Book Review: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

My co-worker Jon told me I needed to read this book by Malcolm Gladwell. When I went to the library to get my next set of books for the drive to Tallahassee for an AAC meeting, I remembered it picked this up to listen to it instead.

It turns out that Jon was suggesting Tipping Point, so I will read that one next.  I had heard Outliers reference a lot in graduate school but never got the chance to read it until now.

Side note: I saw Malcolm Gladwell on The View recently promoting his new book, Talking to Strangers. It seems really promising, and I want to read that one.

When I am not driving, books on CD are also useful because I listen to them while cooking and it is a hands-free activity. I like multi-tasking. Additionally, many times the author reads her or his own book, and I like to hear the books in their voices. It is almost like hearing them write it as they think it into existence.

This book may just change the way you think. Do outliers exist? Malcolm Gladwell explains his answer. He goes through famous cases of people and events and describes how factors, some which people could control and some which the people had no part in, influence our lives.  Some of these factors even happened in our ancestors' lives.

This book might affect how you look at success and really successful people. There is definitely more there than the outcome and the deeper story can explain what aligned to get that successful person to where they are.

One takeaway from this book is that it takes about 10, 000 hours to master something. That old saying, "Practice makes perfect," is true. Thanks, Mom.  That is about 20 hours a week for 10 years. Start those kids young on things they love like an instrument or a fruitful hobby. It takes time to get good.

He ends the book with an epilogue that talks about his family history, and I like how he goes from the impersonal to personal. It makes you think about your family and how you got to where you are. It may make you rethink those old family stories and their place in your current life.

(Also, there is a cool interview with Malcolm on the book on CD version of this at the end.)

This not an entertaining book, but it is a very useful and thought-provoking one. It is backed up with lots of scientific evidence and studies, so it is not just an opinion piece.

If you like re-thinking and re-examining things you think you already know, check this one out.