Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

"In understanding successful people, we have come to focus far too much on their intelligence and ambition and personality traits. Instead, Malcolm Gladwell argues in Outliers, we should look at the world that surrounds the successful - their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way, Gladwell reveals what the Beatles and Bill Gates have in common, the reason you've never heard of the smartest man in the world, why almost no star hockey players are born in the fall, and why, when it comes to plane crashes, where the pilots are born matters as much as how well they are trained.

"The lives of outliers - people whose achievements fall outside normal experience - follow a peculiar and unexpected logic, and in uncovering that logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential". -- Citation Provided Below!

As we read Outliers, students will learn about successful men and women who have accomplished unconventional achievements. These are people who have done significantly more than the average person and their success is founded on so many unique elements of their lives. Together, we will spend time examining the qualities and experiences that these people share while discussing how our own lives can be affected and changed by these same things! A schedule is provided below!

Week One: Introduction and Chapters 1 - 2
     - Read the Introduction Before Class
     - Introduction to the Novel
     - Introduction to the Author
     - Definition of Success and Other Key Elements
     - The Matthew Effect
     - The 10,000 Hour Rule


Week Two: Chapters 3 - 5
     - The Trouble with Geniuses, Part One
     - The Trouble with Geniuses, Part Two
     - The Three Lessons of Joe Flom

Week Three: Chapters 6 - 8
     - Harlan, Kentucky
     - The Theory of Plane Crashes
     - Rice Paddies and Math Tests

Week Four: Chapters 9 - Epilogue
     - Marita's Bargain
     - A Jamaican Story

Citation:
          Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. New York, Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company, 2008.