Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers follows hot on the heels of The Tipping Point and Blink to raise thought provoking scenarios, this time on ‘the story of success’.
The concept appeals in that an understanding of the factors in the success of others can be used to apply these principals yourself.
Gladwell uses simple experiences and experiments to illustrate and argue his points in an accessible way. What is more important in longevity? Your diet or your community? When is the best time of year to be born if you (or your offspring) want to be a sporting pro? Many of these answers, according to Gladwell, lie in history and a sprinkling of statistics, enabling a challenge current conventional thinking.
One thing I love about this book is the empowering feeling that success is somehow within my grasp if I just work hard enough (the magical 10,000 hour rule) or if I just speak the right language (Korean, Chinese or Japanese for those wanting superior mathematical skills).
After setting the bar so high on Blink and The Tipping Point it was hard to follow these up. The Outliers just had a little less sparkle than it’s predecessors but is still a riveting read.
I would give this four out of five stars.
