Rating:  -
That was pretty much the only revelation I had by reading this book. The high rating goes to the amount and kind of research that went into explaining why successful people are the way they are. Mr. Gladwell has a knack for making dull statistical data interesting and entertaining. It's fascinating to learn about how one's date of birth can seriously affect his hockey career, or academic excellence for that matter. It was also great to reaffirm what we already know about the role of culture and community in the success (and failure) of the individual.
The book was mostly reiterating what most educated people know about success. Even the revelation I had about the 10,000 hour rule is nothing more than the old adage "Practice makes Perfect." The stories the author uses to support his findings are in and of themselves a compelling read. I certainly enjoyed reading them and re-learning why common sense and perseverance are the only true measures that will bring you success in the end.
This is a great book of entertaining statistics and not a how-to to success.
Rating:  -
So many people told me about this book and talking about it that I had to check it out for myself. Found it a lot more interesting than I thought I would and it definitely changed my perspective on things. As is mentioned in the book, in the US, we really like the idea of a "self-made man" who starts with nothing and later gets everything. This rarely happens though and the author would argue that it never happens. Then he goes on to explain why people are good at what they do. That's not saying that you don't have to practice to get good. You do. There is so much more than putting in 10,000 hours (or more) though and this book does a great job of explaining that.
Rating: -
Great book.
I raised two kids and both turned out to be productive citizens, but the messages learned in this book would have been very helpful in guiding and developing their interests. It is a fact, as described by the author, that 20,000 hours are required to be a big success in anything. Buy the book and give it to your kids.
Rating:  -
We know success is a function of intelligence, inspiration, hard-work, perspiration, and finally the luck or chance or things falling in place. The book emphasizes on things working right for intelligent and hard working people. It stresses less on how and why people are motivated. There is also one other element to consider. Although things fall in place, it is up to the person to take advantage of the opportunity. In a way, the book might me stating the obvious. For example, only a fraction of people make the finish line running a marathon. The book talks about that few who made it. If they made it, that means they are fit, had enough practice, and had the mental push. It's the basic theory of probability. The book looses focus towards the last few chapters. Overall, it's a good read.
Rating: -
I thoroughly enjoyed Gladwell's previous two books (The Tipping Point and Blink), and I found neither convincing in its central thesis. Gladwell has a flare for making psychology and social psychology research easily digestible and interweaving it with case studies to provide a satisfying mix that is inherently interesting, high entertainment value, and insightful into how we behave. That said, in neither of the previous books did I find that this tapestry of experiments and case studies really convinced me of the central thesis.
The thesis of this newer book is that people who are exceptionally successful - outliers - are a product of their environments much more than they are individually exceptional. First, Gladwell keeps knocking down a straw man that no one really believes anyway. I think we all know that environment matters a lot, and Gladwell never really accounts for the individual elements. Yes, the Beattles got 10,000 hours to practice in Hamburg, but were there other bands that played in Hamburg every year but didn't go big? Yes, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were born at a special time and had a special set of privileges, but what about Bill Gates's friends in his same high school computer club? What computer empire did they create? In other words, the individual element which Gladwell seems so excited to downplay still has to play a major role; or at least, Gladwell hasn't convinced me that it doesn't.
The most interesting part of the book deals with air plane crashes because it goes back to Gladwell's successful formula: a mix of social science research (in this case, on cross-cultural hierarchy something something) and case studies - of major plane crashes.
Gladwell still tells a good story, but this one is much less convincing than his previous work. I listened to the unabridged audiobook, and Gladwell narrates well. At the end of the audiobook, there is an interview with Gladwell which really belongs at the beginning; it gives an intro to the book that is totally superfluous after having read it.
Note on content: There might be a swear word or two in here; and in the epilogue there is one description of slave treatment which is not pretty (but is historical), but otherwise this is innocuous sailing.
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