Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers (2008)

Posted by admin on Feb 17, 2009 in Arts & Culture | 0 comments

Malcolm Gladwell, staff writer for the New Yorker, known for his wild hair and thought-provoking books, delivers his newest work in Outliers. Outliers debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list in December, following in the bestselling form of Gladwell’s prior works, The Tipping Point and 2005’s Blink.

Outliers explores vastly successful people and groups, such as the American industrial titans (all born in the 1830s), the tech-boom kids (now entering retirement), and the Jewish lawyers who were the first in their field to specialize in corporate takeovers (before corporate takeovers became prevalent beginning in the 1990s).

It delves into other phenomena, including a fascinating chapter on Canadian junior hockey players. The chapter on our education system is recommended reading for everyone; it will urge you to question the conventional wisdom held about our failing school system.

While the subtitle for Outliers is “The Story of Success,” don’t expect to gain some great tips for getting ahead in life. Gladwell’s thesis is that success has just as much (if not more) to do with opportunity and blind luck than hard work and skill. A fast read, Outliers is a worthy addition to Gladwell’s previous sociology/psychology writings, and will make you question just how success occurs.