Ever since I read Tipping Point and Blink, especially Blink, I have been a Malcolm Gladwell fan.  In any of my discussion in recent years about memorable books I have read recently, the name Blink comes up inevitably.  This book has had a huge impact on how I process information, make critical decisions.  Without doubt I have internalized a lot of the lessons learnt in Blink in my day to day living.  If you have not read Blink my suggestion would be run, and don't walk, to your nearest Barnes and Noble and buy the book and read it as soon as possible.  After reading the book if you can't figure out what's the big fuss about, call me.

Malcolm Gladwell has a unique ability to assimilate many many isolated pieces of facts and information and make some sense out of them into a comprehensible picture.  He paints a picture that not only makes sense but has practical application in our lives.  In Blink he shows us how we can summon our collective life experience into specific situation in life where we may not have all the facts gathered and analyzed but even with relatively small amount of facts and data gathered we can make remarkably accurate assessment of situations or circumstances.

In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell examines what are the factors that go into making of a successful individual.  How much of the success is the unique and innate talent of the individual and how much is other factors that the individual had no control over.  He dissects the lives of the usual suspects, Tiger Woods, The Beatles, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Bill Joy.  He also examines lives of less stellar abut successful people such as a 12 year old girl, Maria, daughter of a single mother attending KIP Academy in Bronx.