Outliers

The Story of Success

By: Malcolm Gladwell

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell

From the bestselling 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 book, 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.

Critic reviews

"In the vast world of nonfiction writing, Malcolm Gladwell is as close to a singular talent as exists today...Outliers is a pleasure to read and leaves you mulling over its inventive theories for days afterward."—David Leonhardt, New York Times Book Review

"The explosively entertaining Outliers might be Gladwell's best and most useful work yet...There are both brilliant yarns and life lessons here: Outliers is riveting science, self-help, and entertainment, all in one book."—Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly

"No other book I read this year combines such a distinctive prose style with truly thought-provoking content. Gladwell writes with a high degree of dazzle but at the same time remains as clear and direct as even Strunk or White could hope for."—Atlanta Journal Constitution

Excellent!

Gladwell is a fine writer and this book, in the same style as Blink, explores the real factors that contribute to the success of those we think are so above and beyond us (Bill Gates, the Beatles, etc.). Gladwell makes it clear that their talent, drive, energy, and intelligence WERE key to their success but that these, alone, would not have done it for them. They needed unusual opportunities. In fact, the opportunities given them that were not given others were as important to their achievements as their personal qualities. This book helps reduce the "superstars" down to human level. If you had been given the opportunities these were, you might have achieved what they did or more!

Another Great Book from Gladwell

Malcolm takes a sledgehammer to customary views of success and lays out example after example to illustrate his case. He presents a considerable amount of research in support of the conclusions he discusses. I'm not sure that one should consider his case "proven", but it's certainly extremely compelling, and like his other books, extremely entertaining. Great stuff, highly recommended.

Absolutely Great Book - Scientist's Must Read

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

Outliers The Story of Success

It was an amazing book that help explain some of the greatest success stories of all time. It also explains why somethings happen. Why do planes crash? Why are Asians better at math? All these questions are answered in this book. Everyone should read this book. If you have children you should read it twice.

Outliers

I enjoyed this book so much I listened to it twice. A must read for anyone with children, for anyone looking towards the future and anyone who loves to figure why things happen the way that they do.