Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

I'm a big Malcolm Gladwell fan and I loved this book. Because I found this book more personal than any other, I enjoyed it more.

I appreciate that Gladwell often presents research conclusions or other evidence that is counter intuitive or contrary to "received wisdom."

Gladwell's thesis in this book is that there are many factors that contribute to success or simply permit it to take place that are structural. To some extent, I think we all sense that to be true. For instance, we know that because the economy is so bad now, this is a terrible time to be a new graduate. Opportunities that existed four years ago don't exist today.

I accept this premise as true and I think that quite a few other people do, too. (For instance, Fran Lebowitz made this point in the Martin Scorcese-directed documentary, "Public Speaking.") However, I'm not sure that I ever thought about it before I read -- or listened to -- this book.

I can't help but wonder if there have been readers who were misled by the title into thinking that they would learn how to be successful and were disappointed to learn that what they would learn, from reading this book, is that factors besides one's own merit and talent greatly affect our success. As Gladwell shows here, who your parents are, when and where you're born, and who your friends are may all be factors that shape your opportunities for success.

He opens the book by showing that students' hockey teams are inordinately composed of children who were born in January, February and March. That's because January 1 is the cut off; students born on that date or after are assigned to the next year's team. As coaches observe and assess students they focus on students with greater speed, strength and coordination and not coincidentally, that's often the students who have a few months on their peers.

Another example Gladwell offers is that Bill Gates' school had a computer lab. When his school ran out of resources for the computer lab, Gates and the other students were actually hired to do some computer work at a local company. Had his school not had a computer lab, things might have been very different.

I enjoyed the last chapter, about Gladwell's own mother, the most. I found his grandmother's determination to give her girls a better life very moving. I also learned that Gladwell is Canadian, from Ontario, something I hadn't known before - I'd also assumed he'd sprung, fully formed, from The New Yorker.

I listened to this book on audio and I hugely enjoyed it. I have no idea how hard Malcolm Gladwell worked on reading the book but he was right to do it because he's very good. It was a pleasure to hear him read it; he's a natural storyteller.