Malcolm Gladwell : Outliers

After two exceptional books as 'Tipping Point' and 'Blink' were, it is quite a challenge to write the next bestseller. I fear Malcolm's 'Outliers' didn't make it. It will be a bestseller, but not of this unique quality the one's before had.

At page 115 the book abruptly stops to be needful - but there are 300 pages altogether!
Let us stay with the first ones:

Outliers are humans like Bill Gates, like Canadian premier league hockey players, like violinists, composers, painters, which had an extraordinary career, earning to be called unique.

Malcolm explains in detailled and colorful stories how they achieved to become unique. What makes them extraordinary is not talent, but opportunity - or better: access, as I would like to call it.

Of all the talented they were the lucky girls and guys, which were fostered, grew up in a better neighbourhood and family, were challenged more often to become autonomous and self confident, stayed with their likes and exploited their knowledge, shifted their borders.
They worked very hard to reach the top.

And Malcolm's theory that you need 10.000 hours of practice to become famous, etc. is vetoed by Seth Godin in his post "10,000 hours", which I follow without doubt.

Sorry, Malcolm.

Amazon-Partner-Link: