Outliers: The Story of Success

"Outliers", like other Gladwell books, is very enjoyable. It offers some interesting perspectives about what makes some people more successful than others, with particular emphasis on those who far exceed expectations. Many of the book's criticisms focus on what the book is not. I think that is a mistake. This is simply a fine book, a very thoughtful and easy read. The book goes into how one's ethnic roots and specific opportunities set the stage for dramatic success, then working hard takes over. For example: 1. An ancestral emphasis on community involvement can lead to health results which beat the odds. 2. The date of one's birth can affect athletic and academic success, as the oldest in a group of youth, will lead to the 'Matthew Effect', better coaching/teaching, more games/practice, etc. There is an accumulative advantage. On a list of the wealthiest people of all-time, besides opportunity showing up with so many from America, among that group, being born around 1835 and around 1955 stand out, to take advantage of when railroads and Wall Street emerged and when computer time-sharing emerged, respectively. 3. The 10,000 hour rule. Gladwell thinks about 10,000 hours of concentrating at a skill is necessary to excel at something. 4. Whether it is height in basketball or IQ, just being tall enough or intelligent enough is all that really matters, same with colleges as long as they are good enough. Practical intelligence, knowledge and savvy are what really counts and family background is the key to having those. Parents should be involved with their children, with lots of negotiating and expectations of child talk-back, necessary to cause a child to develop a sense of entitlement, maybe not the most moral approach, but extreme success madates that. 5. Jewish immigrants had advantage of occupational skills, like in the garment industry - enterpreneurial skills versus other immigrants like peasant farmers. Work was more meaningful. Their offspring saw this, plus NYC public schools were probably the best in the world at the time. 6. Harlan, Kentucky is an example of herdsmen settlers, with a culture of honor from Scotch-Irish ancestors, influenced descendants, Gladwell saying that crime in the South more influenced more by personal than economic reasons. Certain 'insult' words have bigger effect. 7. Plane crashes are more from human errors in teamwork and communication. Cultural respect for authority a big factor; can keep a subordinate from directing a superior in an emergency. Plus, 'mitigated speech' can be a problem. Can be remedied by training in 'Aviation English'. 8. Asians being better in Math, likely related to ancestral tradition of rice paddies, which are complicated and require hard work throughout the year. Western farming is more mechanical with usually an off-season with little work. Here again, more meaningful and hard work. Plus, Asians learn to count faster because of language differences for numbers. 9. K.I.P.P. Academy in the Bronx, charter middle school, is successful because it has long school days and short summer vacations, with students who commit to work hard. Studies have shown schools generally do well when they are in session, the problem are kids losing ground without good parental involvement during summer vacation. So, it is possible to make up for poor childhood family situations. Makes school meaningful. Incentives, rewards, fun and discipline is the formula. A terrific book.

There is little doubt that Malcolm Gladwell is an engaging story teller, clearly a result of his his background as a journalist. His style is both easy to read and informative. The individuals whose lives and stories he uses to illustrate his points are at once interesting and at the same time well chosen to illuminate the issues under his social microscope. These are stories told with enough detail, often gleaned from personal interviews with the people at whom he chooses to look in intimate detail. He avoids in large measure the narrow vision that such inspection may yield by also investigating the social sciences that have searched out the details of such difficult concepts. Everyone has some idea who "makes it" and who does not. That is often easy to see because life rewards those who make great effort in general. The difficult part is understanding why some succeed so well and others who may be even more gifted do not, at least in terms of the world's way of rewarding the star performers. It is often the grist of of rumor and innuendo as to why or how some people make it to the top of the "food chain." But to analyze the reasons carefully and then apply the scientific data of real studies to those stories brings this clearly into the realm of reality, if we ever really know that that is. As one who has spent a lifetime trying to apply the results of scientific study to the real world I found his approach noteworthy because of its practical applicability. I have read many dry textbooks, articles and studies and sometimes had difficulty seeing their real world application. But these stories are very illustrative of the points Mr. Gladwell is attempting to help us see with clarity. I enjoyed very much reading this work and wondering if it would have made some difference in the way I lived my own life and what I may have accomplished had I applied the message of its pages. I think that this can help everyone with ambition and ability to achieve more and those who may not have as much of a gift do well with what they have inasmuch as he clearly points out that achievement of greatness is often the result of great effort and application of what natural ability one has. I liked the "10,000 hours" as a real world application of what it takes to do it well. There is just enough science to give the work credibility, but not make it dry or over the heads of most. This and all the others of Gladwell's work that I have read have that same engaging style, enough to help one understand and believe it and enough of the stories of real people to make it interesting and applicable. I have recommended this book to my friends and family, especially those who are in the fields of childhood education or influence and who are either children growing up in this competitive society or raising children themselves. Everyone has something to learn from this either about themselves, those they may seek to help and those whom they may choose to emulate. I liked this book. I read it on my kindle, standing in line, sitting waiting or just absorbed by its message. It was hard to put down. This was the first of Mr. Gladwell's works I read, but then quickly read others which seem to have the same merit.

