Outliers: The Story of Success Paperback – 7 Jun. 2011

The book challenge your perception (or at least I can positively say it about mine) about what makes out of ordinary success, and why one person achieves it and others do not.We often hear the stories of really successful/ influential/ famous people and how they "did it themselves " - and are under impression that their success is due to their talents and effords.While talents and effords have their super important role, this book shows, in a way of telling life stories and analysing the impact on different factors, that it is not as simple. It shows that without other "hidden" factors, even with high IQ, talent and effords, success would not be so remarkable or even possible.The hidden factors/ hidden advantages could be opportunities the person had in their life, where they live, how they are raised, cultural backgrounds, what was economics and demographic were like when they were of the certain age and even the date of birth (don't worry it is not about horoscopes).I still have a lot of questions and would like to challange some of the statements in the book, but this is why I rate it so high. It is written in a way that gives you knowledge, things to think and digest, and triggers further curiosity.It is written in a way that is easily and enjoyable to read - it has been a while since I enjoyed reading book as much as this one.

Malcolm Gladwell has a storytelling style that makes for compelling reading, albeit based around 'one big idea', in this instance 'grit'.Gladwell's argument, that success can be attributed to a combination of opportunity, 'right place, right time' and hard work, is underpinned by the notion that culture plays a pivotal role in the relationship between those variables and tangible success, and is woven into examples ranging from the Beatles to Bill Gates.It is pretty one-sided, as is often the case these days with non-fiction, because, as David Epstein argues in Range, for every Tiger there is also a Roger, but Gladwell is fairly open to admitting this in interviews, which is why I take his books for what they are: one side of the story, creatively written to ensure the reader enjoys what they're reading.The only real disappointment is the bizarre skew towards arguing the case for charter schools, which takes up a disproportionate section of the book, and is a little spurious in some of the observations and statistical analysis. Otherwise, an enjoyable read.

"There is a tide in the affairs of men.Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their lifeIs bound in shallows and in miseries.On such a full sea are we now afloat,And we must take the current when it serves,Or lose our ventures."Brutus (from Julius Caesar)captures the essence of this book. It's an entertaining read with good stories and examples. Its basic message is easy to summarise.Success is not a linear journey. And there are always particular local factors that enable it. No one is really self made. Success is about preparation and opportunity coming together. All successful people have had some "lucky breaks" although I think it was a great golfer who said, "The more I practice the luckier I seem to become."The administrative and technical quirks (such as where you are in your school year) that have such a huge effects on your academic and sporting achievements, and future prospects are well described. The small starting differences that lead to massive differential reinforcement effects are well described.And the combination of a skill and a brand new field opening up is unbeatable for major success as Bill Gates and Bill Joy demonstrate.This book is not the last word on success but it gives many useful pointers, and may help you realise where some of your opportunities are, and also where they won't be found no matter how good you are at something.It's a great quick read and you will learn some useful ideas from it.