Outliers

by Malcolm Gladwell

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8,132 ratings, 4.00 average rating, 2,634 reviews (more data...)

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published

November 18th 2008 by Little, Brown and Company

binding

Hardcover, 309 pages

isbn

0316017922 (isbn13: 9780316017923)

description

Why do some people succeed far more than others?
There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on...more

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12/06/08

Rebecca rated it:

bookshelves: philosophy, political

Read in November, 2008

Gladwell argues that success is tightly married to opportunity and time on task. He states that it takes approximately 10,000 hours to master something and that gives me comfort. It helps me feel better about my many failures at initial attempts to master things (like glazing pottery, algebra, Salsa dancing, skiing and sewing... to name a few). I kept thinking, I just got put in a few more hours if I want to do better.

While I can see a different way of spinning the data provided to ...more Gladwell argues that success is tightly married to opportunity and time on task. He states that it takes approximately 10,000 hours to master something and that gives me comfort. It helps me feel better about my many failures at initial attempts to master things (like glazing pottery, algebra, Salsa dancing, skiing and sewing... to name a few). I kept thinking, I just got put in a few more hours if I want to do better.

While I can see a different way of spinning the data provided to support Gladwell's argument, I didn't care. In a rare moment, I found myself not wanting to argue. : ) Instead, I found myself reflecting on things that have felt like lucky opportunities in my own life. This reflection was very humbling.

Moreover, I felt the text tugging at the need for greater equity. What could all the people with limited opportunities do if given greater opportunities? Think Darfur. How many people who might have come up with the cure for pancreatic cancer been forced to spend their time standing in lines waiting for clean water or food?

My own personal experience as a teacher of refugees nicely reflects Gladwell's primary thesis. Many of my refugee students are pre-literate. They have not been given the opportunity to gain a formal education. As a result, there are many well-intended but misinformed people who place these students in special education courses or deem them their I.Q. low, diminishing their opportunities even more.

The students I teach are hungry for skills and spend hours outside of class practicing. They make huge gains despite earlier opportunities denied them. While many will not go on to big colleges out of high school, I feel like given enough opportunity and time they could make it there. Sadly, many have families who depend on them to work to help financially support the family. (Yet, another limited opportunity to spend time focused on developing skills.)

In the past week, I have shared Gladwell's thesis with my students. We have applied the 10,000 hours to master a task to reading and writing. I remind students that if we don't get our 10,000 hours this year together, they must continue on their own. I remind them that it IS possible to move forward if they are focused and keep adding hours of work to their reading and writing. We even write on the board how many hours left before we are masters.

"2 hours down, only 9,998 left to go"

Friday, I had a student from Somalia smile and ask, "So it's not true that white people are smarter than black Africans? They just get more chances to read?" Imagine my pleasure when I could respond, "YES! That's correct. You are just as smart as any white kid in this school. It's just that some of them have been reading for years and you are just getting started."

Thank you for your work Galdwell, it is salient in today's political conversation surrounding education (especially for our most vulnerable students who have been given the fewest opportunities).
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01/03/09

Trevor rated it:

I know, you don’t think you have the time and there are other and more important books to read at the moment, but be warned, you do need to read this book.

There are a number of ways I can tell a book will be good; one of those ways is if Graham has recommended it to me (how am I going to cope without our lunches together, mate?). And there is basically one way for me to I know that I’ve really enjoyed a book, and that is if I keep telling people about it over and over again. We...more

Like this review? yes (17 people liked it)

23 comments

11/14/08

Dave rated it:

bookshelves: popculture-society

Read in November, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Malcolm Gladwell's new book reads like a series of cocktail-party anecdotes. Whether the book is a mere fluff piece or something more is open to debate. At its heart, it has two themes: (1) That success depends not just on talent but opportunity, and (2) that success (and failure) also depend on the cultural legacies we inherit from our forebears. Boiled down, here are his essential ideas:

OPPORTUNITY

1. Luck matters. Hockey players who happened to be born between Janua...more Malcolm Gladwell's new book reads like a series of cocktail-party anecdotes. Whether the book is a mere fluff piece or something more is open to debate. At its heart, it has two themes: (1) That success depends not just on talent but opportunity, and (2) that success (and failure) also depend on the cultural legacies we inherit from our forebears. Boiled down, here are his essential ideas:

OPPORTUNITY

1. Luck matters. Hockey players who happened to be born between January and March were disproportionately represented in professional hockey leagues. From an early age, these players were the oldest in their age bracket, and therefore bigger and more coordinated. Coaches selected them for better training and playing opportunities, and overtime, success bred success. Likewise, students who happened to be older for their class scored higher on math and science tests than their younger classmates, and were more likely to be picked for "gifted" and other advanced programs.