I want this quote from Chapter 8 tattooed on my students’ foreheads: “Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds.” Nailed it. No better statement explains the difference between success and failure in my English and writing classes. Part of me really enjoyed reading this book, though as many reviewers have pointed out, the parts are greater individually than as a whole. The most interesting and insightful chapter is right up front, Gladwell’s analysis of Little League hockey (quite fascinating). The other stories, about such topics as pilots, rice paddies and summer school, while interesting and well written, ultimately drew what I thought were pretty obvious conclusions: clear, blunt communication in times of peril is good, having a hard work ethic is good, and putting that work ethic into practice is even better. Um. Duh? Each chapter’s new idea is thoughtful and well explained, but when I finished the book, I didn’t feel the earth-shattering revelations that I was hoping for. Instead, I sat back and thought to myself, I’m not sure I just learned anything that I didn’t already know. In fact, I thought to myself, Who doesn’t already know on some level what Outliers purports, that sweeping success is a matter of heritage, luck, skill and hard work. Now that I think about it, it’s almost insulting that Gladwell assumes most Americans believe that success is purely a matter of skill or hard work, that greats such as Albert Einstein and Bill Gates succeeded as a result of their innate genius and astounding IQ alone. But then my brain reminds me, Hey, you teach high school, and students act on this flawed premise all the time. And if the kids do, what does that say about the parents? Might they also underestimate the value of persistence, hard work, and opportunity? (The answer, BTW, is that yes, there are tons of parents who understand that hard work is good for their student, but who don’t understand exactly what “hard work” means for the academic setting.) Thinking back to my students again, and about how easily they give up, and how little effort they’re willing to put into their own education, suddenly a book like this makes perfect sense. This is why Outliers: Chapters 1 and 2 are going to be making their debut in my freshman classroom this year. Perhaps the real lesson of Outliers is not the conclusions that it draws, but the fact that few of us actually put these conclusions to practical use. And in that sense, this is a very valuable book indeed

Book Review submitted by: Stephen J. Hage, [email protected] Gladwell has a way of looking at the world that's different from the way most of us do. A large part of his talent lies in his ability to see things that, even though they're there, we tend to miss. He displayed that unique ability in The Tipping Point and in Blink and delivers, in spades, once again in Outliers. The book explores people who do things out of the ordinary by delving deeply into how and why they were able to do what they did. Using his unique way of looking at the world, Gladwell offers surprises few would even think to look for. In dealing with who gets to the top in the hockey world in Canada, Gladwell looked at the player roster of the 2007 Medicine Hat Tigers. The salient feature of the roster is that seventeen of the twenty-five players were born in January, February, March or April. Looking deeper, he shows why that's so. The eligibility cutoff for age-class hockey in Canada is January 1. "A boy who turns ten on January 2, then, could be playing alongside someone who doesn't turn ten until the end of the year--and at that age, in preadolescence, a twelve month gap in age represents an enormous difference in physical maturity. This being Canada, the most hockey-crazed country on earth, coaches start to select players for the traveling "rep" squad--the all-star teams--at the age of nine or ten, and of course they are more likely to view as talented the bigger and more coordinated players, who have had the benefit of critical extra months of maturity. And what happens when a player gets chosen for a rep squad? He gets better coaching, and his teammates are better, and he plays fifty or seventy-five games a season instead of twenty games a season like those left behind in the "house" league, and he practices twice as much as, or even three times more than, he would have otherwise. In the beginning, his advantage isn't so much that he is inherently better but only that he is a little older. But by the age of thirteen or fourteen, with the benefit of better coaching and all that extra practice under his belt he really is better, so he's the one more likely to make it to the Major junior A league, and from there to the big leagues." Turns out that in hockey, in Canada as in so many other endeavors, besides talent, timing, circumstances, and luck play a big part in separating winners from losers. The book is filled with similar stories chronicling what elements, in the lives of people like Bill gates and groups like the Beatles, illuminate how and why they became so spectacularly successful...such outliers. To be sure, talent is an important and necessary ingredient but, in and of itself, it is almost never enough. Gladwell's singular strength is the way in which he sees the world. His writing ability then creates a lens through we get to see the same things he sees. This is a good read and I recommend it without reservation.

This was a book I picked up after reading a political book that I just finished about mens issues. It was referenced and it was to my curiosity to see what it was all about since the main topic of discussion was success. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. With that being said, this was one of the best books that I have ever read about outliers. The whole purpose of this book is to redefine the way we view success. Success is not only due sheer effort and hard work as we hear from most success stories, but it also due to the sheer amount of opportunities that people had. Whether it be out of pure luck or due to their cultural roots. The author does a great job in proving those two points with the sheer amount of examples and stories that he provides. Not only providing us with accurate scientific information, but also making it enjoyable and easier for most people to pick up. I was engaged in every story that he told and was fascinated to see how he broke down all the details that he needed to prove his point. From stories about the tech era, to the airline industries and so much more. To even feel sympathy for some of the people in these stories and saw all of all these things that happened in these people lives, whether they became outliers or not came into fruition. I was engaged in it all. This is one of the books that you probably thought to yourself when you see two people of the same caliber and think to yourself why aren't they both successful. Why did only one of them become an outlier while the other didn't even knowing they both skilled at whatever profession they are in (same profession to be exact). This book not only aligned with the idea with the idea that I had about success, but proved it even more. Showing that some opportunities that are given to you is the biggest factor when it comes to being successful. Being there are the right the time or just simply someone giving you the helping hand that is needed. This is a perfect book in my eyes and I would highly recommend this to all.

