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 ma...

#Some Great Insights (2008-11-26) I was a big fan of Galdwell`s first two books, the Tipping Point, and Blink. In Outliers, Gladwell tries to give insight into the story of successful people. A few of the insights such as demographics,luck, and the 10,000 hour rule, will not come as a surprise to most people. I think we are all aware that superstar athletes, and great musicians spend countless hours practicing. A little luck does not hurt either. However, there are some insights that are quite startling. The culture of honor in Kentucky, and the ethnic aspect of plane crashes, real...