2. Even smart people need 10,000 hours of practice before they master a skill. Those that can get those 10,000 hours during childhood are a step ahead. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and The Beatles all had unique opportunities to have lots and lots of practice in their specialties at an early age before becoming successful.

3. After 120, increases in IQ are less important than creativity and "practical intelligence" -- knowing what to say to whom, knowing when to say it, and knowing how to say it for maximum effect. A lifelong study of geniuses showed they were no more successful than the average population. Nobel laureates are just as likely to come from City College of NY, Augsburg College, or Gettysburg College as they are from Harvard.

LEGACY

4. Rural Americans in backcountry states -- Kentucky, Tennessee, North & South Carolina -- inherited a "culture of honor" from their Scotch-Irish forefathers. These herdsmen warriors brought with them a willingness to fight in response to the smallest slight. This led to a pattern of bloody and violent feuds between families across the Appalachian states. (Think Hatfields vs. McCoys.)

5. Korean Airlines had an unusually high rate of plane crashes because of the Korean culture's extreme deference to superiors. Junior pilots were reluctant to directly contradict their Captain on a flight, even in the face of grave error. This explains, for instance, the Korean Air Flight 801 crash in Guam in 1997. When the airline hired a specialist from Delta to retrain the pilots to speak more transparently, their safety record went up dramatically.

6. Asians are good at math and science because their ancestors planted rice paddies. Rice farming was more labor intensive than Western agriculture. Asians have inherited this stick-with-it-ness that allows them to excel in math and science, where perseverance is mandatory.

7. Unlike rice paddies, wheat or corn fields need to be left fallow every few years. Early American educators adopted this principle toward schooling - that students must not be exhausted. Hence, the long summer vacation, a distinctly American legacy. But this legacy is counterproductive, because kids tend to forget things over the summer. Kids who go to schools with shorter summer breaks tend to have higher test scores.(less)

Like this review? yes (12 people liked it)

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12/05/08

Jonathan rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in November, 2008

Here's what I wrote earlier. I have to admit to the more I think and talk about the book, the less I think of it. It all seems too superficial.

A pretty interesting book, albeit with not quite as many "knock me over with a feather" moments as Blink. It starts off with a bang, as he discusses amateur hockey teams and how it was noticed that virtually all the players on an Under-18 hockey team came from the first three months of the year. Turns out the age cutoff is Januar 1 i...more Here's what I wrote earlier. I have to admit to the more I think and talk about the book, the less I think of it. It all seems too superficial.

A pretty interesting book, albeit with not quite as many "knock me over with a feather" moments as Blink. It starts off with a bang, as he discusses amateur hockey teams and how it was noticed that virtually all the players on an Under-18 hockey team came from the first three months of the year. Turns out the age cutoff is Januar 1 in Canada, so the older players (those born early in the year) advanced further due to their slight maturity advantage the continued to multiply, as they got better training, put on better teams etc.

This subject hit close to home, as I am a soccer coach and heavily involved in my daughters soccer league. My oldest has a birthday at the worst possible time, just a few weeks before the cutoff date, while the younger one has a birthday the month after the cutoff date. So far, it hasn't seemed to slow the older one's progress, but it is something I will certainly keep an eye on. Gladwell's suggestion is to have multiple cutoff dates, so other ages can play against others of the same age. Doesn't seem likely though.

He also explores how the timing of your interests can really change things. Something as simple as how available computer time was to early pioneers like Bill Gates and Bill Joy. Certainly, in the late 60s and early 70s, the amount of keyboard time these guys had pales in comparison to what would be available just a few years before that. He also talks about a major law firm in New York that benefited from getting the kinds of financial cases the other law firms wouldn't deal with, only to explode in popularity as the money days of the 80s and 90s struck.

I thought the book sometimes felt like it suffered from data mining, in that there didn't seem to be enough exploration of other equally successful groups that may not have had the same advantages. But still a fascinating look at what kinds of thing influence success, whether we think about them or not.
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Like this review? yes (10 people liked it)

2 comments

12/29/08

Allie rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Didn't exactly read this book - Joe and I listened to it in the car on the way home from visiting family for Christmas. I really enjoyed it, and was very fascinated by certain parts of it, especially the sections about the Beatles, computer programmers and Korean co-pilots.

