If the book in the picture seems a little worn, it’s for a good reason. I love Malcolm Gladwell’s books and I find myself reaching for his books whenever I feel the urge for a short read coming on: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, and especially Outliers: The Story of Success, which is my favorite so far.
Malcolm’s mind is like a giant repository of ideas, questions, answers, and the magic lies in how he tells and links all of them together. Facts that I never thought of learning are brought to life so vividly; facts that never crossed my mind and facts which seemed insignificant at the time — all of them were carefully dissected and presented in simple, layman terms.
Jumping from one chapter to next, the book makes you wonder about all the possibilities out there — Malcolm lay out sequences of events that lead to what we are today; and at the heart of the book’s message: what we can achieve tomorrow.
According to Malcolm, from the year you were born, cultural differences, ethnic backgrounds, language, all these factors seem to play a part in how you are going to achieve success. He lays out a thoroughly researched, chapter-by-chapter explanation on how all of the above has played a part in the rise of an individual. You might think that with all this text and facts that it would be a boring read (I thought so at first!) but the opposite is true: I found myself unable to pull away — at each turn I would be nodding my head along as I read, recognizing the pattern in history and agreeing with the points that he laid out so eloquently.
If you’ve been scratching your head wondering why some people achieve success while others don’t, then pick up Outliers. Like all his books, it is a fascinating insight into the way people think; and for this book, it’s about the common thread that links those who are successful, and those who are not. You won’t find a straight up list of what to do or what not to do. He lays out the facts for you to determine for yourself what needs to be done. It’s subtle yet direct, fleshy without being pompous and an most definitely an inspiring read throughout.
Oh, and I loved how he ended the book. I would love to hear if you did too!
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Have a great weekend everyone, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!
