Outliers is. . .

a great book. I would be referring to Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I am not sure if there are any other books with the same or similar titles, because I didn't feel like looking it up.

I have previously read Blink, but that was before I decided to mouth off periodically on the internet. Or possibly it was after, but I was too lazy to write about it. Either way, I was a fan of that book and figured I'd give Gladwell's other stuff a try. Since Chuck got The Tipping Point for his birthday, there wasn't much point in buying that one, so Outliers it was.

Now, if you know me, then you already know that I am a nerd. That means that a book with lots of data and junk like that is already going to be appealing to me. However, the book is actually very well written and interesting to read. There is a lot of information, but it's not like a boring textbook with everything in stupid tables that I never bother to look at and end up being confused later when the author refers to them. Plus, the main idea of the book is something that I have always thought: anyone is capable of being successful if they put work into it. Nobody gets to be a millionaire/billionaire/trillionaire just by luck. Even the people who catch the right breaks still have to bust their asses to make it big. Now I just wish there was a way I could convey that information to my students, since apparently they are all going to be rich or famous or rich and famous even though only a small fraction of them are willing to work hard at anything. It will be an interesting future for them.

I read the entire second half of the book today, which says a lot because there was also curling on, meaning a good chunk of my time was spent yelling at the TV announcer. Seriously, how come people think it's a good idea to let anyone announce a sport just because they played it? Does no one else notice Troy Aikman's lack of coherence?

Sorry, off topic there.

All in all, I am glad I read Outliers and I'm looking forward to The Tipping Point. Or maybe I'll read one of the other 10 new books on the bookshelf. Or maybe even get around to finishing Al Gore's travesty, The Assault on Reason. Ok, just kidding about that last one. What an awful book that was, at least at the beginning. Although I can't imagine it getting better. Stick with being a global warming hypocrite there, Al.

Final verdict? Read the book. Just don't ask to borrow my copy. As Amy can tell you, I am a little bit crazy about my books.

-Jon