But my enjoyment of the book was marred by the glaring absence of any well-known female "outliers." By chapter four or so, I noticed it and mentioned it to Joe, and then it just kept getting worse to the ...more

Like this review? yes (11 people liked it)

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04/11/09

Ben Mullins rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in April, 2009

In trying to think about this book logically in order for me to provide a review I discovered something: this book defies logic. Mr Gladwell doesn't provide anything sold to stand on. The vast majority of this book was anecdotes, and the first half of the book is a straw man argument. The tidbits Mr Gladwell gives us either aren't enough or are questionable at best. At no point in time can a reader use the word "comprehensive."

Most importantly Mr Gladwell falls into t...more

Like this review? yes (9 people liked it)

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12/19/08

Eric rated it:

I can save you the trouble of reading the book: smart people don't automatically become successful, they do so because they got lucky. This rule applies to everyone including the likes of Bill Gates and Robert Oppenheimer. That's it. That's what the whole book is about. Gladwell looks at case after case of this: Canadian hockey players, Korean airline pilots, poor kids in the Bronx, Jewish lawyers, etc... Even with all this evidence it feels like he's pulling in examples that fit his theory a...more

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12/16/08

Steve rated it:

Occasionally insightful, but Gladwell's science is pretty junky. His reasons for success change by the page. And he cherry-picks examples to exactly fit the scheme under consideration. Plus, he's obsessed with callbacks and summary statements that only showcase the faulty connections between ideas.

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01/19/09

Claudia rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction

Read in March, 2009

recommended to Claudia by: Bob and Shirley
recommends it for: all non-fiction fans

"Outliers" those wildly successful people, for whom 'normal rules don't apply.' Are they just lucky, talented? Maybe...but, outliers may not be outliers after all...after reading the entire book, I was slapped by that at the very end. Gladwell looks closely at success, and those who seem to have waltzed into incredible success...Canadian hockey players, who just happened to have been born in the right month of the year; Bill Gates, who just happened to go to a school where the PTA moms...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

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12/05/08

Sarah rated it:

Read in December, 2008

I listened to the unabridged copy while driving to/from Thanksgiving. Gladwell's books are often controversial because he tends to present only one side -- HIS side -- of an argument and gloss over anything that doesn't jive with his view. That said, the guy knows how to write and how to tell a story. His examples of why our success may be due to random uncontrollable factors like birthdate, family upbrining, and cultural background never fail to make me think "huh...that's interesting!"

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12/26/08

Hank Mishkoff rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Well, it's official: Malcolm Gladwell has run out of things to say.

His prose is still lively and entertaining, and he maintains his famous I-look-at-things-differently-than-anyone-else attitude, but "Outliers" has so little meat that it would have more appropriately been published as a magazine article.

I think that the main value of reading Gladwell is that he plants a seed in your brain that encourages you to seek unconventional explanations for familiar phenom...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

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08/16/08

Miriam rated it:

Read in September, 2008

A completely fascinating account of why some people succeed and some don't--from when a person is born to the number of hours they go to school to circumstance. This will be of interest to anyone who is thinking about when to start their kids in school, people interested in education policy, ok, everybody. But I'm DEFINITELY sending one to my dad who was an elementary school principal and now is a mentor to principals. The stuff about how schools in the US are run and how just changing how vacat...more

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11/20/08

Ruth rated it:

Read in November, 2008

I'd heard about this book, so when it came in the library the other day, I cracked it open to see what it was like. I couldn't put it down. I checked it out, jumping the line (librarian's priviledge!), and proceeded to devour it.

It reminded me very much of "Freakonomics", as Gladwell analyzed what made rich and successful people rich and successful. He dismissed the idea of an "overnight success", showing that anyone could become expert at anything, from pian...more

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12/30/08

Adam rated it:

Read in December, 2008

People are criticizing this book because it is not a journal article. Well guess what: we're not all sociologists. I have read plenty of journal articles in my own field (law). I'm in no position to read journal articles in fields outside my own. Having a well-written piece of mass-market writing is just the thing I need to access this information.

Another criticism of the book is that Gladwell is the "master of the anecdote." Well, it seems to me that ALL SOCIAL SCIENCE is ...more

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02/14/09

Kevin "El Liso Grande" Sprinkle rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I picked up this book on a whim not knowing anything about it and was captivated by the subject and writing. Malcolm Gladwell explains in an academic yet simple way how seemingly "self-made" superstars in business, sports and life are actually the result of hard work, incredible opportunities, culture and timing. From Mozart to the Beatles to Bill Gates to hockey superstars he builds a case for this very theory. Surprisingly fun and a fast read, this book prompts much thought and discu...more

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12/11/08

Kressel rated it:

bookshelves: jewish, non-fiction, psychology, world-culture

Read in February, 2009

This has got to be Malcolm Gladwell’s best book yet, and coming from a fan like me, that’s saying something!

