writing is superb and and the ideas intriguing. Gladwell has a style that quickly draws you in and makes you tear through the book, eager for him to reveal the mysteries he has uncovered.

In the nearly two years since I first read this book, I am sure I've discussed it with dozens of different people. Partly that is a result of it's popularity; I often find other people have read it as well. But it also speaks to the captivating nature of the subject matter. The ideas in the book are relevant. They color the way I look at the world. I think differently for having read this book. There aren't a whole lot of books I can say that about, but this surely is one of them.

-- Doug Warshauer, Author of If I'm So Smart Where Did All My Money Go: Balancing Your Financial Objectives for Lasting Wealth

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Got me an easy A in English Lit but otherwise, don't bother.

Rating

This was a required book for my college English Lit class. It was an easy read and doing a report on it was also easy. However, after the opening hook, it relies on anecdotes and junk science. Read it for fun, and its few thought provoking moments. But if you are a parent, don't use this as a gauge for Little Johnny or Jane's future because they weren't born in the right time or at the right place. It's good for an A in an English class, but that's about all.

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