Outliers

Ok, now's the time for those of you who actual read this blog to add some of your own thoughts. I know at least two of you also read this book and I would love to have your contributions to the blog.

Outliers is Malcolm Gladwell's third book. I've really enjoyed all of them, but I think The Tipping Point was my favorite. That may be primarily because it was so fresh. Now Gladwell has used the same formula three times: he comes up with some interesting, provocative idea that explains certain aspects of human behavior that we can all relate to, and then he provides examples that "prove" his thesis. And even though they may not prove anything, his examples are always interesting.

In Outliers, he presents several "rules" that explain why certain people are more successful at whatever they do than others. People like Bill Gates, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Beatles. Why Chinese are better at math. Why the best hockey players are born during certain months of the year and why some airplanes crash. The airplane crash part was particularly interesting in light of the pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson River two months ago.

I've read several negative reviews of this book, but even though it's fairly easy to pick apart some of his arguments, I thought it was extremely interesting and fun to read. Now I want to know what the rest of you think.