Helpful Score: 7
Malcolm Gladwell's latest bestseller addresses success - why some people such as Bill gates rise above the rest to phenomenal success. He terms these people "Outliers."
The chapters all follow a format which Gladwell likely has likely used frequently in his magazine writing: he begins by telling a story of an interesting individual or group of people, then proceeds to expand upon his example to make his point. The early chapters which address the influence of birth month on the chances of athletic and academic success and his study of Bill Gates are the most interesting. One overly-lengthy chapter concerning a group of immigrants slowed the momentum of the book, as did the author's telling of his own family history. Fortunately, the chapters that are good are really, really good: easy to understand and insightful.
Gladwell is one of the few non-fiction writers who can consistently appeal to the masses. There are enough interesting tidbits here to keep his appeal going.
The chapters all follow a format which Gladwell likely has likely used frequently in his magazine writing: he begins by telling a story of an interesting individual or group of people, then proceeds to expand upon his example to make his point. The early chapters which address the influence of birth month on the chances of athletic and academic success and his study of Bill Gates are the most interesting. One overly-lengthy chapter concerning a group of immigrants slowed the momentum of the book, as did the author's telling of his own family history. Fortunately, the chapters that are good are really, really good: easy to understand and insightful.
Gladwell is one of the few non-fiction writers who can consistently appeal to the masses. There are enough interesting tidbits here to keep his appeal going.
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