Outliers+by+Malcom+Gladwell

 //Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell//


Our Super-Gorgeous Author :)

Week 5: Chapters Person A: Rachel Person B/C: Alexis Person D: Katie

Overall, I thought that this book was very well-written and very interesting. The book takes a topic that is very complex and explains it in a way that is not the least bit difficult to comprehend. I recommend this book to any of my peers that profess an interest in statistics. There are other books that discuss the factors that lead to success, but none do it as well as Outliers. Although it is a very well-written book about an important topic, this book should not be considered for the school curriculum. Many students do not care about this topic and as a result, they would find the book to be very boring. Since the book takes away from the illusion possessed by most people that hard work and dedication are what lead to success, it might discourage some students from working hard in school.
 * Assignment:

Summary:** This week Rachel brought in food, Katie wrote the discussion questions, and Alexis did the summary and assignment. Rachel brought in Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, and Gummy Bears. We began our group discussion by talking about the effects that language has on one's memory. We then debated whether longer class periods would increase the amount of learning that occurs in each class. Rachel thought that it would since there would be more time for teaching to occur. Katie and I both agreed that if the periods were longer students would cease to pay attention after a certain period of time and that the extra time that had been added to the period would be not be used effectively by the majority of teachers. We also discussed whether a person's race or ethnicity plays a role in how successful they become. We decided that it is the work ethic that a person has that effects how successful they are. The notion that some races, such as Asians are smarter, can be explained by the fact that their culture emphasizes the importance of a good work ethic. In addition, we discussed the prologue. We all agreed that it did not add anything to the book and that it should have been omitted from the book. We concluded our group meeting by talking about the ways in which the book has effected us. We all agreed that it has changed the way that we think about success. It has caused us all to think about what a large impact things chance can have on a person's life.

1. The memory gap addressed shows that the language effects one's memory, Do you think this is realistic? The memory gap that Gladwell proposes may really exist, it seems that in personal experience that language may affect ones memory more than you would think. 2. If certain class periods were longer do you think you would learn more? Possibly, longer class periods could go either way, people would either learn more or they would pay less attention. It may also depend on the student as it does now, since Rachel seems to think longer class periods would help in certain areas, Alexis and I think we wouldn't pay attention if classes were made longer. 3. Gladwell repeatedly states that people from certain ethnicities are more likely to succeed in specific areas, do you think this is true? Not really, it seems that if you put forth the effort, regardless of ethnicity, you can ultimately succeed. 4. Do you think the epilogue took away from the book? Did it change your opinions? The epilogue definitely seemed to take away from the book as a whole. It almost seemed as though the author just wanted to talk about himself, which was pointless. 5. Did the book change the way you think about chance, and the general populations contribution to success? The book presented a new opinions on these matter, which were very interesting to read and consider, however, we all agreed that it didn't change the way we think.
 * Questions:**

Week 4: October 16 Chapters 6 and 7 Person A: Katie Person B/C: Rachel Person D: Alexis

Our book is not a novel, so it doesn't really include imagery. However, conceptual thinking is the main point of our book, as Gladwell presents the reader with his take on success. His main points are explained through countless examples of success stories. He tears them apart, moment by moment, and analyses how and why that person or group of people achieved their triumphs. The most recent chapter, however, explains how not to be successful while flying a plane, and all of the dangerous factors involved with being a pilot. It will be interesting to see where Gladwell takes his ideas in the last section of the book.
 * Assignment:**

This week Katie brought in Kit Kats, Skittles, and Starbursts. As Alexis and I played Kit Kat Jenga, we all discussed our new-found fear of airplanes. These chapters analyzed the difficulty in flying a plane, and it really made us realize how hard of a job this is, and how dangerous a plane ride can be. My uncle owns his own plane, and I think it's crazy that he has so much responsibility for anyone that flies with him. It was really interesting how Gladwell keeps returning to a person's culture and upbringing as reasons for their success of failure. Stereotypes are everywhere, but it's interesting to hear true cultural characteristics, and how people from every corner of the earth have a different way of life.
 * Summary:**

