Outliers: The Story of Success
I’m giving a book recommendation tonight. The book is “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell.
Definition: outlier – an extreme deviation from the mean
Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? This is basically what the book is about; an analysis, done with stories and information about successful people and people that should’ve been successful.
Gladwell challenges the notions of the “self-made man” and makes compelling arguments that superstars don’t come from nowhere riding a wave of genius and talent. He argues that they are products of unique combinations of time, place, culture, extraordinary opportunity, and multiple hidden advantages that ALLOW them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others can’t.
Amazon.com rates it 4 outa 5 stars on 656 reviews. That alone tells you that this book has stirred up a hornet’s nest of pros and cons for his arguments.
I tell ya this book just rings true to me on a gut level. Not very scientific on my part I know but I’ve really learned to trust my gut more and more as the years pass. It’s a great read, he has a very enjoyable writing style. And it really shook me up because of so many examples in the book that I could relate to growing up as a kid that had parents who just didn’t know how to deal with their son.
I strongly recommend this book to all the parents out there.
Outliers: The Story of Success (Hardcover)
By Malcolm Gladwell
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (November 18, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316017922
ISBN-13: 978-0316017923
