April Book of the Month

The Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Men and women who do things that are out of the ordinary are defined as outliers. Gladwell argues that successful and extraordinary individuals did not ‘arrive’ on their own. They are beneficiaries of cultural legacies as well as opportunities and advantages that are not always readily apparent but are, in fact, predictable and powerful. They were born with interests and abilities, like the rest of us, but have had advantages that most of us did not. Gladwell does not downplay the high IQ’s of successful individuals or the hard work and the tremendous amount of hours invested in their undertaking; however, these people had the opportunities which allowed them to focus. He addresses the old adage that practice makes perfect and actually assigns a total number of hours to achieve mastery. Gladwell re-enforces the common knowledge that timing is everything – but so are families, place of birth, month of birth, personality, work ethic and luck! Gladwell provides much food for thought as he explores related issues such as the apparent proficiency at mathematics that Asian students have over their Western counterparts, North American summer vacations versus European and extended school schedules, cultural differences between countries, etc. Finally, Gladwell allows us a glimpse into his own personal history by demonstrating how the outlier principals have affected his family.

An outstanding exploration of the history and concept of success that pulls together a vast amount of data and information but makes it totally accessible for the lay person. Highly recommended (P.S. Plan to have your children the first part of the year as they will have undeniable advantages over the rest of us born toward the end of the year!) (Librarian Reviewer: Joanne)

Discussion Questions

1) What impact has this book had on you? Do you feel that there is any truth?

2) Gladwell investigates natural talent versus practical talent. He believes that through many
hours of practice, an individual develops his / her talent. Do you believe in the 10,000
hour rule?