A colleague placed this book in my hand saying, ‘This guy is brilliant! I love the way he thinks.” After reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, I couldn’t agree more.
Outliers is a book about why some people succeed: what factors beyond simply hard work and a high IQ lead to individual success. It’s a book about being in the right place at the right time, about what exactly that means, and about what type of individual is then prepared to catch that wave.
I found this book especially relevant to educators everywhere as it describes the advantages of being born early in the year, where children with early leads on their peers are selected for rep teams and gifted programs, and given extra opportunities to hone their skills. A blue print for the ambitious, Outliers describes too the importance of the 10,000 hour rule — hours of serious practice needed to become expert.
Educators will also be especially interested in Gladwell’s discussion of ‘entitlement’ — where middle class children gain an understanding of their right to pursue their preference. As Gladwell describes demographic luck, meaningful work, the importance of our cultural legacy, and more, Outliers makes an excellent case for the story of success being much larger than simply tales of individuals overcoming all odds to reach great heights.
I highly recommend Outliers to teachers everywhere, and hope myself to see my students in light of a much bigger picture in the future.
