Caitlyn, a student Page at the Napanee Branch, recently enjoyed Outliers: the Story of Successone of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling books. Here is her review:

Have you ever wondered what the secret to success is? Find your answer in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: the Story of Success. Drawing examples from all different walks of life, Gladwell explains how certain individuals are able to rise to their success in a way that seems to elude most of the rest of the population.

While most people seem to think that success is completely dependent upon coming from a wealthy family, having a high IQ, or is dependent on flourishing in the face of adversity, Gladwell argues that this is simply not the whole case. Sure, intelligence plays a factor in being successful. But so does creativity. Some people who are brilliant are never recognized because they don’t possess the social intelligence needed to easily converse with the people around them. Gladwell provides much evidence to support the idea that being born at the right time in the right place, having worked hard, practiced for just about forever, with the right background and the right cultural legacy is just as important to the success of multi-millionaires the world over as being smart is. We’re not talking about celebrities here. We’re talking about people with brains wired just like many other people in the world, but who are impacted differently both culturally and socially, giving them specific advantages over others, and being able to harness those advantages. Gladwell clearly and succinctly refutes the commonly held belief that all success stories are “rags-to-riches” stories.

This books challenges many of the ideals that we believe in so deeply. For those people who don’t have the highest IQ in the world ever recorded, this book shows them that there are other parts of their life that have more of an impact on how they will succeed than how smart they are, which is the largest indicator we use for success in the world today.

Anyone looking for the secret to success, those interested in sociology, even anyone who is about to graduate high school or in post-secondary must read this book. It impacts us all. It lends a specific power to those who have always thought that success isn’t just “anyone’s” game. This examination of our world is compulsively readable, accessible and conversational in nature, with ideas and astounding evidence that will keep you up at night.

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