Outliers: The Story of Success

From the bestselling author of Blink and The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success overturns conventional wisdom about genius to show us what makes an ordinary person an extreme overachiever.

Why do some people achieve so much more than others? Can they lie so far out of the ordinary?

In this provocative and inspiring book, Malcolm Gladwell looks at everyone from rock stars to professional athletes, software billionaires to scientific geniuses, to show that the story of success is far more surprising, and far more fascinating, than we could ever have imagined.

He reveals that it's as much about where we're from and what we do, as who we are - and that no one, not even a genius, ever makes it alone.

Outliers will change the way you think about your own life story, and about what makes us all unique.


'Gladwell is not only a brilliant storyteller; he can see what those stories tell us, the lessons they contain' Guardian

'Malcolm Gladwell is a global phenomenon ... he has a genius for making everything he writes seem like an impossible adventure' Observer

'He is the best kind of writer - the kind who makes you feel like you're a genius, rather than he's a genius' The Times

You will never again think as you did before about [success] ... This book deserves the gold star that adorns its front cover ― The Times

Malcolm Gladwell is a cerebral and jaunty writer, with an unusual gift for making the complex seem simple ― Observer

Makes geniuses look a bit less special, and the rest of us a bit more so ― Time

Gladwell deploys a wealth of fascinating data and information to illustrate his thesis ... Outliers challenges accepted wisdom ― FT