Outliers: The Story of Success in 100+ Books in 2025

Feb 23, 2022 Bonnie rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, 2008-books, nonfiction-social-sciences

On the one hand, Malcolm Gladwell has received deserved criticism for his oversimplified, pop-science approach. On the other hand, the man can certainly write - his books are some of the most easy, enjoyable nonfiction I've read. And I certainly agree with his premise that success is not merely individual merit, but also other factors outside a person's control. So, even with the flaws, it's four stars for me. ...more

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Feb 06, 2009 MsSmartiePants ...like the candy... rated it it was amazing

As usual, Mr. Gladwell provides great stories as examples from his research into, this time, SUCCESS!!!
I would characterize this book as "full circle" in that the author begins with understanding success and the American myths surrounding it. Then he brings in the unknown details - which turn out to be quite exceptional and make all the difference in the successful person's story.
I became a bit disappointed from having my 'success bubble' burst. However, continuing on, I learned more about wha ...more

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Jul 13, 2009 Kat rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club-picks

Interesting and thought-provoking. In particular, the breakdown of IQ as a useful indicator of success was fascinating. However, this is one of those books that took longer to read than it normally would, as I found myself arguing with the author's statements. I understand his theories - however, I find his 'solutions' to be simplistic in the extreme. I felt that the author failed to take a lot of other factors into account when making 'suggestions', as well as clearly believing in a sort of 'on Interesting and thought-provoking. In particular, the breakdown of IQ as a useful indicator of success was fascinating. However, this is one of those books that took longer to read than it normally would, as I found myself arguing with the author's statements. I understand his theories - however, I find his 'solutions' to be simplistic in the extreme. I felt that the author failed to take a lot of other factors into account when making 'suggestions', as well as clearly believing in a sort of 'one-size-fits-all' model of optimizing opportunities that utterly fails to take different personality types into account. Not everyone responds to stimuli/situations the same way.
At various points throughout the text, I got the feeling that the author thinks that if he can just tell the world his facts, everyone will naturally see his point and agree. (See: a lovely TEDtalk by Kathryn Schulz entitled 'On being wrong' for more info on that.) I just can't shake the feeling that he's really only using a handful of variables to describe situations with a lot more going on than that.
For example - his chapter on parenting styles breaking down into two groups by class. He utterly fails to discuss the emotional quality of parenting. Some of those rich kids being shuttled to four different team sports are not 'experiencing a wealth of learning opportunities', so much as they are being bullied and emotionally blackmailed into a series of events clearly designed to make them more appealing on a college app. Some of both groups of children are being derided more than cajoled. The idea of 'concerted cultivation' versus 'natural growth' doesn't take into account human nature or human failings. (Also - what about 'new money' and aggressively upwardly mobile lower-middle class families, who preach entitlement in public but don't permit the questioning of authority and assertion in private that proved so vital in the anecdote about little Alex's precocious doctor's visit?)
In another example Gladwell talks about how the age advantage in public school kids could be lessened by assigning classes based on birthday (Sept-Dec in one class, Jan-April in the next, etc.). But development differences are only one of the factors at play. There's also the teaching style of the different educators, the social implications of your kids sharing a class with lifelong friends, etc. These all provide different 'opportunities'. As a personal anecdote of my own: My younger brother attended the same elementary school as me, years later. He needed to be placed with a different 4th grade teacher than the one I had been taught by - not because she hadn't been an effective teacher when I had been in 4th grade, but because she was a frustrated individual (a divorcee) who bitterly resented the boys in the class. As a 'gifted' student and a girl, she had treated me as a favorite, while my male friends were yelled at and publicly demeaned. My mother knew that, as an emotionally sensitive boy, my little brother could not thrive in that classroom. The same situation would arise if you wanted your child to be with the artsy teacher, etc. There is more than just natural development at play here. Human nature and personality have to be taken into account. ...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Angela Randall rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ange-recommends, 21st-century, non-fiction, business-entrepreneur-career, we-own, i-own, young-adult-educational-material, gtd-lifehack-self-help, social-science-psych, 2000-2009

I'm so glad I spontaneously decided to buy this book. I'm even more glad I picked up The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference at the same time, because I am hooked on Gladwell's work now and desperate for more.

So, in short this book discusses all sorts of outliers, from geniuses to kids in a special type of school. It generally ties together the ideas of hard work, getting a lucky break and understanding the cultural norms that help or hinder your success.

But what this boo ...more

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Feb 19, 2009 Holly Foley (Procida) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-non-fiction

Gladwell has a unique gift of making otherwise hard and boring facts into really interesting relatable stories. I also loved "Blink" and "Tipping Point" But I think this is the best one yet. ...more

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