Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell’s most recent foray into the realm of pop economics, continues the tradition of excellence and entertainment that he started with Blink and Tipping Point. The title of the book refers to the statistical term for an observation that lies outside the normal pattern of distribution; in this case it refers to a highly successful individual from a pool of successful people. Gladwell once again provides an entertaining book rife with anecdotes and tidbits of information that make for great conversation.

The overlying theme of Outliers is what Gladwell calls the “10,000 hour rule,” which states that for one to achieve any kind of success in a field, 10,000 hours of work must be put in first to gain the minimum experience to go further, creating an idea that hard work will only get you so far. The book goes on to focus on those who achieve the minimum levels of work and separate the most successful from this group, such as Bill Gates from his equally talented contemporaries. Gladwell also uses examples from his own life, relating his experience writing for The New Yorker and his previous novels to demonstrate the importance of the “10,000 hour rule.” Many of the differences he addresses are related to a combination of timing, location, and culture.

One of the early examples that Gladwell employs is of Canadian hockey players. He shows that an inordinate number of successful players are born earlier in the calendar year, which he states is a direct result of the leagues separating the players based upon the calendar year that they were born, causing those with an early birthday to have several months more maturity and growth than their counterparts. This leads to extra attention being paid to the slightly older players since they appear to be more talented, an effect which Gladwell calls the “accumulative advantage.”

The book is split into two general sections: “Opportunity” and “Legacy.” “Opportunity” deals with where a person comes from and how that allows for certain options that would not otherwise be available to equally talented people from other times, places, or families. “Legacy” deals with what people do with success after it is achieved. Gladwell keeps the book flowing from one anecdote into another within these sections and ties the ideas together throughout, making for an ultimately enjoyable book.

Another quick read that is sure to entertain people from all walks of life.