Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book is about success and why some people find it more easily than others. Gladwell makes the point that it’s rarely the case that someone rises to great heights without a little help, advantage, or opportunity. He covers topics on why the best ice hockey players are born in January, why descendants of Jewish garment workers became great lawyers in New York City, and why certain countries have a much higher rate of plane crashes. As usual, the stories and examples he chose for his book all neatly fit his theory, and his theory does make sense. But, like Publishers Weekly’s review of the book, I’m “left wondering about the data he evaluated and rejected because it did not support his argument”. Still, the reason I like Gladwell’s books is that I always learn something I didn’t know before starting the book.