Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Illustrated, 309pp. Little, Brown & Company. $27.99 Hardcover

We've all heard the sayings. "When life you gives you lemons make lemonade." Or, my grandfather's favorite, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." As corny and folksy as the mottoes may sound, there's a lesson here and it has to do with opportunity. The simple truth is you should never allow an opportunity pass without exploring the possibilities first.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Tipping Point and Blink!, returns with Outliers: The story of Success. Outliers studies the lives and characteristics of what makes some of America's most intriguing people successful. Focusing on Microsoft's Bill Gates, arguably one of the most successful men of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, Gladwell examines what is it in Gates's makeup or upbringing that makes him so successful. The simple answer is opportunity.

As Gladwell examines Gates's life, two critical aspects of opportunity arise that attribute to Gates's rise to success. Gates as a high school student in Seattle was exposed to a high school computer class--a rarity in the mid-60's. And, that first taste of computers inspired Gates to explore other programming opportunities in college. While a student at the University of Washington, Gates positioned himself to have virtual unlimited access to the university's computers. By the time Gates graduated, he believes he had more that 10,000 hours of programming under his belt.

When questioned by Gladwell of the experience the opportunity provided, Gates answers, "If there were 50 people in the world, I'd be stunned. I had a better exposure to software development at a young age than I think anyone did in that period of time, and all because of an incredibly lucky series of events." Unless you've been living under a rock or in some remote, wooded area surrounded by your anti-technology treatises and your imaginary friend Quasimodo, we all know what happened with Gates's opportunity-a small company named Microsoft.

Gladwell then examines the birth months of professional hockey players with January, February, and March birthdays with some astounding and humorous results. How could a birthday have an effect on the prowess of an athlete's success? The answers are insightful and though-provoking. Moreover, how can working in a rice paddy increase ones math skills? Although the answers here raise a political question of racism and questionable science, Gladwell's well thought out thesis may surprise readers and convince a few to change their perspectives.

Outliers is not a work of genius; some of Outliers philosophy can be accused of too much pop psychology. Outliers is, however, a work by a genius. Gladwell's ideas and explorations are just what our commodity-driven, instant gratification pop society needs to hear. As work pressures and social calendars limit our times with our youth, Gladwell leaves the reader pondering if neglecting parental development of our younger generations has a 'good' outcome. The answers may surprise you and may find you seeking out life's hidden opportunities.