1. What effect do you think where someone grows up has on his or her life? Where someone grows up effects a person's personality, life experiences and opportunities, and interests. This effects what career they will have and how successful they will be in life. 2. Do you think that the traditions and attitudes that we inherit from our forebears play a role in how successful we can become in their life? I do think that the traditions and attitudes we inherit from our forebears play a role in how successful we become in our lives. They effect our personalities and our interests, which all effect how successful a person becomes. 3. After reading the book, do you feel any differently about going on airplanes? Yes, after learning what causes airplanes to crash and the likelihood of them crashing, I am now afraid to go on them. 4. After reading this book, do you believe that you will be successful in life? I am still uncertain as to whether or not I will become successful. Although I have had the opportunity to receive a good education and. I am unsure as to whether I have a large enough number of key opportunities that one needs to become successful in his or her life. I believe that it is too soon to tell. 5. Do you think that situations similar to the one in Harlan, Kentucky still happen? Why or why not? Yes, situation similar to the one in Harlan, Kentucky still occur because conflict is inevitable.
 * Questions**:

Week 3: October 9th Chapter 5 Person A: Alexis Person B/C: Katie Person D: Rachel

The tone of this book is both depressing and informative. Overall, the book provides information that can be perceived as either inspirational or depressing, though the general tone seems to lean more towards the darker side. In specific, the book explains that most rags-to-riches stories are more based on opportunity than hard work. The book also dissects what allows people in each generation to be truly successful, which can be worrisome because one never knows if they were born two years too early until it happens.
 * Assignment:**

This week we broke up the jobs evenly so that Alexis brought in the food, Rachel came up with the questions and I wrote up the summary and the response to the assignment. While we discussed the questions several interesting points came up. We discussed the trends in what jobs people took and how that related to their background. We also discussed how a parents jobs can influence the job choices someone makes in the future. After talking about how the successful people mentioned in the book all seemed to have one opportunity that changed the rest of their lives, we concluded that we cannot be certain if they would be successful without this chance. Though Gladwell believes that they wouldn't achieve what they have without these moments, they could easily have another opportunity. Throughout this meeting Rachel serenaded us with her accordion, made out of the lifesaver gummies that Alexis brought in for us.
 * Summary:**

1. Do you think what your parents do for a living will affect you? Yes, because what our parents do for a living provides with insight into their profession. My dad is a writer, so I have a better understanding of the writing process. I see how an article or book goes from the first stages of brainstorming, all the way through the final publication. Katie said that her dad is a police officer, and she wants to be a lawyer. She said that because she sees how her dad has made a difference, she hopes to do the same in a similar way. 2. Do you really think that your religious or ethnic background matters? Today in America, religious and ethnic toleration have become so standard that your background no longer plays a part in your profession. But Gladwell mentioned America about a hundred years ago, where the situation was much different. We're lucky that our choices are no longer limited by the color of our skin. 3. Did this chapter make you think that we may have been born "too early" or "too late"? We all agreed that it would stink to be that generation that gets the short end of the stick, and hopefully the generation after us won't steal our jobs in a few years. 4. Do you believe in coincidences--that these successful people were just in the right places at the right times? Or do you think that they would have become successful anyway? We think that these people were so smart and capable in each of their fields that if that one lucky break had been a missed opportunity, they probably would've found another way to gain success. 5. Do you ever get worried that our generation will get caught in the recession? Hopefully by the time we graduate college, the economy will be able to handle another generation of workers. But now that we've grown up in a troubled economy, we feel that we will able to handle any difficulties that come our way.
 * Questions:**

Week 2: October 2nd Chapters 3 and 4 Person A: Rachel Person B/C: Alexis Person D: Katie

The book is written in a way that is very easy to read. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, uses a straightforward and easily comprehensible vocabulary. In addition, the book contains no conversation. The author takes a very complex topic and explains it using simple terms. The book is written at a high school level since it contains a basic vocabulary as well as several concepts that would be difficult to grasp for the majority of people younger than high school freshmen.
 * Assignment:**

