Outliers is a famous book by Malcolm Gladwell which has also been identified with the title; "The Story of Success." It was published by Little, Brown and company in the year 2008. Despite the fact that it is just a recent publication, its rich contents have greatly led to its popularity. In this book, the author gives a detailed discussion on some of the factors behind high levels of success. The author manages to make the readers aware of what to expect in at a stage early enough. He does this by laying out the purpose of the book in a clear manner. It is not enough to ask what successful people are like but then, by asking where they are from, we manage to unveil the logic behind who succeeds and who does not.
The author effectively manages to strengthen his thesis by carrying out an examination of the lives of some famous individuals. For instance, he examines how Bill Gates who is a co-founder of Microsoft got his immense wealth. He also outlines how the two intelligent minds, Christopher Langan and Robert Openheimer obtained their vast fortunes. By exploring the lives of such eminent figures in the area of success, Gladwell immediately manages to grip the attention of the readers. The discussion then flows effectively to what the author had intended and promised at the beginning. This is exploring some of the factors that contribute to high levels of success.
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In a series of effectively weaved statements and ideas, the author then introduces one of the main themes. This theme remains dominant throughout the book. The theme of the "10,000- Hour Rule." In a bid to offer an explanation in line with this rule, the author asserts that the major path to success mainly involves carrying out a specific task for period of precisely 10,000 hours. This is a key aspect which many individuals rarely notice in their quest for success.
The author equally achieves a clear explanation of the major issues of discussion in the book. This he does by relating some of the stories to his own background. This makes the assertions more meaningful as well as persuassive. As a result, it also makes it easy for the reader to flow through the main ideas as well as the connection between them. Despite the fact that the writing style of this book may seem to overly simplify certain sociological phenomena, many a critic have admitted the fact that the book is easy to understand.
While explaining some of the factors behind the high achievers, the author highlights that "The biggest misconception that people have had towards success is that they do it solely on their ambition, smarts, hustles and hard work." This is however not the case because the ultimate success of an individual is a function of broader factors than the ones mentioned above. While concluding this, he urges people to let go the notion that everything that happens to an individual is up to the individual.
One of the major factors that Gladwell equally gets to emphasize in his book is the society. He makes it clear that success can be easy to obtain but only when people stop thinking of it as a personal business. Gladwell therefore brings out the fact that what people do as a community can contribute to greater success as compared to what they do as individuals. In a nut shell, throughout the book, the author discusses how friendship, family, and culture each play a role in an individual's success.
The author also enhances the contents of the book by giving the discussion a number of professional approaches. For instance he obtains and relays most of his information through research and investigation. He gets to interview Bill Gates hence allowing the readers to directly interact with the mind of a successful person and how the person got there. He also links the results of his investigation by comparing one to the other in order to confirm the validity. For instance he compares the Oppenheimer with Langan to point out any common aspects in these individuals which could have led to their success.
In conclusion, the book can be said to have been done in a unique style. Many a people have always viewed it as a form of autobiography. This is because the author manages to incorporate the elements of his personal life into the book. This goes a long way in giving the book a personal touch. The book is one of the most interesting and educative ones. For anyone who has always had a thirst for success, they better have a look; the book comprises just the right content.