Last night I finished reading Outliers in the bathtub at three in the morning. I couldn’t sleep so I figured I’d do something productive with my time. You may be asking what this book has to do with weight loss…well nothing really its just a good book.
Outliers is a great book. Like Gladwell’s other books it is presented as case studies. The author leaves little room for critical thinking by interlacing his opinion and ideas throughout. The book’s thesis states successful people–Outliers–are “grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky–but all critical to making them who they are.” I fully subscribe to the theory of right place and right time paired with hard work and a fair amount of luck as a means to success. But the book makes a strong case by chronicling several super wealthy or influential people.
I enjoyed the book and had trouble putting it down. It was entertaining and provides plenty of fodder for pseudo-intellectual conversations. However, it is not a revelation to me nor will it break new ground for anyone who has believes we are products of our environment with slight variations based on our genes.
Outliers has already climbed onto the best-sellers list which will make the books theories available to wide audience . I wonder how people will feel when they realize the book dispels the American mythology of self-made success.
One part that stood out was the 10k hour theory. I am working on completing the requisite 10,000 hours of practice it takes to become a proficient writer. Keep reading and see if I get any better.
Anyway, buy the book, read it and leave your comments here. [click to continue…]
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