Can not say enough about this book.
Excellently written and Nicely narrated.
Liked it even better that Blink and Tipping Point.
Just as good if not better than Freakanomics.
MUST LISTEN book

Malcolm does well in this book. He looks at the conventional wisdom of success and challenges is using well researched historical and current examples. Definitely worth a listen

This book caused me to re-evaluate my perceptions of success and how it is achieved. It is a great listen for parents of young children since parents can have a major influence on many of the contributing factors of success that are mentioned in this book. Enjoyable on many levels.

I was riveted from the beginning of the book. I think every parent/grandparent should definitely listen/read this book and consider the information in it. Even if you don't have the responsibility of influencing the next generation, it is quite something to consider and contemplate how ideas, actions, culture and opportunities have shaped your own life. After reading this, you may even decide to take a new direction from this moment forward. Certainly it will give you a new view of the world and the people in it.

This book treats obvious common knowledge as a great revelation.

You have to practice 10,000 hours to become expert? The old joke has had it for years. "How do I get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice." We've all known people who've practiced, practiced, practiced yet have not risen to the top. What I would have liked to have learned is what differentiates the successful practicers from the unsuccessful ones. We don't find out.

Speaking of Carnegie, why is it such a big revelation that Carnegie is steel and Gates/Jobs are computers? The Bard told us centuries ago "There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."

So Steve Jobs lived at the right time and place to start Apple? And Gates Microsoft. Thousands of others did too, although, as Gladwell points out, not everyone of their generation. Jobs/Gates childhoods were not THAT unique. What differentiated Jobs/Gates from everyone else who grew up just like they did? We don't find out.

We learn that certain cultures have advantages over others in certain fields. While some might accuse him of cultural stereotyping, I agree actually. Asian students are "good at math" because they come from a culture of grinding work in the rice paddies. He appears to offer this as a prescription for improving math scores in the U.S.

We learn that effective parents produce successful children. Again, no news here. Unfortunately, Gladwell confuses effective parenting with "privilege". The KIPP schools are held up as an example of how if only "underprivileged" children are given resources they can succeed.

He undercuts his own thesis when he fails to point out that the children in those schools have parents who care about education enough to enroll the children and support them. Privileged children have effective parents regardless of wealth. Short of the government confiscating children at birth, that can't be changed.