End Review: Outliers

            Well, I finally finished my fifth book, and I could not have wrapped up this blogging experience with a better book.  Outliers touches upon every major idea that I have mentioned throughout this blog, and it stays true to Malcolm Gladwell’s fantastic style.  When I read The Killer Angels, one of the primary themes I looked at was the way that faith, especially in God, can be such a uniting, common element, even amongst men who kill each other to resolve conflicts.  In Outliers, Gladwell told the story of a girl, Marita, who had to give up her way of life and shed her cultural identity in order to attend -- and succeed at -- a new school.  She believed that it was the right thing to do, and the school’s founders do as well.  Making that leap of faith into the unknown can be difficult without the belief that everything will turn out well in the end.

            The next book I read, David and Goliath, was also written by Gladwell, so finding similarities between the two Gladwell books I read was not difficult.  One of the interesting parts about reading Outliers after reading David and Goliath was that in the latter, he commented on something he had written in Outliers, and went a little deeper.  So, when I read Outliers, I could supplement his arguments with updated evidence and analyses.

            In Night, Elie Wiesel was profoundly changed by the places in which he was forced to grow up.  He went from a devout Jew who placed every triumph in God’s hands to a scarred human too angry with tragedies to even question the veracity of a God -- let alone his.  In Outliers, one of Gladwell’s primary arguments is that nobody is “self-made.”  We are influenced by the people we grow up with, the places we grow up in, and the resources and opportunities that come our way.

            And in 1984, Orwell writes about the control that the Party takes to establish and spread itself.  On a happier note, Gladwell suggests that those who are successful also take control and seize every grand or small opportunity.  It is partly through being assertive that the powerful and successful come to be.

            As you can tell, Outliers offers a lot of critical commentary on our definition of what sets some apart from others.  To go back to the example I used in the first paragraph, Marita is a really devoted student.  She works really hard; in fact, at the time she was interviewed, “She had the hours of a lawyer trying to make partner, or of a medical resident.  All that was missing were the dark circles under her eyes and a steaming cup of coffee, except that she was too young for either” (265).  Success isn’t an accident.  It stems from hard work and incredible opportunities.

            Gladwell writes on the concluding page of Outliers that success “is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky” (285).  We often attribute what seems like a miracle or too good to be true to some higher authority.  However, by analyzing various causes, we can begin to piece together incredible effects.

            Like the other two Gladwell books I’ve read, Outliers followed a pretty predictable story arc.  On the whole, Gladwell uses a variety of examples and stories to illustrate larger points, but on a smaller level, sometimes it is hard to predict where he is going.  In the end though, seemingly random occurrences come together to connect and form a powerful argument.

            I had been wanting to read this book for a few years, and I am so happy I finally got the chance to do so.  It was a pleasure to read many different anecdotes and learn valuable lessons at the same time.  I enjoyed all of the books that I read, and I appreciate the comments and other analyses I got to read over the past few weeks.  Thanks for following this blog!

Midway Review: Outliers

            Like David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell’s third book, Outliers, has not been a letdown.  I’ve learned a lot already, and I am looking forward to continuing.  But first, let me fill you in on what I’ve read so far.

            At this point the main lesson I’ve picked up on is that success doesn’t happen just by chance or through the remarkable efforts of an individual.  There are a lot of different factors that contribute to success, and not only are there specific times and events and dates, but there are also unique combinations that have proven to be beneficial.  These underlying causes are quite profound, as they can be used to predict not only favorable outcomes (becoming, say, one of the richest people in the world) but also to calculate when and why someone or something might not turn out positively.  Utilizing factors such as business opportunities and time to explore certain fields for approximately 10,000 hours is often enough to distinguish masters from everyone else -- to define outliers, in other words.  But as Gladwell notes, “ten thousand hours is an enormous amount of time.  It’s all but impossible to reach that number all by yourself by the time you’re a young adult” (42).  Having the good fortune of being raised by and in a position filled with supportive family members, peers, professionals, and other resources definitely does not hurt.

            While it is now apparent that many different forces play into our common definition of a successful man or woman, Gladwell doesn’t fail to acknowledge what people do to propel themselves to the top.  There are useful external factors such as having a good education and working opportunities and being surrounded by businesses and schools with incredible resources.  However, none of this matters if you don’t take advantage of the available resources.  Repeated, purposeful exposure to these elements is a driving force in what makes some win and some lose.  Gladwell posits that “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good.  It’s the thing you do that makes you good” (42).

            As always, it’s difficult to predict the exact anecdotes and analyses that Gladwell will use to back up his points, but from my prior experience and a little knowledge of what lies ahead, I predict that he’ll continue to talk about what sets successful people/cultures/businesses apart from others by using such an example as pilots and their origins.

            Gladwell’s books are very much grounded in evidence and facts, but the casual tone and plethora of relatable examples make the books feel less like a long thesis paper and more like an intriguing conversation.  I can’t wait to finish Outliers, and I hope you’ll check back for my final commentary!

Introduction: Outliers

            I already read one book by Malcolm Gladwell in the past few weeks (David and Goliath) and I am excited to begin another.  The final book I’ll be reading is Outliers, and it is actually a book that I have already partly read.  Last year I read an excerpt from the book about the ten thousand hour rule, which in essence states that in order to become a “master” at any given subject (sports, music, art, etc.) one must practice practice practice for at least 10,000 hours.  I think the only things I have mastered at this point are sleeping and going to school.

            But Outliers is about much more than just mastering something.  It’s about what those masters do with their skills, namely, how they reap the benefits of their tremendous talents.  An even shorter way of telling you what this book is about is quoting the inside flap; “Outliers will transform the way we understand success.”

            I have nothing against success, let alone knowing how and why it happens, so I am looking forward to reading Outliers.  Like the other two Gladwell books I’ve read, I think it’s safe to say that this book will be filled with a plethora of anecdotes and analyses that will reshape the way I think about achievements.