Outliers
In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band. Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.
Where Outliers keeps showing up
Eight of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Also by Malcolm Gladwell
Books in conversation with Outliers
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Outliers
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Malcolm Gladwell argues that the people we treat as self-made geniuses, from Bill Gates to Canadian hockey stars, are products of birth dates, family backgrounds, and access most of us never get.
Outliers argues that exceptional success depends less on innate talent and more on cultural background, hidden advantages, and accumulated practice (the famous 10,000-hour rule). Malcolm Gladwell's case studies range from the Beatles to Bill Gates to Asian rice farmers.
Outliers popularizes legitimate research, but several specific claims (especially the 10,000-hour rule) have been challenged by the original researchers. The book remains influential as accessible synthesis.
Outliers was written by Malcolm Gladwell, published in 2008 by Taurus.
Outliers is 320 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Outliers takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Outliers is a standalone novel by Malcolm Gladwell, not part of a series.
Outliers is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
