I feel like I'm late to the party on this one--hasn't everybody already read it? I'm finding it very interesting. It's about success, geniuses, and very talented people. What makes them so special? Gladwell doesn't buy the simple rags-to-riches by means of good ol' hard work stories in many a singular person's autobiography. He thinks luck and opportunity play a bigger part. It's the old Nature vs. Nurture question (something Sophia and I talk about often--yes, Sophia, both you and your dad might like this book). He also has an interesting idea that it takes about 10,000 hours to master something, to be better than others who also do this thing, but who don't yet have it in their marrow. He says that without the nightly grind of playing 7-hour sets in nightclubs in Hamburg, Germany, the young Beatles might not have solidified their talents so completely into one unit, that those 10,000 hours helped them to master their craft and gave them the power to become what they would become.
Who else has read this book? What did you think?
1 comment:
I haven't read Outliers yet Christine, but you're tempting me. It always looked interesting but I never got around to picking it up.
I'm still working on The Help, and I saw Patsy yesterday who sung its praises as well. I'm really enjoying it so far. I want to know what the heck happened to Constantine, what the heck is wrong with Celia, and whether Miss Skeeter and Aibilene will succeed in writing that book together (and whether Miss Skeeter will find someone to share her life with). Oh and Miss Hilly can suck it.
~Lisa
Post a Comment