So hence, it is the end of BLA, the day I hath dreadeth for now thy life is dreary.
If you want to read a book with diction like that (and a highly negative tone as well) then "Outliers" isn't for you. For the rest of you out there, don't let the topic and argumentative nature of the book scare you off. Gladwell does an excellent job writing to a broad, public audience with his use of simple diction and explanation, and both of these things help to educate the audience on his argument that is clearly supported throughout the book.
Gladwell argues that success is due to opportunities an individual has. Here's the catch: opportunities can span many different topics, including work ethic and experience, cultural background, and the pure luck behind the time of birth. These opportunities all work together to define a who a person is and who he is going to be, and, at times, a concentration on one opportunity can lead to a decline of another (such education and training that helps a Japanese pilot overcome his traditional values of respect of elders, allowing him to communicate more effectively at dire times in the cockpit). Once information backing his argument is given, Gladwell chooses to end "Outliers" with a proposal for the readers not to settle for the world we have, but change it by giving everyone, not just rare, "outlying," individuals the opportunities needed for success. Gladwell's positive faith in us to give the world more opportunities to success only helps to enforce his optimism on the topic of success and an individual's capability of achieving it.
Exposing his argument through chapters that each center around a different, but real example of "outliers" in real life, the reader finds much explanation. This explanation, while being through, can become repetitive and seemingly unnecessary after a while, but I found that the chapters have hidden gems of knowledge contained in one or two sentences. It is these little snippets of the chapters that made this read worth it to me, they were so true and inspiring (especially after reading a whole story of success that they work to summarize). My favorite of these gems is:
" Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you want to grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig."
Go grab a book and discover what Gladwell has to teach you, I highly recommend it.
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