TOW #4: IRB (Outliers)

Malcolm Gladwell has written five books and has been a writer for The New Yorker since 1996. In Outliers, he examines the stories of outstandingly successful people and explains how their circumstances allowed them to achieve higher success than their peers. To demonstrate the significance of these circumstances, Gladwell frequently compares and contrasts similar subjects. For example, he explains why Christopher Langan is jobless while Robert Oppenheimer (who once attempted murder) became the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. He begins, "Oppenheimer and Langan might both be geniuses, but in other ways, they could not be more different" (98). The primary difference, Gladwell says, was their upbringings. Langan was raised by a poor mother who couldn't teach him the social skills that Oppenheimer's wealthy parents enforced upon him. After a series of unfortunate events, Langan was unable to defend himself and achieve the college experience needed to be a credible author, even though he has the talent and knowledge that Oppenheimer did. Oppenheimer was taught how to socialize effectively, allowing him to downplay his past and win a position in the Manhattan Project. Multiple comparisons like this one provide a thorough understanding of Gladwell's differentiation between success and failure.

Outliers begins with the history of Roseto, Pennsylvania, whose population consists primarily of Italian immigrants. In the 1950's, Roseto had astoundingly low rates of most causes of death, although its citizens had no visible advantages in diet or genetics. A physician named Stewart Wolf concluded that its lifestyle helped townspeople remain healthy. This was medically controversial, as it suggested that something so trivial as tri-generational households could have a prominent effect on overall health. Stewart states, "In Outliers, I want to do for our understanding of success what Stewart Wolf did for our understanding of health" (11). He wants his audience of intellects to recognize the seemingly meaningless details that ultimately allow a person to succeed, just as Wolf pointed out the "big picture" in health. Although I have only read the first of two parts, I think Stewart has already achieved his purpose. I might not know each of his specific points yet, but I understand that nothing is based solely on hard work or luck.