As the subtitle states, this is a book of success stories, and true to his usual style, Gladwell draws on a diverse and interesting set of examples and presents a unique thesis on the ingredients it takes to make a person a success. The first half of the equation is much like Carol Dweck’s thesis in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Hard work matters much more than...more This has got to be Malcolm Gladwell’s best book yet, and coming from a fan like me, that’s saying something!

As the subtitle states, this is a book of success stories, and true to his usual style, Gladwell draws on a diverse and interesting set of examples and presents a unique thesis on the ingredients it takes to make a person a success. The first half of the equation is much like Carol Dweck’s thesis in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Hard work matters much more than raw talent. In the chapter called “10,000 Hours” he cites a study of music students which shows that the number of hours spent practicing is the key determinant in mastery. I found that very encouraging. If you want to succeed, spend your time practicing.

But it’s the second half of the equation that makes his thesis unique, even though this part is somewhat discouraging. True, successful people have to put in many hours to master their craft, but they can only do that when the circumstances of their lives allow it. Now sometimes seemingly adverse circumstances can turn out to be an incredible advantage (Woo hoo! A whole chapter on the history of Jewish immigrants to America), but a genius in non-nurturing circumstances won’t make it no matter how talented he is (hence the depressing chapter on Chris Langsam, the man with the highest IQ in America.)

As with The Tipping Point, I read this book to help me advance my career, but the main lesson it taught me was about parenting. Whatever opportunities I may have had or not had, used or not used, made me what I am today. And in many ways, I do feel I haven’t lived up to my potential, so I have to remedy the situation by putting in my 10,000 hours of practice, by becoming as efficient as a Chinese rice farmer (another particularly inspiring chapter). But the area in which I can make the biggest difference is for my kids. My job as a parent is to create practice opportunities for my kids to exercise their talents and interests. And if they become the people they can be, then all of us will be success stories.
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02/12/09

MCOH rated it:

This book was a lot of fun to read. It reminded me of Freakonomics and Predictably Irrational - a fun, light romp through the social sciences. He's not a researcher himself; he just cherry-picks a variety of fascinating anecdotes to illustrate his points, but it makes for great reading and fodder for discussion.

The author's basic premise is that our American conception of our fair, meritocratic society, in which anyone with inborn talent who's willing to work hard can succeed, is i...more This book was a lot of fun to read. It reminded me of Freakonomics and Predictably Irrational - a fun, light romp through the social sciences. He's not a researcher himself; he just cherry-picks a variety of fascinating anecdotes to illustrate his points, but it makes for great reading and fodder for discussion.

The author's basic premise is that our American conception of our fair, meritocratic society, in which anyone with inborn talent who's willing to work hard can succeed, is inaccurate. In fact, success is a result of all kinds of environmental factors, such as your ethnic background, your birthdate, your family's socioeconomic status, your language, being in the right place at the right time, etc. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but his story-telling skills are superb, and I really enjoyed it.

One of the examples that especially interested me was about language and math. The author states that part of the reason that Chinese students do better at math than their English speaking counterparts is that their math-related language is more logical. I remember, back when I was learning some Cantonese, how easy it was to count. First, you said the #s 1 through 10, then you said essentially: ten-one, ten-two, ten-three, etc. Then the twenties were two-ten, two-ten-one, two-ten-two, and so on. The way they speak about fractions is clearer, too, according to the author. This helps kids get a basic foundation early on; math seems more transparent and understandable. In English, we have words like twelve and twenty, which sound a little like the number two, but the relationship between the numbers is not obvious from the names of the numbers. At least it's easier than French, where the number 75 is pronounced like sixty-fifteen, and 92 is four-twenty-twelve. What a crazy language! (Though I love it!)

As someone who loves math, and kids, and teaching, and especially teaching kids math, this was a really interesting idea. How can we talk about math in a way that makes it clearer? The concepts are so beautifully logical themselves, but our ways of speaking about it are not. John Holt talks about how frustrating it is for kids to listen to us (adults) speak in illogical and contradictory ways, and then we treat the kids like they're the dumb ones for not understanding us. :-) I really, really love John Holt. And yes, now I'm on quite a tangent.

So back on topic - I recommend this book, for some fun and thought-provoking reading. (less)

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01/27/09

Marcus rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This book is excellent. It's fascinating, insightful, sometimes even shocking and always entertaining. If you don't read it, you're really missing out on some great research and writing.

Why four stars? In my less-than-humble opinion this book, or rather this author, has the same problem as other books I've read by smart, insightful authors, I agree with their research methods and findings and even most of their conclusions, then they step into the realm of political or economic polic...more This book is excellent. It's fascinating, insightful, sometimes even shocking and always entertaining. If you don't read it, you're really missing out on some great research and writing.

