Though I read this book - Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell almost six weeks ago (during our last Dec holiday at Phuket), I am still pondering over many details.
There are many chapters in the book that I enjoy, particularly, the one on Marita's Bargain, which discusses the fact - all that a young child needs is Opportunity.
I remember reading about the KIPP: Knowledge is Power Programme a few years ago in either the New York Times or Business Times and was so impressed with the results. In this chapter, Gladwell presented another example in the story of Marita, a young girl who is given this precious opportunity to change her life. The equation is simple:
Opportunity + Strength + Presence of Mind = Success.
I also re-read the two chapters on The Trouble With Genuises and how two people with exceptional intelligence (IQ 190), Chris Langan and J. Robert Oppenheimer, end up with such vastly different fortunes. This blog post sums it up.
What is equally interesting, though not new to me, is the part on the two parenting styles: concerted cultivation vs. natural growth. It highlights the differences between parents who are highly involved in and take charged of their children's development and skills cultivation and those who think kids should be left to be developed naturally (and that learning and education is best left to the schools). Like what I wrote before about Pushy Parents.
Overall, it is a fascinating read which I am happy to add to my collection of parenting books. Now I am reading another one, which I will share soon.
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