This week, our group divided the four jobs so that Rachel brought in the food, Katie wrote up the five discussion questions (see below,) and I wrote up the response to the assignment as well as the summary. Our group discussion went very smoothly. We discussed what aspects aside from a high IQ would lead a person to be successful in life. We concluded that a person must have good social skills. We all agreed that someone with a high IQ would not be able to strive on their own. It would also be necessary for them to have help from others. We also discussed how once a person's IQ reached a certain level, the gap between his and another persons IQ became less important than the gap is when the people have low IQs. This is because a person does not have to be the smartest, he only has to be smart enough to perform whatever tasks are being asked of him. We all agreed that the book is very interesting and that the way in which Gladwell analyzes the success stories of people is impressive and captivating.
 * Summary:**

1. What is the school with the most Nobel Prize winners? Harvard University has the most noble prize winners. 2. What's the interesting thing about Langan's situation? Do you find it surprising, why/why not? He got kicked out of college because he wanted to reschedule one of his classes to another time. Also, although he had a very high IQ, he did not have good social skills, which led to him not being very successful in life. 3. How was the outcome of the Termite study different then expected? He expected all of the people to become successful due to their high IQs, but many of them were not. 4. People strive to gain advantages for later in life early in life, is it just within human nature? Do you feel you began working for these advantages early on as well? It is human nature for people to strive to gain advantages for themselves for later in life. 5. Can someone with a high IQ strive on their own? Based on trends, do they thrive in social situations? No, they need to also have been given the opportunities to become successful. They need to have social skills in order to strive in life.
 * Questions:**

Week 1: September 25th Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2 Person A/D: Katie Person B/C: Rachel Absent: Alexis

Our book has no characters. Rather, the author explains how success works, by giving examples of fame around the world. Thus far, Gladwell has explained how the Beatles, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and a few others achieved their fame. Gladwell says that people don't go from "rags to riches," but instead they are just lucky. They manage to gain advantages that push them toward greatness. These special circumstances lead to over 10,000 hours of practice in their given field, which Gladwell says is necessary to achieve professional abilities and success.
 * Assignment:**

This week, Alexis was absent, so Katie and I split up the four jobs equally. Katie brought in Sour Patch Kids, mini chocolate bars, and Starbursts, and also came up with five questions for the group (see below). The discussion went smoothly and quickly, since there were only two of us. We mostly talked about our brothers, who are both sports players. My brother is 12 and plays baseball, and Katie's brother is 13 and plays football. We both agreed that our brothers, still not in high school, have both most likely reached the 10,000 hours of practice at their sport that Gladwell says is necessary for greatness.
 * Summary:**

We both agreed that the book was interesting, in a good way. The idea that success doesn't just fall into someone's lap contradicts many tales of fame. Gladwell takes apart various success stories, piece by piece. And when he is done, you can see how that person was able to do what they did. He shows how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had access to rare equipment, purely because of chance. We are amazed at how he figured this all out, and can string it together in a sort of story.

1. What birth months seem to trend in athletic advantages? Early months, like January through April, because of cut-off dates. 2. How big is the role of society in other peoples success? Society plays a major role in the success of people in certain industries. For example, people in the music industry rely greatly on society to support them. Without the population's acceptance, a song isn't considered successful. But sometimes this acceptance can be skewed if the industry forces public approval. For instance, if a song is played constantly over the radio, more people are likely to hear it, and more people are likely to learn the words to it, and learn to like the song over time, increasing its popularity. 3. What is the 10,000 hour rule? It states that you need 10,000 hours of practice to become truly successful in something. 4. Have you ever committed 10,000 hours to one thing? If so why, what? Not really, neither of us have a true passion that we are fully committed to, unlike our brothers, who are avid sports players. 5. Do you think that if people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates never had 10,000 hours of practice that they would have still accomplished what they have? No, because without the special circumstances that lead to those 10,000 hours, these men may never have seen a computer or had access to technology.
 * Questions:**