Outliers

The Story of Success

By: Malcolm Gladwell

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of The Bomber Mafia, learn what sets high achievers apart - from Bill Gates to the Beatles - in this seminal work from "a singular talent" (New York Times Book Review).

In this stunning audiobook, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers" - the best and the brightest, the most famous, and the most successful. He asks the question: What makes high-achievers different?

His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: That is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

©2008 Malcom Gladwell (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Brilliant -Thinking out of the box

This is Gladwell's best book. Wiped out my flawed assumptions on various aspects of success. His obsevation that the upper classes of society teach their kids to be assertive was an "ah ha" moment for me.
I am telling my friends about this earth shaking book and recommending to all.

Meritocracy: The Great American Myth?

Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" attempts to shatter the American Dream, portraying it as a convenient myth that anybody in America, through hard work and brains, can enjoy a successful career and perhaps a life well outside the normal bell-curve. It is opportunity of circumstance that first sets the stage so hard work can really pay off: Without it, your swimming upstream or in the wrong river altogether.

I tend to believe the premise of "Outliers", but was somewhat disappointed in the depth of the book. The book's premise is so provocative, it requires more proof than what Gladwell has given us. The book gives detailed accounts of traditional American icons like Gates & Rockefeller to show us how to see where their fates were forged rather than self-created.

If you love to have your assumptions shaken like I do, this book will deliver. At the same time the book may either depress you that you have missed opportunities in the past, but should open your eyes to the serendipity of the future.

Still 5 stars.

Outside the paradigm

An original piece of work. Will get you to look at some of your own cherished and well-ingrained assumptions differently. The last section of the book is riveting, a perfect coda to a thoughtful book.

Some interesting thoughts to ponder

This is a well-written book that brings up some important things to think about. Gladwell's conclusion that you need to be lucky as well smart and hardworking to be hugely successful is probably true. To get really far out on the bell curve you need for everything to go right, or wrong, depending on which side of the curve. Still it is dangerous to draw too many conclusions from extreme outliers, at least when dealing with a standard bell curve. If you are interested in what makes rich people rich read "The Millionaire Next Door", it deals with the more applicable part of the curve for most of us. Drawing conclusions from relatively few data points is always risky but Gladwell shows clearly the a small head start can get you far ahead.

Interesting

Yep. I enjoyed the book and thought it was a good listen. I was expecting some new information, not more of the same "successful people are successful because of their circumstances in life." I was hoping to learn something about what sets outliers apart from other people who were born into similar circumstances and never become successful. It didn't serve the purpose that I was hoping it would.

All of that said, I thought that the stories were interesting and compelling, if not altogether inspiring or motivating. As usual, Gladwell's ability to story-tell makes this a fun, easy book to read.

Makes you think!!!

Outliers made me think about my own past. He makes some good points about how certain systems we have in society effect us more than we realize. For instance, the location of our schooling and the age cut off dates when we began school might have caused a beneficial trend or the opposite in our life. These little advantages help to shape our growth within these systems more that we might realize. On the surface these truths may seem obvious but he goes into some detail about how it all plays out and that's pretty interesting.

A must read for parents

This makes makes you look at things a different way. The messages it makes with its backup stories are a must for anyone who wants to get ahead and who want their kids to succeed. This was my first audiobook and I found very easy to listen to and I could come back to it a week later and still pick up easily where I left off. The messages stuck with me. If all audiobooks are like this then I am hooked.

I plan to have my 18 year old listen to this book it underpins everything we tell our kids about hardwork and Perseverance

Entertaining and quick

A nice and short series of statistical oddities that makes one think twice about what leads to personal success. This is not a scientifically exhaustive approach. But a great listen and easy to follow and absorb.

Thought proviking insights to success

Although I found the first 1/3 a little slow, I really enjoyed the application of the author's insights in many anecdotes in the last 2/3. Interesting to realize that many of the one a million people are really not quite as "special" as we are accustomed to thinking.

Outliers

one gets interesting aspects of sucessful stories