Book Review: Outliers

Why are some people astoundingly successful and why are some struggling? Does a high IQ guarantee success? Why are Asians good in math? These are just some of the questions that Outliers answer.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because I’m the type of person who loves finding out why things are the way they are. Malcolm Gladwell is a brilliant observer and the patterns that he observes or learns from other people’s studies are just so interesting. The things I picked up from this book are so interesting that I keep catching myself telling people about them. That’s how interesting they are.

In a nutshell and without giving away too much, the book tells us how intelligence and talent and even hard work are just a small factors in the equation of success. Many factors work together to bring success. It doesn’t mean intelligence, talent, or hard work are not important. Because they are essential, if you observe the profiles of the highly successful people. But factors you would not have thought were important actually come to play in a big way in the path to success of each of the featured individuals. Things like culture, birth year, your country’s history.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“When we understand how much culture and history and the world outside the individual matter to professional success–then we don’t have to throw up our hands in despair at an airline where pilots crash planes into sides of mountains. We have a way to make successes out of the unsuccessful.” – Page 220

“Outliers are those who have been given opportunities–and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them” – Page 267

“We sometimes think of being good at mathematics as an innate ability. You either have “it” or you don’t. But to Schoenfeld, it’s not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try.” – Page 246

Rating: 5/5