I posted my first ever book review on Amazon yesterday. It was for Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers: The Story of Success". I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. It was very readable with numerous examples of very interesting cultural phenomena. I got through it quickly. But at the end as I write below, the gist seemed to change to more about hard work. I didn't find the central premise to be entirely convincing. Here's the review:
Worth a read but not great ****
I almost gave this 3 stars, but gave it 4, mainly because it was a very interesting read. However, the thrust of the book, that one's circumstances are more influential on one's success than one's own hard work, wasn't that compelling to me. Certainly, how one is raised or the opportunities one has play a big part in leading to great success, but I think Gladwell too much minimized hard work as a factor. Alot of people have opportunities, but why is it that some take advantage of those opportunities and others don't? I think there is a matter of judgement in one's path to success, and that doesn't seem to be considered here.
The first half of the book gave a number of compelling examples about how one's circumstances contribute to one's great success. But by the end of the book, particularly when Gladwell is writing about his parents, the gist seems to be about hard work.
While very interesting examples of culture affecting behavior are given throughout, how did the Kentucky family feud chapters fit in with the rest of the book about success? Also, the second half of the book was all over the place though the KIPP school chapters were extremely interesting to read about.
Overall, well written, nice interesting narratives of cultural phenomena, but a bit short and not entirely convincing on the circumstances aspect.
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