Engaging and Insightful Look at Success Malcolm Gladwell has a gift for taking big, sometimes abstract ideas and turning them into stories that stick with you. Outliers dives into the question of why some people achieve extraordinary success while others with similar talents do not. What I really enjoyed about this book is the way it blends research with real-life examples—whether it’s the “10,000 hours rule” of practice, the role of cultural legacies, or how timing and opportunity shape careers. The book is easy to read, and Gladwell’s storytelling makes the psychology and sociology of success feel both approachable and meaningful. I found myself reflecting on my own path and how circumstances—some within my control and many not—have influenced outcomes. This isn’t a self-help manual with step-by-step advice, but rather a thought-provoking exploration that makes you reframe how you view talent, effort, and opportunity. If there’s a caution, it’s that some of Gladwell’s conclusions can feel a bit too neat, as if the complexity of success is boiled down to a single narrative. But that doesn’t take away from how stimulating and conversation-starting the book is. Bottom line: A fascinating and highly readable book that challenges the myth of the “self-made” success and shows how hidden advantages, culture, and sheer timing play a massive role in achievement.

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell embarks on a thought-provoking exploration of the factors that contribute to extraordinary success. Through captivating stories and insightful analysis, he challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding high achievers by emphasizing the significance of their backgrounds—cultures, families, generations, and unique experiences—rather than solely focusing on individual traits. Gladwell delves into a variety of intriguing case studies, revealing how circumstances and opportunities shape success. He examines the paths of software billionaires, the training regimes that cultivate great soccer players, the reasons behind the mathematical prowess often attributed to Asian students, and the factors that propelled The Beatles to rock band royalty. Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that not only delights but also enlightens readers about the intricate web of influences that foster exceptional achievement. This book encourages us to reconsider our understanding of success and the vast array of elements that contribute to becoming an outlier in any field.

No, it [excellence] doesn't start with talent, it starts with love. ---Malcolm Gladwell on Jimmy Kimmel Live (1-13-09) Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent. --Langston Coleman --- The zeitgeist in the world of practice is the 10,000 hour rule, a fact that first appeared in Ericsson's research into excellence. Basically, it means that if you practice a thing for 10,000 hours, you'll become a master at doing it. It's an oft-quoted statistic and is an important factor in all the books I've reviewed in this blog, and it's no surprise that the 10K rule also appears in Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, Outliers: The Story of Success (and the talks about it). But the 10K rule is an oversimplification. More on this at the end of the review. Gladwell has produced similar popular books ( Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking , and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference ). His writing has received some criticism, most notably a scathing New York Times review, a paper that has published Gladwell's writing since 1996. This and other criticism fail to take into account that Gladwell produced exactly the kind of book he set out to produce: something that is interesting to read and which gives us an intriguing take on a Big Idea. To criticize the work for its lack of scientific rigor or flawless logic is to miss the point entirely. The book, like much of Gladwell's writing, is full of anecdotes and interesting facts about people who have proven their excellence, people from Bill Gates to professional hockey players. Gladwell's focus is not on the individual but on the myriad circumstances surrounding that person's success. It's an approach that has more of the nurture than nature in it. He finds, not surprisingly, that there are many complex factors that go into anybody's success, and some of it is luck, but there is no luck without significant hard work, and the support of many people and circumstances. Again, no surprise. I found the book enjoyable, and worth reading. His take on the ideas is intriguing, and although there is nothing particularly revelatory in the book, I don't believe this was Gladwell's intent. His intent was to write an entertaining book that is more a conversation than a compendium on what excellence is, and in that sense he's succeeded. It's broken into chunks of about 1,500 words, a practice that Gladwell uses because he believes that's a size that most people are willing to sit still for. His sales figures seem to support this approach. What I found myself searching for, and which I didn't find much of, was a more specific look at the 10K hour rule. Gladwell does correctly say that passion must be a part of the equation, or there would be no will to put in the 10K hours. Surprised? Of course not, but at least one detail of the 10K hours is touched upon, but few others. This has been the same critique I've had of all the books on this subject (and much of the research) I've read so far. This isn't a critique of the writers, because they're not focused on the makeup of the 10K hours. But it's what I'm interested in, and probably millions of others who practice music (or anything else for that matter). What is within those 10K hours? How do they play out? If I sit in a room and play an F on my trumpet four hours every day until, after 10 years, I reach the 10K hour mark, I will not be a master trumpet player. There is much more to the 10K rule than just putting in the time. Stay tuned to my blog ([...]) to find out exactly what's inside those 10K hours, at least in the field of music.