Outliers

Outlier (noun)


1.  something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body.


2.  a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from others in the sample.  


Every year my grandmother gives me three or four books for my birthday.  Luckily she has wonderful literary taste.  This year I received the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it completely changed the way I look at success.  

Malcolm Gladwell

I prefer novels, but this piece of nonfiction is chock full of truly entertaining trivia.  For example, did you know that the director of the Manhattan Project attempted to poison his Chemistry tutor in college?  


Gladwell examines everyone from Bill Gates to The Beatles in his quest to prove that there's no such thing as a self-made man.  Guess what- he succeeds.