In this stunning 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.
In this stunning 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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Did you ever wonder why very successful people become very successful, while other equally smart people do not thrive? Is there a secret to the sensational achievements of the Beatles, Bill Gates, and businessmen who were born in the 1830s, but not the 1840s? This book attempts to answer these questions using sociological, cultural, and generational analysis presented in accessible language. Narrator and author Malcolm Gladwell does an exceptionally effective job reading his book. His tone is informative and matter-of-fact, and he has a soothing voice that presents the information clearly. He also knows when to emphasize key points. Gladwell's diction can be somewhat muddled, but he does a far better job than many authors who read their own works. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
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February 1, 2009
Internationally best-selling author Gladwell (The Tipping Point) presents a fascinating analysis of the factors that lead to success, delving into the backgrounds of business leaders, athletes, artists, and musicians to reveal how their culture, circumstance, timing, birth, and luck have all played a key role in their success. While listeners may need some time to adjust to the author's gravelly, breaking-voice narration, this popular analysis geared toward the mass market nevertheless provides an important contribution to the factors impacting human potential. Recommended for academic psychology collections and larger public libraries. [The review of the Little, Brown hc said that "libraries will need to acquire it," LJ 10/1/08.Ed.]Dale Farris, Groves, TXCopyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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September 22, 2008
Signature
Reviewed by
Leslie Chang
In Outliers
, Gladwell (The Tipping Point
) once again proves masterful in a genre he essentially pioneered—the book that illuminates secret patterns behind everyday phenomena. His gift for spotting an intriguing mystery, luring the reader in, then gradually revealing his lessons in lucid prose, is on vivid display. Outliers
begins with a provocative look at why certain five-year-old boys enjoy an advantage in ice hockey, and how these advantages accumulate over time. We learn what Bill Gates, the Beatles and Mozart had in common: along with talent and ambition, each enjoyed an unusual opportunity to intensively cultivate a skill that allowed them to rise above their peers. A detailed investigation of the unique culture and skills of Eastern European Jewish immigrants persuasively explains their rise in 20th-century New York, first in the garment trade and then in the legal profession. Through case studies ranging from Canadian junior hockey champions to the robber barons of the Gilded Age, from Asian math whizzes to software entrepreneurs to the rise of his own family in Jamaica, Gladwell tears down the myth of individual merit to explore how culture, circumstance, timing, birth and luck account for success—and how historical legacies can hold others back despite ample individual gifts. Even as we know how many of these stories end, Gladwell restores the suspense and serendipity to these narratives that make them fresh and surprising.
One hazard of this genre is glibness. In seeking to understand why Asian children score higher on math tests, Gladwell explores the persistence and painstaking labor required to cultivate rice as it has been done in East Asia for thousands of years; though fascinating in its details, the study does not prove that a rice-growing heritage explains math prowess, as Gladwell asserts. Another pitfall is the urge to state the obvious: “No one,” Gladwell concludes in a chapter comparing a high-IQ failure named Chris Langan with the brilliantly successful J. Robert Oppenheimer, “not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires and not even geniuses—ever makes it alone.” But who in this day and age believes that a high intelligence quotient in itself promises success? In structuring his book against that assumption, Gladwell has set up a decidedly flimsy straw man.
In the end it is the seemingly airtight nature of Gladwell's arguments that works against him. His conclusions are built almost exclusively on the findings of others—sociologists, psychologists, economists, historians—yet he rarely delves into the methodology behind those studies. And he is free to cherry-pick those cases that best illustrate his points; one is always left wondering about the data he evaluated and rejected because it did not support his argument, or perhaps contradicted it altogether. Real life is seldom as neat as it appears in a Malcolm Gladwell book. (Nov.)
Leslie T. Chang is the author of
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China (Spiegel & Grau). -
November 15, 2008
Gladwell, author and journalist, sets out to provide an understanding of success using outliers, men and women with skills, talent, and drive who do things out of the ordinary. He contends that we must look beyond the merits of a successful individual to understand his culture, where he comes from, his friends and family, and the community values he inherits and shares. We learn that societys rules play a large role in who makes it and who does not. Success is a gift, and when opportunities are presented, some people have the strength and presence of mind to seize them, exhibiting qualities such as persistence and doggedness. Successful people are the products of history and community, of opportunity and legacy, and success ultimately is not exceptional or unattainable, nor does it depend upon innate ability. It is an attitude of willingness to try without regard for the sacrifice required. This is an excellent book for a wide range of library patrons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.) -
January 26, 2009
Journalist Gladwell has established himself on the nonfiction bestseller lists by breaking down complex social science research into approachable concepts that can spark discussion around water coolers and cafe tables. Some of Gladwell's critics fault him for zeroing in on compelling anecdotes that may not consistently add up to empirical proof, but his flair for narrative serves him well as a reader. Gladwell builds dramatic tension into his storytelling—from the unique childhood of software tycoon Bill Gates to the secrets of success found along the rice fields of ancient China and Japan—making for an engaging listening experience even though the threads may not always tie together into a seamless package. The bonus author interview features some entertaining insights, including Canadian Gladwell's explanation for why so many comedy superstars hail from America's northern neighbor. A Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 22). -
October 1, 2008
Let's cut to the chase and say that all libraries should buy this book, if only because people will be asking for it. Gladwell, "New Yorker" staff writer, TEDTalks (Technology, Entertainment, Design) personality, and author of the best sellers "The Tipping Point" and "Blink, " has, well, reached a "tipping point" in the consciousness of observers of popular culture. Following a format similar to his previous books, Gladwell gloms onto an apparent phenomenonin this case people who seem significantly different from other people, whether for good or for illand offers what we're all apparently supposed to believe are startlingly logical explanations for why they stand out. Gladwell's reasons have largely to do with things like where they come from and what month they were born in. It's all very readable, but not particularly surprising. No matter, libraries will need to acquire it. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 7/08.]Ellen Gilbert, Princeton, NJCopyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
