CULTURE BUZZ: Malcolm Gladwell's new book is about success and the special characteristics of people who are successful. Speaking of success, Gladwell's massive book sales appear to follow a simple formula: Step 1 : Tell stories about special people with magic powers. Step 2 : Explain how the magic powers can make you rich or popular or smart with almost no effort. I like to call it the ” superheros and free lunch ” strategy - since his books are about remarkable people who get amazing results with almost no effort. We simply can't resist fantasies about superheros and free lunches! Gladwell's two massive bestsellers both promise that we can get something for nothing: The Tipping Point explains “How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference” and Blink shows us “The Power of Thinking Without Thinking”. Outliers is a big shift away from the superhero and free lunch formula. It is the most sociological of Gladwell's books - suggesting that society shapes people, that success is often accidental, and circumstances matter more than individual talent. That might be why the book is getting panned by critics. The New York Times review calls the book “Glib, Poorly Reasoned and Thoroughly Unconvincing”. The Gladwell backlash is in full swing, perhaps because people only like Gladwell when he is telling them about superheroes and get free lunches!

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The Best Links:

1. NYT On Outliers: “Glib, Poorly Reasoned and Thoroughly Unconvincing”
2. Sneak Peak at Gladwell’s New Book
3. Gladwell Writes About Late Blooming Geniuses
4. Outlier Book: A Pre-Review
5. Order Outliers on Amazon
6. Kottke’s on The Gladwell Beat
7. Late Bloomers - New Yorker Article Is Buzzing
8. Gladwell On How To Be A Genius: “stubborness and collaboration in problem-solving” (VIDEO)
9. “Is the Tipping Point Toast?” — Duncan Watts Vs. Malcolm Gladwell
10. Hot Publishing Trend: Best Sellers Are Wrong!
11. Kottke Is “The Most Prolific Gladwell Watcher”
12. “Gladwell’s New Book Will Make You Feel Inferior”

CULTURE BUZZ: With his third book — Outliers — about to come out, the critics have sharpened their knives for the New Yorker staffer and his enormous afro. Has the superhero + free lunch model of success run its course for Gladwell? He says his new book is definitely not a self-help book.

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The Best Links:

1. Malcolm Gladwell Doesn’t Think He’s An Outlier Himself
2. Outliers “Feels like a sumptuous Chinese meal that an hour later leaves a diner feeling hungry.”
3. What the Hell, Malcolm Gladwell — Where Are The Ladies?
4. The Thankless Job Of Being Malcolm Gladwell
5. Outliers: Malcolm Gladwell’s New Book - Featured on BuzzFeed
6. Malcolm Gladwell’s Very Own Site