Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Outliers: The Story of Success

OutliersOutliers by Malcolm Gladwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Read this. You will be talking about it to your family & friends for a long time. Many people read only fiction and that is a shame, because Malcolm Gladwell has revolutionized non- fiction writing. His first 2 books were best sellers: "The Tipping Point" and "Blink." I’ve read both and being primarily a fiction reader, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them. But this third book, in which he explains the story of success, is my favorite.



Citing case after fascinating case of successful people & organizations Gladwell’s point becomes unforgettably clear: successful people are often talented, intelligent, and ambitious, yes, but these traits *always* converge with opportunities. These opportunities include cultural environment, where and when a person is born—even their birth month, and luck: being in the right place at the right time. Forget genius. Hard work combined with opportunity is everything. Since he writes so clearly this is a fast and fascinating read, well woth the few hours invested.





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