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Feature: Video
Testimonial by Ellen Tolbert, Beebe Medical Center
March / April – Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwel
Below you will find several discussion questions for our March/April book: Outliers- The story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. If you would like to comment on one of these discussion questions, please complete the form below and click on the “submit comment” button. Your response will then be posted to this Web page, giving other virtual book club members the opportunity to view your comments and post a response. We hope you find this online discussion forum interesting and informative!
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Q & A
- Did certain parts of Outliers make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?
- Malcolm Gladwell is interested in what makes some people more successful than others. Do you agree or disagree with his ideas?
- Why does Gladwell feel there is no such thing as a self-made person? Do you agree? Can you name people who overcame great odds—circumstances not in their favor—to attain success? What about those people that Gladwell offers in support of his argument (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or the Beatles, among others)? Do you agree with his assessment that much depends on timing?
- What personal experiences—people and incidents in your own life—can you think of that support or challenge Gladwell’s ideas?
- What did you find most surprising, humorous or thought-provoking in Gladwell’s book? Any “ah-ha!” moments? Anything strike you as dubious? Have you come away thinking differently than before? What, if anything, do you feel you’ve learned?
- What advantages have you benefited from? Why haven’t they been enough to catapult you to an outlier level of success? Alternatively, if you consider yourself very successful, to what do you attribute your success?
Discussion Questions courtesy of LitLovers.
I found the chapter on the hockey player’s to be extremely interesting, probably because my four brothers grew up playing hockey. Interestingly enough, their birthdays fall in October and December, which actually counteracts Gladwell’s main argument. I also enjoyed the concept of the “10,000 hour rule,” especially as it related to the Beatles and their experience in Hamburg, Germany. I personally LOVED this book and can’t wait to read Blink and The Tipping Point!
I personally found the 10,000 hour rule slightly overwhelming and unrealistic. To spend years of practice on a particular task seems unreasonable for the fast-paced world that we live in. What does everyone else think? Is 10,000 hours reasonable?