| Outliers: The Story of Success |  | Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
List Price: $27.99
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Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 309
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0316017922
Dewey Decimal Number: 302
EAN: 9780316017923
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| - | ISBN13: 9780316017923 | | - | Condition: NEW | | - | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Amazon.com Review
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
Product Description
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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| Customer Reviews:
 One of the most interesting and profound books I've read this year (A.K.A. the 898th review) March 20, 2010
DWD (Indianapolis, IN)
What can I add to this host of reviews that has not already been said?
Perhaps nothing, but this book hit me in a profound way based on things that are happening at my work.
Please pardon a little bit of blogging tossed in with a little bit of book reviewing - it's not my normal style.
I am a high school teacher and we are, as a school, busily studying the racial achievement gap that exists on all (if not all, it is almost, almost, almost all) standardized tests across the country. Currently, I am bucking my school system by insisting it is not a racial gap but rather a failure of the culture of the school to attune itself to the culture of our African-American and Hispanic students. A cultural gap, as it were.
To me this is no simple issue of semantics - if the gaps are cultural they can be overcome by re-tooling and learning new strategies. If the gaps in achievement truly are racial - based on inherited characteristics from our genetic code, well, what's the point of trying, really? (To be honest, I think they are using race as a simplistic code word for culture, but this is dangerous game to play, in my opinion).
Anyway, Malcolm Gladwell backs up my arguments in chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 with interesting analyses that shed light on the importance of learned culture on success and behaviors. I recommended this book to a member of the leadership team that is leading these discussions and he was intrigued enough to pick up the book and start reading.
The other way that this book was meaningful was its emphasis on the role of practice in achieving success. 10,000 hours - the magic number when it takes to become a Mozart or The Beatles or Bill Gates or Michael Jordan. Note the emphasis on the individual here - you two can be a master of your chosen field with just enough practice! Sort of democratizing isn't it? This is blended together with cultural legacies in Chapter 9 to show how culture can encourage that sense of purpose in an individual.
Anyway, I have a student teacher who will be a very good teacher one day and I spoke with her about the value of practice and experience. She won't be a master teacher in her first year, but those hours in the classroom will add up and she will be one day. Well, it sounds less profound here, written down. Believe me, it was inspiring when I spoke about it.
So, in short, this is a heckuva interesting book. I devoured it. It gave me a lot to ruminate about.
Highly recommended.
 keys to success March 17, 2010
Patti (Atlanta, GA)
We all know that being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with success. Malcolm Gladwell gives us lots of examples, the first of which is about being born in the right month if you aspire to professional hockey in Canada. He also stresses the importance of ambition, hard work, and the influences that shape our lives. The most disturbing section has to do with cultural influences and the devastating airline tragedies that occurred partly because of a co-pilot who was overly deferential to the captain and to air traffic controllers. The author often reminds us that it's not necessary to be exceedingly smart to be successful; it's just necessary to be smart enough. He gives the example of a man whose IQ is in the 190s but didn't finish college because of his inability to negotiate a class schedule that would allow him to continue. In contrast, another man attempted to murder a professor and still went on to become immensely successful. Near the end, he takes a linguistic approach to explaining one of the reasons Asians excel at math. I had never really considered how the English language makes arithmetic more difficult than it needs to be. He also presents a strong case for year-round school.
 Entertaining but not Science March 17, 2010
Mary Bast
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very interesting and well-written. Gladwell is smart, and makes this sound like real science but I wonder about his interpretation of statistics. Also, understanding what makes pilots successful will not necessarily encourage you to fly... well, not with certain airlines.
Enjoyable and enlightening March 16, 2010
V. Vital
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It is well written and very thought provoking. Meritocracy is an ingrained element of our society. Gladwell attacks that notion, however, and does so in a very rational, methodical and well-supported fashion. My summary of the book: luck + hard work + reasonable brain power + reasonable to high "social" intelligence = success. The "luck" factor is what those living under the meritocracy myth like to overlook. Who your parents are; when you were born; where you were born; where you live; etc. -- these things matter immensely. This is a must read for those in employment hiring and college admissions positions (or similar positions). Heck, the best evidence of the premise of this book is George W. Bush -- does anyone think that he would have been president if not for Daddy Bush and the family and life circumstances he was born into?!
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