Outliers- finished!

At the finish of the book, Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, I am left feeling satisfied and well-informed, but also asking questions with a newfound curiosity for the topics. This, in my opinion, is exactly what an author should do. While Gladwell discusses factors that make one successful— birthday, timing, practice, ethnicity, parents, and a lucky set of opportunities— he tends to neglect the idea of going against the odds. He often says that success is a result of luck, which, in part, is true. However, I am interesting in knowing about those successful people who are luckless: the ones who were born in a bad year, brought up in the wrong society, and were not presented with numerous opportunities. I want to read about the ones who went against the odds and became a success. At the end of the book, Gladwell claims that “The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all” (285). I contemplate whether or not this is true. It seems awfully pessimistic to say that success is luck, and is not awarded to those who necessarily deserve it. It seems almost cynical to claim that miracles do not occur. I am also left wondering the definition of success. This definition is different for everyone, and I'm curious to know if that contributes to ones "success". Overall, Malcom Gladwell did a wonderful job in researching and writing about how the successful came to be, and left the reader with a new outlook on success and a thirst to learn more.