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...

Explaining what William McNeill called The Rise of the West has become the central problem in the study of global history. In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond presents the biologist s answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. Diamond evenhandedly reviews human history on every continent since the Ice Age at a rate that emphasizes only the broadest movements of peoples and ideas. Yet his survey is binocular: one eye has the rather distant vision of the evolutionary biologist, while the other eye--and his heart--belongs to the people of New Guinea, where he has done field work for more than 30 years.

#World history that actually makes sense. (2008-05-11) A very informative, in-depth look at how environmental and geographical factors have affected world history. Despite the sometimes dull and methodical vocabulary used, Diamond succeeds in delivering insightful theories about world-wide phenomena most of us wouldn t have otherwise put any thought to. I learned a lot from this book, Diamond s confident and knowledgeable tone throughout is refreshing to readers who crave the satisfaction of learning something new. My sole complaint is that I was unfamiliar with many of the terms use...

#amazing collection of information (2007-12-02) This is an amazing book, and a lifetime of research and thinking by Mr. Diamond must have gone into creating it. Even though it is almost 500 pages in length, it concisely covers the basics of much of human history and civilization. Thankfully, Mr. Diamond puts forth the opposite of a racist interpretation of human history. It is very much taboo to suggest that genetic differences between different races resulted in one group of people conquering or dominating another, but it turns out that there are genetic differences in the brain b...

#Wonderful (2007-10-13) I found it refreshing to read something which genuinely attempted to grasp the big picture of history. Ably dismissing the conceited and partisan theories of earlier generations (and of most people living today), Diamond proposes sensible scientific alternatives which carry the ring of truth, and apparently so self-evident that it seems amazing no one thought of them before. He isn t too concerned with the individuals and events which are the backbone of traditional histories. He won t explain why one or other political power in Europe gained the advantage in ...

#BIG SUBJECT, BIG LET DOWN (2007-08-26) Anybody interested in reading Jared Diamond s book about the fates of civilizations should be warned up front about two things. One, it is a rather dry academic book by a noted professor of physiology. And two, the catchy title came out of the marketing department of Norton and has little to do with the subject matter. I rather suspect that Prof. Diamond originallly called his book Crops and Animals and What Societies Did With Them. I found this a tough read. Suckered in by the title and hype, I kept waiting for the guns to appear,...

#Interesting but Missing Some Info (2007-08-20) The book is very well written, even though at times I found he rambled on for a little bit. Over all, he gives you very good facts about why certain societies over the course of history have technology which other societies do not. I do agree that the book does not however explain why certain societies/countries in today s world still do not have some of these technologies but the book give you enough information for you to make your own conclusion. I could write a little more but many people have already done so and I feel one should ...