Why four stars? In my less-than-humble opinion this book, or rather this author, has the same problem as other books I've read by smart, insightful authors, I agree with their research methods and findings and even most of their conclusions, then they step into the realm of political or economic policy and I go nuts.

In this case it didn't happen until the interview after the epilogue in the audio version of the book. Gladwell, who by the way, is an excellent narrator (it makes me slightly sick that he is so good at everything he does) is explaining his premise--that success is not entirely the result of an individual's grit and brilliance, but is also heavily influenced by their ancestors and environment. Fine. I have read the book and it's a position that I understand and respect. Then he says something along the lines of:

"the idea if that if you make it to the top of your profession you deserve a salary of $20 million a year because you're the one responsible for getting to the top, why shouldn't you be richly rewarded? ... and I think that idea is completely false, it's completely false and it's dangerous."

This is part of his "bedrock philosophy as a human being." Again, I agree with him on the point that people who end up at the top of their careers were likely helped by environmental factors similar to those that helped Bill Gates, Rockefeller etc. But to say that we, the people who weren't in their position and didn't make it to where they are, have some right to say what amount of money they should or shouldn't earn or possibly even a right to some of their money is ridiculous! Sure, they had help along the way, but their success is still fundamentally their success. Bill Gates could have had all the same luck but still never made anything of his life. Instead he, and not anyone else, recognized an opportunity and took advantage of his position for his, and all our benefit. Limiting his salary doesn't mean that there is less money to go around for everyone else.

If you boil it down, what Gladwell is basically saying is the same thing you hear on an elementary school playground "NO FAIR!" Nothing in life is fair. Everyone knows it. You make the best of what you have and try to be happy for, and learn from, those who have more.

It is disappointing to me that Gladwell uses such a well written and otherwise brilliant book as a thinly veiled justification for income redistribution.(less)

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12/28/08

Tucker rated it:

bookshelves: finished

Read in December, 2008

Unlike most books on success, Gladwell isn't telling us how to become successful. He's describing who actually does attain success.

Academic prowess is one important element. The route to success begins as early as "birthday cut-offs" for children entering kindergarten or joining sports teams. The older children are perceived as more talented, and their talent is praised and cultivated until, by the time they finish high school, they really have become more successful. ...more Unlike most books on success, Gladwell isn't telling us how to become successful. He's describing who actually does attain success.

Academic prowess is one important element. The route to success begins as early as "birthday cut-offs" for children entering kindergarten or joining sports teams. The older children are perceived as more talented, and their talent is praised and cultivated until, by the time they finish high school, they really have become more successful. At that point, the important difference is no longer their age, but the opportunities they received and the effort they put in. It is also helpful to be raised by parents who have the money and the interest to nurture their children's thinking skills after school and during vacations. Finally, it helps to grow up in a culture that values hard work and to have the opportunity to practice in one's area of interest. World-class musicians and computer programmers, for example, each put in about 10,000 hours of serious practice time before their gifts and their career trajectories become clear. These factors prove to have a far greater impact on an individual's test scores and academic success than his or her IQ.

Another element of success is so-called "practical intelligence," or knowing how to speak up and ask for what you want and need. Good communication skills with one's peers and superiors can help prevent accidents. It is useful to be raised by parents who engaged in meaningful work fueled by labor and innovation and to appreciate the reward that comes with that.

And of course there is luck--having the good fortune to be 20 years old, with the business skills of an adult and the flexible mind of a young person, when a seismic technological shift such as the birth of railroads, petroleum, or computers occurs.

After finishing the book, I was left with an aftertaste of the "duh-factor": of course hard work and luck influence one's chances at success. It didn't produce as much of a mental revolution in me as did his other book, The Tipping Point. But Gladwell assembled some great anecdotes and mined them well.(less)

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01/07/09

Nomi rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction

Read in January, 2009

Very interesting. Gladwell looks at the concept of cultural legacy as the reason behind the supposed random rise of individual geniuses. He argues that not only do various circumstances need to occur at exactly the right time (including the year of someone's birth)but that cultures lend themselves to success in various ways and for various reasons. The most interesting example is that of the Southern Chinese-Gladwell argues that the precision and perseverance and skill necessary for rice farming...more

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quotes from this book

"Cultural legacies are powerful forces. They have deep roots and long lives. They persist, generation after generation, virtually intact, even as the economic and social and demographic conditions that spawned them have vanished, and they play such a role in directing attitudes and behavior that we cannot make sense of our world without them." More quotes...