Earlier this week I read Gladwell's "David & Goliath" which I enjoyed tremendously. So, I wondered:  “What else should I read by Gladwell?”  “What’s next?” Not only did Amazon put “[Outliers](https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell-ebook/dp/B001ANYDAO)” on top of the list recommendations. It’s been “around” and mentioned in my circle of friends for years. I may be the last person to have read it. So I did.  **What I enjoyed about “Outliers”** Gladwell is a king of using stories to drive a more abstract point home. His chapters are tight, on point, highly entertaining and easy to read. They almost always contain an element of surprise that is revealed at the end. His ideas are very, very “[sticky](https://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others-ebook/dp/B000N2HCKQ).” I can’t even imagine how long it takes him to write a single chapter. **What I didn’t like so much** Gladwell uses cliffhangers early on in his chapters. He starts out with a high-drama setting in one story and, just before explaining or resolving the situation, he switches to a completely different story. He eventually reconnects the two and yes, it makes for good reading. However, after reading the second book of his in one week, this cliffhanger mechanic had become tiresome and somewhat predictable.  **Would I recommend it?**  Probably. It’s a staple in modern knowledge worker culture and clearly, it’s a really, really good book. I didn’t leave me with as much of a positive note the way “David & Goliath” did. I thought a lot about his findings on what makes people successful. This in turn, naturally, made me question my chances of succeeding and, to be honest, based on his findings, I’m not in an ideal place to succeed. Yet.