interesting but does he try to hard? look how clever i am! ( )

Professional social scientists will likely bemoan the lack of statistical rigor. But that misses the point entirely. Gladwell may be a story-telling popularizer but he does most of us an invaluable service by combing through the research and presenting the fruits in such a compelling fashion. His conclusions & arguments are far from airtight, but the journey through his countless fascinating narratives is always worth taking. ( )

Malcolm Gladwell has uncovered the secret to success.Except it's not what you think.Recall the stereotypical story of the American dream - a self made man who by hard work and pluck ended up making millions and changing the world. Think he just got lucky? Well, no. Gladwell postulates that his millions and fame came from one source: good old fashioned hard work. Lots of hard work that is. In this fascinating book, Gladwell picks apart, case by case, some of the most successful people (outliers) in our society to truly discover the story of their success. Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Canadian hockey players to name a few. Gladwell's main thesis is that yes, these people are smart and talented enough to go far, but it was/is due to their extreme hard work that brought them to the pinnacle of their profession. He seems to believe that 10,000 hours is the magic number and most likely anyone who puts in that amount of time will become a master at what they do.Some of his ideas I already agree with: that genius (having a coveted high IQ) doesn't necessarily equate results. Someone can be brilliant and never do anything significant with their life. Also, the idea that culture plays a large role in how you identify with success: the whole idea that Americans believe they are 'entitled' to better jobs, education, etc. simply becuase they are American. And lastly, the notion that no matter how hard you work at something, unless you are in the right time, at the right place, surrounded by the right connections then your achievement will go unappreciated. Sad, yet true - a large portion of your success depends largely on circumstances.This book was highly fascinating and a very quick read. I only wish he had left off the last chapter which describes his family history. I know he was illustrating a point, but I felt like it could have been easily left out and the book itself might have ended a little better.The main thing I took from this book? If you want something bad enough, you better be willing to put in the time to become the best...and then hope you are born at the right time when your skill will be the most sought-after. ( )

I was assigned to read certain chapters of this book for a teaching seminar that I recently attended, but since I liked Gladwell's Tipping Point I read the whole thing.

Gladwell has an interesting way of making sense of the strange and seemingly inexplicable things that occur in our world. Oftentimes they are things that we don't notice or wouldn't otherwise think about, but he has a way of seeing patterns where most of us don't. I'm never sure how accurate his theories are, and there is probably no way to really determine, but he does his research and his theories are as plausible as any other behavioral theories.

As a teacher, I was particularly interested in the chapters on intelligence and opportunity, and the Asian math aptitude and rice patties. However, I enjoyed the one about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in something and how those that we think are geniuses or athletic stars with just outrageous raw talent are really just those that were lucky enough to get in their 10,000 hours of practice. And because I have a friend who is currently in pilot training, I was especially interested in the chapter about plane crashes and the culturally differences in foreign countries.
I also loved the fact that Gladwell ended the book with a chapter about the extraordinary circumstances that contributed to the good fortune of his own family. One might think it is egotistical that he would include that, but I felt like it was really him being very humble to say that he was simply lucky to have the wonderful family that helped him to achieve his success.

Check out his books! One of these days, I'll get around to reading Blink as well.

Another fascinating read from Gladwell. ( )