Outliers -- Take 2

As I expected (and hoped), this was a fun read.  Gladwell picks well-known and interesting subjects to investigate and support his basic conclusion, which is this (he says this at the beginning, so it's not really a spoiler): outliers aren't, in fact, outliers at all.

We have this idea that people like Bill Gates are somehow so extraordinary that their accomplishments are way out of reach for anyone else.  But in fact, their accomplishments are a combination of talent honed through lots of work (10,000 hours needed to become an expert) and coincidence or circumstances that they were able to exploit to make the most of those talents.  This is not groundbreaking information, but it's nonetheless an interesting personal and social study.

My biggest criticism: he does, in fact make his point at the beginning, and again at the end, with a study of his own ancestors.  What falls between are basically a series of case studies, all with similar themes and plots, which is a little flat.  By the time you've heard the same story three or four times, you know how it's going to end.  It's kept interesting because the actual means, the breaks each person gets, are different, even though the outcome is the same.  Generally, though: enjoyable.