Outliers

In this book Malcolm Gladwell looks at the underlying factors behind success, or more specifically successful people.
Of course he say there is talent but that is certainly not enough. The outstanding have been born at a certain time, in a certain place and have had certain life experiences that created opportunities for them that they had the strength and courage to sieze and make something of.
One of his key messages is that true outstanding performance comes basically from hard work - around 10,000 hours of it to achieve true mastery of a skill. That's why the world's top sportsmen (and women) spend so much time practising.
Perhaps one of the most depressing messages though is that the artifical cut-off dates we impose on selection processes for young children automaticalkly exclude at least half the available talent pool (think of how summer born children perform in the UK and USA education systems, and then because they get less education, they perform less well so they don't get picked for the top sets so they perform less well so then they don't get to the top universities ad so have lower job opportunities and lifetime earnings - all because of an arbitary September cutt-off date for school admissions.
Those children from disadvantaged family backgrounds where there is no history of positive attitude to education suffer even more. And just look at what a transformation a program such as KIPP can make (and what sacrifices it requires).
The book end with Malcom reviewing his own opporrtunities and their roots seveal generations previously in the colour predujice amongst the various shades of black and brown on Jamacia.
As ever, Malcom writes in a engaging style - if you enjoyed Blink or The Tipping Point you will want to read Outliers as well