Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

The last of Gladwell's current books for me to read. It might be my favorite. I have a hard time choosing between this and The Tipping Point. Outliers has interesting bits of trivia mixed in with stories about cultural icons. I can't decide whether it is only interesting because of Gladwell's amazing storytelling or if the dry facts would be minutely interesting on their own. His translation of studies and statistics always gives me pause for thought and tends to make me smile. Any book that makes me think and keeps me interested gets 4 stars from me.

Outliers is a fascinating look at what sets people apart from each other. How kismet translate to success in the modern world. Gladwell suggests that things like timing, income level, and culture contribute as much to a person's success as hard work and tenacity do. "These are stories, [about] people who were given a special opportunity to work really hard and seized it, and who happened to come of age at a time when that extraordinary effort was rewarded by the rest of society. Their success was not just of their own making. It was a product of the world in which they grew up." Gladwell points out "steady accumulations of advantages" that seem to add up to success in business and education.

I was fascinated by the comparisons between how many days American children spend in school compared to other countries and how language discrepancies translate into improved math skills. The KIPP school plan was both interesting and terrifying to me. Finding a balance between pushing children to be better educated while still allowing them to be children is a delicate process.

There is a part of me that slightly suspects Gladwell of being a closeted racist and conveniently finding patterns to make his case. On the other hand, it might be his way of sensationalizing dry facts. In the end, I find his anecdotal style intriguing and the statistics get me thinking about how to shape the world I live in. It doesn't get much better than that.

Mostly, Outliers makes me wonder what kind of cultural legacy I am leaving with my kids, how I can create opportunities for them and what unknown factors are going to affect them. Basically the same stuff I've been stressing about for years. The environmental minutiae I can't even fathom, let alone control.