The day has come, and now BLA is over for good. Sad or not? Well, that is up to you, I guess. But here we go. Like a lot of the class, I read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm not going to lie, after my last BLA book, The Female Brain, I was worried that this book wouldn't live up to it. Oh boy, was I wrong. Outliers, although completely different than my previous book, was amazing. The focus of Gladwell's book was to explain the reasons why certain people succeed over others in our world. Before I read the book, I just assumed there weren't any specific reasons for gain or loss; that it just sort of... happened. But Gladwell completely dismissed these ideas by giving numerous anecdotes, statistics, and examples. The examples he presented ranged all the way from why the best hockey players are born in the fall to the life story of some of the greatest minds in our society today. By doing this, he creates a book that can appeal to almost every single person out there. And even if you aren't familiar with the present topic, Gladwell has inserted "side bars" to help explain, in further detail, certain terms or situations referred to throughout the book. By doing this, he can use a more educated diction, but still allowing the reader to understand and comprehend what he is writing about. This diction, colloquial or educated, at no point is aimed to make Gladwell seem like a superior to the reader. The statistics, whether in charts or in blocks of text, accomplish this task as well. They are placed in places where they are necessary, and are not meant to make it seem as though Gladwell is an expert in every topic he discusses. Yet, at the same time, the reader trusts Gladwell; he has built up his credibility well. I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. Gladwell did a fantastic job gaining my attention, as well as keeping that attention all the way to the last page. If you often wonder how or why things happen, like I do, Outliers, is the perfect read for you. So go read it. You'll love it. I did.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
The day has come, and now BLA is over for good. Sad or not? Well, that is up to you, I guess. But here we go. Like a lot of the class, I read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm not going to lie, after my last BLA book, The Female Brain, I was worried that this book wouldn't live up to it. Oh boy, was I wrong. Outliers, although completely different than my previous book, was amazing. The focus of Gladwell's book was to explain the reasons why certain people succeed over others in our world. Before I read the book, I just assumed there weren't any specific reasons for gain or loss; that it just sort of... happened. But Gladwell completely dismissed these ideas by giving numerous anecdotes, statistics, and examples. The examples he presented ranged all the way from why the best hockey players are born in the fall to the life story of some of the greatest minds in our society today. By doing this, he creates a book that can appeal to almost every single person out there. And even if you aren't familiar with the present topic, Gladwell has inserted "side bars" to help explain, in further detail, certain terms or situations referred to throughout the book. By doing this, he can use a more educated diction, but still allowing the reader to understand and comprehend what he is writing about. This diction, colloquial or educated, at no point is aimed to make Gladwell seem like a superior to the reader. The statistics, whether in charts or in blocks of text, accomplish this task as well. They are placed in places where they are necessary, and are not meant to make it seem as though Gladwell is an expert in every topic he discusses. Yet, at the same time, the reader trusts Gladwell; he has built up his credibility well. I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. Gladwell did a fantastic job gaining my attention, as well as keeping that attention all the way to the last page. If you often wonder how or why things happen, like I do, Outliers, is the perfect read for you. So go read it. You'll love it. I did.
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