Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Or "Why My Dad Would Have Written This Review Himself If He Were Asian, And Why I Wouldn't Be Giving Him Shit For It If I Were Asian."*

This book is one of those change-the-way-you-think-about-the-world kinds of books. And not just in the "Oh wow I've never thought of that" kind of way; it's more like the "Holy shit now that I know this about the world I want to move to Washington DC and become a policy maker so that I can change the systems and institutions of our country to better suit the actualities of our society" kind of way.

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell examines of a wide range of successful people, from The Beatles to Bill Gates, and in doing so, he debunks the very American notion of the self-made man. In Outliers we see how our culture, our birth date, the precise set of circumstances we were presented with, our socioeconomic status, and even the particulars of our language affect our success.

When I started this book on strong recommendation from my dad, I was afraid that it was going to be depressing. It seemed to me that, if we're not self-made, then everything is random and therefore we have no control over our own success. My experience was completely the opposite. Deconstructing what makes individuals who they are was exciting and empowering. (I particularly loved the linguistic bits, and I am eager to read more about it in a more specific context.)

Lastly, Gladwell is not a scientist. He's not approaching this topic from one particular scientific slant or bias. As a result, we get to see this topic explored from the standpoint cultural anthropology, biology, linguistics, sociology, and history, so no matter your particular interest as a reader, there's something in there for you. And, as a writer and not-scientist, he weaves a hell of a yarn through what could be very dry information.

Do it. Read it. The topics laid out in Outliers are things that we never think about that we definitely should be thinking about, whether you agree with Gladwell's approach or not. Above all else, Outliers was, for me, a great introduction to some topics and ideas that I wasn't familiar with before, and I am eager to investigate further. Plus, the chapter about plane crashes will BLOW YOUR MIND.

Final Rating: 9/10

*It's because he wouldn't be so damn lazy, and I would have some respect for his authority.