Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Have you ever wondered why certain types of people are prone to successful events and others just sink beneath the cracks of society? No? Well same here because the answer is usually pretty simple. You have those who put in the hard yards and get out what they put in, and you have those guys you knew back in highschool who smoked weed everyday and 8/10 times they are still smoking weed or working as used mattress salesmen.

Malcolm Gladwell on the other hand, throws in a whole range of perspectives that are well thought out factors that determine the chances of success such as their culture, family, generation and idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. He explains common traits in software billionaires and what makes a great soccer player. He even tells us why Asians are so good at math and why the Beatles were/are the greatest rock band.

Gladwell wants you to think of these various possibilities and understand that it is not as straight forward as studying hard or training till you drop. If that were the case then I think a lot more people on this earth deserve to be more successful and an even greater amount as unsuccessful.

The book, for argument’s sake, stays within the context of the self-made concept. There’s no point in analyzing aristocratic behavior, which is why Gladwell ensures that he only speaks for those who have benefited from the seemingly serendipitous nature of how people grow up to an almost destiny-like sequence of events,

"they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot."

Just a few posts ago I did a review on Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and within that chronological account of the former creative genius you could implement Malcom Gladwell’s theories and see exactly what he means when highly self-made successful people come from the most unique sequence of life experiences and events. These people stem from the most random circumstances to become who they are. Be warned though, this is not a guide to success; rather an intellectual approach as to why success exists. I got my copy this time through bookcloseouts.com with a shoprepublic deal. There are a plenty of book vouchers left for other stores so get in quick because I highly recommend this read for anyone who thinks they can relate.