Jan. 30th, 2009

errantember: (Little Cowboy Scott)
I've been searching for years for something that would get me out of bed before noon or to bed before 3 AM, but generally have struck out. However, one recent trick that seems to be working is scheduling my day the night before. Suddenly, if I'm not getting out of bed, something is actually *not* *happening*! There's a *cost* to sleeping in!

I'm not perfect at it yet, but today I did *very* well!

I...
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errantember: (Little Cowboy Scott)
NOTE: Beginning with this review, I'm using Amazon's Associate Program for my links. If someone buys something after clicking through a link here, I get money. My commitment is that I'm only going to link to things I find interesting, and I'm not going to inflate my reviews in order to sell more books. I think there will be positive effects beyond earning what will likely be a tiny amount of money, the main one being that I'll be motivated to actually review more often. I read a *lot* of really interesting books, and often I don't take the time to review them. I'd also like to develop my critical voice, so if anyone has any constructive feedback on how to make the reviews better, I'd love to hear it! Now, on to the review!

What do two geniuses, a spate of Korean airline crashes, and blood feuds in Appalachian Kentucky have in common? Why is it that Asian students consistently cream their peers in mathematics? How important is, really, where we come from in whether or not we succeed? When you read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success, the answers may surprise you. Challenging more pedestrian explanations, he digs deep into the past to discover the fascinating origins of some very strange social phenomenon. The audio version breathes life into the story, as Gladwell's focused, fascinated voice carries us from the meticulous art of the Chinese rice paddy to the tension inside a airliner cockpit seconds before over a hundred people's live are snuffed out. Gladwell not only weaves a story pregnant with implications about our history, our assumptions, and what we might do to improve the future, but he brings it full circle by telling the story of his own family, and how without each intersection of chance, locale, prejudice, and hard work, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to write the fascinating book you hold in your hands.

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