Nigel 
September 18th, 2009
A fascinating book that's a delight to read
I loved reading it and was sad to reach the end. Despite having been a bestseller it’s highlyrecommended.
Gladwell has an engaging style, throwing in plenty of human interest material that is well presented.
What enables a few people to achieve so much more than the rest of us? Is it luck, upbringing, intelligence, hard work, or what? The findings are enthralling but be warned: do not expect this book to tell you how to succeed. That is not Gladwell’s intention. What he does is to shine a spotlight on a wide range of connected exceptions such as:
> Bill Gates: what enabled him to be ready when the right opportunity arrived?
> The Beatles: how many hours a week were they performing in Hamburg? The answer is astonishing.
> What is the most important factor if you want to be a successful pro basketball player? And no, provided you’re tall enough it’s not height, and it’s not the potential you were born with.
> On commercial airliners the Captain and his Co-pilot share flying time about equally. Obviously the Captain is more experienced. So why do far more accidents happen when the Captain is flying?
> What has the nature of rice farming got do do with Chinese excellence at Maths? (There’s a hint buried in this post).
If you never read another book in your entire life I’d strongly advise you keep the fact quiet lol.