|
|
|
|
|
Books : Outliers: The Story of Success |
List Price: $27.99Amazon.com's Price: $15.39 You Save: $12.60 (45%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 302
EAN: 9780316017923
ISBN: 0316017922
Label: Little, Brown and Company
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: November 18, 2008
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Studio: Little, Brown and Company
Sales Rank: 8
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.
Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.
Amazon.com Review:
Amazon Best of the Month, November 2008: Now that he's gotten us talking about the viral life of ideas and the power of gut reactions, Malcolm Gladwell poses a more provocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don't arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."
Outliers can be enjoyed for its bits of trivia, like why most pro hockey players were born in January, how many hours of practice it takes to master a skill, why the descendents of Jewish immigrant garment workers became the most powerful lawyers in New York, how a pilots' culture impacts their crash record, how a centuries-old culture of rice farming helps Asian kids master math. But there's more to it than that. Throughout all of these examples--and in more that delve into the social benefits of lighter skin color, and the reasons for school achievement gaps--Gladwell invites conversations about the complex ways privilege manifests in our culture. He leaves us pondering the gifts of our own history, and how the world could benefit if more of our kids were granted the opportunities to fulfill their remarkable potential. --Mari Malcolm
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
Gladwell provides a novel perspective on why some have made brilliant successes of their careers. Unfortunately, it is long on anecdote and short on analysis of the ecofactors that govern people's lives. There are no lessons for anyone who wishes to emulate Bill Gates. Its still a matter of talent, drive and opportunity.
Rating:  -
In reviews of Malcolm Gladwell's previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink, I express an opinion that Gladwell offers an insight that others have previously expressed and then requires 300+ pages to discuss it. His key points in both books could have been made in an article. Gladwell's "tipping point"(2002), for example, is essentially the same as Michael Kami's "trigger point" (1988) and Andrew Gove "inflection point" (1996). (Gladwell does acknowledge the importance of an article, "Broken ... Read More
Rating: -
Once again, Malcolm Gladwell has provided an incisive inight into contemporary processes in our society.
Rating: -
Malcolm Gladwell books are very well written by this young author. It is worthwhile to invest time and money to learn with his ideas!!!
Rating:  -
I'd give this a single star, but the creativity of the subject is enough to warrant at least two stars. Plus everyone seems to discount one-stars as vendetta reviews.
In fact, I should have listened to the 9 page one-star review that I read before buying this book for my Kindle. It is NOT worth it.
90% fluff, and the ideas themselves are weak at best.
The best chapter is the aircraft accident dissection, but even that is not related to the topic of the book, it ... Read More
Browse for similar items by category:
|
